2024-01-17: Of Digletts and Wigletts
- Log: Of Digletts and Wigletts
- Cast: Loren Voss, Lan Lilac, Eleanor Klein, Timu Guado, Ida Everstead-Rey
- Where: Diglett's Cave
- Date: January 17, 2024
- Summary: Loren, searching for Azoth, runs into more than a few familiar faces, most of whom have already cottoned on to what he's here to attempt. However, the activity of the local Pokemon might complicate the situation as it stands.
DG: A party led by Loren Voss is now entering Diglett's Cave. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
==============<* CHALLENGE - You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest *>==============
| Type: Entry | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
You've arrived at the mouth of Diglett's Cave, one of the main entrances to
the cavern. Out there is a man wearing a hat, who is wringing his hands, and
looking concerned. An exhausted Tepig is on the ground next to him, looking
up at the sky with a mournful look. When the man spots you, his eyes light
up!
"Ah--you there! Trainers! Or... something?" You, to be fair, may well not
look like the average Pokemon Trainer. "I--er. I need some help. See, my
Tepig ate my wife's wedding ring. I--I think it came out, but he, um, went
in the cave. A few times."
He smiles hopefully. "Could... could you find his Tepoops and just... see if
the ring is in them?"
NOPE. Time to go! But how to tell him this?
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, and |
| Stupify:_Wits_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
It hadn't been too difficult, wonder of wonders, to get himself oriented. Simple information gathering in a strange new world is at least something he's become accustomed to over the years. It's probably, he already figured, one of the reasons why Leah had set him on this particular quest in the first place. And it isn't even all that hard to quickly gather all the basic information that he needs, unlike some other places he's been that he could mention. He's hardly a native, but at least he's not piloting blind.
Why all this is happening -- why some floating fragment of a planet is now inexorably tied to Filgaia -- is another question altogether. And, okay. He does understand some of the reasoning behind that, too. But dwelling too long on it isn't why he's here.
And he's not going to find what he's looking for lurking in Celadon City's library or even from asking the rather-helpful natives.
It's time to take a look around. But unfortunately, this is where Loren's good fortune (so to speak) gives out: no one's met an Azoth (or at least aren't willing to say if they have) and there haven't been any likely rumors to follow up on. So that means he's going to have to do the sweep the old fashioned slow way and hope he turns something up.
Leah won't give him 'forever', he's sure.
Still, if he knows anything about Azoth, it's this: Azoth likes rocks. Is it possible, then, that he might have gone into a cave? Assuming, of course, that Azoth is still mobile. ...But it's at least a possibility, which is better than what he's had which is 'jack squat'.
Of course, once he approaches the cave, he's found himself approached by another man who appears to be in some distress -- distress enough to approach someone with an aura of 'do not approach me'.
It's quite some distress. The man makes a request of Loren. His Tepig ate his wife's wedding ring, but the man thinks it already came out, and...
Loren blinks. "What." He didn't hear that. He's positive he wasn't just asked to do that.
"Could... could you find his--"
Loren, eyes wide, tries his best not let the man finish his sentence. He doesn't want to live in a world where that sentence completes. "Nope. Absolutely not," Loren tells him, trying to meanwhile circle around and past the distressed man, who is managing to do a job of blocking Loren's way. "I'm busy!" Loren declares vehemently, whipping out what can loosely be described as 'a device' (and as long as no one looks at it closely, they won't realize that it's not even remotely of Nedian make...) in an attempt to get the man to move. Surely, even this person can recognize when someone has something urgent going on...?!
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool MediScan v7 toward his party's challenge, You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest. Rally!
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Manure is a very valuable resource in places with poor soil quality. Little Firelight, like most places in the Badlands, has a system for composting food and animal waste so it can become a soil additive. It's not a glamorous task, but it's an important one. But this is not the Badlands, and this is not contributing to any future food supply for the village, and... and he's not even offering them gloves. But he looks so distraught. And it's a wedding ring! And the people here have been so nice to Lan and the other Visitors... Maybe they could just, uh, retrieve everything and he can sort it out.
She is .34 seconds away from attempting to negotiate him into at least providing a pooper scooper and a bag when everybody else gives a resounding HELL NO, because they have better boundaries than Lan does. She settles back, and while a little guilty about not offering to help, is also really glad that she isn't going to be obligated to do so.
And then something occurs to her. "...Wait, so you knew it ate the ring and then you just let it go in the cave? You didn't even pick up after it?" she frowns at him. You're supposed to pick up after pets in shared areas! Even Lan knows that! "I think you're going to have to handle it yourself."
...But in the end Lan is Lan, and she pulls out her oracle paper to see if she can't at least give him a direction to search in. Please don't let her mother ever figure out she used it to benefit someone so irresponsible...!
...All it shows her is a repeat of the number two. Lan quietly puts the paku-paku away and says nothing. "..."
She looks away from him, towards the mouth of the cave, where she sees "...Loren?"
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
A Vulpix pads out before the entrance to the Diglett's Cave, coming to a stop before Loren and the man who is in distress. This man makes a request of Loren, a terrible request...
And the Vulpix looks up at the man. She stares. And stares. And stares. Big, round eyes are on him. Within those black eyes is the center of all things. The reflection of the man, of Loren...
Understanding. Knowledge.
"Vul..."
Vulpix stares. It's... honestly very creepy, actually. Because she doesn't move at all.
"Oh!" says a woman from not far off, approaching her Vulpix and scurrying after. "You got away from me, Pyri..."
Pause. "But.."
She kneels down, to pick up her Pokemon.
"We're definitely not doing that. I'm sorry."
Vulpix continues to stare. Perhaps he'll feel guilty. Perhaps he'll just want to leave.
Stare.
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Spooky Pyri toward her party's challenge, You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest. Rally!
<Pose Tracker> Timu Guado has posed.
"Wait for me!" Comes a teenage girl's voice, that some might find familiar enough. The silhouette that comes from the cavern light outside is very spindly, and the leg strides are worryingly long, as the light sources equalize out in clarity to reveal...
It's a Guado! All the way over from Spira! And not only that...
One or two of the gathered may directly recognize *who* it is - Timu Guado, whom may have about reached her adult height that sees her tower over more than a few people. (The Guado are very tall, so that much isn't a surprise.)
