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Author's Note:

This month hasn't been the best for me both physically and emotionally. Not only have I been busy with school, but also my father had a stroke not too long ago. Thankfully, it wasn't too serious. The stroke was mild and he's currently receiving therapy while doing things on his own, but you could imagine my distress when it all happened.

Unfortunately during that time, some of the plot that I had planned for the remaining of this ACT was forgotten, leaving nothing but a lousy writer's block. With the year almost over and clinicals starting next month, it's obvious to say that I'm not going to finish this ACT this year. I do, however, plan on finishing this ACT and hopefully start ACT 3 next year.

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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 84:
Found, Then Lost

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Located deep within the Pyrapt Dessert and isolated from the more populated areas of Sarasaland, the Outpost only consist of about 10 or so tents with most likely 15 to 30 people settling here, at max. Upon stumbling into the camp site, Luigi and the Trio's presences almost immediately draw the residents' attention.

The four wonder around for a bit, hoping to find food, water, and a place to stay for the night. It didn't take long before someone starts to approach them. It was a Nokobon, also known as a Bombshell Koopa. They were a common Koopa species within the Sarasaland Kingdom. This one wore common desert clothing and a shady brown hat. Upon reaching them, he greets them all with a wary smile.

"It's been a long time since someone new stumbled upon our little desert town. Tell me, Young Travelers, what brings you all the way out here?"

"We're here to save the Masrestlers kids," Paraplonk proclaims suddenly.

The Nokobon blinks in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Luigi pushes the Parakoopa aside and quickly took over the conversation. "What my friend means is... we're activists traveling to Muscle Canyon in hopes to meet with the Leader of the Masrestlers."

"Activists, you say?" The Nokonom thought suspiciously with a hand on his chin. "And you want to meet with the Masrestler Leader?"

"Yes sir, our goal is to learn more about the Masrestlers and their culture in hopes of understanding them better and hopefully deepening our society's relationship with them."

"I see." He drops his suspicions for the moment and bows to them in greeting. "My name is Norm, by the way; I am the leader of this Outpost. I would like to learn more about your mission, but first, allow me to find you a place to rest and rejuvenate. You must be wary from your travel."

Luigi nods. "We are; thank you,"

"Please follow me,"

Norm turns and starts leading them through the Outpost. Luigi leans towards the confused Trio and whispers his plan to them.

"It's probably not a good idea to tell him exactly who we worked for," He told them. "Remember, we don't want to attract any kind of authorities here."

"Right," Paraplonk agreed. "Alright team, from this point on, we're going into secret agent mode."

"Secret agents; got it," Sergeant Guy and Private Goomp saluts.

With that said, the Trio quickly began following behind Norm, now in their 'secret agent modes'. Unfortunately, their secret agent mode made them look highly suspicious and very secretive. Luigi sighs as he starts to trail along, only to pause when he spots two workers glancing in his direction.

A Dryite and a Goombo; a variety of Goomba that resides in Sarasaland. Their glance didn't look all that friendly; in fact, they look sort of wary of him. Why? The green man wasn't too such. but a sense of uneasiness creep up on him as they continue staring.

Soon enough, they look away and went off in their separate direction. The green man frowns in confusion but decides to push aside his worry. His fatigue must be getting to him; perhaps he should rest for a bit.

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

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"Who exactly sent you... if you don't mind me asking?"

The sun had completely set as the group of four settled in for the night. Norm was kind enough to allow them to use his personal tent and treat their wounds; however, he was still pretty skeptical of them. Once they were treated, food and fresh water from the spring was brought to them as they discuss upon their presences with the Outpost leader.

"The King himself, of course," Goomp proudly calls out.

"King Totomesu?" Norm questions in surprise.

Sergeant Guy elbows him for the outburst and let Luigi took over. It quickly became known that the green plumber was the best one to handle this sort of thing.

"Not King Totomesu, but High King Thorne," He answers. "He's curious with our groups work and would like to be notified of our process once we return from our mission."

"And what group is that?"

"The U.M.B.A."

Norm raises a brow. "The U.M.B.A?"

"Understanding Masrestlers Better Association,"

"I've never heard of such a thing,"

"It's a fairly new group," Luigi assures him with a friendly smile.

"I see...And you say that the King knows that you're here."

"The High King," He emphasizes greatly.

"Of course," Norm didn't press the manner but he still looks doubtful of them. Luigi just hope that his story about the High King Throne, the Overall King of Sarasaland and Princess Daisy's father, was enough to discourage him from questioning any further for the time being.

"So..." Luigi starts as he switches topics. "What exactly bought you and our men all the way out here?"

"We're...local archaeologists hoping to find and study any artifacts left in this area."

"Really? Have you found anything of interest?"

"Not yet; we just recently finish set up camp a few days ago,"

Luigi raises a curious eyebrow. Didn't the Chief mention that the Outpost had shown up a few weeks ago?

"A few days? But from what I heard, this campsite has been here for some time,"

Norm eyes widen before he gave a forceful smile. "Clearly, you must have heard wrong. My men and I haven't been here for more than a week,"

'Lair…' Mr. L comments and frankly, Luigi agrees with him.

"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm just glad we came across you as we did," He shrugs the topic off. Norm looks like he was on the defensive and Luigi didn't want to push him any further. Nokobons were known for having a short fuse and the last thing he wanted was for Norm to literally blow up on him.
"After today, I had no idea what would have happened to us if we continued our journey without assistance."

"Then it must be fate that you find us," Norm remarked, standing up. "I should take my leave; you four must be tired. Feel free to stay as long as needed."

"Thank you very much,"

Norm nodded and exit out of the tent. Once he was gone, Luigi let out a sigh of relief and look over to the others. Goomp and Paraplonk were grinning with accomplishment while Guy gave him a thumb up.

"You're pretty good with this undercover stuff," Paraplonk commented.

"Yeah, like a real secret agent,"

"Thanks," He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "We should get some rest though. Don't know what tomorrow is going to bring us,"

The others nod in agreement as they finish off their food and started arranging themselves for bed. There were only three cots in the tent. Goomp and Guy decide to share one, while Luigi and Paraplonk had their own.

Goomp fell asleep long before his head hit the pillow. It was understandable; today had been very hectic and draining. Paraplonk and Guy were following close behind him. A minute later, Guy was out cold, dozing away.

Paraplonk was just about to settle in and join in on the realm of sleep when he noticed Luigi hadn't moved much. The green man was just sitting on his cot, his mind wondering off.

"Are you okay?" He asks softly, causing the plumber to break out of his stupor.

"I'm fine; just thinking,"

Truth be told, he was feeling quite restless. His uneasiness had return, no thanks to Norm, and now it had made itself known with quite a vengeance. The Outpost leader was clearly hiding something and it didn't fit well with him.

'So… are you're just going to sit there and try ignored it? Or… are you going to get up and try to following your instincts?'

The green sighs at his counterpart's logic and stood up from his cot. Paraplonk raises a curious brow as he watches the man grab his coat and started heading out of the tent.

"I'm gonna clear my head a bit with a quick walk," He announces. "I'll be back soon."

The Parakoopa nods once as he watches him disappear behind the tent's gap opening. He yawns loudly and gently placed his head on his pillow. He closes his eyes and waits for his mind to wonder off into dreamland.

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The Outpost was still and silent during this cold, desert night. The moon was hidden behind some clouds, making the Outpost look darker than before. While most of the Outpost residents had already retreated into their tents, a handful of people were still roaming around the campgrounds and Outpost Leader Norm was among them.

The air around him was crisp and his breath fogged slightly as he breathed. It didn't seem to bother him, however, as he walk down the pathway with grit in each step. He was so determined to get where he needed to go that he was unaware that he was being followed.

A figure stepped out of his hiding place behind a palm tree as he watches Norm up ahead. The moon decided to show itself and shine its light upon the green cap on the figure's head.

Moments ago, the plumber was aimlessly wondering around the campsite, trying to ease his wariness when he spotted the source of his discomfort coming up the road. He quickly hid himself from sight, and once the Outpost Leader passed by him without notice, he started to trail behind him.

The green plumber quickly hid beside a tent as Norm stops to chat with a Goombo that was heading in the opposite direction. Luigi peaks his head out to watch. Unfortunately, he was too far to hear what they were saying.

"What are you doing?"

Luigi jumps at the unsuspected voice, nearly giving away his position. He twirls his body around and let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?" He whispers, slightly irritated. "I thought you went to sleep,"

Paraplonk gently placed his feet on the ground beside him. "I just thought you might want some company,"

"Thanks," He peaks around the corner again to see Norm was still talking. Paraplonk looks over his shoulder and wonders what he was doing.

"Are you spying on him?"

"Yes,"

"How come?"

