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Author's Note:
T'is the season to be giving and I'm giving you guys two chapters in one week.
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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 83:
Pyrapt Temple Run
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"Are we there yet?"
Luigi tore his glaze away from the map in his hands to spare a glance at the Goomba who just said that.
"No, we're not,"
The Goomba groans as the plumber return his attention of the map. Minutes later, another question was being ask.
"Can we take a break?"
The plumber frowns and turns to the Shy Guy that ask. "We just took a break ten minutes ago,"
The green Shy Guy mumbles, "It felt longer" as the green man turns back to the map in hand. It wasn't very long before someone else asked a question.
"Can I have some water?"
He sighs and didn't bother turning to look as he answers, "You already had some water…ten minutes ago,"
A long silence passes between them and, for that, Luigi was grateful. They've been traveling for a few hours now, and according to the map, they still had some distance to cover before they could actually reach the Outpost. If they're lucky, they might make it there just before sun down.
"Are we there yet?"
Luigi stops completely and let out a deep sigh. He then turns around to look at three soldiers Bowser had assigned to accompany him to the Outpost.
Corporal Paraplonk, Sergeant Guy, and Private Goomp – the Elite Trio, the king's most trusted minions, and the biggest whiners Luigi has met so far.
"You three do realize that if we don't make it to the Outpost before sundown, we will be spending the night outside, right?"
The three friends glance at each other and groan. Luigi frowned but say nothing more. It couldn't be helped. Their morning had already started off slow thanks to the sudden appearance of another Gao. They managed to escape thankfully unharmed, but it had stirred them off in the wrong direction. Overall, it took them a good two hours to get them back on the track.
"Corporal Paraplonk, could you fly up and have a look around the area? The last thing we need is another surprise." He asks.
The Parakoopa seems to agree as he took to the sky without question. Luigi shields his eyes as looked towards the position of the sun. It was just about noon; that much he could tell. The sun had rise around 5:30 so they have been traveling for over 7 hours.
"Now what?"
The green man turns to the other two of the Trio. "We still got at least 8 hours before we lose sunlight. We might as well make use of it."
"Uh, we got a problem," Paraplonk announces as he flew back in a hurry. "A swarm of BunBuns is heading our way."
Luigi curses. Bunbuns were bee-like enemies that reside in the Birabuto Kingdom. Fighting one was simple enough, but a whole swarm of them was troublesome. They tend to be more aggressive as a group then alone.
"We need to take over, and quick," He said.
But before any of them could move, the swarm of Bunbuns appear in front of them. The Trio jump in surprise as the plumber grew tense. The swarm spot them. With spears in hand, they nose-dive after them.
"RUN!" Someone yells.
Sand pick up as the foursome starts running. Much like a swarm of normal bees, the Bunbuns chase after them – their spears and stingers sharp and ready. Running wasn't easy; every step they took sank into the uneven sand, impairing their every movements.
Sliding down a large sand dune, Luigi turns to face the swarm, hoping to slow them down somehow. Once the swarm appear from behind the dune, he took the opportunity to attack. Using his Super Jump, he manages to knock out three Bunbuns on his way up and jump upon the heads of two more on his way down.
A few Bunbuns flew forward and threw their spears at the green plumber. Luigi dodged almost all of them but the last one thrown manages to cut through his shoulder. The green man hisses in pain and cups his shoulder. He retracts it and that his white glove was now stained with blood.
"Look out!"
A brown and blue blurr clouds his vision as he was tackled into the sand. Pushing himself up, he saw Private Goomp sitting on his lap and a few new spears deep within the sand where he once stood upon.
Goomp shouts out in alarm and the green man look up to see two Bunbuns coming in fast with their stinger ready. But before any of them can get close enough to them, Corporal Paraplonk swoop in and tackled them away. Sergeant Guy ran to them and helps Luigi back on his feet. The green Shy Guy took the plumber's hand from his uninjured side and starts leading him away.
"Come on, let's going!"
The four continue running. Luigi would turn and try to shoot them down with his lightning strike attack. Unfortunately, he didn't have the move down quite yet and only managed to succeed 4 out of the ten times he tried.
"You have the worst aim!"
"Give me a break; I'm still trying to figure this out,"
"We need to figure out a way to lose them otherwise we're scre-ahhhhH!"
The ground underneath them collapses, sending the three of them into a world of darkness. Paraplonk gasps in surprise and nose dive after them, caring for only his friends and not the mysterious that awaited below. The swarm of Bunbuns stop just above the sinking hole in the sand but made no move to go after them. Within minutes, the strange hole that had appeared was once again covered up by sand, as if it was never there. Regardless, the Bunbuns continue to fly around the area, waiting for them to appear again.
That is…if they ever do.
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When Luigi first came to all he could see was darkness and sand. It took him a few minutes for his senses to clear and his eyes to adjust to what little light was provided before he realizes that half his face was buried in sand. With a small grunt, he lifts himself up to have a look around.
He was in a room, filled with sand and old stone. Rock crystals similar to the ones the Masrestlers use were built within the walls around them, providing some much need light to the overall extremely dark room.
Not too far away from him, he spots Goomp and Guy were lying not too far away from him, awake and conscious with Paraplonk checking to see if they were okay. He tries to sit up some more, only to hiss in pain and nearly collapses back onto the sand. The sound of his discomfort alerts the others of his awakening as they started to make their way to him.
"Are you okay?" Goomp asks.
Luigi nods. "I'm fine. But my shoulder hurts,"
"Here, let me see," Sergeant Guy said as he come around the plumber's other side.
Paraplonk held a light in place as Guy treats to Luigi's wounded shoulder. The injury wasn't serious and had already stopped bleeding; it should heal within a few days. As the green Shy Guy tends to him, the pajama wearing Goomba asks a question.
"So, uhm, does anyone know where we are?"
"That's a good question." The green man frowns as he looks around. "One thing's for sure, we're definitely underground."
"Well, we're not going through the same away we got in," Paraplonk comments. He flashes a light over the ceiling, trying to find an opening but failing. "The whole ceiling is blocked off."
"That's not good," Luigi mumbles to himself as the Sergeant finish wrapping the bandage around his shoulder. He examines it for a moment, rolling his shoulder to test it. The bandage held and didn't impair his movements.
He nods in thanks and stood up to dust the sand off him. He walks toward the side, eyeing the hieroglyphic on the nearest stone wall. Part of the wall had already collapse on the ground but most of it was still attached.
Displayed on the wall was a drawing of a woman surrounded by trees and plants. He couldn't make out any of the array of pictures and symbols, but if he had to guess, he'll say that the woman must have been important; probably a deity people use to worship to bring them good harvest.
He eyed the canvas for a moment longer before turning back to the others. "We have to find another way out,"
"B-B-But…" Goomp stutters. "what if we don't? W-W-What if… we're stunk here with no way out? W-W-What if the others find us? What if…What if…?"
"Hey guys," Sergeant Guy interrupted, grabbing everyone's attention. "I think I found a passage way,"
"Great, our luck's changing already," said Paraplonk. "Not only do we avoid the Bunbuns, but we also found a nice shady spot to rest in."
"But what if the path just leads us to a dead end? Or worse, an endless maze,"
"I guess we won't know until we find out," Luigi said as he pulls out his flashlight and turns it on. "Let's get moving,"
Silence soon over took them as they started down the narrow stone path. The air around them was filled with the echo sounds of their footsteps. Their lights flashing all around as they search for any sign of a way out.
"What exactly this is place?" Private Goomp mumbles. Luigi answers,
"I'm guessing we're in an underground tomb."
"A tomb?"
The green man nodded. "The desert is full with them, though they're from an old era. Back then, tombs were built as burial chambers for the dead. But as time went on, they were abandoned and left in ruins. Whether this one was purposely built underground or if it was one of many buried underneath the sand, we'll probably never know."
"How do you know so much about tombs?" Paraplonk asked with curiosity.
"I spent some time in the Sarasaland Palace's library the few times I visited."
The Parakoopa smirked. "Right, come to see your desert princess girlfriend, uh?"
The green hated man frowned at the comment. But before he could say anything a question was asked.
"Uhm, did those books you read mention anything about traps?"
"Some of them; why?"
Luigi stopped to look back at Sergeant Guy who had fallen behind. Flashing his flashlight on him, he noticed that the green Guy's whole body had turned rigid. Looking down, Luigi's eyes widen when he saw the floor panel the Guy was standing on. The sound of old, wry, but still surprisingly functional gears soon caught his ears and judging from the others reaction, they heard it too.
"Ah oh," He heard someone said but didn't pay any mind; his body was already moving.
"RUN!"
Everyone quickly follow his lead as they ran through the gauntlet of darts in their mad dash to escape. Fortunately for them, the mechanism to the traps were centuries old and had provide them plenty of relay time for them to escape. As soon as they're out of range of the dangerous dart trap, the group of four was hunched over trying to catch their breaths.
"Is everyone…okay? No one…got hit, right?" Luigi asks them, panting slightly. There was a small possibility that those darts were slick with poison and they weren't carrying any antidote; if one of them gains so much as a scratch, then they could be in big trouble.
"I'm ready to go back outside now," Goomp whines as he lay on the ground.
"I agree… But first, we just have to figure out which path we should take."
Luigi flash his light through one of the two pathways they stumbled upon after their mad run.
"Why don't we just pick one and figure things out from there?" Paraplonk asks.
"This whole place is pretty much a booby trap maze; if we're not careful, we might get caught in another ambush."
Sergeant Guy sighs heavily. "I'm tired…and all this running is making me hungry,"
He leans against the wall only to jerk up when he felt movement. He turned around to see he had activated another trap panel. The ground underneath them suddenly shook. Seconds later, the ceiling move and starts to descend upon them.
"Uh, sandwich anyone?"
"Uh, on second thought, I'm not so hungry anymore,"
"Okay, break time's over. Someone pick a path and quick,"
"But which one?"
"As of right now, it doesn't matter; we just have to move,"
Taking the lead again, Luigi ran towards the passageway on the right side. Corporal Paraplonk, Sergeant Guy, and Private Goomp followed right behind him. A minute later, the ceiling finally met with the floor, completely trapping them inside. The crystals lights flickered for a bit but remained shining bright.
"Well, there's no going back now," Paraplonk frowns.
Goomp begins to panic. "You know what this means, right? We're never going to get out of here!"
"Don't panic; I'm… sure we'll find a way out soon,"
"The Corporal's right." Luigi said. "We'll find a way out; we just have to keep our hopes up and our legs moving is all,"
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Several hours… and several traps later…
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"We're going to ddiiiieee!" Goomp screams from the top of his lungs.
No one can say anything to reassure him at the moment. Nor do they feel like they can. It was sort of hard to look for the positive side of things when you're running down hill with a large boulder rolling behind you. And with the hall as narrow as it was, with no possible outlet they could use to escape, death seems to be the only option there is.
'Well, this is it,' Luigi thought solemnly. 'Crush to death by a boulder; Wendy will be upset.'
'You're not dead, yet.' Mr. L spoke suddenly. 'Look,'
Luigi bought his head up again. Up ahead, he saw the distant lights of the crystals marking the end of the hall. His eyes widen at the sight of their big green opportunity to escape.
"A wrap pipe!"
"We're saved!" Paraplonk cries in joy.
The appearance of the wrap pipe was a huge relief but they weren't out of danger yet. From what he could tell, the wrap pipe wasn't big enough to fit all four of them at once; at the very least, they'll have to go in two at a time.
"Paraplonk, grab the Sergeant and fly ahead of us,"
The Trio turns to him in surprise. "What?"
"The wrap pipe isn't big enough for all of us. You're the fastest, so you and Guy should go in first."
"But…I mean…are you sure?" The Parakoopa frowns with concern.
"Don't worry," The green man smiles. "Goomp and I will be right behind you,"
The bucket wearing koopa resists for a moment. He didn't want to leave his friends behind to perish. But the green man's smile assures him to trust him, so he nods.
"Right!"
He flew around and grabs Sergeant Guy. Flapping his wings harder, he flew faster than he did before. Sergeant Guy waved and called out,
"See you on the other side,"
Luigi watches the two flies ahead before looking down at the goomba still running behind him. With a quick movement, he swops down and grabs him. The goomba shrieks when he was suddenly picked up and glances up at the plumber.
"Okay Private, you're with me,"
"We're going to die, aren't we?"
The green man flashs him a quick smile. "Ask me that in five minutes,"
The green man starts running faster than he did before. The boulder was right behind them and was getting closer by the minute. Goomp whines and closes his eyes, not wanting to see the outcome.
"We're not going to make it," Goomp cries in his arms.
Luigi tighten his hold on him and focus on the task at hand. It was going to be close but if he could push himself a little more…
The warp pipe was only a few hundred meters from him. He pushes himself even further, covering the distance quickly and entering inside the warp pipe before his vision was clouded by darkness.
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X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X
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A strong wind sweeps through the dessert land, causing the sand travel a few distances away. Suddenly, a green wrap pipe appears on top of a large sand dune. It jerks once, twice before a Parakoopa and a shy guy were forcefully pop out.
The two hit the ground roughly as they roll down the side of the sand dune.
Sergeant Guy grunts in pain while Corporal Paraplonk picks himself up. He shook his head, clearing the dizziness and the sand from his head. Looking around, he quickly realizes that they were back outside in the dessert.
"We're out, whoa!"
He jumps in the air and starts flying around in the air, feeling free to spread his wings after spending several hours underground. Sergeant Guy watches him the Parakoopa before turning back on the hill.
"Hey, where's are the others?" He mumbles.
He couldn't see the wrap pipe due to the sun setting behind it. He starts climbing back up to see if it was still there. A misstep causes him to slide down, but he kept trying.
But before he could get to the top, the warp pipe starts jerking again. Once…twice…three jerks and a figure pop out. The figure hit the sand with a grunt before rolling down the hill. The warp pipe disappeared underneath the sand, never to be seen again. Sergeant Guy stumbled back down the hill to check on the last two members of their little group.
"Are you guys okay?" He asked.
Goomp had his head stuck in the sand while Luigi simply lay there. Sergeant pulls Goomp out as the PJ wearing Goomba coughs out the loose granular substance from his mouth.
"We're fine, Sergeant," Luigi replies.
"Barely! I never thought I'll miss the desert so much." Private Goomp cries.
"If you're joyfully crying over the desert than you won't be where we are right now," Paraplonk exclaims as he flew down to them.
"I don't really care," The green man sighs tiredly. "We'll just…camp out here for tonight and figure out where we are tomorrow."
"Okay," Paraplonk shrugs. "I just figure after the day we just had, you'll want to sleep on a soft bed instead of the grainy sand."
"What?" Luigi lifts his head up, looking at the bucket wearing Parakoopa.
Say Koopa smiles and took to the air again. He lands on the sand dune in front of them and motions them over. "Have a look for yourself,"
The others share a look before getting up and walking over to him. They climb the sand dune as best as their tired limps can. Luigi was the last one to reach the top. Once there, he glances around the endless sea of sand until his eyes spots something in the distance.
At first he thought it was a mirage; an illusion made by his tired mind. But the others' reaction corrected him. It was real and he could hardly believe it.
Stationed less than a mile away was the Outpost they were looking for. It was a small colony built around an even smaller oasis bordered by large sand dunes. Sergeant Guy and Private Goomp cheers in joy.
"We made it!"
"And just in time too. The sun is going down,"
"Alright men, we're one step closer to completing our mission," The Corporal said. "Onward we go!"
"Right!"
The Trio slide down the dune as they began to cover the remaining distance by running. Luigi let out another tired sigh, but nevertheless, he follows right behind them. He could always rest later; right now, they had eight children to rescue.
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Ending Note:
Happy Thanksgiving :)
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