Chapter 8: Palace In The Clouds
Mario begins his climb of Rocrol Mountain and quickly finds a small town, he is warned about going further due to recent sightings of Bowser's troops and even some Clovens, however Mario keeps trekking on
Just outside the town Mario spots a magikoopa being attacked by some Clovens, so he fights them off. Then the magikoopa, called Kara Koopa demands to join Mario, claiming she had a vision of a man in red saving her life and she must aid him so he can save the world. So Kara becomes the 9th and final partner, having the overworld ability of faster movement and crossing hazards as she lets Mario ride on her broom with her
In a cave Mario finds an ultra hammer, this allows him to perform a swing smash which can break large stone blocks
After a long climb Mario makes it to the peak and finds the way to reach the palace, a cannon. However inside the palace Lord Valais is waiting, ready to put a stop to Mario's journey, he is unsuccessful in this and Mario is able to take The Sleeping Stone, awakening the moody and aloof Onyx
Onyx shares a vision of the next and final location, and it's one Mario's all too familiar with, Bowser's Castle. At first it seems like this is the end of the line, but an airship has been spotted docked past The Evergreen Region, so Mario heads for it and manages to stow aboard