"I... oh!" She brings her hands up over her mouth in a gasp. "It's really you!" She's so overjoyed with this discovery that she doesn't notice or heed the poor Tepig owner trying to get everyone's attention for help, out of sheer youthful myopia. Timu leans over with hands on her knees to catch her breath. "Sorry, I'm trying to catch up with some other friends here, um... long story, but I'm fine! Never been better, I... can I come with you?"
She's got a backpack on, and she's carrying a well-made staff that has flourishes of flame-like decorations at the head of it. "It's all right, I can hold my own now! I've been Drifting for a little while with Rille, if--" Have they met the Beastfolk traveler yet? Maybe she should introduce them soon, but. The space is soon filled with so much eager chatter that the poor man won't be able to get a word in (unless he shouts).
DG: Timu Guado has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
A second hiker walks up not long after the Vulpix's trainer. "There she is," says the woman--scholarly-looking, twentysomething, the hood of her Pallet Town tourist-souvenir hoodie drawn up to prevent close examination. "Pyri, you little scamp, what did you..."
Ida trails off as she sees Loren, and the man with the Tepig explains his predicament. "...Find here?"
Ida lets out a breath between her teeth. One of these things she can solve expediently. "Sir," Ida says, reaching into a pocket and removing an official-looking card; it's a licensing document from Guild Galad, a permit that allows her to advertise as an ARMs Meister. Ida's thumb is covering the last letter of 'Galad'. "I'm afraid we don't have the time to do that. If you like, though, I can give you the number for the park rangers, they can handle lost property."
Ida does know that. But then--
"Timu?!" Ida, blindsided, loses her train of thought momentarily. She listens to the novice Drifter, and as she does, her stoniness evaporates.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool ARMS Meister's Field Kit toward her party's challenge, You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted!
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
==============<* CHALLENGE - You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest *>==============
| Type: Entry | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
You've arrived at the mouth of Diglett's Cave, one of the main entrances to
the cavern. Out there is a man wearing a hat, who is wringing his hands, and
looking concerned. An exhausted Tepig is on the ground next to him, looking
up at the sky with a mournful look. When the man spots you, his eyes light
up!
"Ah--you there! Trainers! Or... something?" You, to be fair, may well not
look like the average Pokemon Trainer. "I--er. I need some help. See, my
Tepig ate my wife's wedding ring. I--I think it came out, but he, um, went
in the cave. A few times."
He smiles hopefully. "Could... could you find his Tepoops and just... see if
the ring is in them?"
NOPE. Time to go! But how to tell him this?
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, |
| Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, and Stupify:_Wits_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
===================<* Diglett's Cave - Round 1 *>===================
=======<* CHALLENGE - You're Not Doing A Damn Poop Quest *>========
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail Loren Voss 0 --(5)--> 5 Best MediScan v7 Maj Wits Effects: Rally
Timu Guado 0 --(5)--> 5 Good Investigate Bsc Wits Effects: BASIC
Lan Lilac 0 --(5)--> 5 Best Paku-Paku Min Wits Effects: Enlighten
Eleanor Klein 0 --(5)--> 5 Best Spooky Pyri Maj Wits Effects: Rally
Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(5)--> 5 Best ARMS Meister's Field Kit Min Wits Effects: Enlighten
Leader: Loren Voss 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1), Reckless(2), and Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1)
Digger 2.0 ==================================================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"But what are you... going in there for?" the man asks of Loren who is already striding past him as if he had some very important meeting going on deep in the Diglett cave. "Oh, perhaps you could--"
He turns then to find that he hasn't been approached by another person but by a Pokemon. "...er..." utters the man, staring at the Vulpix. Who stares back. "...Right," he says to Eleanor, distantly, as she passes him by. "Of course not."
Quite a spooky Vulpix, indeed.
A cacophany follows as Timu enters, calling out for her acquaintances. He can't get a word in edgewise for a time, until the moment comes that Lan has an epiphany and asks of him a very important question: why didn't he pick up after it in the first place. "Wellll..." the man says, helplessly. He might begins to sweat.
From all corners, then, the man is refused. The only reasonable way forward for him is what Ida suggests to him: that he take up his case with the Pokemon Rangers and see if they can assist him with finding his ring, even if it means confessing what's happened to them. Crestfallen, the man sighs. "You've got a point..."
And Loren, far ahead of the others, hears a familiar voice and comes to a stop. "...Lan?" he asks, turning about to face her and the group that's come with her. "--Seriously? Why are you all here?"
They're not here to stop him, are they?
DG: Timu Guado has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Breaking a Barrier *>======================
| Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
Periodically, there are safe spots inside of Diglett's Cave. These consist
of barriers, made of shimmering blue-green light with Symbols upon the
energy fields, emanated between two mechanical holes in the wall. Behind
them is a glowing golden light, floating in the air, which provides a
healing field. The barriers keep out wild Pokemon, letting Trainers rest
when they need it.
But this barrier is broken -- it doesn't let you pass. You'll need to blast
your way through it to reach the healing Symbol and, perhaps, press on.
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, |
| Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, Save_Point:_Conditions_cleansed!, |
| Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Timu Guado has posed.
It's Loren's worst nightmare - a new arrival, and a very happy teenage girl who is ignorant of all the gravely important things Loren must attend to.
Timu, noticeably, does not seem to have any Pokeballs on her, and there's no critters keeping her company as of yet, but she makes nice and small talk with everyone she recognizes in that indistinct form of 'existing as words being said' but also 'noise.'
"If I remember, these are the rest stops they've set up, right?" Timu asks aloud, looking to those blue-green light barriers. "That one looks... is it supposed to do that?"
It's not supposed to be sparking off into indistinct strings of malformed Symbols. The one between them and the glowing golden light that denotes a rest area appears to be having a problem, delicate Symbological-technological instruments having somehow gotten misaligned, or perhaps that Tepig had an additional priority a little higher on the list than number two. (We will never know.)
A Diglett does briefly appear, eye the barrier, and take a wide berth, so this is at least half a viable intended rest stop. But more importantly, it's an impassible barrier, as Timu discovers when she tries to walk ahead and find the light screen just won't give.
"...It's not letting us through," she says, crestfallen, as she digs through her bag and retrieves something familiar to anyone who has had the (dis)pleasure of knowing Gon Guado.
That's one of his claw gauntlets, the one attached to a chain that lets the user fling it out and grab onto something to help pull it. That is exactly what Timu attempts to do, albeit with less deftness and familiarity. The moment she thinks it has some give, she starts to pull. Even with the help, the Guado are not known to be that physically powerful.
