[center][h3]Tora, Linkle, and Minako[/h3]
[b]Collab Exp:[/b] +3
[b]Location:[/b] Scrapyard - Left
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1653[/center]

Minako almost didn't hear Linkle's voice over her own pain and suffering. Running was... a bit of a mistake, as Minako soon found out, quickly finding her legs seizing up to become lead blocks attached to stumps. Michael's heavy rifle was Hell on her strained heart, practically giving her a mini heart attack. Could she really be so out of shape?

No doubt Tora and Linkle could tell the team leader was dying, yet pushed on in spite of this, not wanting to be a burden or a bother. After all, she was the one who pursued this path, they chose to follow. Keeping that in mind, she forced herself to steady her breathing and remain focused on the path ahead, despite how much her body told her not to.

Eventually, however, the path began to deviate in difficulty, the junk making things rather problematic to traverse. Minako, like Tora, was also pretty out of breath, thankful they were far enough away from the battlefield to slow their pace. [color=darkred]"That sounds... pretty terrible..."[/color] Responses came between heavy breaths of air, her lungs unable to fill quite as completely as they used to. It was like she had become afflicted with some kind of asthma, making said gasps shallow rather than fulfilling, though this did help in keeping her stresses undercover, somewhat. [color=darkred]"You should... be more careful. Running off alone will get you hurt again... Trust me, I know. And... I also knew someone would want to follow."[/color] There was an earnest smile flashed Linkle's way, although there seemed to be a story behind it. Before she could ask, however, Tora made an introduction of his own, which helped Minako come to a realization.

She kept eye contact with the Nopon as long as she could, continuing to speak as she did so, knowing full well she had an advantage just in being human. Whenever her eyes got tired, she would simply turn her head to the left or right while maintaining full eye contact with Tora. This way her eyes could partially lubricate as they stared, giving her an edge he would not otherwise be able to mimic. Unless he had a trick up his own sleeve, Minako was confident she could win their little showdown.

[color=darkred]"Oh? Well, I only hope I can be half as brainy as you then, Tora. I'm afraid I'm... not as strong as I used to be, but I remember how to fight, so I won't be helpless. My name is Minako Arisato, from Tatsumi Port Island. It's good to meet you, Tora, and Miss... Linkle, right?"[/color] At this point if Tora hadn't already submitted, the redhead would break contact and give it to Linkle, so no introductions were left out. After all, everyone else looked so wildly different - if Linkle was the only girl around her age, the summoner seriously hoped they could get along.

Either way, the trio had to get moving, in case anyone decided to follow them. The path opened up to the hairpin of the racetrack, creating a lot of wide open spaces with less cover. [color=darkred]"We should be careful. Lets survey the fl- [i]area[/i], before we head up."[/color] Old habits died hard, or so it would seem.

Minako found cover by a large pile of scrap, close to the little green rabbid, eyeing the situation cautiously. No doubt the robot up above was dangerous, what with all the defeated surrounding him. Her eyebrows raised a little when she noticed that some of the bodies on the ground were robot, though quickly realised that things weren't as simple as 'Team Robo vs Team Rabbit', if Blazermate was anything to go by. This was a foreign world with foreign foes, not everything was supposed to make sense, especially if so many realities truly collided. The little green rabbid seemingly noticed her, warning her to stay back, which had Minako sceptical, if it weren't for all of his allies also in hiding. Heeding its advice the summoner ducked back, finding a gap in the scrap to peak through, watching the robot with intensity.

[color=darkred]"We should be careful... If it's anything like the robot I used to know, he could be [i]really[/i] something..."[/color]

"He he he, nobodies ever called me 'Miss' before." Linkle replied, bashfully scratching her nose. Even the young kids of the village only ever called her things like 'weirdo' and 'cuckoo lady.' "Ehhhh, just call me Linkle. No need for formalities between heroes, after all."

Still, she felt like her and Tora had made the right call. Minako was a hero all right, just being here with the rest of them was proof enough of that, but maybe she wasn't the physical sort of hero judging by how shook up and out of breath she was. She was the sort of hero that benefited from having a one woman army and a shield bearer between her and the enemy.

