Author's Note:
This took me longer to post than I thought it would (life, school, work, writer's block), but I finally got it out.
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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 95:
Sandstorm
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"It's a Gao!"
The Gao roared angerly. It had awakened from its slumber due to all the commotion and vibrations from the bob-ombs and Rocco's attack. It opened its mouth and shot a fireball in the direction of the crowd. Everyone quickly evaded the attack as it exploded into the sand.
"Banjo...!" The mouser turned to his leader for instructions. The Shy Guy groaned, gazing over his men. They were in no condition to fight this lion-like creature. He cursed and ordered everyone to fall back.
"Everyone... retreat!"
Some of the Sander Pirates shot arrows at the beast while others assist their injured comrades out of the danger zone. The Gao grew annoyed by their projectiles and raised its paw in the air before slamming it down in an attempt to stomp on them. As the Gao's attention, Rocco turned back to the others.
"I suggest we get out of here while that thing's distracted,"
"We can't leave," Ranbir interrupted. "We should stay and fight,"
"I don't think we're in the best situation to fight, Kid,"
"I agree, Ranbir," Another Masrestler stepped in. "I don't believe we should push our luck any further,"
"We are a tribe of warriors, Tegan. Retreating would make us cowards"
"Retreating isn't cowardly," Luigi commented. "it just means you're willing to fight another day,"
Ranbir scoffed at that remark and was about to retaliate when the ground underneath them shook again. There was an explosion of sand followed by several roars. Not one, but three more Gaos appeared out of hiding, a large one with two smaller ones. A family of Gaos had appeared out of hiding and they do not seem happy.
"Still want to stay and fight?" Rocco asked coolly.
Ranbir shot him a glare before turn it to the ground. "I think...a retreat is in order,"
"Good idea,"
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~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
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Defeating a Gao was not an easy feat; yet, fighting a family of them was practically suicidal. Fortunately for Luigi and his group, Gaos are not known for traveling far when defending their territory.
"Is everyone all right?" Luigi asked as everyone took a moment to catch their breath.
"As fine as we'll ever going to get," Rocco commented. "But let's face it, without the truck, we're practically going to die in this desert."
"Make you want to rethink the Pirates' generous offer," Luigi mumbled sarcastically.
"He's got a point though," Paraplonk frowned. "We are definitely not prepared to travel through a desert,"
"We know how," A female by the name of Liv perked in.
"You do?" The three of them asked surprised.
All of the children nodded. "Our tribe tends to hunt and gather food outside the village all the time, so it's essential for us to know how to survive in the desert at a young age," Brianna explained.
Paraplonk facepalmed himself. "Ah shell, I actually forgot you guys do that,"
"We were trained in many situations, even in the likelihood of having no weapons or food," stated Ranbir.
"We're not completely weaponless" Another male, Jace, proclaimed. "Some of us managed to obtain the weapons the pirates were using. They're crude but well enough for small game,"
"I also managed to snag a few of these," Luigi unwrapped something from around his waist to reveal three large fanny pack.
"Where did you get those?" Rocco asked astonished.
"Some of the Pirates had them on them, most likely to carry supplies. There's a flashlight, some emergency rations, and some water bottles in them, as well as some first aid supplies, and matches."
"That's great," Paraplonk cheered before turning to the blond man. "And you say we were going to die out here,"
Rocco shrugged. "I said we'll practically die, didn't say we were going to,"
"I suggest we find shelter for the remaining of the night," Tapi commented. "The winds are picking up; I predict a sandstorm is forming nearby,"
"Sandstorm?" Paraplonk frowned. "That's not good,"
"I can see a pyramid just some distance from here," Nia announced. "If we hurry, we can seek shelter there,"
"All right," Luigi said. "From here on out, you guys are in charge,"
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Running from a Goa is never easy; running from a family was much harder. Somehow, the Sander Pirates made it out of there without losing anyone. They were, however, badly injured and were in need of treatment. As they slowly carried their most injured back to their campsite, Banjo silently fumed to himself.
To think he had let a simple robbery escalate into a complete and utter failure. Not only had they lose the truck, which by itself could have been very valuable to them, but they also failed to kill all the witnesses.
He gritted his teeth as his frustration grew. Once news about this failure spread across the campsite, everyone will begin to question his leadership. And while the desert is an ideal place for unseen murders and disposing bodies of unwanted trespassers, he wasn't completely sure if it'll be enough to stop this particular group.
