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  1. #21
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
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    (I realized I forgot to put NPC gender indicators, I’ll fix that!)

    Quote Originally Posted by SlickSlack View Post
    Attachment 1939 Let’s start with something simple.

    I’m gonna interview 2, Safen the Politoed. Mostly about if he knows much about the Stalkers, but he also has a mission I want to check out.
    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared Type (Water)

    You head out of the Emissary base and go south toward the Military Compound. It’s a bit of a walk, but thankfully, the weather today is okay, though the wind and its constant barrage of dust and smoke tends to be a bit pesky.

    As you make your way down, you can’t help but take glances at the ruined Southern Reach a few miles away from you. You can only wonder what kinds of horrors are lurking there, but for now, things seem quiet and safe in the refuge area. But every now and then, you hear a muffled howl or shriek in the far distance…

    When you arrive at the compound, you find yourself unable to talk your way in. Security lockdown is very tight and without the proper clearance, you find yourself stuck at the door while two Aurorawatch guards, a grumpy Arcanine and a not-in-the-mood Mudsdale give you a look to just stay away from the door.

    Instead, you decide to wait until Safen is on break and heads outside for a bit. When she does emerge, you approach the green and yellow frog Pokémon and introduce yourself to her.

    “Well, there’s a new face,” Safen remarks as her fingers caress her blade. “Haven’t met you before.”

    You introduce yourself and inquire about the Stalkers, trying to see if she knows anything about who these murderers are and what she might have uncovered.

    “Yeah, those chumps,” Safen spits. “Thanks for reminding me about those maggots. I can’t say I’ve seen anything suspicious from Aurorawatch, but I haven’t been out in the field too much either. Always damn private security detail for Nytalia and Samona who can’t sit still for two minutes because she needs to tend to her flowers. Give me a god-forsaken break. There’s ghouls and all hell running around out there and we’ve got to have detail to cover her so she can grow tulips and lilies because we’ve got nothing better to do. This is the kind of thing that gets me thinking of new alcohol recipes.”

    “We’ve gotten complaints about the Stalkers, yeah,” Safen nods. “Came across two bodies myself while filling in these security patrol reports. First, there was Jedun, a Spritzee. Whoever this clown was that killed her, first they dressed Jedun up like a peapod, murdered her, disemboweled her, and wrote a completely deranged poem about how she opened up and her ‘happy little peas’ went frolicking in a field to play hopscotch when said ‘peas’ were really her heart, liver, and kidneys. Who the hell does that? I’ve seen active duty combat that was less psychotic than that.”

    “And the other,” Safen growls, looking disgusted again. “Deppon. That little Rowlet was so ripped apart that it took us a solid half hour to identify the body and make the connection. That’s how utterly gored he was. It’s like someone really hated his guts and thought he deserved to look like chili while his bones were used to make a psycho sculpture. I can’t tell which of these cases is more grotesque than the other, but damn, as if we didn’t have enough problems running around here with everything that OMEN has done. Now we’ve got these turbo-charged ass-maggots on parade.”

    You ask Safin if there’s any way you can help out, not just with the Stalkers, but with whatever she might need done.

    “Sure, you can go punch Crez in the face for me, that’d be great.” Safen tells you, obviously not on good terms with him. “But really, some bumbling moron here, which I’m pretty sure was Crez, put in a purchase order incorrectly, and as a result, I got extra orders of Violent Seeds when really we need berries. Yes, berries because we still have morons out there getting hurt over stupid things like wanting to finish off a ghoul to look cool rather than remember it’s only our job to keep them the hell away, not try to show off by killing them, especially if they’re running back into the Southern Reach. Thanks to Crez, or whoever the hell did this, Nashen, our quartermaster, is going to be absolutely pissed when the supply runs out and too much crap like that runs up the chain of command. Do me a solid, just get me some Sitrus, Spelon, and Starf berries and you can have some of these extra Violent Seeds. It’ll save me from having to explain the screw up and filling out the forms and paperwork. I’ll even throw some cash in to make it worth your time.”

