Chapter 1 [Group 2] - "Glass Canons and High Cliffs"

Mrs. Norris - You are having a bit of a hard time pinning down another smell. Whatever the turtle had smelled good, and it's stuck in your nose. Between that, the smell of the storm, and the sea, it's really hard to catch anything for a moment.

But after a few more steps into the forest, you do catch the scent of something further in. You can't quite pinpoint it yet, but there's just a hint of something tasty quite a distance from you.

Maybe chancing asking the turtle might work better.

You still can't quite get a bead on the scent, but you have a general 'head eastish' bearing, and begin to sneak around as much as a cat-turned-metal dog can. You make a bit of headway, at this point losing sight of where you were brought to this world, and the smell is getting stronger.

However, that's interrupted by you hearing something rustling in the treeline. Ducking for cover, you manage to narrowly avoid being in the open when you begin to hear high-pitched noises that translate to you as speech.

"Why stop?"

"Saw thing! Shiny thing!"

"Food? So hungry..."

"No, SHINY thing. Not food. Moving thing. Maybe mind trick again?"

"Maybe we eat minded one, then get smarts!"

There's a bunch of chittering you can only assume is laughter from these creatures.

"Keep forward! Maybe new things to eat at cliff!"

"Yes! Get them!"

You hear the few rustling things start to hop from tree to tree. They are high up, and fast, you can't really get a bead on them.

The Koopa blinks a couple times, hands still on his head, but panic receding as Ryota's words permeate his head-meat. For one thing, yeah he could certainly be right about a portal under the water. If it acted anything like Bowser's did, it would make a whirlpool or even a big bathtub drain.

Though in his current state, Bowser's more fixed on what this means for Peach, and latches onto the last things Ryota says. "Water?" He turns on his heel and tromps toward the cliff's edge, peering over it to the water below. At the very least, it's worth checking if there's water or land directly below this cliff overhang. The turtle doesn't appear to be nervous about standing this close to the edge, whether that's brave or foolhardy.

He scans the water, not sure if he's actually expecting to see a princess fish down there. Then he turns back toward the Carvanha. "Hey!" He tromps back over, standing over the fish on the ground. "There's water over there, y'know! You want me to huck you back in?" Aw, look at that, he's thinking about someone other than himself (and Peach).

His brow furrows. "I mean, I know you're new to this whole being-a-fish thing but I'm pretty sure they're supposed to not be on land."

Ryota glances over at the water, then back up at Bowser. He looks like he's considering it. "I dunno...I don't really feel like I'm drying up or not breathing or anything! Maybe I'm one of those fish with lungs or something? Then again it would be nice to see what the currents are like around here..."

However, the cry of "birds!" interrupts his thoughts.

"Birds? How big are they?" He snaps his jaws a little, noting how sharp his teeth are. "Um, if there's too many of them, I guess you could try and throw me into the water? That way I can avoid them...unless they're seabirds."

All of you turn to face the tree line, and some of the upper branches begin moving like something's up there. Four rodent creatures jump out, landing on the ground in front of the trees.

"See? I saw shiny thing!"

"Shiny thing no good for eat though!"

"Zappy thing we can't eat either!"

They all hiss angrily.

"Big turtle look strong but lots of eats!"

One of them looks a tad apprehensive about attacking an evolved type like Blastoise.

"Maybe we need Boss..."

"If we get boss he eat most, and there's only two! GET EM!"

The leader moves forward when a shadow appears over that particular rodent. 

"AHH!"

The leader jumps backward as a large vulture lands on the stone ground, nearly flattening the rodent.

"NOOOOOO! You stole food last time! Also ate brother! We getting boss now, he'll get you!"

The four of them scurry back off into the trees as the vulture gives a sultry laugh.

"Oh hello there... tasty morsels. Well at least you, large one. You and the fish. The other two won't be much of a meal for me. Won't you be kind to a nice lady and lay down. I prefer easy prey in my age."

She expands her entire wingspan, and it looks like despite what she said, she's more than willing to fight for her food.

She looks at you all, noting that the steel bug thing is probably too heavy to drop off the side of the cliff while she eats in peace. She flaps a powerful wing and sends a blast of wind at Mrs. Norris!

Gust vs Mrs Norris
AC 2 Wind Special
jcriJNRB1d20
2d6+171d20·2d6+17

"They might be really big, I dunno!" says Ryota. "Or there might be way too many of them for us to handle!" However, he pauses when what comes out are actually a bunch of rodents. Despite them chattering to each other, it seems like they're not that much of a threat, and might even be intimidated enough by Bowser to just back off. Before he can ascertain further what to do, the cry of "bird" turns out to be true after all. He wonders briefly what the "boss" of these rodents looks like, but decides to focus on what they're facing right now.

"Sorry!" he calls. "But I don't want to die!" He snaps his teeth again, and this time gets a different feeling from it. Bouncing forwards, he lunges forward to try and clamp his teeth into the Mandibuzz's wing.

Bite vs Mandibuzz
AC 2 Dark Physical
Qe5bXFeJ1d20
2d8+251d20·2d8+25

Norris sees her opportunity! The fish is bitin the bird and keepin it close to the ground, so she barrels towards it at a speed surely unmatchable by any but a cat only to wrap her stubby, useless arms around it and thrust all her weight directly through it! Has never felt such power! Such force! Such lovely noise of giant bird cage-of-rib cracking while filthy flapper screams in shock and agony! Delightful!

OPTlONCZ1d20
1d8+19




1d20·1d8+19

Bowser chuckles inwardly. Nothing like seeing a foe take a salvo of strikes all at once. Reminds him of his Koopa Troop group attacks!

[Vs Attack Evasion: 2]

And just as he expected, she delivers a retort before she strikes back. With her beak, it looks like. The turtle sees it coming for his head, and drops to the ground on his belly, watching the bird's attack fly over his head. He thinks he might have felt it glancing off the top of his shell too.

"You sure about that?"

Thanks to his previous claw attack, the turtle had stepped right in front of the Rotom. Now that he's hunkered down and the bird whiffed overtop him, her beak comes to a stop right in front of the electric ghost.

"I think you're already done."

Norris jump atop big bird and sit to make sure it don't get back up! She communicates the awe which she feels towards the attack which brought it down with a short phrase -

"Good ghost!"

She begins pulling its feathers aside and looking for the bits that smell delicious... until she remembers. Looking up at the turtle, she thinks VERY hard on her intent before, unhesitating, she asks the turtle a burning question.

"Trade snack for bird?"