Night Walk

Mission details:

[Energy: 18 - 10 = 8]
[Item equipped: Trap Scarf (Negates all trap rolls)]


Just on the edge of Rainfront Town, along a faded trail that was still moist from a brief afternoon storm, a Skitty and a Metang found themselves traveling towards Pricklemist Hill.  It was a peaceful evening; the air was quiet save for wind rustling through the grass and scattered trees, and for the occasional chirps of bird Pokemon flying overhead.  The weather had grown slightly cooler as the sun began to set but it was still a perfect setting for a stroll.

Even so, Darcy felt a little anxious.  Her fluffy tail restlessly swished back and forth as she sidestepped a mud puddle and stared at the hill up ahead.  It was...  Just how she remembered it, dense with mist and pine trees.  A breeze rushed past, and while the blue scarf around her neck kept her warm, the Skitty shivered anyway.  She edged closer to the Metang.

"So, um...  They should be somewhere around here, right?" she asked as she turned her head to scan the surroundings.  She was curious about what their client would be like...  That was why she had wanted to take this mission, in fact.  It had been on her mind all throughout the four-day journey here.  Helping this person strike off on their own, and becoming friends, and having another Pokemon to spend time with at the guild...  Well, as long as Adamantine was by her side, those dreams made returning to this hill seem worth it...

...She wished that their client hadn't asked to meet here at night, though.  The rapidly dimming twilight wasn't much to see by, and she could spot nothing but shadows as she peered into the trees.  With how her previous visit here had ended up...  She half-expected to be greeted by some kind of ghost Pokemon out for her soul instead of the person they were looking for.  The thought of actually crossing the hill in this rapidly worsening darkness...  Well, she tried not to think about it.  It was too late to turn back now.

{Energy: 22 - 10 = 12}

A lone Kecleon was clinging to the trunk of a tree, nearly invisible, just inside the tree-line of Pricklemist hill, hiding from the pokemon that could be lurking nearby.
Yooka knew that Pricklemist was dangerous, but she had to hide somewhere.Hopefully the message I sent a couple days ago to the Grassveil Guild gets accepted... Yooka shivers not because it was chilly. oh, who am I kidding. It's been nearly a week, the reward was too tiny. Who would take a mission with such a tiny payment. Yooka sighs to herself.

The rustling near the entrance got louder. Somethings coming. Maybe its them. Yooka nudged up the tree slowly to get a better view. huh, a skitty and a... what? Yooka never seen a pokemon like that. It's hovering over the ground! that is--! wait are these pokemon friendly? She wanted to watch them longer but she snapped a piece off a branch while nudging up the tree, causing her to freeze in place. oh geez. Hopefully they didnt hear that... I should be invisible and its nearing nightime. yeah, I should be fine. but how would I know if the pokemon from the guild actually show up... argh, I knew I messed up somewhere. Yooka never perfected her cloaking ability as a Kecleon yet and she knows it. She has it down aslong as she doesn't move, but she knows if she moves others can see her figure. She doesn't however take into account her belly pattern not being invisible, most of the time.

Energy: 27 - 10 (entrance fee) = 17

Though Darcy was a bit odd to start with, taking a mission with such an insignificant reward puzzled the Metang. Sure, the Pokémon seemed like they needed help, but this mission over others? The matter had been debated mentally within Adamantine's mind as they continued forwards, but no clear reasoning surfaced. It was too lost in thought to even respond to Darcy when she asked a mere question. It didn't necessarily want to ask for justification as if to seem rude, but it could think of no other purpose than to simply succeed for the experience. Hmm... I do not think that this will be as bad as I hypothesized. Perhaps this could be fun. the Steel type thought to itself while scanning the area with a complacent expression. It wasn't like it could make many other expressions anyways.

