[center][h3]Tora[/h3]
[b]Level 2[/b] – (8/20) EXP
[b]Location:[/b] 1-1, Central Route
[b]Word Count:[/b] 912[/center]

“Um...and last, if friend Bowser want spirit power, grab and shove into heart, meh!” Tora scratched his head, gnawed by the feeling that he'd forgotten something. “Oh right, mehmeh! Are thirteen biggie baddypon to beat up before team can challenge ultimate big bad Gleamy thing. That probably important, glad Tora remembered.” After finishing his hole-filled, semi-comprehensible explanation, the Nopon waved over the rest returning from the Master of Master's mushroom. Centurion, Blazermate, Linkle, Michael...all accounted for, plus two more. The unfamiliar girl he glimpsed resting in the cloaked man's hammock trailed along behind the group, and the Master himself could be found yucking it up in the middle of the pack. From what he said before it sounded like the hooded one wouldn't be coming along, but if he did, their odds looked even better.

Linkle walked up with a bottle in hand, which she offered to Bowser. Though it moved too quickly for him to make out specifics, Tora recognized the glowing orbs inside it as the spirits mentioned by the Master of Masters. He glanced around to take another look at the free-floating spirits, but to his bemusement there seemed to be fewer than before. Perhaps they dissipated after a while? Tora knew from his own time spent adventuring that uncollected loot tended to disappear. If the others wanted to claim the beaten koopas or goombas, they would need to act quickly.

A request returned the Nopon's attention to his new friends, and he nodded to Linkle's question. “Sure, will do.” Without protest he watched the girl head off, determined to find out where Ratchet and Din disappeared to. She moved with speed and grace across the laborious terrain that lay ahead of the group, making Tora wonder if he would need someone's help. Nopon weren't exactly built for agility, after all. Under normal circumstances Poppi's help would trivialize such an obstacle, but now...

In short order the group was together, and with break time concluded the team headed off. The first bit, one of the rolling hills, provided little challenge, but on the other side a couple short jumps led to a pit. Looking into it, Tora could see spiders but no visible bottom, and the other side lay far beyond his horizontal jumping capacity. “Uh...Tora might need help to get across.”

The Master of Masters, meanwhile, took the initiative. Chomping at the bit to get going, he sprinted toward the edge and leaped, swinging his weapon overhead. He fell short, and for a moment it looked as though he would plummet into the abyss, but the edge of his keyblade caught firmly on the lip of the chasm. “What a rush!” he exclaimed as he hauled himself up, using his tool as an effective if overlarge climbing axe. “I haven't...!”

He scarcely moved out of the way in time before a giant [url=https://banner2.kisspng.com/20180414/byw/kisspng-new-super-mario-bros-u-bowser-beetle-5ad1f32dcd6417.0957935315237087178413.jpg]block[/url] hurtled down from above, nearly reducing the eminent Master of Masters to paste. As he scrambled on the opposite edge of the pit, the thwomp rose back up, ascending to the spot high above the pit where it hung at the ready for another potential victim to make the jump.

[url=https://img.fireden.net/v/image/1512/23/1512235809107.gif]Tora[/url] sweat visibly. The elevated road the group now stood upon was narrow enough that there appeared no easy way to get around. Letting his request from earlier stand, he started the gears in his head turning, trying to figure out some way to beat this obstacle. After this, 1-1 should be smooth sailing.

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

Nimble and spry, Linkle proceeded through the central route's platforming challenge with ease, and entered the Ancient Gardens. Right away she noticed scattered groups of new creatures, though their numbers and attitudes were anything but threatening. Most of the [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/3/37/Ziggy.png/200px-Ziggy.png]rabbids[/url] simply loafed around, harassing one another or the wildlife, so Linkle could simply run past them across the verdant battlefields without even bothering to use the oversized brick blocks as cover. As she crossed the bridge between the first and second of the three areas, however, she came face-to-face with a group of the zany goons that she couldn't just slip by. 

