Page 4 of 21 FirstFirst ... 2345614 ... LastLast
Results 31 to 40 of 207
  1. #31
    Senior Moderator EmeraldSky's Avatar
    Senior Moderator

    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    On my way to my next adventure!
    Posts
    3,305
    I will investigate the Redstone Motel. (prepares a shot...just in case)

    [Lita's Arrow Count: (1 nocked, 29/30 in the quiver)]
    Everyone has a dream that fills their heart. A journey they must take. A destiny to fulfill. As close as your imagination exists a magical place, where wondrous creatures with incredible powers help make dreams come true. It's the world of Pokemon!!"


  2. #32
    Reach for the Stars ~★ Chibi Altaria's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    On a fluffy cloud of cotton-candy.
    Posts
    4,095
    Nia furrowed her brows, a look of determination on her face.

    I will take the lead that Samona gave me and search (15) Sunberry Hotel.

  3. #33
    Lover of Centipedes Scytherwolf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Ant Island
    Posts
    1,796
    AAAAAAAAAAAH sorry I'm late! I'll search (12) Daybreak School. O:


  4. #34
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    Quote Originally Posted by SlickSlack View Post
    Attachment 1943 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!
    Quote Originally Posted by EmeraldSky View Post
    I will investigate the Redstone Motel. (prepares a shot...just in case)

    [Lita's Arrow Count: (1 nocked, 29/30 in the quiver)]
    As the sun began to set, Misty the Palpitoad and Lita the Pikachu decided to both head toward the Redstone Motel, only a very short walk away from the steel mill. With the sun sinking down, the temperature became slightly cooler, but still had that dusty feeling to it as some of the wind gusts were wafting around them. Not knowing what exactly might be lurking in the dark at these hours sent a chill through Lita’s yellow fur while Misty was keeping a watchful eye, making sure no shadows were moving about when they shouldn’t have been…

    Meanwhile, the large gray-brick building itself was fairly large with hundred of rooms. With every room reported to be occupied, many of the Pokémon inside the rooms were turning on their lights as the night was beginning to creep overhead minute by minute, which aided a bit in illuminating some of the surrounding grounds, but only to an extent, leaving many areas around quickly shrouded in darkness with the diminishing sunlight.

    “Probably won’t be long until it’s pitch-black around here,” Misty told Lita as they approached the large building. “Any idea on where we should start?”

    “Let’s check around the exterior first while there’s still light out,” Lita replied, keeping her steel bow nocked and ready just in case.

    Misty agreed and both of them did one walk around the exterior of the large building before it got too dark. First thing they noticed was the grounds weren’t too maintained. Pieces of trash and debris were common, and they weren’t sure if it was from some Pokémon just being negligent, or if this was old trash blown over from pre-OMEN days and just happened to blow their way here.

    Despite being ready for anything to strike, nothing out of the ordinary was found around the outside. Thankfully, they were still within the safety of the refuge area, but around this area, one couldn’t be too careful, especially with some of the howls and sheiks occasionally echoing from beyond the refuge area…

    Once they were confident the exterior was fine, they soon began to search the interior areas and hallways, which were now illuminated with electric lighting and had carpeted floors that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for quite some time. However, that too, didn’t look entirely maintained as occasionally one of the bulbs had gone out and the shadows crept in where those occurrences took place.

    Most of the numbered rooms inside were occupied and locked. There was one of them, Room 219, that looked like it had its door ajar, but appeared to be totally dark on the inside. Lita decided to lead the way inside, slowly pushing the door open and being ready for anything.

    “Hello?” she asked, reaching for the light switch. “Anyone in here?”

    There was no response, so Lita turned on the light and instantly the room was flushed in a dimly-lit glow. Only a single overhead lamp turned on, and it looked to be covered with dust and cobwebs.

    Meanwhile, the room itself was in disarray. The bed was still unmade, personal belongings like shawls, bags, and papers were scattered around, and drawers that had garments hanging out were left hanging open.

    “Kind of seems like someone left in a hurry,” Misty told Lita.

    “It does,” Lita replied with a nod, looking around the room. “Did they know they were being targeted? And how long ago was it since they’ve been here?”

    Lita looked around for answers, and she saw the signs. A blanket that was thrown on the floor was already caked with a layer of dust, and a two-gallon container of water on the wooden dresser was now bone-dry. Packages of food had expiration dates on the verge of coming up while fruit that was in the kitchenette had rotted away a long time ago.

    “Seems like they’ve been gone for quite a while,” Lita told Misty, drawing a conclusion from the signs around the room.

    “Eh, yeah, I was starting to think that, too,” Misty grimaced at the sight of the fruit.

