The Tyrannical King - 6 - Endless Desert

"So... w-what do we do now?" The befuddled plumber looked at his three koopa allies, still more than a bit surprised by his teammates.

"We should find cover in one of these buildings. At least one has to be stable enough to rest in." The sage, robed reptile nodded.

"Any chances you have any food?" Iggy's stomach rumbled.

"Nothing fancy, but we should survive for a couple weeks."

A couple weeks. Luigi thought to himself. We're going to starve. Lemmy nudged the plumber who hadn't done the best job at hiding his concern.

"Relax. We have a plan, but we need to build forces."

"Forces? How would we do that? We're standing in a broken ghost town with a fancy flag." The only human in the group nearly spat. His anxiety getting the best of him.

"We have our ways." The magikoopa nodded.

"That sounds suspicious."

"Relax. We're on your side--"

"We're on the people's side." Lemmy interrupted. He turned to Luigi with a look of desperation in his eyes. "Look. I know what type of guy you are, at least to some amount. You have risked your life time and again for your brother, your princess, your people, and you have done it without any outward desire for recognition. I want you to trust me, to the best of your abilities, when I say that we are not going to hurt our people on purpose. I don't deny that lives may be lost, but we don't want that, and we regret every..." Lemmy's eyes begin to water, Iggy embraces his brother and whispers supportive thoughts.

Iggy continues his brother's monologue. "We care about all of those lost in this forsaken desert. We want a healthy kingdom. We've done bad things, okay? We know it. We are both regretful." Kamerin scoffs. Iggy turns to him, disbelief in his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't need to prove anything to this one. He'd do what was 'right' if you told him it was 'right.' Besides. What is there to regret? Things weren't a disaster of this scale. So what? You kidnapped royalty a couple times. Big deal."

Iggy scowls. "Kamerin is the most skilled magikoopa that we can trust, but he's not in this for the same reasons. He wants revenge for being imprisoned."

"Relax, I'm not betraying anyone. What a waste of energy. I'm dead if they get me, with you guys, at least I'll get a good meal one day." Iggy shakes his head.

"He's older, and he is set in his ways--my father's ways."

Lemmy spits. "Why do we still say that?"

"Say what?"

"Father. He's no father."

"I know he was a horrible parent, but---"

"Not just horrible. He's a lunatic. Don't you remember being punished for letting Mario through? Don't you remember scratch marks? Days without food? Dungeon nights? Dungeon years? Besides, he's not even our father."

Luigi's eyes widen. "Huh?"

"He's not. He forcefully adopted both of us when we showed magical abilities. Magical koopas often get recruited into the army. However, because we were foolish when we were young and both of us wanted some meaningless approval, we agreed to be the best we could be. We trained and practiced magic until we were taken as his 'kids.' We were brainwashed into calling him 'dad' all the time. We only learned about all this when Kamerin told us about it. That was back when we were first captured. Kamerin was our cellmate for months. We were moved to other keeps when a revolt happened at the castle of our first dungeon. "

Iggy shifts uneasily.

"Iggy, here, is nostalgic of better times. He wants a father, a parent, and he's letting that fog his mind."

"Enough of this sentiment, we have company." Kamerin turns to the horizon.

Three goombas, a couple worse-for-wear paratroopas, and half a dozen wingless koopas crawl their way to the rendezvous.

"Is--is this Stony Outpost?" One grunts, leaning against the flagpole.

"Yes. Where have you come from?"

"M-Master Lemmy?"

"Lemmy. Just Lemmy."

"I-I-I'm honored." The group all bows down, once their fatigue gave way and they realized their company.

"Enough" Lemmy shifts, a discomfort welling in his stomach.  "I-I." He fights tears. "I'm sorry this has happened to you. Where have you come from?"

"Your old castle in Frost Canyon. W-we found your note, took just enough food, and came here. How did you--"

"It took a lot of work. Don't worry about it."

Iggy breaks his conflicted silence. "We need to get inside. It's getting dark."

The small crowd pushed their way into the stablest once-building. Lemmy and Iggy pulled Luigi aside. "We need to block off the entrance. Help us get some bricks from nearby, and pile them in this opening." Luigi nodded.

They collected enough stone to make a pile of junk in the entryway. "Sure hope we don't need to get out of here quick." Luigi gulped.

"We have three spell casters. It's not an issue."

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The princess and her saurian friend, her only friend, for the time being, trudged through the woods. The yoshi had developed a more hopeful humor, pulling down berries from bushes and trees. He shared the berries with the princess, who admitted to herself the need to eat.

"I don't even know where we're going." She muttered, frustrated.

The yoshi nuzzled her, hopeful eyes. He was rewarded with a rub on his bulbous nose. The princess kept her conviction. She built up determination and picked up her pace. The couple made their way into the deeper forest. "We should be harder to find in all this junk." She kicked over a dead tree, making a bridge over a miniscule spring. Moss was ubiquitous, making the floor slick. Both found themselves uncomfortably on their prats more than once.

