[center][h3]Tora[/h3]
[b]Level 2[/b] – (2/20) EXP
[b]Location:[/b] 1-1, Central Route
[b]Word Count:[/b] 633[/center]

While none of Tora's new allies save the Lombax whose weapon he returned appeared to notice him, much less speak to him, the Nopon was in the zone. Though the Hammer Brothers hurled a limitless supply of the weapons they took their name from, those projectiles arced through the air slowly and predictably, allowing Tora to jog around and block them wherever they fell. Mallet after mallet clattered against his shield, leaving small dents but otherwise doing precious little.

After only a few more moments of fighting, the enemy force was all but exhausted, especially after Bowser's ruthless obliteration of the goomba tower once warmed up. His thunderous bellow of victory, a touch premature but not at all unfounded, caused all present to flinch for a moment. Even the Hammer Brothers, sitting pretty on their high ground, appeared to be aware of the dire state of their army, and one's fear prompted him to hurl a hammer Bowser's. When Bowser wound down, Linkle approached him with an idea in mind, and while they prepared to enact it Michael took the opportunity to keep his enemies' heads down. His uzi, less than perfectly accurate at this range and not as effective against their harder shells, nevertheless forced the Hammer Brothers on the defensive. One withdrew into his shell to be grabbed by the other and used as a shield, behind which the remaining koopa could continue throwing his hammers. Michael's work, no doubt a purposeful stratagem, effectively halved the enemy's damage output and brought them close enough that single attack might be able to spell both their ends at once.

Right on cue the King Koopa -having shaken off the hammer to the noggin- scooped up both Linkle and Ratchet, despite his protests, to fastball them at the vulnerable brothers. Where Michael's burst fire let off, the heroine in green picked up the slack, keeping her targets distracted on the defensive until her brother-in-arms could let his Turtle Arrow fly. Though Ratchet's trajectory prevented him from seeing the fruits of his labor, he could definitely hear them; a resounding [i]crack[/i] rang out as the Hammer Brothers took the shell straight on. The protector's shell broke, putting him out of commission and in turn making him into a shield projectile to take out the one behind. Together, the two fell from their perch and burst into ash when they hit the ground. Only their spirits remained; the team could not have asked for better.

By that time, the efforts of Tora, the Centurion, and Blazermate had wiped out the stragglers, bringing the battle to its conclusion. The uneven road ahead to part two of the journey to Peach's Castle lay clear, so long as one didn't count the light platforming that would need to be done to get through. At the same time, no foes remained to challenge any fighters interested in backtracking a touch to get to know the Master of Masters a little better, either.

Happy as a clam, Tora replaced his shield to his back and danced around. “Piece of cake, time for a break!” he sang. He sat down where he stood, reached into a pocket, and produced a sausage swaddled in plastic wrap. With undisguised eagerness he pulled off the wrapped and ate the whole thing. “Ah, nothing like tasty sausage after blood get pumping!” He turned his smile on the rest of the group. “Friends were amazing! Hard to imagine any challenge team cannot accomplish!” Despite his optimism, his look turned downcast after another moment, and he fixed his eyes on the castle in the distance. “Still,” he murmured. “Victory without Poppi and Rex-Rex seem hollow. Must find.” His thoughts drifted back to the Master of Masters after a moment, and with some reluctance Tora picked himself up to head back the cloaked man's way.

[hider=Results!]
[b]Party:[/b] [@Archmage MC]'s Blazermate, [@DracoLunaris]' Bowser, [@Stekkman]'s Centurion, [@Stern Algorithm]'s Din, [@Gentlemanvaultboy]'s Linkle, [@thedman]'s Michael, [@LemonZest1337]'s Ratchet, Tora
[b]Encounter Reward:[/b] 2 EXP
[b]Standout Bonus:[/b] Bowser, Linkle, Ratchet
[b]Standout Reward:[/b] +1 EXP[/hider]

[b]Tora Level up![/b]
New Power: Grin and Bear It

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Master of Master's Mushroom[/center]

T he Master of Masters recoiled in surprise as the teenager hacked violently, as though struck by sudden, wracking illness. After it quieted, a moment passed in silence, allowing him to get a better grip of Minako's current status. Her eyes, red in hue but unblemished in aspect, contained such weariness and pain, and her health seemed to be in a sorry state. His mischievous tone and sleeve-worn enthusiasm evaporated like the morning dew, needless in a situation like this that demanded tact. “Not today, little lady,” he said after a moment, somewhat glad that she didn't seem to have registered his gravitas-devoid questions before. “Take it easy. You've been through a heck of a lot, more than I know, and I'm sorry to say you're not at peace.”

