DracoLunaris

World of Light

The Koopa Troop

wordcount: 1,345 (+3)
Bowser: Level 5 EXP: /////////////////////////////////////////////////// (57/50)
Stress: 45/100
Bowser Jr: Level 4 EXP: ////////////////////////////////////// (28/40)
Stress: 88/100
Kamek: Level 4 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////// (34/40)
Stress: 85/100
Location: Ancestral Farmstead, the Land of Adventure

”Of course they couldn’t cut it even against these guys” was Bowser Jr’s dispassionate response to his gooma swarm being slaughtered by lowly farmhands. The koopas and dry bones where more resilient thanks to their shells but they weren't really capable of harming the few remaining husks attacking them. That was left to the mage and Mimikyu, as they blasted and clawed at the husks respectively. Neither were particularly effective however, the weak rapid fire scratches of Mimikyu barley harming their foe’s stony exterior while Kamek’s fireballs and magic blasts where too slow firing to make a sizable dent in the enemy lines.

It was clear to Jr that all their subgroups power had all been consolidated in his clown car and the weapon within, which was a depressing weakness and vulnerability that had been exposed the moment he’d been knocked clear of it.

The husks beat down Koopa after Koopa, either smashing the Drybones into bits and then seeding the remains or forcing the koopas into their shells before booting them away as they advanced. The troop’s line faltered. Then it buckled and then, at long last, it broke.

The farmhand lurched through the gap it had punched in, trampling over the shattered remains of the dry bones it had beaten back into death with its shovel, and charged the trio that had been hiding behind it.

”Get back sire!” Kamek called to Jr as he back puddled away from the attacker while priming another spell within his wand. Yet instead of heeding the mage’s instruction Jr was gripped a near suicidal desire to be of some, or any, use. The boy charged forwards instead, his heart beat thundering in his ears, deafening him to shouts of alarm coming from Kamek behind him and from Mimikyu as they fell off of his shoulder (the tiny rodent impersonator having been taken entirely by surprise by jr’s sudden burst of energy).

Jr stormed forwards, screaming wordlessly, raising his fist high and driving it into the stomach of the farmhand as the two met. The husk staggered at the blow, but quickly regained its footing as jr practically slumped against it, raising his fists up and uselessly pounding on its chest while yelling at it. Utterly indifferent to this display of anguish the farmhand raised up their weapon to strike down the petulant child, only for both the head of the shovel and the head of the husk to be severed by a bright orange glowing blade.

Jr stumbled back from the corpse as the two heads fell to the ground. The body immediately began to compact down into its vengeful explosive state, only for a great steel to caped boot crunched down onto the farmhand’s remains.

With tired eyes jr looked up and beheld his father, basked in radiant golden light that had suddenly begun to bath the hilltop in its luminous glory.

His boots and trousers were stained with dust and gore, his face was still a mess of wounds, he was breathing heavily from over exertion and he was carrying the dazed and dazzled Hat kid (whom he had stashed in his hat which he now cradled under one arm) yet after Bowser had smashed his way through the last of the undead assailing his family's location his expression showed no concern for his own state and every concern for that of his son.

”Papa” was all the boy managed to say, his voice utterly exhausted.

Bowser at first said nothing. Instead he flicked off the power for his mecha mit, stepped forwards and scooped jr up into a tight one armed hug.

”It’s ok. You’re safe now,” He promised as his held his son tightly while the boy clung tightly to his chest.

Jr relieves 22 Stress damage

---

Kamek sighed in relief as Bowser rejoined them just in time for a daring rescue. However, thought the King’s arrival had sent their small battle line into disarray his arrival had not quite finished the fight. What it had done was bought them a respite as he continued to stand there embracing his son and attempting to soothe the boy’s nerves, created a considerably more effective wall than the Koopas, Goombas and Drybones had done.

As the farmhands learned that beating on the massive spiny shell of the king was an effort in futility Kamek rallied what troops they had left and quickly formulated a plan in the few moments of time they had before they were attacked again.

First he asked, ”Mimikyu, can you copy this spell?” before casting the minor enlargement spell on one of the dry bones with a wave of his wand, causing it to increase in size by about 50%.

“Mmmmmm kyu!” they responded after a few moments of concentration, waving the stick that they used as fake tail like it was a wand and enlarging one of the Koopas using a [CopyCat] of Kamek’s spell.

”Ehehehe, excellent”, Kamek laughed a touch madly before quickly informing them all of the plan he had thrown together in the span of about 5 seconds.

---

”Papa... You can let go now. You’ve still got stuff to do and I’m just,” jr was saying after the initial elation had worn off, aware that he was taking up time where Bowser could be fighting, but the king just shushed him.

”Nothing more important than looking after you,” he insisted as he used a thumb to gently rub jr’ s hair.

”But the zombie’s?” Jr replied. The noise of clanging of metal against armored shell was unignorable but Bowser simply shook his head before saying that, ”Kamek’s can handle them”

Jr was going to reply dismissively based on the mage’s earlier performance, but he was cut off by the sound of Kamek whistling.

