[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6W7bqko.png[/img] [h2][color=FD0000]The Koopa Troop[/color][/h2] [b][color=FD0000]wordcount:[/color][/b] 2,025 (+3) [b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 10 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (261/100) [b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 9 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (228/90) [b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 10 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color](155/100) [b][color=Aqua]Rika: Level 5 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=Aqua]//////////////////////[/color]//////////////////////////// (22/50) [b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] Smash City Alcamoth [/center] And off the gang went on another adventure, the little pile of boats setting off into the Eryth Sea, headed for Twilight town. Along with them went the boatless troop: the koopa king riding atop his cetacean steed while Jr and Kamek floated above him and Dazzle and Rita moved alongside him (just under and just above the water respectively). It would have been a lovely start to an lovely ocean cruise if it went for the weather. Rain lashed down which left all the koopas grumbling in one way or another, while Rika got the bright idea of hiking her cape up abv her head to act as a very impromptu raincoat. That was the start of the bad times, the weather only got worse with mini tornadoes wooshing about across the waves, one of which sucked Jr in and sent him dizzily spinning through the sky. Add to that the big water spouts and there were plenty of opportunities to be tossed about. Rika was deft enough to avoid trouble fortunately, and she even had the nerve to go platforming about on some spouts to collect a few coins while she was at it, which she added to her cash reserves. Bowser meanwhile started to just plow through stuff once he got sick of the whale swaying about beneath him, the water spouts failing to lift the beast anyway, while at least one lily-pad got itself burned/rammed/clawed through when it got in his way. Generally there wasn’t much that threatened the troop, who with their flight, skating or big whale mount were more or less in their element. The same could not be said of the little rowboat riders who ran into all sorts of trouble. Sakura managed to dunk herself in the drink and that was the least of it. The most of it was just barely avoided when a [url=https://i.imgur.com/E6v5ypq.png]Serpond[/url] breached the waves right next to Nadia and scared the bejesus out of her. The fact that it didn't swoop around and come in for another pass right away indicated that it had mostly been an accident that it had disturbed the catgirl at all. Unfortunately a certain turtle did not have the brain cells to work this out and so things swiftly got messy when he assumed the worst of the situation. [color=FD0000]”HEY YOU, PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE YOU OVERSIZED SARDINE!”[/color] came a cry from Bowser, who then went surging forwards atop his white whale and aimed his cannons at the aerial tuna, unleashing a barrage of shells at it. The four shots pummeled into the Serpond, which let out a glub of a groan before the red in its eyes flared with more of Galeem’s light and it arched around to take on its attacker. [color=FD0000]”YEAH THAT’S IT COME AND GET ME. I’LL KNOCK THE STUFFING OUT OF YOU REAL GOOD”[/color] the king yelled, punching his palm challengingly. [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Sire, I don’t think it was actually-”[/color] Kamek tried to point out the misunderstanding, but it was, as Jr pointed out [color=SpringGreen]”too late!”[/color] as the mighty minnow came charging through the air right at them. [color=Aqua]”I got your back!”[/color] Rika called out, being right on Bowser’s wavelength and having only not started this off herself because she’d been a bit further off coin collecting. She made up for that now by cocking all 4 sets of guns and unloading them with a single figurative pull of the trigger, a spray of fire shotgunning the fish as it came swooping in at them. The damage spong of a creature took this head on however, just as it took on the white whale’s own barrage of shots that it sent out just after its master’s. All this did slow the mighty sea/sky creature, though did leave it bloody. Remarkably it was the smallest among them who made the difference as Jr shouted [color=SpringGreen]”Dazzle! Use Penguin Jet!”[/color] which caused the Poppilo to burst out of the sea and into the air, chest feathers glowing with malignant energy while it was carried by a jetstream of water. The little sea-lion was absolutely dwarfed by the fish, and swallowing him whole would have been a breeze for it, so it was a good thing the mon had raced ahead and was coming up at a nice angle that let it smash into the side of the fish instead, the heavy impact of the blow knocking it off course and causing it to splash down into the water next too Bowser rather than ramming right into him and his whale. [color=SpringGreen]”Nice one Dazzle”[/color] Jr cheered, but Kemk had only once concern which was [color=DeepSkyBlue]”But where is it now?”[/color] Indeed, just as it had been undetected till it surprised Nadia, the big fish had become near invisible after diving into the depths of the surprisingly deep sea. [color=SpringGreen]”I got this. Melock Marines, find that fish!”[/color] he shouted, summoning a gaggle of the eponymous [url=https://i.imgur.com/28nsuY8.png]strikers[/url] around his elevated aerial position. The poor things then went splashing down into the waves like it had suddenly started raining fish. Once they had recovered from their fall they dived down to take on their commander’s foe. Then after a few moments had passed Jr started going [color=SpringGreen]”Ow! Ow ow ow!”[/color] and a moment after that a much smaller number of merlock surfaced. Sending smaller fish vs a bigger fish did not go well it seemed. However, when Rika demanded to know [color=Aqua]”Where! Where is it?”