[center][h3]Tora[/h3]
[b]Level 2[/b] – (20/20) EXP
[b]Location:[/b] Scrapyard – Endzone
[b]Word Count:[/b] 510[/center]

Tora's surprise quickly turned to pain when Bastion's relentless barrage of bullets tore through his cover and into him. A number hit his shield, but many hit him directly, eliciting a agonized yelp as he was rolled away. Once the bullets pushed him far enough away that they lost their force and he came to a stop, he slumped over with a groan. Even with his great defense and ridiculous constitution, the omnic's chaingun inflicted brutal damage. The Nopon -left alone by Linkle's gambit and Minako's terror- might have given up the ghost then and there if he didn't grit his teeth, force a smile, and kept himself alive through force of will. Still, at the minimum level of vitality he could bear, Tora wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

While this happened, Linkle and her new rabbid friend moved in from the side to assault the sentry nest. She took advantage of the diversion provided by the faltering rabbid squad and Tora to get into close range and assault the turrets with bombs, invariably targeting both because of their proximity. They detonated right on target, blasting the machines with force and fire. For a moment they reeled, their targeting off-kilter, but the goggle-wearing man nearby stepped out of the way of the incoming bombs before retaliating. He leveled a shotgun at Linkle, who hadn't prepared herself for a counterattack, and pulled the trigger to pepper her with buckshot. The rabbid, realizing things were quickly taking a turn for the worse, let out a pair of shots from his bworb. One hit either turret, inflicting a purple, bubbly effect to the tune of chilling rabbid laughter, but the machines had already recovered. The smaller one auto-targeted Linkle, and the other rotated manually to unleash its terrifying force upon both attackers; with a scream the green-capped rabbid threw himself into the moat to escape the turrets' wrath, and if Linkle too didn't make herself scarce in the moment left to her, she'd be taking an even more cruel bombardment than the one that felled Tora.

Regardless of where she was at the end of those few seconds, there ended up being no targets for the turrets to mow down. Without a moment's delay Bastion began to heal himself, using a tiny repair arm to undo the damage caused by Linkle's bombs, and the Engineer unceremoniously whacked his turret with a wrench to bring it back to peak condition. However, the vampiric status effect inflicted by the rabbid remained.

It was this situation, with one ally down, another paralyzed, and the last wounded, that Bowser and the others arrived to. A few block-stacks and junk piles existed for the giant turtle to hide behind, lest he be shot at too. For the moment, with no visible targets, the turrets stood idle; however, the yellow bird from earlier circled overhead, and after a few seconds flew down to perch atop Minako's cover. Bastion followed its movements, and understood the significance of where it landed. Once again, his chaingun's barrel began to spin up.

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

[hider=For Bowser][center]You have Acquired:
[b]Slice Cutter[/b]
A handheld laser tool able to make precision heat cuts. It has a small heat-up time and requires constant contact to do so, making it situational at best in combat but useful in other situations

and
[b][url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/1/1a/Item_icon_Necro_Smasher.png/100px-Item_icon_Necro_Smasher.png]Necro Smasher[/url][/b]
A wooden mallet owned by the Engineer, possibly used to build coffins. Not a great weapon, but can repair machines that it hits

and
[b][url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/thumb/f/f6/Item_icon_Pretty_Boy%27s_Pocket_Pistol.png/100px-Item_icon_Pretty_Boy%27s_Pocket_Pistol.png]Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol[/url][/b]
While it has a smaller clip size than the average pistol, it somehow restored a very small amount of health on every shot, and it shoots decently fast

New Striker Gained:
[b][url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/4/4a/MRKB_Sherbet_Supporter_Portrait.png]Rabbid Supporter[/url][/b] 
A Rabbid trooper characterized by his distinctive pack. It can emit a healing pulse at the press of a button, restoring allies in range once every so often. It also contains a number of small grenades, which have small blasts and deal low damage but can bounce around corners and behind cover. The Supporter himself prefers not to fight, and especially not from the front lines; he is a mischievous coward, but dedicated to his team's well-being[/center][/hider]

The arrival of backup from the right side made short work of the hindered robots. In a matter of seconds, the returning allies' efforts rendered the Slicers into spare parts. A moment of peace settled upon the part of the battlefield, possible given the depletion of both enemy forces. Their remainder, bruised and exhausted, littered the Scrapyard's center, but would provide little in the way of resistance to anyone pushing through it. Bowser and Blazermate stood ready to advance, with the former actually taking off following a brief exchange with his new Strikers, but not all was well. A vehement argument broke out between the Courier and Michael, concerning the sniper's influence in the skirmish off to the right. However, it did not take long for 6 to get distracted, and when the bemused Master of Masters followed his gaze he saw nothing. 