”GO GO GO!” “Kyu Kyu Kyu!” Came the shouts , causing jr to look away from his father's chest to see the remaining drybones circling round either side of him, each and every one enlarged by about 50% by Kamek and Mimikyu’s casting spree. Initially he thought they were going to perform a pincer maneuver while the farm hands were still distracted by Bowser’s bulk. A stupid plan, because though they’d have a size and strength increase they’d lose it as soon as they got hit and then it was right back to being in the meat grinder that they couldn't win. Then he saw where the Koopas had gone. Namely, into their shells which where being dribbled and passed between the dry bones as they moved into position.

”Wait. Seriously?”, jr said a touch disbelievingly as the troops got into position, two groups on either side and a little ways away from the king and the horde assailing him. The farm hands, having seemingly realized the futility of attacking Bowser’s rear, responded to this new maneuver by disengaging from the king and charging the Koopas.

In response they received a swift volley of Koopa shell to the legs as the dry bones kicked their living brethren at their foes. The enlarged shells bashed into the farmhands, the impact damage harming the zombies while the spells enlarging the shells took the brunt of damage they would have received as it dissipated. Then the now normal sized shells bounced back and away, only to be interpreted by a dry bones, stopped and then dribbled until Kamek swooped past on his broom (with Mimikyu riding on the very end like a witch's cat) to enlarge the shell’s once again.

With Jr safely in Bowser’s arm and Kamek up in the sky the Koopa troop engaged in a running skirmish battle with the farmhands, making use of the skills they’d gained two times the mushroom kingdom had held some extremely violent football tournaments.

”See,” Bowser said with a grin as he kicked one of the flunked shell shots back to a dry bones.

”That's just. So dumb,” jr said as he watched the farce, but even with his dower mood he couldn’t help but feel just a bit better about how things where going.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Hopefully that's somewhere around the appropriate scale of power for level 70 beasts.

Overlord: Momento Mori

“A….all of them?” Agathina stuttered in response to Rodias’ request to face every level 70 monster they had available. The vampire that Kaldorna had left in command of the area during her absence stared disbelievingly at the Sable Lord for a few moments until the hawk sat astride her shoulder pecked at her head, causing the visor of her full suit of plate mail clacked down over her face and impact with the large round glasses she was wearing.

“Ow,” she said softly as she raised up the visor again. While she was rubbing her mildly injured nose she took in Rodias’s confident demeanor (and the impatient stare the hawk was giving her) before nodding resolutely.

“As you command my lord!” she said with a vampiric bow.

Then she cracked open a ledger containing a complete list of the beasts found in pens that she had been intending to present to Rodias and began quickly skimming through it for each and every entry for beasts of the requested level, calling out instructions to the gaggle of subordinate beast tamers and thralls that were gathered their to assist her whenever she found one.

After a great deal of bustling about things were all set for Rodias’s tutorial. The arena it was to take place in was a classic design, aping the aesthetics of a roman Colosseum with its central sand floored pit surrounded by raised up spectators stands. The main difference was that the arena was entirely subterranean, was lit by a large number of light blue floating mage lights and was carved from a blue and purplish stone. Once things where all set Agathina and her hawk could be seen up in these stands in Kaldorna’s commentator box, where she had control over all the features of the arena. There where a daunting array of buttons, levers and dials up in the control room, but the vampire stuck to the basics as she wrenched down on several levers that caused the great gates in the side of the area to raise and unleash the beasts.

They came thundering out of these gates, urged on by a number of lesser beastmasters and thralls. The thralls, armed mostly with long halberds, did not enter the arena itself, needed only to make sure the monsters got to their destination in one piece, while the bestmasters followed the monsters out of the gates before quickly turning and leaping up the shear walls of the arena and into the stands with their vampiric agility.

Arrayed at their command where dozens of beasts such as:

The hulking Ruby Hydra, its many blind heads already bickering with one another

The ki wielding Eather Serpent that immediately soared up to hug the underside of the magic barrier shielding the spectators from the carnage that was about to unfold.

The Silver Darganthi, a gorilla sized powerhouse that fought exclusively with over the top wrestling moves.

The horrifying Ocuvolf that could fire sanity blasting beams of energy from every one of its myriad of eyes.

The small and elusive Svelth which vanished from sight almost as soon as it entered the arena.

The creepy crawly Necropede who’s claws could inject neurotoxin that would raise its prey as undead thralls and walking snacks.

And last but not least the classic Red Wyvern in all it’s fire breathing glory.

Because of Sun200’s obsession there where, naturally, two of every species of beast present. One male and one female, though in most cases only an expert would have been able to tell which was which. The experts on hand, at least two present for every one monster, where not here to provide such answers however. Instead once they and the monsters were all in positions and Agathina gave her consent they raised their hands in near unison, pointing at the awaiting Rodias and uttering the command:

[Attack!]

---

Midday found Kaldorna sat at a parasol table sipping from a wineglass of goats blood while she watched the world through the eyes of a hawk that was soaring high above the Vampire’s rest spot. The [Share Senses] skill had so many wonderful uses, the vampire mussed to herself.