    SIDE MISSION STARTED: Internal Audit
    Spoiler:
    Safen needs 3 Sitrus Berries, 3 Spelon Berries, and 3 Starf Berries to make up for a purchasing ordering blunder and to keep healing supplies in stock for Neshen the quartermaster. Bring her these berries to be rewarded.

    Rewards:
    • $500 Sochas$
    • x5 [Violent Seed] (Increases damage dealt by this Pokémon by +3 for each successful combat strike. Lasts one cycle, effect cannot be layered.)


    “There’s something else,” Safen tells you, looking a bit irked. “Something I haven’t had for a while. You wanna know what that is? A real, honest to goodness sparring match. I used to duel Neshen, but she’s a bona fide bitch when it comes to fighting and loves to do cheap shots all the time. You’re new, so maybe a little match might be nice? I mean a real battle. Give me a good match and you know what, I’ll even throw in this Paladin’s Reaperblade. Truthfully, it’s not even mine, it belonged to Paladin Crul before some chimera bit into his head like an apple.”

    2. Safen the Politoad as been identified as being Open for Sparring.

    You think there may be a possibility of talking Safen into just giving the Reaperblade without a fight, but it might involve someone who can get through to her with words. You decide not to try it, as she might rescind her offer, but for now, you tell her you’ll think her over offer some more.

    2. Safen the Politoad: <Diplomacy> OR *Sparring Battle Victory*

    With that, you decide to head back to the steel mill and prepare for tonight.

    Misty the Palpitoad (M: Water/Ground)
    Health: 20/20 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 20/20
    Battle Stance: Flee
    Perk: Medicine | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    <Empty>
    Last edited by Neo Emolga; 10-29-2020 at 01:35 AM.

  2. #22
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shruikan View Post
    So, time to start gathering info. According to the map the emmisaries had, the police station was abandoned, and some of the others had gone to check out the shopping district. So next was look around for someone who looks like they might be important. Glancing quickly at the suspect list, Lycellus settled on Axken. They seemed important, ("I mean, they're at the top of the list!") but also they were a poison type. Though he might not be as diplomatic as some of the others, Lycellus felt he could handle talking to another poison type well enough.

    Lycellus slowly approached the skunktank, trying not to scare anybody along the way, then lowered his head down to the ground, trying to get closer to eye level, and giving what he though was a warm friendly smile, though to others it might have just appeared as though he was planning on eating them.

    "Hey there! Sooo, hows it going? Besides the apocalypse scenario of course. What's the gossip around town? Anything notable going on in the city? Anyone acting more suspicous than usual maybe? Or any suspicious locations worth checking out? For that matter, are there any citizens who might be willing to help a brave mon venturing out into the danger zone? Arms and armour dealers perhaps, or maybe hired muscle?"

    [Interview 1. Axken the Skuntank]
    Interview Rapport: POSITIVE
    +1 Shared Type (Poison)

    After leaving the Emissary Base, which seems to be a relief as the steel mill wasn’t quite built for a Pokémon of your immense size, you fly your way down to speak with the very commander of Aurorawatch himself. The dusty, somewhat sandy air, even while high in the sky, does feel a bit irritating, especially to your eyes and lungs, but you eventually get used to it.

    Once you arrive at the military compound, as with some of the other Emissaries, you find it’s a difficult feat to get to speak with the members of Aurorawatch due to the tight security and seemingly overbearing scrutiny, but persistence allows you to meet with Commander Axken once he steps outside to meet with the perimeter patrol and forward guard to get a full report.

    As you lower your head to the ground to speak with the Skuntank, other members of Aurorawatch are cautious, especially upon looking at an immense Pokémon such as yourself that isn’t an everyday sight. However, Axken assures them to stand down and to be at ease with a lowering gesture with his front paw. They obey his command and he looks up at you, understanding that size doesn’t necessarily mean or insinuate a threat.

    As you see him, Axken is one of the few Pokémon covered head to paw with greatly reinforced power armor. The silvery metallic plates surrounding his body glisten in the sunlight as he looks up at you. You introduce yourself as Lycellus.

