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[color=salmon][i]Encounter EXP: +10[/i]
Word Count: 637 (+1 exp)
[u]Level[/u]: [b]5[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 17/50
[b]Location:[/b] Spiral Mountain -> The End
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Some of the group wandered off after the spirit claiming, but not Cadet. As eager was he was to get going, fight the big bad thing and free the good people of Lumbridge (or so he'd been told would probably happen), the hunter was glad he'd stayed put this time. He felt like he learned a little more about this crazy world they all found themselves in, listening to words that weren't exactly meant for him. By the time the whole group came back together again and Peach gave them her short, but inspiring speech, Cadet was more ready then ever. He let out a whoop with Peach's rallying cry and honestly? He was crushing a little bit. The Princess was cool. 

Everyone filtered together to cross the bridge at the mountain's top. As Cadet waited his turn to cross, he shifted his weight back and forth between each of his feet, and the cage at his hip jangled lightly. An idea formed in his head, something that would help if Bowser was right and they faced a maze inside of the dark portal.

[color=salmon]"Oh! Real quick,"[/color] Ace Cadet spoke to the squad at large, holding his scoutfly cage up and shaking it gently open to let the glowing insects inside out. [color=salmon]"If it's really a maze inside, it'll be a good idea for these guys to get all of your scents. That way if we get separated, we can find each other. And if it's not a maze, well, can't hurt right?"[/color] The scoutflies drifted over to each member of their group, buzzing around them briefly before returning to their holding chamber. The hunter made sure that the members of the crew he most recently met, the likes of Fox, Sectonia, Cuphead and Link, got an extra face full of brightly lit bugs. [color=salmon]"Their noses are even better than a poogie's - well, I don't actually know if they have noses but you get what I mean!"[/color]

Of course, once crossing over the threshold it was quite clear that the other side wasn't a maze so much as it was... a dark, nasty general [i]area[/i]. The sudden change from daylight to swirling darkness took a moment to get used to, but after blinking a few times the Cadet peered out from behind the procession and studied the landscape - and lack thereof. [color=salmon]"Kind of gross in here,"[/color] he murmured to himself, looking over the multitude of tiny islands and the larger central land mass. In the middle of considering how they'd get everyone over to the center island, [i]something[/i] appeared close by. Something hostile, apparently. Team really couldn't catch a break. Euden, Bowser and Jr. went to handle it, and Cadet unsheathed his sword and shield. Although he was much looking forward to getting to use the long sword, it wasn't very ideal in the relatively small area, so ol' tried and true it was. He didn't jump into battle, instead scanning the area again. [i]Where there's one, there's probably more.[/i] That thing was dark, hard to see against the dismal sky that surrounded them on all sides, but... a shift of black on static purple drew the hunter's attention. 

Another one of those creatures? Cadet could barely make it out from this distance, but it seemed to be the same kind of thing. This one didn't seem to notice them - until it [i]did[/i], and the red head could feel the thing turning to watch him as he watched it. Suddenly Cadet was watching it from way closer up. The creature appeared in front of him in a flash, and if he hadn't already been on the look out for enemies Cadet would have taken a swipe to his mid section. [color=salmon]"Whoa!"[/color] When the creature's arm struck the metal of the Master Bang's shield, the hunter jumped backward and readied himself for another fight.