Despite this it only seemed natural to fall in line [i]behind[/i] her, letting her set the pace and lead the way. When Minako took cover Linkle fell in naturally beside her. She pointed to the rabbit dressed in hero colors that had waved them all down. "See, I knew it. Look on his hat. L, for leader."

The boss of the rabbits had been waiting down here to ambush them, but had gotten ambushed himself by a bunch of robots. Then those robots themselves had been ambushed by...another robot? A scary looking robot. It looked kind of like a stalfos version of the other robots, like if you ripped open the ones up where they'd come from and took a peek you'd find that thing inside.

She took a quick glance out of cover to look over the piles of scrap metal that used to be enemies. "The rabbits didn't do all that." She said. "If their little guns could make holes like those I'd be worse off than those robots. Tora, do you know if your shield is made of sturdior stuff than that. We might be able to get closer if we all huddle up."

She remembered the rabbits before, stomping their feet and waiting, and wondered whether the scary robot was doing something similar. She reached into the pile of scrap they were using for cover and ripped off a side mirror that was dangling by a thread. Then she threw it up and out of cover.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Tora took cover alongside his allies. Man, that redheaded girl could stare! As promised, he'd greeted her gaze unflinchingly, holding it as long as she did--which was saying something for a human. How did she keep looking at him without blinking, while his own peepers grew uncomfortably dry? Regardless, he hoped -and indeed thought- that she took his pledge to heart. Further thoughts about their dynamic could wait, however, since a potentially problematic situation lay before them. Linkle suggested advancing using his shield as cover, and after a couple final blinks, he nodded as best he could without a neck. "Hm, yes, Tora shield can take whatever. Very durable. If somehow enemy get through, only Tora take damage so long as friends crouch behind." Before he could move out, however, the girl grabbed something off a nearby wreck and tossed it up. What was she doing...?

With the way things were turning out, the situation could quickly become out of hand. They had to have a plan and watch over one-another, otherwise the three of them would be torn apart in the crossfire. One of them, at the very least, could become seriously injured, and considering the types of weapons that were being used by the robots, both herself and Linkle could be in trouble. It was hard to tell what Tora was made of, let alone what he even [i]was[/i], but if he was anything like a Persona then he should be fine. Pretty soon she felt a few ideas coming to mind, though getting back into swing of things would be slow, especially with her body so out of shape.

[color=darkred]"If that's the leader then it's a good idea to get rid of him quickly. Linkle, if you're confident, you could manoeuvre around and take him and his friends by surprise. Use the junk to your advantage to keep out of danger, move quickly, be our surveyor. Tora and I will have to play defensively and avoid damage as much as possible, but keep their attention. We don't have a healer, so we have to be extremely careful."[/color] Admittedly Minako didn't know much when it came to combat situations without healing supplies. Whenever they entered Tartarus the group always had a dedicated healer, even on the very first entry. And even then, they always had backup items for when things got especially brutal. This would be a learning experience for her too, though if Tora's shield was as tough as he said it was, then they might be able to make it through. [color=darkred]"That said, we shouldn't be passive. We'll have to keep thinking on our toes, but keep safe."[/color]

"You want us to fight them?" Linkle asked asked. "They warned us about the robot."

During their brief exchange, the three heroes had been waiting, trusting something to happen. When nothing came for the first few seconds, they didn't notice; only when a half-minute slipped by did they notice that the object tossed up by Linkle lay on the ground nearby, undisturbed by any sudden attack. When Tora, sturdiest of the trio, poked his furry head out from cover to take a peak, the mysterious and intimidating machine had disappeared. For a moment, the Nopon scanned the area, but once he felt sure that the unknown automaton was gone he felt more than a little foolish. “Is...is gone? No strange robot?”

The green-clothed rabbid popped up and took a good look around as well. He couldn't seem to spot any danger either. With a shrug, he stood up, gave a brisk wave, and started in the direction of the castle. For his part, Tora remained more wary. While it appeared that no danger confronted his group for the time being, he didn't like this at all. What devious peril lay in wait for them? Still, no matter the danger, he needed to keep moving forward. Shield at the ready, he moved out in pursuit of the unusual rabbid, navigating past confused rabbids around the hairpin turn in the race track and toward the castle.