The sudden snap of a twig brought its guard on alert as Adam moved in front of Darcy while raising both arms in a combat ready position. "Reveal yourself if you mean no harm, otherwise I will be forced to attack." the metal entity warned, its Explorer Badge glinting in the translucent setting of the mist wrapping around the hill. The only area that stood out was a small center with an odd pattern. Camouflage... Clever. Adamantine remarked with a squint. Was it the client? The mission details did tell that the client was a Kecleon. Then again, getting the wrong one would certainly result in trouble. "Darcy, perhaps now would be a good time to ask if they are the Pokémon we must escort. I am not very good at setting calm moods, as you can tell." the Iron Claw Pokémon whispered back.

As Adamantine sprung into action, Darcy leaped into the air in a panic and her fur stood on end like she'd been zapped by electricity.  Adam was right.  It...  It really wasn't good at setting moods.  She was already nervous about being back in Pricklemist Hill and she didn't feel calm in the slightest now.

But taking this mission had been her idea...  She couldn't leave everything to Adamantine.  The trembling Skitty nodded her head and took a few nervous steps forward, trying to get a good look at what had caught Adam's attention.

"Hello, there...  Are you, uh...  Yooka..?" she murmured as she tried to discern what she was looking at.  She knew that Kecleon could camouflage themselves...  But the markings on this tree looked an awful lot like the ones you'd see on a Trevenant...  She forced herself to keep talking but was prepared to dart behind Adamantine at a moment's notice.  "We're, um...  From the Grassveil Guild.  You, um, posted a job, right..?"

((ooc: lol, the mid section of Trevenants do look like Kecleons belly pattern and also short paragraphs are common for me. :þ ))

Not even a second after Yooka thought she was fine the floating pokemon went into a battle stance and spoke to show herself. It's like a machine, even the voice was like that of a mechanical being, but it's partner looked absolutely frightened. The little pink skitty shot pretty high for it's size when the branch snapped. Afraid of the dark? Well, the setting is pretty spooky and we are practically inside a mystery dungeon. Hmm, well... since both pokemon did speak, I matter aswell ask them if they are the ones... if not, I may just have to escape through the hill...

"By any chance are you two members of The Grassveil Guild..." as she asked that, Yooka uncloaked herself. She certainly didnt know how powerful the unknown pokemon was, it seems to have a glinting object on it but that could just be it itself and for all she knew it could be quick with its arms and hit like a meteor.
The little skitty did say Yooka and something about a job. "I did send a request to the Guild... I am indeed Yooka, but the question is who" and what "are you?" she thought it be rude to ask what they are. She'll figure it out. She already knows what a skitty is, Yooka started climbing down the tree as she finished talking.

{OOC: I know the feeling, most of my posts are about two paragraphs tops. XD}

Energy: 17

This time, they could count themselves lucky that they didn't meet a feral before the client. Dropping its guard, Adamantine returned to Darcy's side with a nod. "Yes, we are both hailing from the Grassveil Guild. I am Adamantine, co-founder of Team Radiance. This is Darcy, a member of the Friendship Alliance. My apologies for being so wary, it is a habit of mine to be skeptical of others." the Metang apologized. Then again, Yooka wasn't exactly in the wrong here: any reasonable Pokémon would hide if they saw a metal automaton-like entity floating around. Adam wasn't going to deny that it wasn't scary at times.

"We come in response to your mission posted upon our boards. So you wish to travel with us back to Grassveil to join the Guild? Interesting... I can assure you that you won't be dissatisfied. The Guild is indeed a very exhilarating organization, in my opinion at least." it explained with a cheery expression. All of the practice at expressing emotions with two eyes instead of one had paid off a small amount; now it looked less like an odd way of looking above itself.

MCLikeANinja carried out 10 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

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Phew.  This was their client after all.  Darcy breathed a sigh of relief and did her best to settle down, though her heart still raced somewhat.  At least Adamantine hadn't started a fight by accident...  She had gotten used to the Metang's robotic mannerisms, but it still probably seemed a little scary to strangers.  She could tell that it was trying to improve, though, so she was glad to tag along and help smooth out social situations.

"That's one way to put it," Darcy said, trotting towards the Kecleon while she giggled a little at how nervous she'd been.  She settled onto her haunches right in front of Yooka and looked up at her with cheery eyes and a friendly smile.  "But Adam's right.  We're here to help you!  Just leave everything to us."