    “Greetings, Lycellus,” Axken tells you, reassuring you with a calm, noble voice. “What brings you to the Aurorawatch Compound?”

    “Hey there!” you tell him. “Sooo, how’s it going? Besides the apocalypse scenario of course. What's the gossip around town?”

    “For now, things could be better, but we’re remaining vigilant and optimistic,” Axken responds, giving you a direct response. “A few of my Paladins have grown doubtful as of late considering the situation with OMEN and these ‘Stalkers,’ but I remind them to look back upon all the things we have overcome and triumphed over before. This is why we train and strengthen ourselves. To prepare for days like these. As for me, I tend to not take stake in gossip. Pursuing leads is one thing, but I make sure the appropriate steps are made to validate any intel and information before acting upon news and rumors.”

    “Anything notable going on in the city?” you ask Axken. “Anyone acting more suspicious than usual maybe?”

    “We’ve been trying to stay informed as much as possible,” Axken replies. “But, as commander of Aurorawatch and as Nytalia’s orders, my main priority has been the safety and security of the refuge’s civilians. While some efforts have been made to secure the Northern Reach, the challenge there is making sure we don’t spread our forces too thin. But with limited manpower and such a large region of the city, we’ve had to prioritize only the most strategic locations with some varying degrees of success. The rest will need to wait.”

    “The Stalkers, however, have been an ongoing new problem for us,” Axken reports to you as you requested more information. “We’ve had refuge members, both normal civilians and Aurorawatch officers and soldiers, brutally killed at the hands of these Stalkers. It has forced us to reevaluate and reassess our security measures, but even then, they have found ways to bypass our vigilance and strike in the darkness of the night hours. We’ve been making ongoing efforts to map out exactly how and why they’re able to do this, but it in part seems to be related to how they’ve become embedded within the local population, and there are no signs of who among us may be one of them. I’ve done what I can to make sure suspicions are suppressed until concrete evidence and a firm rationale for suspecting someone of being a Stalker can be established. The difficulty is we are unable to do a through investigation into this without forgoing our defense detail.”

    You imagine it must be hard for Axken to keep so much under control, but it definitely looks like based on his composure and reassuring voice of reason, he’s able to get others to avoid slipping into panic and focus clearly on the objective without distractions. As you can see from his compatriots, they greatly trust him and value his direction and leadership.

    “Or any suspicious locations worth checking out?” you ask.

    “I’m glad you brought that up,” Axken replies, gesturing toward the Southern Reach. “We have reason to believe something keeps the Stalkers from being unaffected by OMEN contamination or even experience conflicts with the ghoul and chimera populations. But we haven’t been able to figure out why and how they’re able to do this, unless there’s something we haven’t found yet. The problem is, anyone that has this kind of trait leaves us unable to pursue them into the city ruins. We suspect these Stalkers may be using the city ruins, possibly creating outposts or taking harbor in places that we can’t reach without taking casualties and other heavy risks. And right now, we can’t afford to do that, so it has left us to pursue another strategy.”

    “For that matter, are there any citizens who might be willing to help a brave mon venturing out into the danger zone?” You ask the commander. “Arms and armour dealers perhaps, or maybe hired muscle?”

    “Krax the Tyranitar, owner of Tactical Outfitters, supplies a large portion of our military gear and armor,” Axken informs you. “Shortly after OMEN hit and we needed to restructure our society and economy, Krax and I came to an agreement that we needed to become entirely independent and self-sustaining, as we still have been unable to contact anyone outside of the city for assistance. But besides being an Aurorawatch supplier, Krax sells defensive and armor equipment to the general public as well. Meanwhile, Canett the Krookodile runs The Armament Bunker, manufacturing weapons for both Aurorawatch and for civilians who need self-defense measures. And there are others as well…”

    One of the Paladins standing besides Krax whispers something to Axken, but Axken simply shakes his head and continues his course of discussion.