A few meters away the Smogticore she had brought for additional protection was feasting on the still smoking remains of the goat they had first turned and then used as a test dummy for the effects of the Sun’s rays. The vampires where avoiding the unfortunate goat’s fate by camping out in and under a large series of tents unfurled from a number of carts they had brought to transport the spoils of the hunt back to the Chateau. At the center of the complex they’d also set up a shade generator, a mid level magical artifact meant to allow vampires to fight in day (balanced in the game by restricting their movement to a set zone and creating a weak point that must be guarded) and the entire complex was built beneath a thick section of tree cover. Each and every vampire also had a personal parasol for protection, either carried, strapped to their backs or planted in the ground while they stood guard, musket at the ready.

All of this had been set up by Arthanar, who insisted that you could never be too over prepared. Normally Kaldorna found all this a touch paranoid, but with the uncertainty surrounding resurrection, coupled with the vampire’s inability to add new fully fledged vampires to their ranks now that Sun220 was missing, she now saw the virtue in being over prepared for the worst.

The only ones braving the land beyond the tent city where parasol carrying vampyric thralls who were ensuring their masters’ Dark Unicorn Steeds where watered and grazed properly, or managing the boisterous skink hounds the vampires had brought along as hunting dogs. Unlike the vampires the thralls where replaceable, or they would be once the Chateau gained enemies that could be turned, an eventually Kaldorna expected would come in due time.

War with yet to be made foes was a concern for a later time however, for now the issue was, of course, feeding the collection, something that Zouyu was being exceptionally helpful with. Kaldorna smiled at the young gardener as he approached her riding a strange reptilian bovine. She’d been a touch dubious in regard to how useful he’d actually be to the hunt, though her good manners had ensured she’d never made this known to him, but it turned out that having a diurnal person to run around while the vampires slept was exceptionally useful. The fact that he’d turned up something other than the rather unsavory goats was definitely credit to his name.

”That’s wonderful news Darling” she called back in reply to his shouting about his mount being tasty. As the were tiger and his steed came closer she stood from her chair, picked up a small handheld parasol from where it had been leaning against her chair and then strode forwards to inspect his catch.

The first thing she did was crouch down, lock eyes with the beast and cast ”[Dominate Creature]” upon it. That formality set aside she gave it a quick once over before telling Zouyu that”This is an excellent find Zouyu, I was worried we’d be hunting and eating goats for the rest of our time here. Very docile I take it? Unless you have beast taming levels? Hmmm. It’s practically built to be live stock really,” she paused for a few moments before asking with a teasing tone ”We’re not about to be assailed by angry farmers wielding pitchforks and screaming about cattle rustling are we darling?”

Overlord: Momento Mori

As Kaldorna tried and failed to politely extract herself Light’s hug more and more people had the same idea as Arthanar had, namely to jump in and offer to Gromgard’s proposed goblin infiltration of the little village they had found themselves nearby. Or offer reasons as to why other’s proposed investigations would be the height of foolish.

Fortunately before the discussion could devolve into arguing, bickering or a fight Rodias accepted Mamoru’s proffered hand and stood back up with his authority mostly assured. Kaldorna decided against injecting herself or her opinion into Chuunitrixx’s personal disagreement with their lord so the only direct concern she had was regarding the dissident who had trapped her in a hug. Mainly because it took her till the end of Rodias’ subsequent order giving to let go.

During that torrent of instructions she discovered to her delight that Rodias would be blessing the arena with his presence, and to her dismay that she would not be present to witness his battles with the pen’s many beasts. She would instead be leading the Hunt to ensure that the pens remained fed. A worthy and vital cause, but she still felt upset that she would be missing out on seeing a Sable Lord in action.

”I’ll have my most trusted assistant Agathina prepare both the area and beast pens for your arrival my lord,” she resolutely assured him nonetheless, keeping her internal conflict entirely to herself.

After everyone had received their instructions, Light had been told to stop hugging people and Rodias had departed the former npcs were left to their own devices. Most quickly got together in their own little groups to set off for their missions, quickly leaving Kaldorna, Arthanar and Zouyu (who had inserted himself into their mission) on their own.

“Couly ya give us just a wee moment teh discuss something private like Zouyu?” Arthanar said almost immediately. Kaldorna cocked an eyebrow at this, but went with Arthanar to quietly talk a few steps away from the gardener.

“Ya could leave this hunt business tae me if ya want. It would’nya be a burden ” Arthanar said as soon as they were out of hearing range, immediately beginning to offer to take on the task of securing feed for their beasts on his own. Kaldorna cut him off before he could say any more.

”No No. I could never let you and the others go out into the unknown danger alone like that. You heard what he said, we don’t know if resurrection works here, nor how this new sun will affect us,” she told him. The business of logistics also had to come before had to come before pleasure, as much as she hated to deny her passions.

“No need tae be so worried, we’re a tough bunch” the Hunt’s Captain tried to assure her but Kaldorna countered with, ”and have me both go against our lord’s wishes and worry myself sick while doing so? No. We will go face the new and strange dawn together,” she told the other vampire as she grasped his shoulder firmly. ”Besides, it’s not like this won't be exciting in its own right. We and our kin are about to ride out into a whole new world! Who knows what wonders we’ll discover? We'll be the chatux’s pioneers as we travel further and faster than any of the others.”

“Aye won’t that be something” Arthanar replied with a grin, before thinking for a moment and correcting her slightly by pointing out that, “That'd be us, our kin and our gardener friend over there o course.“

”Oh Right, of course.” she replied, a touch embarrassed about having almost forgotten about Zouyu while they talked. Without saying a word more the two put aside anything else they might have wished to speak off and rejoined the gardener before things got too awkward.

”Ever so sorry about that little delay Zouyu darling,” Kaldorna apologies as she strode up, before asking him: ”Will you be needing to collect anything before we set off or are you all set and ready to go?”

Overlord: Momento Mori

i'm aiming to have something up in a bit. sorry bout the delay

World of Light

The Koopa Troop

wordcount: 1,257(+3)
Bowser: Level 5 EXP: /////////////////////////////////////////////////// (54/50)
Stress: 45/100
Bowser Jr: Level 4 EXP: ////////////////////////////////////// (25/40)
Stress: 110/100
Kamek: Level 4 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////// (31/40)
Stress: 85/100
Location: Ancestral Farmstead, the Land of Adventure

Working together Bowser, the Centurion and Mimikyu assailed the Thing from Beyond the Stars. Held in place by the tiny mouse mimicker and having shown little inclination to dodge before then it was a target ripe for receiving Bowser fatherly vengeance. Claws slashed, grabbed and shredded the thing’s horrid flesh even as it unleashed its mind blasting power against its attackers. The two warriors soldiered through the stress and continued to hack and slash until all at once a threshold was reached the Thing’s defenses suddenly broke.

The body began rapidly decaying as the power within abandoned flesh to gather itself together for one final act. Bowser backed away hurriedly as green energy pooled together, the king worrying that it might be about to explode, but instead it blasted upwards, fleeing from its ruined body and returning to the stars above.

With the passing of the Thing from Beyond the Stars the hilltop was returned back down to the land of adventure from whatever unnatural place it had been ripped into for a few brief moments. Yet despite the madding threat’s removal its minions had only increased in strength, variety and number while the king had been focused on the Thing.

Kamek’s dry bones, who had been stuck in a deadlock against the farmhands, began to be overwhelmed as the newly arrived foremen arrived to bolster the rabble. Hiding behind their minions they lashed out at Kemek with their whips that sailed over the heads of both the farmhands and the slowly contracting circle of skeletal minions. Only aid from Linkle prevented them from being completely overwhelmed.

”Gah!” the mage cried out in pain as the tip of a lash struck him in the back as he shielded the slowly recovering Jr from harm. The mage wiped his wand around and yelled ”Buzz off you flea bitten farmboys!” at the offending forman, while blindly blasting a fireball back over the front-lines of their battle in retaliation.

Once again it was Mimikyue came to the aid of the beleaguered Koopas after it was sure the king and centurion had the Thing firmly pinned down in melee combat. The small spirit scooting around and between the legs of the dry bones and farmhands to join the Koopas while also dodging the shots and explosives that Linkle was indiscriminately raining down upon the undead friend and foe alike.

“Kyu Kyu!” they squeaked as they placed themselves opposite Kamek at jr’s side and began lashing out with its long claws at the closest farmhands, somewhat ineffective scratching at their faces with their lengthy limbs.

Kamek was happy both to have someone else at jr’s side and that the boy had found such a useful and loyal minion but quickly realised that they could apply themselves better. ”Good work cutie, but hit the ones skulking at the back with the whip instead, they’re the most dangerous,” he instructed it. Kamek was convinced that if they could destroy the newly arrived minion commanders they could break the back of the Thing’s remaining forces, and as a result prioritized them over the scarecrows even if he was quite certain he couldn;t take much more of their mind mangling screeches.

Mimikyu hearing this turned to look up at the mage for a moment tilting its head to the side a little as if thinking whether to obey this instruction.

When Kamek added ”It’s the best way to keep our young master safe,” the creature nodded and set to work. Its claws sunk into its now singular moonlit shadow, which raced out and under the melee before popping up behind a foerman like an assassin to strike it in the back with a dark claw. The spectral strike seemed to ignore the protection offered by the foreman’s petrified form, leaving great gashes in its back before the shadow snuck away to strike another foreman. Even with Mimikyu’s harassment sowing havoc among the enemy's minion commanders Kamek still feared that they might be over run. The circle grew ever smaller as the dry bone’s dry bones attacks were riposte by the empowered farmhands or they had their bones melted away by their blighted seeds. This fear ended when Bowser finished wailing on the Thing from beyond the stars.

With central threat torn to shreds and reduced to a pulp (which oddly had remained behind even as the thing both seemed to flee and be spritified simultaneously), Bowser turned his focus to take out the trash. Great waves of flames spewed from his swollen and injured mouth (quickly and painfully cauterizing some of the wounds inflicted by the Brachydios’ beat down in the process) and washed over the masses of crystalline undead assailing the squad from every side. While the crystal components of their foes where relatively resistant to fire the same could not be said for any cloth, wood and most especially hay making up their constitution. Thus as Bowser stomped around burninating the countryside he left swaths of their foes at worst incinerated and at best merely left actively on fire. Any who survived or looked like they might recover received a hammer to the face as Mallet and Sledge rode on their lord’s shoulders, throwing their namesakes at any monstrosities that needed a bit more work to put down or attempted to assailed Bowser from behind or the sides.

Bowser’s third striker was not part of that battle however and had instead, with the help of mallet, Heel the Rabbid Supporter team jumped over the monster’s assailing Kamek, Mimikyu and Jr’s position, landing among them to provide faster healing for Bowser’s wounded son.

With a pulse of healing energy from Heel’s medical backpack Jr’s physical form, kept intact by Kamek’s care and the steady stream of healing provided by the vitality potion, was restored to near working condition. Yet his mind was still a wreck. The Thing’s last return to the stars had broken something in his heart and soul and so even as his physical form was restored he couldn't help but feel like the situation was [Hopeless].

He sat up slowly and looked around, ignoring Kamek’s fussing as he took in what he had missed. The thing was dead, which was good, and his father was here, which was also good. On the other hand Bowser had clearly taken a beating, they were surrounded by even more rock zombies and they still had to deal with their actual target that was busy blowing up their allies some distance away. Jr sighed dejectedly as his mind focused much more on how things were going poorly instead of the bits that were going well.

He broke out of his listless gazing at the events unfolding when Mimikyu hopped onto his knee.

“Mimi?” they intoned with concern before cutely bopping its soft cotton filled head against the boy’s belly.

”Young Master? Young Master? Are you alright? Do you need more healing?” Kamek asked, and had been asking since jr came too.

”What? No. I’m fine” he muttered even though he wasn't entirely back up to snuff, pushing away Kemek’s hand as the mage tried to hand him some of the green herbs. Heel’s timer had already run out at this point (the Rabbid had healed all he could and even chucked a few bombs around before poofing back out of existence) and jr didn’t see the point of wasting what little healing items they had left on himself, useless as he currently was.

”Then are you able to fight? We could really, gah” Kamek was interrupted by the lash of a whip before finishing that ”Use your help.”

Jr took a look around for a few moments and then asked ”How? All my stuff’s over there,” before pointing at his clown car, which was in the process of slowly drifting away into the sky again after it had been relieved of its pilot.

”I.. Well. your minion sire!” Kamek urged the boy in while blasting a farmhand with his magic wand.

”Fine. Sure,” jr replied, unconvinced that they could be of any help. Yet with the halfhearted call of, ”Minions get out here.” he summoned his swarm off Koopas and Goombas into the perimeter anyway, suddenly packing it full of bodies.

”Go fight or something.” jr instructed vaguely while he gradually got to his feet while Mimikyu reclaimed their now by now familiar spot on his shoulder. The minions not immediately under attack glanced at one another before one of the goombas hesitantly asked “eey boss, you alright? Ya sound a bit down.”

”Meh” jr responded unhelpful and noncommittally.

“So uh. How we playing this? What formation we doing?”

”Don’t care.”

“uhhhh”

”Join the fight! Push back the rabble, link up with our allies and make sure you destroy the bodies of the zombies because they turn into bombs if you don’t,” Kamek commanded the squad in Jr’s place, spurring them into action.

“On it!” the minion army responded, before throwing themselves into the fray alongside the depleted dry bone forces, punching, kicking headputting and generally attempting to overwhelm the farm hands before stomping their remains into oblivion. They were a lot better at the second part than the first, due to being individually smaller and weaker than the farmhands, but the difference in height between the undead humans and Bowser’s minions made it easy for their allies to shoot or strike over their heads in order to help out the swarm who could then deal with the remains.

”We’re going to win this.” Kamek quietly assured jr with a clap on his Mimikyu less shoulder as he started blasting farm hands with clusters of colorful shapes shot from his magic wand.

”Like we always do,” Jr muttered sarcastically as he advanced after the minion horde, unarmed and disinclined to get stuck into the melee, Mimikyu riding his shoulder and continuing their shadow sneak attacks on the foremen.

Overlord: Momento Mori

various suggestions for sources of pre sentience interaction/relationships:

the guilds description mentions that there was a fair bit of rp going on which could have involved the npc's creators using them as chars in one of stores or entire campaigns or ongoing narratives that could have been incorporated into their memories.

You also have the various npc/item descriptions
their own descriptions could sate that 2 npcs are friends, lovers, rivals, siblings etc
the descriptions of their environments/floors could include flavor text mentioning meetings ("graft regularly holds meetings with the other guardians in this board room" or "The lawful denizens of the chateaux often come here to pray with Aurora")
The descriptions of mobs ("After Kaldorna began assisting Gromgard with the training of these goblin wolf riders only 30% of the goblin trainees where eaten by their mounts" or "after repeated thefts of her precious tombs Kath commissioned Ashara to scatter these book shaped mimics in her library")
weapons and items could be gifts or collaborative projects.

World of Light

The Koopa Troop

wordcount: 1,160(+2)
Bowser: Level 5 EXP: /////////////////////////////////////////////////// (51/50)
Stress: 20/100
Bowser Jr: Level 4 EXP: ////////////////////////////////////// (22/40)
Stress: 85/100
Kamek: Level 4 EXP: //////////////////////////////////////// (28/40)
Stress: 60/100
Location: Ancestral Farmstead, the Land of Adventure

Splinters bit into the boys flesh as they forced their way between his scales. Before him the ax head to which the disintegrating handle has been attached barely pierced the skin of their eldritch foe. As jr came to fully realized his predicament, namely far too close to a thing he had barely harmed with that finishing move, and grappled down for the controls the blade shrunk back to its normal size and fell down to the ground with a weak thud.

Others came in on the attack, each and every one of their strikes being dampened by the same horrible energy barrier. Yet they were doing it. Together they were wearing down the beast as more and more of the party got a hold of their senses and join the frey, eager to put down the thing messing with their minds as quickly as possible even as they risked their sanity to do so.

As jr grappled at the controls of his machine with injured hands the time came again like clockwork for the beast to wrack their minds with its horrible lightning. Jr clenched his eyes shut as he saw it build, felt the burning of his scales and in his veins. As the assault passed by Jr realized it wasn't quite as bad as it had been last time when he had been airborne but he didn't have time to dwell on this fact as the moment he opened his eyes again the scything arc of the Thing’s Vorpal Strike clipped past two of the others and then struck him in the chest.

The small boy was launched by the strike, his body striking the edge of his car as he left it and was sent tumbling to the dirt. Half blinded by the maddening light and pulsing of pain through his body Jr watched helplessly as the thing ready to finish the job, only for Poppi to throw herself at the monster like an avenging angel.

”Y...ng M..te.! C.. Y.u .ov.?”| someone tried to speak but him, but Jr’s ears were ringing to loud and his head thumping with too much pain to understand what was being said. A hand grabbed the collar of his shell and began to drag him backwards and away from the creature as it battled Poppi. For a moment there was hope as the mechanical maid wrought devastation upon the Thing from beyond the Stars with fists and missiles. Then it hit her even harder than it had him, sending the metallic warrior flying away to crash into a building, and Jr’s mind edged one step closer to breaking.

As he stared helplessly at where Poppi had been something small and yellow entered his narrowed cone of vision. Mimikyu, having landed far more gently than jr after the boy had been ripped away from beneath the Pokemon, approached the Thing and glared at it angrily. It was an absurd image, jr thought, the tiny poorly made Pikachu doll staring down an invincible monstrosity that could shatter minds and bodies alike with ease.

“Mi-mi-kyu-YU!”

As the light shifted and the world around them fell away Mimikyu raised up their long spectral limbs, but instead of lashing out at the they drove them down into the ground. For a moment it seemed like nothing happened, not even the ground was harmed as meters of black limb vanished into the ground. Then the circular surrounding shadow that the tiny creature cast from the light of the all encompassing green void split into dozens of individual shadows that grew longer and longer, racing towards and then under the thing. Shadowy tendrils suddenly lashed out from half a dozen large shadowy apparitions, reminiscent not of the mimicry of the popular mascot but the shapeless formless maddening thing that dwells beneath, rose up behind the eldritch horror to attack it.

(Mimikyue used Shadow Sneak!)

The specters’ long arms grabbed the thing, wrapping themselves around it like boa constrictors, endeavoring to crush the life from the thing that had dared harm their master. In doing so they also tried to hold it back so it could not seek to chase after Kamek as he dragged jr away from the Thing.

The wizard had flow down to the prince's side the moment he had recovered from the return to the stars and seen what the thing had wrought. Then once he realized jr was in no fit state to protect himself or even respond he tried to get him clear. Kamek’s doubles had vanished the moment he revealed himself as the true Kamek by grabbing jr and so his firepower was diminished as he blasted the farmhands in his way with his wand.

”Rise rise bones and skulls, give us a few just a few lulls!” Kamek chanted once he had blasted a moment of breathing room. The Dry bones rose from the ground and began a delaying action against the farmers, neither side capable of downing the other. Farmhands would strike down the skeletal minions clawing at their bodies, then take a Pause from Labor to recover, only for the Dry Bones to rise back up and begin the cycle all over again.


While the skeletons created a lull in the fighting around him Kamek reached into his robe and grasped one of the vials of Bloodwort tonic he had acquired from the dead zone.

Young master. Jr. drink this. please. his instructed Bowser jr, his words shaky and fraught with worry as he unstopped the vial and press it to the boy’s lips. Mercifully the Jr began to drink the fluid after only a bit more prompting, beginning a slow healing process. The process of imbibing the tonic was hampered somewhat both by Kamek’s unsteady hands and the way the earth was shaking.

”WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BOY!” roared the source of the tremors. Bowser plowed through the hordes of farmhands as he raced towards the creature that had dared to harm his precious son. He’d come to his senses just in time to see the blow strike Jr, the boy having been one of the first things he looked for as he tried to regain his bearings. His face was a bruise, scorched, bleeding mess, his hand where pockmarked with scores where the explosives had lacerated them and he was vaguely aware that they were now probably trapped in another dimension, but none of this mattered to the father as he had immediately abandoned the battle with the Brachydios that had sullied his pride and instead rushed to his son’s aid.

He thundered past Kamek, Jr and Mimikyu, crushing several of the battling farmers and dry bones in the process. Then as he got in close he lashed out at the Thing from Beyond the Stars, the orange energy blades of the Mecha-Mit driving towards the thing to stab, grab, rip and tear it asunder so that it could never hurt his son again.

Overlord: Momento Mori

It was not long before most of those summoned had arrived atop the chateau. All of them, Kaldorna assumed, were just as eager as her to be in the presence of one of their masters. She knew few personally or even professionally, but she did know quite a lot about how they fought. She bit her lip and smiled a little at the memories of the battles in the arena, where the members of Bandersnatch would test themselves and their creations against captured beasts, foes and each other. Even the memories of the spectacles she had witnessed where enough to make her languid undead heart beat a touch faster.

The vampiress was shaken from her nostalgia when Rodias dismounted his throne and approached a table before produced a quill, parchment and beast blood which would end up being used for a spot of cartography. Kaldorna very much approved of use of monster blood. It casually demonstrated the power of the creator with the style and class befitting a Vampire Lord.

The table set and his subordinates having joined him at it Rodias began to lay out the situation. This mainly consisted of dropping several bombshells in rapid succession.

First was the fact that they where no longer in YGGDRASIL which certainly explained where the forest had gone. Naly nowhere it was they who had vanished, only to appear somewhere entirely new.

”Great lords” Kaldorna quietly exclaimed, awed and more than a little excited by this news. What glorious marvels, thrilling dangers and strange peoples where out there, she wondered, just waiting to be discovered.

Kaldorna’s mood was then brought crashing down moments later by the second bombshell, which was that Rodias was the only Sable Lord still with them, the others had been left behind.

Kaldorna gasped at the news while Arthanar, who had been standing silently at her side looked as if he wanted to decry Rodia’s claim as a lie or falsehood, but Rodias didn't give them time to process this and rammed straight onto practical affairs. Talk of humans, their town and what to do about them passed her by mostly, baring some nodding in agreement when Rodias made mention to the beast pen’s unending need for more meat. Sun200’s precious collection needed to be fed, but what was a collection without its collector?

Who would bring them more monsters. Should more even be brought? Would adding new creatures from this place that was not YGGDRASIL despoil the collection by rendering it impure? Or would Sun200 desire that they continue the hunt in their absence, to add the beasts of this new place to the menagerie. And if so…

Kaldorna glanced at Arthanar’s deeply troubled expression and knew they both thought the same thing.

With Sun200 gone who would lead the hunt? Without Sun200’s driving will they both suddenly felt lost, adrift in an endless unknown sea without purpose or direction.

And then Rodias knelt before them all, promising to lead them all to happiness. It made Kaldorna’s dead heart beat faster than it ever had before, even when she had been alive oh so long ago.

Whether it was a shrewd manipulation, an act of impulsive foolishness or a genuine heartfelt expression Kaldorna did not stop to consider, nor would she have cared if she had. The last Sable Lord, their creator, who wielded unimaginable power and was entirely within their right to demand the reverence a god deserved, knelt before them and asked for permission to lead them.

And in Kaldorna’s eyes it was the most beautiful thing she had seen. A single tear ran down her ancient face.

”After such a touching spectacle how could we refuse.” she said, adding her affirmation to the chorus as she wiped the tear away ”The scions of of Sun200 and their great collection are both in your care and at your disposal my lord. We will face this new dawn at your side, whatever it brings.”

She bowed once more before him, as did Arthanar. The Hunt’s Captain wasn't nearly as convinced as the beast mistress, but he could clearly see which way the wind was blowing.

As they rose the general Gromgard offered to send his goblins to scout the village. Kaldorna was a touch displeased to be pulled out of the wondrous and historical moment by such practical concerns but Arthanar was more than ready to start jockeying for position and status even if he wasn't nearly as emotionally invested in this new state of affairs as some of the others where.

“My hunters are already saddled up and ready to head out at yer command my lord. They’ll find out what this place is all a’boot quick as you like.” he said, trying to one up Gromgard’s offer.

World of Light

The Koopa Troop

wordcount: 1,104 (+2)
Bowser: Level 5 EXP: /////////////////////////////////////////////////// (49/50)
Stress: 0/100
Bowser Jr: Level 4 EXP: ////////////////////////////////////// (2040)
Stress: 25/100
Kamek: Level 4 EXP: //////////////////////////////////////// (26/40)
Stress: 25/100
Location: Ancestral Farmstead, the Land of Adventure

Bowser’s rash action immediately bit him in the ass as the monster dodged away from his butt stomp. Instead of crushing their foe he instead found himself planted in the dirt like some oversized scaly potato. One that was about to become a punching bag.

”OH CR...” Bowser began to say as he realized his predicament, but was cut off by a slime coated right hook hammering directly into his face, impacting with both a splat and a crunch.

Bowser watched in slow motion as one of his teeth fly through the air before it struck a left hook from the beast. ”...UD” Bowser finished before being struck again. He didn't even see the third attack as the monster headbutted him in the face with enough force to free him from the hole and send him sprawling backwards till he fell onto his back.

Bowser face was left a battered bloody slime drenched mess and his head was spinning but the monster backed off instead of moving in to take advantage of his stunned state. Bowser could not think as to why, he couldn't think of much at all with how his head was pounding and face was bleeding, and was instead simply relieved that the beating was over.

He sat up and then shook his head violently to try and clear both the minor concussion and to try and shake off the goop. It was sticky stuff however and much of it refused to budge.

”UGGGG. THIS IS DISGUSTING” he complained as he tried to scrape it off with his hands, amassing a load of the gradually reddening goo on his claws before shaking them off, splattering the slime around himself.

The king was not left alone to feel miserable however, as the calcified farmers attempted to strike the one who had dared to bypass their gauntlet of farming implements. Unfortunately said farming implements where of little use against the massive armored reptile, clanging off his shell and scales. They inflicted little noticeable harm or at least nothing comparable to the beating Bowser had just received. Instead of harming him one unfortunate farmhand found themselves grabbed by a large claw and used as a face towel, with Bowser using the ragged cloth on the farmhand’s back to wipe away a lot of the rest of the goop before tossing them aside.

Now that it was more visible it could be seen that the king's face was a mess of bruises, swellings, broken scales, chipped teeth, blood and a few spots of slime now indistinguishable from that blood. It was also twisted into a mask of vengeful rage.

Long orange blades extended from bowers right hand as the mecha mit fired up and mechanical arms ending boxing gloves deployed from his hat as Bowser activated his weapons.

”I’M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!” he growled at the Brachydios before taking one step towards it. And then the goo exploded.

---

Meanwhile Jr and Kamek had far better luck with their fist strike. Or so they thought. Fire and death engulf the thing that had not even tried to avoid their attack as if the idea that things born beneath the stars could ever harm it didn’t even ross its mind. Yet as the smoke cleared and they could see it remained standing it seemed like maybe it had every right to be unconcerned by their attacks. The Koopas’ allies didn’t let this phase them however and instead bravely raced in to attack, Linkle and Peach peppering it with bolts and pellets while the centurion got in close and personal with his sword.

The legionary got a face full of crystal for his efforts but through their combined efforts, it seemed like the battle might actually almost be over, as to Jr it seemed like the thing was both badly wounded and unable to deal with so many of them at once. Then everything changed as lightning surged from its body and lanced out to strike their ground based allies. Kamek and Jr momentary thought themselves safe as they so often where in the sky, but then the lighting arched upwards, racing towards the stars above and zapping the wizard and prince quite a bit harder than it had those below.

It didn't actually damage them, the fact that Kamek’s clones where still about proved that, but it was terrifying to experience nonetheless, though Mimikyu once again remained unaffected. It had yet to occur to either of them to think about why this was. As Jr and Kamek felt their hearts racing in their chests and their confidence frey things got worse for those blow. Mainly for Torra, as the hamster and his robo companion had gotten bogged down in the farmhands. Still they managed to take a few down as they fought on until one of the bodies of the slain farmhands finished compacting into itself and exploded, doing more than just physical damage as the Tora proceeded to freak out about the light it emitted upon detonating.

Kamek watched this from above and quickly assess the threat the corpses of their foes presented. He also noted that the ones that had been blasted earlier by Poppi did not detonate, their conversion from corpse to bomb interrupted seemingly halted by damage.

”Destroy the bodies before they explode!” he called out before blasting the aberration spawned by the Thing as it had used return to the stars using his wand, causing 5 sets of colored shapes to bombard the crystal.

As he did this Rora’s run of foul luck continued as he managed to escape from the horde, which seemed happy to mostly act as a wall standing between the two groups for the moment, only to run right into the waiting maw of the Thing From Beyond The Stars. Like a leech it gripped onto tora with a disgusting anemone like tongue that was thick as a tree trunk. It was horrible, it probably hurt like hell and it also meant the arbitration was stuck in place was it tried to devour Tora.

”Kamek! We’re ending this!” Jr shouted as he pulled one of the fire axes, which he had taken from his father’s car’s loot boot once it was clear no one else would, from his clown car’s hammer space compartment and brandished it.

”I’ll take its head, so make this big enough!” he commanded as he flew to a spot above the thing.

Kamke nodded and directed his wand towards the axe as he chanted:

”Look out wretched thing,
as pain this spell will bring.
For the prince's justice,
surely won’t be bloodless.”

Jr slammed the car into a rapid descent while Mimikyu clung to him with their tentacle arms and swung the axe as Kamke’s magic took hold, causing it to increase in size from large to almost comically oversized in his hands. When it hit Jr was more following its decent than they were swinging. The large metal blade struck hard, but as the handle splintered and shattered in Jr’s hand it was clear that something has changed, for the monsters flesh was now bolstered by a new kind of strange otherworldly light.

The battle, Jr suddenly realized as he put himself right in the line of fire with his supposed finishing move, was in fact far from over.