[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=SpringGreen]wordcount:[/color][/b] 1,287 (+3) [b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 9 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]/////////////// (74/90) [b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 7 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]//// (65/70) [b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 7 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]///// (64/70) [b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Edge of the Blue – Bottomless Ocean Feat: Rika [/center] (back at camp) Bowser was momentarily confused about Mr L asking about Peach, before realizing that, unlike him, everyone else would have trouble realizing that the Princess was well, herself, and not some other random human. He, of course, was never going to lose track of his love, which made the marriage comment sting a little. He pointed her out [color=FD0000]”That’s her now. Cool, isn’t she. There’s this whole fusing with spirits thing going on you’ll pick it up soon enough. I’m not going over it again for the dozenth time.”[/color] Bowser told him, and considering Mirage ended up trying it out later it looked like his laziness in not explaining the deal would not suffer much consequence [color=FD0000]”Same deal as when we were handling you, just with a much bigger party. And no Mario this time, dunno where the guy’s run off to but it ain't here. So don't worry, you see something you want money for, we can cover it, no problem,”[/color] He explained regarding their working relationship [color=FD0000]”and yeahhhh the whole marriage thing didn’t stick. Some kind of legal mumbo jumbo. Tired it again later and wound up possessed by Mario and then stranded on the moon for my troubles. It's a long story. Real odyssey of a tale”[/color] After giving the man a raised eyebrow and nothing more when he broke character to join in Sakura’s cheer the two parted ways, L joined the mooks on Shippy while Bowser re-boarded the Troop’s airship. [hr] (above stormy seas) As they started crossing the outskirts of the stormy skies hanging above the bottomless ocean (literally bottomless apparently, which was, in a way, comfortably familiar for the troop) Jr handled it well enough. In fact the ride was better than it had been before they left the forest because Jr was focused on flying and not being distracted by trying to get a look down at Mirage’s party tricks. Still, he could feel the wind tugging at the ship already, and the lighting arching across the sky in the distance made him flinch just a minute amount every time it struck. Both he and Kamek were hard at work racking their brains as to how on earth they were going to get through that when Sakura suggested a solution that was blindingly obvious in hindsight and yet neither of the Koopas had come close to it. Just don't go into the storm, and instead go over it. [color=SpringGreen]”That… huh”[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]”How did I not think of that”[/color] Kamek muttered to himself [color=SpringGreen]”I mean. It's an airship not a spaceship but yeah, we can probably go that high up? High enough to not get zapped anyway, might still be windy but I can handle that If we were going past”[/color] Jr said, while thinking it over [color=SpringGreen]”Coming down will still be a pain, but better just up and down than through it all the way. Dunno about going through the cloud cover tho, or how we’d know where we’d want to be coming down in the first place ”[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]”We could repeatedly send scouts down perhaps. My clones as they are easily replaceable rather than people.”[/color] [color=FD0000]”Ah why bother. Just go find the Eye of the storm. That’s where I'd hang out if I were the boss of this area. Maybe build a cool castle in the middle of the ocean, have like, storm pirates and sea monsters guarding it. Super defensible and you get great stormy ambiance for your epic final showdown without worrying about having to repair the castle every time it gets zapped by lightning”[/color] Bowser informed then from where he was relaxing in the back. [color=SpringGreen]”...”[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]”....”[/color] [color=FD0000]”What? I mean. I guess it would be kinda cheap to just bypass everything like that”[/color] Bowser said thoughtfully [color=DeepSkyBlue]”That’s not… never mind”[/color] Kamek shook his head and then got back to business [color=DeepSkyBlue]”We can add that to the list of things to try, carefully, once we are safely to the island.”[/color] “So about that ‘safely’ part” Rika said, who had one of her scout planes sitting on her arm like it was a bird and had been holding an ear to ‘listen’ to what it had found. “Might be a problem coming up” [hr] Thanks to the former Abyssal girl’s scouting, the party where well warned (the girl informing the navel contingent by shouting “big monster’s fighting up ahead, follow us round it” down at Shippy) of the brawl going on, and so adjusted their path to take them past the fight rather than through it. The battle turned out to be between a giant kraken person, a classic boss monster with a big obvious eye weak spot and everything, and a smaller nippier fish/eel person who was darting to and fro chomping at it. She was the only one who had done damage, but that was probably because it would take only one hit for the titan to do her in. [color=FD0000]”Egh, things are not looking good for that big guy huh?”[/color] Bowser noted. He’d been there and from experience with being the big guy that the little guy was running rings around he could safely say that the tentacled titan’s days were numbered. [color=SpringGreen]”Doing a number on the little guy’s island though”[/color] jr noted, before yelling [color=SpringGreen]”Come on just get one good hit in you big squid!”[/color] at the big guy, not that the monster could hear him. “Wait, are we rooting for the big monster?” Rika asked them. The front of the ship was getting a bit crowded now with spectators. [color=FD0000]”Eh kinda? Doesn't really matter who wins though. Two things that might try and kill us attacking each other instead? Works for us”[/color] Bowser replied right before the sharksplosion happened and interrupted them. [color=SpringGreen]”Wow! What was that? Are we under attack?”[/color] Jr asked, banking the ship around to try and get a better eye on the place the detonation had happened, and pointing them towards the monster fight as a result. A quick examination of the situation found a lot less sharks about, one less zombie, and Blazerate setting up her minion's gear for combat and over-healing everyone while Mirage was more concerned with her activity than the surrounding area, and Ace was busy trying to dry himself off. That was a lot of mixed signals. Jr, Bowser and Rika all where on edge and mentally, or physically, gearing up for a fight, before the still rather tired Kamek helpful suggested [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Perhaps we should check with those on the boat what is going on?”[/color] [color=FD0000]”Huh? Oh, right. Good idea”[/color] Bowser agreed, before stomping through the back of the ship, onto the deck and over to the side with Rika, guns at the ready, acting as an escort. [color=FD0000]”Hey. You lot. What’s all the commotion about? Just leave the big guy to fight the little guy or whatever. It's not our problem.”[/color] Bowser yelled at them “Little girl” Rika corrected him [color=FD0000]”Huh?”[/color] “She’s a little girl not a little guy. Hang on.” she called one of her planes over, which zipped back to the ship from where it had been scouting as quickly as could be and then landed on her wrist. She raised it to her ear and listened to it as the bottom jawless thing flapped its tongue about for a moment before explaining loudly “little girl, just a bit bigger than that hat wearing kid? Also she has giant eels coming out from under her fin dress and she’s all scaly and has big sharp teeth so still a monster just a-” It was at this point she noticed Bowser had jumped down already, his heavy impact with the water splashing the Cadet with seawater again, before floating back to the surface. Rika shrugged, and then leapt after him. Apparently they were getting involved after all.