    Realizing the room’s previous occupant likely left in a hurry and was never going to return, they started looking for anything that might still be useful. At first, papers, writing supplies, cups, and other everyday items were what they found scattered about the room, but in an old leather backpack, they found a wallet with some money inside. They decided to split it evenly among the two of them.

    The $60 Sochas$ have been divided between Misty and Lita (30 Each).

    The next baggage container held more blankets and shawls, while the forest-green duffle bag held a metallic combat longbow that seemed to be only lightly used. Meanwhile, a whole bundle of arrows tied in a bunch were right under it.

    “Seems fairly new,” Misty told Lita, looking over the weapon they just found. “I wonder why they left it.”

    “From the looks of things,” Lita replied, looking around, “they were in a hurry and probably couldn’t afford to carry it. Well, I doubt they’re ever going to come back to get it, so it might be a good idea for us to take it with us.”

    “Coin flip?” Misty asked, pulling out one of the newly acquired Sochas. “Call it!”

    “Tails,” Lita declared just after Misty had flipped the coin into the air.

    Loot Roll (1-100):
    Misty rolls 6
    Lita rolls 21


    [|AW| Combat Longbow] (Adds 1d6 damage to successful attack rolls) has been added to Lita’s Pack.

    After the silvery coin landed on the dirty carpeted floor, Misty and Lita looked in closer to see the result and saw the side with the lily flowers was facing up while the side with the head of King Mavren the Drampa was face-down.

    “All yours,” Misty smiled, handing Lita the bow. “Seems right anyway, I’d rather not get into a fight if you don’t mind.”

    “Totally okay,” Lita replied with a smile, looking over her newly acquired weapon.

    Once they had checked everything else in the room, they decided it was time to move on and there was nothing else for them to find in there.

    Checking through the rest of the motel, they found most of the other rooms seemed to be locked, though every now and then Pokémon would be coming and going, making their ways up and down the halls. Misty and Lita had passed by a young Hitmontop talking calmly to an older-looking Sawk while a lone Toxel simply strutted completely by herself, silent and almost lost with a faraway look in her eyes.

    When Lita and Misty got to the end of the hall, the last door at the end of the hall had opened all of sudden, and shortly after, a grayish-colored Eevee with a scarred right eye and his Bayleef companion with a notched leaf on his head had emerged and almost bumped into the duo.

    “Woah there!” the shiny Eevee had exclaimed, backing up on his four paws with a look of surprise.

    “Hey, you two don’t look familiar,” the Bayleef told Misty and Lita. “We haven’t met before, have we?”

    “I don’t think so,” Lita replied, tilting her head as she couldn’t recall if she saw a shiny Eevee and Bayleef at the mall. “We haven’t been here very long either…”

    The gray-colored Eevee nodded as his expression changed to a smirk.

    “Well, nice to meet you, my name’s Lucky!” the Eevee introduced himself with a bow. “And this Bayleef guy here is Isaiah.” Lucky then turned to Isaiah. “Hey, Isaiah, be polite in front of the ladies and introduce yourself!”

    “You kind of already did.” Isaiah shrugged.

    Misty was a bit confused, but out of her eye, she saw that it looked like one of them had dropped what looked like a green-colored rectangular piece of metal with circular holes in it. She bent down to pick it up and looked at it curiously before looking to Lucky.

    “Is this yours?” she asked, presenting the metal slate to Lucky.

    “Why yes!” Lucky exclaimed before suddenly looking a bit sheepish. “I mean… well, actually… no. I found it the other day and I don’t know what it is.”

    “Yeah, we were out exploring and we found it by-“ Isaiah began to explain before Lucky cut him off by nudging him.

    “Ha ha, yeah, we uh…” Lucky hesitated, “found it in a place where… well, yeah, where you might find things like… whatever that thing is.”

    Lita leaned over to take a closer look and it seemed to make sense early on.

    “Looks like a punch card,” Lita stated. “Probably a sort of key to something.”

    “Oh, so you do know what it is!” Lucky exclaimed. “That’s great!”

    But both Misty and Lita looked at each other as Misty held the punch card key for closer examination. There was something wrong with it and both of them could sense it.

    “One of the Stalkers handled this, didn’t they?” Lita concluded, feeling the dark aura surrounding it.

    “Yeah, I was feeling that too,” Misty replied with a bit of a grimace.

    “Wait, that thing belongs to one of THE STALKERS!?” Lucky exclaimed in fright. “How did you know… you know what, it’s all yours! Keep it, frame it, use it as a plate, hey, do whatever, as long as you don’t tell anyone where you got that!”

    [Punch Card Key] was added to the Team Inventory.

    Misty flipped the key card over, and upon looking at the card with even more scrutiny, it seemed like there was slight traces of blood along the edges and grooves. While most of it had been wiped away, there were still remnants.

    “Were either of you…” Misty was about to ask as she looked up.

