𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘 ● 𝗟𝘂𝗶𝗴𝗶 𝘅 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲𝗿

| 𝐀 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 |

Luigi's POV

My heart raced as I sprinted through the dense environment of the Lava kingdom. With the amount of trips that I made to this place to save the princess with my brother, my mind had an internal compass of the landscape's layout. From the abundant amount of leave-less trees that filled the hot terrain, from the bright lava that rested in the narrow cracks in the ground.

After running for so long, I found myself passing the spot we camped last night. I was getting close. Though it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain my current speed. That extra ten minute head start would hopefully give me more than enough time to get to Bowser's castle much sooner than Mario. While I've always been faster than my brother, the last month of me being in the castle definitely had a negative effect on my athleticism. Aside from all the stairs I'd go up and down in Bowser's castle, I didn't have that much of a workout routine. Honestly the old missions I used to join Mario in were the source of most of my exercise.

Granted it was nothing my adrenaline couldn't make up for, but still. However, my brother would likely come back with the others, including the princess. He'd likely have to pace himself for the others to keep up with him. That is if he bothered waiting up for them. I needed every spare second I could get.

With each step I took, I could feel myself becoming more exhausted. I did myself a huge disservice by skipping out on dinner last night. But there was no way I could foresee myself doing this today. It definitely wasn't my brightest idea, I'll give it that.

But I just couldn't leave this place. Not only did I tell Junior I'd come back for him, but I told Bowser I'd be there as his adviser. I played an important role in the castle now. To think that I would've been flying off in that hot air balloon right now.

I could still stop in my tracks and just allow Mario and the rest to catch up to me. It was definitely a thought that kept popping into my head every now and then. But if I did do that, it would be just a waste of both my time and everyone else's. And if I were to let him take me back now, he'd be sure to keep a closer eye on me. I couldn't stop now. I had to commit to this jump.

As sweat poured down my face, the castle emerged in the distance, its dark silhouette standing tall against the horizon. There it was. I could feel my heart pound harder against my chest as it was finally in view. The sight of the castle fueled me to put everything I had into running.

Bit by bit, I managed to close the distance between me and the castle. I finally found myself walking up the stairs. My legs felt like they were on fire and it felt as though I could hardly catch my breath. After making it to the top, I pushed the doors open, my eyes immediately taking in the home that I've grown to love so much. As I took another step forward, my legs finally gave out on me, forcing me to take a minute to recover.

I found myself trying to regain control of my tired breaths, working to brush the sweat off of my head as I did so. It was only a minute until I heard the sound of light footsteps approaching me. Turning the corner of the hall came a duo of hammer bros. Their eyes widened the moment they spotted me.

"The king's advisor!"

"He has returned!"

The two immediately dropped their equipment before rushing over to me. The pair worked to bring me to my feet, being sure to be gentle with their grip.

"Are you alright, sir?" The slimmer one asked.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" The more muscular one asked as he put a bit more effort into picking me up.

"I'm alright. Just did a bit too much running in one go." I managed to answer through tired breaths, finally regaining my footing."Thanks for helping me up."