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Author's Note:

Hello everyone, it's been a while. Writing has been difficult lately with school and a persist writer's block. But based on some of the latest reviews I've been getting, I'm the best author in the Mario Fandom right now and I can't help but feel flushed. I haven't read any new Mario fics in almost a year, not since I got into One Piece. I took a quick scan through the first few pages and I'll admit I didn't see anything I caught my interest. So, I spent most of yesterday and this morning working on this chapter, making sure it's at least 2000 words (excluding the notes), just for you guys.

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Disclaimer: This following FanFiction story is a fan-based parody. "Mario" and all of its respectable characters are all owned by Nintendo and created by video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Please enjoy; favorite and review whenever you want.

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Chapter 81:
Muscle Canyon

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Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!

"Yo! Wake up!"

Loud, heavy blows on the door followed by loud shouting startled Luigi awake from his sleep. He lifted his head up and glanced around, his vision very blurry from slumber. He rubbed them and blinked a few times to clear it. Once it did, he noticed he was in different room than he normally wakes up in.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come on you two, we're here already," shouted Roy from the other side of the door.

"Here?" Luigi mumbled as he sat from the bed. Yesterday's events were slowly returning to him. "Oh, that's right."

The banging continues. At this point, the banging was enough to start irritating his bedmate.

"Argh, damn it Roy!" Wendy yelled. "We heard you already!"

"Well, hurry up! The Cruiser's landin' and Dad wants us all there to meet Harold."

With that said, Luigi heard heavy footsteps walking off, probably to pound on the next door. Luigi yawned loudly but rolled himself out of bed to get himself ready. As he put dug through his bag for some clothes, he heard Wendy getting out of bed as well.

"Today's going to be a long day," She yawned. "Come on, we'll safe time if we shower together,"

Luigi hummed in agreement as he grabbed a towel and followed her into the bathroom. It wasn't like they had time to fool around anyway. He trusts Wendy not to do anything.

Besides from some teasing, the two were dressed and ready within fifteen minutes. They met up with everyone else at the Cruiser's exit, waiting for the entrance panel to open. A loud clank was heard and, slowly, the panel began to descend.

Halfway through opening, Luigi noticed that the sun was just starting to rise. The sky was still dark but there was a pretty purple and pink mixture to it as the sun steadily reveals itself. As soon as the entrance panel touches the ground, three muscular figures were already there, waiting for them. It was only the one in the middle that Luigi was familiar with.

"Brother! Thank the stars that you here," The Chief of the Masrestlers, Harold, greeted them.

"Of course I'll be here," Bowser smirked. "But how about we safe the welcoming party for later,"

"Agreed" The Chief nodded and turned to another Masrestler who was probably a guard. "Prepare some food for our friends,"

The guard nodded and ran off to do what he was told. Harold turned back to them. "Please everyone; follow me to the Chief's Hall."

Exiting out of the Cruiser completely, Luigi was clearly able to see that they were indeed within the desert borders of the Birabuto Kingdom – one of the four constituent countries that made up Sarasaland, the kingdom in which the woman he once loved rule over. He took only a few seconds to acknowledge that before he continues to follow along with the group.

Muscle Canyon was a rocky gorge within the desert that was oddly shaped like an arm flexing its bicep muscle. Some feet away from where the Cruiser had landed, there was a large flight of stairs that lead to the bottom of the canyon.

"Watch your step,"

The Chief warned as he and Bowser started to descend first. The second guard was next to follow, then came the rest of them. The stairs were clearly crafted into the cliff. It was steep, yet sturdy and well-made.

As they descend from the stairway, Luigi took notice of the canyon itself. The Canyon was, at the very least ,over a thousand feet tall. The green man doesn't really see himself falling from that high any time soon so he keep himself as close to the wall as possible. It took a bit of time to get to the bottom, but when they did Luigi's eyes widen in shock.

"As usual, I welcome you all to my home,"

At the very bottom of Muscle Canyon was a very large community of the fighting species known as the Masrestlers. The first thing to catch Luigi's attention were the Masrestlers themselves.