    But both Lucky and Isaiah had mysteriously disappeared. She looked around to see where they might have run off to, but all she could conclude was they must have been in a hurry.

    “We’d better go,” Lita told Misty, seeing as how it was getting late.

    Misty nodded, though she had a feeling that maybe… perhaps this wouldn’t be the last time she saw the likes of Lucky and Isaiah… wherever they might show up next…

    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:
    • $30 Sochas

    Lita the Pikachu (S: Electric)
    Health: 16/16 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 24/24
    Battle Stance: Tactical
    Perk: Security | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: [|AW| Steel Bow] (Adds 1d4 damage to successful attack rolls)
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    • $30 Sochas$
    • [|AW| Combat Longbow] (Adds 1d6 damage to successful attack rolls)

  5. This post has been liked by:

    Lychee 

  6. #35
    Senior Moderator EmeraldSky's Avatar
    Senior Moderator

    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    On my way to my next adventure!
    Posts
    3,305
    @Neo Emolga

    Just to clarify--did I get a quiver upgrade, or a whole other set of arrows with this new bow? For now, I'm assuming it''s an all new set of 30.

    (I'm using Zelda's quiver upgrade system--a combination of Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker (increments of 10 on up to 100)
    Everyone has a dream that fills their heart. A journey they must take. A destiny to fulfill. As close as your imagination exists a magical place, where wondrous creatures with incredible powers help make dreams come true. It's the world of Pokemon!!"


  7. This post has been liked by:

    Lychee 

  8. #36
    "I was stupid... So stupid"
    Shruikan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    The Digital World
    Posts
    1,607
    "Argh, this appears to be unsolvable. Huh, wait where did everyone go?" Looking away from his scribbled Sudoku wall, Lycellus foud himself nearly alone. With dawning horror, he realised that much more time had passed than he had thought. "I was supposed to be out helping everyone search tonight, but it's almost sunrise! Oh this is not good!"

    Quickly running though the list of places he knew needed exploring, he remembered Axken had mentioned an armour supplier! That sounded good, the sooner the team got armour, the better their survival chances. That would be a suitable place to check, and might buy him time to make up for his egregious error in time management.


    [Investigate (9) Tactical Outfitters]

  9. #37
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    Quote Originally Posted by Ho-Oh View Post
    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.
    Interview Rapport: Due to special circumstances, the GM is overriding his own Rapport system and saying EXALTED AND WORSHIPPED BECAUSE YOU ARE HIS GOD for this one.
    Because reasons. I make the rules. You also get to enjoy the honor of knowing you made Stalkers RPG history by getting Rapport this high. Also, you get the Supersized Jumbo Family Fun Pack of Intel tonight!

    Having learned that an Espeon named Syrax still leads monthly masses at a church dedicated to you might be a good avenue for insight, you head there for the evening, wondering just how much Syrax knows and what he might be able to do to help. As his deity, you’re quite sure everything he knows will become presented before you.

    As the night falls, you fly east toward the Hymn of Rebirth Cathedral. Despite the night sky of the Northern Reach seeming gloomy, you illuminate it with your rainbow trail and aura. Every flap of your giant wings generates a bounty of color and illumination as you begin your decent toward the cathedral, which depicts you, Ho-oh, in many awe-inspiring ways from statues of you on the roof, depictions of you on the stained-glass windows, and with rainbows as a common theme upon the molding and trims surrounding the large ornate building. In all, it’s a very beautiful cathedral.

    Upon landing before the cathedral’s main doors, you don’t need to go far to meet Syrax. In fact, the violet psychic cat Pokémon comes to you, opening the doors at the top of the stone steps. He stands before you in complete awe with his mouth wide open before kneeing to the stone ground, bowing his head.

    MY LORD AND MY LIEGE!” he cries out in passionate reverence, reciting scripture passage that he has obviously memorized and preached at plenty of masses. “For he will appear before you in your darkest time as a light, a guide out of the darkness for all to observe and behold!”

    The timing of your arrival couldn’t have been more perfect and literal considering the night hours. Seems like you’re doing pretty well fulfilling prophecies tonight! You decide to go along with his expectations, portraying yourself as his deity immortal as the rainbow-colored aura and light emanates and flows around you.

    “Indeed, it is I,” you tell him, knowing you really don’t need to introduce yourself before him as he already knows exactly who you are. “The guide that you seek in these days of darkness. Tell me, disciple, about the calamity that plagues these lands, this city of Exacta. For I hear the cry of Veramo in these troubled times as our brothers and sisters fight against a darkness they do not know and fight to comprehend. Word of the OMEN calamity, and now that of the Stalkers, agents of Abyss within the heart of the city itself.”

    “There are six, my liege.” The Espeon tells you, looking upon you faithfully with reverence. “They walk among us as you said. These Enthrallers, these enemies of Utopia, have assimilated six of our own, though regrettably I do not yet know the exact hearts and minds they have overtaken.”

