[center][h3]Tora[/h3]
[b]Level 2[/b] – (4/20) EXP
[b]Location:[/b] 1-1, Master's Mushroom
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1134[/center]

Along with a few of the others, more or less engaged in conversation, Tora retraced his steps toward where he saw the cloaked stranger last. Bowser made the Nopon quite aware of what he would be doing for the time being, but a couple glances back confirmed that neither Din nor Ratchet seemed to be following him, either. Instead the pair looked to be proceeding toward the obstacle course-like section of the road beyond where the skirmish went down, maybe eager to jump and climb around. Either way, that left pretty much everyone who didn't head down the canyon accounted for. On that subject, he did hear what sounded like explosions going off in the direction of the rocky area, but while that worried him he reasoned that the tough-looking men who chose that path could handle it.

As Tora drew near the mushroom along with Michael, Agoston, and Blazermate, he spotted the Master of Masters coming around the side of the giant fungus, an ordinary-looking human girl in tow. Though he threw the man a worried look, he did not speak up, and instead listened in on him telling the girl, “Hmm...well, it's tough to explain, but in a way, yes. They must join you later on.” He helped her into the hammock, saying, “Close your eyes and rest a moment, missie. If you listen in the meantime, you'll see what I mean.” At the same time, he leaned a strange-looking weapon against the mushroom trunk.

After that he turned to see a small crowd assembled, then clapped his hands to his face in a gesture of surprise. “Goodness, you've all come 'round just for li'l ol' me? What an honor!” A single finger flew into the air to forestall anyone's comment. “Hold it! While I'd like a nice, long chat as much as the next guy, you've got more important stuff to do than gab with me, so I'll spill the beans first and answer specifics later if you've got them, 'kay?”

“I am the Master of Masters,” he reiterated for any whose previous absence deprived them of an introduction. Moving more deliberately, he leveled his index finger at the resplendent icon floating far away, serenely tucked away in its airborne bed of flashing colors. “And that...is Galeem. The oh-so-scary Lord of Light!” Never passing up a chance to emote, he threw an arm sideways in a dramatic sweeping motion. “It wiped the slate clean, so to speak, and made this world from the ideas it devoured. Now, I'm pretty darn sure that destroying Galeem will return everything to the way it was, but if ya wanna stick it to 'ol light-bright, you're gonna have to take out its shield first.” He held up ten fingers, then three. “Thirteen terrible enemies lurk in this world, each one powering one of Galeem's colors. Beat all thirteen and the way's open.”

A mysterious air enveloped the Master of Masters as he crossed his arms. “Want to know how I know all this? Here, take a looksie. I'm going to need you to find this.” He held produced a peace of paper. On it was a drawn picture of an eye, murky teal with a black slitted pupil. “This is my eye. Anything it ever sees, I can see, so it allows me to see the future. I know Galeem's name because in the future, one of you writes it down and shows it to the eye. Know what that means?” He clapped his hands together. “The fact that I see you all again means you survive well into the future, find my eye, and challenge Galeem! Woohoo, congratulations! But don't rest on your laurels just yet. Find the thirteen foes, beat 'em up, go after Galeem. Easy-peasy, right?”

The Master of Masters shook his head vigorously, pounding a fist onto his other hand's palm. “Wrong! You'll get thrashed! Maimed, mauled, annihilated. No fun for anyone. But good news, kids, this world if full of ways to get stronger. For instance, these things...” he reached down below his makeshift table and pulled out a corked bottle. Inside, a gleaming rainbow mote containing the face of a goomba could be seen. “These are spirits. Though this is basic knowledge where I come from, you all might not know, so let me just tell you that everyone has three parts: body, heart, and mind. Galeem's light destroyed everyone's body, sealed their hearts, and flooded their minds. It made new puppet bodies for the spirits to inhabit, but if you defeat one, the spirit -the heart and mind- is set free. You can bond with them to make yourself stronger. Here's how.”

He pointed at his temple with his free hand. “Take it into your mind to gain a spirit's skills or knowledge.” Holding the hand in front of him, the Master of Masters opened wide his fingers before making a crushing motion. “Smush it and it'll become some kind of equipment. Weapon, armor, who knows?” Finally, he placed his hand on his chest. “Take it into your heart, and you'll gain its powers.” Seemingly as an afterthought, he gave a shrug. “Or, if you don't want the consequences of just 'taking' a spirit, you can try to connect with it and have it fight alongside you. If the bond's strong enough, it should maintain its own consciousness and be able to manifest physically for a time. Whaddya think of the name 'Striker'? Hah, too bad, it's final.”