Despite the time of day, many of them were already out and about. Just like the Chief himself, the Masrestlers were all muscular and very well built. Different tones of bluish to gray skin, dark colored eyes, and reptilian facial traits partly covered by the masks they constantly wear.

The males were large, brawny, and looked bestial. The females were leaner and looked more humanoid; some had a thick coat of hair on their heads while others were just plain bald. Despite their slender size, they were no less powerfully built than their male counterpart. Some of them wore gladiator-like clothing and pro wrestlers outfit while others wore simple loose fitting tunics or long laced dresses and sandals.

Troubled expressions were shown all over their faces; grief for their lose friend and worry for the missing seem to be taking its toll. But upon seeing them, their anxious looks became expressions of relief and renewed hope.

The second thing for Luigi to notices was their village; cliff dwellings – stone homes that occupied the huge shelves on both sides of the canyon walls, only to be divided by the small yet steady stream of water flowing through.

There were dozens of them, all lined next to each other. Pictures and drawings of what may be the Masrestlers' traditional markings were decorated around them. What was most interesting about them was the sense that they seemed quite modern in relation to the rest of the land. Metal was skillfully worked into the rock, sparkling brightly from the light of multiple fires.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

Luigi quickly sober up from his stupor. He glanced over to see Wendy eyeing him with an amuse expression. The green man blushed; he must have looked silly.

"I am,"

"Maybe after this whole thing is over, I can give you a tour of the place,"

He smiled. "That'll be nice,"

After crossing a small bridge build over the stream, the group soon found themselves in front of the Chief's Hall. This dwelling was larger than any of the others; probably the largest of them all.

Two guards stood in front of the entrance. They acknowledge their chief with a nod before pulling the curtains over to the side. Harold nodded in thanks and gestured everyone inside.

"Come everyone, we have much to discuss,"

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~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

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Luigi examined the stone oven baked pastry in his hand. The roll was doughy and white, with a golden crust on top. He took his first bite and hummed in delight.

"More meat?"

The green plumber jumped in his seat and turned around. He saw a young female Masrestler standing next to him. She wore a purple laced dress that reach down to her knees with black sandals. In her hands she carried a plate of mysterious meat.

"Oh uh, sure," He said, taking her offer. He took a piece and tried it for himself.

"Hmm, this is good." He swallowed. "What kind of meat is it?"

"Monitor lizard," She replies. "Grilled and seasoned."

At this point, Luigi was not surprise. In addition to some fresh bread and fruit, he had just finished a breakfast bowl of Armadillo Lizard meat mixed with fried Banded Gila Monster eggs with some Camel milk as a drink. It all had tasted great.

"It's delicious; thank you,"

She gave him a small, yet sadden smile before walking around, offering food to everyone else. Luigi frowned at her expression and continues eating his breakfast in silence as he glances around the chief's meeting room.

It was smaller than Bowser's conference room but it was still big enough to hold them all. Paintings, drawings, and statues of past chiefs decorated the Chief's Hall. The halls were lightening by these mysterious glowing crystals. Looking up, he took a few seconds to admire the crystal chandelier hanging above them, provide all the light need for the room alone.

He tore his glaze away from that and resumes listening to the conversation at hand. Chief Harold had just finished explaining everything that had happened within the last few days.

Brianna and the other children had gone off with a Guide in the early morning on an outing. It was a common job for children her age to go out hunting for small animals and reptiles. There wasn't much concern for them when they didn't return around sunset; the children were properly capable of surviving the night themselves.

Worry for them started nearly an hour after sunset. Several sounds of explosions were heard over the night. And when they didn't return the following day, a search party was quickly dispatched.

First day's search come back with nothing. Second day's search resulted with dreadful news – the body of the children's Guide was discovered and retrieved. The Shaman examined it and found the wounds inflicted were caused by a weapon of some kind.

Soon after the body was returned to their village, Harold immediately sent a letter through messenger bird asking for their assistance.

"As of now, the only evidence of their disappearance we managed to find was their camp site." Harold explained. "There were signs of struggling and Alden's body was found some feet away from there so we suspected that they were ambushed during the night."

"How far was the camp site?" Bowser asked; his voice was firm like any king should.