After weighing his options, he decided to give Minako a succinct explanation. “I'm nobody important, really, but I was able to foresee most stuff that happens. A godlike being called Galeem has wiped physical reality away and created a new world. It took the minds and hearts of those consumed -their Spirits- and made them puppets of their old forms to seal their hearts and blind their minds. I managed to free you, but this world is far from free.” Once again, he reached his hand down to help Minako up. If she could not lift her arm, he could certainly lift her. “For now, though let's worry about you, eh? I have potions for healing and energy that might help you feel better, if you like. And a hammock if you want to lie down.” Should Minako accept his aid, he meant to bring her about to the front of the mushroom, where his makeshift workshop and all its contents lay.

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Lower Canyon[/center]

With little ceremony the trio mopped up their remaining adversaries. Death took good care of those who came to greet him on the ground, while the fume-fueled marksman kept the ranged fighters off his back, with 6 plugging a few rounds into the handful of javelin-chuckers that remained. The few mooks that the Horseman's scythe did not harvest fell prey to Zer0's swordsmanship. With their ranks so thoroughly decimated, the few archers and fighters left over turned tail to flee, albeit without the bolt holes of the kobolds to provide them quick escape. The moment the first goblin started to ascend on the other side of the canyon path, however, he tripped over something that nobody else could see. Before he could so much as yelp, he suddenly exploded, his ashy fragments flying all over as they dissolved.

It was then that the laugh from before could be heard again—or was it three laughs mixed together? One voice seemed high, one low, and one very deep. A rattling noise filtered down from above to the especially perceptive, but no perpetrators showed themselves. Instead, they revealed more bombs.

Perhaps aware of the sights trained upward, the unseen enemy started lobbing two at a time. The mines fell without any precision, some bouncing off the canyon walls without exploding, to land on the floor and wait patiently for any enemies to approach. While they could be handled safely by gunfire, any bullets merely destroyed them without setting them off. Any mines left unattended out of immediate range exhibited a curious phenomenon; they disappeared from sight after a couple seconds, becoming invisible until one wandered close enough to arm their second-and-a-half fuses.

Whatever goblins and bokoblins were allowed to flee invariably ran into more mines, evidently hidden at the canyon's other end. However, each creature got farther than the last, steadily clearing the explosive traps, until the last three or four could enjoy a blast-free exit so long as the gunmen permitted them it.

However, more and more mines fell, quickly becoming too much to deal with. If 6, Zer0, and Death wanted to keep all their limbs, they needed to follow in their fleeing foes' footsteps, and fast. That said, who knew how many mines lay in their path, invisible until nearly trod upon?

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Sky Over Scrapyard[/center]

The wooden rocket blasting off from the middle of the two groups' soon-to-be battlefield drew their attention for a moment, but when it came to choosing between a blur already out of range and a squadron of enemy soldiers, there seemed to be a consensus between Rabbid and robot. Frenzied cries, energy blasts, and bullets filled the air as another furious exchange ensued. Geno, meanwhile, made good his getaway.

Once in the air, he zeroed in on his original destination: Peach's Castle. Its enormous moat posed no problem to him, but even after dealing with the birds in his way, an unsettling feeling came over him as he drew nearer to the classic structure. A doll did not have protective instincts in the way that an animal did, but nevertheless, something cried out to him as he approached the water's edge. His eyes drifted back toward the earth, to where the scrapyard ended and the bridge to the castle began. Two piles of junk rose from either side of the white stone walkway, oversized blocks rising from them and meeting together in the middle to form an arch. Atop that arch, he could spy three shapes: that of a man and two machines. The next instant a red laser sight locked onto Geno, and in unison both turrets opened fire.

[center][h2][color=red][b]Warning! Miniboss Discovered[/b][/color][/h2]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/0maHuMY.png[/img][/center]

He found in short order that while weaker, the smaller turret did not miss whatsoever, and while more inaccurate, the larger turret [i]hurt[/i]. Even worse, the smaller of the pair backed up its pinpoint-accurate machine gun fire with a volley of homing missiles, closing in on Geno's position even now. Working together, the two turrets made it nigh-impossible to pass through their territory. If he did not dive for cover in the scrapyard or moat immediately, Geno would sustain critical damage before even making it out of the turrets' range.