DG: Timu Guado has used her Tool Pull Claw toward her party's challenge, Breaking a Barrier. Strengthen! Party Brute boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"...I do hope he finds the ring," Ida says, under her breath, as they enter the mouth of the cave. She keeps pace with Timu, while keeping Loren in sight; she can manage a conversation and keep an eye on a Solarian operative at once. Probably. About halfway through, something in her backpack wiggles, and a familiar Pokemon pops out from beneath the flap.
"Caterpie?" says Sal, peering over Ida's shoulder. Precious bug eyes fix on Timu, sizing her up. "Piiiii~!"
Catastrophe Sal has taken your measure, Timu. And she seems to approve.
"This is Sal," Ida says, scritching the Caterpie under the chin. "Sal, this is Timu."
"Cater," says Sal, and she wiggles her little limbs. She skitters across Ida's shoulders to look at Loren. "Pi?" she says.
But before she can make an attempt to investigate the other stranger--the one her Trainer seems extremely wary of--they get to the barrier. "That... doesn't look right," Ida says. "I'm no Symbologist, but..." The Diglett. Ida's eyes sparkle. "A Pokemon," she says, "it's adorable!" Sal, on her shoulder, eyes the wild Diglett, but a battle is not in the cards.
Instead, Ida balls up a fist. Sal grips hold of her other shoulder and hang on for dear life as Ida drives that fist at the sparking, malfunctioning barrier.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a risky Brute Action toward her party's challenge, Breaking a Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
They hardly parted on good terms. He made her cry. But she's still more happy to see him than not, because Lan is Lan. She forgives so easily, even when she hasn't forgotten.
But at least she isn't here to stop him from doing his awful, wicked, evil errands! She didn't even know he was here. "Hi," she tells him, and settles into step with Ida and the others as they venture into the cave proper. She's got one of those little red and white creature-capturing balls affixed to her belt with a strap. Timu gets a cuuuuuuurious (and friendly!) look - it's been a while since Lan has seen a Guado - and a little wave. The weird barrier thingy would've been at home in any Dig on Filgaia or Lunar, and Lan studies it as the others begin to work on getting through it. She doesn't know anything about Symbology that doesn't somehow pertain to domestic pursuits like cooking, though, so any finesse required is going to have to come from someone else.
"I think I've got it!" she announces after a moment, bouncing a fist off of her open palm in an 'aha!' sort of gesture. "Stand back, okay?"
This time she actually waits for people to not be in the way before summoning her patron Guardian in a meteor of percussive force and silver light.
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Surprise Meteor toward her party's challenge, Breaking a Barrier. Strengthen! Party Brute boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"Oh, hello!" Eleanor says brightly to Timu at her excitement, smiling. She turns to look back at Ida approaching, "Pyri likes to listen to people, I think."
But the man... Well. Pyri looks back at him until Eleanor turns such that she can't anymore.
And Loren asks why they're all here. "I should ask you the same," she says. "It's been some time."
But they walk in, and Eleanor sure won't stop Timu from coming along. Instead, she looks all around at the cavern, until they reach... Hmmm.
"A barrier," Eleanor says. "How fascinating. It would appear that this barrier is designed to give us a place of safety even deep within the cavern..."
A Diglett! Eleanor peers at it, and... "...Pyri," she suggests. "Why don't you soften up that Diglett for me? Just a little Snarl..."
While she does that, Eleanor reaches to her wrist to adjust the Power Bracelet there, focusing with closed eyes to draw the Mystical potential out of it--
"...Well," Eleanor says, opening her eyes, "If all of you have all that already, then maybe... I'll..."
Use a Mystic-enhanced pokeball to capture a Diglett!?
She stands back from Lan, and should her method work, she'll cheer for her! If it doesn't... sympathy instead!
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Power Bracelet toward her party's challenge, Breaking a Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
'Hi', Lan says to him, as if they hadn't parted in such a way, and he turns in silence to stare at her as if he were trying to figure out what this is about. His brow furrows in clear consternation: not only is she here, but she's acting like, as near as he can figure, nothing happened...?
"Exploring," Loren says to Eleanor, and it's technically a lie of omission: yes, he's exploring for something specific but it's not as if he has to say that part out loud. "And what, are you looking for something down here?"
He's got a lot to mull over as he drifts towards the back of the merry little band that's formed, his own silence a sullen counterpart to -- for example -- Timu's good cheer. Or probably, the general good cheer here, come to think.
But they encounter a barrier. Some bit of Symbology gone awry. Fidgeting with the smooth stone he's palmed, Loren extends his own senses deeper. It's itself a welcome relief from trying to figure out what they're all on about (maybe Lan in particular) as well as, say, actually figuring out how deep the problem with the spellwork goes.
The jostling about as he sifts through the earth might help Eleanor catch the Diglett. If so, it's an accident on Loren's part.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Worry Stone toward his party's challenge, Breaking a Barrier. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round!
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Breaking a Barrier *>======================
| Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
Periodically, there are safe spots inside of Diglett's Cave. These consist
of barriers, made of shimmering blue-green light with Symbols upon the
energy fields, emanated between two mechanical holes in the wall. Behind
them is a glowing golden light, floating in the air, which provides a
healing field. The barriers keep out wild Pokemon, letting Trainers rest
when they need it.
But this barrier is broken -- it doesn't let you pass. You'll need to blast
your way through it to reach the healing Symbol and, perhaps, press on.
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, |
| Save_Point:_Conditions_cleansed!, Strengthen:_Brute_Up!, |
| Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
===================<* Diglett's Cave - Round 2 *>===================
===============<* CHALLENGE - Breaking a Barrier *>================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail Loren Voss 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Worry Stone Min Brute Effects: Stalwart
Timu Guado 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Pull Claw Min Brute Effects:
Strengthen
Lan Lilac 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Surprise Meteor Min Brute Effects:
Strengthen
Eleanor Klein 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Power Bracelet Maj Brute Effects: Efficient
Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(0)--> 5 Good Force Bsc Brute Effects: Risky
Leader: Loren Voss 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Injure(2), Reckless(1), Save Point(1), Stupify(1), and Weaken(2) Effects: Strengthen(1)
Digger 2.0 ==================================================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>============================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - Crossing the Underground Stream *>================ | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Agility | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- Recent digging has found an underground river that now crosses through parts of Diglett's Cave. The river is fairly fast-moving and fairly wide in a few places, such as this one. When you approach, you see that it's rapids in this part of the cave, and unfortunately, it cuts right across the path you were taking. You will need to get across the fast-moving river -- by jumping or otherwise -- unless you want to backtrack. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Hesitate:_Agility_Down!_Wits_Up!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, | | Strengthen:_Brute_Up!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Timu Guado has posed.