"About 12 miles southwest from here," Harold replied. His voice was firm as well but you can still hear the distress and worry in his tone.

"And any colonies?"

"We are on the very eastern part of the Pyrapt Desert. There's not a populated town here for many miles. However," He took a quick moment to think. "…Perhaps a month ago, we noticed a small remote outpost that had formed around a small oasis. At the very least, it's a week's worth of traveling from here."

"Then we'll have our search between here and there," Bowser explained. "I'll doubt they'll make it into town by now."

"What make you say that, Dad?" Junior asked.

The Koopa King shrugged. "This part of the desert is very desolate so it's not easy to travel, especially when you got need to drag 8 unwilling kids along with ya."

"Not to mention all the Gaos and Bunbuns out there ready to ambush anyone who wonders into their territory." Iggy commented. "Without any proper preparation, chances of survival significantly decrease."

"Which is why they'll most definitely stop at the nearest settlement for supplies," said Ludwig. "They're trying to make it west where it's more populated. Whoever they are, the kidnappers, they probably knew the Masrestlers don't travel too far away from their territory. Right now, they're probably thinking that the closer they are to the outpost, the greater their chances of success."

"But what they don't know is dat we're on da case," said Roy. "We'll stop them before they could even step foot on da outpost."

"Even if we don't find them in the desert," Kammy spoke "we can always corner them there. We'll make the outpost their final stopping point."

"Agreed," said Kamek. "But if we do that, we must remember to keep a low key so we don't notify King Totomesu of our presences."

Luigi tilts his head in confusion. "How come?"

"My people have been on rocky terms with the Sarasalanders for many years, especially with the high royal family." Chief Harold answered him. "Although we mean well and are not hostile, many fear us because of our strength and fighting culture. One wrong move may spark a fuse between us."

"I see," Luigi nodded in understand. He was unaware that Sarasaland had such an unstable relationship with the Masrestlers, who lived within the borders of their own land. He was curious; Daisy never mentioned such a thing. But then again, there were a lot of things she didn't talk to him about.

"So… what's the plan?" Larry asked.

"We'll increase the search area, specifically between here and the outpost. We'll have troops in the air as well but not enough to draw any unwanted attention. Although I doubt they're already there, we'll also send a small group towards the outpost, just to intercept them."

"I volunteer to be part of that group." Luigi spoke suddenly.

Everyone at the table turned towards him. "You sure?"

He nodded. "Other than the two or three times Princess Daisy had to be saved, Sarasaland don't really know much about me nor my brother other than the fact that we're considered great heroes. And if this part of the desert is as remote as you say, then I doubt anyone there would know who I am."

"He's right," Kamek spoke. "The Masrestlers are well known for staying within their territory. Sending a group of them will surely draw some attention."

"We all can't go as well," Ludwig added. "That will be just as suspicious,"

"A small mixed group will probably be the best course of action," Kammy suggested. "If anything, they'll just be seen as travelers."

Bowser nodded in agreement. "Alright then, including Luigi, a group of four will be sent to the outpost as scouts. Any sign of the kids or the kidnappers, you'll call in the rest of us."

Luigi nodded. "You got it,"

"Everyone else will be part of the search group. Like I said, any sign of the kids or the kidnappers, call in back up immediately. Understood?"

"Yes Sir!" Was everyone's response

"I must thank you all greatly for your assistance," Chief Harold spoke solemnly. "And through I have already asked for much, I will greatly appreciate it if you can bring back these kidnappers alive."

He bowed his head. "These men… they have killed one of my people, a close friend of mine, and taken away our children for their own personal gain," He cased his head up, his eyes darkened with anger. "I will be a failure of a chief if I let these villains roam free. They must be punished for their actions against us."

"And they will," Bowser announced firmly. "We'll make sure of it."

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Ending Note:

Like I stated before, I'm having a major writer's block right now and I'm not completely sure where or what direction I'm taking this right now. But rest assumes you, whatever free time I have, I'm working on this story. I made it my personal goal to be finish with this ACT by the end of this year since next year I'll be starting clinicals and will be working as if it was a full time 40 hour job. So...hopefully I'll be updating more and/or longer chapters for ya all.

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