[/color] from the closest one they did provide some use when it ducked its head under the water and then pointed a finger down in a specific direction, its big bulging seeing what the surfaceworlders could not. That was all Rita needed. She primed her gauntlets, and then unleashed her torpedoes, getting a use out of them for their intended purpose for the first (what might well turned out to be the only) time. Perfectly calibrated, the propeller propelled tubes vanished into the dark, and then a flurry of flashes reached the surface as the grenade sized blasts rocked the Serpond that had been just about to splash out of it in order to snap Kamek out of the air. Instead the mage swooped away with the time and warning the blasts gave her, and then prepared some retaliation while she was at it. When it surfaced again the fish went soaring up, up, up, higher and higher into the sky, only to find itself being hounded by a set of shadow clones of Jr summoned by Kamek, who assailed it with boxing gloves, saws, hammers and drills. The Serpond ignored them all despite the wounds it was receiving till it reached the top of its arch and then flipped around, batting some out of them way with its tail and gobbling up especially unfortunate one up in its twin fanged maw. Pests dealt with, it started plumating right down at them, the troop scattering while having difficulty shooting straight up at it. It selected the biggest and least nimble target for its dive, angling just a little as it swooped towards Bowser. Despite knowing that if it even managed to knock him off of his steed he was done for due to his inability to swim, the king stood firm atop its back. [color=FD0000]”OH, YOU’RE COMING AT ME HUH? WELL THERE’S ONE THING YOU’VE FORGOTTEN”[/color] he shouted before pointing dramatically up at it and concluding the taunt with the observation that: [color=FD0000]”THERE’S ALWAYS A BIGGER FISH!”[/color] Just then the titan that was [url=https://i.imgur.com/RlmRksJ.png]Scylla[/url] burst from the waves, the striker taking all of Bowser’s stamina from him and in return to delivering a devastating counter charge to the shocked Serpond. It smashed into the smaller fish and then gappled it with its barbed tendrils before finally taking a massive bite out of its neck with its multiple rows of teeth, ripping apart the spine and sending a gush of blood that quickly turned to ash as the rules of nature took another victim. Scylla faded and its own spirit returned to the exhausted Bowser while the Serpond’s slowly drifted down, only for Jr to swoop down and snatch it out of the air. Kamek meanwhile floated down to her king’s side, concerned about how he was slumped down on the white whale’s back. [color=FD0000]”I’m fine I’m fine, that one just really winded me”[/color] he told her, waving her off while joking that [color=FD0000]”good thing I’m riding rather than walking yeah?”[/color] [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Mmm well yes, but i do worry about you sliding off now”[/color] she replied, which was how Bowser ended up having the toadies gripping him anyway, the floating mooks that Rubick had made copies of (a thing Kamek found quite validating in a way) acting as a seatbelt for the tired king. Fortunately, there weren't any other big threats than the one the troop had created on the way down the river, and soon enough they found themselves in the ship graveyard. Bowser inched his way through the wreck on the back of his whale, and Rika went with him in order to help clear the way, using her hull blades as fire axes when she wasn't just blasting stuff. Kamek and Jr meanwhile went rooting around the ships a bit, looking for anything that might be of use. The ship they ended up choosing that had anything of worth in it was a decrepit [url=https://i.imgur.com/0gzYvAJ.png]paddle boat[/url] pirate vessel that looked to have been used for target practice multiple times judging by the holes blown in it. Despite this punishment it was still alive, though fortunately the AI mainframe buried somewhere in the autonomous ship’s hold was not programmed to feel the pain of its grievous injuries. Equally fortunately, no one decided to inflict any more damage on it that might have trigger it to try and use its oversized front gun to defend itself. Instead they ranged around the hold for booty before reuniting with their fellows at the end of the graveyard. Kamek herself returned with several crates full of bananas and meat benign carried by a set of shadow clones, which her king was uncharacteristically grateful for and the contents of which he immediately started scoffing down to restore his stamina. Jr meanwhile came back with a rusty self reloading [url=https://i.imgur.com/CcgQIic.png]64 Pdr Cannon[/url] dangling from the end of his clown car’s (sentient) hook. Any attempt to dissuade him about the practicality failed, and soon enough the white whale had the old timey ship weapon tied nice and tightly to it using some of the plentifully available rope found around the boaty ruins. The tightness of said knots was then swiftly put to the test as the next leg of their journey (after giving banjo a passing wave) was a set of rapids. It was probably for the best that the troop went first, because if they had not then there would have been a risk of Bowser’s white knuckle white whale ride plowing through the smaller rowboats at the speed the whale ended up going. The king only avoided becoming a stain on some rocks thanks to Kamek and Rita scouting ahead and making sure the whale was warned of any upcoming dangerous rocks or sharp turns. Instead of helping with this Jr proceed to instead cheat at what appeared to be some kind of target practice minigame that had been set up, big hanging pots meeting an end at the end of a boxing glove robo arms, but got bored of that about a third of the way through, leaving the rest of the target's up for the boat riders to try their luck at if they had the guts to multitask during their dangerous ride. Instead he raced with Dazzle down the rest of the way, prince blazing his way down just the waves while the sea-lion had a lovely time splashing down the treacherous waters, periodically showing off by leaping over the top of his trainer’s low flying car while the boy giggle in delight at his minion’s antics. Then all too soon they were at the end of the ‘ride’ and the next leg of their journey could begin.