Stalkers RPG Main Action and Team Status [SEASON 4]

[Bulbasaur]

Alright! Let's start off by interviewing someone who I won't intimidate, and search a location.

Interview 39. Effentine the Grookey
Search (19) Tunnel Ruins

[HorusMyDude]

Nlqdr81.pngBest to learn about this new world. See what the willows say to the rocks.

Action One: Search Salvage Keep Library (45)

Nlqdr81.pngHopefully ah can find something interestin' here...

Action Two: Search Salvage Keep Library Upper Levels (45a)

[Suicune's Fire]

Nlqdr81.pngBest to learn about this new world. See what the willows say to the rocks.

Action One: Search Salvage Keep Library (45)

Nlqdr81.pngHopefully ah can find something interestin' here...

Action Two: Search Salvage Keep Library Upper Levels (45a)

Salvage Keep Library--a place you imagine is a trove of knowledge waiting to be explored. As you stand outside the great doors of the library, you wonder exactly what can be found inside. You also note that the entryway looks like it was built one way when it was initially constructed, and then changed to accommodate larger pokémon. You count yourself luck this is the case--otherwise you might not have fit in and would need to discover other, more forceful methods of entering. Old Lace has plenty of punching power even after all these years.

Wearing confidence on your bulged chest, you saunter through the entrance to the library, coming immediately into a small foyer which you pass through to make it to the main library sector. Even though the entrance was widened, the rest of the library seems to have retained its small pokémon-friendly arrangement. Each row between the many book shelves looks tight, but you're confident that you'll be able to fit anyway. After all, you're going to be spending quite a bit of time here looking through books, shelves, under the occasional rug, and testing all potentially loose floorboards. It's quite the task, but a task that Old Lace can handle.

After hours of searching the interior, you're just about ready to give up. You realise it's possible that you might not find anything at all, but you have a feeling that you just need to keep looking. So, you shift your focus elsewhere--outside. You excuse yourself from the library, tipping your cowboy hat lightly to the haunter librarian, who watches you silently. You aren't sure if he had been watching you with awe, fear or suspicion, but right now it didn't really matter anyway.

As soon as you get outside, you notice that at the far reaches of the property, there is a cluster of trees that appears rather out of place. Narrowing your compound eyes, you power towards the trees, eager to discover their secrets. Once you arrive there, you practically knock them over as you push past them, finding a poorly-camouflaged shack of some kind. You throw the branches and large leaves aside and begin to inspect the shack for any weakness or way in. To your shock, you don't find any. So, Old Lace does what Old Lace was made for: punch the shack.

Your massive fists collide with the outer wall, but your fingers crumple under the force and pain pulses through your hand. You are in disbelief as you try punching again and again, and attempt anything else you think might be useful. However, the shack is simply unbreakable, which baffles you. There haven't been many things you couldn't solve with your muscles, but this is one of those rare cases. You do, however, note a speaker mounted near the lip of the roof, which sits even above your towering form. You wonder if this is part of the equation to getting inside, although there's nothing you can really do at this stage.

{Impenetrable Shack: Mounted Speaker} was added to the Team Records.

Figuring that you've done all you can here, you flit back to the library to commence searching its upper floors.


Old Lace the Buzzwole (L: Bug/Fighting)

Health: 12/12 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 8/8
Battle Stance: Fight
Perk: Diplomacy

---

Back in the library, you head straight up to the next floor, and begin scouring the carpets, hanging paintings, books, shelves, and everything in between. The librarian eyeballs you from the bottom floor, almost concerned that you have returned. However, you're careful not to annoy him by putting every book back in their appropriate place, and ensuring that you don't make a huge mess.

You continue onto the third floor, which is the top one. There's a set of stairs that takes you to the topmost level, which is only one small reading area, and only after entering this spot do you smell something absolutely rank. You follow your proboscis to the source, eventually finding some kind of fleshy lump behind one of the shelves sitting up against the wall. You move the shelf and grab it, only to realise you're holding a black-furred tail. A real tail that once belonged to a pokémon.

[Severed Tail] was added to the Team Inventory.

You nearly drop it in disgust, but keep your hold. It is absolutely vile, yet you can sense somewhere within you that this has relation to a Stalker somehow. You therefore leave with it in your hands, careful to shield it from the prying eyes of the haunter.


Old Lace the Buzzwole (L: Bug/Fighting)

Health: 12/12 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 8/8
Battle Stance: Fight
Perk: Diplomacy

[Suicune's Fire]

Alright! Let's start off by interviewing someone who I won't intimidate, and search a location.

