[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] 3826 +3
[b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 6 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]/// (57/60)
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 5 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]///////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]////// (44/50)
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 5 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (51/50)
[b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Lumbridge
[/center]

[hider=master of masters meeting 2]
Collab with [@Lugubrious]
Kamek absorbed the mad unholy knowledge from the skull and. And. felt exactly the same. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Hmm,”[/color] the mage said as he scratched his chin, [color=DeepSkyBlue]”probably need a lot more to get any effect?”[/color] 

Kamek shrugged to himself and set off for the Master of Master’s chambers, located at the top of one of the castle’s towers. After once again making the deeply unpleasant climb to the top of the tower Kamek paused to catch his breath, complained to himself about his back and then knocked on the door.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Hello? Master of Masters. It’s Kamek. May I come in?”[/color] 

After a short delay the door swung open, but it wasn’t the hooded jokester at the door. Once looking up revealed nobody, Kamek found himself looking down at a fuzzy cat doll, alive and staring at him. “Hello?” the [url=https://www.khwiki.com/images/thumb/e/e7/Chirithy_KHXBC.png/300px-Chirithy_KHXBC.png]little thing[/url] asked in small, childlike voice. “Are you one of Master’s friends?”

Kamek was startled by the small creature’s initially unlocatable voice, but quickly regained his composure, re-adjusting his glasses and looking down at the cat doll. He thought for a moment and then agreed that [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Yes, I am,”[/color] before asking, [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Who are you? Did the Master of Masters create you?”[/color] 

It nodded. “I’m Chirithy, and yes. The Master of Masters brought me to life!” It looked pretty happy about that, reverent even, but it didn’t linger on the subject. “Oh, if you’re a friend, you’ll want to see him, right?”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”That is my intent yes.”[/color] Kamek replied

Chirithy gave another sagacious nod. “Well, he’s not in right now, but I can call him. Please, come in!” Opening wide the door, it led Kamek into the Master of Masters’ remarkable study. The bookshelves, worktables, and stained glass all existed just as before, but there seemed to be even more books overflowing those shelves and stacked on the ground, and between all the equipment and research there was just about no room on any of the worktables. By the window stood a turntable where a record played, filling the studio with the serene notes of piano and violin, somewhere between serious and cheerful. 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Where has he been getting all this from”[/color] Kamek muttered to himself as he took in the room, particularly the equipment and overflowing bookshelves. He picked one of the books off the shelves to examine it.

Chirithy skipped its way, passed the turntable, and opened the window. “Maaaaaaasteeeeeer!” It called, looking out across the landscape that stretched before Peach’s Castle. “Oh, Masteeeeeeeer...oh!” Chirithy looked back toward Kamek.


[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Hmm? Is something wrong?”[/color] he asked when the small creature turned back to him.

“Well, nothing I couldn’t handle!” came a jovial voice from behind him. When Kamek turned he found the Master of Masters standing there, wearing over his usual black robe a giant, faded orange raincoat covered in inky black handprints. He seemed to be breathing heavily. “But I tell ya what: that’s the fastest I’ve moved since I started existing again! Whooooo-whee!” Laughing, he removed the rain coat and tossed it casually over the back of a chair. Then he looked at the magikoopa with renewed interest. “Oh hey...you! What was your name again? Nah, just kiddin’. Kamek, I think it was. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. At least, you look like a Kamek. Just have the air aboutcha, ya know?”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Yes. How do you do.”[/color] the mage simply agreed to the rambling greeting. 

As he spoke Kamek looked at the raincoat, then at the typically picturesque sunny mushroom kingdom afternoon outside and asked [color=DeepSkyBlue]”My apologies, did I bring you back from far away while you were in the middle of something? Something dangerous? What are those marks on your raincoat?”[/color] 

The Master of Masters flapped a hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s fine. It was getting to be time for me to leave anyway. Should have just waited for the weather to pass to begin with…” he stretched out his arms to either side and rolled his head. Somehow, no light at all got into his hood. “Uh, ya mean these?” He looked over at the raincoat, then back to Kamek. “They’re called handprints. Left behind when someone -or something- touches something with a hand. Human handprints have five fingers, but not all handprints belong to humans. Neat, huh?”