"I think I just twisted my ankle." Peach huffed. Hobbling forward in the same general direction she had been heading before her most recent tumble. The yoshi took this as a cue. He backed up and flopped the princess onto his back with his strong, sturdy tail. "A-are you sure? We need to conserve our energy. You carrying me is going to wear you out." The yoshi ignored the warnings and continued onward.

Peach massaged her ankle, a sense of guilt in her muscles. She felt hot, but not from the weather. Her face was red. I could walk. I need to get up. She thought. She propped herself up and hobbled onward, until she slipped once more, sliding down a large, slick rock, landing prone on the forest floor. "Umph." She grunted.

"Yoshi!" Her pal called from above, and took a more graceful slide down the stones to the princess's side.

"I-I'm fine. I'm fine. Just--" She looked down at her awkward, cracked shell. "Why am I still wearing this?" She thought aloud. "Well--I mean, I think it probably kept me from getting hurt." She weighed the thoughts. "Now's not a time for fashion, but this really doesn't fit. I hope I can find some better protection."

The yoshi stood speechless, staring forward. "What?" The princess questioned, and turned to the spectacle. "Oh, my." She stood in awe. A once decorated, likely beautiful castle, consumed by moss, vines, and weeds. "Well, maybe, if it's empty, we can find somewhere to rest for the night. It's getting dark."

They head into the daunting structure and look around. They head upstairs, watching for the moss on the steps. "H-hello?" They hear, and turn back toward the stairs. An echo sounding from below.

"Well" Peach whispered. "I guess we're not alone."

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"We need to find shelter." A goomba grunted.

"Don't worry. We'll find something." Mario assures.

"I-I don't know." A koopa.

"Look--"

"Tort."

"Look, Tort. We'll find something. Besides, even if we don't, you guys have tents."

"No. No, no no. Not here. This is bandit territory. We're definitely getting robbed at night if we set up tents. We need to find shelter. A cave. A broken shack with junk to hide under. A collapsed building to hide inside. Something."

"Fine." Mario surrenders, softening his voice "Fine, fine, fine. Shelter it is, then. But how? Where?"

"We're farther north and farther west than we know anything about. I couldn't tell you."

The small troupe wanders forward. Not wanting to forget where west is. They pass sand, and dune, and cactus, and burned down shed, and derelict garden, nothing for miles. The sun begins setting. Tort begins panicking. "We are not safe."

"Relax, we'll--"

"Look what we have here!" A bandit nudges his sniffit friend. "Your food, now. You're all too worn out to fight, just give it up. Everything."

"We're not going to do that." The human in the red cap stretches.

"Ah, a wise guy. Wait--You're Mario ain't ya? What in the world are you doing here? Whatever. You got yourself a lot of lip for a dirtied and tired old man."

"I'm not too tired to send you crying." Mario spits at the bandit's foot. As if on cue, the sniffit fires a shot right into Mario's chest, knocking him on his back.

"To do what, now?" The bandit chuckled, suddenly getting the shot put sized ball in the face. He yelped and the sniffit began firing. Mario hopped into the air, kicking the gunmask crooked. He grabbed the small flailing creature and tossed him at his partner. "Get out, and don't come back!"

"Look! Okay, okay! We'll leave. We don't want any trouble. We are starving." Mario didn't budge.

"Keep looking. We have nothing to give."

Tort tilts his head. "Surely we can give them a scrap of meat, yeah?"

"It's a trick."

"So what if it is? I'd rather be a fool and not be the cause of someone starving in the desert. You don't get it, hero man. It's scary out here. People are dying." The koopa digs in the satchel and gives a small, but big enough chunk of meat to the duo.

"W-wait, for real?" The bandit almost starts to cry. "Just like that?" Mario scowls.

"Just like that."

"You're being fooled."

"I don't ca-"

"No, no, wait, guys, can-can we tag along? We are desperate. We are down to our last bit of ammo and no food. We're dying."

"What? Are you kidding?" Mario can't believe his ears.

"Yes." Mario holds back from yelling.

"No, are you serious? Who gave you this authority anyway?"

"Who gave you this authority? I know more about this life than you. If we get the slightest sense of betrayal, I'll personally get rid of you both. No strikes. If you're with us, you're with us, otherwise, get lost."

"No, no, you guys. I'm serious. We'll be useful. I know how to get stuff--information, items, but this place has just been a desert for miles. Has everyone died or something?"

"You could say that. Hey, do you know where Stony Outpost is?"

"Stony Outpost? That place is gone. Just a bunch of rubble."

"It can't be." Mario's heart dropped. His one chance to find someone with answers.

"Yeah. It's gone. I mean, I can take you there. You're too far south. Come on, I'll show you. We can at least place somewhere to rest for the night. You're not too far."