With the group gearing up to move out again and take on the Scrapyard's principal challenge, the Master wanted to check in with Din and Agoston again, whose reticence worried him. Instead, he found himself met with the Courier and then Roadhog, both seeking answers. Something told the Master that everyone needed to get a move on, or something bad would happen. It would be difficult to make progress with these two in the way, however, and while one could be deflected, the other seemed less reasonable. “Y'know, it's a good question. But it's a long story, are ya sure ya wanna sit here and chat now, when some of our buddies might be getting ventilated? As for you, though, it's simple,” he turned to Roadhog to say. “I used my li'l ol' keyblade to break the light that bound your heart. And even if I'm not really the big-time, gung-ho hero type, you weren't yourself, I can't very well walk away from someone who I can restore.” He saw that Blazermate had finished healing the Centurion and decided to support her movement. After pointing a finger at the shell of Bowser in the distance, he started to walk. “Now, let's get going! We can talk more after, 'kay?”

As he spoke, Kirby appeared near 6, having squirmed free of Bowser's hat earlier. Evidently, the little guy felt well enough to walk, though it was hard to imagine he'd be able to brawl anytime soon. He wore a smile on his face as he looked up to the man and waved his stubby arms, trying to get his attention. Once he had it, the puff did something odd. He held his nubs over his body, then lifted them both straight up. When he did so, a bright pink heart appeared, which he held overhead. With an “Ey!” he tossed it, and it popped on the ground. After it vanished, Kirby pointed at 6, then tapped his own body again. While analogs between the human form and Kirby's were tenuous at best, a little inference might suggest that he had been touching his own heart.

[center][b]Revelation made:[/b]
Starting at level 3, all characters can manifest Friend Hearts at the cost of 1 EXP to begin with, the cost increasing by 1 per additional level. A Friend Heart can restore someone affected by Galeem's influence, as long as the target is weakened[/center]

Meanwhile, the Master of Masters hurried through the center of the Scrapyard after Bowser along with Blazermate. “Forgive me for saying,” he piped up, voice a bit strained by his efforts. “But you're an interesting one. The spirits I've seen belonging to machines appear faded, maybe 'cause they're non-living beings without conventional hearts, but yours is strong and bright. How did you come to be?” With a minute or so at his disposal until he reached the miniboss, he felt comfortable with a brisk conversation, despite his insistence on not talking about himself earlier.

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

The moment the last of Spyro's restraints shattered, he leaped off the table and for the door. His aspect was not one of rage, but of pain and desperation; while not blind, he appeared muddled, able to fixate solely on his abiding desire to get the hell out. As such, while he burst into the dungeon corridor at high speed, he did not swerve left to follow Geno. 

In his clouded eyes, everything looked like another tormentor, and while a cornered beast would attack if forced to he would not seek an encounter. Instead Spyro took a right, spewing fire from his mouth as he sprinted across the mossy stone floor. His burning breath ignited other cell doors and whatever flammable objects he stumbled across, beginning to fill the dungeon with smoke. A smattering of coughs could be heard throughout the place, but Spyro paid them no heed. A whiff of fresh air greeted his nostrils, and followed it as fast as his legs could carry him.

He ran smack-dab into iron bars, the same sturdy gate that barred Geno's ascent earlier. Turning up the heat, Spyro wasted no time in melting through the lock, and with that out of the way the gate could simply be bulled open. On the young dragon's heels followed Donkey Kong, who hadn't ventured far from Mario's chamber and was now eager to be out of the smoke.

The ape's comrade, as it turned out, got farther in his pursuit of Geno, but now that meant more ground to cover before he could escape the acrid fumes stinging his lungs. Mario managed to make it back through the breach in his cell's back, then to limp through its actual door and catch sight of the staircase leading out, but no farther. His wounds, combined with the baleful smoke, stopped him short, and Mario fell to his knees in a fit of coughing. With a herculean effort, the plumber regained his feet just as Geno appeared on the scene. Mario span about to face his enemy, effectively blocking the exit. In this state, it seemed, he would rather finish the fight than save himself—or perhaps he thought himself doomed either way. “...Time-a to finish this.”