    “The Knaves also have their own market,” Axken informs you. “We don’t have mercenaries here, as we need all able-bodied hands either working to defend the refuge or working to keep food growing, utilities running, and services up and running. The Knaves, however, have more of the ‘hired muscle’ you’re looking for. They’re the ones that are more out to scavenge the Reach despite its dangers. But for a price. Some of them will ask for money up front, while others want a cut of whatever you find.”

    There was a moment of silence, but then Axken speaks up again.

    “You might be wondering why Aurorawatch and the Knaves are in the situation we’re currently in,” Axken tells you, giving something to reflect on. “The Knaves disagree with Nytalia’s orders not to go into the Reach. Knaves feel everyone has the right to enter the Reach even if there are risks involved. They also haven’t forgiven nor forgotten Nytalia’s decision to execute the prisoners at the maximum security prison in the days following the OMEN calamity. I see both sides of the coin, and I’ve tried to advocate reuniting despite our differences. But there’s still work that needs to be done on that front before that can come to pass, also.”

    “It’s been a pleasure speaking with you, Lycellus,” Axken says, wrapping up the conversation. “Whoever you decide to support, I hope it’s for the better for us all. Maybe, with some luck and perseverance, you’ll find something we haven’t yet. But however possible, let’s work together where we can. Young or old. Combat experienced or not. Brains or brawn. Everyone is capable of doing something that makes all the difference, and that includes all of us. No one Pokémon can ever hope to do this all alone.”

    With that, he soon departs, heading back into the compound to perform his duties. Once his Aurorawatch entourage follows him, you decide to head back, having a lot more insight regarding what might be the next best choices to take.

    Lycellus the Eternatus (L: Dragon/Poison)
    Health: 24/24 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 16/16
    Battle Stance: Tactical
    Perk: Security | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    <Empty>

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  4. #23
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suicune's Fire View Post
    So much to explore! So many pokemon to speak to! I'll stick with the easy one.

    I would like to Interview 32. Pashin the Fletchinder.



    Good afternoon, fellow flying falcon-mon. I'm new in town and just trying to get a lay of the land. It appears that things around here can be kind of dangerous...

    Would you mind giving me a verbal tour of Exacta as a whole, and a brief history? And...do you know anything about the Stalkers?
    Interview Rapport: PERFECT!
    **Same Species line!**

    You make your way out of the Emissary Base at the steel mill and you fly south, seeing if you can get any valuable information from some of the locals within the refuge area. The air itself feels dusty and a bit hot, but at least it’s not unbearable.

    While flapping your wings and ascending high into the air, you get a better look and idea of the layout of the refuge area from above, as well as the Reach far into the distance. Despite the OMEN disaster happening three years ago, it doesn’t look like very much progress was made in terms of rebuilding what was lost, but you find it’s likely not the fault of the Exacta City civilians who are just trying to survive and can’t even perform repairs without the threats of ghouls and chimeras going after them. Not to mention even after three years, the contamination from OMEN is still strong, making you wonder if it’s like some biological mutagen radiation that no one has been able to figure out, yet. It almost baffles you, and now they’ve got Stalkers to deal with on top of everything else.

    You can totally see why Emissaries were called in to help out around here…

    With a few more flaps of your wings, you make it toward where other Pokémon residing in the refuge community are staying. You ask if anyone knows where Pashin is, and you’re able to get the answer relatively quickly from a friendly but very tired-looking Gothorita. Turns out Pashin works at and runs the Freshtastic Supermarket and Farms and this Gothorita shops there on a regular basis. But she also gives you a slight warning. Turns out Pashin tends to be a bit cranky and really doesn’t like the job he was assigned to…

    You heed her advice and head east toward the large supermarket facility. As you look down upon the large and formerly white but now dirty and tan building, you can see it has taken some damage from the recent earthquakes, but still remains functional. Still, you glide your way down toward the entrance and land upon the dusty ground with your talons. After folding your wings, you head inside through the double steel sliding doors to see what help Pashin might be able to provide.

    Once inside, you see the large supermarket has been adapted to not only sell food and store food, but to grow it as well as plenty of makeshift greenhouses and gardens have been set up and organized to provide the most ideal lighting and temperature conditions away from what’s going on outside.