    But you show your understanding toward Syrax, not condemning him for not knowing, but graciously thanking him for whatever knowledge he can share.

    “Disciple, tell me for I have only just arrived,” you ask of him. “What are their names, and what are their atrocities?”

    “The first of them is Labyrinth, my lord.” Syrax informs you. “Heart in light, but watching from the safety of the shadow, I have learned much about this Stalker. They have lured our brothers and sisters into bewilderment, lost within mazes of their own mind that only they can see, as if in another realm while their bodies wander in a trance within our own material plane. I myself have come across the victims only to find them braindead from the travesty of this sin.”

    “The second among them is Obscene,” Syrax continues, reporting all that he knows about this Stalker. “The travesties of this Stalker run deep, embedding their dark acts of cruelty and malice in the form of deception that target the youngest and most vulnerable among us. Our children, our future. The dark perversion that this Stalker is capable of includes demonic children’s writings, songs, and imagery, flooded with the dark evil and sin that only Abyss is capable of. Their victims, our own brothers and sisters, killed by this Stalker, are then maliciously inserted into these dark creations.”

    Astralnox is the third among them,” Syrax tells you. “For many I have associated with, this is the Stalker they fear most. No information is secret from this abomination, as their vile specialty lies in knowing any and all about their victims, information that never could have come to light otherwise without wretched powers and influence at stake. With this knowledge, they destroy our brothers and sisters with their greatest fears and regrets. I have known several, once Pokémon of sane mind, lost to madness after finding themselves at the mercy of this Stalker, having seen their own worst nightmares personified before them.”

    “The fourth among their dark ranks is Twistagen, a demonic Stalker of extreme, wanton barbarism,” Syrax informs you. “The bodies of their victims are twisted, misshapen, and ravaged beyond reclamation and almost beyond identity. Their foreboding words of darkness and evil are almost rendered incomprehensible like a deranged language of evil. Where there was once order, Twistagen leaves nothing but macabre anarchy in their wake.”

    “Fifth among them is Huskpuppet, a most wicked lieutenant of evil,” he continues. “I myself, disciple of the Sacred Fire, have seen the deranged abominations that this Stalker is capable of. Our own brothers and sisters who have befallen the taint of this Stalker had their insides grotesquely dug out of them through their eyes and mouths, only to be refilled with an otherworldly impure and unholy material that reanimates them into their cohorts of chaos. Devoid of mind and soul, these wretched undead horrors live again to attack the innocent, and those among us they once loved while their defiled mastermind lurks and commands them from within the shadows.”

    “And at last, the sixth among them,” Syrax states to you. “Exclude. For the longest time, I believed there were only five Stalkers, until I discerned this dark truth. Exclude does not leave victims behind, my liege. Exclude eradiates and obliterates their very existence in such a way that their victims aren’t killed, but plunged into a full erasure so severe that those among us no longer know them by name, by face, by family, or by memory. I had to search deep to find the source of this malice, and it came to me in the form of black ichor, and the devastation left behind is subtle, but beyond clarity once recognized. Empty picture frames, mysterious blank pages in the middle of diaries, vacant rooms in houses that the victims’ families suddenly cannot explain. Where there was once life and a living being, now only emptiness lies, a life so forgotten, but with remnants of emptiness as the proof of this demonic expurgation.”

    Stalkers Status in the Team Records has been updated:

    Stalkers Status:
    0/6 Stalkers Eliminated

    LABYRINTH
    OBSCENE
    ASTRALNOX
    TWISTAGEN
    HUSKPUPPET
    EXCLUDE


    “LOATHE,” You state, realizing the dark word that this group of Stalkers has associated themselves with.

    “Yes, loathe,” Syrax confirms. “The word of hating, abhorring, and despising. I fear this legion of Abyss is one of their most elite, enraptured in the lust of this macabre word.”

    “But you mustn’t fear, my disciple,” you remind him, reassuring him. “Within us lies hope, and hope will overcome hatred.”

    Syrax nods, and bows before your wisdom.

    “I have done extensive research into what may be a countermeasure,” Syrax informs you. “While I have some information, much of this time has been devoted to protecting our followers. What I have learned through my insight is that Utopia did deploy their angels here, but lately there has been no word of them, and I can only assume their mission was compromised. I don’t know the exact details, but one of the important pieces of information I discovered was that they were here, trying to find a way to combine their holy relics and artifacts with our technology.”

    “Have you learned what that might be for?” you ask Syrax.

    “Alas, I do not know…” Syrax sighs, ashamed to present disappointing news. “I have only pieces, including this.”

    He presents to you what appears to look almost like an engineering drawing, only the writing and depictions almost look like Seinaru to you.

