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Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait; I hope this chapter is worth it though.
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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 82:
Pyrapt Desert
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The Pyrapt Desert is a large desert that makes up the majority of the Birabuto Kingdom. It is an extremely desolated desert with very few, very small oases scattered about. The desert is usually only entered for traveling purposes.
The Pyrapt Desert is further divided by the Pyrapt River, which splits part of the country into uneven top and bottom halves. The source of the river starts off as a small lake. It eventually grows larger and wider as it travels farther west where the landscape gradually change from desert to coastal plains. Eventually, the mouth ends within the southwest borders of the Easton and Muda Kingdoms.
Glancing up to the sky, Luigi shields his eyes from the extremely harsh rays of the now visible sun beating down on him. From past experiences, the temperature during the day can exceed over 100 *F. He couldn't be surprise if the temperature now was around 130 *F right now.
He sighs and turns his attention back on the endless amount of sand. Despite the high temperature and the full body robe he was wearing to avoid getting sunburn, he wasn't really feeling much of the heat which was odd. Normally a hot desert like this would leave him drenched in his own sweat. Now, he just feels really warm.
"Some water?" Someone asks him.
Luigi glances towards the female Masrestler offering a jug of water. He recognizes her right away; she was the same one who served him breakfast, now dressed in a female gladiator outfit.
"No, I'm okay, thank you," He told her.
"Are you sure?" She asks with some concern. "Our skins are thick enough to protect us from the harsh sun, but you can dehydrate pretty quickly in extreme heat such as this."
"Actually, despite all the heat, I don't really feel it that hard."
"That's probably because of your wristbands,"
Luigi turns around to look up at the oldest Koopaling riding on the double humped camel. Wendy was riding along with him on the back, with a large summer hat on top of her head. Roy was within the group as well, walking along side several Masrestlers.
The cruiser had dropped them off miles ago to decrease the travel time. While his group headed for the outpost, Ludwig, Roy, and Wendy's group were to branch off and search around in the surrounding areas.
"My wristbands?" Luigi asks, not understanding what Ludwig meant.
"The wristbands you're wearing are magical, just like ours." He explains. "We all wear them. They're supposes to help increase your attacks and strength power. It's possible that Kamek added some kind of barrier spell to yours to protect you against extreme heat."
Luigi places his hand on his chin in thought. "Now that I think about it…I don't really feel the heat of the lava that I normally do whenever I was in Darkland. I did at first but that eventually went away." He rolls up his sleeves to look at the black spiked wristbands he wore every day since he got them. "I never realize they were protecting me this entire time."
"They're more than just a fashion statement," Wendy comments. "And it's a good thing too. Then you'll probably be shedding clothes and I preferred to keep that for my eyes only."
The green man blushes as Ludwig sighes. "It really depends on how strong the spell it. Regardless, I won't risk sun burn if I were you,"
"In other words, I'm keeping my clothes on," Luigi said.
"You Koopas are so talented," The female Masrestler says suddenly. "I wish we were as gifted; then maybe we could protect the young ones better."
The three ceased from their conversation, turning their attention to the one that just spoke. Another Masrestler, a male, steps beside her.
"Ava…" He tries to warn her.
"No, it's fine," Wendy waves him off. She gestures Ludwig to stop which he hid. She jumps from the back of the camel and land on the sand with a soft thump. She brushes any sand off her before walking over to the female Masrestler.
"Ava, was it? Mind if I walk with you?" She asks.
The Masrestler shock her head. "No, not at all,"
The pink koopa nods and they resume their walk with the group. They walk in silence for several minutes before Wendy spoke up.
"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, you know." She said. "We'll get the children back no matter what."
Unfortunately, Ava didn't look all that convince as she cases her head down in sadness. Wendy frowns at that and asks, "Is one of the children yours, by any chance?"
Ava nods. "My little sister, Chloe,"
"Well, do you have fate in Chloe?"
"Of course I do," She said, casing her head up.
"Then have fate that she hasn't stop fighting. I mean, that is what you guys do best, isn't it?" Wendy concludes with a kind smile.