Something big, green, and wormy wriggles out from Ida's shoulder, and--
Timu's eyes light up. "They're cute!" Loren gets to be further in the company of chipper-ness, because of course he does.
Between the lot of them, the matter is easy enough to resolve, in so much that (almost) no one is of the mind to just shatter a barrier. No one should doubt the ingenuity, or carelessness, of Visitors.
As Timu pulls, Ida smashes the barrier with a fist, and all sorts of interesting and headache-inducing geometric patterns start to form in lieu of spider cracks you'd get on glass.
Meanwhile, Pyri and Diglett have a fight. It's an adorable fight, as long as you are not looking Pyri in the eyes. (Even if you are... it's at least 'a little cute.')
Loren ends up helping. Sometimes, that sentence can be left to stand alone so he can reflect on what he's done this time, but no, Loren ends up helping. His Ether makes manipulating the surrounding earth to disrupt this advanced Symbological construct child's play, because Energy Nede scarce accounts for the level of geomancy that Loren's Ether has (barring the occasional problems with the likes of a particularly naughty Sprawltail, *they know what they did*), jostling the earth and prying some things loose as Diglett starts getting woozy from movements in the ground.
Eleanor throws her Pokeball, and Diglett disappears into it. The ball rolls back and forth three times before a *click* noise and a few stars flying out of it. Diglett was caught!
Timu turns around at the sight. She actually hasn't seen a catch yet, even though she's seen Pokemon large and small go in and out of those balls.
(Meanwhile, working from where everyone worked at it, Lan delivers the coup de grace with a Rigdobrite meteor, which obliterates the next barrier, and... um. Energy Nede might have to start accounting for what the Visitors can do.)
The way forward is there!
"He seems really shy," Timu comments about Loren, looking to Ida and Eleanor. "Is he always like this?"
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"Oh, it worked!" Lan exclaims, apparently pleased with the wanton destruction they've wrought. She even holds a hand up for a round of high-fives, should anybody feel like helping her celebrate. And Eleanor caught a new friend! "It looks like if a furry sausage had a nose," she says because apparently that's some kind of compliment, maybe? Nope... just a cheerful observation.
But with the barrier (and the safety of its Save Room music) destroyed, they're able to go further. As they walk, a rushing noise like water fades in and out of the distance, finally growing louder and louder as they make their way. Lan seems happy enough to just keep pace with everybody else, chatting and keeping an eye out for more Pokemon to gawk at.
Would the Lunatone like to come out? It was born in a cave (she assumes). Maybe it would like to play...?
And then they round a corner, and the noise of water rushing past, bouncing off of the rocky banks in swirls of frothy white rapids, is almost deafening. Lan's hand goes to make sure the pokeball is still safe at her belt. Nope! Nope, even if it's a floating rock it doesn't belong near a rushing underground river!
Lan has shown more confidence when babysitting actual human children, what's with all the worrywarting??
"I guess we're gonna have to jump! Unless there's a way to make a bridge, or we want to go back," she amends. "Here, let me get across first and then someone throw a rope!"
It's not until she's halfway there, floating on the power of her butterfly ribbon, that Lan realizes it would have been a better idea to hold one end of the rope and then jump. "...Oops."
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Butterfly Ribbon toward her party's challenge, Crossing the Underground Stream. Quicken! Party Agility boosted! Liability! Failure will result in extra Exhaustion!
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Loren was exploring. Hmm. "I'm also exploring," she says pleasantly, despite the rocky start of their conversations today. "And looking for more Pokemon!"
Like the one she caught! She will give Lan the high-five, and, "It does, doesn't it? It's terribly cute."
Eleanor kneels down to give Pyri a little healing, her hands glowing golden with soft radiance. "There you go," she says. Her Vulpix trills happily, and Eleanor sets the pokeball at her belt with the others, Pyri still walking along with her. Timu asks a question...
"He's a little grumpy," Eleanor says delicately, and then looks to the water. She considers it thoughtfully. To jump...
"Oh well," Eleanor says. "Come, Pyri."
In a flash of golden light, the Sage becomes an owl, and Pyri rides on her back to freedom! "I'll take the rope!" she offers, and grabs it in her talons.
No one can skip that dialogue box.
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Rauru's Flight toward her party's challenge, Crossing the Underground Stream. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round!
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
It's not hard to shift the earth about. In fact, it's almost too easy to do that as he prods around in the anchors for the spellwork. Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise, given what he'd learned about Nede's past and its construction, but there's something a little unnerving about that -- he's used to earth resisting him more than this.
Unfortunately for Timu, as she wonders a little bit about Loren, he's quite adept at overhearing people when they're talking about him. "I can hear you," he grumbles, shooting her a nasty look from across the chamber. Her and Eleanor both, to be more precise!
The others certainly take notice of him. But it's as if, aside from that brief greeting, he doesn't even exist as far as Lan is concerned. She forges on ahead without so much as another word or even glance in his direction.
There's an underground river breaking up their way forward. He watches her in silence as she begins to make her way across it before glancing away. "..." This is the way he wanted it, wasn't it? It's less messy this way.
...Right.
He's not going to get anywhere if he just stands here, even if there's a part of him that wants to turn around and leave. With some trepidation, Loren looks this way and than up and down the flowing river then, backing up a few steps, races at the river to try to use his momentum to make the leap across.
DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Crossing the Underground Stream.
<Pose Tracker> Timu Guado has posed.
Timu jumps a bit at Loren's reminder he can hear her. "I-I'm sorry," she stammers a bit. There's an edge in that grumbling that might surpass her father's, and Gon... was very grumbly.
(Is. Very grumbly. He's still alive. Present tense. Grumbly Gon persists.)
Timu doesn't give a high five. It's not hostility towards Lan, she's got light in her eyes and everything, it's just a Guado cultural thing. (She is clapping, at least!)
