[center][h1]Into the Castle[/h1] [b]Level 3 Tora[/b] - (11/30) EXP and [b]Level 3 Bowser[/b] - (24/30) EXP [b]Location:[/b] Peach’s Castle[/center] As fierce fighting erupted across the great bridge and beyond, some of heroes could only stand back and watch events unfold. Though a great desire to help one’s comrades persisted, the balance of power needed to be considered; too much help and the chance of killing one of the heroes’ influenced friends rose dramatically. To say that those who elected not to engage stood idly by, however, would be to tell a lie. Projectiles flew in every direction, heavy impacts made the white bridge shudder, and more than once a particularly devastating attack blew apart the masonry to expose the moat below. Furious as the battles were, most turned out brief. In the span of a handful of minutes, Zer0, the Courier, Hat Kid, Tora, Mario, Blazermate, Roadhog, and Geno managed to put a stop to the puppetry of six out of eight of the entity’s summoned foes, with only Crank reduced to a spirit. That left only a couple fights ongoing, and with them engaged, the path into Peach’s Castle stood devoid of obstruction. The Master of Masters, having wisely chosen not to involve himself in any of the fights to avoid interrupting what he took to be personal matters, appeared by a zoned out Bowser with a cheery-looking Kirby under one arm. “Hey, fearless leader,” he said, voice raised to be heard over the din. “Most people are standin’ around, but we’ve got a clear shot inside. Why don’t you rally the troops and lead the charge into the Castle?” “HUH? WHAT? DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” the king responded as his focus came back to reality after having spent most of the battle thinking of insults he’d hurl in the face of the fake him waiting for them in the throne room. He glanced down at the Master of Masters and insisted that: “I WASN'T HIDING BEHIND THIS BLOCK” before poking his snout out from behind it to inspect the calming battlefield. Evidently pleased with what he saw Bowser extracted himself from his hiding spot and immediately set about claiming credit for their victory. “GOOD WORK PULLING OFF MY PLAN WITHOUT A HITCH TROOPS. MAN. I’D LOVE TO SEE THE LOOK ON THE MASTER HANDS... GLOVE WHEN IT FINDS OUT IT JUST DOUBLED THE SIZE OF MY ARMY FOR ME.” The king practically swaggered his way towards the castle gates, a toothy grin on his lips. “NOW GET INTRODUCTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OVER WITH ALREADY. WE’RE GOING TO GO KICK MY BUTT AND TAKE OVER THIS CASTLE WHILE WE HAVE THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE.” As he set foot on the bridge he passed by the pile of items his Strikers had abandoned. With a snap of his fingers he summoned the trio, then stabbed finger towards the loot followed by jerking a thumb towards his back. His minions obeyed his wordless instructions and had, by the time he kicked open the front doors with a well practiced kick, taken up positions manning the spiky batments of his shell, ready to add supplementary firepower to their bosses devastating entrance to peach’s castle. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mggfo-WkpQQ&feature=youtu.be&t=61]”GUESS WHO[/url][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxpTx0VDBKw&feature=youtu.be&t=23]’S BACK!”[/url] The Koopa received a chorus of panicked screams as red-eyed toads scurried across the entrance hall, running widly and more than a little comically without any rhyme or reason. They might have been lined up in orderly ranks along the hall’s edges as a sort of show of power, but Bowser’s dynamic entry devastated the little folks’ discipline. Momentarily taken aback, the Master of Masters shook his head after a moment, cracking up. Kirby looked like he wanted to join in the fun, but he remained complacent under his carrier’s arm. “Well, these little dudes might be losing their heads, but we’ve got a score to settle, huh? Nothing to do but wade through them.” “YEAH, MOST TOADS ARE TOTAL PUSHOVERS” commented bowser as he enjoyed getting exactly the reception he felt he deserved. Behind the pair, Tora entered the hall alongside Poppi. The frenetic scene provoked a look of alarm from the both of them, but since neither Bowser nor the Master of Masters seemed concerned, they followed with a touch of caution. “Mushroomypon very easy to startle,” Tora remarked, glancing at his Blade. She said nothing, but gave him a nod. On second thought, he was surprised she could hear him over this absolute racket, but he wondered why she seemed distant. After all, they were together again. Wasn’t it a time of celebration? In short order the party crossed the tumultuous but harmless entrance hall, and barged through the big, ornate doors on the other side. Within lay a giant, opulent room, with checkered black-and-white floors, luxurious red carpet, and decorative pillars. At the far end, at the top of a flight of stairs, loomed a gigantic black throne, and atop it sat Megadragonbowser. [b][color=orange]”HEY THERE, LOSERS!”