[center][h3]The Master of Masters[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Scrapyard – Start[/center]

[i]Prompt failed.[/i]

To the Master of Master’s dismay, neither of his standing allies responded to his battle-ready quip, but that dismay paled in comparison to what he was to feel moments later. He stood his ground as the Slicers approached, breaking free of Din’s icy grip, and tightened his hold on his keyblade. Michael, focused on the much more intense battle farther off, did not deign to stand, though he did toss the dancer a weapon the Master doubted she could use. However, neither Agoston nor Din seemed all that eager to fight, and as the Slicers came within a few feet the Master called, his voice a touch panicked, “Hey, any day now, kids!”

They did not react in time. A Slicer heedlessly threw itself into Agoston, bowling the armored man over with its weight despite its small size. It clambered onto him, took a brief moment to orient its head down, and released a bright orange laser straight into his cuirass. The metal began to heat instantly; it was a matter of seconds before the beam would melt through and start burning flesh instead. Meanwhile, one of the two Slicers attacking Din executed a spin attack to knock away her weapon, before both closed in to unleash close-range laser attacks of their own. Three converged on the Master of Masters, and while he swung his blade with grace and poise, he swung to keep them away rather than put them down. What attacks he did land did not incapacitate the Slicers in one hit, which meant that a dedicated assault on one of them would put him at the mercy of the other two. Held at bay, he was powerless to stop the last Slicer from trotting over to where Michael lay and preparing to fire its laser into his ribs.

[center][b]Location:[/b] Scrapyard - Right[/center]

The Courier’s electronic attack provided just the opening his allies needed to save the imperiled Kirby. Bowser leaped into the fray with Blazermate in tow, racking up more than his fair share of wounds as he crashed into the enemy ranks. His lightning rings staggered the bots where they hit, and his flames melted their circuits, but even with Blazermate’s healing the farther-away enemies managed enough sustained fire to push him back. His departure, however, did not even delay the inevitable, for he left enough chaos in is wake to leave the robots wide open for his allies. Ratchet raced in first, his eyes not on the enemies but on their would-be target. An on-the-fly adjustment to his wrench and deft maneuver allowed him to snag Kirby’s hat from where it fell, eliciting a surprised, [color=pink]”Poyo?”[/color] from within. When the puff saw Ratchet’s face, however, he gave a wide smile.

Despite the happy reunion, they weren’t out of danger just yet. When Bowser retreated, some of the farther turrets sought a closer lock-on target, and three of the sentries gave an affirmative beep as their sensors homed in on the two remaining fighters. At the same time, another zeroed in on Blazermate’s back, ready to riddle her chassis with steel shot. 

In the nick of time, their comrades came to their aid with covering fire, shots ringing out to the tune of the Courier’s hacked-in music. A few scrap shots from Roadhog as he advanced turned the bots’ attention his way, and Zer0’s sniper rifle penetrated the turrets’ armor where the gunslinger’s pistol failed, taking out the sentries before Roadhog took too much punishment. One robo-engineer, as a last ditch attempt, pulled out a handheld radio device and aimed it at Ratchet’s back as he fled. Its sentry deployed a laser sight and tracked where the bot aimed, its controls overridden by the Wrangler’s signal. Before the bot could hammer down the instrument’s big red button, a hook sailed in from Roadhog and unceremoniously yanked the machine to certain doom. The sentry powered down for a moment as the Wrangler fell, and a moment later burst into shrapnel thanks to Michael. The remaining machines fell soon after, their flank demolished by Zer0’s advance and what was left of their front taking a barrage of fire from the rabbid troop. In the span of only a few moments, the fight was over.

