Having spent some time on their backs recovering their wits, Peach rises first and casts an AOE or Area of Effect healing spell on them all. Before long, most of them are sitting up and begin to assess and look at their surroundings.
Fire dominates the area.
In fact, right away they can tell their near or in a volcano as the heat is downright oppressive and can be visibly seen in waves with the naked eye. The environment is bathed constantly in a fire red-orange glow likely from the many pits and rivers of magma and lava that can be seen throughout the area.
Fortunately, Peach has this covered as she had added a Fire defense buff to the heal, she just performed. It's a wise move, as continued exposure to the extreme heat may have finished the job, killing them all. Well most of them. The Koopa princess and sorceress are probably none the worse for wear aside from the beating, they shared in receiving earlier at the hands of the Axem Rangers x.
Peach can only shake her head in wonder how they managed to journey this place during the Smithy Wars with Mario, Bowser, Mallow, Geno, and herself.
Maybe Barrel Volcano was not as active or the heat was somehow less intense?
Regardless, this was no time to be taking it easy.
They still needed to get to the bottom of who or what attacked the sovereign nations of their world and stop them. Not to mention, find out what happened to the Axem Rangers X.
Peach starts to ponder about the other part of their mission concerning the missing relic star, but her attention shifts to Kammy who has risen from her sitting position.
What grabs her attention is that Kammy is levitating with a white ethereal glow sparkling over her as she also seems to drift away as if sleepwalking.
Wendy looks up to see her master sensei wandering off with a strange expression on her face. "Master?"
Not getting a response, Wendy followed by the others tag the Koopa sorceress for a time as she levitates through the air a few feet from the ground in a specific direction clearly determined to get somewhere.
Kammy eventually stops in front of a small pond of glowing lava and seemingly stares at the center of it with a far off look in her eyes.
The Koopa sorceress then raises her hands which begins to glow with a luminescent white then fires a ball of equally bright white light from her hands which winds in the air around almost whimsically before landing lightly at the center of the pond of fiery lava.
As soon as the ball of light touches the lava at the center, it fizzles out causing the lava to become disturbed until a hidden warp pipe emerges from within the lava pond like a plant bursting from the ground before coming to rest with its mouth above the lava.
The pipe glows bright red for a time then begins to cool to a dull silver finish.
Kammy stops levitating and descend to the ground as the ethereal white glow recedes from her as she regains her senses and looks around confused. "What the?"
"I think you were being guided here, Kammy. We basically just followed you and now thanks to that we have discovered a hidden warp pipe. Too bad we have no idea where it goes." Peach looks to Kammy who is starting to understand.
"It was the star. I think we can find it down there." Kammy rubs her head recalling a voice echoing in her head during the ordeal.
Luigi slams a fist into an open palm and sighs. "Well, we do need the relic if we are to face whoever or whatever is responsible if the old legend has any truth to it. Shame we have no idea who the Maiden of the Heart is supposed to be."
Geno nods at this. "Yes, it would do us little good to have the relic but fail to discover the maiden. My guess is the two are both required to properly deal with the enemy."
"Well, no time like the present. Hopefully, whatever is down this pipe will reveal the relic. Let's go." Peach not wasting any time jumps the small distance of the lava pond landing on the pipe opening before going down it.
The others shrug not having a better idea of how to know what is through the mystical warp pipe and follow her. The pipe transition starts off normally but right away, they can tell there is something different about this pipe. After a few seconds more than usual, it is apparent they haven't exited yet. Before they can raise alarm, they arrive at the light at the end of the pipe.
When they finally exit, they discover they are now suspended high in the air and enjoy a sudden several foot drop into a pond of crystal-clear water. Everyone hurriedly swims to shore and immediately take note of a few alarming differences from their own world.
The dimension perception has changed to 2 dimensional and all the color is withdrawn to grayscale. It is also apparent the area is barren and void of life.
Curiously charred skulls and bones of various creatures of varying sizes litter the ground here and there indicating for many this was their last stop before game over.
The sun is out and shining its blinding light and radiant unforgiving heat on to the black as opal sand dunes making them glisten as though black diamonds are embedded in them. In fact, the rolling black opal sand dunes stretch out infinitely in every direction with this small lake of water being the only break in monotony other the hills of black sand.
A stiff arid breeze blows over the land every so often confirming they are somewhere in a desert plain devoid of any life aside from the water. Since everything is in greyscale, there is no way to know for sure where they are though Luigi looks around frightened.