...Even so, she couldn't help but remain a little uneasy about their surroundings.  She glanced around at the dark forest, her tail occasionally flicking back and forth as she resumed talking.  "Um...  For starters, do you think you can tell us a little about your situation?  Why are we here at night?  This place is even scarier than normal when it's dark..."

Eventine carried out 3 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

, ,

((ooc: No reviver seeds... or anything for that matter. I wanna roll too but, um... I dont wanna risk it... perhaps rolling 2 wont be all that bad.))

"Wait. Members of two different teams for just a tiny payment quest...? I need to find another way to repay you!" Yooka was caught off-guard. She relaxed a bit when the metal pokemon tried to show that it means to be friendly, but she started to frown when she realized what the request was. I guess you two really care for those in need, but my need isn't all that serious. argh, I'm just being a pain.

Yooka cringed to herself at the thought but as the skitty started questioning about her situation, Yooka closed her eyes, smiled, and started giggling. "Because a spooky forest is better explored during the night! You should've known Pricklemist Hill is spooky during nightime when picked the mission. Ah, don't worry about it, we'll be fine." Yooka then mumbled under her breath that could just barely be heard. "but its really to get away from a disrespectful parent who doesn't.... ugh." Yooka shook her head and just pointed towards the dungeon excited again. "Shall we get going~♪ Off to Grassveil Town!"

Yooka started to walk into the treeline, but instantly stopped and dropped to the ground in defeat. She spoke out to herself. "I forgot my stuff at the house... and it's too late to go back." She got up, turned towards the two guild members and said, "I may be a bit unprepared for this. So I guess it really is up to you, eh-heh, but don't worry about that either. I have personally been in worse situations."

Ravio carried out 2 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

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{OOC: TFW computer breaks and you have super late replies}

Energy: 17 - 16 (rolls' results) = 1

The dark wasn't a big problem for the Metang, but a prominent one indeed. With reduced visibility and a natural weakness to the type, Adamantine wasn't too excited to begin. I should cease evaluating the specific scenarios that could occur. The slight sense of fear and uncertainty would cause me to become distracted, and losing focus is exactly how I would be taken by surprise... it thought, trying its best to push the thoughts aside for now. If Yooka and Darcy, two Normal types, weren't afraid of what could be lurking in the shadows, why should it? The main source of light that it could even use was the faint red glow of its eyes, and even that only illuminated a small area in front of its face. Even that would only protect Adam against the unlikely event that a tiny feral were to approach its face.

Hearing that Yooka had no supplies on her didn't exactly bother it much, on the other hand. It was only going ot be a simple escort mission: how hard could it be? "There is no need for you to bring along any supplies that you may need. Darcy and I would be delighted to assist you in any way we can using the supplies that we have brought ourselves. However, we do ask that you will assist us in combat should the need arise for you to do so." it asked as politely as possible, trying its best to fluctuate its tone to seem almost less robotic. The monotone was definitely being worked on after much practice, but Adamantine could tell that there was still an extremely long amount of time before it could even show much expression in a single sentence. It wouldn't be surprised if the Kecleon thought that it would be like talking to a synthetic Pokemon.

"For now, it would be best to search around for any items in the area to replenish our current tools of use. If you feel inclined to keep any of the items, feel free to do so as long as we all have no objections as to who takes what."

[Energy: 8 - 6 = 2]

Yooka's creepy laughter put Darcy on edge once again, and the following explanation didn't calm her down much.  "H-huuhh?  Yookaaa..." she said as her ears flattened and she shrank into herself.  She didn't catch what the Kecleon had mumbled under her breath, but it seemed Yooka just wanted to come here at night because it sounded like fun.  Darcy had expected something a little more meaningful than that...  She was all for lightening the mood while working, but Pricklemist Hill carried some bad memories, and this seemed a little dangerous.  She...  She didn't think she could handle a repeat of last time.

But...  Yooka was their client, so she couldn't really turn her down.  And they just had to make it through this one dungeon.  Then they would be home free, and they could enjoy the trip back to Grassveil Town, and she would have a new friend at the guild to work and play with.