"So Banjo... what will you do now?" The mouser asked as he walked beside him. He went by the name of Moe and has been a long time member of the Sander Pirates long before Banjo had become one himself. Yet, despite his lengthy history, he had never held the title of leader before. He had always settled with the role of second in command and when asked about it, he would simply shrug it off, stating "I follow orders, not give them."
"Everyone will surely find out about this," Moe continued. "There will be talk about this,"
"I know," Banjo growled in frustration. "I won't let them get away. I'll gather up some men and then we'll go after them,"
"What makes you sure they'll still be in the area?"
"You can feel it, can't you? The wind has picked up. There's a sandstorm coming by and I doubt they'll be traveling through it. If memory serves me correctly, there's a pyramid not too far from here. They will most likely seek shelter there and wait out the storm. We'll get them before they could move out of range,"
"Very well," Moe spoke nothing more than that. Banjo wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.
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X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X
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The wind had picked up dramatically by the time they had reached the pyramid. The sandstorm was almost on top of them as they quickly tried to look for an entrance to seek shelter from it. They found a crack in the wall, just large enough for them to squeeze in. It wasn't until every single one of them was inside that a sigh of relief was release.
"The sandstorm would mostly like last for the rest of the night," said Tapi. "Best we rest during that time,"
"Damn it's dark here," Rocco grunted. "Can't ever see - ofph!"
He fell face first on the stone floor. He groaned and rubbed his aching nose. "Damn it; what the hell did I trip over?"
He reached over and grabbed the object he toppled over. Although he couldn't see it, he was able to make it out in his hand. It was long, irregular in shape, and rough in texture.
"What the... is this wood?"
"Wood?" Luigi questioned. He kneeled down and started to sweep the floor with his hands. When he felt a small pile of something next to him, he picked a piece up and held it in both hands, trying to make it out himself. "I think it is,"
"That's good, we can use it to start a fire," Brianna said.
Everyone gathered as many sticks and stones as they can find and piled them all together to make a makeshift campfire. Using the matches from the fanny packs he obtained, Luigi was able to get a fire started. Within minutes they had a moderate fire going placed in the middle so they all can take in its warmth and light.
"You okay, Sergeant?" Paraplonk asked worriedly as he sat next to one of his long-time partners.
"I'm...fine," Sergeant Guy tried to reply as firmly as he can. Unfortunately for him, the tone of his voice clearly makes out how much pain he was in.
Paraplonk frowned concerningly and turned to Luigi. "Are you sure we don't have anything that can help him?"
The plumber shook his head. "Not really...I mean, a 1-up Mushroom might help, but those tend to be really rare, especially outside of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"What about magic?" Paraplonk pressed on. "Didn't Kamek taught you a healing spell?"
"What, you're a magician too?" Rocco snorted but his halfhearted comment was disregarded.
"Well, yeah," He said unsurely. "But it's a low level one; like a normal Mushroom, it won't really be enough to help him,"
"But we have to do something,"
The green man frowned. He could understand Paraplonk's concern and disliked the idea of leaving the Shy Guy to suffer for so long. He sighed and grabbed his wand from his pocket.
"I guess it won't hurt to try. Anything is better than nothing at this point,"
Paraplonk beamed at the plumber's willingness and nodded in agreement. Chloe, who sat opposite side of Paraplonk, slide over to allow Luigi to take her spot. Kneeling beside him, Luigi pointed his wand at Guy and covey the word need for the spell.
"Recuperet,"
The gem at the tip of his wand glowed and a faint light engulfed Sergeant's body. Everyone watched with trepidation; even Rocco had a WTF expression on his face. After nearly an entire minute, the glow began to fade just as Luigi started to falter unsteadily. Fortunately for him, someone came around to help steady him.
Panting he asked, "Did... it work?"
Paraplonk blinked and quickly looked Guy over. Some of his cuts and bruises had faded but he still looked like he was in pain. "How do you feel, Guy?"
"It still hurts but..." The Shy Guy shifted. "It's slightly better than before."
That was good. Even if it was slightly, it was still a major improvement for Sergeant. It also shows that it may not be as severe as he initially thought. The plumber tried to stand only to lose his balance. Fortunately for him, Chloe was beside to aid him.
"Are you okay, Luigi?" She asked with concern. The plumber seemed to be struggling to remain standing.
"I'm fine," The green man panted. "Just...tired,"
"Magic can often drain one's stamina," A female named Liv states knowingly. "You should rest Luigi. With you too being injured, it will take time to recover some of your energy."
"At least what you just lost," Rocco mumbled under his breath.