Kamke raised a finger and opened his mouth to respond, hesitated, looked like he was about to clarify his question again and then gave up on trying to point out that it was the presence of the oily handprints in the first place that as strange and instead asked [color=DeepSkyBlue]”You intend to leave?”[/color] 

For a moment the man seemed baffled, but he soon replied, “I mean leave where I was. And come here. Or go anywhere else but there, really. Whatsamatter, you don’t want me going? Wanna ask more questions? I betcha do.”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Ah my apologies. I thought you meant... Never mind. Where or what was the place? The one you just left?”[/color] Kamek said, asking more questions as he struggled to keep up with the Master’s mannerisms.

“Well, it doesn’t have a real name.” The Master of Masters crossed his arms. “Just the wilderness area between the metropolis and Lake Knot City. There’s some strange stuff there, hard to explain. The people live in isolation, cut off from one another, shut up in their homes and relying on porters to deliver them stuff. It’s perpetually cloudy, and when it rains, which it does [b]often[/b], these monsters come out. You can’t see them, but they can hear you, and if they grab you...hoo, boy. Oh, and the rain accelerates the passage of time. Fun stuff.” He gave a dry chuckle, sounding more serious than he’d been in a long time. With a sigh he went over and plopped into a different chair at his main desk. “I’ve been researching them,” he said. “Figuring out how the phenomenon relates to mind, body, and heart. The monsters...those beached things...must be another part of the puzzle.”

He reclined in his chair, putting his arms behind his head. “Buuuut who knows. They’re not exactly forthcoming when it comes to spilling the beans. Unlike you, my little yellow friend. What’s eatin’ ya?”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Sounds like an unpleasant place to be.”[/color] Kamek said, making a mental note to warn anyone heading up that way of these monsters [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Two things. Or well one thing is eating at me and the others simply something you might find interesting. Also generally a social call. You see, some of the troops are resting up from their time in the dead zone, they’ve been up all night apparently, so I have time on my hands before we all set out again.”[/color]

“Sure, I got time. Gotta get the ol’ heart rate down anyway.” Chirithy padded over to sit by the Master of Master’s chair, and he reached down to pet the creature’s head.

Kamek, after putting the book he had been about to examine back on a shelf, found himself a spot to sit as well. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Thank you. Believe me I need a touch of a break after  running around all day yesterday. Ended up hunting and gathering for the guild after I spoke with you last, and took a hop into the dead zone, which believe you me, is not a pleasant place to be. Stuffed to the brim with undead as you might expect, along with blighted tree monsters and these naturally evil things called demons. But I think what might interest you the most about yesterday, in a similar vein to the unusual magical monsters you were investigating, are these.”[/color]

Kamek reached into a robe pocket and received a number of the Crystal Shards, filled with neutered eldritch magical power, and, after a bit of size shifting magic, the Phase-shifting Hide of the Thing from Beyond the Stars he’d retrieved from crushing the Sprites of the otherworldly horrors encountered last night.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Something of a pale reflection of the monster they are sourced from. A thing of flesh, crystal and colors I can't describe because they hurt simply to look at. The rest of the zone seems to me to have been a typical untamed land kind of deal. Dangerous wildlife, a few monsters, you know the place. Which made the presence of this Thing”[/color] Kamek shuddered at the memory of it, [color=DeepSkyBlue]”that could induce supernatural stress and terror a highly unpleasant surprise.”[/color] 

Kamek supplied a few more details of their encounter with the thing as well as the concerns the group had had about it being indicative of things to come as they approached the g-rank quest,  before asking [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Any of this in your realm of knowledge, or is it as out of context for you as it was for us?”[/color] 

“Nope,” answered the Master of Masters without hesitation, despite the ambiguity Kamek injected his last question with. “Can’t say that stuff rings a bell. If there’s one thing I don’t know much about, it’s sanity. Just not my department.”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I suppose not.”[/color] Kamek replied, not entirely surprised by this lack of knowledge, the mage having brought it up mostly for converasions sake [color=DeepSkyBlue]”The baubles it left behind or interesting though. Little sparks of power. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a use for them in the future.”[/color] 