The Guado follows along with everyone else towards the underground river. She remembers back in Mt. Gagazet, where she had to use her Blitzball acumen to go in the water and deal with some puzzles. She thinks about it, and shakes her head.
"It's too fast. I wouldn't swim through it," straight from the mouth of someone who used to do a lot of it back home. She watches Pyri, only catching her eyes from the side and only being a little unnerved... but Eleanor isn't scared, so it's probably okay.
She steps up as Lan flies along to the other side, and then all of a sudden Eleanor turns into an owl and has exposition to share. Luckily, Timu is from a culture full of ploddingly-paced cutscenes with awkward voice direction, so it's easy for her to grasp the importance of this (and will have her turn to ask what it is Eleanor is doing).
"Oh! I... I have another rope here, too," Timu wraps a rope about something - a rock. It's a round rock. A little heavy, for her... but with teenage grit and purpose and desire to impress and also hold her own, she ties that rope, throws that rock up, and gives it a Blitzball-worthy palming to try and shoot it to the other side! Even though Eleanor and Lan probably have it.
DG: Timu Guado has used her Tool Unconventional Blitzball toward her party's challenge, Crossing the Underground Stream. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida folds her right hand into her left, and works her knuckles. "I think we're going to have to tell the Rangers about this," Ida says. Presumably they'll need their shelter repaired so people can use it for its intended purpose. "Hopefully they won't be upset..."
Sal, on her shoulder, wiggles joyously. "Caterpie!" she chirps.
"You little menace," Ida says, and she scritches Sal on the tummy again. "It's all right," she adds, for Timu's benefit. She looks at Loren, and her eyes narrow. "So," she says, "did you ever properly thank Gwen and Lan for saving you from Siegfried?"
As Timu hefts the rock, Ida focuses, and a gust of fresh air wafts through the cave. Green motes dance in the wind, catching the thrown rock and giving it that much more oomph. Once that's done, they have two ropes across. That's a rope, plus a backup rope.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Zephyr Boots toward her party's challenge, Crossing the Underground Stream. Quicken! Party Agility boosted!
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>============================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - Crossing the Underground Stream *>================ | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Agility | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- Recent digging has found an underground river that now crosses through parts of Diglett's Cave. The river is fairly fast-moving and fairly wide in a few places, such as this one. When you approach, you see that it's rapids in this part of the cave, and unfortunately, it cuts right across the path you were taking. You will need to get across the fast-moving river -- by jumping or otherwise -- unless you want to backtrack. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Hesitate:_Agility_Down!_Wits_Up!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, | | Quicken:_Agility_Up!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
===================<* Diglett's Cave - Round 3 *>===================
=========<* CHALLENGE - Crossing the Underground Stream *>=========
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail Loren Voss 5 --(23)--> 28 Normal Rush Bsc Agility Effects: BASIC
Timu Guado 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Unconventional Blitzball Min Agility Effects: Stalwart
Lan Lilac 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Butterfly Ribbon Min Agility Effects: Quicken,
Efficient, and Liability
Eleanor Klein 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Rauru's Flight Min Agility Effects: Stalwart
Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(0)--> 5 Best Zephyr Boots Min Agility Effects: Quicken
Leader: Loren Voss 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(2), Injure(1), and Weaken(1) Effects: Quicken(1)
Digger 2.0 ==================================================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Yes! Exploring! Everybody is exploring today. Nobody is doing anything wrong. At all. :)
It is the highest of fives! ...Well, maybe it would have been a little bit higher if Timu had joined in, but that's okay! There's always next time. Eleanor, luckily, has a lot more foresight than Lan does, and is able to neatly carry the rope across the rushing water.
Loren tries his best, but the life of a Captain is not as active as that of a Lieutenant. Maybe he ought to partake of a little more extracurricular physical training... or maybe the river really is just stupidly wide, and he should've gone for one of the ropes to begin with!! Because that's what saves him from being washed away when he doesn't quite make the far shore. Now he gets to cave in wet clothes! Perhaps the gods are punishing him for being a meanie and a coward!!
Timu is extremely correct, as someone who spends a lot of recreational time in water. It's way too fast for anybody but maybe a Zora to have a chance in. The thrown rope-rock sails across the river, aided by Ida's windburst, and bounces a few times before it can be tied to another, larger rock for safety.
"..." If Lan heard Ida, she's pretending she didn't. But she offers Loren a hand out of the water.
DG: Eleanor Klein has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Diglett Uses Sandstorm! *>====================
| Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
Some rooms in Diglett's Cave are thoroughly widened and hollowed out, in
areas that Digletts have worked in for perhaps thousands of years. The room
you enter is a massive, wide cavern, with only a few stalactites and
stalagmites breaking up the expanse. The product of their digging has made
the floor have a fine, loose particulate matter on the floor. Sand, in other
words.
And in the distance, ahead, a Diglett burrows up from the ground.
Then, a massive gust of wind kicks up from Diglett's direction. The sand
blows out, thick and heavy enough to obscure vision to just what's in front
of your face. You'll need to protect your eyes and your mouth. If you do,
though, you might be able to forge ahead -- and perhaps capture the Diglett,
if you have a Pokeball handy.
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, Hesitate:_Agility_Down!_Wits_Up!, |
| Quicken:_Agility_Up!, and Secret:_Exploration_Up! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"I know," Eleanor says cheerfully when Loren grumbles, and reaches out to pat Timu's arm. "Don't worry about him," she tells her. "If he gives you any trouble you just let me know, OK?"
Eleanor is indeed not scared of Pyri, though Pyri is definitely still spooky. And Ida, "It's fine; it was an obstruction; they'll understand." Sal is excellent, as always. And Lan...
Hmm. She helped save Loren, and Lan isn't talking about it... Eleanor frowns, as she puts together the tension she's noticed between the two of them.
"Well," she says, "Good work, Timu."
Then Eleanor moves forward, until... the floor is sandy. And nother Diglett comes. "Oh!" Eleanor says. "Look, isn't he--"
Eleanor coughs, as the sand immediately gets in her mouth. "Ugh! That's--"
Cough, cough. The gust of wind makes for a sandstorm, and Pyri complains with a noise. Eleanor considers for a second, and--
"P--Pyri!" she says. "Go! Snarl!"
She can't get to her Book or perform any of its spells in all this, so instead, Eleanor sends Pyri forth. She doesn't like the sandstorm much, but she suddenly glows with energy. A horrid black radiance erupts around the Vulpix as her eyes glow, her tails standing up and bristling.