    You find Pashin the Fletchinder, tending to some of the crops with a large, steel watering can that he’s been carrying in his beak. He looks a bit irked and doesn’t seem to be enjoying the job at all, but he does seem to know what he’s doing. The peppers, onions, and other vegetables that have been growing in this particular garden area have been doing pretty well.

    You introduce yourself, and when Pashin looks to you, it seems to lift his spirits a bit. Not to mention it gives him a moment to take a break.

    “Good afternoon, fellow flying falcon-mon,” you greet him. “I'm new in town and just trying to get a lay of the land. It appears that things around here can be kind of dangerous...”

    “Pft, yeah, welcome to Exacta,” Pashin remarks cynically, rolling his eyes in distain. “Home to billions of problems and then some. Before you, I present problem #438,391, ungodly boredom in the form of growing plants.”

    “Would you mind giving me a verbal tour of Exacta as a whole, and a brief history?” You ask. “And...do you know anything about the Stalkers?”

    “Exacta, yeah…” Pashin sighs, kicking aside his watering can. “Well, I can say that before OMEN, Exacta wasn’t too different from most other cities similar to… well, wherever you’re from. It was ruled by King Vamien and Queen Nytalia and they had a daughter, Samona, and a son, Hemon. Meanwhile, we’ve always had Aurorawatch, which serves as the kind of military and police force. Really nothing out of the ordinary, things were okay, I guess. There were on and off days, good years and bad years.”

    “And then, yeah, three years ago,” Pashin grimaces for just a bit of a moment. “OMEN. Killed an estimated three hundred thousand Pokémon in total but honestly, no one knows what the real count is. The weird ass thing that no one understand is where the hell this thing came from and why someone would set it off here. Some say it’s a bomb from some country that hates us. Maybe Mecras and Evental. We didn’t get along from some nasty politics and trade regulations, but this wouldn’t have been something they typically do and there was no threat or forewarning. So I dunno. No one knows. No one saw or heard a bomb drop from the sky, so someone on the ground had to put it there and probably went full suicide with it. Well, it went off, killed a whole truckload of people, including King Vamien and Prince Hemon right while they were in the Southern Reach. And it killed some more after some of Pokémon their become freaks, and those freaks killed more people. And they’re still killing Pokémon even today.”

    Everything changed right after that,” Pashin shakes his head. “I lost my job and had to find work in this new ridiculous economy and society we’ve got going on now, only to get assigned to this place. I lost contact with family, I have no clue where my dad is, but frankly, he was always an asshole to me anyway, so screw it, I’ve been on my own, living in a tent in the parking lot of the mall and working here. Growing peppers and onions in a supermarket with a stupid name, because hell yeah, that’s what our species was intended to do, right? It’s retarded. What’s even dumber is technically they’ve said ‘I’m in charge’ of this joint, but I can’t make any major management decisions. I have a feeling this arrangement was only made because the owner of this place before, Hubacu, a Shiinotic, died from a drug overdose. Not surprised, that guy was always clinically depressed even before OMEN.”

    He kicks the steel watering can a bit just to get some of the frustration out.

    “So that’s where we are today,” Pashin growls a bit. “Right now, the refuge area, where we are, is always on the defensive from the ghouls and the chimeras. I don’t know what Aurorawatch plans to do besides sitting around, but so far, they haven’t had much luck in taking control of the Northern Reach and forget the southern part. And then you have the Knaves in the Southern Reach, just past the river. Let me tell you, Aurorawatch doesn’t like the Knaves, but thankfully they’re not trying to actively kill each other. I guess we’ve both realized the last thing both sides need is more enemies. But yeah, the Knaves feel Queen Nytalia is a pile of crap and I see why they feel that way, but I just don’t give a damn enough to get caught up in any of those politics.”