She fell silent and took a few deep breaths as she followed the others towards the tree line.  The sun had set almost entirely at this point, leaving the uphill path ahead of them veiled in darkness...  It was already difficult to see, and visibility would only get worse if they reached any patches of mist.  She sidled up next to Yooka as Adamantine spoke.  "That's a good idea.  But, um, let's all stick close, okay?" she said once the Metang finished.  "It would be really bad if one of us got lost in here..."

(energy: 12 - 3 = 9)

Yooka noticed just how scared the skitty was about this place. A skittish Skitty...? I probably should stop with the cliche vibes. She gave the skitty a soft pat on the head and said in a friendly gesture, "I'm only going with the mood of the moment, it helps me think. If I'm scaring you, just say something, but I have to admit Its pretty spooky at night." Yooka looks at the metang as it said it would probably need her assistance in battle. She nods, "of course I will, but but be warned im not exactly a fighter. All I can do is cause distractions and make openings in the enemy, I don't like to get into the brawl, but if It seems bad I guess I can pull something off."

Yooka turned to face the forest. She always wanted to know what a mystery dungeon was, she only heard from those passing by her fathers shop that the dungeons are just normal places, but there had to be something going on on the inside. "Ok... So, what exactly do you two want to talk about to pass time? I'm sure one of you would get bored if nothing happens while we go through..." she asked suddenly. "but let's walk on it, not just stand around, yes? Yooka officially started to walk off into the forest.

((ooc: the pokemon in this roll will be encountered by any of us... if its a ghost type, just pass it off as a glance in the distance. I didnt roll 10 things yet so I can do this, right? if not I'll just edit it out. if there is no pokemon well then holy hell gg xD{this time I made sure to check over myself before doing this...}))

Ravio carried out 3 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

, ,

Energy: 1

For it being this late out in Pricklemist Hill, Adamantine could tell that Yooka couldn't wait to leave. Was there some reason why the Kecleon wanted to depart so badly and so suddenly? Why couldn't the mission have specified the morning or midday instead? Most importantly, what had she meant by "distractions"? Questions flooded in with no clear indicator pointing to any answers, resulting in the Metang saving the interrogations for after the arrival in Grassveil. "...I cannot help but have a bad feeling about how we are venturing out at night, Yooka. Are you certain that we must continue onwards immediately and that waiting out the night would be unwise? With limited lighting, our abilities may be more hindered than you may think: especially my own." it stated with a small hint of worry. Being almost like an automaton, having its eyes adjust to low and high quantities of light was a challenge. Most of the time it just left the same blinding feeling, with nothing to see and nothing more.

As usual, the Steel type relied on Darcy to keep the conversation going. Perhaps I should work more on my conversational assets. I doubt that these two wish to hear about my previous research on the current events of the world anyways. Adam thought with a slight nod. Stopping for a quick moment to pick up two odd-looking seeds and a Max Elixir, a rustling was heard from a certain area of the path to the left. Adamantine froze in place, looking over quickly towards the source. Of course, it saw nothing. "We appear to have an issue; I believe we are being followed."

Yooka's words soothed Darcy's nerves somewhat, and she couldn't help but sprout a tiny smile as she received a pat on the head.  The Kecleon had a strange sense of humor, but Darcy quickly found herself forgiving her.  At least she wasn't being antagonistic on purpose.

But as she resumed walking and listened to Adamantine, her smile quickly faded.  Skitty and Delcatty had good night vision, and even she was uneasy about how dark it was.  She wasn't familiar with the biology of Metang but it seemed that Adamantine was even worse off than her...  It wasn't a comforting thought.  One of the biggest reasons that she was willing to return to Pricklemist Hill was that she could rely on Adam if things got rough...