Interview 39. Effentine the Grookey
Search (19) Tunnel Ruins

Effentine is a little difficult to track down, and when you finally find her, she's with a magby at Slippery Park. Both pokémon are dressed in protective gear and wield rather large tools, notably secateurs. Effentine is holding a stepladder for the magby, who is attempting to reach the top of the second Shilamora statue in town, a smaller version with a plaque at its base. Still, it dwarfs the two pokémon who are snapping with their tools at the enormous vines that are constricting the statue.

You say Effentine's name, catching her attention, and she turns around promptly, accidentally knocking the stepladder. The magby on top shrieks as Effentine does the same and turns back to the ladder, trying to secure it as quickly as possible. She manages to do so, and her magby friend regains his balance. He frowns slightly at her, then at you, and then his expression softens into relief. He greets you briefly before turning back to the statue.

Effentine ensures he's stable, then hops over to you on all-fours, stopping on two to greet you. "I-I'm sorry if you wanted to look at the statue. We're trying to, uh, get rid of the macro-weeds," she explains, sounding regretful but managing to smile a tiny bit.

You explain to her that you'd like to speak with her about anything strange that has been happening lately, and her eyes go wide momentarily.

"I see! Um, yeah, sure. I don't have much to tell you, but...I don't know, Aliema has been acting kind of strange lately. She's normally with us, but...I don't know, maybe she's going through something. I work as Kannari's apprentice three days a week, Orolaph has his florist business, so maybe she's trying to develop something on the side as well? I know she's often working on things with Marisha. But it kind of hurts that she ditches us so she can work with her. I mean, Marisha is nice and all, but I don't abandon contracts we get for our macro-weed extermination business so I can go do smithing with Kannari." She breathes out in a sigh, eying the ground for a moment. "With all the scary stuff going on, it's nice to have your friends around. There's been all this graffiti where me and Orolaph live...Rusty Shine Units. I don't know what that's about, but...I don't know, do you think she could do that?" She's quiet for a moment and adds, "Sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with this. You just got to town, right?"

Orolaph calls to Effentine, and the grooky looks at him and shouts that she'll be right there.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go. Here...maybe this will help if you get injured at all. I-it was good to meet you!"

[Oran Berry] was added to Mistee's Inventory.

Effentine runs back to her friend and resumes her work while you focus on your next task.


Mistee the Bulbasaur (M: Grass/Poison)

Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 10/10
Battle Stance: Flee
Perk: Technical

---

You head to the Tunnel Ruins, which are built into the side of the mountains on the western side of Salvage Keep. As you approach, you can see that the Sacred Temple is nearby, and so is an abandoned plot. You focus on the ruins that you are about to embark into, noting the fallen, broken, moss-laden stone fragments of pillars littering the area leading up to the entrance. As you creep closer, you start feeling a disturbing presence in your chest. It feels like a pressure at first, and then like someone is twisting a blade into you. You pause before you reach the entrance, closing your eyes as you wince in pain. When you open your eyes again, your vision is enveloped in a dark fog.

You shake your head and close your eyes again, trying to rid yourself of the strange sensation. When you look again, red pulses stretch out across the ground, climbing over the stone debris. Your stomach lurches and you feel like throwing up as whispers infiltrate your triangular ears. You extend your vines instinctively, trying to snap and whip at anything around you to help alleviate the awful feeling building up inside you. However, the more you snap your vines, the more you see the shadows split into shapeless forms, each circling you and spitting an endless stream of throaty screeches. You flinch each time, and when you figure that there's no point trying to fight them, your fleeing instinct kicks in. You rocket past them, using your vines to shield your face as much as you can, but something snags your bulb and begins biting down, causing a futile, s̬͈̫̟̜̬͔ͨ̇ͩỉ̜̯͔̙̭̓̎len̦̼͔̗̏̓̾̂ͮͯ͂͜t̓͆̏̚҉ ̻͙̽ͮͅs̯̥ͥ͑̉ͣc͎͖̞̤͂̔̀r͇̾ͩͪ͊͢ẻ̴̹̄̇̿ͤͥ͐am̡̼̱͎͗ to rip from your throat.

Mistee the Bulbasaur sustains 1 point of Purity damage.