This squad of six, perhaps aggravated by someone else passing through, perked up at her approach and sounded the alarm—a chorus of irritating screams. They scattered, moving up and down the terrain to hide behind cover, either full-size blocks that masked them completely or waist-high slabs that granted only marginal protection. Four of the ziggies started shooting, their dinky-looking blasters somehow letting loose quick-fling yellow globs of energy. The remaining two engaged a strange technique, stamping one foot and then the other several times before hunkering down to stare at Linkle intently. If Linkle moved within these ziggies' line of sight within the next fifteen seconds or so, they would release a pinpoint-accurate reflex shot guaranteed to hit home and hit hard.

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] 1-1, Canyon Exit[/center]

Addled by drug use, and perhaps a bit by nature, the Courier reviewed the situation and called his shots. The Techies approached, ready and willing to reduce their foes to smithereens, and in the hopes of detonating their explosive cache he released a burst from his Rat-slayer at the barrel on the back of Spleen, the largest of the goblins. Instead of containing powder, however, that barrel proved to be housing Spoon, the smallest of the three, hidden inside. An agonized swear issued from it in a deep bass voice when the first of 6's shots hit his desired target, but the remainder missed their mark. One missed completely, one hit the side of the cart, and the last sunk one one of the bombs. The sound, meanwhile, seemed to confuse the other two goblins, who glanced at each other briefly as if to say [i]you heard it too?[/i]

They did not get much time to think about it, however, as the next moment Zer0 came sailing toward them. Despite being propelled through the air by a rocket's explosion, the mercenary's learned hands were steady. His sniper rounds pelted the cart, the Techies, and their bombs, piercing unarmored green flesh and igniting their explosives. In an instant the Techies seemed to come to an understanding, though none seemed to mind in particular, and they went to work. Squee launched a rocket straight down, sending the entire sizzling cart and its contents flying toward Zer0 and the Courier. The instant they hit the ground again, the whole shebang detonated in a wave of fire, taking out the Techies and anyone foolish enough to have not moved away from the impact site.

In the aftermath of the blast, dust and ash billowed through the air, settling only after a few dozen seconds. The clouds left behind a single floating mote of rainbow light, bearing all three Techies inside. With things settled down, provided they survived, Zer0 and 6 could see that they'd just about reached the point of 1-1 where the three paths converged and led to Ancient Gardens. A wandering eye could spot the members of the central route party tackling the high point of their road's platforming challenge, allowing for a convenient reunification in a minute or two.

[hider=Results!]
Party: [@ProPro]'s Courier 6, [@Old Amsterdam]'s Zer0
Encounter Reward: 4 EXP
Kill Bonus: N/A ([url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cI7cz9EkLgc/hqdefault.jpg]The Techies denied themselves![/url])
[/hider]

[hr]
[center][b]Location:[/b] Peach's Castle, Dungeon[/center]

To Geno's misfortune, not only did none of his newly-found keys fit the lock of the steel gate, but the lock itself lay elsewhere; this dungeon's main entrance, in a rather prudent fashion, was locked from the other side to prevent a situation just like this, keeping one of the dungeon's undesirables from entering the castle proper.

Though able to test his light disks' mettle against the reinforced metal of the door, the doll turned his attention inward. As much as he wanted to leave the contents of the thoroughly-locked chamber to someone more qualified, his piqued curiosity and lack of alternatives spurred him on. Key in hand, he approached the intimidating door, and one by one undid the heavy locks. Each clattered to the floor with a hollow rattle, chains dangling and then falling, until at last the great door bore no further obstruction. Wooden hand met iron handle, and with no small amount of strength Geno pushed in the bulky, uproariously-creaking door.

More wall sconces lined the perimeter, yet even their glow failed to fully penetrate the murkiness within. If Geno proceeded, he would be able to make out only the shadow of a shape hanging against the back wall, fickle torchlight glimmering off the chains that bound it. The nearer he grew, the better he could see outlines of red, blue, and brown. His every step brought wood against stone, releasing a [i]clack[/i] that might have just as well been a sonic boom in the oppressive quiet of this place, and eventually the captive seemed to hear.

Scarlet eyes shot open in the gloom, and their dangerous radiance dispelled the last of Geno's doubts as they outlined a bulbous nose, four-cleft mustache, and emblem-bearing cap. Before the emissary of Star Road dangled a face that he knew, and for better or worse expected to find.