    [Site Plan Holy Starmap: Large Glass Globe AND Puresilver Globe Mount AND Celestial Essence] has been added to the Team Inventory.

    “This appears to be one of Utopia’s plans,” Syrax tells you, “I’ve done extensive research on it, and it appears to be a device that can reach and contact worlds throughout the universe. Its construction is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, but it follows the observations I made previously. It combines our technology with Utopia’s relics, and if successful, these creations can far surpass the possibilities that either realm alone were capable of.”

    It sounds like a major undertaking, but the premise of it all almost excites you. This, if it can be put together, may just something extreme that Abyss will never see coming. But ultimately what it will be for and what the original objective of it still seems to be a mystery.

    “My liege, I will do what I can to find the answers and understand what they were sent here to do.” Syrax pledges his loyalty to you. “I will continue their holy work to see that it comes to pass. As soon as I learn anything, I will inform you with haste.”

    “And I will be with you, my disciple,” you assure him. “We aren’t alone. We have existed in other times, other places, beyond realms and realities that Abyss cannot comprehend. To them, we are enigmatic, we blend in, we disappear, and they only discover the truth when it is too late for them. Tell me, disciple, surely you have learned that of the Emissaries in your teachings?”

    “Indeed I have, my liege,” Syrax tells you, looking curious. “But what of these brave warriors and scholars should I know?”

    “They are among you now at this very moment,” you assure him. “And with your help, they will purge LOATHE and their ilk.”

    He bows before you, and you have refreshed his soul and confidence.

    “I must go and continue our work,” you tell him, preparing to head back to base. “There is still much that needs to be done.”

    “Understood, my liege,” he bows. “I will speak with you again soon.”

    As you turn and spread your rainbow wings, you nod to him and offer your assurance. And then in a majestic display of color, you flap your wings and fly off into the night sky, imagining that must have been a heck of a sight and experience for him to behold.

    Sacred the Ho-oh (L: Fire/Flying)
    Health: 24/24 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 16/16
    Battle Stance: Heroic
    Perk: Seinaru | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    • $85 Sochas$

  10. This post has been liked by:


  11. #38
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulbasaur View Post
    Let's search here: (11) Medidyne Research Labs
    As dusk looms over Exacta City, you decide to search the Medidyne Research Labs to see if there might be something useful that you and the rest of the Emissaries could get a hold of. As you walk your way down the road between the mall and the Redstone Motel, you see that it’s not far off from base and it doesn’t take too long to get there.

    Along the way, however, there is an eerie wind that breezes around you and you feel it on your skin and around the bulb on your back. Even though you don’t know everything about Veramo’s natural environment, this kind of atmosphere doesn’t feel right at all. The way the clouds move around Veramo’s two moons seems rather fast and unnerving, shifting and transforming like smoke.

    When you arrive at the large white building, you start first by searching around the perimeter, using the remaining minutes of daylight to see if there’s anything around the exterior. It seems the grounds are pretty well-maintained and there doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. As you feel another gust of wind and the faint howl of a chimera far off in the distance, you decide to head inside to enjoy some shelter from whatever is lurking outside.

    You make your way into the building through the double glass doors and look around you, first greeted by a large interior courtyard with a sitting area and a few plants in square stone pots. Meanwhile, all the doors to the offices are all along the walls and along hallways that branch out from this central courtyard area.

    Most of the overhead lights are off for the night, save for a few dim lights that are mainly for security purposes. You decide to get started, knowing there’s quite a few offices to investigate here. As you walk along the stone-tiled floor, your footsteps echo throughout the halls, which make you sometimes feel something or someone is watching you or moving with you.

    You search from office to office, finding that most of these orderly and very clean research areas have been repurposed to research everything about OMEN. It doesn’t surprise you as the need to come up with a cure or at least a preventative measure have become critical if the citizens of Exacta ever hope to be safe from infection and rebuild in the Reach, or at least before the OMEN contamination fully decays and there’s no more risk. For all anyone knows, that could take decades.

    You find one office performing pre-clinical research on potential cures and preventative vaccines, but you can see from the toxicology and biocompatibility reports that it’s been a challenge that they don’t have a solution for, yet. Most of the chemical compound test article analysis has been iffy and the results have been along the lines of the potential cures being too weak and not doing enough or having too many severely negative side effects to justify administration to the general public. For now, the pre-clinical models haven’t had passing results, but they’re not giving up hope yet.

    In another office, they’re analyzing the OMEN samples collected in jars, vials, and various petri dishes, but it seems most of them are diluted or diminished versions that were obtained along the outskirts of the crater. At the moment, it seems they’re all that the staff has to work with. However, while a cure may be effective against these less potent samples, would it be effective enough against the worst of the worst from the crater? You have a feeling it wouldn’t to some degree.

