See Our OCs' OCs Edition
>What is this?
"The Mystery Dungeons 2e" is a text-based role-playing game created to expand on the setting created by the spinoff series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. This has no story relation to the first quest, and is its own new story. Players still isekai themselves into the world and become Pokémon, going on adventures with their newfound guild mates! SFW ONLY
A deeper explanation of rules, related pages, and whatnot can be found here:
https://rentry.org/tmd2many_rules
>I'd like to participate!
Currently, we're at full capacity as far as threads on /qst/ are concerned. However, there's always the chance that space for another player may grow in the future, or that you simply wish to play outside of /qst/ and the quests hosted here. There are other ways to participate, about which you can learn and do here: https://matrix.to/#/#the-mystery-dungeons-2nd-edition:matrix.org
>Okay, now what?
After you've read up and familiarized yourself with the rules and setting, be sure to hop into the Element: https://matrix.to/#/#the-mystery-dungeons-2nd-edition:matrix.org. Everything that doesn't involve Main Quests occurs here and is helpful for coordination.
Character sheets and the guide to making them can be found here: https://rentry.org/tmd2many_characters
If you feel you might need help, feel free to ask!
Previous threads and summaries can be found here:
https://rentry.org/tmd2many_days
Our LIVE main adventures start on Tuesdays/Saturdays around 6:30PM CST in this thread!
Namefag as your character, with your item and level!
e.g. Sparks, Lv. 56 Pikachu
e.g. Sparks L.56 (Sneak Scarf/Team Shock)
Some time to rest after such a harrowing day as that emergency on Primarina's boardwalk would normally be welcome...unfortunately, time stops for but one mon. A cry of peril, resignation and violence echoes through the whole of Air Continent, and every day it goes unanswered is a day the chaos crawls towards your homes, your friends with incidents snowballing into eachother and more.
Having begun so long ago, uneventful days for your corner of the land are long past. You wake up needing for nothing but recovery and food three da-... a week after the Shelmet/Clan Galena incident, looking outside to find an entire jungle having grown around Baram Town and the last motes of soporific spores finally draining from the square's air. Neither The Subsumed Château nor Well Baked Oddities' productions can stave off the smell of Mold Breaker spores or the sound of rumbling stomachs through streets...there's not much food to cook.
It's been a long week.
Despite that, Cress has seen fit to gather you all to wayfare through the jungle for a long trek Northeast to put an end to it all. Leading the way is that Clefable and Minior duo you'd rescued from a crash landing from space so long ago. It's about time that Spirit of Freedom's "blessing" did something.
They're jovially stuffing mud and silt into their mouths as you're about to cross a jungle that wasn't there a week ago. What are they on about? Are you hungry enough to follow suit? Cress isn't doing that too, is she? How are you feeling, both physically and about everyone's enduring survival? The few townsfolk up and about made sure to dress you with their greatest hopes and goodwill before seeing you off. For the first time in a while, Salamence is stepping away from his healing crew to see you off with Primarina. This would be the first time since yet another incident he's been seen outside his room, too. He offers hugs to everyone in case of the worst and luck for the best. Other faces from town both common and visiting are present, as well. A Hariyama, a Hatterene, a Ludicolo, a Machamp, you name it.
>>6253931>Kaz approaches the Clefable and Minior“Ya know, we had a saying back home about eatin’ dirt. Wasn’t a good one. What are the two a you doin’ shovelin’ that all inta your gobs?”
>Kaz crouches down, picking up a clump of mud inspecting it for anything that may have gleaned the attention of the two other pokemon
>>6253931Wallis' mood looks rather glumpy, like she feels angry but lacks the spare energy for it on the job due to the toll of the last week or so. She's still steaming to make the mood itself clear, at least. Aiming to take the edge off, she shtomps into the liquid earth she's elementally aligned with as the pair of extraterrestrials eat from it. She addresses the Clefable-Minior pair with a mix of reluctance and obligation. The natives are outlandish already to her, so these aliens just compound her confoundment.
"So we've set up a fountain statue thing to deal with home-grown cases of Twilight Syndrome and now we need your input on where the source of this crap comes from. Did you find out where the-"
Wallis huffs and steams for a moment, composing herself in the mud.
"...telepathy... you were hearing when we found you at the meteor came from?"
>The sight of mons chowing down on anything, even if it's a bunch of dirt, makes his stomach twist in pain
>Seems as though the emptiness in his stomach had been here for ages, despite that he puts the ache in his belly aside and turns his eyes towards the visiting mons, and lifts his paw up in a friendly wave as he passes by some familiar faces, finally stopping on the large grassy mon no doubt from the Sashay tribe
"Hope you guys have been doing alright since we last saw ya. We cut it a bit close"
>Is spoken with a relieved sigh, before his mouth curls into a grin
"We might not run into you guys again for a while, hope you'll be able to handle yourself for a bit."
>>6253931For as much use as there is in an undying body, the ease with which Spike could forget that he still breathes, suffers pain, and feels hunger is an isolating condition. The air is thick with hunger, feeding his veins with the liquid malice that animates him.
It didn't ease the pit in his heart as he sees the 'mon gathered to send them off. There are many faces he recognizes, but none he had taken the type to know. Now, they're wishing his team good luck- not him.
Spike closes his eyes and takes a deep, deliberate breath. No, that's not true. There's plenty of names he knows and who know him- and while they're all not here, if the opportunity was there then they'd do the same.
Spike moves through the crowd to look for them.
>Primarina>Salamence>Lilac>Flutter>Gourgeist>Iron and Silver>Form of Ink>Slag
>>6253931Well, this is it. After all these seasons, the Wayfarers head out to face Air Continent's biggest threat. Whatever it actually is.
There's quite a few Pokémon Orner would like to talk to... Hmmm. If she has to give one priority...
"Hey, Sstar!" Wooops, that came out with more volume than intended. It's probably fine if she's among this many 'mon. "Uhh, been a while. Wish it were on better circumsstancess..." The loss still stings, more than the malnourishment. "Guesss the date will have to wait."
>>6253931Matchia's not feeling particularly hungry, but she IS interested in checking out what some of the Pokemon are up to.
...Particularly, she wants to talk with the Hariyama.
>>6253931It's been a couple weeks since Mohka was stabbed in the chest, narrowly missing his heart. That kind of injury takes a while to heal, but unfortunately, it's been rather... eventful, in the interim, so rest has been out the window. The hunger doesn't help, either. Ribbons's wishes do help, but he's still bandaged up. There's a few extra bandages not protecting a wound, but stuffed in between a few of the louder scales, muffling his movements.
"Ah... yall two. Been a minute, hasn't it? Wouldn't happen ta have anymore'a that space rock, would'ja?" He gives about as jovial a greeting as he can muster to the two otherworldly visitors - which isn't much.
>>6253931Espurr has just finished fending off a seagull over a half-eaten piece of hardtack when they note the tall crowned rabbit pspspsing them over to gather with their allies. With nothing better to do, they... do.
That cracker is as good as gone, though. The worst part is they didn't even like it, nor are they as hungry as their allies.
For once, they feel like they're strangely close to something or someone. The fact that they're still hanging around everyone is notable and a little frightening. They had hoped they would have made further progress and gotten stronger before such time has passed, but even so, staying as a group is the tactic most conducive to success. They'd like to believe it's purely pragmatic. It isn't.
They also come to a sudden epiphany. At level 20, they are no longer a Cat, but a Feline. Truly climbing the ranks and moving up in the world. Good job, Espurr.
>Espurr approaches the Hatterene, just to hang around someone familiar.In the meantime, they write a question onto their scroll. With all the townsmons looking at them and their allies, they recognize the look as being some sort of joy.
>|What prompts them to regard us with such easy expressions? What interest do they possess? I find myself struggling to comprehend. The objective remains elusive.|Though, they aren't sure who to show this inquiry to. They'd rather someone come along and read it without them having to search.
>>6253906 (OP)>>6253931Skitty, rather than accept a hug from the boat captain, sticks her tongue out at him defiantly like she expects him to do something. Not on her watch, she thinks, as she incites him directly.
>>6253931>Evan goes up to Primarina"Hey... uh, thanks for housin' us for so long. Shame things're bein' eventful in a bad way, but we'll do our best to find some way to stop all this."
>Wallis, Kaz, Mohka
There’s…nothing special about the mud. At all. Yet Clefable crawnches away with his cheeks full, like a dog speedeating something he’s not supposed before he can be disciplined. His ‘no thoughts’ expression doesn’t shift at all as he sudden explodes into an angry tirade. “Mor’a that space rock? WERE. I. SO. LUCKY. We ran out on our first…erm…” a sensation appears in your mind of waiting. For how long? The word [moon] surfaces in the minds of nearby natives. To ex-humans, it’s [month].
“I was TOLD that my edible home is made of similar THINGS to this landmass. It SHOULD be the CLOSEST thing there is to my DELICIOUS NUTRITIOUS konpeto! And yet. No matter where I sample, IT will NOT taste right!!” He eagerly stuffs a handful of pebbles into his mouth like candy. “Maybe this ROCK will work. The surface texture is righ-NOPE.” Watch-ed Roller sees a slightly more orange handful of pebbles right next to it and takes his shot.
‘Damn.’
The Clefable turns to Wallis, pointing in a direction Cress indicated earlier. “Observing the message-OR RECOGNIZING its contents!!- synchronizes one’s empathy. I do NOT want to be having what that worrywart is having. We WILL show you the way to SHUT. THEM. UP. And in exchange for this MAGNANIMOUS favor you will KILL them AND your god for INCONVENIENCING us so. It ELATES us to have met you in our HOUR of need.”
Watch-ed Roller continues silently. You get an impulse… ‘The risk of synchronization sickness is far too high among this many Pokemon. If you were smart, the hundreds of you would all be alone and out of contact.’
“We digress. Your poor FOOL is…very, very far THAT way. If we are to get there before I develop…” ‘[Psychopathy]’ “ or HEAR that infernal message myself, you will have to cross multiple mystery dungeons to get there. The locals have names for them. Your TALL ASSOCIATE marked them with me?”
Cress is a bit behind all of you, not-really helping the Grimmsnarl carry the Hatterene Monument to the edge of town where you are.
>Matchia
“I had always believed we could get along if we minded our business and did our parts in society well.” The guard for the bathhouse sighs. “No bath or vendor or elder could stop all this. Many of the best fighters in the world couldn’t stop the madness from spreading without…erm…casualties. What do you think it would take…to save every life possible? Do you have that?…Sorry. I shouldn’t fill your head with unnecessary concerns. The baths aren’t as calming without comrades. We’ll do our part in giving you the best lives we can, when you come back.”
> Orner, Espurr
Lovely Starlaid Genius’s claw digs into the ground, bending her entire body like a bow. ‘She called it a date. Score????????’ Her first note, not given to you reads. Having peeked over Espurr’s everything, she writes ‘Mysterious Factor X overrides everything pushing this town towards the twilight syndrome-LSG and her merry band of angels!!! Entire tribes have disbanded or fallen. If the site of your tragic backstory is not even as tragic as theirs (double the wish fulfillment?? :0) and it still inspires you to save them…” she rambles on about story structure and tropes. There was a negative meaning in the beginning there though, that this disease has brought dusk over community as many Pokemon know it. The improbable fact that they’re even good enough to have hope, is reason enough to have it. All those moons ago, when you first arrived as a level 5 cat… did you imagine you would be part of something this big? That it would be possible?
A third note, Starlaid conspicuously tries and fails to hide from you. ‘It had been so long since the heroine besooched the King of Independence, the Spirit of Freedom. But it is so. ‘Tis Lovely Starlaid Genius! She needs you to understand… if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the VOIDS out of this so Orner can do her thing un-meddled.’ There are religious reasons a local wouldn’t think to ask their deity for help. LSG seems to think you can just do this as a matter of fact, though.
>Evan, Spike
“You’re gonna do this…” he pats you both on the back and pulls you in, “-and it’s all just going to be a bad memory. ‘Everything’ is just going to be a bad memory. We stick together, cause we can’t do it alone.” His voice wobbles, and you’re not sure if it’s because of his hunger or emotional charge. So don’t worry about it. Pokemon lift eachother up!” You both have heard his guiding principle before, but now it hits a little different. He desires your help just as much as he needs it…
>Skitty
Salamence rolls his head back, and his eyes. “Leaving my crew’s fate in the claws of a newborn Buneary. Read the room!” A puff of fire billows from the sides of his mouth. “Upstart crewmates, bored sea Cyclizar, you know I’ve seen this routine a thousand times before, right? Why doncha do something with yourself? Whaddaya say we find you a Moon Stone and…I dunno, a training manual or twenty. Maybe that and saving the country well make up for that attitude and someone like me can give you the time ‘a day. Hah!”
If you think about it, that’s basically a reward… if backhanded enough to knock you out in one hit.
>>6254053>Evan hugs back, speaking in a genuine tone he hasn't been using for a while"Soon enough, friend. We'll all be kicking back and having a well deserved vacation and never needing to think about the past season ever again. Take care while we're out, 'kay?"
>>6254053Spike falls into the hug and returns it before stepping back.
"Like Evan said, the hard times are almost through, and you can know they won't last because there's 'mon out there doing something about it," Spike says with a small smile before it shrinks.
"I wish I could do more, but this is all I have- I hope it can get you through a little longer," Spike says as he reaches into his bag and pulls out a Dew Gummi for Primarina.
"'A bit close' is a step and a turn faster than what we're used to. If our clan's treasure is the trade for the safety you gave us-! Then sacrifices, we...must...'ve?" He loses his balance and trips. Then again, when a Lotad scuttles in from behind. "Brook. Brook! You aren't gonna worry about any of that. Cuz you're talking to the Sashay Tribe's first generation of war taps!" She shows off a slightly more battle-appropriate shimmy. "I'm gonna be a fighter! We're gonna collect a whole bunch of moves you'd never expect on a Lombre, and then Clan Marl will be masters of both creation and destruction! The ultimate lover-fighters!"
"Y-you're supposed to be ahead with the rest. This really isn't for the..." He pictureframes her with his hands. "best."
>>6254045While impulsive suggestion is a preferred alternative to telepathic intrusion, Wallis still steps back out of the mud after some relief from her element.
"Cool. Gonna go make the rounds before we head out."
Whether she's being dismissive from being suddenly asked to kill Rayquaza or her typical contempt of natives, she shtomps away to let the spacey pair sift through sediment.
>>6254053Wallis shtomps into hugging range a smidge too late. She folds her arms confidently.
"We'll get your kin up and at 'em, too. We've done it for a town's worth of pokemon at this point, after all. First, though? Kicking the keister of what made you put up bed and board for us. That ought to square all of that away."
Though boastful, it is good reassurance by Wallis standards. She also smirks a little in spite of her sour mood.
"Oh yeah, and feel free to ask for uppies if you need lifting up like how you got up there to sing the day I first met you. I might swing it despite the height difference."
>>6254045Mohka makes a dissatisfied grunt. "Figgers." His dissatisfaction is replaced with curiosity ringed by disgust watching the Clefable eat. "You'd prob'ly want a bit more, uh... iron 'r nickel content, in that case."
His plan for some grub thwarted, Mohka looks back at the crowd behind. "I oughtta, uh... go talk to some others."
And with that, he seeks out a certain Primarina. "Prim! ...How's Driftin' Leaves holdin' out?"
>>6253931>>6254053>oh, right. ish is here. the teams have got to gather after all.>while everyone else has been chatting with the natives, he's been... sketching.last chance to fill out his scrolls with all hte 'mons around here."...Hey Sally, quick question? why a gemstone like moonstone specifically?"
>..."just, feel like any valuable crystal would fit, right?"
>he... doesn't know about evolution stones.
>>6254053"Like I'd want you to gi–"
Waaaait, hold on. "Moon Stone?" She hadn't heard of any... oh. Ohhhhhh, was she like those Eevee things, then, was that what he meant?
Wait, Matchia had told her about this a while ago. It takes her a few seconds to process that she forgot she needs an item to stop being tiny. "FUCK!!"
>>6254069>Brooks eyes widen as the treasure is mentioned"Oh uhh well you see about that....I umm...
>To the foxes relief, a certain blue mon butts in just in time to change the topic! Giving the chief a short nod, he turns his eyes towards the eager mon"Really!? Oh that's awesome! You gotta show me whatcha got when we meet up again and I don't mean another dance...unless you want to!"
>Giving her a playful nudge, his grin returns while he takes a seat"I really wish I could help you with moves, I actually have a lot of trouble with them myself...."
>Memories of past failures with a certain dark punching technique flash by in his mind, while a paw moves up to mareepishly scratch his cheek, while at the same time his other paw digs through his supplies"But there is something I CAN help you with a bit....here I want you to take....this!"
>the zorua retrieves a necklace of blue charms, and quickly puts it around the lilypad mons lilypad."I know how scary it can be when you're just starting out, and this necklace is supposed to keep you safe. Be careful, okay?"
>>6254045“Killin’s serious business. We’ll think about it.”
>Kaz answers the extraterrestrial >Then he points to a far off mountain“Maybe you should check over there. Mountains usually got some better minerals n’ stuff.”