Setting the bottle down, he reached a finger into the darkness of his hood to scratch his chin. “'Course, your existence means there are ways to free the spirit without destroying the body. The keyblade's one way, but it'd take years to train any of you to use one right.” Another shrug. “Ah, no matter. If your hearts are strong enough, you'll find a way. For now, if you find any notable enemies near me, drag 'em back here and I'll set 'em loose.”

His gaze flew between the gathered heroes. “Capiche? Now you know your mission, and how to accomplish it. If you choose to accept it, of course. 'May your heart be your guiding key' ….I say it all the time. Ultimately, you have to do what your heart feels is right.”

The Master of Masters slumped down on the table, dramatically appearing to collapse from the effort of talking so much. “Ahhhh. So, there you have it. Please tell me I covered all my bases?”

Tora, having been at rapt attention, seemed to be processing all the new information still, but he managed to pipe up, “Whew! Talkipon must be Master of Masters of Exposition. World and spirits pretty complicated, meh.”

The cloaked man shot him a look, though with his face hidden, it proved completely ineffective.

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Ancient Gardens[/center]

Beyond the section of traversal undertaken by Ratchet and Din, the terrain mellowed out once again. A clearing of grass lay beyond, serving as the reunification point between the three paths. The area going forward changed once again, more uniform in composition. It appeared to be a handful of sections of land, separated by wooden bridges over cliffs and water. Giant plants and blocks could be seen scattered around as well. This [url=https://d1fs8ljxwyzba6.cloudfront.net/assets/editorial/2017/08/fast-travel-in-mario-rabbids-kingdom-battle.jpg]area[/url] bore a few goombas, but not nearly as many as the previous one, and they did not seem to be as aggressive, either. That said, new [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/3/37/Ziggy.png/200px-Ziggy.png]enemies[/url] awaited them. The strange rabbit creatures goofed around, harassing one another or the wildlife, engaging in all sorts of irritating, zany behavior. More could be glimpsed farther off, though they seemed more driven, moving in groups across the terrain toward whatever area lay beyond the Ancient Gardens.

What the pair could see, however, did not form the complete story. Even from this distance they could hear the rattle of gunfire from across the way, though those sounds paled in comparison to the reverberation of explosions going off in the canyon path behind them and to the left. The duo could proceed into the Gardens proper and tangle with its long-eared, blaster-toting residents, or take a closer look at the canyon.

If they chose the latter, they might be able to see Courier 6, Death, and Zer0 besieged by bomb blasts, but more importantly, they could see their assailant. Moving along the edge of the canyon was a cart full of bombs being pushed by a large goblin with a barrel on his back, which itself appeared to contain a second goblin. A third, with a helmet and what appeared to be a crude rocket launcher, rode in the cart. All [url=https://dqrt72khb0whk.cloudfront.net/uploads/image/file/3628/cropped_bg_02.jpg?ts=1435526265]three[/url] eagerly chucked mine after mine down into the canyon, oblivious to either Ratchet or Din on the path ahead.

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Moat[/center]

Bullets sprayed the surface of the water, but they lost all momentum within moments of entering it, rendering them harmless so long as Geno stayed submerged. The world he entered, however, bore its own share of peril and uncertainty. Within the moat he could spot a variety of underwater creatures. [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/3/35/SMO_Lake_Brochure_E.png/300px-SMO_Lake_Brochure_E.png]One[/url], large and almost comical-looking, appeared oddly amiable even with the woeful coloration he'd come to expect, but the others did not share that look. [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/41/07/b241078200bcd4b6db040f6850ce44d7.png]Squids[/url] propelled themselves around using water propulsion, ready to blast any threats with ink. [url=https://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda05/Enemies/Bari.png]Jellyfish[/url] monsters floated without any care in the world, filling the water around them with electricity. Dangerous-looking [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/3/3a/Lakelurk.png/revision/latest?cb=20110507234435]beasts[/url], part man and part fish, scrounged the moat bottom for food, but they avoided the small schools of [url=https://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bomb_Fish_-_Water_Bomb-1420339381.png?quality=.8&height=600&width=748]bombfish[/url] that swam around with impunity. [url=https://raymanpc.com/wiki/script-en/images/thumb/9/9c/Orange_toad.png/320px-Orange_toad.png]Toads[/url] wearing diving suits patrolled the area closest to the castle's stone foundations, providing a more concerted danger. A closer look at said foundations, however, revealed a pipe covered by a sturdy metal grate near the bottom, perhaps the very mode of entry Geno sought.