    In one of the rooms, you find some outside non-OMEN research projects being done, but it looks like they have been inactivated and have been neglected for a while due to higher demands for OMEN remedies. Still, one of the specimens you find to be unusual is an orb that looks like it’s on fire, only the fire seems to be white. You analyze the glass cylinder canister the orb is in, and while the orb seems hot, you realize it doesn’t burn or injure you upon touching it. In fact, you’re able to grab the orb in your paws and while it still is enflamed, this particular fire is totally safe, and it even fills you with a feeling of tranquility and cleansing as it washes over your palms.

    You’re convinced this is actually one of Utopia’s relics that was left behind, and was either found or sold to these scientists. Still, you decide to take it, knowing you’re more likely to find out what this relic is for. Leaving it here would likely mean no one finding anything about it for a long, long time, and Exacta can’t afford that kind of delay if there’s a higher intended purpose for this orb.

    [Blessed Firelight] was added to the Team Inventory.

    As you continue your search through the eastern wing of the building, the researchers here have been analyzing the bodies of ghouls and chimeras in the autopsy chambers. It’s your first time seeing them, and you can instantly tell they’re a pretty gruesome sight to behold. A ghoul of a Slowbro and a Mienfoo lie dead on operating tables while their innards are being analyzed for uncovering answers as to how the mutation from Pokémon to ghoul occurs. Meanwhile, the bodies themselves look gaunt, ugly, and show signs of leprosy. Though they are grizzly to behold, you imagine that in the field, they may not be as much of a threat as living Pokémon would be. This kind of pre-emptive decay would likely slow them down and weaken them.

    Off to the side, you find a vast array of varying surgical tools, devices, and equipment that you can’t fathom what they’re used for. One of the scalpels in particular seems longer and very, very sharp. You decide if might not be a bad idea to take one of these extra ones to defend yourself if you were to ever be attacked. After all, they seemed to have been quite effective at dissecting these cadavers.

    [|AW| Surgical Scalpel] (Adds 2 damage to successful attack rolls) was added to Mistee’s Pack.

    In the next operating room, you find the dead body of a chimera laid out on the dissection table. You’re not sure how the staff managed to get their hands on one of these, but nonetheless, the sight of it, even though dead, is still very anxiety-inducing. It appears to be a fusion of a Chespin, Reuniclus, and a Mudsdale with the body of the Chespin as the main foundation while the added Reuniclus traits has given it an extra set of arms and the Mudsale traits has given it an extra set of rear legs, making the Chespin now look like a horrific kind of centaur.

    You decide to leave, and though you feel a little queasy after you just saw, you can understand the research being performed. If the staff here can figure out more information regarding chimeras and ghouls regarding their biological mutations and the impact OMEN has had on them, it will make getting a cure much more obtainable and much more hopeful if they can do this level of root source research.

    As it gets late and you finish searching the last room, you decided to head back to base. But for now, it seems you’re on the right track.

    Mistee the Bulbasaur (S: Grass/Poison)
    Health: 16/16 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 24/24
    Battle Stance: Tactical
    Perk: Diplomacy | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    • $120 Sochas$
    • [|AW| Surgical Scalpel (Adds 2 damage to successful attack rolls)

  12. This post has been liked by:


  13. #39
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    Quote Originally Posted by Lychee View Post
    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.
    You decide to follow Sacred to the Hymn of Rebirth Cathedral, but thanks to his ability to fly, you ultimately get left behind while traveling on the ground though you have more fluff and floof which is far superior. Still, he’s not a hard to miss in the sky, so you just follow his trail.

    While on the ground, you keep vigilant watch as you head into Northern Reach territory, but it seems like you’re able to avoid getting into trouble and running into any unexpected company. Still, with the street lights off, the buildings around you abandoned, and with some of them having taken earthquake damage, it’s not the most reassuring setting and feeling to be suddenly surrounded by, especially in the dark. Meanwhile, the unsettling wind blows around you, coursing through your gray and white fur. Thankfully, your fur keeps you soft and cozy while both your eyes and your large ears remain focused and alert for any possible dangers.

    Eventually you arrive at the cathedral, and you decide to check around to see if maybe there’s something laying around that even Syrax doesn’t know about yet. You first search the area around the building, observing that the grounds, while a little bit unkempt with overgrowth, still seem to be in good shape for the most part. Meanwhile, it doesn’t look like the earthquakes have affected the cathedral itself, which is good. You can’t help but admire the colorful stained-glass windows and ornate columns and arches with their many carvings, and feel it would be a shame if any of this took damage after it looks like so much went into building it. Still, despite being an architectural masterpiece, you don’t see anything too unusual.

    You then head inside, observing the stone floor, walls, and various sculptures and paintings depicting Ho-oh and scenes from the holy scriptures. You see what kind of artistic depictions exist for what they believe Utopia looks like, and whether it’s close or way off the field, they still look nice, colorful, and serene with their colorful cities in the clouds and majestic castles in the sky.