[/color][/b] he bellowed instantly, before everyone had even entered. [b][color=orange]”CHECK IT OUT, SOLVED MY PEST PROBLEM”[/color][/b] With a razor-sharp claw he pointed up at the ceiling, indicating a couple of cages that dangled from it on chains. Inside were various faces, a few familiar and a few not. Among them were Spyro and Donkey Kong, both badly injured and unconscious, as well as a brown-haired [url=http://portingteam.com/index.php?app=downloads&module=display§ion=screenshot&record=19790&id=7329]kid[/url] in a red cape, a strange animal [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/vsdebating/images/1/1f/Banjo_Kazooie.png/revision/latest?cb=20170217205012]duo[/url], and a very thin, blank-faced [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/fancypantsadventure/images/e/ed/Fancy-pants_big.png/revision/latest?cb=20150915143511]guy[/url] with bright orange pants. Megadragonbowser guffawed. [b][color=orange]”BAHAHAHAHAH! IF YOU’RE LUCKY, YOU’LL BE UP THERE WITH ‘EM IN A FEW MINUTES. THE REST OF YOU CAN REPAINT THE CARPET!”[/color][/b] For the first time, he looked at the heroes a little closer. His baleful eyes narrowed. [b][color=orange]”HUH? I DON’T REMEMBER THERE BEING SO MANY OF YOU. OH WELL...THE MORE THE MERRIER!”[/color][/b] At the head of the army of heroes bowser growled at the sight of his doppelganger. He prepared to deliver a verbal retort to Megadragonbowser’s insults at the gate, but paused just before doing so with a smug look on his face. “YOU KNOW WHAT. I HAD THIS WHOLE SPEECH PLANNED THAT WAS TOTALLY GOING TO PUT YOU IN YOUR PLACE BUT YOU’VE JUST GIVEN ME A BETTER IDEA. STRIKERS! UNSOLVE HIS PEST PROBLEM!” On his back the two hammer bros dropped what they were doing and join hands to give the rabbid healer a double boost, hurling him up into the rafters with another team jump. Heel grabbed the chain of donkey kong's cage with one hand while waving the fusion cutter around in the other. A burst of healing pulsed through the roof space as Heel set to work making mince meat of the metal bars trapping the four captive heros, laughing maniacally as he did so. “THE MORE THE MERRIER RIGHT?” The ground shook as Megadragonbowser dismounted his throne. [b][color=orange]”YOU SAID IT!”[/color][/b] He began to inhale, pulling in a vast amount of air and mixing it with the roiling flames deep inside him. Even if the heroes mobilized immediately, he was too quick; at the end of five seconds the tyrant released a brilliant ball of condensed orange fire that shot upward and exploded against the ceiling. It exploded, not with force, but with a massive amount of flame that covered the cages and rained down across the hall, setting everything that could be alight. In the span of a few seconds, the throne room had become a blazing hellscape. Everyone present would have to deal with the widespread flame. Chuckling, Megadragonbowser hunkered down just above the ground, his arms and energized shell affording him complete protection, and he beat his fists against the tile. Pressure radiated from him, though not nearly the paralyzing force experienced earlier, as though it was an ability he could turn on and off. [b][color=orange]”ALRIGHT, SMALL FRY. LET’S GET COOKING!”[/color][/b] [hr] [b]Overdrive![/b] [i]A boss fight has begun. For those involved in the fight, and for the entirety of the fight, tensions and stakes are high--but so are the rewards. It would be reasonable to expect two GM updates a week, meaning if you get into the thick of it but then aren’t able to keep up, Prompt Fails may result. However, rewards are accelerated also: EXP earned for posting during a boss fight is as follows: <300 words is 1 point, 300-600 is 2 points, and 600+ is 3 points. Objective: Defeat the Tyrant in Orange, Megadragonbowser Bonus Objectives: Save, heal, and free captive heroes to even the odds[/i]