This would be so much nicer if they came back during the day.  As they walked, the Skitty looked up into Yooka's eyes with a soulful, pleading expression.  "Yooka, I think I agree with Adam on this.  My big sister lives here in Rainfront Town.  I'm sure she'd let us spend the night at her house.  Then you'd have a chance to go get your things, and we could tell you all about the guild, and--"

Her words got stuck in her throat as she heard the rustling sound off to the group's left.  "A-Already..?" she squeaked, her heart speeding up as she scanned the trees for any movement.  They were only a stone's throw from the dungeon's entrance and already they had company...  It briefly reminded her of when her team had been ambushed during her last trip here, and a chill ran down her spine.  ...But she shook her head and tried to push the thought away.  She was better prepared this time, and she would do everything in her power to prevent anything like that from happening again.  Gingerly, and while taking deep breaths, she grit her teeth and stepped in front of Yooka to guard her from whatever might be lurking in the shadows.

(energy: 9 - 6 = 3)
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:ooc:

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Yooka was not expecting the automatons response. can it's eyes not see infrared??She stopped and sighed. Then the skitty, although barely visible, yooka could still tell she's trying to look as cute as possible when explaining about waiting for day. It didn't really effect Yooka personally but it did sway her thinking a bit more, yooka sighed even more. "Allr--"
However before she could say anything, a noise from a nearby bush caused her to go silent. she didnt even look at it, she instead looked at the nearby trees, but listened in the general direction of the source.Great, what could... ah! the Skit--- huh...? Yooka darted her head towards the skitty thinking it would go nuts but instead went between her and the noise.

Without a second warning a melody started to sound, but it wasnt soothing, it was sharp. two shadows took this opportunity to dart between each other in almost a zigzag pattern, although cringing from the noise, yooka instinctively grabbed the skitty with her tongue and yanked her towards the automaton. Due to the lighting, she barely had enough time to dodge out of the way herself as the two shadows lept at her headfirst. Scrambling for the closest entity that lept at her, instead of gripping them in a tight bind with her tongue or tail, she literally grabbed the enemy in a tight embrace. Furry. wha...? a zigzagoon? the zigzagoon tried to struggle but all it managed to do was growl. ah! Darcy and adam! she let go of the zigzagoon as the other shadow launched itself at her, causing the two enemies to collide into each other.

With them both being knocked out, she looked for her companions quickly, but she only can see shadows, not much else, and no time to really think of them at the moment, but she did notice something. weird, the noise stopped. Did they get the source? Hope so, what was a zigzagoon doing here? cautiously she searched the unconscious zigzagoon. As she found out what the other one was, another goon, she took an orb and a locked box off the two, which seemed strange for zigzagoons to be holding. scavengers...? no. hmm, strange, usually they dont hold items like these... Well, at least they'll be out for a long while. Yooka didn't mess around with the items, she just started to look around for her companions once again. Although she didnt move that much from the encounter, the two were abit far off but they seem to be doing well, at least. Still cautiously, she called out to them as she started to slowly make her way towards them. "you two alright?" She didn't know if it was actually them. She lost track of where their general direction was.

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:ooc edits:

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{OOC: With all of those edits, I assume it was technically a good thing that I didn't reply for a week? XD}

Energy: 1

Sounds and blurs of faint colors danced in front of the Metang's eyes, too incomprehensible to make sense of. Was there only one enemy or a hundred? Had the Kecleon been a fake and secretly ambushed them? Theories did nothing but cause a sense of worry to sprout within Adamantine. For having such a developed intellect, not knowing things did irritate it a small amount. Hmm... Moving to a lighter area of Pricklemist Hill will tip the odds of combat in my favor should I be required the use of them. Removing the blinding effects of the combined forces of darkness and mist would definitely increase my abilities at this moment. Is this what it feels like to feel somewhat helpless? it pondered. Never before had Adam had a problem like this before. Relying on its teammates would be crucial to have this mission succeed.

"Yes, I am well for the time being. Do not mistake my silence for distress." it answered, clearly distracted by the new sensation of uncertainty. This was the expected feelings associated with becoming an adventurer, right? Luckily, the screeching noise from an unknown source didn't affect the Steel type; its ability to resist non-damaging attacks made sure of that. Charging forward and swinging its arm around using Brick Break, it could feel a connection with something. At the very least, it felt nothing like Darcy or a Kecleon.