Writhing does nothing, so you attempt to pump poisonous spores through the top of your bulb. As you do so, your throat begins to close up, and oxygen is suddenly ̒̄̽̈́͗̃҉̕îͧ́͘m̷̨̏͑͘p̧ͪ̅ǫ͐̿̍sͯ̔̈͝siͬ̋̌̔ͧ̋̀b̄ͧͦ̑̎͜l ̢̃͢e̅̿̍̽̂ͯ̏͞͝ to inhale. You struggle harder, watching as the shadows twist with dark blue and purple energy, like streaks of pure evil coursing through them. They begin to sing a horrible, disturbing tune that makes your ears start to bleed. It's as if the notes themselves materialise, forming changing, flashing rotating symbols that burst into your legs, then your belly, then your f̔͑̂̌̋ͬ͒̂o͊̓͛r̓ͮ͛͘é̵̐̿͘h̨ͯ̊͊̊̿ͫͦ̃͟ea̶̓́̃̓̓d̍̌́ͭͧ̔ ̢̌͏. Each touch is like a ̵̷̺̦͖̓̓͟t̴̺͕̹ͥͨ̋h̵̛͍̥͎̻̥͕̿ͥ̒̆̑̆͋̒̀o̶̤u̡͇̟̲̫̱͚̫s̫̝̟ ̤̤à̹̯̯̼n͏̬d̻̘̞̯͔̆ͦͯ̈̒̄͐͜ͅ ̪͇̪͙̹̖͚̤ͣ̋͒̎͑ͥ̇̀͢ć̡̼͙̣̦͈̫̐̌̓͜h̨̲͓̪̻̰̘͎̗ͧ̓̄͝illi̷͍ n̺͕̏̌͋͂̀ͮͥͭͫ͘͜g̵̢̧̼͉̺̗͕͕̊͆ͬ̈́͐ͅͅ ̴͈̻̘̺̹̺̻̾͗̇͘b͈̜͚͖̫͕̓o̸͓̦lt͔̠̗̗s shocking your body. You can do nothing as you are trapped in place, your bulb being crushed bit by bit.

Mistee the Bulbasaur sustains 2 points of Purity damage.

Another voice pierces your mind, burrowing its way through your system in an attempt to find your spirit. It stops at intervals to plant a b̯͎̬̺̻̕͝ų̯̩̹̖͔̰̲̦̹͟͡rn̗̳̬̮͘͠͠i̪̳̰͙̥̥̫̕͜n̵̖̥͍͕g̹̤̼ ͍ seed in your veins, each one more painful than the last. Your eyes begin to roll into your head, your feet curl inwards, and your neck twists to one side as you fight to stop whatever is happening to you, without any success.

I̴̷̬̬̾ͫ̊ͅ c̸̮̹̳̪͍̅ͥ͗̀͌̂ͤ̀̚a̡͇̯̖̥̲̱̺̪ͣͧ͑͆͗͞ṅ̷͉̹͉͋̔ s͑͌ͯͨͤ͏̜̫̳ͅm͓̲̣͍̙̤͗̀ͨ̽ͤ̚͢ͅell͖̬̙̫̤ͭ͜ yo̡͖͓u̲̲͞, ̖̞̟ͅE͔m͉̺̟̹̪͘i̸̫̬̮͇̙͓̼s̺̱̩s̫a͓̥̙͓ŕ͙y̪͔̼͍̭͜.̲͈̣̦̝̞ ̻.̟̜̹̫͕̲.

Mistee the Bulbasaur sustains 3 points of Purity damage.

Just when you think you cannot bear any more, your thoughts fall to your companions, and you finally manage to vocalise a scream of defiance. You bind your eyes shut and release a flurry of leaves, panting from the effort as you open your eyes, only to find that the shadows are gone. Whatever held your bulb has disappeared as well, and you suddenly feel alone. But being alone is better than being with them.

"I-is someone there?!" a voice calls, strange-sounding but real enough for you to want to go and investigate.

You frantically look around and begin to run in the direction of the voice, soon coming across the form of a scratched-up beedrill taking refuge on a boulder near the tunnel entrance. You ask the beedrill if she's okay, and she gives a slow nod.

"For now," she buzzes, "but please...get help. I could hear how much of a toll that took on you and I think...you better get out of here now. Come back for me when you can."

{Whimpering Beedrill: <Medicine>} was added to the Team Records.

As much as you don't want to leave the beedrill, you know that she's right--you can't stick around here any longer, although she seems to be able to. Regret in your heart, you tell her that someone will be back for her, and depart for the clubhouse.


Mistee the Bulbasaur (M: Grass/Poison)

Health: 10/10 | Sanity: 8/8 | Purity: 4/10
Battle Stance: Flee
Perk: Technical