The plumber nodded in agreement and sat with Chloe to rest. A silence overtook the group, only the sounds of the harsh winds from outside and the flickers of the fire could be heard. Suddenly, there was a small rumbling noise. Chloe hugged her belly, blushing out of embarrassment.
"Sorry,"
"Don't apologize, Chloe; you haven't had much of anything in several days. Neither of us has,"
"There are some rations in the packs" Luigi offered.
"I doubt it'll be enough for everyone," Rocco commented.
"He's right," said Tegan, standing. "We should search the pyramid. Animals tend to use these abandoned ruins as their home; I'm sure we'll find something eat."
"If you're looking for food, then you will need these flashlights," Luigi dug through the fanny packs and offered the mini flashlights inside.
"There isn't enough light for all of us to use." Tapi pointed out. "Some of us will have to remain here.
"Agreed," Ranbir said. "Chloe and Liv can remain here."
The youngest frowned, "But... I wanna help,"
"You're still learning and require aid during your hunts. We'll be more successful if the more experienced hunters were to go,"
The young Masrestler cased her head down in disappointment. She had hoped she could be of help by aiding in a hunt. Unfortunately, she was too inexperienced. Brianna noticed this and decided to speak up.
"She can hunt with me,"
The others turned to her with curiosity while Chloe perked up with optimism.
"What? Why?" Ranbir scowled.
"Chloe won't learn if we always leave her behind. If she is to be an efficient hunter than she must participate," She reasoned.
Ranbir crossed his arms. "Even so, is now an appropriate time to be giving lessons? You'll be spending most of your time making up the areas she lack,"
"We'll be fine; won't we Chloe?"
The youngest of their clan jumped beside her and nodded. "Right!"
Although the two were confident in their hunt together, Ranbir, however, was not convinced.
"If Chloe is going then I volunteer to say," Nia said suddenly.
"Nia..."
"Let her come, Ranbir," Jace spoke up. "She will never improve if she doesn't practice. This could be a good experience for her,"
Ranbir scoffed but look away. "Fine,"
Chloe beamed but kept her excitement to herself. She didn't want to give out any reason to make her stay. Luigi handed them the flashlight and wished them luck. They made their way further into the dark pyramid with the pirates' weapons in hand.
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~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
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"Hmm, interesting,"
Everyone perked up when the silence around them was broke and turn their gaze to the one who broke. Rocco was rolling a small block of stone in his hand, rubbing it against his thumb. He paused for a moment to let out some smoke before continuing to mess with the rock in his hand.
"What is?" Luigi asked once it seems no one else would.
Rocco shot a quick glance at him before turning his attention back on the stone. "This stone...its made out of finer limestone,"
"It is?" Luigi asked confusingly, not really sure how to respond to that.
"Yeah...I mean, usually you found this quality of limestone deeper inside the pyramid since they're hard to find and hard to quarry. But it seems that this wall is made out of that."
"So... what does that mean exactly?" Paraplonk asked.
He shrugged. "Not sure...either the builders of this place decided to do the opposite of everyone else and use the high quality stones for the outer layers instead of the inner layers..." He trailed on.
"Or?" Luigi asked, urging him to continue.
"Or... they decided to build this whole place using the high quality one." He tossed the stone aside and picked up a long stick, the same stick he had tripped over prior. "But that's just a guess. I don't have anything that test this stuff so I could be wrong,"
"Really? Because you sounded pretty sure just a moment ago,"
He shrugged, blowing out some smoke as he spoke. "Doesn't make me an expert or anything,"
He threw in a few small wooden stick pieces into the small but purposeful fire and use the long stick to move them around to keep the flames going. The fire provided some much-needed warmth against the otherwise cold desert night.
"If I may ask, Mr. Rocco," The one named Nia asked. "how were you able to perform that power earlier?"
The blond man raised a curious brow. "Uhm? What power?"
"You know," Paraplonk jumped in. "that one where you made the ground move,"
"Oh that," He breathed out a stream of smoke. "Well, just like you Sparky, I came across it years ago; back in my early days as a drifter."
"Care to elaborate?" Luigi asked.
"It's not much of story if you ask me." He mumbled "Found some work by helping out some researchers with this old temple in the mountain range. While looking around I found this orb on a pedestal and thought I can make some money off it." He paused to take a drag. "The second I touch it, the ground shock and this so-called Earth God appeared out of nowhere. He offered to teach me his technique... Earthbound, he called it. Was reluctant at first but I agreed to it. And now I have the ability to move the ground at will."
