[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/MKK5m0sX/Kid-s-Hat-2.png[/img] [img]https://i.postimg.cc/G2xPk9Gk/Jiggy-2.png[/img]

[b]Level:[/b] [color=8258fa]5 (1 -> 3/50)[/color] | [color=fed428]4 (12 -> 13/40)[/color]
[b]Location:[/b] [color=8258fa]Guild Hall -> Inkwell Island, Hell’s(?)/Devil’s(?)/Gneidxick’s(?) Casino[/color] | [color=fed428]Sundered Market Avenue (Center Path) -> Argent Tower[/color]
[b]Word Count:[/b] [color=8258fa]994 (+2 EXP)[/color] | [color=fed428]718 (+1 EXP)[/color]

[color=8258fa]Power (Equip):[/color] Hookshot Badge
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Even after knowing about them for three days now, Hat Kid still wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her first use of Spirits, but the surprise factor was part of the fun for her… as fun as haphazardly smashing the ephemeral remnants of dead peoples’ life essences for material gains could be considered. While the Guildmaster was acting strangely salty about their success in completing the task that he assigned them, Kid was pinning the lens to her hat like a badge and inspecting then absentmindedly juggling/balancing her other two rewards, only half listening to the adults talk while she waited for them to finish. She stopped what she was doing when he addressed the party present, her attention seized by the mention of losing a bet, followed by the ominously broadcasted intent to “play a little game first.” The next thing she knew, the table she was standing on tilted halfway into a conjured circular abyss as her and her compatriots were perilously dropped into the darkness of whatever awaited them at the bottom. Surely, none of the other guild patrons saw this happen…

Her landing was far less graceful than one might have hoped for or expected from the child, faceplanting hard onto the gigantic felt table after failing to open her umbrella in time to slow herself. In contrast to this, she held a blind hand up to catch the still floating parasol as well the two items she was playing with on top of each other, performing a perfect balancing act with them without sparing the necessary effort; feat of natural agility to follow a less characteristic display of unflattering clumsiness. She sat up to put her weapon and items away and take stock of the escalated situation. The Guildmaster--now revealed--emerged from the commanded dark to present the heroes (and villains… and in-between) the terms of his impromptu “game”. Now he [i]definitely[/i] had her attention.

So, he wanted to throw them into a gauntlet because he lost a bet? If the nonsensically named high roller knew much of anything about any one of them--even individually--he probably would have known better than to bet [i]against[/i] their success (well… maybe except in [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4815957]their[/url] case). Hat Kid was simply thinking that he ‘[i]needs[/i]-ick’ to let them go before he ends up losing again, unless of course he lived for the rush of risk that came with the territory of gambling, an enthusiasm for which the child did not share. She wasn’t terribly big on losing, especially in high-stakes affairs she didn’t ask to be a part of, and even less was she keen on having her own stakes unilaterally upped on her behalf.

Though admirable was the cowboy’s attempt at hustling the house, [color=tan]”permission”[/color] to reap the party wasn’t his to give, and was objectionable on that principle alo-oh, good! He’s been drinking too, [i]this[/i] early in the morning, so he’s certainly in his right mind to be gambling everyone’s souls away. Bowser had a slightly better idea, but failed to amend the prior one in presenting it. Clearly, no one else here seemed to have Hat Kid’s experience when it came to boss rushes. They were hard enough already without putting your soul on the line (which she did, despite having lost it previously), or taking on more than one at a time (which she ALSO did). They didn’t have time for this! There was an entire world/s that needed saving, and they couldn’t afford to risk it for: at worst, a cheap thrill; at best, a chance to tug on a gloriously overloaded plot thread they’d rather not unravel (not that they had the slightest clue about that).

Thankfully, the dealer was smarter than to call either of them on their bets, declining in decisive fashion by sweeping the Courier away into an arena portal at random. His message was clear in that they didn’t have much of a choice in the matter beyond who they each chose to fight first. Less clear were his true intentions, because Kid didn’t buy that he was simply out to punish (rather than kill) them. What would the lesson be--[b]don’t fulfill your mission?[/b] Well… given that their mission was essentially the liberation of the multiverse, that would actually make sense in this case. Perhaps, he aimed simply to test them, but admitting his own force to be inadequate probably wasn’t the best strategy. From a gambler, one would expect a more convincing bluff… or was that part of the [i]real[/i] bluff; some [i][b]next level[/b][/i] bluff? Either way, if he “played to win”, Kid was prepared to disappoint him (again).