    The main heart of the cathedral used for holding masses and sermons is enormous and opens up before you with many rows of wooden pews upon a tiled marble floor while towering pillars and arches reach up to a ceiling depicting even more artistic masterpieces. Meanwhile, at the front, a large stone altar with an artisan carving rests with two candles on both sides as a large scripture that looks very old rests upon it. It seems a common theme around the cathedral is fire, and many torches and candles are fully lit and look like they haven’t ever been extinguished. It fills the entire cathedral with a comforting, reassuring glow.

    Toward the back of the church, you find what looks like a small library of older scriptures, teachings, and manuscripts on the bookshelves. Most of the books appear to be very old with pages that have yellowed over time and covers that have taken scratches and other forms of wear. There are also numerous scrolls and loose pages as well. Nothing really seems too out of the ordinary, although one solitary page on an old, wooden desk catches your attention. The paper itself seems almost otherworldly while the runic text seems familiar.



    =Celestial Runic Page 2= was noted in the Team Records.

    You get excited as you’ve seen a page like this before with this same text, and you were able to translate it! You can only wonder what it says for now, but as you pick up the page, it has a faint aura of tranquility. You even notice at the runes surrounding the praying Pachirisu actually have an illuminating glow of their own that flows right off the page like a candle, definitely not something you’d see from an ordinary piece of paper.

    You decide to keep looking for now, searching through the various supply rooms, storage rooms, and a private praying area that looks like it’s intended for the elderly or those with disabilities. Something in this carpeted and very clean room also catches your attention as it appears to be a small orb of white fire resting on a metal candle stick. This fiery orb also illuminates a portion of the room in a comforting, tranquil white glow. As you approach it, you can feel the orb’s warmth, but touching the orb itself doesn’t cause any burns at all.

    You have a feeling you may need this for later. This orb definitely doesn’t feel of this world and it’s easy to guess it came from Utopia itself. You take it with you.

    [Blessed Firelight] was added to the Team Inventory.

    After searching through the rest of the cathedral, you feel you’ve managed to find all that you could. You almost feel like spending the rest of the night in here where it’s comforting and sheltered from the outside wind chill and nefarious-sounding howls outside, but you know you got to make it back to base before the night is over, or the others might get worried.

    Thankfully, nothing befalls you on your way back, and you manage to get home safe and sound.

    Nico the Cinccino (S: Normal)
    Health: 16/16 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 24/24
    Battle Stance: Ferocious
    Perk: Diplomacy | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    • [OMEN Sample Collection Jar]

  14. This post has been liked by:


  15. #40
    Cheers and good times! Neo Emolga's Avatar
    Senior Administrator

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    17,433
    Quote Originally Posted by Chibi Altaria View Post
    Nia furrowed her brows, a look of determination on her face.

    I will take the lead that Samona gave me and search (15) Sunberry Hotel.
    As the dips further down beyond the horizon, you decide to head south through the Exacta Refuge Area and investigate the Sunberry Hotel by the river. The remaining daylight hours seem to be limited, so you decide to make as much resourceful use of the remaining sunlight you have left and trot a little faster down the road on your four paws.

    Brief gusts of dusty wind blow through your white fur coat and lightly caress your coiled tails. As you look around you, there are a few other refugees carrying about their business, though it looks like not very many Pokémon at all stay up during the night hours. From what you can see, there isn’t much to Exacta City’s nightlife, or at least it definitely doesn’t happen outside.

    When you arrive at the Hotel, you can see it’s quite a large, attractive, and luxurious building that is now fully occupied with citizens that have the sochas to afford it. You can definitely imagine it’s much safter and more comfortable to live here instead of the mall’s parking lot. Even the Redstone Motel pales in comparison to this lovely-looking pristine white building.

    You decide to search around the exterior first, knowing once the sun goes down, finding anything in the darkness becomes a much bigger challenge. You first start by the front of the building, searching among the bushes and shrubs that have been well-maintained by the groundskeepers. Overall, you can tell they try to make this place as comfortable and as sightly as possible.

    When you get to the back of the building, there’s a small courtyard and miniature park that has a few picnic benches and a small playground for child Pokémon, though it looks like it’s been quiet for a while. Though it has been well maintained, it’s not the park itself that’s the issue.

    It’s the sight just across the river…

    From here, you get a pretty grizzly and unforgettable view of the darkness and calamity that has befallen the Southern Reach. While the Knave locations are in relatively good order, if your eyes keep going, you see the buildings become further and further damaged before becoming complete ruins. And then your eyes look upon the crater itself, seemingly pulling and sucking the very ruins of the city into a macabre whirlpool-like sinkhole that you imagine must be absolutely full of dead bodies. You shiver a bit just from the sight of it, and the distant howling sounds are enough to bring the chills to anyone.