Kamek put down the crystal shard he had picked up and moved on to other topics. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”What I think might be a bit more in your area of expertise would be what occured this morning”[/color] Kamek said, before giving the Master of Masters the rundown of the GuildMaster’s betrayal, his revealing of himself as the dice headed Gneidxick and trapping them all in his twisted game.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Then right as he had brought out this legion of playing card monsters and was about to engage us in a final encounter this woman shows up dressed in the same hooded black leather coat that you and he wear. Calling him nobody, nothing, a fake shadow of the man he once was. Seems to get too him, makes him lose all interest in us ‘seekers’ and the two leave via what I assume was one of those portals of darkness you mentioned last time. Next thing you know it's over, we’re picking ourselves off the floor and this cup headed fellow, who calls himself cup head, waltzes in and says he knew the guy we were fighting, and that his name was King Dice not Gneidxick. Also said that the way he was ‘acting’ sounded exactly like business as usual for this king dice person.”[/color] Kamek said.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”So I was thinking about this and I remembered that you offhandedly mentioned something called a nobody last time? Could you tell me what that is, because this group seems to be using aspects from your world even if they weren't, I assume, a part of it. Plus the name ‘nobody’ alone it sounds like it would be related to the woman's diatribe about Gneidxick or King Dice or whoever being, well, ‘nobody’”[/color]

The Master of Masters ruminated on that for a while. He stitched together the hints and clues, interspersing his expertise of the world he left behind and his knowledge of past, present, and future, “Since it sounds like stuff from my world’s messin’ with your quest, I’ll tell ya what I know, startin’ with nobodies. Now, you weren’t around when I explained that everyone is made of three parts: the body, the soul, and the heart. My studies in Lake Knot City showed me another culture’s idea of it: [i]ahk, ba,[/i] and [i]ka[/i]. These parts can be messed with, like Galeem influencing hearts with light, or separated. If someone’s heart is lost, that person can continue as a body given life by the soul: a nobody. They retain everything that made them unique, all their experiences and memories, but they can’t feel emotion. Rejected by both light and darkness, they are doomed to non-existence.” 

The Master of Masters waved his hands around in a spooky fashion. He laughed and sat back, crossing his arms again. “Sound rough? Well, being a nobody confers various abilities, and sometimes feeling can be a curse, so some people see no problem with it. Before I disappeared, I saw the future with my gazing eye. A man came to possess my keyblade, and with it he created enough nobodies to fill the ranks of a secret society he would use for his master plan: Organization XIII. I never heard of any Gneidxick or King Dice, but after I came here I saw twelve figures in coats just like mine, standing before whoever currently bears my keyblade. A new Organization. They stood atop the highest roof of the City Without a Name. Since eyes can’t hear -shocker, I know- I couldn’t tell what any of them said, or if any of them talked at all ‘cause of those hoods, but they all left.” 

He drummed his fingers against the side of his head. “Now, it sounds like the new Organization is starting to interfere with your quest. I have no clue what they’re planning or what they’ll do. But in this world, light is at least as malevolent a force as darkness. So who knows how things’ll shake out?”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Fascinating”[/color] Kamek greedily drank in all this knowledge like a turtle who had been turned on its back in the desert. Unlike the Master he did not ruminate quietly but instead began talking as he worked though what he had heard. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Bodies and souls and hearts. Our bodies, intellect and emotion. But he certainly acted like he had… ah, right of course he ‘acted’ as if he had emotions. A deception to avoid sticking out and seemingly an attempt to deceive himself as well. Hmmm. Trade emotion for power. But isn't passion an emotion. Motivation too. What drives the emotionless to do anything? Logic? Or an external hand?”[/color]

Kamek ceased his mutterings to ask [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Do you know what the previous organization wanted? It could give insight into how groups of nobodies act, or think, or who they might serve. And what powers do they derived from being a nobody?”[/color]