    “Exacta City now is mainly abandoned,” Pashin explains. “Some of these places haven’t been looked into for years, while others get visitors just trying to see if there’s valuable stuff laying around. It’s against Nytalia’s orders to go plucking around out there, but it’s an order that’s virtually impossible to enforce. The Knaves don’t care, they head in there all the time and some of them have gotten damn rich from scavenging out there. Others, like me, head out sometimes with friends during the night to see what’s around.”

    “Hey, on that note, I know a guy,” Pashin tells you, whispering a bit. “He has a secret store in the Kenja Apartment Building. Look for Apartment #114. His name is Kresh and he’s a Greedent that sells some pretty decent weapons and stuff. Mention my name, because I get a discount for new customer referrals. Not too many know about it, but if Aurorawatch were to find out, they’d shut him down and order him to come to the refuge area where instead of enjoying making weapons that he’s good at creating, they’d probably have him growing some more damn peppers and onions like I’m doing right now.”

    “Stalkers… yeah, there’s weird crap going on with them,” Pashin tells you, “but I’ll admit, I don’t know too much. I’ve only heard the stories from others. Quite frankly, if anyone has figured anything out about them, it’s really the Knaves. The civilians here only stick this this area and Aurorawatch sometimes goes into the Northern Reach, but it’s really the Knaves who get out there and have probably seen all sorts of stuff. I think if you ask them, they’ll share something. Unlike Pokémon here, they actually have the balls to fight ghouls and not be so damn intimidated by them”

    “Well, damn it, I’ve gotta get back to work,” Pashin sighs hard, kicking the watering can again. “At least my shift is over in two hours and I can close and go home for a while. Well, guess it was nice meeting you, Flare, but yeah, despite the store being in my name, I barely get a cut from the sales, so don’t feel bad if you don’t shop here. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

    You nod, having gained a better insight regarding the current situation and what transpired here before OMEN. As the sun begins to set outside, you decide to head back to the steel mill to prepare your plans for tonight.

    Flare the Talonflame (M: Fire/Flying)
    Health: 20/20 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 20/20
    Battle Stance: Ferocious
    Perk: Technical | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    <Empty>

  5. #24
    The Queen of Shaymin
    Noblejanobii's Avatar
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    Well I think I know where your first stop is going to be.

    You bet! I knew as soon as I saw it I had to stop there. I'm a big fan of Rosemary's work after all.

    I'd like to search the Shaymin Café please!
    / / / / / / / /
    Avatar by Soggymint
    Double Agents with Suicune's Fire

  6. #25
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Noblejanobii View Post
    Well I think I know where your first stop is going to be.

    You bet! I knew as soon as I saw it I had to stop there. I'm a big fan of Rosemary's work after all.

    I'd like to search the Shaymin Café please!
    Certainly predicted this outcome, of course!

    You make your way out of the steel mill Emissary Base and head out into the open air, feeling the solemn wind gust around you and powder the grass on your back with dust while the petals of your pink Gracidea flowers are caressed by the wind. If it weren’t for the tinge of heat, you think you might be feeling a chill from it all, especially considering the grave situation surrounding Exacta.

    You trot through the dusty ground, heading eastward the Shaymin Café. Sadly, you’ve already heard the news that it’s been temporarily closed, but you figure Rosemary might appreciate someone checking up on the store to make sure nothing nefarious has befallen it.

    After passing by the quiet and seemingly deathly still Exacta Railway Station, the Shaymin Café stands before you with its signature beige, brown, and forest green color motifs with Gracidea Flower decorations. Thankfully, you see that it doesn’t look like any harm has come to the building and none of the windows look like they’ve been broken from looters. On the other hand, the weedy vegetation surrounding the building has grown a lot and some of the walls look like they could use a good power wash. But you feel it wouldn’t take much cleanup and a bit of tidying up outside to make it look nice again. Still, as you look toward the Southern Reach and all its ruined buildings for just a brief moment, you quickly get reminded that it could have been much, much worse…

    You start by searching around the exterior, finding that it seems to be mostly the grounds that have grown a bit unruly, but not too much refuse in terms of garbage and debris have rolled their way here. Still, something back by the large, green dumpster catches your eye, and you approach it to get a better look.