She sends the black beam right for the Diglett to disrupt it!!
Eleanor is still coughing.
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Spooky Pyri toward her party's challenge, Diglett Uses Sandstorm!. Rally!
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren, being a cranky and grumpy fellow, doesn't look mollified at Timu's apologetics. If anything, he fixes her with a harsher glare as he unfairly takes out a worsening mood on the poor girl.
He looks at Ida for a good few overlong moments and narrows his eyes. "...That's none of your business."
He didn't. But they weren't supposed to be there, he wants to but doesn't argue -- not when Lan is in earshot. And he didn't need the saving.
He doesn't say that, either.
Loren had, in his own way, a sinking sense that he wasn't going to make this one.
And he doesn't. Make it, that is. A short cut-off yell is punctuated by a splash and really, only Loren's swimming skills and the handy presence of a nearby rope save him from getting swept away downstream somewhere. Instead of hauling himself to shore, though, he fishes about in the river as he clings to the rope and becomes more sodden by the second.
Lan, when she goes back for him, will see the reason why: he's just retrieved his glasses from the bottom of the river. She's still reached out a hand to help him ashore, though.
And even chest-deep in the river and thoroughly soaked, he still hesitates to take it. But take it, he ultimately does.
He doesn't thank her for this, either. Maybe he should, but he can't even find the shape of them with his mouth. Instead, he pulls away from her, dripping rivers of his own onto the rocky shore. Half-heartedly, Loren tries to dry out his glasses by shaking them in the air. It doesn't help. Maybe he could use Ether to pull the water out of--
He gets as far as formulating the theory for it. Sand rises in a rolling tide, and Loren is left covered in it, less person to the casual observer than an extremely shit sand sculpture.
"Pffauugh," he sputters, because there's sand in his mouth before dragging the back of his hand across his face. He should have listened to his instincts and left but noooo he had to tough it out and now he's covered in sand!
"I can't believe this," he articulates, sticking a sandy hand into a damp and sandy bag and pulling out a somewhat damp but water-tight device. This, he holds before his face like a shield, the screen turned towards him as he advances towards the offending Diglett.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool MediScan v7 toward his party's challenge, Diglett Uses Sandstorm!. Rally!
<Pose Tracker> Timu Guado has posed.
Timu gasps as Loren is struck with cold, wet clothes from an encounter with the cave river. Even with the sudden tension in how people talk to him - she's not blind to there being something going on under the surface - that's a spooky situation she's been in a few times already on Filgaia.
Her arm patted as Eleanor tells her to not be worried, she just nods. There's an implication, but... as they've made it to the other side...
She's about to ask Eleanor about the whole owl thing, but she turns her gaze back towards a wet, miserable Loren, which is a 50 percent increase in his resting number of descriptive adjectives.
She draws her staff, the staff that Seraph Yvain made for her when her training staff just wasn't that well-suited for the size of her hands.
"Hold still," she says to Loren. "I'll try to dr--"
Not only is Loren doomed to have to deal with sand in his everything, this sandstorm is timed perfectly to interrupt her spellcasting as she staggers back, forearm raised in front of her eyes with a surprised gasp. But not a scared shriek - she's very young to be traveling on her own, but she was able to brave seeing a ghastly thing when she was fourteen-ish.
A gasp and some coughing is about as bad as it gets, as the more experienced take point.
DG: Timu Guado has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Diglett Uses Sandstorm!.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Sandstorms are a part of life in the Badlands. You shouldn't travel in them, you should cover your eyes and mouth and nose if you can't find shelter, and if you must travel... well, good luck. Hopefully you won't fall in a hole or be eaten by a sandworm or anything! Or worst of all, become lost.
But this... this is no ordinary sandstorm!
She gets a face full of sand, of course. Just because Lan is a desert-dweller doesn't make her immune to weather. But she retreats, shaking the sand out of her hair and kicking it out of her sandals before she squints at the Pokemon making all the ruckus, and consults her oracle paper again. "...Water?"
She doesn't have any water that can reach all the way over there! She's not about to just uncap her canteen and chuck it!
It takes her kind of a shamefully long time to remember that yes, she does have water. Lan tugs the ancient bow off of its place at her back and tries to look like she was just being super patient or something! It has no string, but Lan aims anyway, pulling back at nothing... and an arrow made of watery blue magic nocks itself between her fingers.
She sights, judges the distance... and lets go, a bolt of water arcing lazily through the air to (hopefully) splash the troublemaker!
LAN sort of used WATER GUN!
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Diglett Uses Sandstorm!. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Mhm," Ida adds, to Eleanor's generous offer. "Just let us know."
Loren's assertion that this is none of her business earns him a glare. Ida can hazard a guess why he's here, and has already inwardly doubled down on her vow now to tell Azoth anything. Even if Azoth isn't the objective--it's possible he's not, Solaris would absolutely be interested in the Wise Men and their plot for its own sake--Solaris getting involved in Nede's business can only lead to worse things.
And there's pettiness there, too. Ida glances back as she hears the splash, worried Timu fell in, but--no. She stops as Lan helps Loren out of the drink, and allows herself a tiny little smile. Onward!
A wild DIGLETT appears!
Sal trills in alarm, and ducks into the safety of Ida's backpack. The wind picks up, and Ida closes her eyes; she fumbles through her kit for a moment before coming up with something smooth and metallic to the touch. She unfolds part of it with a clunk, feels for the leather strap, and puts it over her brow. Only when the arc-flash mask is secure does Ida open her eyes again. Like any self-respecting ARMs Meister, she packs safety gear! "It's over there!" Ida cries, putting a hand on Lan's shoulder and aiding her as she sights the Diglett downrange. She keeps Timu in the corner of her eye, but thankfully, Timu knows not to move too much.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool ARMS Meister's Field Kit toward her party's challenge, Diglett Uses Sandstorm!. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted!
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Diglett Uses Sandstorm! *>====================
| Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
Some rooms in Diglett's Cave are thoroughly widened and hollowed out, in
areas that Digletts have worked in for perhaps thousands of years. The room
you enter is a massive, wide cavern, with only a few stalactites and
stalagmites breaking up the expanse. The product of their digging has made
the floor have a fine, loose particulate matter on the floor. Sand, in other
words.
And in the distance, ahead, a Diglett burrows up from the ground.