The others had not so much decided on their match-ups as they did simply confidently enter at random (forcibly, in 6’s case). Hat Kid was a little more discerning with her battle selection, though with admittedly little in the way of a basis. With the four occupied arenas fully stocked, she wasn’t left with much of a choice beyond going it alone, which she didn’t at all mind. When looking through the blurry haze of the remaining portals, she figured she could take a toy cymbal-monkey in a fight. She was sure of that with [i]all[/i] of them really, but ultimately she decided to start there. Without further delay, she lept forth into the rift free of hesitation, the floor giving way to the deep, toy-laden chasm of a gigantic claw machine. Preferring to not find out what would happen if she dove into it, she didn’t let her graceful forward fall last for more than a second before shooting her hookshot to the ceiling to find purchase on the claw rail where she could remain suspended, same as her foe. Luck seemed to favor her for being alone on this one, for she was either uniquely qualified for this fight, or among the only ones around equipped for it. She would find out soon enough, once the battle began...

[hr]

With their choice of path separating them from the threat on the ground, and their other capable allies clearing the skies, Banjo and Kazooie were relieved of the need to do much else besides continue pressing on at full speed. Being dry on ammo and low on feathers made it more worthwhile to conserve what little they had left than spending any of it to potentially be in the way, what with all the gunfire being directed upward. They otherwise would have lent their own hands and wings to the effort, but they trusted this time that it would be well enough handled without them. The best they could do was beat them to the tower, as they were set to do, and deal with whatever threat may lay ahead of them. The localized Hell-sky circling overhead and the growing concentration of corpse-litter made for an almost deceptive prelude to what awaited them when they arrived.

The duo slid to a halt before they could quite make it to the tower’s towering doors, splashes of gory crimson staining Kazooie’s talons, followed by Banjo’s feet as they swapped positions. No one who arrived shortly behind them could blame them for what gave them pause, for they would immediately understand why. The lone figure to step forth from the hellborne megastructure exuded a palpable aura of raging menace that even demons would fear (so the legends that surround him say), and context lent further credence to the largely intuited sensation of dread. The sizable heroic force had a hard enough time fighting through this deathly hellscape [i]together[/i]. To believe that all the death that surrounded them was solely the doing of this one ‘man’, [i]alone[/i], who showed no sign or intention of stopping what he was doing… Yeah, who [i]wouldn’t[/i] stop dead in their tracks when faced with [i]THAT[/i]?! It was difficult to tell initially what they should be more worried about: the pursuing horde, or [i]him[/i]? It felt almost as if facing the former would honestly be preferable.

Luckily for the party (for the horde, not so much), they wouldn’t have to decide one way or the other. The hulking, olive-clad warrior made that decision for them as he strode forward past the heroes and survivors, caring too little to even pass a glance to any of them. Everyone else, on the other hand, more than acknowledged his direction, and made damn sure to step well out of his way without having to be told to. Willfully unaccompanied, he cut, shot, and bulled headlong through the tide of horrors and monstrosities, pushing them back with brutal might to (out)match their numbers, sustained in his merciless onslaught by nothing more than the furious carnage he wrought. Almost as much as they were astounded by the display, the group was safely assured that they were bought a plentiful opening to do whatever they needed to.

Once everyone was safely inside, the duo took one last reassuring look around outside before shutting the doors behind them. The bear and bird hung back with the rest of the heroes while the civilians exited a little at a time through the teleporter into (literally) greener pastures… where they would be quarantined by understaffed personnel technologically ill-equipped for such a task. Well, it was at least a step or several up from where they just came from. A short delay of inconvenience wouldn’t trouble them by comparison.

While waiting, the duo couldn’t help overhearing Fortune’s stubborn plea to Nero about her reason for being there, and why she refused to depart in spite of her current inability to continue. The bear and breegull looked to each other thoughtfully while recording every detail, promising quietly to themselves to search for this ‘Skull Heart’ on her behalf. They didn’t have much past a name and their best guess as far as what it looked like, but a heading and a proper name was usually all they needed. In the meantime, they were left with the decision of where to go and what to do from here. Were they to join the exodus for respite, even if only for a moment, have a look around where they were to see what they could find, or just… wait to see what happens next?