    And then it hits you. You have a bit of a grimace as you sense the taint of the Stalkers. It seems to be a note of some kind, written on a piece of Floette stationary. However, the handwriting is creepy and the message itself appears to be a disturbing excerpt from some deranged diary…



    =Huskpuppet Diary Entry 2= was noted in the Team Records.

    You’re not sure who or what exactly Rugo, Kray, and Enra are, but you have the feeling this Huskpuppet is likely one of the Stalkers. It just radiates with that kind of demonic signature. You decide to just stash it away for now, and after doing one last check around the exterior, you don’t find anything else that appears to be unusual.

    You make your back toward the entrance, hoping the situation on the inside is at least okay. As you press your paw against the forest-green door, it softly swings open, ringing a tiny brass bell hung by the doorframe to signal a customer just arrived.

    You step inside and as expected, you’re the only one here and it seems all is quiet for the moment. While the interior and its décor still seem to be in good shape and follow the same Gracidea Flower theme all along the walls, you see three years of time has created a thin layer of dust that leaves the air with a musky odor to it, almost like an old library.

    Inside, you get an idea of what must have transpired the last time any customers were here. With a few chairs hastily pushed aside, abandoned cups and drinks that have long evaporated, and a few loose personal belongings cast aside and never retrieved after all these years, it tells you the story. As soon as OMEN utterly devastated the Southern Reach, there was panic and pandemonium as patrons abandoned their drinks and sought safety and shelter, having no idea what had just transpired.

    You look around, feeling a bit disheartened that Rosemary and the others, along with all the patrons that were here, had to deal with that, but at least you’re certain they survived. For now, you tell yourself that’s what you’re here for. Here to make things right, save Exacta, get the Café and the rest of Exacta back up again, and ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

    You search among the discarded and abandoned items, packs, and other containers among the lost shawls, cloaks, and other attire. Here and there, you find a few coins in purses and pockets, and by the time you’ve gone through everything, it ends up being a sizable amount of sochas that you feel are bound to come in handy.

    $145 Sochas$ were added to Noble’s Pack.

    After investigating all around the tables, you head behind the counter where the waiter staff and baristas would be stationed. Things still seem to be in order, but you look up toward the syrup dispenser and the refrigerator and grimace a bit, knowing everything leftover in those pumps and in the fridge have long expired by now. Meanwhile, all the bakery items have long gone stale. Despite your yearning for a fresh chai latté or a caramel macchiato right now, you wouldn’t want to taste what it would be like with ingredients that died a while ago.

    Something else, however, triggers your senses and strikes you as usual. For a second, you get the notion that someone else has been in here recently, but it doesn’t look like they were here for long. But who? Instead, you keep a keen eye and look for the signs. Disturbances in the dust. Signs of someone moving things aside. It soon strikes you that someone was here to hide something. When you follow the trail it takes you a strange, stone disc, tucked safely between the register and the counter. You’re a bit baffled, knowing if it weren’t for your senses, there was no way this would be found.

    You slide out the stone disc, and you find what looks like an endless, immense gathering of stars and galaxies within the disc itself, as if it was holding the entire universe within it. You hold it in your white paws, brushing over it, trying to peer into its seemingly infinite vastness…

    …Divinity…

    Divinity? It suddenly makes you do a double take when you hear the whisper in your ear. Whatever it was, you’re almost sure this disc, whatever it is and is used for, has to be from some realm beyond. You take it with you, quite confident that it’s important.

    [Celestial Configuration DIVINITY] was added to the Team Inventory.

    After searching through the remainder of the work area, you head to the back office, which thankfully doesn’t look like too much chaos had befallen it. You find the area where Rosemary keeps all the records in order, including accounting records, employee information, recipe books, and some very memorable pictures of good times from the past. Smiling patrons, a silly holiday-themed Shaymin Shortcake that Chicory had designed, the first Socha the Café had received on opening day, and many other fond memories from times past.

    Looking at orderly wooden desk that Rosemary used to use for office needs, you smile for a bit, grab a piece of paper, and take one of the nearby pencils from a pencil holder.

