Lugubrious

World of Light

Fawful

Name: Fawful

Game Origin: Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

Appearance: Fawful is a Beanish hailing from the Beanbean kingdom. He is very short, and is almost always sporting a maniacal, comically toothy grin. He is usually dressed in regal scarlet robes, and wears glasses with a swirling pattern on the outside lenses.

Personality: A genius through and through, Fawful adores creating nefarious gadgets. He prefers to adopt a narcissistic philosophy in his designs, as most of his creations have a striking resemblance to him or are named after him entirely. In fact, this narcissism drives most of his actions, as he likes to paste his likeness on most everything he does. While the mind of this Beanish is no doubt one of the most grand in the Mario universe, this is undermined by his uncontrollable rage. This rage tends to completely quash his common sense, causing him to end up in dangerous situations.

In the rare instance that Fawful is not driven to destroy those that oppose him in a blind fury, he is incredibly crafty and shows a strong sense of creativity in his plans. This creativity is mostly used to make a spectacle of his schemes and actions. Fawful will turn every day occurrences in to speeches of self-appreciations, combat in to a talk show, and his own entrances in to theatrical experiences. This may lead him to reveal his own plans prematurely, which Fawful believes not to matter. After all, what could a fool with knowledge of his plans do against one of the greatest minds to have ever lived?

Background: Disaster was striking the Mushroom Kingdom yet again. Peach’s Castle had been hijacked, with Princess Peach held captive deep inside! On this day, no duo pair of plumbers would come to the rescue. Not directly, at least. Instead, the Koopa King Bowser was punching and slamming his way through castle walls and floors in a furious fervor. This destruction might have been the trademark of a villain, but he wasn't here for the princess or for treasure. He was here to take revenge on the one who had been antagonizing him for the last few days.

A sinister emotion settled upon the Koopa King as he approached the room where Princess Peach was held captive. From inside the room he could hear a familiar squeal, nasally and triumphant in tone. Despite the voices happiness at the way its plans were unfolding, it was undeniable that this character was pure evil. He walked across the crimson carpets, plastered with a familiar spectacled face. Rounding the corner, Bowser was met with an eerie sight.

“I HAVE CHORTLES!”

Inside the room, Fawful cackled in his assumption of victory. Standing next to him was Midbus, a pink armadillo-like beast that the Beanish Mastermind had come to deem as his right-hand man. In front of them was a sinister machine, gargantuan in stature. It consisted of two plaforms components connected by a green tube, pulsating as energy was extracted from one source to another. On the receiving end, a purple rock emblazoned with a star. One could feel the significance and power of such an object: The Dark Star, which when activated could grant anyones wishes. And on the other side, a helpless Princess Peach, held suspended in a giant glass globe. It would seem that Peach's own life energy was being stolen and used to awaken the Dark Star.

“AND I HAVE EXCITEMENT! At last, the Dark Star awakes like a naughty napping baby!”

The Beanish strode to the globe holding Princess Peach, the prize that would awaken his claim to unlimited power. The Dark Star would bestow upon Fawful the power to overthrow and destroy the Mushroom Kingdom. After that, he would move on to the Beanbean Kingdom and then take over the world. Just then, a tyrannical presence would enter the room. Finally, he would realize his fiendish dream and surpass his former leader Cackletta. How proud she would be seeing him now! “Lord Fawful!” His minion Midbus would alert him. Fawful would turn to see Bowser enter the room, and would become quite annoyed with his being there. “A nuisance barge barging in at the critical time for us!”

Bowser threw his head back, guffawing in prideful laughter. “A nuisance barge? Buddy, you’re like a nuisance SUPERTANKER!” It would seem that a fight was about to begin. Midbus huffed, visible puffs of air expelling from his nose. Despite Fawful’s assuredness of his underling, statistics showed that he was no match for Bowser’s brawn. He would have to help in some way to assure the fight would go his way. He pulled out his trusty Ray Gun, aiming it at Midbus’ back. “MIDBUS! POWER UP!”

Just then, from across all that was known, the god-like being known as Galeem shattered the forms of his Master Hands, sending vaporizing waves of light to reset and wipe clean the worlds as we knew them. At this same moment, everything was instantaneously white, and the overwhelming heat erased their very existence.

