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  1. #11
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
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    Chris Waters ("NightFox" / Fennekin) & Natalie Pence (MoneyBunny / Buneary)
    Exploration Team Lucky Strike
    Exploration Team Dojo
    Affected RPers: N/A


    Initially, Natalie wasn't keen on the idea for training before starting anything, but Chris knew the way to conquer most video games with little risk was to grind, only now it had a much more authentic feel. Unlike video games of the past, fatigue was very real. There was no being able to fight, jump, run, and attack endlessly without the need for breaks. But before engaging on any missions, Chris wanted to know and hone all the powers and attacks of his Fennekin form before heading out. Not to mention the dojo was barely in use at the moment and there was plenty of free space.

    "Good lord, okay, this was more of a workout than I thought," Natalie remarked, having been doing Buneary aerobics for over an hour. "I'm pretty freakin' sure I've mastered Pound attack for the sixty-seventh time over."

    "You wanted to focus more on bounty hunter missions, right?" Chris asked, smirking a bit. "Well, we gotta make sure we can beat the stuffing out of them first."

    "Well, the dojo is nice..." Natalie remarked, wiping the sweat from her brow with her paw. "But seriously though, dude. I saw an entry-level mission for just beating up and bringing in a delinquent Rattata. That can't possibly be that hard."

    "I'm sure it's not," Chris replied, testing out another Ember attack on a nearby stone column target. "But let's face it, it seems lame. I say it's better to work out, get pumped, and take on something a little more interesting than bagging some random rat in the middle of nowhere."

    Natalie nodded, though she felt going on entry-level missions here and there wouldn't be such a bad idea after having spent a long time in the dojo working out and grinding away. And then there was the other matter.

    "Besides, we need to wait until a GM gets back to Naomi regarding the log out thing," Chris told her, figuring they might as well keep at it. "If we leave town and she tries to find us, well, that'll suck."

    "Eh, yeah, fine," Natalie agreed with a shrug. "It's been almost an hour though. I swear, these GMs are slow."

    "Probably just bogged down with a bunch of beginning game bugs that need to be worked out," Chris replied, practicing some more exercises. "Heck, they sure didn't spend too much time beta-testing. Usually those tests go on for at least two weeks before they pack up."

    Still, Chris couldn't help but wonder and he hadn't seen Naomi for a while. Did she get a response, find a way to log off, and just forgot to tell them? He figured he'd give it another hour, but after that, he felt it wouldn't be smart to just keep waiting for someone who might have totally forgotten about the whole plan to let them know about the log out feature of the game. They would he would have been surprised if Naomi did that. She didn't seem like the kind that would. Or maybe she just didn't know they were in the dojo at the moment, but Chris figured the guild wasn't all that big and she'd find them sooner or later.

    After taking a rest for about ten minutes, Naomi had located Chris and Natalie. It seemed she had been running all over the place and was relieved to finally find them.

    "Hey!" Chris greeted her. "Welcome back! Did those GMs get back to you?"

    "They never did," Naomi let out a hard sigh, beginning to look worried. "There's also a lot of people gathered out in the town square. Everyone's having the same issue and they're beginning to panic. They said we should have been able to log out of the game via the Khangaskhan Rock but it doesn't do anything."

    "Did a beta tester confirm that?" Chris asked her, really wondering what the issue was. "If that's the case, that's a pretty big bug. They should have it fixed up soon enough, I imagine."

    "Yeah, I hope so..." Naomi muttered. "My partner, my friend Carla who got Flabébé as her Pokémon, is really freaking out over it. Usually she's not like this..."

    In a way, doing something besides thinking about the crisis was helping Chris and Natalie to forget about the issue, but the more and more it went unresolved, the more it started to concern them deep inside. Usually newly launched games would have definitely had a feature liked this worked out, and it didn't make sense that the feature worked fine in the beta, but then not work during the actual live game?

    "I'll try talking to her," Chris said back to Naomi. "I'm guessing she's at the square?"

    "Yes," Naomi nodded, looking a bit anxious. "It's not a pretty scene..."

    Despite the warning, Chris and Natalie decided to head out and get an idea of what was really going on. And to hopefully cheer Carla up.

  2. #12
    ERROR! DOES NOT EXIST! The Nonexistent Tazz's Avatar
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    Interrobang‽/Asterism⁂
    Adventure Team Big Bang
    Central Plaza, Discovery Town.
    Affected RP'ers: N/A


    The news was out. Logging out was, at the most optimistic take, glitched out. Or hacked out. A bit of chaos ensured at the panic, which drew the attention of various NPCs (others were clearly not programmed to handle these situations), but thankfully this wasn't going to devolve into a full-on riot, from what Asterism could see.

    Facts emerged fast regarding the situation. Disregarding the fact that no-one could log off... First, there were no GMs online, period. None. Zero. It became apparent that you can see them at all times... On the offline list. Not one was active, and quick confirmation by those who had been on, waiting for others, proved that they never were on since the release, which was extremely suspect. Administrators and like figures were always, always there for the launch to deal with the host of errors that were likely in these kinds of games. (Interrobang had another, unrelated question: Why "Game Masters" and not Administrators? For that matter, why had he not heard of them ever referred to as Game Masters, only as 'GMs?' Was he to take that to mean something else? Like, what? GodModder? Nah, that was silly.)

    The second fact was compounding the issue of not being able to log off further. In short, any fainting would not cause a respawn back at Discovery Town. For that matter, it appeared that fainting Partners did not in fact harm the mission. NPC partners were affected as much as PC partners. Leaders were a different case; if they fainted, the Partners would be booted out, but the Partners would properly respawn back in Discovery Village. Anyone who did faint were booted offline-and their partner would receive a message that their save data had been totally lost, due to either hacking, bad reception, or error with the Wii Vision. Those with coding savvy ruled out bad reception universally; this happened with people who visibly had maximum reception. Which meant that either the Wii Vision was literally unequipped to handle people as Pokemon-which was impossible as the game had been succesfully beta-tested-or that they had been hacked. Or that there was one hell of a glitch. Thankfully, there seemed to be an exception: fainting in the Training Dojo did not penalize at all, and properly worked as intended.

    What this meant was fiercely debated in the panic; the fact that it was restricted to full missions and not the dojo implied that someone had done this very deliberately to trigger, right? Then the counterarguments came in that it was only due to a bug in the mission failed screens that should have triggered, and that the leader being KO'd was only slightly less buggy. But then, why such a specific bug? And thus it went with no real answers. When they weren't just silly. A few were running around, absolutely convinced that this meant that godmodders who had gained the power to warp reality had intentionally trapped everyone here and were going to repetetively kill them to rage eternally, or were shouting about Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, Overlord, that sort of thing. There was one question left unanswered: What about those who had been forcibly booted offline? Some people were rushing to dungeons to KO themselves in the hopes of escaping; others were convinced whatever glitch was causing this was not worth the effort to do so, or worse, had some unintended side effect, and firmly stayed put in Discovery Village.

    In the midst of all of this, Interrobang and Asterism were in the dojo, training.

    "Why are we even doing this?" Asterism asked, mildly exasperated. "We should be trying to get dad's attention so he can just take these things off of us!"

    "If we can't log off, we might as well at least do something productive until its fixed," Interrobang responded, more to the dummy in front of him than his sister, firing off another Silver Wind. The odd gray wind (Interrobang had no clue what it was) merrily swirled around the whole room, and the dummies flailed about, indicating they had been hit. Thank goodness-that was the attack he understood how to do the least. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. Interrobang turned back to his sister and continued, "Also, you clearly didn't see the user's manual. If it was ripped off of your head right now, well, uh. I forgot what would happen but it's a big safety hazard and a really dangerous one. If you want to log off, just go in a dungeon and KO yourself."