>Conversation seemingly finished as both other Wayfarers have left, Kaz moves to another familiar face, following Mohka>>6254081>Kaz arrives just to hear the end of the question“Yeah, any change in condition?”
>>6254053>|They consistently lead me into peril, without fail. Each twist of tides is fraught with treachery.|Both the Wayfarers and the other random Pokémon they meet all bring with them danger and uncertainty. The cat's paw runs the Dartrix dart across the page, hitching on the next sentence. They hide their question with another question.
>|What compels me so? Will you, too, persist in adhering to their path?|Espurr isn't sure if it's more troubling that they opt to stick with this group at every chance they get, or that they would find it disagreeable if the Wayfarers were to depart for good, without Lovely Starlaid Genius.
>>6254053>>6254469"Woah." That got a big reaction out of Star. Didn't she call it a date first? Looking over the psychic's conversation, girl has a lot of faith in Orner being favored by God. As she should, really. The snake would feel more confident with Espurr around but no pressure.
>>6254045Matchia looks mildly surprised at the question, but returns to her neutral face.
"It's... well. To help everyone... It's something that's probably impossible. Or at least, something that we can do on our own..."
Matchia murmurs, shaking her head.
"And I'd like to say so long as we do our best, that's what matters, but... that's not enough for the ones we failed to save, right? But struggling forward is all we can do, and that's... it has to mean something."
It's not a confident answer, but Matchia seems fairly genuine, even if it seems like she's trying her best to convince herself.
>Cress
"We have very far to move this statue. The closer we get it to where we need to be, the better, but abandoning it will be an option if need be. That will however put a time and range limit on our operation; Magic Powder loses its strength with distance from its source. To get there, we will have to cross...' She draws up a map with a line poining northeast from Baram while the Grimmsnarl glare at her. 'The Dream Delta and Konpeto Kipuka to reach a point this Clefable and I have triangulated the signal to. It's at a mountain with another big mystery dungeon, so...prepare for a marathon."
>Espurr
'Only the brilliance of a once-in-a-generation prodigy could ever hope to understand the thoughts of an angel; there'd be no point in writing them down!! >w=' Not even for the bearer of those thoughts...? 'It's okay. All great minds think alike, so Lovely Starlaid Genius shares in the cat-nay, feline's need to spread the news of their excellence. And, to find cool Pokemon that understand how cool WE are. If that path leads Starlaid away from her angel-flock, so be it...but it'd be the coolest if you followed Lovely on her adventures instead, so do that. Please? uwu'
That just sounds like a literal ego trip, but it could also be read as a bid for companionship (correctly, even if one must ignore Starlaid's intent to think that.).
It's uncommon for a recluse of recluses like Starlaid to assert an idea and be confirmed by another Pokemon. She makes a lot of claims. The Hatterene is also happy enough to beat someone to death.
>Wallis, Kaz, Mohka, Evan
"Ah...I'm still a few days behind on care for her. Fed or not, ya waste away lying in bed all year."
"..."
"But it's gonna be okay. There's nowhere to go from here but up, right? Once the town's all recovered, I can put all my power and energy to bringing back my darling!!" His voice still sounds pretty scratchy from that break-in however long ago. It still has a touch of that electric buzz to it underneath the injury, though.
>Skitty, Ishmael
Salamence sits back. "Yeah, any old rock would suit 'er...I don't think you're too keen on staying a little squirt forever though." He beats his wings a single time to test her perch and presence. "...Nah, you lot would command a lot more respect if you evolved. Look more fetching, too. A moonstone's the way ta go."
>Brook
"D-don't you need all the stuff you can get? You're gonna be in a bunch of danger, ska-ska!!"
"...I'm not giving it back though. I got a keepsake from an adventurer???" She squees and shuffles in place. "Make it back safe. The Lotad you see then will be a distant memory! Y-you won't tell the difference dead! Ska-ska!!"
Goodbyes said, you have a few days of dense wood ahead of you before there's any peril or gains to be had. Thankfully, Clefable's route doesn't take you through any mystery dungeons until you've crossed the whole biome, and vegetation means the odd fruit to munch on every now and then. Mind, that costly dream battle still weighs on your stomachs and max HP, but the road to recovery begins as the ground underfoot gives way from roosts and brush to marshes and peat. The good news is, there's running water to expedite your moving of this huge, heavy statue. The bad news is...well.
Chapter 21: Voices
The Dream Delta is another mystery dungeon. Wetlands abound...
Examination Moderato, Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP1gLrJWA6Q&t
Spontaneously rising and vanishing sand dunes pepper the expanse ahead of you, turning and shifting the paths of water streams in between them. They get pretty tall, so there's a lot of room for water to pool underneath to form strong currents. That's good, because it makes this hatterene statue easier to push. It turns bad if there's anything in there, though...
Watch-ed Roller gives you all a phantom impression of familiarity.
' Even on a bizarre, destitute, far-too-big [planet] like this, there are always mystery dungeons...'
Clefable...emotes for the first time beyond his strange tonality. It's a sigh of relief.
"WHAT luck, though! We have plisms here. And PLENTY, too! Navigating this dungeon should be a STROLL on a satellite!"
It's drizzling faintly. Not enough to be considered raining, but there isn't a break in the overcast skies anywhere nearby. The plants peppering those sand dunes bend in the wind and shifting terrain, looking abnormally vivid and lively for the weather...Hey, if Cress's map is anything to go by, this place should be pretty close to the Shoot Stretches...?
>>6254573>One more level fixHP:20/24
>Light water drops plink upon Kaz’s Wicker Windguard hat>He watches some of the drops fall off the front of the hat“What’s a plism?”
>He tips his hat forward, allowing more water to drain in front of his face like a waterfall“An how’re you gonna get a satellite?”
>>6254573'Is your home like this?" Spike asks telepathically as he follows behind the group pushing the starue.
He turns to the rest of his team, trying to judge their pain.
"Everyone sturdy?"
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>6254573>Evan stretches, muscles still sore from the last week's... events. His reduced max HP sits at 23/23"No wonder they call this the Dream Delta, the land here's wigglin' like the drunk goggles they make ya wear in driver's ed."
>Evan looks as much as he can at the odd plants on the dunes
>>6254573"Huh. Thiss place iss not terrible." The dungeon seems pretty hospitable for a Seviper.
>>6254577(HP 21/21) "Been worsse!"
Rolled 10 + 2 (1d20 + 2)
>>6254573>>6254570With her typical arm raise to part, Wallis shtomps off with renewed vigor.
Setting her senses upon the mystery dungeon ahead, Wallis gets to work plotting a path ahead. Her eyes sharply scan the sands and water alike. Her radar-like fins listen closely for signs of activity. She also sets her new 6th sense she developed for water itself, Acumen, upon the shifting paths and their water filtering down therein. What of note do we have ahead of us to navigate?
>+2 Acumen>>6254577"For the most part. Still not good to get banged up this early."
Wallis looks surprisingly sturdy for being worn out from recent events. Did she have some sort of preserved snack to fall back on?
>HP: 49/31
>>6254573"A little rough... Haven't been to any super marshy places like THIS before."
In a new environment like this, Matchia seems to be somewhat discomforted.
>>6254570"I know you can do it!"
>After wishing the lillypad good luck on her path to becoming stronger, Brook along with the others get back to their own journey>>6254573"Ngn, moving around this place is kinda....ugh"
>Brook flicks some goop off his paw, before continuing ahead. The twisting ache in his stomach not helping him as the group trudge through the wetland"And the rain isn't helping, I hope it doesn't pick up."
>He briefly casts his eyes upwards to the clouds, feeling the small drops on his face before focusing again on the path ahead
>>6254573"Like dis landscape down t' drift wave"
>>6254577(23/23) "Likely last a bit in the meanwhile 'til next mass, westward."
>>6254570Espurr passes on the dialogue option which says 'you could come with us,' having the feeling that she won't be far, wherever they go.
>|We will not be far.|That's all they know.
>>6254513Oh, and it looks like they're being brought on as a chaperone of sorts. Espurr ignored the strange reaction moments ago, but obviously it means something.
They aren't sure if this puts them in physical danger or not. Orner and Lovely Starlaid Genius are strange.
>>6254573With everything else left unsaid, Espurr brings with them baggage they know not the meaning or purpose of, yet in-tail, a number of useful items as well.
They wonder what home looks like right now.
Nevertheless, there is an important task at hand.
"A path ever-changing. Troubling, I suppose."
They look over to Clefable and tilt their head. "It would be considerably difficult to perform such a task." They had forgotten this... thing... was an alien.
And naturally, being a delta, the path of water splinters into several ahead of you. Here, there are three streams. On each of them, there're...flowers, with very geometric looking bulbs weighing them down. Whether viewed from above or the side, they have the appearance of perfect hexagons? Some of you are sure you've seen this shape before...
Watch-ed Roller whips up a gust of wind directed at one of the bulbs. Instantly, the flower opens and wilts, much like that other prismatic trinket in the back of your memories. Instead of anyone's voice being released by the destruction however, you get...nothing.
Unless you happen to have the Empathy skill. In that case, you're struck by a phantom sensation of glee. Given your (and Watch-ed Roller's) reactions, anyone can tell what just happened is another case of learnable sixth sense boondogglery. Your guides nod to eachother and confidently begin walking down one particular shifting among the many river forks. They seem convinced by that secondand emotion...
"And THAT'S a plism for you! Just chill them a bit and they'll OPEN right up!" Clefable calls as he leaves.
Except...These scissoring, winding water tunnels are doing a number on your eyes and senses. It's like looking into a milk painting or kaleidoscope, senses be damned. paths merge, fork through dunes like ghosts, and climbing up for a bird's eye view reveals...an endless plane of sand and algae. As soon as one Pokemon passes down a path, you lose track of them and their route...
Mystery Dungeon.
The plisms of the Dream Delta remember the feelings of all who pass through it, no matter how the dungeon mangles their routes. Their emotions might provide hints on how best to proceed as the river forks...but you'll only get those hints if you can sense those impulses. If you don't have Empathy Active or have Mental Fortress Active, your route is up to the whims of a d3 dice. You may want to buy the Empathy skill...or you may want to instead buy or save for one of the new IQ skills dropping on the skill rentry as I post. Both Empathy and...disaffection are plenty viable decisions. And you know what sixth senses have been doing to Pokemon lately...
The plisms on this three-way branch read...nothing, glee, and...a boiling territorial rage. If you can't feel any of that with Empathy, roll a D3.
Cress,taking her turn to push the Hatterene monument, sighs at Spike. "It's too muggy, these wrappings are ruined." She discards the bandages entombing her torso (26/26). "And I can only use Pyro Ball until I get a full meal...I won't be of any more use until then..."
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6254606Darius is, bless his heart, not exactly blessed with much of a sixth sense.
"Alright guys, follow me!"
Nor is he particularly great at navigation under *normal* conditions, but he'd never let such a thing stop him!
Rolled 1 (1d3)
>>6254606"Look on the bright side, Cress. Once we're done fixing all this weird shit going on, we'll probably get a feast in our honor. At least we better, if nothing else. A statue would be cool too, don't ya think?"
>the legged snake turns to his teammates in Clover"Whaddaya think guys, wouldn't it be nice to have a heroic statue of us?"
>Evan is subjected to the whims of fate (a d3)
Cress groans and closes her eyes, basking in the ophantom sensations thrust upon her that awful night in Ontic Oubliette, and more pleasant times by Spike or Bomb. Those memories trickle into more normal ones, only for Cress to realize a whole new dimension to every conversation Cress has had in this world. Pokemon speak with so much more than their actions and words, and latent senses locked behind Libero stir to life...
Cress learned Empath!
What she doesn't know is that she's also opened herself to other arcanities...
Cress learned Hex Maniac!
But for now, she'll un-arcanify what's at the end of that gleeful path.
Rolled 1 (1d3)
>>6254573>>6254606(HP: 20/20)
Skitty looks sick.
Not to say that she is. Malnourished, maybe, evidenced by her HP, capped at just 20.
But no, it's just the weather. It's miserable, being a wet cat. And a tiny one at that; she's high-stepping, not strolling. Also, what in the fuck is a plism? The explanation really isn't helping when she's busy keeping her head above water.
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6254606(HP: 23/23)
>The barrage of movement and colors on his eyes, forces him to turn away and close his eyes"Agh, I can't tell what the heck is even happening.
>The words of his serpent team mate barely even reach his ears, his senses already overloaded with the path in front of him"Agh, some guides....have no clue where they even went.
>shaking his head, he simply shuts his eyes, takes a deep breath...and walks forward into whatever the path in front leads
Rolled 3 (1d3)
>>6254606“Woah!”
>Kaz watches as the “plism” opens up and wilts“This world won’t stop being crazy…”
>Then, the paths appear! Mystery Dungeon time!“Oh crap, Mystery Dungeon!”
>>6254619“Krok hold on!”
>Kaz attempts to follow his teammate!
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6254606The slug drakk let the dice decide where to go.
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6254606(HP: 20/20)
All this sand. It's... well, you know. Mohka just wanders.
>>6254621>>6254606Spike smiles, the strange echo of joey bringing the expression to his face for a moment before returning to the same serious expression.
"Stick with me then," he says, reaching into his bag and pulling out a reviver seed for Cress to take. "If these flowers are any indication of a path then we should be able to navitagate them safely- or at least with some awareness."
Spike turns his back and helps push the Hatterene Monument the best he can.
'What bizarre flora- I've never seen this back home," Spike thinks aloud.
His gut swirls with subtle worry and an overwhelming, breaking wheel of focus.
>>6254606"I'm going to be sick... I hate... dealing with this."
Matchia lacks Empathy... so let's go...?
Rolled 3 (1d3)
>>6254620"W-Wouldn't hurt I guess... We could do with a little more respect from the locals."
>>6254606"I... don't like what those 'plisms' are reminding me of. Maybe we shouldn't have activated the trippy flowers???"
Ignoring the subconscious pitch for a previously worthless IQ Skill to her amidst touch plism get dizzm, Wallis tries to keep up her senses in spite of the plisms assailing them. Her shtomps are still distinct alongside her sparkles as she wanders at the whims of entropy.
Rolled 1 (1d3)
>>6254637Roll but for real??
Rolled 3 (1d3)
>>6254606"Okay... I'm not bothering with all of that." Empathy? Is that food? Orner will just slither in blind.
>>6254606Espurr seems to be having a horrible time, but the introduction of these plisms leaves them feeling better. Now, emotions of any kind can be scary, but it does help to balance the feeling of being submerged.
...Enough, at least, that they can apply some of their levitation powers to increase their buoyancy to the point they aren't drowning in water. Moving like this is actually pretty fun.
>Espurr does not purchase any IQ Skills. They already possess Empathy.>They decide to trek down the Gleeful Path, hoping that it isn't too unbearable and that they can put a stop to whatever is causing such emotion.>They practice their floating on the way, trying not to pay that annoying rabbit with the Crest on her head any mind. It's difficult to keep a clear enough mind to continue ignoring the pull of gravity in this way.>>6254623"Mrow." Espurr is considerably-shorter and they aren't having any better a time than Skitty is. That is, until one of those flowers their guide struck began to emit pleasant feelings most of the Wayfarers can't pick up on. Now they're just fine.
>>6254635"I will collect this plant growth to examine at another point in time, I suppose." They leer at Spike blankly as he radiates feelings of... oh, wait, Espurr isn't coated in Magic Powder right now. Nevermind. Instead, they stare at him for no reason while floating like a feline boat on the water.
>>6254656Spike's yellow eyes dart towards Espurr. The seeming glow gives the impression he can see past the privacy of silence and inaction into his thoughts.
"Will you be alright, Espurr?" Spike asks, turning back to the Gleeful path ahead of them.
'You feel like you're trying to balance a jug of water on your head,' he comments telepathically. 'If you need my help, ask and you will receive it.'
>Skitty, Evan, Cress, Matchia, Espurr
The challenge here is stomaching a crabby Cinderace grumbling about getting water in her vents. The monument scrapes against the riverbed as Spike and Cress push with the current, unearthing something along with a bunch of mud. It's a pink gem, a Psychic one...and an Oran berry? Atop one of the dunes is the telltale glimmer of a Golden Scarf. When you try to step up to it however, all you look down to find is a sandy stretch of infinity until you back down. You're gonna have to reach it without being up there physically if you want it before the shifts take them from your reach...
And yes, extremities count as your body.
A Tympole just ahead dances and chitters in the water with a Pretty Scarf wrapped around itself-looks like there was even more treasure earlier. Could this be yours as well?
"Thank you. I believe most of you would make better use of this than I at the moment...but I'm keeping it. It won't be wasted, at least..." Cress holds herself as she slides, putting away the seed. "Oh! This is a full size one!"
>Darius, Brook, Mohka
Three pluckable Sitrus leaves and a pair of Dew Gummies lie in growths on the walls of the dunes, but the path ahead is completely covered in splintered shells and sharp rocks, and it goes for a while. how are you going to cross without climbing the dunes or getting torn up?
...And is that a key in the middle of the hazards?!
>Kaz, Wallis, Orner
You find yourselves face to face with a mother and father Hippowdon. Ferals, they look to be. They're both already riled up and injured by something, but they're also tending to a small Hippopotas. Maybe you could improvise a way/reason to get by without getting stomped. Maybe you get munched in a brawl. whatever goees down, it's only going to be a single turn before you pass...
>>6254671"Ffffuuck no..." Not what Orner wanted to see. She could maybe sneak past but she'll wait to see what Kaz and Wallis will do.
Rolled 5 (1d20)
>>6254671"Oh, I can handle this! Just give me a sec..."
Darius shuffles sideways back and forth a few times to properly line up an angle, then stomps exactly once in the water.
Ugh. Rivers.
At the mon's command, though, a few pillars of rough stone jut from the ground at an angle, hopefully forming a sturdy enough bridge for his allies to reach the key.
Or at least serve as a springboard for his more aerially-inclined companion.
Rolled 8 (1d20)
>>6254671"Oooh, shiny! This'll go great with my collection. C'mere you."
>Evan tries using Leaf Tornado to blow the golden scarf towards himself
Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)
>>6254671"Wonder wha' dis key shape lend t'? Chain t' loot or a path o'er perhaps."
>IQ Skill: Entry Artist>Sail retract into his shell and steamroll over the obstacle.
>>6254667"I possess no strong desire to any end." They'll probably ask him for a rid in a little bit.
>>6254671Espurr looks at the precious items ahead. They assess the situation and their allies quickly before coming to the realization that very few of the Pokémon present would be able to reach without physical contact.
"Our faculties are limiting, I suppose." They ponder their own abilities. If only they had finer control over gravity, this would be an easy task. The Moon Cat and Capped Crusader, both Team Stardust members, would ideally be able to cover this weakness, but neither of them are perfectly-precise. Hm.
Espurr tries to apply some of their peculiar levitation to the Golden Scarf as Evan attempts to blow it away. They've never been privy to telekinesis, even when it seems to be such a simple skill for most Psychic-Types.
>Espurr used (their lack of) Telekinesis! >...It's like trying to flex a muscle they don't have. Very uncomfortable. Augh...>...Maybe if they simply imagine it taking the route of the wind current...
Rolled 15 (1d20)
>>6254671>Once the blurry colors finally settle down, he finds himself along with a few others in front of a sea of spiked dunes"Whoa that's a lotta spikes!"
>He jumps up preparing to cut through the wind, but he pauses his foot freezing in mid air as he returns back to the ground gritting his teeth"Tch, would probably just blow the sand and cover the rocks."
>He looks out again at the dunes, his eyes widening as the spikes spark a memory from not too long ago! A grin spreads on his face...."Hold on guys, I can get through this no problem."
>Rather than pure wind, instead a colorful dust seems to gather until it completely envelops his limbs. Purple and blues in vibrant hues glimmer and shine over his legs like scales and walks forward!>Same as in the dream the scales seem to know where danger lurks and sends signals through his limbs, forcing them to avoid stepping on any spikes that lurk within the dunes as he presses onward!(U-Turn!)
Rolled 10 (1d20)
>>6254671"I'm going to try using my Feather Bow to try and grab some stuff if there's no objections..."
Matchia tries to use a non-contact Fake Out to clasp the Oran or the Pink gem since Evan and Espurr are working on the Golden Scarf...
>>6254671>>6254679Mohka takes a look at the Stone Edge ramp, and past it towards the key... it's not nearly long enough.
He sighs. "Here, take some'a these. Makes fer better footin' than them shards out there." With that, he Autotomizes some scales off. Not large enough for him to use as stepping stones, but for the others...
Rolled 19 (1d20)
>>6254688Rollan
Rolled 12 + 5 (1d20 + 5)
>>6254671Wallis finds her senses returning to show her face to face with two angry hippos. Her facial reaction is typical for her.
"Kaz, we need a slide to safety!"
Quickly forming a Water Pulse orb, she looks for a stream of the shifting water and diverts it with the repulsive force. Acumen helps perception and aim, while Repulsion gives the Water Pulse formed amidst the drizzle the oomph to carry the water all the way through its new route to hopeful safety.
>+3 Repulsion>+2 Acumen
>>6254692The reaction in question, as if you had to ask.
Rolled 18 (1d20)
>>6254671"Gimme thaaaat!" Skitty grabs the Tympole from across the stage with her somewhat-trained Grass Knot. 12BP(Lightweight)+7SE = 19 damage!
...Well, not so much a grab as holding-in-place. She's trying to anchor it to one spot so it can't get away...
Rolled 14 (1d20)
>>6254671Alright, Orner has seen enough. She won't fight those hippos she can help it so she'll just... Slither around them close to the sand, quietly.
>Attribute: Ambush Predator III
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>6254671“WOAH BIG HIPPO!”
>How does Kaz remember that?>He can’t remember what a hippo looks like but his mind tells him these are close enough>>6254692>Kaz watches Wallis project a funnel of water as a make shift path!“I’m on it! Thanks fer the set up!”
>Kaz shoots out of the water, quick as a whip and places a hand in the stream of water, using Ice Punch to freeze it into a slidable surface for all on the Hippowdon path!
>>6254671Spike feels something in the air before he notices the purple glimmer in the water- a strange sensation in the mind that leads him to the Psychic Gem and then the slimy Oran Berry. He takes a deep breath and ducks under the water to fetch both before rising to the surface.
"Cress. Espurr- come here, I have something for the both of you," he says, presenting the items to the both of them. "Eat."
Rolled 9 (1d20)
>>6254606>21/21 HP, that time not getting proper fuel really fucking sucks huh.>that being said, ish probably won't be hearing any voices from the river, because he fully intends to skip the river. let's see how far a Bounce takes him!
Rolled 14, 12 = 26 (2d20)
>Evan, Skitty, Espurr, Matchia, Spike
Matchia picks the Psychic Gem, while Spike takes and offers the Oran. Cress reponds by fleshing her Oran leaves. “How tragic. I’d kill to eat that now, that are a touch to valuable even in our current state. Unless you’d trade, Espurr?” Only one of us has the AP to make optimal use of leaves.
How closely have you observed telekinesis? Do objects move quite like the wind?…without freedom from the ground, that telekinesis isn’t getting anywhere until Evan’s Leaf Tornado cuts and lifts the cloth free of dirt and roots. Conversely, the scarf is just twirling through the air without direction until Espurr’s input. It appears your imagination is formative to the nature of your manipulations…it flutters down to the two of you as if still riding a more directed leaf tornado. It’s up to the two of you who gets it…or how to split it.
The Tympole shrieks at the Grass attack forming around it. Too encumbered to immediately flee, its effects are free to take before it flails its way downstream.
>Darius, Brook, Mohka, Sail, Ishmael
Stone Edge forms a ramp in front of an entire field of hazards…and it’s pretty pitiful looking, not offering more than a hop over the opening feet of it all. Ishmael is about to clear the board, but the moment he rises over the peak of the dunes, he finds there’s nothing ahead of him but sand and getting lost. Where’s the rest of the dungeon? Perhaps with a little finagling, he can keep enough air time on his way down to clear the shell shards…when they reappear in his vision.
Brook’s U-Turn and Sail’s Entry Artist allow them to swivel harmlessly through the stream, Sail picking up that key. The only things passing underfoot for either are the rare smooth shell and one of Mohka’s here and there.
Mohka’s distribution and the ramp spares him the worst of the damage he could have taken, but he’s not fleetfooted enough to fully save himself with the scales. He takes 6 damage.
And that Stone Edge has Darius off-balance enough to fail to use them. Once he’s down from that ramp, the current rakes him for 8 damage.
>Kaz, Wallis, Orner
Hippo Pokemon aren’t space efficient. Staying clear of the bab in the water and moving to the banks spares Orner from one parent, but the nearer has a High Horsepower for her; there isn’t really anywhere to sneak by…Supposing it connects, that’s 14 damage.
While Kaz and Wallis try to form a projectile-platform to glide over the Aggressor(and Defenders). Enough water is frozen to protect Wallis from the mother’s Stone Edge as she tumbles over their territory, but the tyke sees a Rock Tomb into Kaz. It’ll deal 4 damage and apply DoT…
The attacks land into Orner and Kaz. Kaz takes DoT while drifting away out of the ferals’ space in his rocky prison…
All three paths curve around bends, revealing that they all feed into the same bowl-shaped reservoir. In the middle is Clefable sliding forward on his back, carried by a small twister of sand underneath the surface. It looks rather scratchy and painful, but he’s paying it no mind while he ‘rows’ with a cattail plant he plucked.
“I SAY, I think I am finally getting used to this “water” polluting your world. If the stars SMILE upon you, they take you JUST where you like to go! It’s profound!…Did you know some Pokemon even CONSUME this fluid for its POWER?????”
Watch-ed Roller warns you of a violent and dangerous Tympole that sped on ahead of them after casting a Sand Tomb.
‘Injured, it was. It had a number of VERY delicious looking stones on itself…’
There are four paths ahead this time, but the spacemon is having too much fun to open to open the plisms on each path himself…
>>6255236(HP 10/21) "Thiss ssuckss. Hey, ssstarmon! Teach me how to undersstand thesse hexagonss..."
>Orner just bites the bullet and learns Empath. Agressor will be inactive for extra defense.
>>6255217"Sweet."
>Evan grabs the Golden Scarf, but looks to Espurr before pocketing it"You want this? Probably wouldn't'a got it without ya."
>He offers the riches to the bipedal cat
Rolled 17 (1d20)
>>6255236HP:16/20(24)
>Well that smarts>Kaz keeps forgetting that even young Pokemon can pack a punch>Gazing at his new rocky entrapment, he is not pleased“All right, you can hurt me, but you ain’t takin’ away my legs.”
>Kaz uses Rock Smash to break the barrier>He’ll still take the DoT but he refuses to be restricted in movement(Rock Smash Mastery)
>Kaz then spots Clefable“Well yeah, we kinda need water ta live. I dunno how you guys lived up in space without it.”
>Kaz then looks to the Plisms lining the four paths>Lets check one out, shall we?(Roll to check plisms for best path?)
>>6255217>Sail consumed the Tart Toffee to saved up space for the key.(3 + 3 = 6 Defense)
>>6255217"Hah, this Feather Bow really IS useful..."
Matchia unconsciously fidgets with her cap as she puts away the Psychic Gem with one hand.
>>6254694"Need me to KO it, or do you just want to grab its item...?"
>>6254721>>6255217>>6255244Espurr tilts their head away, not wanting anything to do with food right now, as they aren't hungry. It was nothing short of luck that their getaway from Baram Town lasted long enough to evade that second incident.
They'll take the Psychic Gem if prompted, though.
Espurr pushes Spike's paw towards Cress while they swipe the Oran Leaves from her. That's their trade. How's that?
"I would sooner find you defenseless while sleeping than permit you to inflict harm upon me for sustenance."
After easing up on their psionics, the feline cradles their head and practices the expulsion of emotions outward, harmlessly dispersing the stress into the environment around them. When Evan makes them an offer, they give the scarf a glance. "This possession holds value only in what others will offer for it," but they'll hold it until it can be sold, as they have an empty Worn Item slot.
Rolled 13 + 2 (1d20 + 2)
>>6255217>>6255236Wallis ducks into the watery way forward she made amidst the ice to emerge at the reservoir. Looking at the garbled path ahead with an unamused expression, she takes a moment to beachcomb the area as she perceives the area and ways ahead. If this Tympole thing left goodies behind, maybe she can unearth them. She uses the soaked landscape as an aid for her perception with Acumen, as well. Looks like she's passing on sudden IQ skill shilling.
>+2 Acumen>>6255258"I heard some weird stuff about water coming from space, too. Except it's just ice because of how cold it is there."
Reminder what Palkia's type is.
"Also you doing ok? You did cover me, but..."
>>6255236While waiting for their allies to converse, Espurr looses a wire of electromagnetism which frazzles all that cross its path, hoping to activate one of the middlemost plisms.
...Can they snatch one when they pass it? They'd like to take it home.
>>6255275“Huh? Me? Yeah, pffft, totally fiiine.”
>Kaz says, still several stones jabbing into him“But for real? Water in space? What’s next, the moon ain’t made outta cheese?”
Rolled 3 (1d4)
>>6255217>>6255262"I've got it." Skitty hops over, deftly snatching the scarf off the small and harmless orb before releasing it from the grass with a swipe of her claws and a muttered apology. Pretty Scarf get!
Away she goes. Randomly.
Rolled 1 (1d4)
>>6255217>>6255236>a ramp, that's convenient.>Rebounding off the stone edge ramp and taking a moment to catch up with the rest of the group... it's time to pull out an IQ skill too!>Explorer:The User has a natural intuition for finding the right way. They're less likely to be lost>let's hope that intuishion is right!>>6255296"hate to tell ya this kaz, but the moon's made of rocks."
>>6255530“Whaaaaaaaaaat?!”
>Kaz exclaims!>All those stories of the Moon being made green cheese, fake?!>The world just got a little less magical
>>6255217>with his limbs under the whims of the colorful scales, he's unable to even approach the light green jelly beans much less try and reach out to take one...he shakes his head and lets out a snort"Hmph, gotta get a better hang of this. I'm going on ahead guys! Catch up when you can!"
>turning his gaze away from those behind, he looks ahead as he curves around the bend and vanishes behind the dune. A trail of pink and blue scales that had broken off is left in his wake, before they disintegrate before even touching the sands below>>6255236>Finally regaining control of his legs after having weaved through the spike covered dunes, his focus immediately goes towards the way forward....until the sound of a fairy having a bit too much fun with a sandstorm rips his attention away"Hey, which way are we supposed to go!?"
>he shouts, while lifting a paw to point towards the quartet of quandary
>Brook, Orner, Kaz,
"Emotion is felt by all of us at all times. You DON'T do anything to understand. You simply OPEN your eyes and ears to what's already being projected. If you're trying, you SHOULD feel it now, yes?" Clefable exposits while spinning on his back in the sand trap. He takes a swig of the water that had been his tomb once so long ago. His odd monotone would have obscured it, but now that Orner has Empath...he's on the power trip of a lifetime. Is there some deeper meaning there, or is this fairy worth taking seriously?
Either way, it's time to practice. Kaz's still-chilled fists are enough to open the frism planted on each of the next four paths...
Speaking of paths, you get an impulse of...comfortable indifference? 'The right one depends on context. There are many Pokemon and even more wants and needs among them to interpret.The plisms behind him shuffle and switch between eachother, along with the corresponding routes behind them. '...It may not matter if one cannot differentiate the paths anyway...' Like Brook, the chump.
>Evan, Espurr, Skitty, Matchia
Pretty Scarf obtained. A panicked and pained tadpole skitters down one of the paths before the rest of your, besparkled belongings glittering in tow...
Cress blinks at Espurr. "...Ah. Hyperbole." For what profit is it to a mon if she gains the worl-
>Kaz, Wallis
"It's a shame how dull your homeworld sounds. It's well understood in my Hoenn that the moon is made of the most aged moomoo there is."
When Kaz opens those plisms, Orner, Cress, Espurr, and Spike get secondhand sensations...
>One path belies a bitter hatred and resentfulness.
>Another, a downright aimless frenzy.
>The one Espurr now holds releases an abnormally heavy sensation of giddiness and hope.
>And lastly, sympathetic pangs.
Every once in a while, the dunes shift cleanly enough for you to see ahead. You'll have to guesswhich path you pick leads to which scenario, but there's...
>A band of Shuppet and Misdreavus chittering to eachother...
>A few Torkoal throwing Rock and Ground techniques among eachother. They stick out to some of you, seeing that the rainfall is getting heavy. Their smoke looks none too white and their shells aren't looking particularly sturdy...
>Eggs!!!
>That Tympole from team Stylish and Stardust's path. Wallis can sense from its disturbances that its other belongings are a perfectly sperical Orb and some fashion of wafer-disk.
If you don't have Empath though, you're just sending it on a d4.
Oh dear. I, your narrator, have purchased the Empath skill. I am now communicating knowledge to you through how I'm feeling. Do pardon me, that's not your hunger you're feeling. These meatballs are taking longer than anticipated.
Rolled 2 (1d4)
>>6256276>Evan is subjected to fate once more. While he enjoyed gaining wealth with Espurr, he does hope the next forked path he finds himself on has more sociable companions.
>Ishmael
Ah, there he is. caught up despite the currents and paused progress. The bunny's jumped the whole gap with his skillset and that pitiable ramp, too! Nary a point of damage with Mohka's scales to boot...oh, and it looks like he's already down the path of hatred. To which Pokemon might it lead...?
Rolled 3 (1d4)
>>6256276>The drakk slug blindly follow a random.path through the dune.
>>6256276>Kaz watches as placing his chilled hand near the Plisms makes them open and wither, possibly freeing the latent emotions of previous Pokemon“Shoot, I ain’t feelin’ anythin’. Anybody got any ideas for the next path ta take?”
>Kaz turns to the others on his path>Then he turns to Cress“Aaaaaaaw, how come you guys get the cheese moon? Ya’ll ever tried takin’ some slices?”
Rolled 2 (1d4)
>>6256276"Right...."
>is muttered and immediately followed with an exasperated sigh as he turns away from the exuberant mon"I'll just pick a path and go for it...don't think I'm gonna get any help from this guy."
>he can't help but let a touch of venom escape into his tone, almost swearing he just heard insult tossed his way though it must've just been his imagination!>Trusting in his gut, Brook darts off towards one of the paths. A rush of wind kicks up sand behind him, as he dashes across the dunes!
Rolled 4 (1d4)
>>6256276Well, with that short little encounter done with, let's get moving again.
Rolled 1 (1d4)
>>6256276>>6256291>Welp, time to roll
>>6256276Espurr sneezes in response to the plism unlocking powerful feelings.
They need to kill whatever is or was causing that sensation. It's their civic duty.
>Espurr pursues the ungodly feeling of hope, hoping to put an end to it so that they may clear their mind of such unnecessary and meddlesome sensations. >They retrieve the noisemaker they got from the Morgrem they sent into low-Earth orbit, ready to disrupt any potential conversations being had or scare obnoxious and worthless ferals away from their position.
Cress hovers down into the frenzied path. Clefable to the happiest of the four, and Roller down the sympathetic one.
>>6256276"Alright..." Opening her eyes and ears, Orner gets feedback from the plants... And it's not awful really. Between Bomb's regular way of communicating and her mother's lessons she's got a decent grip on this skill. Still not something she'd use if she didn't need to.
"Okay, that one with the Torkoal I don't want anything to do with." That one feels obvious to tell apart. Besides that, she's not particularly worried. Seeing that both Sail and Espurr are heading down the happy path sways her to follow behind them.
>>6256276Spike senses the giddiness and hope radiating from one path, the echoes of the emotion bringing a smile to his face.
But-
A mischievous smile spreads across his maw as he senses the hatred and resentfulness that comes from the other. As soon as he realizes that he's smiling, he stops. There's a strange pit in his stomach.
"I'm headed down this way- don't follow me," Spike says as he walks down the path of bitterness.
>One path belies a bitter hatred and resentfulness.
Rolled 3 (1d4)
>>6256276(HP 19/20)
Mohka barely registers the shells - and just meanders down another path.
Rolled 4 (1d4)
>>6256276>>6256291"Preferably after that swimmer that's still got an orb and a TM!"
Wallis gives chase after the Tympole only to quickly end up mystery dungeon'd. But to where exactly? The shell game switch of the prisms makes this even less certain than before.
>>6256287>whoever it is, ish ain't slowing down for 'em. running in as prepared as he can be, which in this case means sliding some AP into evasion juuuust in case of an ambush>all 8, to be specific.
Rolled 3 (1d4)
>>6256276Skitty is really, really distracted trying to get the Pretty Scarf onto herself without getting it sandy or wet... (any more, since it was just on a swimming Tympole.) So, it's gonna be random for her. Fockin' send it, lad.
The roar and flash of lightning hails the beginning of true rain.
Examination Allegro, Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - https://youtu.be/WJyaIvAGwqI?si
Water flecks and obscures the skies as it rides the banks into the air in violent waves. The current is picking up. Nothing problematic in the water besides the occasional bedding stone for now, but you're more sliding and drifting than wading now...the excess water is starting to become a problem...
>Kaz, Spike, Ishmael
These two Torkoal are busy trading Earth Powers and Rock Slides into eachother from across the banks. One attack crosses your path through the air, the other through the banks and water. They seem more focused on eachother than the weather...it tracks. The slider has a mound of very unshared fruit pits and cores at their feet, explaining the hostility. But maybe you could get them to switch targets. Or activities?
>Evan, Brook, Cress
Oh, it's just that Tympole again. The Feral clutches her belongings and shrinks into itself as it swims, both the TM and Orb a shimmering purple. It's badly hurt, but using Protect. Maybe there's some other way to get that stuff?
...And that sure is a trapdoor installed straight into the ground. A bored looking Klefki is trying to use her wares on the keyhole, but none of them are working...?
Vress regards you both as she rides the statue in the current. "I don't have anything other than food items...damn." Her pickpocketing hand bounces off the Tympole's barrier.
>Sail, Mohka, Espurr, Orner, Skitty
Seeing you round the corner, The Misdreavus vanish for a bit while the Shuppet snicker and twirl off to the side...
Before one Shuppet throws a Renewal Herb into Mohka's mouth? He's got plenty more...
The second Shuppet uses thief on Espurr! 9 Damage, supposing it hits. The Misdreavus pair suddenly appear in Mohka's face with Astonish and Shadow Ball jumpscares! 10 damage and... a harmless plink...?
The Ghosts cackle, cloaks gaining definition and Gemstones gleaming. It seems they're getting something out of this harassment...
>Matchia, Wallis
The two of you find a gaggle of Togetic and Chansey struggling to not get blown away on the banks. Despite their plight, they spare you fellow land dwellers heal pulses. You both recover 4 HP...or you would, if you weren't injured.
Unlike the first split, plisms line the end of these tracks as well. Those of you that can read them get a familiar sensation, one that strangles the breath from you and places the weight of death on your backs...what's ahead?
The paths take more sharp turns...into another reservoir that looks suspiciously similar to the one you just came from.
>>6256376"Hey Brook, wanna give that keymaster a hand?"
>Evan nudges the Brook with a smirk
>>6256376>ish pauses in front of the active warzone here of two torkoal>he can't really go above them, but he also doesn't trust he can dash through without the right timing.>besides... those footsteps from behind means he may have slower teammates who can't get through without help."Alright, how do we keep 'em distracted..."
>a turn to check, oh hey! not so slow teammates after all..."Hey Skits, Kaz. I think we gotta distract one of these two with something so we have enough time to get through. any ideas of what we could use for that?"
>>6256376Another day, another reason for Orner to have kept Aqua Tail... Nothing to do about it now.
"Oh, thesse 'mon feed off negativity. Jusst keep your cool." Easy to say when it's not your things being stolen
>>6256376>>6256390>Kaz follows Ishmael's line of sight to the warzone ahead of them>A dispute over food. Oldest reason for conflict in the book."Looks like someone's cranky without their lunch."
>Kaz thinks for a bit"You got any food items on you? I could toss 'em ta the hungry feller an' see if they stop."
Rolled 8, 7, 7, 11, 14, 5 = 52 (6d20)
>>6256376Watch for rolling die! (2 A presses)
>>6256395>,,,>ish pulls out a full on Oran pie, no slices spent on it."Shame to see it go, but this thing probably ain't good for us after the dust incident. for a feral though it'll be fine."
>with that, he's ready to pass the thing over."don't think I could get it over without getting hit, how's that throwing arm of yours?"
Hits into Espurr and Mohka. Mohka loses his speed boost, and Espurr loses that Renewal Herb. No flinch, though.
Rolled 6 (1d20)
>>6256400>>6256376>Kaz eyes the pie "Holdin' out on us, Ish? Heh heh, yeah, that'd work!"
>Kaz takes the offered Oran Pie"You betcha! One Oran Fast Ball comin' up!"
>Taking as careful aim as he can, Kaz Fling's the Oran Pie close to the Torkoal without any food>This should hopefully stop the need for all out war and allow all the team on Stream 1 to pass!>Roll plus Power Pitcher
Rolled 1 (1d20)
>>6256376>When the path ahead finally becomes clear, he gives the tall rabbit and green snake a friendly smile as he steps alongside the pair"Hey! Didn't think I'd end up running into you two! I see Cress is as lazy as ever."
>he gives a small laugh at that, before the sound of splashing nearby brings an end to his chuckling and leads his attention towards the injured tadpole in the stream"Are you okay? What happened, were you attacked?"
>he asks, as the feeling of something nudging him causes him to look over to...>>6256380"Help with wha-Oh!"
>Upon noticing the strange trapdoor that seemingly leads straight into the ground, he returns the snakes smirk"Leave it to me, I can pop it open no problem!"
>he briefly flashes his claws, before he steps over towards the locked chute>>6256376>Lifting two paws towards the lock, a white aura lights up a claw on each, causing them to think and elongate until they can easily slip into the keyhole"Been a bit since I've done this, hope I still got it."
>putting an ear to the ground, he wiggles his paws inside the mechanism trying to hear for the soft clicks that serve as a sign that he's making progress(IQ Skill: Lockbreaker. +2 to Lockpicking)
>>6256404"Nice throw," Spike says as he watches Kaz chuck the piece of pie at the Torkoal.
"Are you two fast enough to get through while they're not fighting?" he asks.
>>6256376(15/24 HP)
>Renewal Herb lost!Espurr watches their Renewal Herb fly away from them. Their blank expression hides... actually not much. They aren't angry, or upset; they logically believe this situation would be better if these ghosts reincarnated into something useful like a blade of grass they can trample over.
"I am being assailed."
They raise their paw, Morgrem pinwheel in their grip, taking the deepest breath they can, and blow. The resulting noise is quite annoying. If it's anything like what they heard at the Hatterene village, it's ideally enough to startle these buffoons away.
>Espurr used the Pinwheel!
Rolled 2 (1d20)
>>6256376"Seem the spirit havin' fun, high storm down cove."
(IQ Skill: Wild Spirit)
>Sail pass by the ghosts, trying to detect for any keyhole shape for this mystery key.
>>6256406"Uh, no, we just found some like... guy with stuff? and a couple of these guys attacked'em. I found a gold scarf, but I gave it to Espurr."
>>6256415>Kaz nods"Oh yeah, fer sure. I take it you can do yer hocus pocus and vanish before our very eyes?"
>Kaz says, twirling his hands as a gesture for magic
>>6256376"Oh we've been scattered again. Hey Matchia. Since it's just the two of us here, just hop on if the water gets too much."
Wallis looks refreshed in the rain, looking ahead.
"The way ahead looks a little more familiar than I'd like."
She raises an arm in defense only for the unfamiliar moves targetting her to... heal? She's already at full health.
"Oh. Uh... You're struggling more than me here, so..."
Despite not really gaining anything from the Heal Pulses, Wallis repays the Togetic and Chanseys' kindness with what she picked up from the locals of her species: building boulder nests. She places Rock Tomb rocks along the way for the Chansey and Togetic to cling to against their respective slope and wind-based hazards. In this case, restricting movement is a good thing, especially when she avoids launching the rocks directly at them.
"T-There now we're even. Hmph!"
The fellow pinkmon shtomps off toward the reservoir ahead with wafer-thin contempt after helping the natives.
>>6256422"Glad that nothing happened to you guys, but ngh, I hope the tadpole is gonna be alright. Looks like they're in a lot of pain."
>As he speaks another hunger pang twists around in his stomach, making him grimace while he continues his work on the lock...right after giving the living keyring a grin for having interrupted into their own attempts at breaking and entering
>>6256376>>6256429"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind..."
She replies to Wallis' offer, keeping a firm grip on her cap.
Matchia also notedly does not benefit from the healing, but she doesn't say anything.
Seeing that Wallis summoned Rock Tomb, (convenient for her since she didn't have any proper way of giving stability for a longer period of time), she uses her Feather Bow with her free paw to try and gently push the Pokemon to the first set of rocks with the air-y fist...
>>6256430"You ain't lookin' too much like you're at 100 yourself."
>Evan pats Brook on the back, speaking as if he actually ate anything recently himself
>>6256423Spike bounces his head side to side as if bouncing around an idea in it before turning back to Kaz.
"I think that I could disguise myself as a Magikarp and swim past them- nothing wants to eat a Magikarp."
>>6256432"Heh maybe, but I'll take feeling a little weak over what happened back in that dream."
>The memory of getting impaled in the dream world, gives him pause. His paws freezing up as the suddenness of if all flashes by. The sharp burn, the choking feeling, followed by darkness...."Gah, stay focused Evan! You never know what might be around in these places."
>Shaking his head he pushes those thoughts to the wayside, and redoubles his efforts on the opening up the trapdoor
>>6256417"Woah, where did you get that?" The toy has piqued Orner's interest, like a kid in the playground.
Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)
>>6256376(HP 14/20)
Mohka is back to a normal speed - he had forgotten he got any to begin with. And then he takes an Astonishing attack.
He joins in with Espurr in the sonic attack, with his scales. Not, like, a move or anything; just making noise. (Intimidation II)
>Kaz, Spike, Ishmael
The Rock Slider is quick to take her present and recede into the empty planes. The other turtlecan't give chase without stepping into the delta's waters...so it settles itself and evokes its ability.
Torkoal's Drought! This particular area 's torrents die down to a trickle, and a hole gazes down into this bank resolutely...for the remaining moments you'll spend in this area. It's still raining elsewhere. Ishmael might recall his vision of how little there is above the banks, so those two might be back at it later...
...Kaz also only takes one round of DoT before his Rock Smash breaks his confinement.
>Brook, Cress, Evan
Cress looks wilted and shivers in the storm. She huddles in on the statue. "Does it feel good punching so far down?"
Brook's claw catches on a loose piece in the wooden construction. It spins and fails under his weight, causing Brook to crash into the door in the water. He and Evan tumble down into what looks like a little cellar, completely unlike the rest of the Dream Delta's environment.
The stream is flowing in too while you both fall down the stairs. you may want to close that if you can once Klefki gets in. the statue Cress is on has too wide a base to follow suit...
"Mystery Hoooooooouse~!!!!" A Kecleon greets you with jazz hands and a jazz tongue.
"Rough out there, is it not? Lucky you, an impulse buy a day keeps the madness away!...Trust me. Please?"
>Apple Pie - 300P
>Sunny Orb - 950P
>Tiny Reviver Seed - 250P
>Training Manual - Free, with the purchase of any item!
>Tasty Honey - 1,000P
>Brown Gummi - 600P
>Royal Gummi - 600P
Klefki drifts down behind you all. "Goodness! This place blows. I needed a break! Thanks!"
>Orner, Espurr, Mohka, Skitty, Sail
"Ohoho! For a moment I'd thought we'd floated into something FAR worse. No reason to let THESE tread your land. NONONO." He looses a dazzling Gleam for a soul-burning 7,4, and 1 damage to the sheet-ghosts and a Misdreavus. For the first time, He looks to be taking his situation seriously after Orner's words..
One of the Shuppet sildes up to Sail, egging him to join in on their merriment and help them feed. You don't imagine anyone is safely in their good graces, since they're now crowding the thieving Shuppet. Its dizziness from Espurr and Mohka's sound blast is a veritable buffet for them...
...Oh, the wind is gonna keep that toy going on its own, huh.
>Matchia, Wallis
The nurse Pokemon are quick to make use of your gifts, stabilizing themselves. The extra members of their number about to be lost are equally compassionate, now putting errant Oran Leaves to their donation. You look like you could use a snack, and your would-be recovery goes up to 7 points.
...It's being enacted through Fling. They're going straight into your mouths.
There's another meeting place for the streams to feed into on the horizon, but Cress, Brook, and Evan haven't made it yet? This one has five tracks extending out!
...And it looks identical to the other pools otherwise.
Rolled 14, 3, 10 = 27 (3d20)
Dazzling Gleam rolls.
>>6256504>Evan looks around"Nice, always knew we'd find something cool outta nowhere someday, Brook."
>he pats the fox on the back again, then leans down to whisper when he sees the honey"Hey, could you loan me 200P? I'm kinda broke after buying this armor but I figure we could use that honey if we wanna do another team toast."
Rolled 14 + 2 (1d20 + 2)
>>6256504>:TElecting to HP and let HP for the feckless Fling to the face, Wallis is carried away with stuffed cheeks pouted outward to the third reservoir with a 5-point fork in the road.
"Hold up, we lost Evan, Brook, and Cress!"
An Acumen scan of her surroundings before she refuses Empath yet again should hopefully clear things up. Maybe even stumble upon that bad juju said Empath holders were tipped off to with the Plisms.
>>6256504"I think I got i-WHOA!"
>Before he can finish, he falls and crashes into the door with a loud bang!"Oof...ughnnn..."
>A moment passes of him on his back once he finally stops falling. He groans as the sound of another mon landing, along with the rattling of wood as it comes to a tumbling stop, echoes all around."I'm okay!"
>Is shouted as soon as he can climb back to his feet"Evan, you alri-AH!"
>Mistaking the green lizard for a different reptile, Brook jumps away with a yelp. Eyes darting back and forth to take in as much of this.....mystery hoooooooooooooouse~!!! as they can, while he calms down"Sorry, I don't really have much money...though...then again...."
>The moment his twitching nose picks up the scent of pie, a growling can be heard from his stomach."It has been a bit since any of us really got to eat...."
>he takes a step forward, drool nearly dripping from his lips before he forces himself to look away. Wiping the saliva away as he does so"No! Sorry, I uhh don't have much money on me. What are you doing running a shop down here anyway?"
>He asks with his tail turned, not wanting to even risk his eyes to wander towards the presence of baked goods>>6256513>he doesn't react to the pat, too focused on maintaining self control "Oh yeah sure, here you go!"
>Eager to focus on something that isn't the scent of baked apples teasing his stomach, Brook hands 200P worth of gold to the snake"I don't have much so try to pay me back when you can, alright?"
>>6256504>well, paths cleared let's keep going!"...I am so getting smoothie lessons from flutter when we get back."
>on the bright side, that sun usage makes fire moves easier to handle, so zipping ahead with flame charge isn't so costly!
Rolled 7 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>6256504"Nah much t' offer t' the ring a round, spirit. Tho, guessin' throwin' dis sweet bar will suffice. As cannon fodder." Sail offer a piece of Brigadier Butterscotch to the ghost.
>The slug continued on his search, adjusting his horn a bit. (Radar III)
>>6256537"Thanks dude, I'll get ya back twice over when I get some cash."
>>6256504>Evan purchases the Tasty Honey"So, what motivated ya to set up shop in the middle of... nowhere? We're grateful to find ya and all, but this ain't exactly what anyone'd call prime real estate."
>>6256504Orner's fine with letting the weird Clefable do the dirty work. Look at him, he's having a blast! Moving on.
"Where the FUCK iss the sstatue? I sswear to god, Cresss..." She's not backtracking for her yet but that monument better be moving as she speaks.
>>6256504"Hey hey! It worked!"
>DoTHP:13/20(24)
"Ouch."
>>6256605"Yeah, lets get a move on!"
Rolled 13, 4, 14, 18 = 49 (4d20)
>Evan, Brook
Kecleon swipes the money with haste before flipping the trapdoor shut with his tongue...despite the river flowing in. Shopkeeps...
"We are in a mystery dungeon, dear customer. You don't travel without passing through dangerous places. And where there's need for tools...there are sales! It doesn't get simpler!...Unless you mean this mystery house. Nobody knows who builds these or why they appear and vanish so suddenly. It should be impossible!"
The Klefki behind you adds, "Mystery dungeons are creatures of chaos. They may take many incarnations...and change between them all the time. You can't build anything in one, because the moving foundation would tear apart a home or structure within the day. Pokemon like him take breaks in 'em all the time, and I thought this one would be cool; sometimes you can find whole bazaars or weird ferals. This is on'a the simpler ones, though...yawn." she doesn't.
The ring Pokemon begins browsing the wares.
Cress, having taken an un-slowed route drifts into the pool with everyone else after a bit hanging off the statue. The water is rising to the point it's pushing the thing more than she can, and she's quivering from the rainfall. Not for the cold, but the unwelcome drenchedness. "...Present...And I was joking, Kaz."
>Sail can see a pout forming on the disoriented Shuppet, but if it doesn't need to feed...
It looks like Sail made a new friend. It takes the overstuffed sandwich and denounces its allegiance to its allies, shimmying Sail off in lieu of a wave.
Once again, this water pool looks exactly the same as all the others. Before any of you can get to the paths forward however...a swell appears behind you, with a wave forcing everyone up and forward. A low, mechanical roar-groan rises with the shape in the water before it darts forward through your party. The water cone formed by its blistering movement is just that-it stings like a slipped knife, and all you can make out is a ridged shell and a horn poking out from the water.
You've seen this rainbow aura spreading through the water before, too. It's...empowerment? When the waves clear...
ENEMY TURN 1
IQ Skills...
>Miniboss+: Enemy only. User has two turns, and is immune to minor status conditions.
>Strong Grasp: User's Constricting moves deal +2 damage. Try and break free from their grasp. You can't!
>Defender: The User's Defense and Special Defense Stats are increased by 1 Stat Point. The User's Attack and Special Attack Stats are decreased by 1 Stat Point.
Rail Canyon Act 1, Shadow Generations - https://youtu.be/4hi2t9EyO8k?si
Mohka and Evan are both struck by sprays of river-stone flechettes. Stonesurge strikes both for 9 damage! And Stealth Rocks spread...carrying two layers of hazards into into every single path forward. The beshelled Pokemon speeds off into one of the paths ahead...With Cress and Wallis now missing. They're both taking 12 physical Dark damage and trapped DoT...
...And that Tympole scurries ahead too as subtly as it can.
As for your paths...
>That concerned, sympathetic route
>A more all-consuming panic than before...
>It's definitely an emotion. You've never felt it before, so you can't make it out. It's like that sensation of hitting the exposed nerve on your elbow...?
>You're going to die here. There's nothing to do but fight to the bitter end; it's you or everything else around...
>That smoldering hatred is getting ashy and weak.
But supposing you can't sense any of that, go ahead and take your d5.
PLAYER TURN 1
Wow. Evan is a funny way of spelling Wallis. It's Mohka and Wallis taking Stonesurges for 7 and 11 damage. My bad.
Rolled 1 (1d5)
>>6258356>In response to Cress"Oh...Well, at least our world's are sorta in the same boat then."
>>6258366>Suddenly, giant wave!"Woah! Where'd this come from?!"
>Kaz tries to stabilize himself as the wave takes him down path number...
Rolled 4 (1d5)
>>6258366(HP 12/20)
Mohka takes his 2 damage after defenses, and the wave takes him down another path.
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>6258366Darius was, in fact, always present. The lack of posts confirming this can be safely dismissed as unimportant.
"HEY, GIVE THEM BACK!"
Darius still has no real means of navigating these paths, but he DOES very much have the ability to take a parting shot at the miniboss before he floats onwards to his next rng-dependent destination.
Even this thing can't fully shrug off a stone edge, hopefully.
(21 damage on hit, hits on 5+)
>>6258366"Dammit! That thing is running wild!" Spike shouts through gritted teeth before he snaps towards the path that radiates a do or die attitude.
"I'm going after it!" Spike calls out before diving straight into the path.
>You're going to die here. There's nothing to do but fight to the bitter end; it's you or everything else around...>Spike's HP (if Stealth Rock procs): 30/35
Rolled 1 (1d5)
>>6258382>>6258366And a d5 for hopefully not getting water'd next round.
Rolled 15 (1d20)
>>6258384(Forgot to roll))
>>6258356>Brook just stares back and forth between the living keyring and chameleon shopkeyper, eyes blinking"That makes sense...kinda? I'll just chalk it up to these places being weird."
>After dusting himself off, he spins around while slowly walking forward, eyes taking in as much of the bizarre bizarre as they can"As cool as it is to find a place that isn't dangerous in one of these dungeons, we got a job to do! If we stay too long, we're gonna fall behind!"
>>6258356"Makes sense to me! Too bad this one's got a leak though. The landlord's really letting the place go."
>Evan laughs"So like, do you have a secret exit or something? Or is it just the hatch back there? Cuz like, I think the hatch up there's even more underwater now."
>>6258389"Yeah, we gotta get moving. Nice seein' the both of ya."
Rolled 2 (1d5)
>>6258366(HP 9/20)
Mohka takes his 5 damage after defenses, and the waves take him down another path.
Rolled 7 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>6258356>>6258366>>6258372Wallis is double targeted by an Empowered foe before she can sense it. Her overheal vanishes in an instant before her senses let her respond.
"AGH! Stupid sparkle chaser!"
>HP: 24/31Unable to choose her way as she's forced to a protracted fight vs this Empowered Drednaw, Wallis works to improve the situation.
"Get lost, slackjaw!"
Unleashing a tumultuous shockwave over the whole room with Earth Power, Wallis works to push Drednaw's jaws open and its Stonesurge rocks away.
>+3 RepulsionThe good part about being hit below overheal is her Mending Rune Amulet (Heal Ribbon) can start doing its leftovers thing.
We Ribbon.
>HP: 25/31
Rolled 5 (1d5)
>>6258356>roll for pathSkitty casts her Anchor Shot wand at Mohka (prior to
>>6258401) in an attempt to stay righted as she rides the wave, proceeding to use the larger Pokemon as a pivot point. The wand pulls her along, slingshotting her into a random -- I mean, totally intentionally chosen path. Gotta keep up, after all.
Good news for the Kommo-O: that attack did 0 damage.
Rolled 11 (1d20)
>>6258366"What the-!?"
Matchia moves back surprised from Wallis, who.... disappeared.
Seeing it rush off, Matchia tries to hold it back from a distance by using Fake Out...!
Rolled 1 (1d5)
>>6258423Also, path roll.
>>6256449>Espurr recounts acquiring it after disposing of a Morgrem in their excursion away from home after the group left Grim Brim. They didn't actually kill him but for all intents and purposes he won't recover from the total annihilation they brought upon him. >>6258366Espurr feels a distinct sense of familiarity with one particular path that makes their breath hitch. They're going to die, there's nothing they can do about it. It's them or the world. It's like they're sitting at the bottom of a hole, looking up at the stars crashing down on them. "...I will," they quietly mutter, skating across the water's surface only to end up sputtering and sliding onwards as they lose the clarity of mind required to continue levitation.
>You're going to die here. There's nothing to do but fight to the bitter end; it's you or everything else around...>Espurr used Calm Mind!>Their Special Attack and Special Defense were increased by 1!
Rolled 5 (1d5)
>>6258396>>6258366>fate will now occur
>>6258426"Brutal." What a cool cat.
>>6258366"You are kidding!" An empowered feral, what are the odds? And Cress getting Jaw Locked, the monument is left unattended in the currenf while everyone is rushing forward... "For fuckss ssake." Guess it's up to her to pick up the slack.
First things first though, she needs a new approach. The malnourishment has taken a noticable chunk of her vitality and she needs all that she can get. Carefully, she reaches for the inside of her satchel without letting the rain in, pulling out a music box. It's melody is drowned out by the downpour but its effects are felt.
>Link Box consumed. Orner's stats are rearranged.>5 Health Points, 4 Attack. HP 20/31She heads to the nicer path of the bunch with the stone Hatterene in tow.
>That concerned, sympathetic route
Rolled 13, 13, 4, 7, 10 = 47 (5d20)
>Kaz, Matchia, Darius, Orner
A potential Fake-out lands...into an innocent wall of sand as the branch Matchia takes curves suddenly. It was never the same path that tortoise Pokemon went down. On the bright(if still stormy) side, Matchia and the others on this track are reunited with the Chansey and Togetic from earlier. The wind on this path is picking up...but you all get Heal Pulses and leaves blown your way for 7 HP recovery.
That Stone Edge never stood a chance, either. It was long gone by the time you'd launched it...
The thrum of the link box cuts through the weather for a single, protracted note before falling apart. Orner is respec'd!
>Brook
Brook finds himself alone on a winding road with a Tympole sliding with him. It squeaks and wraps its tail around its belongings, a TM and an Orb. Protect. You can almost feel its fevered heartbeat despite the roaring storm and choppy waters...
And that trapdoor in the water passes by you again?
>Mohka, Cress, Wallis, Espurr, Spike
This snapper's jaw strength is ironclad. There's no punching through it with his...proficiency. That Earth Power deals damage, but neither vitim is freed. Cress isn't under any illusions about getting out of this thing's trap, but her available attacks are both wasted efforts. A burn might help...Cress goes for a Pyro Ball!
While Espurr steadies their head. The creeping foreign influence recedes from them, for now...the other two of you with actions still available note a far-off look in the attacker's eyes, one focused on everything and taking in nothing. Is that a sash crossing its chest? And a badge, too...
>Skitty, Evan
There's a door behind Kecleon that opens out into the main pool...dropping you straight into the rain again. you look behind yourself where you came from, and...there's no door.
The cat uses Mohka as a horizontal pendulum to swing herself deep into a route with a break in the rain. In fact, the Sunlight is Intense! A nearby Torkoal fusses over its waning leftovers, while a pie-bearing one glares daggers from the opposite bank. They'll be back at eachothers' shells soon...
At this pace, Skitty will reach the next reservoir at the same time as Drednaw, with an action to spare!
Evan, conversely, has a chance to earn these Torkoals' allegiance...or ire.
PLAYER TURN 1.5?
Those of you who haven't done anything but choose a path still have action to take or pass. Otherwise...
ENEMY TURN 2
Orner also has that giant statue in tow with her. Supposing any of you wanted to innoculate yourselves or turn into a Psychic Type...?
Priceless as it is, mind that it is mere stone. Try not to put it in too much danger. Or do. Who knows what could happen.
Rolled 13 (1d20)
>>6258461Well, as long as he's following... this giant pokemon looks like a good source of HP to Drain with a Punch. That's right, it's Drain Punch! Might also knock some sense into it, maybe.
Should do 13 damage if it lands, taking into account the Defender skill and type advantage, and draining 6+2 HP.
>>6258472It lands!
(HP 17/20)
Rolled 14 (1d20)
>>6258461>Kaz gives the Chansey and Togeic a wave of appreciation!"Hey thanks you two!"
HP: 20/20(24)
>Keen to keep his returned health, Kaz uses Aerial Ace to jump up and get a better look at their new assailant>And keep from being attacked"Let's get a look at you..."
Rolled 19 (1d20)
>>6258461>Evan comes across a typical friendship exercise. Or, as the kids call it, kindergarten math class."Hello, Torkoals!"
>Evan doesn't have any food for the turts. Alas, no easy solution. Well, time for the natural Evan """charisma""">Evan gently approaches the pie-laden Torkoal, gesturing cutting the pie and sharing half with the other Torkoal"Would you mind sharing with your maybe-friend over there? I'm sure they'd be real happy if ya did!"
>Peacekeeper Evan, a new form of cool snake. But are the Torkoals receptive?
>>6258461Spike didn't know what type this 'mon was, but from its coloration and moves he could make a safe assumption it was water/rock. Normally implacable types, their hardiness falters in particular when faced by something that can challenge it.
And he doubt that a feral or someone in a frenzy would have the function to debate whether to fight something they didn't have a chance against.
Spike ducks into the water, and screws his eyes shut. There's a few grass types he knows well enough to disguise himself as, and only one that could terrify anyone.
From out of the water, Virizion emerges with a harsh glare in her eyes. The aura that radiates off her is one of impending doom, of an animal that has chosen to fight and won't be convinced otherwise.
"Unhand them," Virizion commands, the thoughts of loosening jaws, immense fear, and to flee tinge her words.
>Spike uses Illusion! (+ Phantasm 3)
Rolled 10 (1d20)
>>6258461>Finding himself back outside the trap door, Brook only gives the fearful tadpole a short glance, before bringing up a paw to shout for his companions"Evan!? Cress!?"
>He waits with his ears raised to listen for any sort of reply....but after a few minutes the only response he receives is the sound of a lonely wind blowing through, sending the ends of his scarf to dance and ruffling his fur"Well dang, where'd everyone go?"
>Not bothering with the trapdoor this time, Brook steps into the stream. He feels the cold water sending a chill up his legs and spreading throughout his entire body. Stifling a shiver, and taking a deep breath a soft blue glow begins to illuminate his form....>He begins to shrink, the blue glow taking the form of many bubbles as he gets lower into the water. Eventually being completely submerged as the last of the bubbles pop revealing a near mirror image of the injured little tadpole!>Getting closer to its barrier, he waves his illusory tail as a friendly greeting towards the mon"C'mon, lets get out of here!"
Rolled 18 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>6258486
>>6258461(HP 27/31) "Phew... Thankss!" Pulling the statue gets a bit easier for Orner, being in mostly good shape now. This weather doesn't let up though, she might have to start pushing instead...
No burn. Drednaw takes 1 damage from Pyro Ball, while Cress and Wallis take DoT. No damage from Earth Power, but one of the hazard layers is cleared from all the waters.
Drednaw takes 10 Damage from Drain Punch, giving Mohka 3 recovery.
Spike's scare tactics certainly have an impact; it's not clear if this explorer recognizes what he's being shown...but he ignores the command until telepathic messages flood into him. Wallis and Cress are freed from Jaw Lock after only a single tick of DoT, but there's a surge of emotions coming from him afterward. He's swerving all around and through the illusion, flinching on 'contact' and looking in fervently in every direction...?
>Kaz
Kaz jumps up and sees...nothing. The instant he crosses over the peak of the bank, aall he sees is the single path he was on...and not even any Pokemon that were just in it. It's just sand dunes and rain straight to the horizons, no branching paths, no delta, not even the big wide pool he just came from.
...Until he falls back down, suddenly next to Darius and company.
>Brook
A familiar face is welcome, but your sudden appearance still has the tyke apprehensive. It's not loosening its grip...Tympole swims ahead, unsure of your intentions. It doesn't look to understand your speech.
>Evan
And neither does Evan's conversation partners. The ferals look at eachother and Evan like like an alien suddenly appearing in their living room-one supposes that's exactly what's happening though.
They're not keep on peace, having not understood your words.
dumped into another reservoir, the twilighted explorer takes its next action, A Stone Edge into the awaiting Skitty for 15 damage, and Stonesurges for Espurr and Kaz for 11 damage each. Lastly, the tortoise Pokemon curls into itself, and all of you hear a rumble as a fracture appears along his back. It's using Shell Smash!
Skitty and Skitty alone has a chance to act before it speeds along down the next path.
Clefable and Roller are floundering against the current for distance from from your predicament.
PLAYER TURN 2
four more paths before you...
>Violent protectiveness. There's land and more to protect...
>That bitter obsession with a fated enemy is boiling over again. It's just like that pass two turns ago...
>Why are you alone? You heard Others once. Are they okay? Keep feeding. These meals are never sustaining enough...
>More of that hope and good cheer, even despite the friction between those ghosts...
or roll a D4.
Rolled 2 (1d20)
>>6258517>>6258528>Equipped item: Sitrus Berry!Thank God she held onto that thing, huh? Skitty chows down on her emergency item (...it's slightly overripe) after getting blindsided by a rock and heals back to her current max of 20.
Ka-chunk. Managing not to lose her grip on her wand, she fires it again at the Drednaw's shell. "Oh no you don't--!!" She spares little thought to the fact that she's about to pull herself onto this giant speeding Empowered bullet of a turtle. Running on adrenaline now. Speaking of...
>4 AP into Agile Armor. Skitty's defenses rose by 4!
Rolled 2 (1d4)
>>6258513>Evan sighs, frustrated. He has to move on. These Torkoal are denser than stone.
Rolled 4 (1d4)
>>6258513>Watching the small mon swim away still scared, Brook frowns beneath his illusion"It was worth a shot."
>Stepping out of the steam, the droplets on his form begin to drip....far more than one would expect from merely stepping into the water. More and more the droplets begin to fall off, revealing the true face of the zorua in the puddle forming underneath!"You be safe now, okay!?"
>Is shouted downstream towards the still scared mon, as Brook darts past and down another path"Sorry I can't stick around!"
>As he goes, his view of the path before him once again begins to shift and sway...
Rolled 4 (1d4)
>>6258513>>6258461>>6258528>HP:23/31 (Forgot Strong Grasp DoT)"A-AH!!"
Wallis has similar startling at the Virizion Illusion to her captor, but rebounds upon being freed.
"Ugh, if it works it works..."
After a begrudged compliment to Spike, Wallis is able to spot the badge now that she's freed from Drednaw's maw.
"An Explorer! That gives me an idea. Except, there he goes..."
As her perception blurs at the reservoir once more, Wallis doesn't fight the current. She takes a Break with an anime sigh and lets the current take her wherever the whims of fate may lead.
>IQ Skill: Second Wind>HP: 26/31We Ribbon.
>HP:27/31
>>6258461"...! Well, we're back here. Hah, these paths are pissing me off."
>>6258489"...Think we just try our lucks at the paths again?"
>>6258538"Well, if you can't ssensse what'ss in each road then that'ss your only option bessidess sstaying behind! Or I guesss you could try hitching a ride." Orner should be strong enough to carry someone alongside the statue, right? That'd be cheating though.
Rolled 12 (1d20)
>>6258536"You're welcome," Virizion replies without sparing a glance at Wallis. "Now try to stay out of harms way while I pursue this deranged tortoise."
The illusion drops as Spike dives into the water and he swims under the cover of the stream, following what must the berserking 'mon's emotions. He almost follows the path radiating with bitter obsession, but recalls the Torkoal from before. No, if he had to guess...
>Violent protectiveness. There's land and more to protect...'_Everyone stay safe, these streams are filled with trouble,_' Spike says telepathically to anyone who cares to hear.
>Rolling to stay undetected while swimming through the path.
Rolled 2 (1d4)
>>6258528>one may wonder what ish has been doing this whole time, ignore wherever the controller went.>the answer is, cleaning rocks. not like that inventory space that once held pie is useful for anything else, maybe Kaz'll appreciate these?>plus it's not like he can just run up to a water type and be done with it, electro ball isn't on his moveset right now.>...let's see where that intuishion gets him now.
Rolled 4 (1d4)
>>6258356"Still 'ave half o' sweet bar left fer a later time, down the current."
>>6258528>Sail blindly ride the current downstream.
Rolled 4 (1d4)
>>6258513"Damn! It's hid good under that water..."
>>6258517HP:9/20(24)
"OW!"
>Kaz cries out!"I just got some a that back you jerk!"
>>6258528>But before Kaz can retaliate, its time for another path split!>Here we go again!
>>6258528Orner thinks she has what's needed to take care of the Drednaw but she'll need to reach them first...
>Why are you alone? You heard Others once. Are they okay? Keep feeding. These meals are never sustaining enough...
Rolled 12, 15, 6, 3, 2, 4, 11, 2, 14, 2, 15 = 86 (11d20)
>Darius, Spike
You find...a Hippopotas standing still in the center of the current, two evolved parents taking up the entire path on the banks on the side. They're keeping one eye trained on the kid and another on you...
...And behind you is the spitting image of the explorer Virizion.
>Skitty, Evan, Ishmael, Cress
Orner's idea is something...but Skitty's execution shows that you'd have to spare no space for divergence in the sliding patches of dry land. Skitty fishtails for but an instant and instead finds herself on the same route as Ishmael and Evan. This one's waters have died to a trickle under the beating sun, and those Torkoal are back at eachothers' throats with ranged attacks and plenty of room for crossfire. Rock Slide blocks the air, while Take 2, Evan.
Ishmael has a dense rock.
But cress has chosen to follow this gang seeing its composition. Does she have a pla-
"You. Go on ahead and see if you can influence its direction next time. We're going to be at this forever if we're playing catch-up. Everyone else, clear the way!"
Ah. She's charging a Pyro Ball to blow right behind Ishmael. The sun has it gleaming more brightly than usual...!
>Orner
There's a sand dune...in the middle of the path. The mystery dungeon's water seems to flow straight through it and past to the other side, but you're not so confident the same would happen to you, or that it's worth your attention so much as the empowered tank of a Pokemon next to you and the statue you're surfing with.
>Sail, Brook, Wallis, Kaz
There's that tadpole Pokemon from earlier again. It seems the density of feeling here masked its presence...no matter. One of the Shuppets hovers unobtrusively around Sail rather than attacking, but the other three...
PLAYER TURN 2.5
>>6260175"back at it huh... god what I'd do to have wallis with us..."
>Oh, is that an order?"I can go ahead, but influence it how? I ain't wallis, I can't change the way the sea flows!"
>unless..."unless you mean through sheer force of will? does this place work like that?"
Rolled 3 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>6260175"I don't know what pokemon those are, but I can sense their protectiveness from here..." Virizion- actually Spike in disguise- says as he crouches down into the water.
"Try not to get close to the kid," he says before dropping under the water.
There must be a way to sneak through- battling two enormous ferals powdered by paternal instinct wasn't a battle two explorers could afford to fight. There must something he could transform into that they wouldn't bother with...
The water flowing over Spike hides the mirage as his green coat shrinks and turns a flashy red, yellow whiskets poke out of his snout. He's a magikarp now! The most pathetic 'mon there is, and he's about swim right past them.
>Rolling for Illusion (+Phantasm 3)
Rolled 4 (1d20)
>>6260175Orner does, in fact, not mind the strangeness of the dungeon right now. "YOU!" Moment of truth, can this enemy be subverted without further violence? Orner tries her best to swing and splash the statue's produce in Drednaw's way. Surely all this water running around will work in her favor.
>Orner used Magic Powder!
>>6260178"Infected can't identify their surroundings. It shouldn't be that hard to scare. You remember the feeling, yes?" Cress squints at the second question. "I'm willing you into a brick wall to knock some sense into you. This place is beyond saving if people want mystery dungeons to look this annoying!"
And with that, the ball explodes. between the two of you. Ishmael takes 9 damage, and is blown forward at blistering speeds. Up to you, Skitty and Evan to keep going without getting shredded by the ferals' blood feud...
>>6258517(6/24 HP)
Espurr takes 9 damage, momentarily sinking under as they lose their psionic buoyancy. When they find their grip on the waves once more, they float on, feeling injured.
>>6258528They follow Spike to the feeling of protectiveness. It doesn't come across as a negative feeling to them- or, at least, it can't be any more negative than all feelings. It may at least suggest safety. Refuge.
>Violent protectiveness. There's land and more to protect......They immediately try scampering away after spotting Virizion, but their claws don't find much friction in the water.
>Espurr used Light Screen!>...On themselves. Don't hurt them.They curl as much as they can without descending underwater.
Rolled 18 (1d20)
>>6260178Why is Virizion here? Who knows, really? It's less important than the... admittedly nebulous reason DARIUS is here, so it can probably be ignored for now.
As for the mons in front of him, there's no real need for concern. They're not attacking him, which means they HAVE to be friendly!
Kind of a shame that he can't stick around to do whatever ferals do for fun, but surely he can just walk right past with no issues!
Surely.
Rolled 14, 1 = 15 (2d20)
>>6260189>14/21HP, presuming NvE, 18/21 otherwise>and with that, ish's blasting off. he should be slowing down soon right?>...right?>nope, double flame charge. he's only going to get faster, and as a plus...>IQ: Explorer!>he'll have a better time finding the right way if he's at a speed he's comfortable with!
Rolled 2 (1d20)
>>6260175"Wait, did I take a wrong turn somewhere..?"
>Evan looks behind him, but those Torkoal need to stop being assholes before he can be confused at the layout."...Fuck it. If you two won't share nicely, you'll share by force!"
>Evan rushes towards the pie-haver, using Iron Tail to turn his leaf into a cutting blade and slicing the pie in two. He runs over to the non-pie-haver, putting half of a pie in front of them.>At least, that's the plan. There's a lot of moving parts, this could backfire big time.
>>6260175Wallis sees the approaching specter ferals and gets bad memories of the first night at the inn. Perhaps that's the negativity they were looking for, if being put through the wringer last round wasn't enough. She pre-emptively puts up a Wide Guard, primarily as a bluff. The sudden appearance of a barrier around all allies should make them think twice about errant attacks, including the Drednaw's.
"Brook, Kaz, Sail! If the pattern holds, we're crossing paths with that turtle explorer gone Berserk again! Watch out for his jaws! He looks bulky like me, but I've got an idea to try if I cross paths with him!"
Rolled 14 (1d20)
>>6260175"Oh hey guys!"
>Kaz breaks the surface of the water with his hand and gives a wave"Fancy meetin' you here!"
>Then he notices the Shuppets!"Hey!"
>Kaz picks up a rock from the water bed, charging it with Fling!>He points a finger at the band of ghosts"No funny business, you got it?! We're already dealin' with some terror under the seas! Don't need some spooks too!"
>Intimidate with Type weakness?>>6260210"Yeah I know! Damn thing bit me already!"
>>6260210Additionally, we ribbon.
>HP: 28/31
>>6260210>Once his vision begins to unblur, and the path before him begins to become clear. A smile spreads on his face, as his feet begin to quickly bring him towards the trio of Wayfarers"Wallis! Nice to find ya, was starting to get a bit worried I fell behind."
>Brook casually motions towards the tadpole behind its barrier in the stream, while Wallis brings up a barrier of her own once the phantoms step out of the shadows"All I've crossed paths with so far is that guy, tried to talk with him but they didn't understand. I hope we aren't lost."
>>6260175>The zorua gives the puppet spirits a careful glance from behind Wallis' barrier"We're just passing through, sorry if we're bothering you, but we won't be here long."
>Brooks eyes stray to the ghost bothering Sail, before returning to warily look at the other three. Watching for any signs of possible aggression.
>>6260175"Down ripe negative energy layerin' around the dune. Ripe fer the takin'."
>The slug offer up the rest of the Brigadier Butterscotch to the tadpole."A half sweet bar fer the journey on narrate the tide o' phantoms comin' up."
>IQ: Wild Spirit
>>6260213"Wait I didn't see you when I got wedged in his jaw."
>>6260223"C-Crap! He's getting away with the Orb and TM! We'll figure out how to get back on track if we don't all get funneled out the exit together. J-Just watch out, it's an Explorer under the effects of that Empowerment Seed like the Escavalier at the garden was! Not liking how often this is coming up."
>>6260175Skitty, luckily, didn't critfail there, so her mouth isn't open to make her eating dirt into more than just a turn of phrase. She stands, woozy, but at least quickly drying in this heat. It's not too bad.
The turtles are back, which she elects to pretend is normal; Skitty doesn't have the speed to blitz through without getting caught up in the crossfire, so she just gets up and sprints.
...two of her get up and sprint, actually.
>Skitty used Double Team!>Skitty used Agile Armor! Defenses raised by 4 for this turn!The real cat makes a beeline for the exit, wavering like an afterimage due to the Agile Armor activation. The fake Skitty, meanwhile, makes a beeline for the more-starved Torkoal in a similar manner to Evan on the other side of the room. With the fake looking more stable than the original, it's her hope that the confusion is enough for her to get by. Worst case, she takes a glancing blow.
Rolled 1, 18, 6, 18 = 43 (4d20)
>Spike, Darius, Espurr
It's hard to overstate the presence of a Magikarp. Not here to feed, the ferals pass Spike by...but Darius is an encroaching unknown. Both parents are set upon him...Two High Horsepowers fro 14 damage each!
Espurr's lights manage to draw the child's eyes for a decidedly un-special Rock Tomb for 7 damage.
>Kaz, Brook, Sail, Wallis
It looks like Clefable has followed you down for whatever reason, just to bully the ghosts with more Dazzling Gleams. Two are misses, and one connects into the thieving Shuppet for 7 damage.
>Ishmael, Evan, Cress
As for points of failure and moving parts...that Iron Tail would be one, but it's hard to not not give a Torakoal of all things the run-around. Evan runs Kaz's gift to the other bank, Earth Powerer crawling after him with a Flame Charge. Fickle-targeting and shifting attentions give room for a pair of Skitty to eat the blow over a more ideal target, but is it a hit...? The energy between them has shifted...and more importantly, so have the attacks previously in a flying Ishmael's path! He's zooming forward to the next pool by the time Drednaw can finish his skirmish with Orner! Speaking of...
Evan is however pestered by 6 points of Stealth Rock damage.
>Orner
Powder dresses the Tortoise, swapping its typing for pure Psychic. He regains a touch of lucidity, but unlike the Clan Galena captain...he looks unscratched, outside of wounds gained in this encounter. He may have been empowered for quite a while-which means...
ENEMY TURN 3
Words of peace are lost on constructs of a dungeon, but food, and a top shelf food item too...it's universal. Tympole uncurls from its Protect, taking the leftovers. It can't hold on to all three, but it seems okay with dropping its...Sparkling Orb.
The Tadpole then skitters around, looking more concerned about the ghosts than anything. For one moment, Brook is a hiding spot, then Clefable...there's no plan as long as they're around.
The ghosts are eating up Kaz and Wallis's frustration. Seeking more, there's a Thief into Tympole, and an Astonish and Shadow Ball for...Brook, after they're startled by Wide Guard. That TM and 6 damage are taken! Brook takes 7 and 13 damage from combined Ghost attacks!
Meanwhile, There's nothing for the berserk-awakened Drednaw to focus on but Orner and the obstacle ahead. Two Stone Edges for Orner and a Stonesurge into the statue, of which only a STAB-less Edge hits. 14 damage! The last Stonesurge is reserved for the dune ahead, eroding away enough sand for the Tortoise to slide though. The slope acts as a ramp that catches an attacking Orner however, throwing her up into that no-mon's land of emptiness. It's gonna be a pain in the ass shoving the monument back down into the bank to start making progress again...
One Horsepower misses Darius. The other deals 14 damage, while Rock Tomb hits Espurr for 7 and DoT. Flame Wheel glances the real Skitty for...7 damage. Where's the sun boost? Keep your eyes on that rentry...
PLAYER TURN 3
Three paths ahead, this time. The currents and storm pick back up for Ishmael and Skitty, who have a turn to act upon the approaching speed demon before it retreats down one of the paths.
There's...
>A ray of clarity in the heavy rainfall.
>A chatty gaggle of spirits. One of them is holding a TM...
>A hole of clarity and light in the heavy rainfall.
...But neither of you can tell which of these paths will lead to which scenario.
Rolled 6 (1d20)
>>6260314>...oh right, it's rock type ain't it.>rock's weak to fighting, ish does have low kick...>fuck it, deep breath, focus, bunny. kick that big turtle in it's stupid face.>after that passes, it'll be time to head down the ray of clarity's path
>>6260316(clocks in at 12+4(SE)+2(type specialist)+2(attack stat) damage, or 20 before defence. lightweight IQ skill makes sure low kick is hitting it's max)
>>6260316>>6260320(scratch that, 14 damage, I did not realise someone changed the 'mons type)
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6260314"Sparky t' a shine o' a storm."
>Sail take the Sparkling Orb and drift down the current.
>>6260314(HP 14/31) "...Fuck me." Well, nothing to do but slither back to the beaten road! Orner gets to towing, hopefully the fight will still be going when she gets there.
>>6260305>>6260314(0/24 HP)
Espurr fainted!
Rolled 1 (1d20)
>>6260314Skitty stays well clear of the approaching freight train's path this time, summoning some dimly-colored dune grass to try and trip one of its front legs before it chooses a path. She'll pick a path as well, just... not the same one. Even if she succeeds in slowing it, she now knows from experience not to try and tango-- oh and there Ish goes. Good for him.
>Skitty used Grass Knot! (12 damage. IQ Skill: Lightweight)
Rolled 1 (1d3)
>>6260305>17/23"Ow! Fuck! Agh! YOU BOTH CAN GO TO HELL!"
>Evan runs down a random path, swatting at the air is if the rocks were bees
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6260305>>6260314>Kaz watches the ghosts attack Brook!"Hey! Back offa my friends too!"
>But before Kaz can move the stream is already moving him forward!
>>6260314"Are you alright Darius?" Spike asks telepathically, his message tinged with mild concern.
Once he passes through the parents, he dispels the illusion and continues to float through the river.
"Is everyone alright?" Spike asks, as he turns to path leading to the gaggle of spirits. "That turtle didn't get anyone did it?"
>A chatty gaggle of spirits. One of them is holding a TM...
Drednaw takes 7 damage from Low Kick. It appears both rabbits are struggling with Type Specialist's 2nd edge...
While Skitty's Grass Knot is torn straight through. No damage!
Of the three potential routes, Drednaw is headed down...the one least disruptive to his offenses and new defensive type...or can he reign his empowered aggression in...?
>Merriment/self-pity. Easy come, easy go, haha!/those strangers are burning next.
>A lazy contentedness. There's more [food] than can be stored!
>There's a blinding rage...fighting against a wave of relief. A weight has been lifted.
Pick your path. Cress is following that Drednaw.
And he looks pretty battered. You've chewed through a lot of his (shattered) sturdiness...
>>6260352>fuck it, ish's following that dreadnaw too."Hey Cress, I may need another boost to catch up to that thing, but someone's messed with it's types! low kick did way less than I could've hoped."
Rolled 20 (1d20)
>>6260305>The puppets scatter once a blinding flash illuminates the area, forcing the fox to avert his eyes! Though he can't see, his ears do pick up the sound of one unfortunate phantom unable to move, before the burning light had reached its ephemeral form"Gah can't see anything!? Where'd that light come from?"
>Once the brilliance had finally faded, Brook lowers his paws and blinks until the blurry figure in his vision takes shape into.....their pink guide!>However before he can ask just what he's doing here, the sound of skittering coming from behind grabs his focus. Letting him just barely manage to see the fearful tadpole, before runs off to its next hiding spot!"Wait hold on its dangerou-AH!"
>He extends a paw prepared to chase after the amphibious mon. Though before he can even take a step forward, one of the puppets from earlier appears underneath him making him let out a yelp of surprise from the spook as it flies away, giving him a smack with its cloth as it glides away giggling(HP: 19/23)
"Hey, get back here!"
>ignoring the slight sting on his cheek, he gives the ghost chase! His focus so centered on revenge for the jumpscare, he fails to notice the shadowy ball headed for him until it's too late..."Wha-AHH!"
>he turns his head, barely catching sight of the orb as it bursts on his side! Sending globs of darkness in every direction as he gets sent flying into the nearby stream, falling in with a SPLASH!(HP: 7/23)
>.....moments pass before the fox resurfaces from the water, taking in a big gulp of air as he turns to glare at the laughing ghosts"Hah....hah....alright y-you guys are lucky I don't have time...t-to deal with you right now."
>Finally having caught his breath, his gaze moves down from the fluttering spirits, and towards the tadpole still looking terrified on the ground"Alright, little guy...time to get you somewhere safer."
>He takes a step forward, though the pain from the earlier assault nearly has him trip over! He extends a paw to catch himself at the last moment..."Ngh...dang, those attacks...if I wasn't already feeling weak from before..."
>After standing up again, his eyes once again narrow towards the ghosts as he digs around in his supplies before tossing the Sleeping Powder outwards, hoping to catch some of them with the pollen
Rolled 1 (1d3)
>>6260352Skitty swears under her breath. Seems like Grass Knot needs more training. She picks at random. She's not faster, but she can try to keep up. And her luck can't get worse.
>>6260346>>6260352(I misunderstood the prompts.)
Spike tries to follow after the Dreadnaw, but caught at another crossroads he follows the blinding rage- he assumes it's the tortoise but he can't be sure.
Rolled 2 (1d3)
>>6260314Let's go gambliiiiiing
Rolled 3 (1d3)
>>6260305>>6260314>>6260352>>6260363"Oh for the love of- Leave Brook alone! At least we know what to do if we cross paths with more of them."
She screeches at the banshees on the way out, then shoots Brook a worried glance.
"You ok?"
>>6260336Wallis gets a glimpse of Orner and the statue's condition, but sees something more pressing: Espurr downed in a reservoir hazard zone. So instead, she swims over to swaddle the stray in her twintails.
"W-Whew... we're going to need supplies after this. Just gotta hang on."
Wallis tops herself off with sigh from a Second Wind Break during path picking.
>HP: 31/31
>>6260380"I'll be fine, just took me by surprise is all."
>Lifting a leg, he gives her a wave as she continues ahead. Before immediately dropping it back to the ground, when he nearly loses his balance"Keep going, I'll catch up when I can!"
>>6260352>>There's a blinding rage...fighting against a wave of relief. A weight has been lifted.Orner's drive to succeed makes returning the monument to the bank just a little setback. Another divergence, she chooses to keep pursuing the not!Gmax 'mon.
Rolled 17, 5, 8, 17, 5, 1, 19, 4, 18, 1 = 95 (10d20)
>Evan, Skitty
It’s looking more and more like you’re already in hell. For once you round the next bend…you’re back with the tortoises again!
The Earth Power-using Torkoal turns into aggression towards the both of you, as well as as its mortal enemy. Rock Slider is prepared to block an extra attack in exchange for that pie from last turn…for one of you. Which will it be?
The more-allied Torkoal also looks back at you expectantly while preparing to take two attacks. You could follow through on the favor you’ve garnered last turn…but it’s also just a dungeon feral you’re unlikely to meet again. Or be repaid. What kind of Pokemon are you?
>Matchia, Kaz, Sail, Brook
Three of you turn into the next stream and find a mostly familiar sight…plus Brook drifting away with a heavily injured Tympole in hand. It seems he’s put the Shadow Balling Misdreavus to sleep. And…Clefable seems insistent on ridding the dungeon of these particular Pokemon. Another Dazzling Gleam?
“Your nonchalance is TROUBLING to the utmost degree, peers! What has you so PLACID?” Oh, nevermind. You’re the weird ones.
That Shuppet is trying to make off with the TM…
>Orner, Ish, Cress, Wallis, Spike
Cress drags the smaller bunny with her in a rare opportune moment amisdt the turbulence.
Appraising both him and the boss…l “I don’t have any way to knock you into pinch like this. The attacks I have available are all too weak. There may be enough of us to finish this anyway, though…”
For all the locals’ kindness, it seems that your enemy’s emotions have overpowered their presence in the plism.
They do their habitual 7 HP healing into all passersby, including Drednaw.
You’ve never had an opening with this many partners before…
PLAYER TURN 3.5
It appears the monument has drifted down along with Orner…
Rolled 8 (1d20)
>>6262654>>6262657Oh, the monument is swimming on its own, how convenient.
"Letss finish thiss!" Orner swims after Drednaw, aiming below the chin!
>Orner used Throat Chop! 17 damage if roll >3
Rolled 10, 15 = 25 (2d20)
>>6262654>oh, HP back to full again"Get that still means we just gotta give it our all right?"
>knowing this thing's a psychic now, ish readies into another flame charge spree! this time, he's aiming for dreadnaw head on, no matchups are saving you from the burn buddy!
>>6262684(two solid hits, clocking in at 14 damage before defence)
Rolled 20 (1d20)
>>6262654"Aye'd spirits, like t' trade in dis shiny pearl here fer dat mystery disc."
>Sail seen down in bartering the Sparkling Orb for the mystery TM. (IQ Skill: Wild Spirit)>Tho, there a chance of being stolen form the ghost as well. . .
Rolled 13 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>6262654"Well it's kinda hard ta do stuff when yer gettin' moved by the water the whole time!"
"I ain't a fish!"
>Kaz responds to Clefable>Kaz eyes the ghost trying to split with the goods!>He uses his rock from earlier and charges up a Fling, his hand and the rock cast in a dark glow>Lining up a shot, he Flings the rock with a bit of a spin to knock the TM out of the Shuppet's grasp and into his own>Roll + 3 Trick shot
Rolled 20 (1d20)
>>6262654"Alright, I gotcha...just ngh hold on, I'll get you somewhere safe."
>carrying the tadpole on his back, Brook darts away as quickly as he can given his current injuries>As he flees, his ears can't help but pick up the voice of Sail, preparing to hand over the glittering orb to the puppet, the same orb this tadpole had been trying to protect!>Sighing he stops in his tracks, and gently lowers the mon into the stream"I'll be right back, just gotta make sure that stuff you were trying to protect doesn't get stolen."
>Doing his best to ignore the lingering pain in his flank, he focuses on the far off spirit his expression an unsure frown while he crouches into a running position"Darn even if I used the wind, I don't think it'd last long enough to get over there and back. But what else can I d-WAIT?"
>The wind that had started to gather instantly disperses, his legs shifting ever so slightly"Like this I think?"
>Soon he's moved to a position mirroring the one those colorful scales force him into before he charges!"I'll be right back."
>Throwing his head back, he gives the scared tadpole a reassuring grin before turning back to face the ghost...>(IQ Skill learned: Fleetfooted!)"RAHHH!"
>he blasts forward faster than he ever thought he could without relying on that burst of wind, front legs pushing off the ground at full force to extend his stride as far as it can go without losing balance, while his rear legs ensure he maintains a constant speed without wasting energy on needless movements!"YAHH Sail hold up, don't hand that over!"
>A light comes from underneath his paws, as they leave behind blue and pink pawprints. The dirt and rocks he kicks up on his sprint hangs in the air as if time was slowed, before attaching to his legs, completely covering them in their glow! Before he knows it, he's right underneath the thieving puppet!"TAKE THIISSSSS!"
>Backflipping as soon as he's underneath, he extends a sparkling leg into a crescent kick! The scales breaking off and digging into the ghost, each feeling like the angry mandibles of an insect clamping down as they dissolve! While Brook soars through the air, the scales melting away before he lands right beside the tiny tadpole"Told ya I'd be right back."
(U-Turn 7BP+5 Attack = 12 Damage)
>>6262886>crit(I meant to say 18 damage actually!)
Rolled 18 (1d20)
>>6262654>The Plism restores Spike's HP by 7->IQ Skill Activate! Resilient.The overpowering emotions and the restorative prosperities of the plism cannot mend the Soulbound Zorua's vessel. It simply refuses to budge.
"We can cure him after this," Spike says, shaking off the tingling feeling of the failed healing. "So yeah, let's wrap this up and put your back into it," he agrees with Orner and Ish.
Spike summons a black, swirling cloud of miasma and throws it at the Dreadnaw with malicious intent.
>Spike uses Bitter Malice! It should do 14 damage if it hits.
>>6262906And it looks like it inflicts Frostbite too.
>>6262908I've been informed that it is also psychic type at the moment, so it will do 18 damage in total and inflict Frostbite.
Rolled 3 (1d3)
>>6260314Imagine for a moment a Larvitar so sneaky, so utterly undetectable, that his post ceased to exist.
Rolled 13 (1d20)
>>6262654Wallis frowns as she's redundantly healed alongside the Drednaw while she carries Espurr in her twintails.
"Ok, you've had your fun, but we've got places to be and monsters to beat, so beat it!"
She forms a rain boosted Water Pulse orb in her hands. Aiming to encase Drednaw's chompy head and rattle it, she fires the orb then shadowboxes to release corresponding concussive blasts of pressurized water inside of the orb before it bursts. In the rain, it's 9 damage if it hits.
>>6262654>Evan purposely takes an attack to take pressure off the friendlier Torkoal. He runs further down the path afterwards. He's got resistance, it'll be fiiiiiiiine.>Fineness not guaranteed
Rolled 14 (1d20)
>>6262654(2/24)-->(9/24)
The healing, at least, is most definitely appreciated after his near-faint experience with some rather miffed hippowdons. He'll remember that utter betrayal of his good nature... for the next few minutes, anyway.
For now, though, he has another chance at Drednaw, and he won't be wasting this one!
Probably.
Darius stomps once, summoning jagged stones to hopefully clip Drednaw as it speeds past him.
(5+ hits, 21 damage.)
(18+ crits for 29.)
>>6262654Skitty just Waltzes On Through, Agile Armor at its maximum AP investment. Frankly, the stuffiness of this room is starting to get to her, and she's entered it from practically its exit twice now. Here we go again!
>IQ: Agile Armor, defenses raised by 8 this turn. >Current HP: 17
>Evan, Skitty
Quaint, both of you prepared to take damage. Will this Pokemon continue to exist even five minutes from now? Does it matter? Either way, Evan and Skitty take 5 and 9 damage from Earth Power, sparing your Torkoal any damage. One last Rock Slide, and the other is discorporated back into the Dream Delta's energies. Among the now chortling feral's...somewhat unfair excesses are a Sourdough and a Heavy Scarf shoved away and towards you two.
...It doesn't seem keen on sharing any of the rest of its myriad berries.
>Brook, Sail, Kaz
Expect any lesser of a sharpshot to have simply broken that TM. It tumbles into the water, revealing itself to be...Psycho Cut! The TM curves as it cuts through the air, tumbling into Kaz's possession. Before that Shuppet can pickpocket the Skarkling Orb or any other treasures, it's banished from existence by a resisted U-Turn! Brook lands in front of an increasingly settling amphibian...Is this one a wild Pokemon? Or is it a feral? It hasn't spoken at all this entire time...?
>Cress, Wallis, Orner, Darius, Spike
A basic attack and combined attacks deal...3 damage! 3 damage(and a hypnotic head bobble...)! 15 damage! 19 damage and an upturn!and 12 damage and a frosty sheen! The empowered snapper skids quite a ways on his back before a crack in his shell throws breaks his slide. The speedster crashes into a bank between the next set of plisms, iron jaws hanging open and eyes swirling. He twitches and whines a bit in pain...the only vocalization you've gotten out him this entire time. That's this matter settled...
BATTLE END
...But this reservoir still looks exactly the same as all the rest.
Correction! there are...yes, twenty eight plisms on this next split!
Rolled 1 (1d28)
>>6263084>...however those Plisms function, ish is counting between them, and how many of us there are."...I think we'd be lucky if any of us manage to get on the same path. how muh longer do you think this is?"
>ish's ready to keep going, only pausing to drop 12 HP worth of healing item into Darius like he's putting a DVD into the rock.>he does pause to consider if this remaining pie slice is still safe as he presses it in, but dar eats dirt, food poisoning probs ain't a problem
Rolled 13 (1d28)
>>6263084>Evan takes the (heavy) scarf. He's a little surprised by the weight at first."Thanks, buddy. Nice knowin' ya!"
>Evan gives a little bow before moving onward>Time to see which of 28 mystic paths Evan will obtain. Will he get the mythical barrel full of gold? He fuckin' wishes.
>>6263084"We got them! Now- Oh for fuckss ssake!" Twenty eight?! That'll take forever to sort through! First things first though. "Cresss, or whoever the fuck, take thiss."
>Orner passes the statue to a lesser teammate!"Ok, what about you, big guy?" She approaches the Drednaw, can he speak?
Rolled 18 (1d28)
>>6263084"Heh heh, sweet!"
>Kaz pockets the Psycho Cut TM"Thanks fer the cover fire, Brook!"
>Now Kaz faces down his most numerous enemy yet.>28 Plisms!!!"Eeny-meanie-miney..."
>Kaz picks a Plism!"Moe!"
Rolled 1 (1d28)
>>6263084>>6263089(9/24)-->(21/24)
Eating dirt is debatable, but the sentiment is still very much appreciated!
"Thanks, Ish! I'll see you on the other-"
Aaand he's gone.
Rolled 26 (1d28)
>>6263084"Mirage 'til the last grain it curve. A pathway toward the endless shiftin' sand."
>Sail rolled toward a random path.
>>6263084"Finally," Spike huffs, shaking off plumes of black steam away. "Now that he's knocked out we can-"
>>6263093"Oof!" Spike huffs as the statue falls on his back- but he holds steady and shifts the stone above him until he has a good grasp of it.
"Right, let's cure him and see if we can get any answer out of him," he grunts as he pulls the statue over.
"What are those?" he nods to the plisms.
Rolled 5 (1d28)
>>6263084Skitty takes the Sourdough to replace her Sitrus Berry. She considers eating it, since she's tired, but... nah, not yet.
Mumbling something about "stupid bullshit video game layouts," she 'picks' a path.
>>6263084There's 28 paths ahead, but Wallis doesn't have the Empath-y to sense that. If she did, she'd probably make that face she makes for the second time this quest. Clutching the catto, she lets the whims of fate take her.
"See you on the other side, I guess! I'll keep Espurr safe."
Were she unoccupied with her ally's safety, she would take up the statue's mantle. She does spare a glance for the alien pair.
"O-Oh and our guides too. Maybe they could guide us out of this reservoir loop?"
And she's gone. She puts up a Wide Guard in advance.
Rolled 22 (1d28)
>>6263102(Roll was eaten)
Rolled 25 (1d28)
>>6263084>>6263096"Yea-AGH."
>Another rush of pain interrupts his attempt at a triumphant fist pump, upon seeing the spirit being severed by his kick"Sorry about that, c'mon let's get outta here."
>Turning back around, he gives the tadpole as friendly of a smile as he can manage before picking them up once again, and turning back just in time to see a familiar bear rushing on down>With a grin on his face he crouches down, prepared to follow right after!"Hold on tight!"
>That is before the soreness in his flank gives him pause"Hehe how about we just walk instead?"
>And off he goes down one of the numerous paths, with the little amphibian perched right on his back.
>>6263099"I already cured him! He should be back to normal once the Empowerment wearss off." He got Magic Powdered, he was psychic remember?
"The hexagonss? I dunno', the sstarmon calledmthem plissms. Weird plantss that catch feeliess and sstuff. You need to chill them firsst to open them though, but that shouldn't be a problem..." One Bitter Malice should do.
Rolled 12 (1d20)
>>6263107"So they're the source of the emotions I've been feeling," Spike replies. "I thought that the emotions of those around us where echoing around us."
Spike hums and directs his attention to one of the strange flowers. A swirl of black and purple mist rises from him and blows towards one of the plisms.
>Spike used Bitter Malice!
The storm lets up enough to reasonably resist the pull of the water, but it's still absolutely raining heavily. A giant monument falling over on you in here would be a big problem. Cress has taken to dragging it (and Spike underneath) into a shore by Drednaw before it gets lost.
It's not too clear how/if this Tympole reads Brook's smile. It flops onto its back, still on its last...flagellum? Tail? It's not resisting anymore, at least. Would taking it out of the dungeon confirm anything?
Evan, meanwhile happens into a path lined on the sides with beholed-plates. Looks like they'd blow up or eject something dangerous. There's no threat of accidentally touching them, but if anything could communicate a zonk...Ishmael and
Darius bump headfirst into eachother from opposite directions despite walking parallel to eachother onto the same route. If they both hit eachother head-on, which way is forwar-ah, there's a current. Ishmael finds a few joy shavings in the water before he gets up, enough for about 20 EXP.
Kaz's route contains a few rainy Castform fluttering about, but they're so placid the plisms hadn't even recorded them. They're just staring...upon closer inspection, they're vibrating in place. None of the rain is hitting them?!
Skitty finds an rare terraced path. Looking down the ledge, she can see the activity of all the other travelers...
Sail gets another empty path, albeit one accompanied by Watch-ed Roller. Both of you know for a fact he can read your emotions, and yet...
'...What do you make of your misadventure? This terrible planet you live on? It's all too...complex.'
Wallis has a partner through her seemingly empty route in Clefable. He says...
"So you'd IMAGINE, you...feeding...TANKS...?" Looks like he's still upset by your casualty around those ghosts.
"We have ABSOLUTELY made progress! But...All of us combined should have seen enough dungeon to find a more definitive way by now. Or a frism denoting...RELIEF, or something! 'The VOIDS is it? If we'd happened by it, WE'd definitely have felt IT by now?" So... You haven't.
Spike gets an impression of...bored impatience. downstream for a split second, he can see a wooden trapdoor installed into the riverbed.
More importantly, Drednaw croaks out a
"!"
Ah. Poor question from Orner of all Pokemon given the last thirty seconds. His Throat is Chopped. It takes the Pokemon a few minutes to wake up enough to get his bearings and find his surroundings. Amidst a sea of worry and befuddlement, it all turns to mild irritation upon recognizing this place. Drednaw fails to talk again, then gestures up to the tops of the banks that lead nowhere but to sand and ivy.
He mimes a chomping motion to Orner, Spike and Cress, but he doesn't feel hungry at all...
Rolled 10 (1d20)
>>6263126>mmm, xp"Speaking of lucky..."
>doesn't seem to be a threat here, so ish decides to goof off as we keep walking.>namely by using his wand to freeze a bit of the stream, and see if he can float down on top of the produced ice.
>>6263126"Oh. I forgot." To be fair, she wasn't the one who asked that.
"What are you ssaying? Iss that how we get out or ssomething? Okay whatever." Orner heads up to no 'mons land.
>>6263126>>6263134>>6263097"-side. Oh, hey Ish!"
What're the chances, huh?
>>6263140>one in one apparently.
>>6263084>>6263102(8/24 HP)
Espurr awakens to feel themselves being carried by Wallis.
They reach out and pick another Plism.
Ow.
>>6263126They take to staring straight at the Clefable who is ranting and raving to the Marshtomp.
Rolled 7 (1d20)
>>6263126"Aw... this isn't money... Actually, what IS any of this? This is like some end scene from a movie where the main character hears the screams of the damned. ...Why am I talking to myself?"
>Evan walks slowly through the beplated path, looking around for any tricks or traps.>He hopes he doesn't actually hear any damned souls screaming, that would ruin the mood.
Rolled 4 (1d20)
>>6263126>Kaz tilts his head at the strange looking pokemon>Then again, most of these critters are strange looking, but these are some of the more removed from animal looking ones he's seen"What's up little guys?"
>Kaz tries to wave a hand in front of them to get their attention, noticing his hand doesn't feel rain drops when he gets closest to them"Huh...how're you doin' that? You the rain's bosses?"
>After a moment of no response, Kaz decides to do nothing with them for a few moments>Rolling for vibrating with the Castform> +7 Speed
>>6263126"Sorry if it's a little bumpy, kinda hard to walk after those hits earlier."
>Brook says over his shoulder, stopping every so often to make sure the amphibian isn't about to fall off his back before continuing ahead. Ears raised to listen out for any signs of the other Wayfarers...or any more ghosts trying to get a cheap shot in"You uhh can't talk can you? I hope I'm not accidentally taking you further from where you wanna be."
Rolled 14 + 3 (1d20 + 3)
>>6263126>>6263143"Hm? Oh good, you're awake Espurr."
Wallis turns back as she feels the cat stirring. Only to give a gaze as blank as Espurr's when she sees them flower picking.
"Not sure what got to you, but the shelled guy with the Empowerment Seed's dealt with."
She looks over to Clefable, eyebrow raised.
"I can fight the current to give the next reservoir a closer look, but I'm putting up the guard again if those ghosts come back. Think you could find the way out with those psychic peepers, Espurr?"
Wallis heightens her own perception in this moment of peace.
>+3 Acumen
>>6263126"I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm guessing that we'll have to chew through that ivy up there?" Spike shakes his head and adjusts the statue above him before marching over to check the trapdoor at the end of the stream.
The boredom reminds him of working late nights writing reports- perhaps someone works there?
'I'm going to check out the end of the stream here- and then I'll head up towards the tops of the banks,' Spike says telepathically to Ish and Orner.
>>6263160"Aight', good luck!" Once again, Orner is the only one concerned with getting the job done.
>>6263157Espurr seems tired. It might be a bit before they can pull off any fun tricks. Besides, they aren't all too great at extrasensory perception.
They flick their fur back into place with a simple head motion. At least their hair style seems to be working out nicely.
>>6263126"A least one o' livin' spec o' terra out o' the cosmos. A least compare t' other realms along dis ever-livin' dungeon."
>The slug passed some hardtack to the Shuppet"Some salty biscuit out o' sea, spirit."
The odds are one in twenty eight, actually. Ishmael has a little snow raft to hover down on. Don't expect that to support the weight of a bunny and a full-grown adult, though.
Espurr's second plism reads a wince of pain of its own.
Ow.
And for all of Wallis's lack of experience with looping spaces, the shape of these areas merely look identical. You're definitely moving, but on your scant impressions of the way forward, it doesn't look like there's an end in sight...Or the nearest waves. That being said, one, has towonder why the split paths themselves repeat, or how.
Evan has plenty of traps to observe, none threatening as long as he stays in the middle of the water path.
...It's zigzaging, and the last stretch of it looks suspiciously narrow. Maybe you ought to look and listen closer for more defining features.
Of course, no normal Pokemon can sidestep rain. As Kaz tries to mimic those surrounding him, he finds his eyes tightening at the inconstant space between raindrops. You're not staying dry, and there's definitely no pattern, but you begin to see a line forming amidst floaters in your eye...?
It seems unlikely Brook or his passenger will encounter the survivors of those ghosts again. Statistically, given the number of paths. On the shifting horizon, it's only growing...
While Tympole only offers weak clicks and beats in response. It wraps its tail on yours an anchor, no longer resisting.
Over your shoulder, a taller rabbit tuts.
"Do not feed it. You'll never get rid of it if it's young enough to imprint. Err. Do dungeon spawn have ages...?" Cress? Hadn't you progressed past the last pool she stayed at?
Spike flips the door down to find a Klefki and Kecleon resting in what appears to be a homely wooden shack. There's a pretty ritzy rug and...
>Apple Pie - 300P
>Sunny Orb - 950P
>Tiny Reviver Seed - 250P
>Brown Gummi - 600P
>Royal Gummi - 600P
"Mystery...hoooouse...yeahhh..." The keyring Pokemon jingles halfheartedly. "How long you been stuck here? I lost count of my loops."
Sail receives an empty impression from the Minior. 'A rare similarity to life in the stars. It shouldn't matter.' Then a note of bitter hatred. 'Nothing good comes from an emotion eater'. Yet he lets you feed the Shuppet to observe. It sniffs the hardened bread before yawning. It doesn't look at all excited like it was for the sandwich, but it eats. After tasting it's clearly wondering why you'd have this snack when you have brigadiers or malice
Orner finds upon a more meticulous inspection the brush of this ivy is littered with tiny seeds. They look unremarkable at first, beyond their size. A mouthful would be tens! And you could eat that many-they're above plentiful. Their germ are full to bursting, and their coats are yet yellower than the sand they grow in. These are seeds above seeds-Pure Seeds.
Whenever you happen to slither back into less mysterious space, you hear a muffled groan from the explorer. A 'This is going to suck' groan of resignation...
Rolled 10 (1d20)
>>6263321>Evan "hm"s as he pauses before the narrow part. Suspicious, he thinks to himself.>Evan takes a moment to carefully observe the path and its surroundings. SOMETHING is clearly off. Why set a bunch of traps ALONG the path instead of on it?
>>6263321>not like darius would really want to BE on the raft anyway. probably.>wonder if he'd sink the whole thing or just fall through it.>...either way. a chance to stop sprinting full speed is nice, wonder if there's anything fancy about this path..."wouldn't there be a staircase around here somewhere..?"
>>6263321Spike raises an eyebrow and looks back out at the streams and flowers around them before turning back to the Klefki.
"First loop actually," he shrugs, "and I'm pretty sure its your last- if you want to tag along that is. I've got a decent sense of direction."
He points towards the Brown and Royal Gummis, and the Tiny Reviver Seed. "I'll lead you out of here for a discount, 1200P sound fair?"
>>6263321"Ooooh, I get it." This dungeon has some strange design choices, but this one is neat. Taking a bunch of those seeds, Orner heads back to Drednaw and Cress. "Okay... I've never had one of thesse! Firsst time for everything..." Hearing the turtle's whining doesn't fill her with confidence. She hands over the lion's share before trying one Pure Seed.
>>6263321>>6263183"In spite of how it looks, this is getting us nowhere... At least I can try this out now that there aren't ghosts down my neck."
With an unamused expression, Wallis reaches out to run her hand over some passing plisms for Espurr to Empath. In her outstretched arm is a Rock Tomb rock she's sparkled up that she drops on the bank of this looping background from an old cartoon chase scene.
"See any way out of this mess before the dungeon wind I've heard of kicks us out?"
She asks Clefable and Espurr.
>>6263321>Brook freezes, before his head shoots over to the taller rabbit"What!? No way, I can't take care of a kid!
>Feeling something wrap around his tail, he gives a short glance behind"Uh oh...uhh let's go find your parents. Come on Cress, don't fall behind or you'll get lost again!"
>With the tadpole secured and the pain from earlier finally beginning to dull, he picks up the pace down the path!
Rolled 1 + 7 (1d20 + 7)
>>6263321>you begin to see a line forming amidst floaters in your eye...?>Kaz blinks!>Did he imagine that, or was he on to something?>Is that just his brain fooling him or is he stumbling upon some other magic hidden in this world?>Only one way to find out!>He tries again to attain the state of the Castforms!>He takes a deep breath, then begins to vibrate...>Roll + 7 Speed
The ‘line’ Kaz is trying to follow is more path than object. There’s something missing from his motion, though. He can feel the weathermons’ state in his reach…but a Kubfu is no Castform. How he reaches it simply won’t be through magic, but discipline.
The air dragging you, the water weighing your fur…that path is formed by least resistance.
The Klefki jingles at Spike after looking him over. “You and your friends are explorers?…Meh, I’m good. I’ll tag along with this guy once he’s ready to pack up.”
…Which doesn’t look to be for a while. Wasn’t this Klefki bored and ready to move on?
“No-that’s too low! I’m making a living here, not a charity!” The chameleon crosses his arms. “This dungeon is long! You won’t find vendors here without patience. I’ll wait days if it means I make full price!”
…Is there a risk of being here that long?
Intentional or not, the only good place for Evan to stand while moving forward is in the very center of the stream. A tingling sensation on the tip of his nose for a split second is all the warning he gets before his vision is taken over by a pair of beady eyes and a splitting scream. Up to you how much that gemstone fills…
Could not all steps taken in the uneven wilds be considered stairs? The rest of Darius and Ishmael’s path is uneventful, once they figure out the right direction.
You’ve been walking for a while, both through the Dream Delta and plenty of mystery dungeons in general without any stairs in sight. There are plenty of accounts of those mysterious winds Wallis thinks of to assume they’re real…perhaps there’s something to be taken from the fact none of you have felt them.
That all being said, Orner vanishes instantly upon eating the Pure Seed while Brook leaves Cress in the North and reappearing behind her in the South. Orner…also reappears behind Cress and the upturned Drednaw. To them, there are now forty paths to choose from.
“A knockout would tell you for sure if it’s a real Pokemon worth saving. And I am not getting lost.” She squints ahead of you two.
“Twenty-some paths are not that difficult to memorize.”
Meanwhile, Drednaw is taking entire handfuls of pure seeds at once. They’re easy to shovel, each about as big as a mustard seed, but they’re tough to chew and swallow. His disappearance is with much more of a pop.
“Orner, did that even do anything? Stop playing around!”
Clefable directs Wallis to a plism or two around Cress’s conversants.
“The DENSITY of noise grows bothersome. This RELIEF impression should spread to US if we follow.” He struts confidently past everyone, smile turning painted on when he reappears behind everyone a minute later.
“That WAS relieving!!!” Cool!
Rolled 11 (1d20)
>>6267360>Evan forcefully shoves back whatever gemmy screamer just reenacted 2010's most popular maze game and """retaliates""" with his own scream. It's totally manly and not at all the sound of being scared. Nope. No siree. >When he gets his breath back, Evan looks this new presence up and down and he shouts"THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"
>>6267360"The way thiss dungeon workss iss really weird... Okay, okay, Take Two!" Orner nabs a bunch of Pure Seeds this time, swallowing them all at once.
>>6267360>>6267601Wallis doesn't bother painting on an expression like her spacey cohort does, perhaps owing to the sudden increase in empaths. As she frees Espurr from her twintails now that they're conscious, she watches Orner gorge herself alongside Drednaw disinterestedly, then looks to the 40 paths ahead.
"Still waiting on the relief part, Cleffy, unless that was a full stomach you sensed. Hmm..."
Swaying back to the Pure Seed idea, Wallis puts a pair in her inventory, then eats as many as she can before the effect kicks in. Best case scenario, this frees them from the reservoir loop and also combats their malnourishment. There should still be enough for the others, right?
>>6267360>that path is formed by least resistance>Shoot!>Nothing!>Kaz looks at the Castforms, still hovering in the air, unperturbed>What is he missing?>Maybe its trying to brute force it...>Or maybe he just can't achieve it like these little weather orbs do>Maybe giving a blank stare like they do is the way?>Kaz exhales, and stands still>He closes his eyes, and waits, feeling the wind blow around him, and the rain drops streak down his fur
Rolled 4 (1d20)
>>6268184>>6267360>Forgot roll
Empty stomach, Evan. Or, phylactery, in this case. The banshee Pokemon drifts off, seemingly dissatisfied by its catch.
Without concerning himself with form, Kaz finds he can put 100% of his energy into force. And yet, like the path eroded into place by decades old rapids, not a single motion is aimless. That line of least resistance, Kaz lets it direct himself for a while, and…
He blinks. There are nothing but plisms ahead of himself. He’s in the dungeon’s pit!
The mute Drednaw is further along in working through his share than anyone else, and yet he’s seemingly as stuck here as anyone else. Wallis comes into a variant with fifty branches before the openings become too intermingled to count, while Orner is close to seeing so many paths that there aren’t any dunes between them. A thousand paths, all so close and dense as to appear as one. How you move forward here…it’s all the same now.
…Plus, without any dunes, the only plants growing here are plisms. Looks like a dungeon pit if there ever was one.
Seeing Orner and Drednaw disappear from Cress and Wallis who have stopped walking makes it only a matter of time before two and two are put together. The rest of you take the time to snack on the upper plane’s hidden seeds after Cress refers everyone to Orner’s discovery. The nourishment is welcome to be sure, but a hundred tough mustard seed-sized bites wears that welcome thin. It’s unfilling and sure to leave a jaw sore.
On the bright side, you’re finally oht of the Dream Delta. Naturally, the body of water this wetland dungeon feeds into is…a completely dry, landlocked basalt field in the heart of the continent. The plant life here is colorful, big and hardy, and it’s rather bright out despite dusk’s passing. This is as good a place to rest as one can expect, if a touch warm. Take 60 EXP, an extra training session on top of the customary, and a rest, everyone. We’ll be back mid/late month.