“Oh, all sorts of powers. Depends on the individual, the mind. At least, I think. Unfortunately I don’t know what the previous Organization wanted. Couldn’t hear, only see. But it involved Kingdom Hearts, and from that, well, one can guess.” The Master of Masters said ‘kingdom hearts’ as if it wasn’t just important, but vitally important.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Ah well, was worth asking. I suppose at the very least we can't use accounts of their former selves as the be all and end all of their abilities,”[/color] Kamek said, before leaning closer with keen interest [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Tell me, what are, or is, this ‘Kingdom Hearts’ you speak of?”[/color] 

The Master of Masters reflected Kamek’s intrigue, peering at him from under the hood. He stood up and walked to the window, where he opened it wide. Though it was daytime, the moon hung over the horizon, pale in the blue sky. “...Hm, yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know. Kingdom Hearts? Well, it’s the hearts of all worlds. A source of infinite power and wisdom.” He held his hands up and, cupping the fingers of both, made a heart that overlay the moon from his perspective.

After a moment he turned back, chuckling as he dropped his hands. “Neato, right?”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”infinite power and wisdom,”[/color] Kamek echoed with dreamy greed before focusing on the kingdom's other aspect, [color=DeepSkyBlue]”and the heart of all worlds? All your worlds or, perhaps, [i]All[/i] worlds now.”[/color] 

His black-coated acquaintance laughed. “Oh, all of them, definitely. There are many worlds, but just one sky. One destiny.”

The mage glanced through a second window to the ‘sun’ hanging above the amalgamated world before turning back to the Master and saying [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well, if Galeem hasn't already absorbed such a place it would be another vector to fix this mess. Though. I take it it is not a simple place to reach if it can be reached at all?”[/color]

“It can be reached,” the Master of Masters assured him. “The previous Organization did it, after all. The guy with my keyblade gathered thirteen keys, and from them forged the χ-blade to unlock the way. But, uh, that’s about all I can say.”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Sounds like a classic magical macguffin collecting quest. So is it yours plus that one Din has, and then 11 others? Are there only 11 others, or is a specific set of 13 among many many more?”[/color] Kamek asked, having seen and set up enough “get x of y to get into z” to recognise the pattern.

The Master of Masters shook his head. “Oh no, the thirteen aren’t real keyblades. At least, I don’t think so. They appeared only in certain circumstances. Plus, all of them looked like mine.”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”What circumstances?”[/color] Kamek asked [color=DeepSkyBlue]”And does ‘it look like your's’ mean yours is one of the keys or does the fact that it is a ‘keyblade’ mean it is not a key?”[/color]

Throwing his hands up in surrender, the Master of Masters said, “Hey hey hey, what am I, a walking exposition dump? I told you, I don’t know all the specifics or the circumstances. One eye in one spot isn’t enough to get all the juicy details, y’know?”

Kamek held his own up in apology and show that he was backing off [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Sorry sorry. I can get a little too into things when it comes to acquiring new knowledge. It’s fascinating stuff, but I can quit badgering you about it. Thank you for telling me what you could.”[/color]

“Sure, you’re welcome.” The Master of Masters stood to head back over to his raincoat. “ That all ya came for?”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Everything specific. I’m more than happy to talk more if you want,or get out of your hair if you don't”[/color] Kamek said, gathering up the crystal shards and the hide of the Thing. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Oh, I don't suppose you’d be willing to lend me some reading material till this evening.”[/color] the mage nodded his head over at the mage’s shelves [color=DeepSkyBlue]”I still have time to kill.”[/color] 

“Knock yourself out!” The man waved before putting on the raincoat. Then there was a sound like a hammer striking red-hot iron, and the Master of Masters disappeared in a bright gold flash, gone the next second with just wisps of dust behind.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Huh. Well. Goodbye then?”[/color] Kamek said to the empty room, just a tad miffed, but getting the message that he had outstayed his welcome nonetheless. Still, he now had access to a library of otherworldly tombs, so he wasn't going to complain in the slightest.
[/hider]

[hr]

Several hours later Kamek descended from the masters study, having spent an enjoyable afternoon reading up on various subjects and headed for the teleporter. There he found Jr, now wearing a bandolier for Pokeballs (current population one tuckered out Mimikyu) strapped over one shoulder, a large cylindrical [url=https://i.imgur.com/i80r2Mq.jpg]duffle bag[/url] with pokeball logos on each end hanging over the other way and holding a piece of paper with an [url=https://i.imgur.com/BbvmDnp.jpg]extensive grid[/url] and various notes about Pokemon typing on it. 