[hider=Results!]
[b]Party:[/b] [@Archmage MC]'s Blazermate, [@DracoLunaris]' Bowser, [@Star Lord]'s Roadhog, [@thedman]'s Michael, [@LemonZest1337]'s Ratchet, [@Old Amsterdam]’s Zer0, [@ProPro]’s Courier 6
[b]Encounter Reward:[/b] 4 EXP
[b]Standout Bonus:[/b] Bowser, Ratchet, Courier 6
[b]Standout Reward:[/b] +1 EXP[/hider]

 Spirits littered the battlefield: on the rabbids side, the Smasher and Supporter spirits remained ripe for the taking, while the bots sported a greater variety. [url=https://d1u5p3l4wpay3k.cloudfront.net/overwatch_gamepedia/thumb/7/7e/Nulltrooper.jpg/525px-Nulltrooper.jpg?version=f338ccff0307241089b7f7c062d37439]Nulltroopers[/url], [url=https://d1u5p3l4wpay3k.cloudfront.net/overwatch_gamepedia/1/17/Eradicator.jpg?version=406caabe483e4464bc60aac2d2f1b676]Eradicators[/url], and [url=https://d1u5p3l4wpay3k.cloudfront.net/overwatch_gamepedia/thumb/1/1f/Slicer.jpg/413px-Slicer.jpg?version=0e33fd8ab72a23dd267a63a3cda71f25]Slicers[/url] could be found from the omnics, while the more humanoid bots sported [url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/1/1e/Heavybot_blu.png/300px-Heavybot_blu.png]heavy[/url], [url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/b/bc/Scoutbot_blu.png/300px-Scoutbot_blu.png]scout[/url], [url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/b/bb/Soldierbot_blu.png/300px-Soldierbot_blu.png]soldier[/url], and [url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/f/f6/Engibot_Blue.png/300px-Engibot_Blue.png]engineer[/url] varieties. However, the spirits born from robots flickered in an odd fashion, fickle and unhealthy compared to those of the rabbids. The rabbids still alive, meanwhile, gave the heroes a wide berth, moving as a tight unit in the direction of the Scrapyard’s center. Their departure left its right portion squarely in the heroes’ hands, possibly all the way up to the moat that surrounded Peach’s Castle. 

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

Geno did well not to hinge his survival on Donkey Kong’s understanding and subsequent allegiance. Though the ape may have remembered a faint allusion to Geno, he knew his old rival and long-time friend far better. Moreover, neither he nor anyone else bearing the scarlet eyes of Galeem’s touch seemed to be self-aware. Instead, DK understood wounds on his friend’s body, and an intruder he was urged to oppose. Rather than stand and take the brutal slug that would have been the Kong’s first instinct, the doll fired his jets to shoot off in the opposite direction, disengaging from both enemies at a speed that barely allowed him to avoid crashing into dungeon walls.

From there, knowing himself outclassed or at least at great risk, Geno sought an edge. He flew by a number of cells, not daring to blast any doors down should his fireworks give rise to further opposition. One doorway at the end of a hall, however, looked different from the others. In fact, it bore no door, only a musty dark leading into the unknown. Determined to explore every option, Geno sped into the aperture, and after another second or two reached the end of the corridor, where a door stood ajar. It could be barred from the inside, its solid metal perhaps not strong enough to prevent the distantly-pursuing powerhouses from pounding through, but a closed door meant that they might not find him.

Yet once again, Geno might find himself out of the frying pan and into the fire. On the other side of the barred door lay a well-lit laboratory, its copious shelves stacked with books, alchemical equipment, and potions, and its desks piled high with recipes, spell scrolls, and theorems. On one wall, a brilliant green fire blazed beneath a bubbling kettle that gave forth pungent vapors of all colors. In the middle of the stone bricks stood a table, on which Geno could see young purple [url=https://www.spyrothedragon.com/content/dam/atvi/spyro/home/hero/spyro.png]dragon[/url] thoroughly restrained. Over the bound, faintly struggling test subject stood a strangely menacing robed [url=https://aff5fa4925746bf9c161-fb36f18ca122a30f6899af8eef8fa39b.ssl.cf5.rackcdn.com/images/Masthead_kameck.5fb367ea.png]koopa[/url] with swirly glasses and pronounced buckteeth, moments away from prodding the dragon with a wicked-looking [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/bloodborne/images/8/82/Shaman_Bone_Blade.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150419104119]knife[/url] dripping with gruesome green fluid.