Wendy looks to her boyfriend and sees his expression as her head tilts in confusion. "What's going on, Luigi? You look as if you have seen a boo or something?"
Luigi shakes his head blinking at her for a moment before taking a breath calming down. "This area. I know where we are. I know yet I can't believe it."
"OK. Your starting to scare me."
"Where the heck are we right now? And why is everything gray-scale?" Wendy looks around at Luigi her eyes shifting about nervously.
Luigi gulps notably as he gathers his words carefully.
"Well, I once read that about 1 or 2 ages ago, their once was a cursed parallel dimension that was used to banish criminals and villains too terrible to remain in the same plane of existence as the mushroom world we know and love."
Peach and Toadette's eyes lock on to Luigi at the explanation as the color drains from their faces at his explanation instantly recognizing what he is referring to.
"According to the royal archives, it appears we have unwittingly rediscovered the Minus World dimension."
Kammy raises a brow at this explanation.
"The Minus World. . . . ."
"Now that is a dimension, I have not heard the name of in a long time."
"Long time."
"The Darklands in their early barbaric years used to cast captives sentenced to death alive into that realm. Legend has it the place has no known escape."
Geno looks around curiously at this explanation. "I haven't heard of such a place. But correct me if I am wrong. Doesn't that mean we should be concerned."
Luigi starts to let his fear get the best of him but wards it off. "Perhaps. But it's clear the star lead us down here. We hope. For now, we continue to follow the lead and see if it takes us to it. Kammy?"
Kammy nods knowing his intent as she points to the west. "The star seems to be calling from this direction. Besides its clear, we have little chance of turning back now even if we wanted to."
Kammy starts walking without another word so the others shrug and start to follow her as they begin trudging along the black sands. The wily sorceress finally stops walking after a moment.
"I believe what we're looking for is just beyond the large dune."
Luigi glances over at her curiously. "Alright, well? "
Kammy shakes her head slowly. "Just wait for it."
At first, nothing seems to happen as the group continues to stare out at the black sand deserts uneventfully listening to the sounds of the arid winds. Oddly it has gotten slightly darker for some reason. Maybe the the sun is finally giving them a break.
Finally, Wendy breaks with the idling. "Well, wait for what?"
"Run."
Luigi and Peach look over at Kammy fearfully to see she has literally taken off running. "I said RUN!"
Everyone follows suit not sure what is going on until they notice the sun that has been hanging high in the sky is completely out of position. Luigi's eyes widen when he realizes what they're dealing with.
"It's an Angry Sun!"
The party is now at a full sprint as they follow Kammy who is holding the lead with the others not far behind. All the while the "sun" is now doggedly chasing behind them along the ground literally burning the sand it touches turning it into a black glass with the extreme heat.
"But why here of all places. It is the middle of a frickin desert. We do not have anything we can throw at it to banish it. There is nothing but sand!" Toadette exclaims with eyes full of fear.
Wendy cannot help shifting her gaze every so often to the pursuing angry sun which wears a look of unbridled rage on its fiery face. "I really hope you have a plan, Master. Surely we're not expected to run around in this desert for all eternity with a sun on our arses, are we?!"
"Not a problem, we are almost. . . "
Kammy's voice suddenly cuts out as she disappears from view just ahead of a sand dune in their immediate path.
Wendy cannot help but worry as do the others and increase their pace trying to catch up to the Koopa sorceress who seems to have just disappeared. It is not until they come blindly running over the latest dune that they realize the reason and their critical error.
A yawning pit that seems to be cut into the desert floor awaits them.
The bottom does not seem to exist as the pit is bathed in darkness so that not even the light of day brightens it. Comically the group finds themselves hanging in midair only briefly before gravity remembers what to do causing them to fall in.
Wendy glances over while rolling her eyes muttering before the drop cuts her off. "You have got to be fu . . "
Sorry for the long arse wait. Fighting off a mean creative block with how 2020 has been unfolding has been a real challenge. But my determination to complete what I start has won the battle. I am going to ride this motivation to completion.
I tried to take on writing one massive last chapter and could not do it. It just would not do this story justice, so we have a good lead-in. And I decided to introduce a dimension that deserves a respectful nod. Free cookie if you can recall another story that used this dimension.
But the action is far from over.
Look forward to the next chapter, where secrets are revealed, and sinister plots are uncovered. I will do quality control checks on these chapters later. For now, I am riding my inspiration which has come back for this story so I can get it done. Fine-tuning can come along later.
Love and kisses
Mistress Kasumi