When Kamek asked him how his day had been Jr replied [color=SpringGreen]”I tricked myself into going to school!”[/color] before waving the type grid in Kamek’s face.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I see.”[/color] Kamek replied, unable to avoid being amused by jrs over exaggerated distress [color=DeepSkyBlue]”and what did you learn.”[/color] 

[color=SpringGreen]”Oh. Well. Mimikyu is a ghost and fairy type Pokemon, which makes them immune to normal, fighting, because you can't punch ghosts, and, for some reason, dragons. They have a bunch of other strengths and weaknesses like, uh”[/color] Jr explained before having to check the cheat sheet [color=SpringGreen]”x4 resistance to bugs? Weak to other ghosts. Also steel. Resistant to and weak to dark and poison so those cancel eachother out. Oh also she’s a girl.”[/color] 

Kamek nodded approvingly, prompting Jr to go on [color=SpringGreen]”Then I learned about training and moves and leveling and evolving which mimikyu wont do and everyone else already has fully evolved. Then me and Mimikyu practiced against a bunch of wild Pokemon. And I got all this stuff. More balls and some potions and some treats and stuff.”[/color] jr said, showing Kamek the contents of his duffle bag.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”So you have no money left”[/color] Kamek noted

[color=SpringGreen]”Nope. Papa’s got more tho right?”[/color] Jr said

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well hopefully he hasn't spent as much as you”[/color] Kamek said before the two used the teleporter to cross back over to the land of adventure.

There they found Bowser stuffing a bunch of plastic shopping bags into the boot of the Bowser mobile. 

[color=#FD0000]”Oh hay!”[/color] Bowser said, waving at the pair. Then when asked where and what he’d got he replied [color=#FD0000]”Yeah so there's just a completely out of place grocery store called Ham Panther in town. Also a fancy looking Pokecenter. Don't know how we missed 'em but hey, I managed to get enough grub for the expedition.”[/color] 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”A lot of this looks like meat and candy”[/color] Kamek said disappointedly as he examined the contents of the bags. Jr meanwhile let out a [color=SpringGreen]”Sweet”[/color] as he grabbed, ripped open and gobbled up a pack of own-brand fizzy strawberry laces. 

[color=#FD0000]”Nooo. I got other stuff. Like. uh. This cabbage for you”[/color] Bowser said, getting a flat look from the mage in response [color=#FD0000]”And a load of tins of stuff that’ll last forever.”[/color] mostly baked beans as it turned out  [color=#FD0000]Oh and jr, take a load of these water bottles for your explody goo powers”[/color] 

The varoise bottles were handed over. Jr complained about it being plain old water and not fizzy drinks. Kamek lectured him on the importance of hydration and how caffeinated beverages actually increased dehydration. Then when that didn't work Bowser told jr it meant he could explode stuff more often which resolved the issue and the bottles were added to the contents of the boy’s duffle bag.

After that was sorted out Kamek vanished to reset the teleporter connection back to the Deadzone while Bowser and Jr rolled their vehicles round to join the Brother Grimm at the starting line of their trip to the End. 

[color=#FD0000]”OH GOOD YOU’RE ALL ALREADY HERE”[/color] Bowser noted, which was the closest thing to an acknowledgment that they were late the King was going to give. 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Good to see you all. I hope you all had a productive day? I’ve set the teleporter back to the deadzone for anyone wanting it, and I’ve learned a fair bit about Gneidxick’s group and condition from the Master of Masters that I’ll brief you on in a bit.”[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”and [i]I[/i] got a typing chart for pokemon”[/color] Jr boated, happy to show it off to any of the other trainers.

[color=#FD0000]”I GOT GROCERIES.”[/color] Bowser said, leaving out the bit of the day he had spent just lazing around town just as he had when talking to Kamek, before trying to hype up the team for their next mission [color=#FD0000]”ANYWAY. YOU ALL READY TO GO KICK THE BUTT OF SOME G-RANK GALEEM GOON!”[/color]