Then, a massive gust of wind kicks up from Diglett's direction. The sand
blows out, thick and heavy enough to obscure vision to just what's in front
of your face. You'll need to protect your eyes and your mouth. If you do,
though, you might be able to forge ahead -- and perhaps capture the Diglett,
if you have a Pokeball handy.
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, |
| Hesitate:_Agility_Down!_Wits_Up!, and Secret:_Exploration_Up! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
===================<* Diglett's Cave - Round 4 *>===================
=============<* CHALLENGE - Diglett Uses Sandstorm! *>=============
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail Loren Voss 28 --(5)--> 33 Best MediScan v7 Maj Wits Effects: Rally
Timu Guado 5 --(5)--> 10 Best Investigate Bsc Wits Effects: BASIC
Lan Lilac 5 --(5)--> 10 Best Paku-Paku Min Wits Effects: Enlighten
Eleanor Klein 5 --(5)--> 10 Best Spooky Pyri Maj Wits Effects: Rally
Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(5)--> 10 Best ARMS Meister's Field Kit Min Wits Effects: Enlighten
Leader: Loren Voss 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1), Hesitate(1), and Secret(2) Effects: Enlighten(1)
Digger 2.0 ==================================================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Loren's device protects his face! ...At least he has that going for him, since Timu doesn't get the chance to dry him off. But indeed, it's no ordinary sandstorm. What happens is that everyone gets very sandy, until--
Ida can point out exactly where the Diglett is, thanks to her own safety gear, which gives Lan the opportunity to use a very cool water bow to splash the Diglett!! Between everyone's efforts...
DIGLETT has FAINTED!
Nobody catches the little guy this time, because it scurries off, but that's OK. The sandstorm comes to an end, too.
"That's very good work, everyone," Eleanor says, and kneels down again to take Pyri into her arms. "Oh, there there. That was unpleasant, wasn't it? In you go for now. We'll go somewhere more fun." In a moment, Eleanor has returned her to her Pokeball, an then looks around at the others.
"That's a very interesting item, Lan! I'd love to discuss it sometime."
"Of course, I'd be happy to get you some lunch or something for your time. It's important to thank people who do you favors, even when they're friends!"
Eleanor doesn't even look at Loren at the moment.
Instead she looks forward. "Are we all all right? Well, except for our hair. Don't tell me if my hair looks all right."
The sand...
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Dam It All! *>==========================
| Type: Final | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
The next room in the cave has a slope upward, leading towards an exit. Just
before you start to climb, though, you hear a loud /CRASH/...
And a Wugtrio -- looking like three wriggly Wigletts, white and beady-eyed
-- bursts through a wall, then burrows into the ground. From it spills a
/massive/ amount of water. It's rushing at you rather quickly, and unless
it's stopped, it's flooding your path out of here.
It's time to make a dam. By blowing up part of the cave. Hopefully, you
don't bring it down on your heads!
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, |
| Secret:_Exploration_Up!, Tire:_Exhaustion_Up!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The Diglett has fled. Ida pulls off her visor and shakes her head. Sand cascades down her shoulders. She can feel it trickling down her back from where it collected in her hood. Her hair is still in its bun, mostly, but merely combing won't fix anything. Ugh. "I'm all right here," Ida says.
Sal pops out of Ida's backpack a moment later, shakes off a bit of sand, and reports in: "Caterpie." She gives Pyri a sympathetic look as the Vulpix returns to her ball.
Beyond the sand pit, the cave widens, and the ground begins to slope upward. Light trickles in through an opening. Nede's Symbol-studded sky is visible just beyond. But this brief vision of hope is dashed in short order! The ground rumbles, a thunderous CRASH heralds a wave of spilling rock, and!
'Wugtrio! Trio trio trio!"
Something that looks vaguely like the weird, stretched-out version of a Dugtrio surfs out on the wave of rock, which is followed by a wave of actual water. The creature dives back into the ground, leaving behind a new problem: the river is now rushing into this part of the cave.
Ida stumbles back, the surge of water rushing against her calves. Her boots are soaked in seconds. She digs in her heels, picks up a chunk of rock, and tries to jam it back into place. Ugh, she thinks, are we going to have to rely on him to patch this?
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Dam It All!.
<Pose Tracker> Timu Guado has posed.
Timu coughs a bit more, but is otherwise unharmed from that sandstorm. She shakes out her legs and brushes her arms to try and get some of the excess sand out of her outfit, and unfortunately, the offer to try and dry off Loren doesn't come to mind while she's busy trying to get sand out of everything that can be in the moment.
"We're almost out," Timu calls, with the superiority of her vantage point compared to msot from her height. She stands straight, hand over her eyes--
She goes down to a crouch, instinctually, as the ground shakes, looking every which way. "What's going on--" There's a yelp there as something truly strange breaks free, and then, water.
Her sense of balance is a bit more compromised, falling to a knee as water threatens to sweep her aside. She looks up above, seeing some partially loose rock. Some fumbling later, the claw gauntlet is applied, hurling it by its chain and hoping it clenches in time to try and yank it down to help create that dam.
The sandstorm was her first real encounter with a Pokemon acting in ambiguous hostility. This feels like outright aggression, and it's gotten a little scary!
DG: Timu Guado has risked with her Tool Pull Claw toward her party's challenge, Dam It All!. Strengthen! Party Brute boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan adjusts her aim, guided by Ida's better vision. It reminds her of when her mother was teaching her to use a bow, many years ago... A hand on her shoulder, a confident voice, the scent of sand. It makes her smile, even as nostalgia for her home passes through her like a gust of wind. "I found it in an ancient temple. There was some really beautiful moss there!" And also a golem that tried to smash her but Lan remained, somehow, ignorant. "Lunch would be great! They have such weird food here. Like, I saw a sandwich that was whipped cream with fruit inside! Isn't that wild?" She wants to try it. Maybe there's one made of apples...
They're so close to the exit. They can even see the sky! But there's another, even weirder Diglett up ahead, and even worse - this one looks like it might be immune to water.
Ida and Timu move quickly to block the water with stones. "Good idea! Loren, use your Ether too!"
Oh, so now she's talking to him???
But then Lan is sighting through the circle of her fingers, but instead of summoning Rigdobrite into a much more precarious situation than usual, she aims a barrage of silver cannonfire at the ceiling, hoping she can bring down just enough stone to help build a barrier against the rising water.