    "I can't go into a dungeon without you!" Asterism said. "In any case, I have a bad feeling about that method of getting out."

    "Me too," Interrobang said. "Plus, it's just a hassle to go through character creation again."

    "Ugh. Still, though, maybe we just haven't looked hard enough? It's bound to be around here somewhere, I mean," Asterism said, thinking about the situation. "...I mean... Uh, hey, He-Interrobang. I just thought of something."

    "What?" Interrobang asked.

    "You said it was a Khangaskhan Rock that allows you to save and log off, right?" Asterism replied.

    "Yes. But they're not here," Interrobang said.

    "Uh, but weren't there Khangaskhan Rocks in the middle of some of the dungeons?"

    Interrobang blinked. "Yes... I'm doubting they'll be there, though," Interrobang said. "Uh, you think that they'll be there? I don't."

    "Why wouldn't they be? I bet that whatever this is, it may not extend to those midpoints," Asterism said. "We could log off at those midpoints."

    "I don't think so. Whoever did this had intimate knowledge of the game-and someone did do this. Otherwise the entire aclove wouldn't be gone, they'd just remove the rocks. The aclove being gone can't be just a glitch. I'm still sure that Gamefreak... Uh," Interrobang paused. "Wait. Did Gamefreak make this game?" He asked, mostly to himself.

    "...Uh... Actually. No, no they didn't. I noticed the Nintendo slogan and such, but I think that someone else made the game itself," Asterism said. "I can't remember who, though... Didn't get mentioned in, like, uh, whatever those thingies are in the opening. The ones with the company names on them," she said.

    "Odd. Uh, so who did?"

    The two remained silent for a second. Interrobang's brow furrows to the best of an insect's ability. How could he forget something that important and obvious? Most gaming companies wouldn't let themselves go unrecognized, right?

    The two's train of thought was interrupted by an unexpected occurance. "Excuse me? You two team Big Bang?" The two turned their heads, and there was a Mantyke, looking rather confused. Their voice was high-pitched and feminine enough to grate ears, and they clutched an envelope between their head antennae. "Uh, so, uh, I have no clue why, but someone came in-and they looked, like, uh. They looked... No, they didn't look really bad, actually, if anything they looked and acted really out of there. but they felt just outright, uh, terrifying. I couldn't tell you why, though, it just felt really bad in the room when they came in. But they were asking for you, had a job," The Manatyke said. "Oh, uh, sorry. I'm Mary. Uh, yeah, I've been told the voice is annoying, sorry, just the natural pitch."

    "A... That can't be right." Interrobang said. It was a feature that occasionally Pokemon take notice of you and ask for a job personally. Interrobang knew this. However, both common sense and gameplay mechanics did not make mention that this was possible. Was the bug testing in this game really that shoddy? "Uh, so who sent it to us?"

    "Oh, right! Yeah, they, uh, uh, uhhh... Um. Uh. Err. This can't be good. Uh, maybe that's why... Ack, sorry. Uh, I don't get why myself, I was looking right at him. Or her. Them? Err, I was looking right at them, and I know they were really 'out of there,' but like, uh, I can't remember. Like, uh, they left really quick and all so no-one else really saw them? Really, really weird, actually. Uh, point is, I can't remember, and I don't get why, I'm so sorry, but I kind of recall what they said?"

    "So, they basically appeared out of nowhere, gave you that, and left?" Asterism asked.

    "Uh, yeah, basically. OH! I think I kind of recall what they said. Yeah. Uh. They said... 'I need you to deliver this, to, to, to, to the team. That team. Interrobang Interrobang and Asterism Asterism, yes, they're the members, team Big bang, that's the team. Yes, that's the team I need this delivered to, rightaway, thank you. Oh, uh, it's not too urgent, too. Tell 'em that they can get themselves sorted as a team and such, but I need 'em to do this. Only 'em, too. Big one. Important. Don't want 'em messin' up, too important to mess up. Thanks.' And then they were just, uh, kind of gone. I'm not afraid of ghosts, or anything, but if that was a ghost type going all 'I'm going to prank you so hard' mode that was really just creepy," Mary said.

    Interrobang just had to wonder why the hell they said their names twice. AI quirks? Maybe they just pronounced the names that way? Regardless, this seemed highly suspect.

    "...It's not like we're doing anything else at the moment... Sure, why not, we'll take it," Interrobang said, reaching out for the letter.

    "Are you really sure?" Asterism asked.

    "They said it wasn't urgent, right? We can just wait until we're strong enough to take it on in case we can't just do it immediately. Worth seeing what it is, at least," Interrobang said.

    "Given everything else, this all seems just way too off for it to be anything good," Asterism said.

    "It's not like it'll be packed with Anthrax, Jor-Asterism," Interrobang said.

    "Jor?" Mary asked.

    "Uh, sorry. Yeah, we'll at least see what the job is, but if they just left, uh, will they know if we have to cancel it?" Interrobang asked.

    "I don't think they would know, actually... That would be really mean, though, to just cancel it. I'm not sure if he'd ever know," Mary responded. "But that's up to you-the way this went down, it all seems really weird to me too. And there's already a lot of hubbub over something about statues at the town square already... Ugh. Today is just really odd," Mary said, mostly to herself. "Oh, uh, sorry, here," Mary said, relinquishing the envelope to let Interrobang take it... By biting down on it ever-so-gently. "Uh, hope training goes well," she added as she floated up the stairwell, as if swimming through the air.

    Interrobang looked at the envelope. This looked to be the envelope of someone extraordinarily wealthy, right down to a red wax seal. The seal itself was hard to decipher. It looked like a tree of some kind, with some flourishes off to the sides. He was briefly reminded of the box art of Super Mystery Dungeon, but it was confirmed that the story of Challengers of Fate took place in another world, separate from that one. Nevertheless, it wasn't any artwork he had previously seen for the game. Interrobang then turned around, to see Asterism eyeing it up.

    "Uh, so, you have hands, and I kind of don't have hands," Interrobang said.

    "I don't have much in the way of limbs either," Asterism said.

    "You're bipedal. I'm not bipedal," Interrobang said.

    "You can just, you know, use your feet?" Asterism said.

    "And drop this on the floor? It's so... Intricate," Interrobang said.

    "Oh, fine. I'll see what I can do," Asterism said, grabbing the letter. "... Oh," she added as the wax seal fell easily to her... Finger? Jeez, it was so small even Asterism didn't see it, but it was there. Interrobang just looked at her in response. "Oh, don't give me that," Asterism said.

    "So, open it!" Interrobang said. He had to admit-all this weirdness had gotten him very excited.

    Asterism delicately folded up the flap and reached in for the letter...

    ((I'll continue this after the big announcement.))

    Avatar by the incredibly awesome Neo Emolga.

    Zigzagoon: Hatch @8,669; Linoone @ Level 100: 8,829

    My VPP Stats! - My Prism Stats! - My URPG Stats!
    BEHOLD THEM AND DESPAIR!!

    GUITAR WARROIR! medeleymedeleymedeleyMOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

  3. #13
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
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    Chris Waters ("NightFox" / Fennekin) & Natalie Pence (MoneyBunny / Buneary)
    Exploration Team Lucky Strike
    Discovery Town Center
    Affected RPers: N/A


    When Chris and Natalie followed Naomi to find Carla, they noticed she wasn't the only one. Usually, the town square was bustling, felt welcoming, friendly, and warm, and seemed like a good meeting place for players and NPCs to gather and relax before heading out to do their daily tasks. But now, it was like the whole world was coming to an end.

    Some players were frustrated, others were angry, and a few were even in tears. The reactions of the NPCs were made to be dynamic and responsive toward current game situations. It was expected that events, both hosted by the GMs and those hosted by players, would have appropriate NPC reactions to make the characters feel as believable as possible.

    There was speculation that getting KOed in a random dungeon was one way to log out, but there was no sign of anyone logging back in after that. At the moment, everything was a sea of "what ifs" and "why isn't someone doing something about this?" Chris just tried to remain calm and not jump to conclusions.

    Eventually, they did find Carla, who was looking down and glum upon the flower she was resting on. Her username was "MagicGirl777," but Chris felt it would be more personal to refer to her by her actual name.

    "Carla..." Naomi told her, trying to help her feel at ease. "I brought some friends."

    "Hey Carla, name's Chris," he told her, trying to speak to her in a calm and reassuring voice.

    "Hi..." Carla muttered, trying to be polite but still feeling glum. "I guess you're trapped like the rest of us."

    "Hey, no matter what happens, we'll be okay, right?" Chris told her. "This is just temporary."

    Still, Carla wasn't so convinced. The other problem was everything that was surrounding her kept furthering her negative and pessimistic beliefs. Other players were angry and furious while others were panicking. It was really beginning to seem like more players were getting very discontent than the ones that were still enjoying the game.

    "Come on, let's bail out of this hellhole," Natalie told Carla, giving everyone else around her a Bunerary evil eye. "These people are salty over something that's not such a big damn deal and will probably be fixed soon enough. I swear, I bet 99% of these over-entitled tools probably haven't coded anything in their entire life. I've tried that crap, it's hard."

    "I guess," Carla muttered, still taking glances at the other discontented players in the central square. "I'm just... I was so excited for this game and this has... really put a damper on it."

    "Psh, I know what the deal is," Natalie replied to the Flabébé. "When you program and plan out a game this big, you get tunnel vision. There's probably enough content in this game to play it for decades. The devs were thinking so far in advance that they lost sight of the basics. 'Oh holy crap, we programmed in 500+ mystery dungeons, insanely good NPC AI, with an endless number of possible missions using the most complex algorithms known to man, but crap, we totally misplaced the coding for logging out. Carla, this crap happens. Especially with new releases. I was there when Shadow Battalion just came out and the freaking servers couldn't bloody handle all of the connections at once so players were randomly dying in the middle of matches because they got disconnected. And most of the time, within a day, they'll get everything patched up. Heck, sometimes they even give everyone nice items as an apology."

    Carla's spirits were lifted a bit and it seemed to her like everything Natalie was making sense. The game's content was massive, dynamic, and ever-changing. The NPCs were incredibly lifelike, the experience of being a Pokémon felt so incredibly real, and so many attentions to details like the way the wind blew, the way things like temperature, scents, and weather were affected by the game were enough to realize that yes, it was very possible and natural that maybe not every nook and cranny was explored to make sure every bug and flaw had been ironed out.

    "So relax," Natalie told Carla. "Enjoy the game, because we all busted our butts trying to get it. It's fun if you ignore all the salt and moaning from all these people. You could join us on our first bounty hunt mission if you'd like."

    "That'd be nice," Carla replied, looking a bit more optimistic. "I... think stepping away from this for a while might help."

    "Cool, you pick out the mission then," Natalie offered. "Get your mind off this crap."

    While Carla selected what mission she wanted to do, Chris just looked around, seeing how things were developing. The situation wasn't getting any better, but he definitely felt Natalie had the right idea. The sooner Carla was taken out of this cloud of discontent, the better off she'd be.

  4. #14
    Eldritch_Angel LKWayvern's Avatar
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    stained_glass_threads and Peter
    Adventurer Team Valiant League
    Discovery Town Dojo
    Affected RPers: n/a

    In the end, Laura and Peter did not explore the town again. However, Team Sharpwind invited Valiant League to do some sparring at the Dojo. Laura agreed, as though she was familiar with battle mechanics in previous Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, this was still her first time in a virtual reality game like Challengers of Fate.

    Since Charcold and Strikestorm both lacked functioning hands, Laura and Peter found and dragged out some practice dummies.

    It was apparently Strikestorm's first time playing a Mystery Dungeon game to begin with, so Charcold allowed Peter to explain how to use moves to the player characters.

    "There's two ways most people use," Peter spoke. "You can bring up the move menu and select a move from there to do it automatically, or you can execute the move manually by simply attacking! Some moves, like Tackle and Bite, are easier to perform manually than others, and of course you can only do a Default Attack manually, but with enough practice you can probably do any move without needing to select it on the menu!"

    Laura thought a few moments, before opening up her move menu to check her moveset. Unfortunately, cubones did not start off with the most impressive or powerful of attacks to choose from. The moves she could learn naturally at level five were restricted to Growl and Tail Whip, neither of which actually did damage. The only offensive move she had access to at the moment was Double Kick.

    She pressed the orange holographic option for Double Kick, and then selected the dummy to the extreme right as her target. Suddenly she found herself in motion, similar to those times when adrenaline take over and you find yourself doing something without consciously deciding to do it.

    She dashed to the dummy, waiting until she was within striking range to suddenly lash out with her right leg. She did a funny little hop, landing on her right leg again while her other leg swung out to let another strike hit home.

    She noticed she was breathing a bit heavily. She moved back towards her teammate and new acquaintances.

    "That was..." Laura realized that for the first time since she had met him, Strikestorm was talking. "Not really as cool as I'd thought it'd be but-- I mean I guess it'll be cooler when you level up and stuff! What was that like!?"

    "Weird," Laura said. "Like I wasn't in control of myself... But I didn't really think of it at the time. I wasn't worried or anything-- which is a good thing, I guess!"

    "I wanna try next!" Strikestorm said, smiling. The logout-glitch was momentarily forgotten, it seemed.

    Glowing options appeared in front of him in a variety of colors, yet they didn't seem to illuminate anything else around them. Laura saw that there was a single orange option and three white. Strikestorm poked one of the white options with his scythe, and selected a foe.

    Faster than Laura could even blink, the scyther rocketed towards one of the dummies, slamming into it and back in the space of a few seconds.

    "Was that Quick Attack?" Laura asked.

    Strikestorm nodded. "It was-- woo, that was so fast I feel kinda dizzy now!"

    Laura decided that Strikestorm's voice sounded younger than both hers and Charcold's.

    Speaking of the torchic, he turned to observe the dummies. "My turn now? I don't think I need to go automatic for this..."

    He trotted up to one of the dummies, and quickly dragged one of his clawed feet across its torso in a Scratch attack.

    "Yeah, thought so. Scratch is really easy to do manually," Charcold affirmed.

    "My turn now!" Peter said, grinning confidently.

    Laura's eyes lit up as she had an idea. "No, Peter, wait a second!"

    The charmander paused, looking at her. "Yes?"

    Laura remembered a rather specific way to control NPCs in prior Mystery Dungeon games. She summoned her menu, selecting Team and viewing Peter's moveset.

    As she suspected, visible to her were checkboxes next to each move on Peter's moveset. A sly grin appeared on her face, as she decided on the first move she would watch Peter use. She quickly disabled his ability to use Growl, and then Scratch.

    "Okay, now attack," Laura commanded.

    Peter tilted his head, apparently examining the options available to him, before that confident smirk returned. He puffed up his chest, and then opened his mouth as a plume of violet flame streamed from his mouth to his target. The Dragon Pulse was small, not as impressive as an experienced adventurer's attack, but out of all the moves demonstrated so far it was probably the coolest.

    Strikestorm was visibly impressed.

    Charcold sighed, an amused smirk present in his eyes. "Of course they give the charmanders Dragon Pulse."

    Laura couldn't keep the massive smile off her face. Technically Peter had been the one performing the move-- however he was an NPC, she was his leader, and she had made the selection about which move-- to her that was close enough to her doing the move herself.

    She looked around. "So... keep training or spar or...?"

    Charcold took a look at his partner. "...Well. I suppose we've still got some more time to kill until the glitch gets fixed, and a couple extra levels will never hurt. They'll probably send everyone a message when it gets patched."

    Laura nodded. "Okay. Good. Yeah, a couple more levels do sound nice..." She fingered the bone in her hands. "I'd like to learn a move that lets me use this-- and maybe get a few more damaging options outside Double Kick."
    Avatar made by Neo Emolga.

  5. #15
    taking flight! VeloJello's Avatar
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    Wulfenite and OrchidCrowns.
    Sterling Spearhead.
    Discovery Town Training Grounds.
    Affected RPers: None.


    “Easy, now, Hologrammar,” said a voice, and a Chikorita pushed up next to the Poochyena in a quadrupedal simulation of a hug. “Take some deep breaths… in for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Keep going. It’s alright.”

    The Chikorita turned toward Haruka and Tiff with a strained-looking smile. “Call me Sgt_Blueskies,” she said, “or, y’know, just Sky for short. This is my friend Hologrammar, and -” she paused, staring at Tiff with horror in her big red eyes. “Jesus, what happened to your chest? It looks like someone came at you with a hacksaw.”

    Tiff blinked and looked down at herself. The black fur over her sternum was slick and matted with blood, and the gash it was from was easy to see. It hadn’t hurt very much before, when Tiff had been focused on finishing off the Wartortle boss, getting an Entercard, and coming back to town, but looking at it made her stomach roil, and she felt the cut start to throb.

    “I got scratched,” she said. Her voice sounded small.

    Hologrammar sniffled and wiped at his eyes with the back of his paws. “Did you guys go into a dungeon already or something?”

    When Tiff didn’t respond immediately, Haruka was quick to take over as the spokeswoman of the Sterling Spearhead. “We did,” she said. “We did the Adventure Team starter mission; I don’t know if it rotates or what, but unless something’s changed, the boss is a jerk Wartortle.”

    Both Sky and Hologrammar nodded. “We’re a Rescue team,” Sky said, “but it’s good to know how harsh the bosses are for the first mission.”

    Hologrammar tilted his head. “Wait, did you see any Kangaskhan Rocks in your dungeon?” he asked. Excitement and hope built up in his voice as he spoke, piling higher with each word. “This one’s not working at all, but the ones in the dungeon might be different! The glitch might be on just this one, isn’t that right?”

    There was a brief pause as Haruka tried to figure out what to say, “There weren’t any in Cartographer’s Cove,” she said, “or if there were, I didn’t see them.”

    “Me neither,” said Tiff, her voice still a bit flat. “Do you guys know how and where I can get some healing? My HUD says that I’m in the red for hit points, and the cut doesn’t exactly feel great, either.”

    Sky and Hologrammar looked like they would’ve facepalmed if they could. “Right, yeah, of course,” said Hologrammar. “Rumor had it that logging out and then back in would heal you so long as you’re still in Discovery Town, but that’s not… not possible right now, yeah. But there’s an Audino who can restore your hit points quickly. We actually just came from her hut after some levelgrinding. Come on, we can show you the way.”

    Tiff started to say, “We can find it ourselves,” but Haruka elbowed her - or tried to, at least. It ended up being a light brush of downy feathers on Tiff’s side, but it got the point - ‘Tiff, please shut up’ - across well enough. “Sure,” Tiff said. “Thanks.”

    It was a short walk. One of the few silver linings to this whole logout glitch was that the shops were pretty much empty. No one had shopping in mind right then; they wanted to yell at beta testers and admins, train to distract themselves from their worries, or search for other ways to log out. A big Audino, or possibly an Audino who just looked big to a bunch of one-to-two-foot-high Pokemon, greeted them with a warm smile.

    “My oh my,” she said, looking at Tiff, “that looks quite painful. And OrchidCrowns, you could stand for some healing, too. Stand still, dearies.” She then put her palms together and, with a quick flick of her wrists, sent white and pink light dancing through the room. Tiff was prepared for the healing to sting, like disinfectant in a cut, but much to her surprise all she felt was an itching and a pleasant tingling sensation. Soon, the pain and the cut were gone, though the blood sticking to her fur was still there.

    “Thanks, miss Audino,” Tiff said.

    “Please, call me Mella.” The Audino smiled. “Feel free to come back any time you’re hurt, and I’ll be happy to help.”

    “Wait!” Hologrammar blurted. “Do you know anything about the logout issue?” Before Mella could answer, Hologrammar kept going. “No one can log out right now, and none of the players who’ve been knocked out have been able to log back in! We tried to log out at the Kangaskhan Rock in the village square, but nothing’s working! Please, can you tell us anything?”

    Mella frowned. “I’d heard,” she said carefully, “that users can’t log out right now. But I’m just a healer; I don’t know how any of that sort of thing works. I’m afraid I’m as much in the dark as the rest of you.”

    “Oh.” For someone who had only been a Poochyena for a few hours, Hologrammar made a pretty good sad puppy - complete with droopy tail, head, and ears. “Ok. Thanks.”

    Forced smiles were apparently in style right then, because Mella donned one quickly. “Don’t worry, dears,” she said to the group. “Someone will get it sorted, I’m sure. And in the meantime, you can all make the best of this! There’s other beginner dungeons, the park, the training grounds… Lots to see and do!”

    Tiff groaned. “My parents are gonna kill me for being on for this long, but yeah. Make the best of it.” She turned so that Sky, Hologrammar, and Haruka were all in her field of vision. “Do you guys want to go and train? I… kind of want to get stronger before I try any more dungeons.”

    “Level grinding is good, especially with new friends,” Sky said. “You okay with that, Holo?”

    Holo nodded. “You guys seem okay, and it’ll be good to take my mind off things.”

    “I’m down,” said Haruka. “Can you guys please show us the training grounds? We… pretty much just rushed into the first dungeon, so we’re a little lost in the navigation department.”

    Sky’s brows creased in concentration, and then one of the thorns around her neck morphed into a vine, which she pointed to an area closer to the center of town, but not quite within the square itself. “Hey, that actually worked!” she said, opening her eyes. “This feels so weird. Follow me, you guys!”

    “I don’t think you need to worry about being in trouble,” Hologrammar said to Tiff. “My parents were pretty strict about me only playing for a few hours, but considering that we can’t not play right now, I’m sure they’ll understand.” The Poochyena sighed. “This has gotta be the worse launch date in the history of gaming,” he said. “Once the devs actually get around to adding a logout feature, Challengers of Fate is gonna tank harder than Atari’s E.T. The Extraterrestrial.”


    Button by K'sariya!

    URPG Stats!

    Paired with noob dummy crazy kid rad friend Nar.

  6. #16
    The Known Stranger Morzone's Avatar
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    Richard ("Majorkorth"/rhyhorn), Alex ("CrimsonAlucard"/magby), Joshua ("thekunz"/Elekid)
    Team Firestorm
    Outside the guild entrance
    Affected RP'ers: N/A

    "I hate this stupid thing already" Richard stated, breaking the several minutes of silence that had accompanied the trio on their walk. The three of them had spent the last half hour attempting to access the log-out option in attempt to disprove the rumors that everyone now logged in was trapped within the game. Having eventually given up on the endeavor, something that resulted in much lowered morale, the three agreed there was noting to do except head to the guild and register the team. Something they would have done anyway even if they weren't trapped.

    "Yeah, it sucks doesn't it? Who knew this was actually SAO in disguise." Alex replied, looking up at the large, multi-story guild building the were approaching.

    "Not that, I mean, that suck too, but I mean this body. It's terrible, I feel like a rock with legs."

    Josh noted that, as a rhyhorn, Ricky actually was a rock with legs. He decided against saying it however. He wasn't in a talkative mood anyway. The choce ended up pointless though, as Alex obliged to state it anyway.

    "Well, technically you are a rock with legs." he said, shadowing his usual self.

    Ricky wasn't amused and as such gave alex an annoyed look. "its so slow, I can hardly move. Turning is even more impossible. How did these things even survive if all their good at is going straight?"

    "Well I guess you'll have to deal with it, o leader Major Korth."

    "What, did you think I was going to use my actual name? its still better than 'Dracula' backward"

    While Ricky and Alex busied themselves with mocking each other's usernames, Josh looked away surveying the landscape in his own thoughts. The road was surrounded by training grounds. As such there was a good number of players practicing as they passed. He was surprised at how energetic they were. Maybe they hadn't heard the rumors yet. Well, the NPCs didn't care, that was for sure.

    He couldn't help but worry about what would happen. What happens when you faint? Do you still respawn? Do you get logged out? Some people had said it was possible, but no one was willing to try it unless.. well in case something else happened. Josh rubbed his eyes. It felt weird not to have any glasses. Maybe it would be better to be like Ricky and Alex and think about more trivial things for now.

    As they arrived at the guild they fell again into silence, looking up at the impressive building. Pushing the door open with his snout, Ricky entered first, the other two following behind him. The entrance hall looked impressive, but alex seemed much more interested in the sign-up desks.

    "To the adventure team desk!" he proclaimed, attempting to lead the way.

    "We were going to make a rescue team..." Josh interjected quietly. The other two looked at him, a little surprised he'd been so quick to stop alex. "What... I already told you guys I'm not joining anything other than a rescue team. Especially not now we're.. you know."

    "Oh yeah... Sorry josh." Alex said, his face falling slightly with the reminder of the log-out glitch.

    The three turned instead to a desk manned by a dewott. They had agreed beforehand that Ricky would be the leader, since Alex was a little too trigger happy and Josh to reserved. And in a moment, and a few forms, their rescue team was formed. Each of them ordered a piece of clothing with their described symbol on it and were told it would be ready later. Additionally they now had a bag and guild badges. Each smiled as the put on their badges and Josh slung their bag over his shoulder. Despite everything, the familiarity was good.

    VPP

  7. #17
    Extra Clever Earthbound Spirit Gef's Avatar
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    Dia's Self-Acceptance

    > 4:35:20 PM GMT: Player dianayu1 has logged in

    It was an out-of-body experience; it was looking across the lawn at night, spotting a pair of glinting pupils upon a tangled frame of lean, leggy musculature, then being able to say, "That's me."

    She stared in again. There was an improportionate whimsicality to the largeness of her eyes, to the sakura pink of her yellow-banded coat. Her ears flopped in the manner of a mutt at a store window; Pokémon really were unapologetically adorable, weren't they? Though Dia could move negligibly and the water's surface would turn to compliment something else. The pond had an exaggerated elastic quality, deliberate in its means of tweaking and tousling her image against a canvas of accentuating, clear water, forever rippling to the will of program code. The Deerling realized her legs were monumental in length.

    "This is insane," she murmured, and ought to have remained at the poolside, ogling. Truthfully, she was conflicted. There was a pit of some auspicious feeling deep in her chest, one which she'd learnt to ignore. About it fruited a warm solace, a cold incredulity, a modesty prompted by the newness of it all, and a sort of culminated emotional feeling at seeing herself as a sprightly fawn brimming with health on four powerful legs. Dia found herself spilling tears into the void that was the "beginner's pond". "This is insane." She wondered if this was who she was always meant to be.

    No responsibilities, no non-instinctual pressures; all false, of course, for she was a Deerling and not a real deer. The surface of presumed reality was supposedly not sacred as her peripheral vision filled with a gaudy orange glow: a flashing pop-up window offering a subtle hint to continue north towards the bustle and commotion—the actual game.

    Dia felt vulnerable, torn from her reflection, but an objective was an easy motive for mobilization, as well as a reminder that she would achieve nothing otherwise before staggering, catching her two front legs together, and plummeting to the ground. For a while, she lay stunned as if she hadn't gotten up at all. Walking had come too naturally to her. With the realization she had no need to practice, Dia now had a more complex question upon her regarding how to reorient herself without digits. She supposed it was the first step in training.

    ! OBJECTIVE MET: PASSED FIRST POST-TRANSFORMATION TEST WITH FLYING COLORS!
    NEXT: JUSTIFY SIXTY-DOLLAR PURCHASE.

    Alone, it was difficult to fall for the illusion—you could sniff out the fingerprints of hardworking developers on vague breeds of shrubbery, trees with bulks of green ousting separate leaves. The town was a mass of individuals, however; if the vast majority were artificial intelligence, from Dia's perspective, it was impossible to tell. Discovery Town was a revel for the senses, a boast for both how bloated and how beautiful and, truly, how stimulating this technology could be. In a simple circle of cobblestone pavement and dirt road, enclosed by stock wooden shacks with strings of flags roping each rooftop together, the visual appeal came from the people around you—the Pokémon with convoluted gamertags popping up in all directions, giving context. NPC#2254 ushered furry brown little ones into an open cottage unhurriedly with a sweep of her broad tail, her flabby front arms clutched rodent-like to her chest; NPC#5568 pinned paper to bulletin board with a betraying elegance considering the broadness of their spiked hands, their overall magnificent size in-turn contrasting the tininess of their green-and-yellow wings; and a smaller pair hugging the side of a fruit stand as the crowd inundated around them yodeled over all the commotion, their tags identifying a squat, grey-capped reptilian fellow—EPIKBEAST—and billowing, blue sheet ghost—JAYNITEZ—as many chose to pointedly look past them, the former spouting, "Would you newbs stop calling 'Game Freak' the main developers? Chunsoft makes the mystery Dungeon spin-offs! Do some frickin' research!"

    Dia found herself laughing to no one as she paced into the heart of the plaza. There was so much she didn't understand, and yet it was easier to feel unconditionally happy in the midst of company. All their voices were amplified, yelling over and around one another, but each response, if she chose to follow it, was distinct. The sun shone in an immaculate sky, the clouds were vaguely present in light tendrils, and the world of 'Challengers' had the scent of rainfall past. A light wind tussled grass bordering the square. Dia found her muzzle pointed skywards, tears lingering in the corners of her giant eyes. She lingered in the sensation of springtime and stepped absentmindedly in a puddle.

    There was a second consequence to falling to fancy in the middle of a tumescence town square; the Deerling found cause for her and a few anonymous others to scatter as two figures carpeted in black fur hobbled expeditiously on stout legs. One bellowed "MOVE!" and the warning came moments before Dia found herself dazed in the midst of tumult. There was some standstill following the sudden disruption, all the same; some accusatory glances followed them, cast by those with the enigmatic "NPC" labels, as if it were against the figures' natures to act with such haste. Others, wide-eyed, took to trailing after, as if doing so suggested hope of reaching some revelation.

    "What's the trouble?" It never marred to ask, but her call was disregarded. Some rotund figure launched itself over her and the miscellaneous group departed. The shock of being ascended left her gaping in their stead momentarily but Dia did stagger into eventual motion, weaving worriedly through the crowd. She stepped into another puddle on accident and cringed.

    Discussion became inevitable to overhear and unfeasible to ignore in the thick of the crowd, the subject concerning some catastrophic change of fate—the Deerling wished she were exaggerating, for there was nothing less welcoming than damnation, but the air of conversation was permeated with fear. There was a darkness in most Pokémon's expressions. Within a circle of elaborate gamertags, they talked over one another about "warning signs" and "neurology" and "whatever will happen when we're gone".

    "If we can't get out through normal means, we'll have to use force."

    "We're gonna ****ing die, guys. We're gonna ****ing rot and die."

    "There are kids here..."

    Something cracked—it must have been Dia's voice, as all surrounding audibility ceased, obscured, and she took the opportunity to enter a hurried gallop. When she closed her eyes, it was easier not to think, not to consider the instinctual ease of speed and the chaotic exchange she was leaving behind. Everything vanished into the void. Fortuitously, she did not collide with a civilian.

    ! OBJECTIVE MET: BEGAN TO DOUBT SIXTY-DOLLAR PURCHASE!
    NEXT: FIND A DISTRACTION.

    When Dia awoke, she felt number than she thought she deserved.

    When Dia opened her eyes, she registered the cause of her instantaneous arrest in the form of something sturdy, yet plush, with evident stitch marks maintaining its clover-yellow stature, both inanimate and of her height. She hurt from being struck but humbly retreated, inspecting the sack-like construct—"Training Dummy" rang the identifying tag above its head—and immediately it slouched on its side, to Dia's surprise. With its gnawed ears dangling and ink blotches for eyes scanning the skyline, its assaulter identified the orange, bubbled-in "cheeks" and the signature lightning shape of its wooden tail, exclaiming aloud, "That's cute, it's kind of like Pikachu."

    An irregular battle cry it unexpectedly proved to be. A sudden sheer materialization sent Dia stumbling backwards, a thin screen of translucent blue that immediately expanded by thrice its size in an explosion of brilliance. The omnipresent vocalization of "BATTLE SET" was accented with a ring of thrown-up dust of which the Deerling had little time to shield her orifices and it was therefore fortunate, if not off-putting, for it to move through phantasmally like a proper trick of the eyes.

    Dia thus found herself circled with a ring of blue-tinged screens, all screaming combat options at her, as if she were the new recruit on a science-fiction starship just heaved into the cockpit. "What? Did I start a fight? How? Do I need to press something? I don't really have fingers!"

    In her bewilderment, there was no mercy; a flashing "command box" read out "FLINCH" and the Deerling experienced an ominous, spirit-felling fear as the turn to administer damage was turned over to her opponent. Taking advantage of her inexperience, the Pikachu dummy indulged in collecting itself, lifting its head slowly—Dia swore she was sweating; her throat clenched and she began a quiet, persistent prayer—, before finally letting it fall again to its right instead.

    Dia decided it would be absurd for a dummy to zombify itself without warning. With the menus still encircling her, she rushed at one in an attempt to activate it with her head. Instead, the command box insisted "TACKLE" and she caught herself halfway from her opponent in the stance of a vehement stag.

    "MISS," said the command box.

    The dummy's head fell to its left.

    An irritated Dia, acknowledging the menus encompassing her again though also her inability to touch them, took a deep breath, cracked her neck, and plunged into the Pikachu with her shoulder, carrying it with her in a demolition into the dirt.

    As she slowly rose to her hooves, a horizontal meter hovering above the fallen manikin presented a slow drainage of color, its full green contents gradually dropping to a goldenrod as it halved and, finally, leaving mere red remains. The dummy refrained from being readjusted and the screens finally seemed satisfied so Dia, casting an uncomfortable glance in her wake, took to following the delineated path.

    ! OBTAINED FIRST SOLO BATTLE VICTORY AGAINST A FAMILIAR FACE!
    A LITTLE MUCH?

    Her rapid departure from Discovery Square had taken the Deerling to a higher altitude. The same path leading through stretches of meadow grass dotted with other cloth dummies, weights, ropes, and more mélange was ascending a hill. She was already approximate enough to be in its shadow, a luxuriously-sized building ruling at its peak, with a beautiful wooden exterior portraying some semblance of culture, though whatever "culture" she would be incapable of identifying by name. The land about it became less scattered with casual training and fitness gear, more with reverent statues. Dia stopped at one: an ape of stonework whose head torched, the warmth of the computerized fire beating down in a sparking, smoking spray. The ape's arms were raised, its eyes glaring down with the intensity of its crown of flame, and yet it seemed almost meditative in its position above her. She felt at peace initially, then a feeling of sincere discomfort she could compare only to a light sunburning drove at her pelt. Itching, she turned to pacing up the road.

    If she cared to pay attention, the tagline to her north would spell out her present location; it would only appear at her consent as not to overwhelm her peripheral. Dia decided, nonetheless, that it was the mystery of the magnificent manor that kept her plodding forward.

    In all earnest, the girl had wanted to log out minutes ago. It was an experimental decision to have bothered at registering in the face of obstinate error messages; it was undeniable there was something wrong with this game in the first place. There were so many ways the mayhem in Discovery Town could be interpreted, none of which proposed an optimistic provoker, all of which she morally disassociated from video games in the first place. It was beyond Dia's comprehension, the act of artificially invoking anxiety, to the extent she could not chock such an act up to some malevolent masochism or general deprivation; it was simply and utterly absurd to her. She did not ever want to stimulate holding a gun to anything's head, no matter if alien, no matter if living dead, no matter if it threatened the world, her family, herself. She could never be a soldier because she would let everyone down. She could be a icon, a children's toy, a Charmander, a Mew, or an Eevee; it was easy to be something so digestible, right? Dia enjoyed being Deerling—it seemed natural, although it was blatant the game had simply spurred her brain to feel this way—but, for as genuine as the escapism was, she knew it could not last her, for she needed not to vacate life itself but the isolation that prevented her for stomaching it.

    The wind had accelerated in pace and strength, whistling through the bustles of yellowing grass and tossing bronze bells in the distance. Above the open door was a sign with painted footprints she would have ordinarily disregarded as decoration, a subtle proclamation of the lack of humanity within this virtual world, but forced upon her perception was a translation for this "language"; she was being welcomed to The Keep of Arcane Power. The mansion's entrance lay forever open, stone steps spilling past a gaping maw and into the parched earth. If Dia pivoted her ears, she could discern the slight evidence of conversation; it died quickly, leaving the swelling of the wind, the ring of bells. "I really am alone."

    The journey died into an inquiry, then: Do I continue onward? Do I turn back? She could like this, she really could. She sincerely wanted to meet whoever lay within the keep, but she was demotivated, now. She needed obligation, and so she envisioned a slight, black-haired boy with wire-framed glasses pouting up at her in the comfort of their home. "You 'weren't feeling it'? That's so lame. You fall out of everything, Diana." And thus she adventured onward.

    ! OBJECTIVE MET: GUILTED YOURSELF INTO PLAYING LONGER!
    NEXT: CURB YOUR INSECURITY?


    Gamertag: dianayu1
    Recent Activity: Approaching 'The Keep'
    Of Closest Proximity:
    • Team Firestorm — Majorkorth / CrimsonAlucard / thekunz

    Stats:
    Spoiler:
    LV5 — (1/15)
    Ability: Serene Grace
    Moves: Tackle, Growl, Camouflage, Synthesis

    Activity Log:
    Spoiler:
    • Registered as MEMBER of Team [ERROR].
    • Adjusted to self and setting.
    • Wandered into a fight against an incorrigible training dummy; emerged victorious.
    • Set on course for the guild.


  8. #18
    The Queen of Shaymin
    Noblejanobii's Avatar
    Site Editor

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    ((LET IT BEGIN!! LET IT BEGIN!!))

    MadderJanobii, Madder_Hatter, and OcarinaCypher
    Exploration Team Moonlight Madness
    Teleporting into Discovery Town Square
    Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Gef @The Nonexistent Tazz @Morzone @LKWayvern @Velocity


    A loud bell tolled throughout Discovery Town. Many players raised their heads to the sound before suddenly being warped to the square in the center of the town. Cypher was the first to warp, the panic easily readable in his eyes as his body started to disappear. Shouts rose up from other players as they were suddenly whisked away from the Kangeskhan rock. A stampede started to form as the remaining players attempted to flee, only to be snatched up as well. With Cypher already gone, Sloane and Brent attempted to flee as well, sprinting as best they could. Brent, however, had a much better graph on his character's movements, and leaving Sloane behind. The little cyndaquil tried her best to keep up, only to find herself suddenly get pushed down as a pancham forced its way through the crowd. Sloane tumbled to the ground and immediately covered her head as best she could as paws, hooves, claws, and other appendages beat down around her. Most pokemon managed to avoid her until a ponyta came rushing through and slammed straight into Sloane. She was sent flying, landing into a nearby pond. Sloane immediately began to flail around as terror set in. Swim! SWIM!! But she couldn't! It was odd but she didn't know how to swim, at least not in this body! It was as if the game's programming was suppressing her ability to! Sloane's lungs screeched for air and she couldn't take it anymore, her cyndaquil instincts taking over and forcing her to breathe. Water rushed in and she began to cough, only worsening the situation. She was drowning. As the realization set in, Sloane felt her vision closing in and darkness swelling around her. In all the ways Sloane had imagined dying, drowning in a video game had never been something she had considered. Slowly, she stopped flailing, sinking until she hit the bottom of the pond. However, just as she had given up, light erupted around her and her body began to disappear. Was she dying? Is that what those lights meant? She was consumed by them quickly, receiving her answer as she plopped down on the ground in the center square next to Cypher. Sloane sputtered and coughed, soaking wet and feeling nauseous.

    "Janobii!" Cypher cried, patting her back as she coughed up a puddle of water. "Doctor! Doctor! Does anyone here know any healing moves? Please! My friend's hurt!" A cherubi pushed her way through the crowd and rushed over to Sloane.

    "I know heal pulse! I received it as my egg move!" she cried as she touched her smaller cherry to Sloane's head. She closed her eyes and a pink aura covered both she and Sloane. As the move's healing effects transferred to Sloane, her breathing slowly evened out, and she visibly relaxed. Sloane looked at the cherubi and nodded her thanks. The cherubi smiled and stepped back, allowing Sloane some room.

    “Janobii, are you feeling better?” Sloane looked up at Cypher, the concern swimming in his eyes. The cyndaquil smiled back up at him and nodded her head.

    “Yeah, Cypher, I’m fine, I think,” she responded quietly, shaking herself off a little to get rid of the water clinging to her fur. Brent pushed himself through the crowd, dashing over to Sloane.

    “Thank the lord, you're okay! I lost sight of you and then got swept away! I didn't know what to do until I heard Cypher yelling. What happened?”

    “I… was drowning. I got knocked into a pond and couldn't swim. It was… abnormal. Like I know how to swim but my body doesn't, so I couldn't. If I hadn’t been teleported, I'd surely have drowned.”

    Silence settled on the crowd around Sloane. That wasn't something anyone had seemed to anticipate. And with a variety of users having log off and respawn issues, there was no telling what would have happened had she not been saved. Cypher looked as if he was going to pose another question when a loud booming voice echoed throughout the square.

    “Welcome Challengers of Fate!” A bright light shown above the square. Above the bell tower stood none other than Arceus itself. “I am Arceus, and I have to bestow upon you great news! Each and every one of you has been selected-” Suddenly, Arceus's figure began to change. The golds in the color palette shifted to blacks and the greens to crimson. Arceus's rings twisted, growing larger and becoming thorny in appearance, almost demonic-like. "T̷̡̛̫̝̲͎̍ͦ͋ͭͮ̽̇̍ͦ͡o̴̢͉̯̙̻̳̥̞ͣ̈̉̐́͟ͅ ̧̤͍͎̮̜͎̬̭͕̍̿͐̋̊͌ͯ̎́̚͟ͅDͯͭͯ̐ͪ̃̂̄̑̆͑̿ͣ̍ͭͧ̊҉̯̜̳̮͜I͐̿ͣ ̵̷̛̯̙̮̮͚̗̹̲͙͇̬ͪ̐̏̓̒̀͘ͅḚ̜͈͖̮̻͕͉̭̖̄͂̆̌̇̅͜͠!̌̔ͫ̑͂̏ͧ̎ ̥̙̫͔͎̍͒̋ͪ͋̃͛̀ͩ͜͢͞͞͝" A dark aura began to cloud over the city, turning the beautiful blue sky into scarlet red. The buildings now seemed more damaged and crumbling, and all the ponds wreaked of boiling blood. The once picturesque city was now dressed like the entryway to hell. "I thank you all for signing up, but I regret to inform you that the game you have signed up for is not what you thought it was. Our staff has been contacted numerous times with complaints about the lack of a log out button and respawn issues. The fact simply is, they were never programmed." A murmur rippled across the crowd as Pokémon began to discuss what this meant. "So I advise you not faint in dungeon anymore. Why? Simple. You die." Cypher shifted uncomfortably, the news hitting dead on with his worries about Siber. "To minimize cheating, I decided that you would only be given one life, no save, no redo, one chance to win it all. And if you faint in dungeon? It's game over, simple as that. But then, couldn't you just sign up and rejoin your old team? Oh don't worry, I thought of that too. And how did I solve that? Simple really, it's game over in real life too." Several gasps erupted through the crowd. Sloane felt the blood drain from her face, unable to react, stunned to silence. That meant that Siber was… no! That couldn't be! "Yes yes! You die in real life as well! It was quite fun programming the system to administer the deaths too. Now you might be wondering, how on earth do you escape? Is there any possible way to do so? Why I'm glad you asked! But this answer won't be so simple. All you have to do is beat the game! But as the toughest Pokémon Mystery Dungeon yet, it won't be easy. I wish you luck, bad luck that is!" The arceus let out a wicked laugh before lightning struck him and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Still, even with the threat gone, dread filled the air around them, suffocating many.

    Sloane felt panic start to well up in her. She couldn't go home? Siber was dead! What do they do? What do they do? She started to hyperventilate when Brent tapped her back. The zorua looked at she and Cypher then said,

    "Let's head back to the Keep. We'll register Cypher with us then grab as many missions as we can. Easy ones, but plentiful ones, that way we can level up quickly and maybe get a head start on this madness." Cypher and Sloane nodded in reply, and Cypher bent down to the two saying,

    "Climb on my back, I'll get us there quicker if I carry you." Sloane didn't argue, climbing into the Type: Null's back with Brent close behind. Cypher began to force his way through the crowd, thankfully close to the edge and able to emerge on the side of the square closest to the Keep. Once he was out, Cypher began to pick up the pace, sprinting towards the guild before panic could ensue.
    / / / / / / / /
    Avatar by Soggymint
    Double Agents with Suicune's Fire

  9. #19
    Eldritch_Angel LKWayvern's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    Scenic 'the Void'
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    1,208
    stained_glass_threads and Peter
    Teleporting into Discovering Town Square
    Affected RPers:


    Laura was of the opinion that crowds were literal hell on earth. It was very difficult for her to tune out the background conversations that inevitably took place in them, and she found people touching her in areas she couldn't see, like her back, to be very distracting and uncomfortable.

    The fact that the background chatter now was panicked screams, and that some smaller Pokemon were quite literally being trampled really didn't improve this instance.

    Needless to say, Laura really didn't take the stampede overwell.

    "Calm down! This isn't helping!" she tried to shout at the panicking crowd. Her words were drowned out too easily for all to hear her though. "Calm down calm down calm down c-calm! Down! Calm! Down!" She felt herself begin to hyperventilate. She wasn't totally sure if she was yelling at the crowd or herself now.

    "Hey, Glass! It's okay, let's get out--"

    Charcold was there. She couldn't see Strikestorm or Peter though. The torchic tried shoving her away from the midst of the crowd, but her mind registered the touch as yet another reason to panic. She shrieked and flinched away, before realizing what the other player had been trying to accomplish. She quickly tried to scramble away from the crowd, only to find her hands had begun to glow. "Wh-wh-- I-- Make it stop!" she whined.

    She spawned in the center square, and quickly wrapped her arms around her chest and her bone spear, glancing about frantically for her friends. She saw both Strikestorm and Peter having a desperate conversation nearby and made her way over to them as quickly as she could.

    "They've noticed the logout bug, I'm certain. And this is just the typical way of gathering everyone online for an announcement. This is standard protocol," Peter was trying to reassure the scyther. The charmander then noticed Laura. "Laura! You're back here!"

    Laura leaned onto Peter's shoulder, forcing her breathing to slow. Concerned and confused murmurs still spread through the crowd, but they weren't screaming and weren't running. It was calmer. She should be calmer.

    "L-- Glass, did you see Charcold?" Strikestorm asked her. Laura slowly nodded, before the aforementioned torchic spawned next to Strikestorm. The scyther noticed him immediately, and enveloped him in a hug, being careful that his scythes didn't injure his partner. "You're okay! I'm okay!"

    Charcold simply let out a sigh of relief, relaxing significantly.

    When a loud booming voice echoed through the square, the two teams snapped to attention.

    As she heard Arceus' announcement, Laura lost control of her breathing again, beginning to subconsciously back up. She accidentally collided with a rhyhorn, spinning around and gasping. "I-i'm sorry--"

    The rhyhorn gave her a nasty glare, but she could tell he was very stressed by this announcement as well. She tried to turn back around.

    Upon receiving the news that death in a dungeon led to death in reality, Laura totally lost it. "NO! NO! THAT'S NOT HOW IT WOR--" she felt someone shove her aside, moving her away from the midst of the crowd.

    Even so, as she moved she kept hysterically murmuring "That's not how it works, that's not how it works, that's not how it works, you faint you faint you faint you faint you faint you faint don't die don't die don't die faint faint faint faint faint..."

    She spun to face those who had dragged her out of the crowd. Peter was staring at her, concern evident in his eyes. A few feet away, Strikestorm was hugging Charcold again and openly crying. Charcold seemed extremely worried, but was holding it together far more easily.

    Laura grabbed Peter. "That's not how it works it's not supposed to be like this there's saves there's saves and reloads! There's reviver seeds! Reviver seeds! It's not supposed to be like this! I don't understand I don't understand why would he do this it doesn't make sense why would he do this why would he do this why would he do this it doesn't make sense what's the point I don't understand I don't understand-- WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" She thumped her tail on the ground and stopped her feet, trying to dispel her nervous energy.

    "Laura. Laura calm down," Peter instructed her.

    "No no no I can't! It's not that simple! I'm going to die! I'm going to die here with NPCs and strangers! I can't do this without saves! I-- I never got through a PMD game without dying a lot! Never, never! I-- i need-- I need heaps of reviver seeds and I need--"

    "Laura, please be quiet!" Peter said, raising his voice.

    Laura bit down on her tongue, nodding slightly. She could feel hot tears.

    "You. Are going. To get through this," Peter told her. "We are going to get through this. We're a team. And I'm not going to see my leader die. We are going to regroup at the Keep. You are going to calm down. We are going to level up. And we are going to get so strong this whole game will be a piece of cake!"

    Laura nodded slightly again. She didn't think she could talk right now without losing it again.
    Last edited by LKWayvern; 06-03-2017 at 11:57 AM.
    Avatar made by Neo Emolga.

  10. #20
    taking flight! VeloJello's Avatar
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    Wulfenite and OrchidCrowns.
    Sterling Spearhead.
    Discovery Town Square.
    Affected RPers: People who happen to notice an irate screaming Rowlet flying overhead.


    “Hang on a sec,” Tiff said as the group ambled down to the training grounds. Light was shining above the bell tower in town square, and enveloped in it was someone who appeared to be Arceus.

    Hologrammar saw it, too. “That’s it, that's our way out!” he said confidently. “Must be one of the devs’ avatars. Come on!” He took off like a shot, and the rest of the group rushed to follow.

    However, as they neared the bell tower, things changed. Arceus’s speech twisted and distorted; the town changed from idyllic to something out of a bloody nightmare; and the Original One wasn’t a mod, but instead he was proclaiming that anyone who fainted in the game would - would -

    No!” Haruka screamed, making a shocking amount of noise for her tiny body. She jumped awkwardly, clumsily, falling down and landing on Hologrammar, who let out a scream of surprise and fear. Haruka was undeterred; she stood up again and jumped, this time extending her wings and flapping as hard as she could. It was a quiet sound, even to Tiff’s sensitive ears. “No, no, no!” Haruka continued, barely managing to stay afloat with her frantic wingbeats.

    “Hey, we all need to remain calm -” Sky began, but before she could continue, Haruka took off higher into the air with a few powerful flaps.

    Haruka!” Tiff howled after her friend, then stopped, clamping her paws over her mouth. She turned to Sky and Hologrammar, glaring furiously, “You two never heard that.”

    For a few seconds, neither of them replied. Hologrammar didn’t seem like he was able to at this point. Sky gave Tiff a look. “Her real name, right? I won’t say anything.”

    Tiff nodded, tense, and turned back in the direction Haruka had flown. She was going surprisingly fast for someone who had only had wings for a matter of hours. Moreover, she was clearly furious, flying toward the bell tower that “Arceus” had appeared on. Tiff hesitated for a moment, then began pushing through the crowd, trying to stay below the furious Rowlett. “No!” Haruka was still shouting. “This is not happening! I refuse!” She couldn’t reach the top of the bell tower, but she was trying for all she was worth, letting loose a screaming tirade of frustration. “I know someone can hear me!” she shrieked. “Whoever’s in charge of this thing, stop it! Now!”

    As long as Tiff had known Haruka, she’d never seen her this angry. Frankly, it was kind of impressive - Tiff could barely even muster up the emotional energy to feel surprise just then. She was about to try to beckon Haruka down, but before she could, she got a pair of alerts on her HUD.

    [Friendship request from Sgt_Blueskies (Team Rebound). Accept/Decline?]

    [Partnership request from Team Rebound (Sgt_Blueskies: Chikorita, Hologrammar: Poochyena). Accept/Decline?]

    The brief flicker of hope Tiff had felt died when she saw that they were just friend requests, not messages from the devs announcing that their awful prank was over. She accepted both, though - it would be good to have friends here, if they really were stuck.

    Were they stuck? Someone in real life was bound to notice that something was wrong, come up with a fix. It would take time, but it would be better than… she glanced down at her chest where the gash had been and pressed a paw to it, shaken by how close she’d come to death - actual, honest-to-God death - without even knowing it.

    Because Tiff hadn’t bothered to close her HUD, she saw Sgt_Blueskies’s whisper pretty much immediately. <Holo having panic attack; helping him. Meet later? Can team w you/help you out.>

    Deep breaths, Tiff told herself, and typed a response. <Unsure. OrchidCrowns is up there screaming at devs, don’t know how she’ll feel when she finally comes down. Will keep you posted.> After a moment, she added, <She’ll probably agree though. Would be good to have more friends.>

    There was no response, but Tiff didn’t really want one right then. Sky and Holo seemed nice enough, but Haruka was her first priority. She looked up at the bell tower, where Haruka had perched on a decorative rafter. “Whoever you are,” Haruka was screaming, “I’m gonna track you down and I’m gonna have your eyes for this!”

    The bottom dropped out of Tiff’s stomach. Somehow, Haruka’s rage made this feel more real, more solid. For the time being, they were stuck - and any mistake could prove fatal. People, real people who had just wanted to pay a stupid Pokemon game, were going to die.

    Tiff managed to find a park bench to collapse on as she watched Haruka spitting obscenities at empty air, waiting for her friend to tire herself out so that they could…

    … Well. She would think of something. Hopefully.


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