[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6W7bqko.png[/img]
[h2][color=FD0000]The Koopa Troop[/color][/h2]
[b][color=FD0000]wordcount:[/color][/b] 1,074 (+6) 
[b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 14 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (173/140)
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 14 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (58/140)
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 13 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (53/130)
[b][color=Aqua]Rika: Level 9 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=Aqua]/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]//////////////// (74/90)
[b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] The Under - Mercy Dreams
[hider=warp locations]
[s]
Central hub: Smash City Alcamoth
Accessible locations:
Peach’s castle
Limsa Lominscuttle Town
Lumbridge
Twilight Town
Kosm’s Beach
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[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well then. I knew I was wise to not go under those clouds, but I did not realize quite how wise”[/color] Kamek commented from on high as he observed the void rising up to try and smother the light that was their foe. At least the darkness seemed to be on their side this time, though he was a touch concerned as to what would occur once they won.

At any rate, they certainly hadn’t done so yet, and indeed the Radiance seemed to decide that it wasn’t going to give them the opportunity to be done ever as, after taking a lashing from the dark and then blowing it away, it promptly decided to just leave.

[color=SpringGreen]”Wait. It can just do that?”[/color] Jr asked, rather dumbstruck, while Bowser roared [color=FD0000]”Coward! Get back here and take your lumps like a proper boss!”[/color] to no avail. It wasn’t coming back.

[color=Aqua]”Maybe I can sail on that?”[/color] Rika began to suggest, regarding the sea of black darkness around them, but fortunately before she could actually try this help arrived in the form of train based transportation. It was crewed by a friend of Nadia apparently, and their appearance here was apparently entirely unexpected as it had to exposit a bit to explain it, but more than welcome.

Speaking of expositing, given they had a touch of breathing room, Kamek decided to do some of that himself as he flicked open Robin Goodfellow’s book and sought out the Radince’s own page on it, just in case it held some helpful tips.

[hider=monster manual entry: The Radiance]
[b]The Radiance[/b]
[i]A higher being borne of light, enemy of the Void and all it progeny, who created and was in turn revered by the Moth Tribe. When the Pale King arrived to create the kingdom of Hallownest, bestowing enlightenment upon his subjects, the moths turned their back on the Radiance, and over time she was almost forgotten. Yet the Radiance endured, and through the medium of dreams began to proliferate through the underground kingdom in an effort to undo what the Pale King had wrought. Her timeless wrath, spread as a meme, became the Infection, offering each and every living thing unity at the cost of mindlessness. Unreachable within the dream realm as her plague spread, the Radiance could only be imprisoned, never defeated, never forgotten.

In battle, the Radiance is a fountain of pure power, a beacon of ceaseless light and immaculate metal. She abhors darkness, and if threatened by her ancient enemy, is capable of ascending to her perfect form, Absolute Radiance. In this form her powers are without limit, and yet, no light lasts forever.[/i]
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While the mage did wonder about who on earth the Pale King was, what stood out at the end was the note about darkness. That, and the earlier comment about the void, certainly explained what the shadow stuff was, and it also gave him an idea about a plan of (magical) attack.

While Kamek did that, and exposited to anyone that was interested in what he was reading, Jr used the moment they had to check on and top up everyone’s health with his healing magic, ensuring they'd all be primed and ready to go for round two.

After that, it was time to climb abroad. Climb being the key word here as they would be riding atop the train rather than inside of it. None of the Troop questioned this however, it was simply the logical place to fight from, and soon enough they were up top and ready for action. 

They just had to reach said action first

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well, this looks like it might take a moment”[/color] Kamek commented as they began their minuet long catch up to the Radiance, before he glanced at his green doppelganger and decided [color=DeepSkyBlue]”We might as well make the most of it”[/color]
 
Thus 3 more green orbs were tossed, three more green mages were made, and as they rolled on towards the second confrontation with the ‘end of thought’ they were put to work, giving each and every single of the party a nice little boost to their speed, attack, and defense.

Of course, the Radiance wasn’t exactly content to let them approach, and so proceeded to blast at them with inaccurate laserbeams which, fortunately, had a tell and wind up time that left them perfectly dodge-able. Things started going particularly well when Rika took point and the rest began a game of follow the leader, the troop, Kamek clones included, forming a line that dodged back and forth to avoid getting lasered under the princess’ guidance.

By the time they had arrived, everyone was boosted up by the clones, and Kamek wasn’t the only one who’d been busy prepping, as the front of the first train carriage was absolutely littered with iron knives that had been stabbed into the roof.

[color=SpringGreen]”Opening salvo, go!”[/color] Jr shouted as they got close enough to attack, having used the travel time to scheme as well as stockpile magic, thrusting a finger forwards and sending a hail of pre-prepared blades stabbing towards the Radiance, forming and launching more alongside the initial volley. He was joined in this by Rika who launched a fresh volley of disrupting shots at the Radiance inorder to debuff the firepower she was throwing back.

The Troop’s final hit came from combo attack from Kamek and Bowser, the king grabbing the mage’s doppelgangers by the broomstick and hurling forwards like javelins, and then, once they got close, Kamek had them cast his explosion causing dark magic beams spell.

The clones were, inevitably, cut down soon after launching, and it was an inefficient way of casting the spell, but it was safe and strong and that was what mattered, even if it did leave the mage rather drained. 

Indeed, between them the Troop expended most of their rechargeable resource pools in that opening strike, which could have been an issue had it not been the plan. As a volley of swordblades came hurtling down the train, Bowser grabbed Kamek in one arm, Jr in the other and waited for a moment for Rika to grapple hook onto him before leaping backwards, over the heads of those behind them on the train.

The wind blasting backwards along their path, though nowhere near as strong as it should have been, caught them, sending the entire Troop flying all the way to the back of the train, and in so doing opened up the front-lines for someone else to give it all they’d got. 

Just as Jr had planned.

Bowser touched down, thorny vines stabbing into the train’s roof for grip, his and Rika’s heels screeching as they slowed their backward flight, stopping them right before they tipped off of the back of the train, and right before the swordblade volley hit. 

It was faster, but, thanks to Kamek’s now destroyed green clones, so were they. With speed he hadn’t had till now Bowser (still holding Kamek and Jr) stepped between the swordblades and received only a light scratch for his efforts, helped greatly by Rika sticking close to and slowing the shots down for him.

After they’d done that however they did have to face the slight flaw in their plan however, and that was that they were going to have to advance all the way back up the train to take another swing at Radiance.

[color=SpringGreen]”Nothing for it to get moving. Let’s go, let’s go!”[/color] Jr commanded as he was set back, leading the charge back the way they had come.