[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] (and Rika) [b][color=SpringGreen]wordcount:[/color][/b] 1,981 (+3) [b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 9 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]/////////////////////////////////[/color]///////////////////////////////////////////////////// (33/90) [b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 7 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]////////////////////////////[/color]/////////////////////////////////////////////////// (26/80) [b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 7 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (94/70) [b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Edge of the Blue – Seaward Bay [/center] The Atomos took to the skies, the long range courier ship turned battle wagon cruising at a casual, for it, speed above the massed fleet of ship-girls. It had been something to behold when coming in to dock, but to see them all in motion was a wonder to behold. Still, there was only so long you could look at the vast array of colorful and creatively designed ladies till you got over the initial amazement. Fortunately there were other sights to behold, so many that Jr had to sometimes see people back who were crowding his pilot’s chair too much. Along with plenty of gorgeous coastal scenery and the odd man made curiosity, all sorts of marvelous creatures could be seen as they sailed across the waves, though most understandably gave them feet a wide berth. The Abyssals who ran into the fleet did not have that luxury, and they were either too simpleminded to run at the first sign of trouble or too slow to escape the fastest navy ships if they did. From their slightly elevated position, the airship was flying low to avoid acting as a giant, “we are here” beacon to their enemies, those onboard got a perfect view of this slaughter, something Rika had to stop watching after the third time. Even if they weren't really awake, alive and thinking like she was, because a lot of that had effectively been pushed into her by the friendheart, it was still hard to shrug off that the more human among them could have very easily been her had things gone even slightly differently. The weird sea monsters and annihilation of abyssals got a bit samey after a while too, at which point Kamek decided to check in with a Moogle to get a status report on the other team and the mercenaries. It was good to know that the yellow team where still in one piece and making progress towards their goal, that fox had assigned a team to double check that the deadzone’s boss was indeed dead and to learn about Midna’s discovery involving the fusion of 10 weak spirits, though they all generally agreed it wasn’t the most versatile of capabilities. [color=SpringGreen]”I guess we could use it for a bit to do something specific and then have peach undo it. Oh, or I could change Tyrant into something stronger for a bit. Keep the training I’ve given him but turn him into a shark or something, like what that princess did”[/color] Jr suggested. The still part gunboat pig shifted a little in his lap at the sound of its name, but otherwise did not comprehend the possibility of being further shape shifted by his owner. What was unexpected news was that the person in control of the robots back in the kart scrapheap around peach’s castle was: [color=FD0000]”Eggman?”[/color] [color=SpringGreen]”Eggman?”[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]”My apologies, but who is this ‘Eggman’ again?”[/color] Kamek asked [color=FD0000]”Oh he’s this robot building badguy. You know when me and jr do the Olympics with Mario and Sonic and stuff? Well Sonic is Eggman’s Mario. There was this whole thing where me and him and Sonic and Mario where we got sucked into a games console last time round. It was weird, but I think I know the guy pretty well as a result.”[/color] [color=SpringGreen]”Yeah it was weird. Like you show up expecting to just leave some fuzzy animal people in the dust while winning a bunch of meddles, and then instead end up with this whole sports based quest thing going on instead. Ended up having to work with Luigi, this fox called Tails and Eggman’s, like, great great great grandson or something to help get pappa and the rest out of the console,”[/color] Jr added [color=FD0000]”Yeah just one of those things. Bit like that thing with the cursed tennis racket. Anyway. Long story short. Guy’s got that whole, ‘I’m so smart look at me’ thing going on but otherwise decent badguy. They can probably go talk some sense into him,”[/color] Bowser said, before addressing the moogle who’d been giving them the update [color=FD0000]”hey, you, fuzzball, go tell them to go talk to Eggman”[/color] “Who should go, kupo?” the moogle asked [color=FD0000]”Ugh, I don’t know just send whoever around or something, just get them to go talk some sense into him and it’ll all work out”[/color] [hr] “Talk some sense into him?” Hollythorn was incredulous that they were also of a mind that they could just talk to the murderous robot builder “What is with you humans?!” “Bowser’s a Koopa actually,” Princess Daisy helpful pointed out, before explaining further that “he's like a big dragon turtle” “... isn't that the guy who you said kept invading your kingdom and who you also go play sports with all the time?” “Peach's kingdom, not mine, but otherwise yeah that’s the big guy” she confirmed The goblin stared up at the ginger haired princess with a mix of astonishment and horror, before declaring “Your world is insane” “Hey!” “Besides. That guy’s army’s could be here any minute now! This has come in way too late” “If it's speed you need” came a shout from Eddie Riggs “Then the old druid plow’s got you covered!” The roadie had been helping set up defenses for the coming invasion, augmenting his multitude of muscles and technical expertise with a vehicle he had summoned via guitar solo called the [url=https://i.imgur.com/QAqbsgu.jpg]Deuce[/url], which had been demoted from awesome killer ride