[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] 1,047 (+2)
[b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 9 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (150/90) 
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 8 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (83/80) 
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 8 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (80/80) 
[b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Bottomless Sea – the Maw - the Kitchens
Feat: Rika and Mirage (+2)
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It took a while for the world to come back, mainly because of the ringing in the ears of the troop

[color=FD0000]”GAH! WHY WAS THAT SO LOUD!”[/color] Bowser complained thunderously as he peaked his head over the washbasin they’d used for cover.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”WHAT?”[/color] Kamek shouted back with the indignation of an old man he still was at heart.

[color=FD0000]”I SAID, WHY WAS THAT SO LOUD!”[/color] Bowser yelled again, to no avail

Jr wasted no such time, and quickly moved himself out from their hiding spot and headed for the door, wordlessly waving for the others to follow. They arrived just in time to see the butcher being swarmed by two small children, two noticeably bigger children and Mimi. As Jr advanced and picked his way through the burning remains of the door, the man fell to a railgun blast, yet, for some reason, the monstrous man refused to die. His grievous wounds did however cause a certain, mouthwatering scent to start wafting through the air. It ensnared Bella, who began tearing at the man with bloody yet non lethal intent. She was joined in this by Mimi, though the specter lacked the brutal jaws, or any jaws really, to actually chomp at him and instead went vampirically for his leaking crimson vitality.

Mirage however had the will, or perhaps the simple humanity that the other two lacked, to resist. Also a gun to smack himself in the head with. This put him in a perfect position to intercept the Troop as they stormed in, and to prevent the royals from having their carnivorous sensibilities tempted by the Maw’s bloodthirsty curse. He was helped in this by the fact that he and they met in the still smoking ruins of the door, where everything smelled of burnt flour and wood, which smothered the bloody scent a great deal.

[color=SpringGreen]”Aw come on you beat us to the rescue!”[/color] Was Jr’s selfish first comment as he stopped at the entrance.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”He means: good job on the rescue”[/color] Kamek called from behind as he approached, lagging behind even the chef bros. Said bros already had the water Mirage was requesting, though unfortunately it was only a little in the pans they’d armed themselves with and it was used to dose the burning doorway for kitchen safety reasons. Upon having the girls pointed out, (at which point they got a cry of “hey! You came!” from a runny nosed Rika) the Troop wasted no time in doing their part. 

[color=FD0000]”We got this! Kitchen Koopas, about turn!”[/color] the King commanded, ordering his troops to reverse direction and return to the washroom to acquire more water. He, jr and the chef bros quickly hurried off back past Kamek as he finally arrived at the door. The old mage took one look at Mirage’s concerned face and had to ask [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Are you alright, Mr Mirage?”[/color]

[color=DEBA42]"[i]Huh?[/i]"[/color] Mirage took a moment to think on Kamek's question, looking past the previously-elder koopa to make sure the others were well on their way. He'd kept up a pretty good positive image so far, but after what he'd just experienced, he wasn't sure if he could keep that going. [color=DEBA42]"Honestly? No, not at all."[/color] He admitted, tone somewhat bleak.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Did something happen or?”[/color] the mage took a glance around, doing a quick headcount and not seeing anyone missing other than those who had gone Naddia’s way. He did however see Bella bloodily tearing into the chef and looked a little queasy at the sight of it.

Mirage nodded, understanding the shift of expression without having to turn. [color=DEBA42]"I think I figured out the food's curse. Or, at least, a part of it."[/color] Realizing this called him out on eating after he left, his expression shifted to be a bit more wry. [color=DEBA42]"Once Bella started attacking, I got this urge to bite the guy. But not in a... Damaging, sort of way. Like a [i]hungry[/i] kinda way."[/color]

The mage’s queasy look got a whole lot worse. 

Quickly he waved his hands defensively. [color=DEBA42]"I-I didn't do it, though! I swear."[/color]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”That... is most disturbing news, and it means- oh no”[/color] Kamek replied once he had control over his stomach, before  his eyes went wide as he realized who else was affected by said curse.

At that very moment the few moments they had to talk before the rest of the troop came back ended as the six other koopas arrived, holding a large pasta pot among them like they were a gang of pikmin hauling a large and tasty pellet.

[color=FD0000]”One two one two, water crew coming through!”[/color] Bowser shouted/chanted at the discussing pair, forcing them to move aside or be run over by the water-bearers. They teetered into the kitchen, crossing their self made minefield of splinters with only minor injuries and then approached the cook-fire where Rika’s emotional roller-coaster was ending with relife 

“Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou” she said rapidly, only for her words to be interrupted by coughing as the water was dumped onto the fire, causing a gush of steam to rise up and smother the pair for a few moments. “Cough Cough, urgh”

[color=FD0000]”You alright? You look like steamed ham up there”[/color] Bowser joked, causing Rika to grimace at the unintended reminded that she had about to have been cooked and then eaten. [color=FD0000]”Oh, uh. Hey let's get you down from there… somehow”[/color]

Now that the fire was dealt with, getting the girls down wasn't exactly an insurmountable problem, but it was still one that needed handling.

[color=SpringGreen]”How about this? We toss this down and make a pyramid to get up”[/color] Jr suggested, and in quick order that was what they did, popping down the pasta pot and a few other containers into the doused fireplace. One it was all in place Jr using all that, and a few leg ups from minions and his papa, and a few darts from Mirrage, to clamber up and up in order to try and claw at the bindings keeping them tied up

“I’ve got a half scissor if that’ll help?” Rika suggested to the prince, and indeed it did. With the plane blade he hacked away at the ropes (the boy did not know his knots well enough to simply undo them) and in doing so, freed the ladies at last.