"You made contact with a god?" Liv said astonishedly.
He shrugged. "That's what he said; still not sure if he was real or not."
"He was real," Luigi confirmed.
Rocco turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "How would you know?"
"Well, for one thing, you can move the earth at your own free will...That's not something a faker can do." Rocco rolled his eyes at that explanation as the green man continues. "Second, it's similar to how I got my ability, the Thunderhand. I was exploring a temple when I came across this orb. I touched it, thinking it might come in handy later when the Thunder God appeared and offered to teach me his technique,"
"Hmm, I guess they're the same,"
"You two have been blessed," Nia commented. "To have the divine beings entrust you with their own expertise,"
"A little odd he'll pick me, especially since I don't necessarily believe in divines beings,"
"A God won't entrust you with such abilities if they didn't think you are worthy of it," said Liv. "And you Luigi are very much blessed, to be able to perform magic as well with your divine gift,"
"It's no big deal." The plumber flushed slightly. "Anyone would have done the same if they had put in the time and effort,"
"Is it really that hard?" Rocco asked with a bit of interest in his tone.
"It is," Nia explained. "While everyone does have some source of magic within them, not everyone knows how to use it, much less strengthen it to its full potential. The Shaman and a few of the elders know how to harness their magic but it's not something the entire clan can use as it takes much time effort to learn it."
"That's true," Luigi said. "It's a bit easier for me because I was already using some form of magic beforehand. But even so, it still takes a lot of time and discipline."
Rocco hummed considerably and stretched his tired limbs. "I'll admit it has its use but I personally don't see myself going through it," He leaned back until he was fully lying on the floor. "Although, if you know any magic tricks that'll make beer appear, that will be great right about,"
Luigi rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I don't,"
He sighed dramatically, "Yeah, I figure as much,"
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"Have you anything, Chloe?"
The youngest Masrestler upon Brianna with a shake of her head. "No, not yet,"
Brianna frowned. They had split up from the main group a while ago and had been exploring the pyramid for almost an hour now. Other than some too-small lizards, they hadn't spotted anything they could bring back to camp.
"Let's continue on for a little longer,"
Chloe nodded in agreement and walked close beside her, not wanting to set off any traps the pyramid may have. She was determined to prove her value on this hunt.
Being the youngest of the group meant she was the least experience in both hunting and combat. When their kidnappers ambushed them, she was the first to be captured which eventually lead to the rest of her brethren being capture as well. Since their escape, she hadn't done much to help. Back with the pirates, Nia had been given the task of protecting both her and the Shy Guy while the rest of them fought.
Chloe didn't like this feeling of being helpless and she felt really grateful towards their rescuers, regardless of what Ranbir say. So when the opportunity of helping their rescuers appeared in the form of hunting, she jumped to the chance.
The two continue walking until they finally reached the end of the hallway, where they found a small room. The room was bare with nothing in sight.
"Uh? This is it?" Chloe whined.
"So it seems," Brianna replied, flashing the flashlight around. "Looks like we'll have to regroup with the others,"
"Wait..."
Chloe walked over to the left side wall. Brianna followed her with the flashlight. "What is it?
"There's an opening up here,"
"An opening?" She moved the light above Chloe's head and spotted a size-able hole a few feet from the ceiling. "You're right, but it's too far up for me to reach it." She turned to her partner. "Do you think you can get it if I give you a lift?"
"I can try,"
Brianna nodded. She gave her the flashlight and position herself help lift her up. Chloe used her as a step up and with a big boost, Brianna managed to lift her above her head. Chloe used the wall to maintain balance as she uses the flashlight to peek inside.
"I see something," Chloe said before gasping in surprise. "It's a mystic cube!"
"A mystic cube?" Brianna blinked surprisingly. Mystic cubes were a legend; a rare feature that only a few of their clan were lucky enough to stumble upon. One of the elders would constantly tell stories of how one of these magical boxes had saved his life during his boyhood.
"Do you think you can reach it?" Mystic cubes were known to contain many things. Perhaps this one can provide them with something useful?
"I think so,"
With a bit of a jump, Chloe began to pull herself into the opening. It was a bit of a tight fit, but manageable. She began to crawl her way through.
"Be careful," Brianna advised her.
"I will," She called back and quickly crawled her to the other side of the small tunnel.
Once she made it to the end, she shined the flashlight around. The room was even smaller than the last and held no sufficient. The floor was much closer to the crawl space, only a foot or two, so she could easily climb her way back in when she's done.