to tow truck as it hauled scrap in from the scrapheap to help build what was growing into a rather sprawling set of defensive ramparts and barricades guarding the approach to Peach’s castle. “Wait. So how fast does that thing go?” She asked, having gotten used to it being sued as a hauler “Oh she can burn up the miles no problem” the roadie told her “you want to get out there and launch a preemptive strike on this egghead? Then the Deuce is the vehicle for the job, no question” “Now you’re are talking my language human” The goblin told him with a grin “Eh, only half but.. ah that doesn't matter” Eddie replied, not going into the specifics of his ancestry. “Wow. hey. No. No one is going to do any striking. I say we talk, and the orders back me up” daisy insisted “She’s got you there” Vandham, who’d come to check on things and find people who’d be willing to do the sortie agreed. “This guy is a dangerous, murderous egomaniac. You didn't hear him talking, I did. He is coming for us and we have to take him down or he’s just going to keep throwing robots at us over and over and over” “He’s also Gleaming,” the slang had made its way back via report “so he’s not in his right mind right now. If we just explain what’s going on we can talk some sense into him and bring him onboard. Guy like that, bet he’d be a real help” “He. Needs. To. Pay” the goblin retorted “Wow wow wow. Ladies" Eddie inserted himself between the two former friends who would have been butting heads if there hadn't been such a height difference between them “There’s a solution you aren't seeing here. We go and [i]beat[/i] the sense into him” There was a long pause, and then both Hollthorn’s and Daisy’s features softened “Yeah I can work with that” “agreed” “Then let’s ride!” Eddie announced “Hang on hang on. You still need a fourth member of your party.” Vandham reminded them as the trio turned to head for their ride. “Oh. Right.” Daisy replied before calling out “Hey Luigi!“ prompting a “ohhhh, mama mia” from the plumber who had been slowly edging his way away from the entire conversation and had been moments away from being in the clear. The team was assembled, and ready to go face down the doctor and his armies of robots. [hr] Back in the Blue, the purple team was about to face down an army of their own. The Atomos crew got their update from Ranger’s radio: They were going to have to run a gauntlet, but weren't necessarily going to have to help them take on the two local abyssal princesses themselves. Unless, of course, they sortied out to face them. They did still have an army to go through however. Onboard the airship the troop nodded to each other. They had a plan in place already. Now that was the time to pull out all the stops, punch though as hard as possible both so they had to spend as little time as possible in the firing line and as a little thank you for their help to the ship girls. Holding back would really just be rude. It also wasn't the troops style. Bowser shoved open the back door and then, with a leap, landed on the roof of the bridge and took a seat. Below him, Kamek brandished his wand while opposite him Mimi did the same with her stick tail. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Boil and bubble, here comes trouble, watch out frightful ocean princesses, To our king's power, you’ll become witnesses!”[/color] The mage intoned, accompanied by many a “mi, mimi kyu kyus” in the same rhythm as Mimi copycatted the mage’s spell. As they banked around the bend the king grew. And grew. And grew, till he straddled the bridge of the ship and slipped his feet into the straps on either side specifically placed to hold a supersized someone there. [color=FD0000]”GAHAHAHAHAHA! BEHOLD, THE KING OF AWESOME'S COME TO SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE POWER LOOKS LIKE!”[/color] The King roared out in boast, wasting valuable seconds at the start of the battle with villainous gloating, before drawing in breath. As he did, the tentacruel beaks of his back took independent aim and screamed out a supersonic cry, the grand but tight beams of sound that they swept across the masses of Abyssals, bringing confusion and disarray to their ranks. Then, as the shipgirls proved themselves to be the worst line-holders ever (though the navy’s lack of melee combatants did make avoiding friendly fire a lot easier however) and the abyssals pushed right past them he unleashed a mega fireball at the incoming troops . The slow shot cleanly missed the cruisers that ended up boarded Shippy, but vessels behind them had to deal with the super heard giant fireball as it hit the ocean and exploding in a wave of steam as the ball of fire struck the surface and then just kept on going, borrowing down into the ocean till it hit the seabed below. Or rather, phasing through it and disappearing down to who knew where. The King wasn't close to done with just one mega fireball as fire breath, acid, supersonic blasts, torrents of Razor Shoal infused water and yet more fireballs bombarded any parts of the enemy fleet that weren't close to friendlies, showering chaos and destruction upon anything and everything that couldn't get out of the way. There were a few problems with all this of course. One. Bowser was ultimately doing nothing about the immediate threats to the party as he instead wreaked havoc on more distant foes. Two. The chaotic air brawl between micro seaplanes was a swarm of foes and friends that bower couldn't safely intervene with without doing equal or likely more damage to their allies as he did to the abyssal air force, leaving them free to bully him like he was king kong on the empire state building. Three, the extra weight of the king made their ship less maneuverable and also made it dip down towards the water where it too became at risk of boarding. Four. It attracted attention like nobody's business. Finally, it tied up basically all the troop’s resources in one titanic show of power. A titan of arrogance and hubris the purple team had best hope not topple down on top of them.