Ava blinkes before smiling herself. "I guess you're right; thank you, Sister."
Luigi watches the whole exchange with pride; happy to see his wife encouraging hope towards others. He then frowns and crossing his arms in thought. "I still find it hard to believe that you guys are on such rocky terms with the Sarasaland."
"Wha', dat flower princess girlfriend o' yours never told you about it?" Roy asks, trailing behind him.
"Daisy wasn't my girlfriend," Luigi replies, "And no she didn't."
"Whether she knows or not doesn't really matter." Ludwig comments from the top of his camel. "And even if the Masrestlers were in good terms with the rest of Sarasaland, I doubt it will make much of a difference,"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well for starters," Roy starts. "We have a pretty close relationship wit' da Masreslters and they're not ashamed to admit dat. And considerin' dat Sarasaland is allied wit' da Mushroom Kingdom who is basically still our enemy even wit' a 'treaty' in between us, doesn't really put them in a good spot…"
"But that's just a side note." Ludwig comments. "The real problem is the Underground Network, or to be more specific, their Slave Trade Operation."
"I'm still out of the loop with this whole Underground Network business," Luigi confesses. "Is there any reason why anyone would want a Masrestlers as a slave?"
"Well, they're strong… so they'll mostly have them do some pretty hard labor."
"They're also pretty skilled craftsmen." Roy jumps in. "You saw their village; people could use their skills fo' their own profit."
Ludwig nods. "But the most popular reason is because they're rare,"
"Rare?" Luigi questioned.
"That's right. Unlike the Toads or Goombas, Muscle Canyon is the only place you'll ever find a Masrestlers. Far from any populated towns or cities, the surrounding area provides enough food and water so they can pretty much live undisturbed and disconnected from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, it also makes them sitting ducks for potential raiders and slave traffickers."
Luigi frowns. "Is that why they'll be wanted as slaves? Because they're uncommon?"
Ludwig nods. "Rare and exotic are popular within the Network. Anything that brings in large amounts of coins is what they call business,"
"Like that Vibe Specter Dad confiscate after a bust," Roy comments.
"Oh? So that's where you got that from," Luigi glares at the purple koopa. He remembered that incident well; it was the first time Peach was the hero – or rather, heroine – while his brother and him were the ones needing rescuing.
The purple koopa shrugs. "It wasn't a cheap purchase, if it makes you feel better,"
"It really doesn't," He mumbles.
"We should be splitting up soon," Ludwig told them. "The outpost should be at least a day or so worth of traveling away."
"Good." Roy said. "I'm itchin' fo' some action."
"Remember, we have to bring these guys in alive,"
"Oh, I know, dat doesn't mean I can't bring in some early punishment," He smirks.
Luigi didn't say anything to that. Considering that a huge part of their history revolved around slavery, he could understand why Roy and the others would hold strong feelings toward this.
Suddenly, he felt a quick movement under his feet. Luigi hums in confusion and stops walking entirely. He looked around the sand, thinking he might have stepped on some animal or something.
"Is everything all right?" A male Masrestler asks him, causing a few heads to turn his way.
"Uh sorry," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought I felt the ground move."
"We've been walkin' on nothin' but sand," said Roy. "If it moves, then it's probably jus' da wind."
"Actually," Another male Masrestler spoke. "I felt something too,"
Before he can explain further, a tremble interrupts them. This time it was strong enough for everyone to feel it. The camels were panicing and their riders struggle to keep them under control.
"What was going on?" Wendy shouted.
"Don't know," Ludwig grunts. "But we're about to find out,"
Suddenly, a large amount of sand explodes near them, followed by a loud roar. Everyone shield themselves from the blast before looking up to see a large sphinx-like lion creature towering over them.
"It's a Gao!" someone shouts.
Ludwig scoffs. "Figures this was too easy; we must have wondered into its territory,"
Roy smirks. "Fine by me, I've been itchin' to punch somethin' all day,"
The Gao roars loudly and shoot a fireball from its mouth. Everyone moves quickly out of the way, successfully dodging it. Roy jumps in the air and shoot his own fireball at the Gao. The Gao recoils from the attack. It shook its head and growled in annoyance. It opened its mouth again and shot another fireball at the purple Koopa.
