[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] 946  (+2)
[b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 9 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (165/90) 
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 8 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (98/80) 
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 8 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (65/80) 
[b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Bottomless Sea – the Maw - the Restaurant
Feat: Rika
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[color=SpringGreen]”Haha yes, die trash!”[/color] Jr cheered as Geralt went absolutely ham on the snake turned tasty dish, doing absurd amounts of damage stabbing it over and over while the rest of them did their best to beat the crap out of the dang thing. Unfortunately, while seconds would have been ample time in most cases to deal with a foe who could not fight back, it was not enough for the dozen or so children to stomp a greater demon to death.

[color=FD0000]”Ok is it just me, or is this thing way tougher than it looks?”[/color] Bowser complained after his arm started getting tired from hammering it over and over. The Tamura looked like it should have been splattered by now, but instead their kicking and hammering and other blunt attacks was only leaving what could be best described as bruises instead of a battered pulp.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”It is strange, it's almost like the spell hasn’t….”[/color] Kamek said, and then shut his mouth to open his eyes to look at the damage they were actually doing and came to an unfortunate yet very accurate conclusion which he expressed by shouting [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Oh no. Get clear!”[/color] before turning and to do exactly that only for the 10 seconds to be up at that very moment and for the small tempura to turn back into its true form, reoccupying the larger volume of space its real body demanded and violently displacing the kids around it in the process.

[color=SpringGreen]”Ah!”[/color] [color=FD0000]”Gah!”[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Oh no”[/color] “eek” “Mimi!”  the troop cried out, among other things such as the squeal of a pig and Hook’s swearing being bleeped by its own mechanisms, as they went tumbling along the corridor or smacked into the surrounding shelves. This was followed by a mix of getting up and running further away, getting up and turning to face the monster or, in the sentient meathook’s case, just kind of laying there due to its lack of legs. The machine instead helpful informed all present that “You have voided my warranty”

Nobody cared.

[color=FD0000]”Kamek! Bake it again!”[/color] Bowser demanded as he grabbed his hammerhead from where it had fallen and raised it defensively as the snake flailed around, its fury animals yet still very dangerous.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Charging!”[/color] the mage called back simply from behind a box. 

[color=SpringGreen]”Keep back and pelt it, ranged minion style! Mimi, shadow sneak! Chef bros, throw stuff! Rika, shoot it! Dad roasted it! Geralt, throw the nail! We’ve almost got this!”[/color] came a command from Jr, who was hauling hook behind a set of shelves, against which he braced alongside the sentient meathook, and then got said hook to launch up and over the struggling, flailing serpent to latch onto and then drag the opposite set of shelves down on top of their foe while the troop skirmishes away from it and peppered it with whatever ranged firepower they had.

Eventually, through that or other means, the serpent finally fell but, alas, thought it had been that foe that had cursed them it did not seem like its end would free them. Even the, probable, death of its double (which they found out about when when they exited the storage room, varying levels of useful and/or questionable loot in hand, and met up with the others) didn't undo things, which left only one logical final target of their ire that might restore them to normal, if that was even a possibility and their de-ging wasn't a permanent curse (a possibility not even worth considering), and that was the lurking lady.

There would be no restoring their former power before facing the wicked witch of the sea who ruled this place. But, if Nadia’s intuition about the mirrors she laid out was correct, and Bowser was highly supportive of the idea that was for certain, their scrounging may have gotten them the key to defeating the monstrous mistress. Best to use it now than worry about her getting wise to their having it and complicating things. They were all now fully armed with something which was a bonus, though Kamek did set down the empty and useless mug (there was no water, let alone tea bags to refill it with) for now and instead armed himself with a combination of half a pair of scissors that he got from Rika in one hand and the bloody book in the other, mostly as a last line of defense. 0 +1 cutting skill was still 1 cutting skill after all, and thus better than nothing.

Before that however, and before they headed down to the final battle, Kamek brought up the last pieces of power they still had to make use of [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Best someone make use of these”[/color] holding out the remaining tempura wizard and the dead serpent demon for anyone to take and do with as they wished. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”I warn you however, the mage one has made it so I can't have my eyes and mouth open at the same time, which will make communicating in battle difficult”[/color] he informed them, holding his beak up (though due to him being the shortest among them this wasn't that unusual) and catching peeks through almost entirely closed lids between words in-order to not be 100% blind to the world while talking. It still wasn't great, but a flashing thin line of sight was better than nothing.

There was little other preparation to be done. They were going to have to face their foe on her chosen battlefield one way or the other. Not that there weren't attempts to get out of it

[color=SpringGreen]”Ok but what if instead we just burn the whole stage down instead?”[/color] Jr suggested [color=SpringGreen]”Or just blow up the room?”[/color] 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”While that worked last time on a single door, I really, really, really must urge you to reconsider. It’s a bigger room and trying to destroy its contents will also damage the ship, or at least the helm which is right next door”[/color] Kamek replied, shooting down the idea at once

[color=FD0000]”Plus, if there’s all that smoke, we won't be able to see her to mirror her!”[/color] Bowser pointed out, unintentionally addressing an even bigger concern of simply fighting the shadow sneaking fiend in a haze of smoke would also be a nightmare. 

[color=SpringGreen]”Sigh, fine, but it still doesn't feel right just walking over there and playing by her rules!”[/color] jr grumbled, before promptly getting down to some scheming with the chef bros before they headed for the kitchens while the rest of them headed for the stage.