[center][img]https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/b/b2/Koopa_Troop_artwork.png/658px-Koopa_Troop_artwork.png[/img]
[h2][color=FD0000]The Koopa Troop[/color][/h2]
[b][color=FD0000]wordcount:[/color][/b]  384, 399, 295 (+1)
[b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 5 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]/////////////////////[/color]///////////////////////////// (21/50) 
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 3 [/color][/b] EXP:  [color=SpringGreen]/////////////////////[/color]///////// (21/30) 
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 2 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////[/color]////////////////////// (8/30) 
[b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Lumbridge
[/center]

[hider=for jr]
You have acquired:
Rotten Flesh
[img]https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/minecraft_gamepedia/f/f6/Rotten_Flesh.png[/img]

"Even if it weren't somewhat toxic, it would still be disgusting. But if it's eat or be eaten..."

And

Siphon Grenade
[img]https://doomwiki.org/w/images/thumb/1/1a/Codex_equip_siphon.bimage.png/300px-Codex_equip_siphon.bimage.png[/img]

"A grenade that sticks to whatever it hits and leeches health from living things near it, which it returns to the thrower. One use only; breaks after working for 6 seconds"
[/hider]

As they got closer to the infested tank Jr had a few moments to inspect his stolen loot. One was a strange red grenade covered in roots or vine like growth while the other... Jr sniffed the new hunk of flat meat and immediately wrenched in disgust. [color=SpringGreen]”Ew! Gross!”[/color] Unsurprisingly zombie meat was not appetizing in the slightest. 

The two items were left on the trolley as jr stood to confront the final enemy in the area. The hyper muscle freak was already taking a beating as the trolley drew closer to it. Magical blasts from flying heroes and bullets from the Gallem influenced allies tore at its flesh from all sides. It seemed unsure on what to focus, abandoning its pursuit of the other band and tossing the odd projectile at the hero party, until Blazermate’s sentry opened up on it. The crack of automatic gunfire and sting of bullets seemed to draw its ire far more than any of the other heroes’ attacks. With a roar it started to rampage towards Banjo's vehicle.

[color=SpringGreen]”Alright, nice work Blazermate!”[/color] jr called out cockily as the tank came for them. Yet that arrogance rapidly fell away it came closer, seemingly shrugging off the sentry's torrent of bullets like they were nothing. A ball of goop lobed from the paintbrush did little to help and so, panic gnawing at him, jr blindly grabbed for the weird ball and lobbed the first thing he found it at the tank.

As the slab of Rotten Flesh slapped the Tank in the face and it subsequently tanked the rockets of the auto turret too Jr’s panic erupted and he decided it might be good to get out of the way of the bullrushing monster. Snatching the Siphon grenade from the he leapt onto the teleporter and vanished mere moments before the tank plowed into the cart.

Jr found himself back in the village panting for breath, quickly stepping off of the teleporter to avoid being sent back into the arms of the juggernaut. 

[color=SpringGreen]”Ok. Maybe I'll give this place a shot.”[/color] he concluded as he walked over to his clown car and stored the grenade inside it. After waiting a few moments to make sure the teleporter hadn't either exploded or dumped the tank into the village jr set of to find his father, correctly assuming that everything was fine on the other side. 

[hr]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I'm glad we’re… surpassing your expectations I suppose.”[/color] Kamek said, slightly offended by the suggestion that they could have been so incompetent as to be foiled by a simple ditch. People didn't exactly reach his ripe old age without learning how to get across a few bottomless pits after all. 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”A few of the heroes took it upon themselves to go into the dead zone too. Hopefully they are handling that as well as heroes seem to be able to handle everything.”[/color] he added informatively before the Master got round to answering his question.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well that is unfortunate”[/color] Kamek said in response to finding out that the Master of Masters and the Guildmaster where simply wearing a common protective garb from their home universe. Apparently his actual pupils did not even share his fashion sense. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”If I meet any of these proteges of yours I’ll let them know about this place.”[/color] Kamek promised. He did not sympathize with the master’s plight but more allies were always useful.

Despite the lack of much useful info Kamek did not feel like the trip had been a complete waste.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I have to say, I do love what you’ve done with the place.”[/color] The room, part homely, part resplendent and was a far better laboratory than the dank and dark one he had woken up in yesterday. The assortment of tomes, equipment and parchments all arose a certain intellectual curiosity in the old Koopa. You did not master magic over decades without poking your nose in any and all opportunities to learn more after all.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”before I go, may I ask what are you working on up here? And what is this ‘darkness’ you mentioned?”[/color] he asked, squinting at the book the master had been writing before he entered.

[hr]

While Bowser slowly and indecisively poured over the quests Linkle and the Curior came in to take a look at the available missions as well. Both ended up suggesting they simply do all of them rather than picking and choosing, which simplifies things somewhat, but the courier was the only one who decided on something specific to do first, namely capturing Wigglers.

[color=FD0000]”WOULDN'T UNDERESTIMATE THOSE WIGGLERS IF I WERE YOU. USE EM IN MY ARMY SOMETIMES. THEY GOT A SHORT FUSE AND TEMPER TANTRUMS LIKE A RUNAWAY TRAIN,”[/color] he warned/boasted.

Eventually, after much consideration, the king went with his gut. Which meant he chose the quest that had food as a reward. Even if it seemed a little too close to manual labor for his tastes, the King was willing to investigate the task if it meant securing a free dinner, something that would taste extra good after such an expensive lunch. Besides, likely he could just pawn of the quest to the whole team, get em to picks stuff up as they traveled across the zone.

Just after he was finishing up his thoughts and wondering how to find out the ingredients list he was interrupted. Looking up from the card he found a human with long white hair, plenty of scars on his face who was wearing chain-mail and a boat load of medieval weaponry. Probably an adventurer, Bowser concluded. The king checked his eyes and found them red, as expected, and that they had vertical slits, which was unusual. Probably. He wasn’t a human expert.

The man introduced himself as Geralt, and asked if they were new to the area. 

[color=FD0000]”YEAH. WE ARE,”[/color] the king responded, missing that the question had been rhetorical, [color=FD0000]”I’M BOWSER, THE KOOPA KING! SOON ENOUGH EVERYONE IN THIS TINY TOWN’S GONNA KNOW THAT, AND THEN EVERYONE IN THIS WHOLE MIXED UP WORLD WILL TOO.”[/color] he boasted thoughtlessly as he introduced himself.  [color=FD0000]”AND THESE TWO ARE SOME OF MY MINIONS.”[/color] he added, pointing at the Courier and Linkle. 

Then he realized he could probably get some useful info out of this guy who was probably a regular in town. He double checked the ‘food for the hungry’ quest card and then spun it round for Geralt to see as he asked [color=FD0000]”DO YOU KNOW WHO/WHERE THIS ‘MINA’ IS?”[/color]