Specialty: Fawful’s superior intellect leads him to take up the role of a master tactician. While he tends to substitute himself for his underlings in fights, he can certainly hold his own with his Vacuum Helmet and his other creations.

Level: 1

Experience: 0/10

Powers:
Vacuum Helmet: A truly remarkable helmet. It acts as Fawful’s primary mode of transportation, equipped with hover jets. It can also suck up and store anything from physical objects to projectiles to even souls or voices. It can then eject them either for utility or as an attack.

Strengths:
Superior Intellect: Fawful is blessed with a mind that allows him to formulate genius plans and creative tactics.
Gadget Proficiency: Fawful is a mechanical genius, and can easily figure out the function and uses of items of all kinds with just his intuition.
Shopkeep Experience: During item exchanges Fawful can increase or decrease item values using skills he obtained as a shopkeep.

Weaknesses:
Quick Temper: It is not hard to set Fawful off. Angering Fawful could cause him to lose sight of a plan and act delusional
String-bean: Fawful is pitifully weak, even by Beanish standards. This leaves Fawful with little to no defenses. He is especially susceptible to melee type attacks.

Spirits:
--

Kindred Spirits:
Cackletta: Fawful’s leader herself. As Cackletta’s favorite subordinate, Fawful is fiercely loyal to her and her causes.
Midbus: After the defeat of Cackletta, Fawful took her place as the main evildoer of the Mario & Luigi series. Much like Fawful to Cackletta, Midbus is Fawful’s most trusted minion.
Dr. Eggman: I have chortles! Man like evil sandwich full of genius mustard! Fawful likes your faces!

Inventory:
Vacuum Helmet
Ray Gun
Blorb Mushroom – This mushroom causes whoever eats it to expand and take the form of a giant ball, leaving anyone who ingests it incapacitated until the effect wears off.

Heyo got it done :D

@StarInaBox

I see no faults with the sheet. I'll go ahead and say 'accepted', though I do not at the moment have an idea about how to integrate Fawful's arrival. I'll start brainstorming and let you know as soon as possible.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Cold air meant discomfort, and while Elliot didn't like it, he felt it necessary. It kept him from being able to withdraw or concentrate too much on his thoughts. Did he come here intending to confront the Wards like this? He'd wanted to for some time, the urge to unleash his burning resentment for them overpowering at times, but when it came down to it he just seized the most convenient opportunity. Elliot wanted to move on, confident that his breakdown wouldn't change a thing, but he felt positive that someone would confront him. Would whoever came imagine herself blameless? That he was nothing more than an arrogant asshole lashing out without cause? Nobody would flinch from the status quo, their opinions of him surely worsening after this outburst, but if his words sparked enough guilt would they make an effort to put this problem down...?

Evelyn appeared a moment later. She did not look at him straight on, nor he her, which felt right. He should have predicted this outcome; after all, no way delicate Lillian -sure to be hit hard by the revelation that her mindlessness had consequences- or her closest sympathizer would approach him now. Evelyn told him that his actions would not earn him judgment from her, which was a lie, of course. Humans were judgmental by nature; even he, the Margrave, would have harbored strong new conclusions were he in her shoes. Elliot noticed that she seemed to be having a tough time getting her words out. Did they reflect her true thoughts? From what he knew of her, he felt a degree of surprise she didn't come out swinging. If she did, he would have needed to take her on with the full extent of his strength -equal opportunity and all that- though he suspected he would have gained little satisfaction, as her projection would have netted her a relatively easy victory over him despite his stronger form and martial training. Power, after all, meant everything, and some just didn't have it. Regardless of what might have been, he decided to humor Evelyn based on the premise of her coming out here with entreating words.

He allowed a succinct, “Mm,” to slip out when she mentioned a barrier. Yes, he thought. That's true. A barrier did exist. He did close himself off from the others, but was that wall his doing alone? Who built it, brick by brick? They resented him for his behavior, either antisocial or theatrical, and then for his negative reaction to their scorn. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Margrave was the Margrave; he did not change. These girls did not interest him, nor he them; circumstance thrust him, the loner and stranger, into their clique, and such opposites did not attract. They did not and would never understand him, and while he would have been happy enough if they feared what they didn't understand, they had ignored and denigrated it instead. Well, he didn't need to be understood. A crutch for the weak!

However, Evelyn did betray a hint of awareness, whether forced or true. Surely she cannot be connecting the dots, Elliot wondered. That hatred breeds hatred, that despising me forces me away and earns retribution. At least she acknowledged his steadfastness to his duty, tenet of heroism that it was. A few moments of silence trudged by, culminating in a pronouncement from Evelyn that interested him. As ever, he forestalled his gut response only long enough to inject it with his characteristic elegance.

“It is said that the first stage of recovery is admitting one has a problem. If the road is true, not even the smallest step on it is wasted.”

If her statement bore ambiguous honesty, his did as well. Still, it didn't feel like the token responses and efforts he'd received from the others before. Having been desperate for respect for so long, and now, after making clear his feelings, Elliot would not stonewall even an ambiguously honest attempt on her part. It would take more convincing that she trod upon it, but the path to reconciliation was open.

He blinked twice. He'd allowed himself to become mired in thinking again, and Lillian was standing in front of him. Where did she come from? She was crying. Oh boy, here we go.

Her name-calling he took like a champ, but her very next few word left him perplexed, causing his eyebrows to furrow in puzzlement. Bad as I am? The restatement of what the Wards would be doing brooked no argument from him, since as previously asserted, he would be doing whatever his duty required of him. However, what Lillian said next got the gears turning. Knowing you isn't my job, he wanted to say. I'm not nice, not friendly, not an extrovert, not a leader, not some goody two-shoes, and I don't pretend to be, unlike some. We can do our thing without knowing one another just fine. It's everyone else's ignorant self-righteousness and contempt that's the problem.

Something specific about her phrasing stuck with him, though. How long had it been since she joined? A few weeks? From the moment she appeared, happy-go-lucky and seemingly beloved and accepted by everyone, he'd lumped her in completely with the rest. But other than ignoring him from time to time, had she really offended him...?

Either way, she now voiced determination to bring an end to the dismissal. Before Elliot could draw much of a conclusion beyond 'yeah, right' he found himself forcibly embraced. An utterly aghast expression took hold of his features as he froze, motionless, not daring to move. “...Eck.” A noise of distress, released on instinct, caught in his throat. Never had the effervescent spheres, whose myriad eyes beheld all futures, awakened him to a reality such as this. A dozen thoughts shot though his head like particles in an atom collider, running together in a gruesome mess. At length he concluded, if...if this is a farce, it's a strong one. Too strong... Something in the bareness of her words told him they came from the heart. Indeed, of all of them, Lillian struck him as the least inclined toward duplicity. He looked down on her as a simpleton, driven by emotion, nevertheless adored by all, but right now she seemed like a child struggling with the burden of being hated. That didn't feel good. 'All those years' she said. How much did she struggle? Surely not as much as him...?

A different sort of confusion hit Elliot as something in his chest turned over. He swallowed, and in the back of his throat it felt as though a dozen tiny bubbles were popping. What the hell is going on? He couldn't stand this internal pressure; he needed to let it out. Since he didn't know what to say, he let his mouth go by itself. “The first thing to know,” he said, voice thick, ”Is that I'm a failure. I've failed everything I've ever done, everyone I've ever known.”

Elliot coughed, and stared across the street at the menu of some restaurant. He couldn't read it from this distance. Thoughts coming together, he continued, ”So I don't deserve sympathy or pity. And I don't want them. Withstanding all that comes...without cracking, showing weakness, giving a single inch...the Margrave's strength. That's who I became. Who I am! Screwing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth, Elliot awkwardly attempted to squirm out of the hug. Why was he saying this? How could he let them see him like this!? He needed to get away. ”Now I've failed that too. Let me go!” he growled, preparing to make a break for it.

World of Light

@Lugubrious Btw, is it required for Geno to fight the Robo-Engie? I don't imagine it is, but I just want to be sure. I already have a rough plan of what I want him to do (That being - fall into the moat and look for a way into the castle).

@Lmpkio

Not required.

sorry, I fell behind and didn't post this time around. i'll try to be more active.

@Stekkmen

Not a problem.

World of Light

Tora

Level 2 – (2/20) EXP
Location: 1-1, Central Route
Word Count: 633

While none of Tora's new allies save the Lombax whose weapon he returned appeared to notice him, much less speak to him, the Nopon was in the zone. Though the Hammer Brothers hurled a limitless supply of the weapons they took their name from, those projectiles arced through the air slowly and predictably, allowing Tora to jog around and block them wherever they fell. Mallet after mallet clattered against his shield, leaving small dents but otherwise doing precious little.

After only a few more moments of fighting, the enemy force was all but exhausted, especially after Bowser's ruthless obliteration of the goomba tower once warmed up. His thunderous bellow of victory, a touch premature but not at all unfounded, caused all present to flinch for a moment. Even the Hammer Brothers, sitting pretty on their high ground, appeared to be aware of the dire state of their army, and one's fear prompted him to hurl a hammer Bowser's. When Bowser wound down, Linkle approached him with an idea in mind, and while they prepared to enact it Michael took the opportunity to keep his enemies' heads down. His uzi, less than perfectly accurate at this range and not as effective against their harder shells, nevertheless forced the Hammer Brothers on the defensive. One withdrew into his shell to be grabbed by the other and used as a shield, behind which the remaining koopa could continue throwing his hammers. Michael's work, no doubt a purposeful stratagem, effectively halved the enemy's damage output and brought them close enough that single attack might be able to spell both their ends at once.

Right on cue the King Koopa -having shaken off the hammer to the noggin- scooped up both Linkle and Ratchet, despite his protests, to fastball them at the vulnerable brothers. Where Michael's burst fire let off, the heroine in green picked up the slack, keeping her targets distracted on the defensive until her brother-in-arms could let his Turtle Arrow fly. Though Ratchet's trajectory prevented him from seeing the fruits of his labor, he could definitely hear them; a resounding crack rang out as the Hammer Brothers took the shell straight on. The protector's shell broke, putting him out of commission and in turn making him into a shield projectile to take out the one behind. Together, the two fell from their perch and burst into ash when they hit the ground. Only their spirits remained; the team could not have asked for better.

By that time, the efforts of Tora, the Centurion, and Blazermate had wiped out the stragglers, bringing the battle to its conclusion. The uneven road ahead to part two of the journey to Peach's Castle lay clear, so long as one didn't count the light platforming that would need to be done to get through. At the same time, no foes remained to challenge any fighters interested in backtracking a touch to get to know the Master of Masters a little better, either.

Happy as a clam, Tora replaced his shield to his back and danced around. “Piece of cake, time for a break!” he sang. He sat down where he stood, reached into a pocket, and produced a sausage swaddled in plastic wrap. With undisguised eagerness he pulled off the wrapped and ate the whole thing. “Ah, nothing like tasty sausage after blood get pumping!” He turned his smile on the rest of the group. “Friends were amazing! Hard to imagine any challenge team cannot accomplish!” Despite his optimism, his look turned downcast after another moment, and he fixed his eyes on the castle in the distance. “Still,” he murmured. “Victory without Poppi and Rex-Rex seem hollow. Must find.” His thoughts drifted back to the Master of Masters after a moment, and with some reluctance Tora picked himself up to head back the cloaked man's way.

Results!

Party: @Archmage MC's Blazermate, @DracoLunaris' Bowser, [@Stekkman]'s Centurion, @Stern Algorithm's Din, @Gentlemanvaultboy's Linkle, @thedman's Michael, @LemonZest1337's Ratchet, Tora
Encounter Reward: 2 EXP
Standout Bonus: Bowser, Linkle, Ratchet
Standout Reward: +1 EXP

Tora Level up!
New Power: Grin and Bear It

---

Location: Master of Master's Mushroom

T he Master of Masters recoiled in surprise as the teenager hacked violently, as though struck by sudden, wracking illness. After it quieted, a moment passed in silence, allowing him to get a better grip of Minako's current status. Her eyes, red in hue but unblemished in aspect, contained such weariness and pain, and her health seemed to be in a sorry state. His mischievous tone and sleeve-worn enthusiasm evaporated like the morning dew, needless in a situation like this that demanded tact. “Not today, little lady,” he said after a moment, somewhat glad that she didn't seem to have registered his gravitas-devoid questions before. “Take it easy. You've been through a heck of a lot, more than I know, and I'm sorry to say you're not at peace.”

After weighing his options, he decided to give Minako a succinct explanation. “I'm nobody important, really, but I was able to foresee most stuff that happens. A godlike being called Galeem has wiped physical reality away and created a new world. It took the minds and hearts of those consumed -their Spirits- and made them puppets of their old forms to seal their hearts and blind their minds. I managed to free you, but this world is far from free.” Once again, he reached his hand down to help Minako up. If she could not lift her arm, he could certainly lift her. “For now, though let's worry about you, eh? I have potions for healing and energy that might help you feel better, if you like. And a hammock if you want to lie down.” Should Minako accept his aid, he meant to bring her about to the front of the mushroom, where his makeshift workshop and all its contents lay.

---

Location: Lower Canyon

With little ceremony the trio mopped up their remaining adversaries. Death took good care of those who came to greet him on the ground, while the fume-fueled marksman kept the ranged fighters off his back, with 6 plugging a few rounds into the handful of javelin-chuckers that remained. The few mooks that the Horseman's scythe did not harvest fell prey to Zer0's swordsmanship. With their ranks so thoroughly decimated, the few archers and fighters left over turned tail to flee, albeit without the bolt holes of the kobolds to provide them quick escape. The moment the first goblin started to ascend on the other side of the canyon path, however, he tripped over something that nobody else could see. Before he could so much as yelp, he suddenly exploded, his ashy fragments flying all over as they dissolved.

It was then that the laugh from before could be heard again—or was it three laughs mixed together? One voice seemed high, one low, and one very deep. A rattling noise filtered down from above to the especially perceptive, but no perpetrators showed themselves. Instead, they revealed more bombs.

Perhaps aware of the sights trained upward, the unseen enemy started lobbing two at a time. The mines fell without any precision, some bouncing off the canyon walls without exploding, to land on the floor and wait patiently for any enemies to approach. While they could be handled safely by gunfire, any bullets merely destroyed them without setting them off. Any mines left unattended out of immediate range exhibited a curious phenomenon; they disappeared from sight after a couple seconds, becoming invisible until one wandered close enough to arm their second-and-a-half fuses.

Whatever goblins and bokoblins were allowed to flee invariably ran into more mines, evidently hidden at the canyon's other end. However, each creature got farther than the last, steadily clearing the explosive traps, until the last three or four could enjoy a blast-free exit so long as the gunmen permitted them it.

However, more and more mines fell, quickly becoming too much to deal with. If 6, Zer0, and Death wanted to keep all their limbs, they needed to follow in their fleeing foes' footsteps, and fast. That said, who knew how many mines lay in their path, invisible until nearly trod upon?

---

Location: Sky Over Scrapyard

The wooden rocket blasting off from the middle of the two groups' soon-to-be battlefield drew their attention for a moment, but when it came to choosing between a blur already out of range and a squadron of enemy soldiers, there seemed to be a consensus between Rabbid and robot. Frenzied cries, energy blasts, and bullets filled the air as another furious exchange ensued. Geno, meanwhile, made good his getaway.

Once in the air, he zeroed in on his original destination: Peach's Castle. Its enormous moat posed no problem to him, but even after dealing with the birds in his way, an unsettling feeling came over him as he drew nearer to the classic structure. A doll did not have protective instincts in the way that an animal did, but nevertheless, something cried out to him as he approached the water's edge. His eyes drifted back toward the earth, to where the scrapyard ended and the bridge to the castle began. Two piles of junk rose from either side of the white stone walkway, oversized blocks rising from them and meeting together in the middle to form an arch. Atop that arch, he could spy three shapes: that of a man and two machines. The next instant a red laser sight locked onto Geno, and in unison both turrets opened fire.

Warning! Miniboss Discovered

He found in short order that while weaker, the smaller turret did not miss whatsoever, and while more inaccurate, the larger turret hurt. Even worse, the smaller of the pair backed up its pinpoint-accurate machine gun fire with a volley of homing missiles, closing in on Geno's position even now. Working together, the two turrets made it nigh-impossible to pass through their territory. If he did not dive for cover in the scrapyard or moat immediately, Geno would sustain critical damage before even making it out of the turrets' range.

World of Light

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

I'm a wee bit behind on reading but @Gentlemanvaultboy I'll jimmy something together to pop at the start of your flight and PM it to you

@DracoLunaris

So you're thinking of sending Gentlemanvaultboy Bowser's actions as a response to Linkle's plan, and that he would edit it in and then add Linkle attacking afterward? That would be a handy and helpful way to go about it, since then in my next post I can wrap up the Central Route fight, distribute rewards, and free everyone involved to proceed or return to the Master of Masters.

World of Light

@DracoLunaris @Gentlemanvaultboy I was planning to put an update out in the near future, but your characters are poised to engage in another gambit that required one if not both of you to go again before I do so. Would you want to put out another short post each, collaborate for one, or just have me assume that Bowser agreed to hurl Linkle and that she shot her Turtle Arrows at the Hammer Brothers?

World of Light

I just want to say, thank you Lugs for giving me a chance to play Zer0. I'm having way too much fun with these posts, even if being mobile only makes it a little hard to get a decent length going.

@Old Amsterdam

On the contrary, thank you, and everyone else, for playing in the first place. It's brought a great deal of joy to my heart to see you all enjoying yourselves with this goofy RP.

World of Light

I hope you guys are still accepting because Fawful incoming.

@StarInaBox

Yep, we're open, though not by much.

World of Light

Our Kindred spirits are NPC characters that we will control, right?

@Ninja

Not necessarily. They are Spirits that will be encountered sooner or later. One can be taken in as your second full character if you choose and meet the requirements, but they can also be bonded with, and if you choose to make a Spirit a Striker, it can essentially fight alongside you under your control.

World of Light

Tora

Level 1 - (9/10) EXP
Location: 1-1, Starting Line / Central Route
Word Count: 976

Though the Master of Masters did not go into much detail at the outset, a number of the odd things he did say caused Tora to perk up in fascination. Exactly how did this stranger know of the newcomers already? Why did he use the future tense? And how much did he really know about this world? The Nopon itched to start asking questions, and his new friend Linkle did in fact get a few out after she approached, but before the cloaked one could respond the battle in the area ahead reached a fever pitch. After belting out a few parting words that made Tora wonder if Agoston listened at all, the Centurion hurtled off to join the assault. He even called to Tora in particular as he took off, which struck the oval mechanic with indecision. How could he just leave this clearly important person, who seemed to have the answers that the team so woefully lacked, behind? Yet he could not abandon his new friends. Linkle following suit turned out to be the last straw, and saying, “Sorry mister Master, must help allies. Will be back right after!” he ran after her as fast as his short legs could carry him.

He arrived to the action just as Agoston walloped an impaled koopa with his gauntlet and Ratchet chucked his wrench into the goomba stack. While the struck goomba in question fell out of the tower, dazed by the blow, the one atop it simply jumped up and then landed on the bottom one. The stack, one goomba shorter but otherwise not much worse for wear, loomed over the now-unarmed Lombax, ready to smash him flat. Linkle came to the rescue, vaulting over her comrade and peppering all nearby foes with her bolts. Their tips bounced off koopa shells but pierced goombas with ease, and her wide-ranging assault swept up a great many of the mooks on the left side of the fight.

To the right, meanwhile, the tides appeared to have turned. Though forced on the defensive initially, Bowser's team came out blazing once those the king koopa defended kicked it into gear. Wherever possible Blazermate attempted to use the enemies' own shells against them, and while a portion of the incoming foes merely sidestepped them, her efforts bore more than a little fruit. Michael's bursts of uzi fire, meanwhile, managed to deal a smattering of lethal damage to the approaching waves, with one notable side effect: whenever his rounds his a koopa's shell, they cracked it like an egg, crippling both the target's defense and offense.

Tora watched the battle unfold, nerves afire and full of panic. His role, to protect his allies, was the same as ever, but how would he even approach this fight? Never in his life had he gone into a scrap without Poppi by his side; without her or her channeled ether, he was no Driver at all, just a Nopon with an inert shield. However, as he stood by, he felt a strange feeling coming over him. Warm, comforting, invigorating, it flowed from the red-haired lady as she engaged in a beautiful dance. The masterful spectacle, infused with wonderful magic, made him feel stronger. He didn't exactly understand it, but he wasn't complaining. “Mehmeh? What is nice feeling? Doing of friend Din-Din?” Though his heart still pounded, he felt more at peace, and paradoxically, ready to fight. “Many thanks!” he cried, and the Nopon charged forward.

He ran into the action, grabbing his shield off his back as he did, and with his first action rammed it into a goomba's face. The creature, already wounded by a few of Michael's bullets, fell over dead, and the sight filled Tora with confidence. “Bowser can go on offensive,” he declared proudly. “Leave defense to Tora!” He moved forward again, hunkering down to block goomba charges or incoming koopa shells when needed, until he reached the spot where Ratchet's wrench landed. “Here!” he called, scooping it up with his free wing and tossing it the Lombax's way.

The next instant, a hammer landed smack-dab on Tora's head, cracking a lens in his goggles but otherwise bouncing off near-harmlessly. “Ow, meh!” He turned back around to see two koopas, slightly larger and far more armored, atop a row of floating bricks two levels above the ground. Their eyes shone a more vivid scarlet, and as Tora watched, one pulled another hammer from thin air. “Oh? Helmet turtles look little stronger than others. Not saying much though, meh.” He refocused on a goomba in front of him, staggered as it charged his shield full-force, then bashed it with a sideswipe to send it rolling into the path of the Centurion. If the warrior had by now realized that a jump on one of them could net him extra height, he could use it to get up to the plateau that the remaining koopas stood atop and complete his destruction of the foe's backlines.

The fighting, brief but fierce, appeared to have depleted the enemy force. A good amount of koopas and goombas remained, but not nearly the horde that first assaulted Bowser and his crew. With their minions out of the way, however, the Hammer Brothers began their attack in earnest, tossing hammer after hammer after hammer at the intruders below them.

As he defended, Tora noticed for the first time a great number of little sprites floating around. They drifted about, occasionally making turns, like bugs, but inside the small clouds of rainbow energy Tora could see images of the very goombas and koopas his allies slew, free from the red eyes and burnt body that signified the true enemy's influence. Spirits, Tora remembered, the word uttered by the Master of Masters. These things carried some significance, but until this fight concluded, Tora needed to focus on the job at hand, even if it seemed close to completion.

---

Location: Master of Master's Mushroom

“W-w-wait!” the stranger cried as Tora scrambled off. “I was supposed to blow your mind with the splendor of my knowledge! Don't tell me my wisdom's not worth it to you!?” He watched the Nopon join the battle and heaved a sigh. “Ah, well.”

He held out a hand, and in a burst of golden light a weapon appeared. Walking around the mushroom toward the back, he turned it over in his hands. “Hey, not bad. Guy's a little gearhead.” As he reached the rear of his mushroom, he could hear labored breathing full of malice. He stared into the malevolent crimson eyes of the source, a young woman chained to the oversized fungus by manacles of ice. “Aw, why the long face?” asked he. “Big things are afoot. I don't know if you can hear me, missy, but if this doesn't work, I apologize in advance. 'Course, I'm darn sure it will, but I thought I'd say so anyway, y'know? Heheheh...here goes.”

After stopping in front of her, he couched his brand-new weapon, then drove its point into her heart. The tip did not sink in, catching instead on something before it could pierce her chest, and from the point of impact a radiant, searing light issued. As the cloaked man applied more pressure, it built up steadily, until the char began to melt away. An unnatural cry tore itself from the captive, as much from the wound as her throat. The Master of Masters could not restrain a guttural shout of his own, and with all his strength, he veered the weapon to the side. A wave purest white exploded outward, striking both of them blind.

“Geez louise, what a lightshow!” joked the Master a moment later, picking himself up off the ground where he'd fallen. When his vision cleared, he discovered the young lady before him slumped over against the mushroom, stunned but unbound and free of Galeem's control. He pumped both fists in elation. “Hell yeah, just as planned! Another point for the Master. Ahem.” Holding the weapon behind his back, he leaned down to offer Minako his other hand, as she seemed to be waking up. “Y'alright there? No red eyes, no creepy trance, no urge to kill me? Well I mean, no more than most people's? I really don't wanna fight you again.”

---

Location: Lower Canyon

For a moment it appeared, despite the initiative of 6 and Zer0, that they would be overrun by the unwashed horde. Then the Horseman appeared, hurdling over the boulder that trapped his allies to join the fight. His wicked bladed cleaved through the enemy, gristly flesh and and primitive weapons alike. While his lack of defense forced him to dodge or intercept incoming strikes with his own, these actions slowed him down only marginally, and Death served as an effective front line. Zer0 and 6 put their marksmanship to use, downing stray foes that managed to get past Death and then turning their attention to the ranged fighters above.

With each kill, the dead goblin, kobold, or bokoblin faded away. Bodies and weapons turned to ash as the glares of their eyes went out, but they did leave something behind. Bright little motes of light, shining all the colors of the rainbow, flew from where the corpses fell to meander through the air. If spared a moment, any of the fighters could see the faces of their slain prey contained within.

The Courier's gambit proved to be a turning point in the battle. When he caused the mighty hunk of rock tumbled from high up, he not only removed a ledge from which the enemy might attack but also splattered a platoon of hapless mooks beneath it, scattering their ash and spirits in every direction. Following the boulder's earth-shaking impact, there came a brief moment of silence. Then, with cries of fear, most of the kobolds turned tail. The goblins and bokoblins did not appear so inclined to flee, but the pink-tinged creatures hastened to stuff themselves into the little holes and tunnels that pockmarked the canyon walls, pausing only to make that the candlelights atop their heads would not be snuffed out. Their former allies bore an air of uncertainty, evidently realizing that these intruders were more than they could chew.

Nevertheless, they continued their onslaught. The left-over ranged attackers resumed firing, without a change in tactics, and the melee fighters rushed forward to face Death. With the crowd cleared out, the winding canyon path could be seen, starting to go upward once again as it hooked back toward the right. However, the lack of enemies also allowed the heroes to hear a devious giggle echoing through the fissure. From the very top of the cliff, on the left, side, a spiked ball was thrown over. It dropped like a rock until it smacked into the ground between Zer0 and 6, where it it lay beeping for a second and a half before it exploded.

---

Location: Scrapyard

The sparking, flaming lower half of the robo-heavy teetered over and collapsed as pieces of its torso rolled in all directions. Geno's lucky discover had netted him a definitive victory, but he found himself denied even a moment's respite. His sudden descent moments ago managed to shake his pursuing kargarocs, but the keen-eyed raptors did not stay shook for long. Their shadows slid across the landscape, forcing the possessed toy to hunker down lest he be mobbed where his aerial mobility wouldn't save him.

As he hid, he caught a glimpse of odd, multicolored motes floating around. They darted around like fireflies at dusk, localized around the spots where enemies fell. Within the shimmering prismatic sprites, Geno could see the faces of ziggies, kargarocs, and even the heavy robot. Before he could get a particularly good look, however, the ground began to rumble. From over a nearby heap of metal and mangled machines a sturdy-looking vehicle emerged, chugging its way into the pit stop that was home to the blocks Geno used for cover. It proceeded up a stunt ramp onto higher ground, headed back toward the Ancient Garden. Before it could roll onto the grass, however, two great brutes burst through a wall of junk. One after another, the smashers leaped at the tank and slammed it with their enormous blocks, creating deep dents in the exterior. It continued to soldier onward, but the smashers were far from over. The hammered away in turn, pounding the tank again and again until flames burst from its ruined chassis. With a final 'BWUH' they shoulder-charged the thing, pushing it off the high ground to tumble down into the pit stop, where it came to a rest on its side.

The smashers beat their chests in triumph, their cries echoed by the smaller rabbids whose charge they led. Together the invading squad ran off to fight more robots, narrowly missing Geno in the process. They took cover behind scrap blocks -compressed karts, on closer inspection- in the area just beyond, the scrap-piled raceway. However, both types of robots lay in wait to shoot at them, and a drawn-out firefight ensued. Rather than run through the mayhem, the Smashers waited behind cover, advancing steadily. However, one took a stray shot and, overcome with sudden rage, charged into the open to get at the perpetrator. The machines' fire fixated on it immediately, but each hit enraged the smasher further; after pulverizing the first omnic, he thundered over to a soldier robot and beat it to bits, then made for a group of scout robots while crushing smaller omnics underfoot. He went down a few seconds later, though having taken a number of the enemies with him.

Omnic reinforcements approached from the other end of the pit stop behind Geno, using the side route to flank the troupe of rabbids. At the same time another bunch of ziggies crossed the bridge from Ancient Gardens to the high ground overlooking the pit stop, poised to put a wrench in the flankers' plans. If Geno meant to escape, seconds awaited for him to do so before the factions converged on his location. The kargarocs seemed to have moved on for the moment, a couple headed toward Peach's castle.