Quote Originally Posted by Morzone View Post
I really didn't expect there to be an artifact at Greg's Grog, but apparently there is. The place seems to have multiple places to search, so i shall start by taking a look around the exterior of Greg's Grog (44).
You head out into the night to join the others that are searching the inn and tavern this evening. The night air is still a bit somewhat chill, but not severely so. But you still get the impression that it's a bit unnatural...

Outside, Greg's Grog is a pretty nice and it's well-maintained place despite it being in a place where the apocalypse struck many years ago. You know places like these are few and far between and most of them are either makeshift structures or have been ruins ever since those days of the cataclysm. But this tavern does well for itself and proves there is some hope in rebuilding what was once lost.

While outside, there are still some muffled sounds of chatter and noises that could be heard from the bar, it's not nearly as noisy as it is out here than it is in there. And while the Sway drug is contraband, drinking alcoholic cider isn't, so the patrons of this bar can lose themselves in their drinks.

Toward the side of the tavern, you don't find anything too out of the ordinary. Most of the patrons have their drinks inside, but every now and then you come across one or two having one outside. Tonight, it seems to be mainly a Machop and a Piplup having one just to get some semi-fresh air. But you can tell just from the way they're laughing over silly conversations that they're likely up to drink number five or six at this rate.

Toward the back, it seems pretty vacant save for some loading equipment and old wooden parcels. There's a slightly rusted brown dumpster that has a peculiar stink to it, and you're not sure if that's a blend of discarded food and cider or something else rotting away in there. You're hoping it's not a body, but you're not curious enough to check.

However, just as you get around it, you feel something odd. It's that familiar dark tingling feeling you get from other Stalker-related objects, and you try to trace down the source.

Toward one of the old, splintering crates, you see something strange just lying on the ground, nearly crushed between two of the crates. It almost looks like a slab of pink meat, but it resonates with a Stalker's presence. Upon reaching to touch it, you feel a slightyd̸͓̯̅̎ͯͩͩ͊͑͛͡͝ē̮͉̖̖͔ͭ̊͑͡r̵̼ͬͬ̀̎͂͆̑͊ą̅̇̈̏͟ ̸̺̟̯͇̯̭ͅn̵̢͎͉̠̹̹ͭ̉ͮg͈ͬͬ̊̈͑ͤ́ẹ̷̬͓͖̱̩̋̂̆̄̒̒ͥcͩ̈̆̄ͬͪ ̤͇̱̏́͠ą͙̥̟̭͚͆͌n̖̣̠͂f̦͈̌͐̇s͕̪̣͈̠ͭͩ͠

Adrian Aylian the Lucario has suffered 2 points of damage to Sanity.

You jerk and t̖͍̯̠͎ͥ̏͆̿̂̔ͬw̲̮̰̣̝̬̭̜ͯi̙̮͉̜̱͖̜̬̲ͩ̉͊̔͑ͪ̈t̗̳̍̾͗ͤ͑̐̓ ̟̳c͎̗̻̥͚̀̀ͬͪ͛͛͛ͥ̉h͙̣͖̺͎͕̻͐̚̚ͅ, as it waking up from a nightmare. One where you could not speak or scream, as if being in a world entirely alone with no one to hear or help you and you lost all sense of being able to articulate anything.

"No, no, no..." you mutter frantically just to hear your own voice.

But it was just a hallucination. Or was it? You aren't even sure, but something is seriously wrong with this thing. And when you look it over from all angles, you suddenly realize what this strange piece of flesh is when you look at the other side...

...it's someone's tongue... ripped out with a bloody tear where it should have been once attached...

Instead of touching it with your bare hands, you deice to use one of the discarded cardboard boxes to hold it and you use an old rag you find nearby to pick it up and place it in the box. And you make a warning note of what kind of daymares this thing is capable of.

[@Silenced Tongue@] 2S Damage has been added to the Team Inventory.

After searching the rest of the exterior, you don't find anything else besides a pass-out Electabuzz. You're not sure if the puddle he's lying in is alcohol or his own urine, but either way, you don't like the smell.

You then decide to head back home to base, finding a little more comfort in sobriety after tonight.

Adrian Aylian the Lucario (M: Fighting/Steel)
Health: 7/10 | Sanity: 5/8 | Purity: 6/10
Battle Stance: Fight
Perk: Diplomacy
Trait: Resourceful