"Call it a hunch," He replies, turning back to him. "He was acting pretty suspicious when we were talking to him. Not to mention the time frame he gave us was not in line with what the Chief said."

"So...you think he's hiding something?"

"Most likely," He checks again just in time to see Norm end the conversation. "Oh, he's on the move again. Stay close to me and don't let anyone see you,"

Paraplonk salutes. "You got it,"

With a partner beside him, Luigi continue following from a safe distance. It wasn't long before the Duo made it to the very east side of the settlement where one of the largest tents was stationed. Both Luigi and Paraplonk found some cover behind some greenery and quietly watch as a large tarantula – a Kumo – appeared out of the tent.

Shivers ran down the plumber's spine; he was not a fan of spiders. The Kumo spotted Norm's approach and turned his attention towards him. The two started chatting and Luigi had to strain his ears in order to hear samples of their conversation.

"Well? Is everything in order?" Norm poses.

"All of the merchandises are packed and ready for pick up," The Kumo answers.

"Good. I had already contact with the cargo plane to speed things up. They should be here in a few hours."

"Not that I would like to get out of this Grambi forsaken desert, is there really a reason to rush things? I mean, they're just simple travelers; we can easily dispose of them if needed."

"Simple travelers from the U.M.B.A."

An eyebrow was raise. "The U.M.B.A?"

"Understanding Masrestlers Better Association,"

"Never heard of it,"

"Neither have I; it's supposes to be new, and apparently the King is suspected to hear from them."

"King Totomesu?"

"The High King,"

The Kumo frowns. "Well then, it would be unfortunate if the desert got to them first."

"Or worse yet, those Masrestlers…" Norm smirks. "Everyone knows how savage they are; it won't be a big surprise if they were killed upon arriving into their territory,"

"Even better," The Kumo agrees with an identical smirk on his face.

"For now, we'll just keep an eye on them. Who knows, maybe they'll leave without suspecting anything,"

"Very well, I'll inform the men of the early hour pickup,"

The two ended their discussion there as they parted to perform their different task. Luigi disregard his hiding spot and quickly approaches the tent with Paraplonk right behind him. A quick glance around the area ensures them that no one was watching. Quietly, he pushes aside the tent curtains and the two enter inside the tent.

It was bigger than Norm's personal tent and houses numerous carts and objects. He turns to Paraplonk and points towards one side. The Corporal understood the gesture and went off into that direction while Luigi took the other. He walks toward one of the open boxes and starts looking through its contents.

"Ok Norm… if you didn't find anything in the desert yet, what kind of 'merchandises' are you hiding that needs to be ship out from as soon as possible?"

He disregards the first box after finding nothing but rope, pegs, and other camping equipment. He moves on to another one only to find the same thing. A frustrated sigh escapes him as he disregards two other boxes. He was about to look somewhere else when Paraplonk called him over.

"Uhm, Luigi, I think I found something,"

The green hated man raised a curious eyebrow as he walks over to him. The Parakoopa took a step sideways as Luigi stood beside him and look inside the box he opened. Upon seeing the box's contents, it immediately caught the man's attention.

"Spears, bows, swords, those I can get." The plumber muses. "But Bullet Bills are over the top,"

"Why would archaeologists have Bullet Bills with them?" The Corporal questions.

"I think the real question is…what can they be use for?"

Paraplonk frowns at the question and look at the box again. These Bullet Bills…they were different from the ones he usually sees around the castle.

"Wait a second… these are Bullet Bill Minis,"

"Minis? Are you sure?" Luigi asks with concern.

Bullet Bill Minis are a new type of Bullet Bills that were recently introduced almost three years ago. They're smaller than a normal size Bullet Bill with faster speed and increase travel distance. They were dangerously powerful weapons that were only allowed in the hands of the military. It's illegal for normal citizens to be in the possession of such arsenal.

Paraplonk nodded and Luigi felt a sense of dread overcome him. A sudden out of place noise caused him to freeze completely. Damn it, had they been discovered already? He glanced around the room but didn't see anyone else. Paraplonk didn't seem to hear anything; perhaps the sound came from his head?

'Nay man, you'll know when it's in your head,' Mr. L assures him.

'Okay… if it wasn't in my head, then what was it?' He thought.

Seconds later, he heard another sound. Looking over at Paraplonk, he seems to have heard it as well. Although it was faint but the noise sounded like it was a sob. Something, or someone, was already here and they were in hiding.

Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, he starts walking further into the tent. The noise sounded like it came from somewhere in the back. He didn't know what to expect so he had to be careful.

Paraplonk's presence behind him was a bit reassuring as he narrowed his focus on the large black tarp sheet when it suddenly started moving. His body grew tense and so did his spy partner. He grabs the edge of the tarp and with one clear sweep removed it. A surprise gasp escapes them both at what they find.

There underneath the black tarp was the Chief's daughter and the other missing Masrestler children. Each one of them was tired up and gagged, their clothes were tore and dirty, and they were all sporting some painful bruises. Several fearful eyes stare back at him while he looked down upon them, dumbfounded.

'…I think we just found our abductors,'

Soon after she was uncovered, Brianna gazes up to see who had removed the tarp. Her blues eyes widen with recognition when she saw the green plumber and she let out a hopeful cry that was muffled by the gag. Luigi broke out of his stupor, and quickly fell on his knee beside her.

"Brianna, hey…you remember me, don't you?" He asked with worry.

Brianna nodded, new tears starting to form in her eyes. Luigi places his hands on her shoulders as he tries to ensure her that everything will be okay.

"Don't worry; we're here to help you and the others" He tells her.

"We have to inform everyone right away," Paraplonk said with urgently.

Luigi nods in agreement. "I'll stay here and untie them. You get the others and call for backup. We have to get them as far away from here as soon as possible,"

If the children were the 'merchandises' he heard the Kumo mentioned earlier, then they were already running on a limited amount of time. Paraplonk nodded and quickly flew out of the tent.

"I'll be back in just a few minutes," He promises.

While Paraplonk went to retrieve the others, Luigi focused back on the task at hand. He flashed Brianna a smile and try to calm her down.

"Your father sent us. He has everyone in the desert looking for you, Bowser including. Junior was pretty worried when he heard about your abduction. He'll be happy to see you again."

That seemed to have work; he could feel Briannaa relaxing slightly by his works. Looking over to the others, he did a quick mental count. All eight children were here and accounted for.

"Let's get you back home," He said as he reached over to loosen binds. Upon touching them, Luigi quickly realized that it wasn't just some ordinary rope. In fact, it wasn't rope at all. It was silky and thin yet strong and sticky. He tried to pull it apart but that was proving to be difficult.

"Hmmm, hmm, hmm,"

He glances up at Brianna's humming. Her eyes were wide and her body was tense again.

"Don't worry; I'll get you out of here,"

"That is…if you can,"

Familiar shivers ran down his spine as the children started whimpering out of fear.

'Uh Luigi, I think your spider senses are tingling,'

The green hated man quickly spun around and stood to guard the children from the figure before them. Standing across from him was the same Kumo from before. The large black spider was just as big as a normal size human, easily blocking the tent's opening. Its pale blue mouth had two large fangs on each side, one of which was curled up into a wicked grin.

"Let me guess…you're not really simple travelers, are you?"

Luigi tensed and parroted. "Let me guess, you're not really archaeologists, are you?"

"No, we're not," The Kumo chuckles. "But you have stumbled upon the middle of our business,"

"Business? Does that business involve tying up kids against their will?"

"Among other things... And now that you know about it, I'm afraid I can't let you or your friends leave."

The Kumo spits out a stream of thin white strings from its mouth. Luigi effectively dodges it by jumping out of the way. Looking back at it, he identifies the strings as the same materials binding Brianna and the others.

"Nice jump, Grasshopper," The Kumo comments. "But can you dodge these?"

The large spider shot three balls of webbing at him. The green man ducked and rolled out of the way. He activates his Thunderhand and threw two balls of lightning right at the Kumo. The large spider climbs over the boxes, easily evading the attack as he spits another stream of spider webbing.

Due to the limited space within the tent, Luigi wasn't able to avoid the webbing completely. The sticky substance caught his left foot, preventing him from moving away from that spot. Luigi tries to struggle against it, but the silk was surprisingly strong.

"Like my webbing?" The Kumo gloats as he descends from the top of the boxes. "It worked well when I caught that little fly that flew out of here earlier,"

'Paraplonk?'

Noticing the plumber's surprise pause, the Kumo shoot another shot of webbing around his body. Immobilize completely, he was forced to fall on the ground. The green man stared up at the spider towering over him. The Kumo's smirk was the last thing Luigi saw before his vision was engulfed in darkness.

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Ending Note:

None

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