Her feet touch the ground and she made her way towards the hovering object. The Mystic Cube was a glowing, floating yellow block with a white question mark on it. There were two of them, glued next to each other. Chloe couldn't help but feel extremely lucky. From the stories she had heard, the cubes were usually found in singles. To have two of them at the same time was an absolute blessing.
She stopped when stood underneath it, wondering what to do next. She recalled the elder's stories of how the items inside were received. With a quick jump, she gave the cube a hard hit, just like in the elder's stories. The cube turned dim, dark orange in color, and popped out an item from the top before it fell to the ground.
The item shined brightly under the beam of the flashlight. It was a gold coin, a common item that meant good fortune. Amused by her gift, she turned her attention to the second cube. She hoped the next one would provide her with something she could use to aid her friends.
She positions herself underneath it and took a hopeful breath. With another jump, she gave the cube a good blow. Like the first one, the cube had turn dim. The item had popped out from the top and flew on the ground. Shining the flashlight on the item, Chloe examined the item with slight confusion.
Her second gift was a green, white, and beige mushroom with eyes. She had seen mushrooms like this before. Originating from the Mushroom land, they held special properties that can restore an individual's health. The Shaman describes them as mystic mushrooms and tends to keep them for emergency purpose.
This was a good gift, Chloe decided. She wasn't sure what the mushroom can do but she was sure it will be useful to them.
"Chloe, are you okay?" Brianna called from her side of the wall. It had been eerily quiet since she last heard from her and she was becoming increasingly worried.
"I'm fine," Chloe responded. "I'm coming back now,"
She stored her two gifts away for safekeeping; she couldn't wait to share it with the others. With nothing else in the room, she made her way back to the crawl space when something caught her ear. Her body froze at the sound; it was familiar...dangerously familiar. Slowly, she moved the flashlight around the small room, searching for the source of that sound. When she finally caught sight of it, her eyes widen.
It was a snake - a big, fat King Cobra snake. Chloe completely stopped moving. The snake was slithering around the crawl space, letting out a low, growling hiss in warning as if to make its presence known.
King cobras generally have a mild temperament and tend to avoid larger beings. Unless they're continuously provoked, they usually attempt to escape and avoid any dispute. But in a small room such as this, avoiding a confrontation may prove to be difficult.
"Chloe," Brianna called from the other side. "Chloe, are you okay?"
"Uhm," She hesitated a bit, not wanting to frighten the reptile with her shouting. "I'm okay, but...there's a King Cobra in here as well,"
"A King Cobra!" Brianna said alarmingly. "Be careful! They are very dangerous," Snakes were commonly hunted but the venomous ones were either avoided or taken with extreme caution.
"I will," Chloe informed her before slowly backing away from the reptile, hoping some distance will help keep it calm.
She kept the flashlight on the snake so she couldn't lose sight of it, hoping it would move around her. To her horror, the serpent was trying to lift itself into the crawl space. This wasn't good; if the snake makes its way to the other side, then Brianna will be the one in trouble.
She took a quick step towards it, causing the snake to pause in its movement. Another one made it turn its head slightly, taking notice of her looming presence. Its hissing has become louder. She took one more quick step cause it to turn fully.
Now grabbing its full attention, the snake curled into itself and had taken a defensive position, forming its distinctive cobra hood. Although she was glad the Cobra was no longer attempting to climb into the crawl space, it had now made its stance in front of it. Chloe frown; it looks like she'll have to figure out a way to get the King Cobra to move away.
Taking a step backward, she tried to think of a solution. She beamed when an idea came to her. She reached for her ribbon and pull it out of her hair. Taking a small caution step, she held her ribbon up and started wiggling it around in front of the cobra.
The Cobra's attention was drawn to the ribbon. It made several attempts to strike at it but made little to no movement away from its spot. Chloe growled out of frustration; it was almost like the snake wanted to prevent her from leaving.
She pulled out the pocket knife she got from Luigi. She wasn't as experienced as her older brethren and a pocket knife was the less effective weapon when it comes to venomous animals. But given her situation, she didn't have much of a choice.
If the Cobra won't move, then she'll have no choice but to kill it herself. It won't be easy and she'll have to be really careful; timing was very important. One bite could kill her in minutes.
Once a plan had formed in her mind, she began to execute it.
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Ending Note:
I'm trying to wrap this Act up so the rest of these chapters are going to be longer, unless stated otherwise and as a result, waiting time for each chapter will be long and/or random. I'm no longer promising that this Act will end this year, but I do promise on finishing it.
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