    You continue searching the park, although you see something catch the corner of your eye. An old stone marker with three gray stones in an unnatural pyramid formation. It seems out of the ordinary, though it looks like no one else realized this and stopped to take a closer look.

    You decide to investigate, and you move the stones aside. Below them, you find a cache in the form of a metallic ammunition box, buried into the ground. You unlatch the metallic lever, swing open the lid, and take a look inside.

    You find an old, crumpled paper note on top, and when you unfold it, it reads:

    Rugo,

    I’m sorry, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Trust me, you know how much I wish I could just go back to the start. But I can’t. I messed up bad and there’s no going back.

    I’m leaving Exacta. For good this time.

    I know what you’re thinking. The Rogues are going to kill me. Well, they can try. I’ll be long out of here by then, and if they want to try and follow me and hunt me down, that’s just fine. They can try, maybe for many years if they want to. Heck, they can spend the rest of their lives trying, in fact. But I’m leaving that life behind regardless of what the consequences are for defecting. Maybe one day you can, too.

    Take my dagger and here’s the money I owe you. That should make us even.

    Sincerely,
    Ketros


    You don’t know who either of these Pokémon are, but judging from how much dirt was on these rocks and how Ketros wrote this at a time they were still able to leave the city freely, you imagine this cache has been resting here unfound for quite a while and no one ever claim it. Meanwhile, Rugo, whoever that is, may not even be alive right now and likely never came by to find this cache.

    You look further inside and you find the contents that Ketros left behind. Feeling as though Rugo will never come by to collect them considering it’s been years since this was left here, you decide to take out the contents and keep them yourself. Inside, you find a very sharp and intricately-crafted dagger with a crossed blade insignia on it, while a small black pouch of money rests next to it.

    [|AW| Rogue’s Dagger] (Adds 3 damage to successful attack rolls) has been added to Nia’s Pack.

    $95 Sochas$ has been added to Nia’s Pack.

    You decide to continue, looking for the wall message that Samona was referring to earlier.

    For the most part, the back of the building is just as nice as the front of the building. The walls are very clean, the trees and shrubs are in good health, and the windows appear to be clean and clear. But on the dark side of the building toward the western edge, the area seems a bit forgotten and neglected, or at least that’s how it appears.

    You try to find the message that Samona was referring to, and whilte at first, it’s not quite too obvious where it is, eventually, you find it hidden near one of the flowering bushes. You can see why it brought the young Amaura so much anxiety.



    =Twisted Wall Message= has been noted in the Team Records.

    The words you see, written in a sickly, chaotic handwriting, reek with Stalker presence. Like an infection, it has even blackened the surrounding walls, defiling what was once white into a grotesque, grayish color. Meanwhile, the words themselves are deranged, looking like twisted, hellish gibberish.

    You decide to keep searching, but as the sunlight quickly vanishes, you decide to head inside and check out the interior.

    Inside, the main lobby and gathering area are beautiful, pristine, and comfortable, making it almost too easy to forget about the calamity happening outside and around town. In the center of the interior courtyard is a beautiful pool of water and the fountain in the center is even still running. Overall, you can see why this used to be a luxurious hotel and it definitely seems like a comforting way to escape.

    Your attention is diverted by a white, glowing presence at the base of the pool, and upon taking a closer look, it seems like a small, metallic vessel in the shape of a cylinder was placed here, made to look like a part of the metallic carvings along the edge of the pool. When you remove it and pop it out, it glows in your paws and brings you a comforting feeling. It looks like it is made out of a whiteish-silvery metal that feels like it’s from another world entirely. White, glowing carvings are also upon it, and it seems to be a device that channels and stores holy divine energy.

    You decide to take it with you, understanding that this was likely hidden here by Utopia, but now it’s been abandoned.

    [Holy Conduit] has been added to the Team Inventory.

    You then decide to investigate the rest of the hotel, checking through the main carpeted hallways and by whatever rooms you’re able to visit. However, from here on in, you don’t find anything suspicious or out the ordinary. Most of the Pokémon around have long gone to bed and as the night hours get later and later, you decide it’s time to head back and see what the others have found.

    Nia the Alolan Vulpix (S: Ice)
    Health: 16/16 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 24/24
    Battle Stance: Tactical
    Perk: Medicine | Abilities:
    EQUIPMENT:
    Attack Weapon: <Empty>
    Defense Armor: <Empty>
    Jewelry: <Empty>
    Utopian Aspect: <Empty>
    MERCENARIES:
    #1: <Empty>
    #2: <Empty>
    PACK:
    • $95 Sochas$
    • [|AW| Rogue’s Dagger] (Adds 3 damage to successful attack rolls)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •