[center][h3]Tora[/h3]
[b]Level 2[/b] – (13/20) EXP
[b]Location:[/b] Ancient Gardens
[b]Word Count:[/b] 756[/center]

The quick action of Linkle prevented the Master of Masters catching loose blades of grass on his silky black cloak. Her jump forward to support him no doubt caught the eyes of her comrades, not just because of her compassionate willingness to help, but also because of her new equipment. Unnoticed by most before, her acquisition of the rabbid spirits previously bore fruit, though not quite in the manner she expected. While the first spirit she crushed predictably became a [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/4/47/MRKB_Bwah_Blaster.png/80px-MRKB_Bwah_Blaster.png]ranged weapon[/url], albeit a strange one, the second seemed to resonate with Linkle. Instead of becoming a second weapon, it took an altogether different form, as if understanding her needs.

[center]You have acquired:
[b][url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/4/47/MRKB_Bwah_Blaster.png/80px-MRKB_Bwah_Blaster.png]Bwah Blaster[/url][/b]
A weak, somewhat unremarkable energy blaster weapon. It does not require ammunition, seemingly ever, but has a slow fire rate. Despite inflicting heat damage, it's ineffective against cover or armor. However, the shots deal decent knockback against living targets; this is 40% more effective against rabbids

[i]and[/i]

[b]Mad Mantle[/b]
A snow-white fur shoulder cloak and hood. The hood has ears, but they do not stand up on their own. The mantle is resistant to energy damage, and weaker energy attacks have a good chance of simply bouncing off[/center]

Her intervention allowed the Master of Masters a moment to breath, chest heaving and head lolling. Despite facing upward, the light of the sun did not seem to penetrate the darkness in his hood; evidently, simply wearing that cloak of his appeared to confer a potent face-masking effect. He couldn't speak for a moment, so it fell to Linkle and Din to answer Tora. The Nopon's brows furrowed in response to the dancer's confession, but she redeemed herself a moment later by spotting the mischievous rabbid in question all the way over where the Ancient Gardens ended.

Once Din pointed the thief out, a number of her allies leaped into action. The Courier and Zer0, newly in cahoots, took off together, and Ratchet followed suit along with the automaton who'd healed him. However, Din's attention lay elsewhere. In her hand the weapon felt warm and comfortable, like a perfectly-tailored suit, practically made for her, if not made [i]from[/i] her. After she took it in hand, the Master of Masters composed himself to respond. “Uuuum...maybe. Here's the thing...ah, how do I explain this? I can give someone a scalpel, but does that mean they'll be able to perform surgery?” With some more effort he managed to get back to his feet and head across the makeshift leaf bridge by which he'd come. “Keyblades are tricky and complicated. Plus, you'll find they're picky about their owners. Still, even if you can't really wield it, it makes a pretty good bludgeon and wand. Keep it! And feel free to give it a name, most do.”

Meanwhile, one of the party's members had enacted a more direct plan to eliminating their collective rabbid problem. After warning everyone and setting up his rifle, Michael took a calculated shot at the runaway. The incredible noise caused everyone present to flinch, particularly any who did not heed the sniper's advice, and when they looked again the poor supporter no longer appeared to exist. Instead, the hat lay on the ground among the rabbids at the top of the rise, and a chorus of screams rose from among them. One rabbid snatched the hat and the squad moved ahead into the Scrapyard.

“Ow-ow-ow!” Tora cried, his wings clapped over the spots on his head where his ears must be. Evidently, those wings did not provide much of a seal against the sound, but if anyone could take a little punishment it was Tora. Once he recovered, he leaned forward on his tip-toes to try and see what was going on in the distance, not noticing Roadhog astir. The next moment a hook flew by his head, making him jump with fright, and the giant man got to his feet. He bowled Tora and Agoston over before firing a clump of nasty-looking metal into the ground as a warning shot. Once upright again, Tora hurried to pull out his shield and place himself directly in front of Roadhog, ready to defend if need be.

The Nopon clenched his teeth when Roadhog bellowed. Still, feeling pretty confident in his ability to stray unharmed, he piped up to respond. Bowser, however, cut him off, and while his explanation worked well enough, Tora did not want to feel left out. “Biggipon please be calm, meh! All of us are in strange new world made by scary light monster. Are working together to try to fight back! We mean no harm! Cloakypon one who free you, in fact.”

Getting to know Roadhog better would have to wait, though. While Tora knew preciously little about Kirby, the little, unassuming puff seemed important, so recovering him was priority number-one. When Bowser took off, Tora followed behind as quick as his legs could carry him. The koopa king’s departure sent a silent command to the others as well, and the group began to move whether or not Roadhog chose to join them.

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

Those who hastened after the rogue rabbids toward the Scrapyard found minimal resistance in the remainder of the Ancient Gardens. No foes at all seemed to occupy to the place to challenge them, though a keen eye could make out scorch marks on the ground and bullet holes in the scenery; even the least observant could not fail to notice the smoking carcasses of various robots lying around, no doubt felled by the long-eared troublemakers they had attempted to invade.

Crossing the final bridge and cresting the ensuing hill brought the Scrapyard into full view: a heaping mess of ramshackle machinery, long-neglected racing facilities, gigantic toy blocks stacked high, and plain old junk. On the other side of the hill lay the cluttered pit stop of the Mario Kart raceway that once occupied this space, but this area would never see another grand prix. Instead, it now played host to a strikingly intense war between rabbid and robot.

The factions could be discerned as a glance. While familiar to the heroes by now, the ordinary blaster-toting Ziggy rabbids were also joined by additional allies. There were [url=https://cdn4.gamepur.com/images/mario-rabbids-kingdom-battle/supporter.jpg]supporters[/url], whose seemingly-bottomless packs contained AoE healing machines and plenty of bouncing hand grenades. Never far away were the [url=http://gameranx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017083112080200-9600BAE614E6833B1A261F5FB229CDBA-1.jpg]hoppers[/url], spring-loaded hooligans boasting tremendous mobility, splendid teamwork, and single-hit energy shields. Even more worryingly, a few beastly-looking [url=https://i1.wp.com/gamegeekz.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MRKB_07_enemies_art_PR_010817_6PM_1501585174.png?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1]smashers[/url] with their brutal bricks and [url=https://cdn2.gamepur.com/images/mario-rabbids-kingdom-battle/buckler.jpg]bucklers[/url] with tower shields and shotguns. These rabbids worked in squads, engaged in tactical combat against their machine enemies, the [url=https://cdn.gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/overwatch-null-sector-robots.jpg.optimal.jpg]omnics[/url] and the [url=https://media.alienwarearena.com/media/lineup1.jpg]robots[/url]. Of the two categories, all favored bullets, but the purple ones commanded greater strength while the gray ones boasted more versatility. From the heroes’ vantage point, two enemy groups in particular stood out. 

On the right side of the battlefield, accessible through the pit stop, a squad of rabbids appeared to have walked into an omnic ambush. They fought viciously from entrenched positions, two bucklers providing cover for four ziggies, a smasher, three hoppers, and a supporter. Among them the brute stood out most vividly, for the enormous rabbid wore Bowser’s white hat, its extended fists providing him extra power to smash omnics apart when they came too close.

Their second notable group could be glimpsed at the very opposite end of the Scrapyard: three foreboding figures atop an arch of blocks in front of the bridge leading to Peach’s castle. While the distance prevented exact identification, their aura of menace could be felt even where the heroes stood.

[center][h1][color=red]Warning! Miniboss Discovered![/color][/h1]
[img] https://i.imgur.com/0maHuMY.png[/img][/center]

Once again, a diverging path confronted the heroes. They could push straight through where the firefight was thickest, head for the rabbid encampment on the right, or swerve around the oddly calm left side of the battlefield.

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

Even within the cell’s enclosed space, Geno’s flight allowed him to skirt around his adversary’s brutal attacks to begin with. Though Mario commanded no small amount of power, getting the crude flails into motion in the first place took a moment, so his first few swings pounded the walls of his dreary habitation rather than the wooden intruder. Wherever one of the stone chunks hit, both they and their targets cracked some, steadily depleting their mass. 

However, as the chunks became smaller, they also grew faster. As Geno predicted, his opponent managed to crush a light disc before it could meet its mark, but rather than take the second Mario wove out of the way. Since each swing with his arm led to a flail strike a moment later, he appeared to be able to move again before the initial attack landed. No amount of evasion could deal with a carefully-aimed strike at the speed of light, though, and Geno’s beam struck Mario square in the chest. The red-eyed puppet fighter staggered for a moment, then changed his tactics. He dashed into the center of the chamber, clapped his hands together, and span his arms around in a circle above his head, causing the flails to swing continuously in a circle. Moreover, he could adjust the height to keep the onslaught coming no matter how Geno dodged. If this simple but devastating assault was to be stopped, Geno would need to figure out its weak point fast.