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Surprise Meteor toward her party's challenge, Dam It All!. Strengthen! Party Brute boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The best thing that can be said about current circumstances is that he doesn't get it to the face again.
He's not entirely certain what he would have done if he had reached the Diglett himself. Put a stop to it, somehow -- sure. But it ends up not be a problem he has to concern himself with because it's incapacitated before he can get even halfway to where it had been. Well -- 'incapacitated', in that it's no longer spitting sand at us and instead is making its getaway. Lowering his device, he glares balefully at the spot where it had been and sticks his now sandy medical computer back into his bag. Slowly, Loren sets about brushing some of the damp sand off himself, each swipe feeling less like it's actually achieving anything and more like another little reminder of just how well his day is going.
Eleanor didn't address him. She didn't even look his way. His shoulders still slouch regardless as his grimace becomes even more deeply etched on his face.
Lan continues to talk around him, as if he's not here. Fine. ...It's fine.
The only saving grace is that he thinks he can see bits of the sky through the widening tunnel ahead. He doesn't think that Azoth came down here, which makes all of this increasingly dismal insofar as risk/reward metrics go. But at least it /will/ be over soon--
Or won't, because the rock trembles and crashes and some frankly bizarre wiggly things come through the wall along with a torrent of water. Oh good, Loren's shoes and pantlegs are soaked again, today is great!
But there's still time to avoid the wall outright breaking and washing them all away, and he's already palmed his focus in the form of that smooth stone when Lan actually addresses him directly if just to ask him to use Ether to fix the wall.
He finds himself clutching the stone hard enough to turn his knuckles white. A dull ache radiates from the center of his palm. And he doesn't answer Lan's request as he focuses to drive his will into the broken wall to make it whole again because he is feeling precisely that shitty and salty about it all.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Worry Stone toward his party's challenge, Dam It All!. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round!
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Eleanor will need a bath later. But that's later. She has learned to deal with discomfort in her time in ARMS, especially in Spira. But since none of them are harmed... Eleanor moves on. She smiles at Lan. "That sounds wonderful!" she says of the ancient temple and the beautiful moss. "Oh!! I want to try that," she says happily about the sandwich, imagining it for a moment despite all the... sand.
She doensn't look at Loren, still. This isn't one of her best traits, but she's still willing to make that cut.
They are almost out, Timu says, and Eleanor smiles.
But something happens, and...
"Look out!" Eleanor says, and she looks around sharply, considering her options. Lan suggests Loren use his Ether, and Eleanor doesn't bother to repeat the suggestion. Instead, she looks to the rubble Lan and Timu are creating, and sees a larger piece of stone lying nearby. Her Power Bracelet sparkles softly as she invokes its might. Where Loren is focusing, Eleanor picks up the boulder and slams it into the wall to make up a greater part of the dam.
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Power Bracelet toward her party's challenge, Dam It All!.
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Dam It All! *>==========================
| Type: Final | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
The next room in the cave has a slope upward, leading towards an exit. Just
before you start to climb, though, you hear a loud /CRASH/...
And a Wugtrio -- looking like three wriggly Wigletts, white and beady-eyed
-- bursts through a wall, then burrows into the ground. From it spills a
/massive/ amount of water. It's rushing at you rather quickly, and unless
it's stopped, it's flooding your path out of here.
It's time to make a dam. By blowing up part of the cave. Hopefully, you
don't bring it down on your heads!
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, Secret:_Exploration_Up!, |
| Strengthen:_Brute_Up!, Tire:_Exhaustion_Up!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
===================<* Diglett's Cave - Round 5 *>===================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Dam It All! *>===================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail Loren Voss 33 --(0)--> 33 Good Worry Stone Min Brute Effects: Stalwart
Timu Guado 10 --(3)--> 13 Good Pull Claw Maj Brute Effects:
Strengthen and Risky
Lan Lilac 10 --(3)--> 13 Good Surprise Meteor Min Brute Effects:
Strengthen
Eleanor Klein 10 --(3)--> 13 Best Power Bracelet Maj Brute Effects: Efficient
Ida Everstead-Rey 10 --(19)--> 29 Bad Force Bsc Brute Effects: BASIC
Leader: Loren Voss 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1), Secret(1), Tire(2), and Weaken(2) Effects: Strengthen(1)
Digger 2.0 ==================================================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Loren Voss has successfully explored Diglett's Cave!
==============================<* Diglett's Cave *>==============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Stabilization Symbol *>=====================
| Type: Discovery | Dungeon Ability: Conclusion | Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
You've come to the exit to Diglett's Cave, just before your destination.
Ahead, sunlight shines down; you won't have much longer to go before you can
rest.
As you approach the exit, you notice a metal disc on the floor. There are
multiple Symbols on it. This is a Stabilization Symbol, a piece of Nedian
technology that can make time move slower in a small field around it. It's
used by work crews to help save lives and make repairs during cave-ins and
other disasters. You can return it to the Nedian authorities or, perhaps,
make use of it yourself.
============================= Dungeon Conditions: =============================
| Exhaust:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!, Secret:_Exploration_Up!, |
| Strengthen:_Brute_Up!, Tire:_Exhaustion_Up!, Treasure:_Exploration_Up!, and |
| Weaken:_Brute_Down! |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida fights her way forward, and drops the chunk of rock into place. It isn't much help. The current catches it and washes it back into the chamber, barely missing Ida's right leg. Her feet skid against wet stone, and she throws out her hands, fighting to stay upright. Sal rears back and spits string onto Ida's back, creating a lifeline for herself.
Thankfully, the others are in a better position to deal with the deluge. Timu's claw digs into the unstable rock, sending a shower of debris into the river's path. Some of it washes past, carried by the current, but there's bigger, denser stones there, too. As Loren exerts his will, the cracks along the edges of the hole start to seal. Stone flows and moves in ways it shouldn't.
Lan's meteor drops still more raw material into the hole, and the flow starts to abate. Eleanor hefts the final piece into place with decisive strength, and slams it home. A little more sealant work, and the dam is complete.
Ida sinks to her knees, soaking-wet. Sal nuzzles against her neck, still attached via the string line; Ida plucks her up and cradles her. "Thanks," she says. She doesn't say to who. "A bit... more excitement than I was expecting."
The current has deposited something strange in the chamber: a metal disk covered in Symbols. It's clearly important, but what does it do?