    Dear Rosemary,

    It’s your friend, Noble! I came by today to check up on things, though I’m hoping by the time you read this, things are hopefully a lot better in Exacta, everyone’s back, and you’re ready to open the Café again to serve everyone’s favorite latté and teas! I know things may look a little dismal right now and there’s a bit of cleanup and restocking to do, but you can do it and I believe this is just a little hurdle everyone has to go through before things return to normal and we can enjoy all those good times together again. This is all temporary and we can all get through this with some perseverance, some help from our friends and a little determination.

    I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I know what it’s like, having to deal with day after day of trying to get through a pandemic that has changed so much about the way we do things now, how we interact and hang out with friends, and what we can do with our families. It hasn’t been easy and a lot of the things we used to enjoy were shut down, canceled, and we too were told to stay home and miss out on all the things we used to enjoy doing. But despite all that, we haven’t given up on each other and you shouldn’t either! We will see those times again, soon! We both have a great future to look forward to and we’ll both get there together! And when you finally are back up and running, I hope you always remember this every time you greet your customers with that special smile of yours. Once they see you and the Café are back, they’ll be back, too!

    Be safe, but most of all, be happy and always be true to yourself.

    Your Shaymin friend,
    Noble

    Once you finish and place the note where Rosemary will find it, you smile to yourself for just a brief moment and decide it’s time to go back home.

    Noble the Shaymin (S: Grass)
    Health: 16/16 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 24/24
    Battle Stance: Tactical
    Perk: Seinaru | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    • $145 Sochas$

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  8. #26
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

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    Night has fallen in Exacta City
    Submit your Day 1: Night Cycle Actions now!

    Time Remaining:

    CLICK HERE

    (October 29, 2020, 5:00:00 am EST)

    @EmeraldSky @Noblejanobii @Scytherwolf @SlickSlack @Lychee @Ho-Oh @Suicune’s Fire @Shruikan @Chibi Altaria @Bulbasaur

  9. #27
    The #1 Stalkers Fanatic C0L0R3D's Avatar
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    BBF628E1-BB5A-4E6A-827A-C8F04CA6CA5E.jpeg Since exploring the mall has been sorted, I’ll go and search (3) Redstone Motel. Hopefully I’ll come out of there with a few extra Sochas!

  10. #28
    HIS TUFFNESS AD's Avatar
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    Okay, Neo. You wanted this. You can't fool me. I know your game, flying squirrel. We are just tiny birds in a flock of bigger birds, waiting for the biggest bird (me) to come swoop down and scare away the bad birds trying to invade our bird kingdom. I know you. We are not pawns in this web of suffering, Neo. We shall not die here, Neo. I know. I’ve died a thousand deaths, Neo, each time reinventing myself brighter, stronger, and purer than before. From the midst of destruction, I became the creator of myself. From the midst of darkness, I became my own source of light. I am that light, Neo. I WILL BURN BRIGHT, NEO! TAKE ME TO THAT PLACE. I WANT THAT BEAUTIFUL SCENARIO. THE PLAN IS SIMPLE, BOYS. THIS IS THE CONTENT. IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN, TEMPER US!


    Okay, I promise i am not high lol
    ANYWAY


    Interview (52.) Syrax the Espeon.
    LET'S MAKE THIS ESPEON'S EFFIN YEAR. even tho i kinda wanna investigate the place.


    ·»Your focus determines your reality«·

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  12. #29
    garlic bread champion Bulbasaur's Avatar
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    Let's search here: (11) Medidyne Research Labs

    ☄♥ Happily paired with ninjaskarmory ♥☄
    My Links

  13. #30
    Ace Trainer Lychee's Avatar
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    After walking side-by-side with (more like in the shadow of) Ho-Oh, Nico quickly realized that their idea had probably been the wrong way around. There was no way that Syrax would ignore the giant firey bird god and talk facts with a Cincinno while Ho-Oh looked around!

    He scurried along with his fellow emissary and instead resolved to search the church area (34.) Hymn of Rebirth Cathedral, while Syrax was distracted.

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