"Ah! Is that all you got, feline?" He taunts.
The ground starts shaking again as something else emerges from the sand. With a loud roar of its own, a second Gao appears before them. This one was even larger than the first and was growling at them pretty angrily.
"Another one?" Luigi questions.
"That must be its mate," A male Masrestlers answers.
The second Gao roars again before both Gaos start shooting multiple fireballs at them. Everyone scrambles to dodge them.
"Great, now you make them mad," Wendy scowls at her brother.
She took a quick breath and shot her own fireball to counter the one aim at her. Ava and a few others Masrestlers took the opportunity to attack the second Gao, weapons ready in hand. The Gao notices them and uses its large paw to wipes them away.
"Ava!" Wendy calls out with concern. She glares back to the Gaos. Her eyes widen with surprise when she saw that large paw hovering over her head.
"Look out!"
Wendy was pushs out of the way before impact, colliding into the sand. She sat up and looks over to see her savior by her side.
"Are you okay?" Luigi asks her with concern.
She nods. "I'm fine,"
The green man smiles in relief before turning over to the Goas which Ludwig, Roy, and several other members of their group were fighting. Goas weren't necessary that difficult to defeat, but their large size and fire breathing abilities made them dangerous. They were even more dangerous during their mating season, when two of them would pair up at a time and defend each other from enemies.
"If we don't get rid of them, someone could get hurt," Wendy comments.
"You're right," Luigi agrees. "We'll have to end this quick,"
She nods and the two ran over to join in on the fight. The five Parakoopas of the group flew around the Gaos, distracting them from the others on the ground. Wendy activates two candy rings. They magically enlarge themselves and wraps around the Gaos, enabling them temporary. The others took this as their moment to attack.
Ludwig and Roy use their ground pound to attack one while the Masrestlers uses their raw strength to body slam the other. Both Gaos came tumbling down on each other. Luigi charges up his Thunderhand in both hands and release a double lightning strike. He manages to hit his targets as the two Gaos roar out in pain.
"That's new?" Ludwig comments in interest.
"When did he learn dat?" Roy adds
The magical rings disappear, allowing the Gaos to move again. But instead of attacking, both Gaos start digging. A cloud of sand dust was created due to their efforts, causing everyone to shield their eyes. As soon as it clears, everyone ready themselves only to find the Gaos gone.
"They must have retreated," Ava said.
"Is everyone okay?" Ludwig asks as he glances around.
"A few scratches and bruises but nothing serious,"
"We should get moving," Luigi suggests. "We don't want them coming back,"
"Agreed,"
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As the sun went down, so did the temperature. A large fire was started and tents were set up. Dinner - a wild skunk pig - was hunted and cooked by the Masrestlers before it was passed around to everyone else. While everyone ate, they gathered around the fire for warmth and some small talk.
As expected from a desert, the night was cold, probably in the 60's or 50's. Thanks to his newly discovered magical wristband, the green man wasn't necessarily shivering in his boots. Regardless, he still felt mildly cold and that alone was a good enough excuse for him to snuggle close to his wife.
"So, what's the plan fo' tomorrow?" Roy asks. He was lying on his back as he stared up into the night sky.
"Same as it always been," Ludwig answers as he glances down at the map in front of him. "We'll split up in the morning; the outpost isn't too far from here, at least a day's worth of travel. Luigi and his group can travel on their own from here on. The rest of us will set up posts in the surrounding area.
Wendy sighs. "Not really looking forward to spending a few nights on the sandy ground,"
"It's not that bad; I'm sure you'll be fine," Luigi assures her.
She mumbles. "Says the guy who at least gets to sleep on a cot,"
"I suggest we turn in early for tonight," said a Masrestler by the name of Grayson. "Temperature tends to rise quickly within a few hours so an early morning start is very beneficial."
Everyone agrees with his statement. Once dinner was finish, everyone divides into either their tents or lookout positions. Despite the current situation, the night was peaceful and it didn't take long for everyone else to fall into a restful sleep.
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Ending Note:
None
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