Dark & Complex

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[ Energy => 24 - 10 (Dungeon entrance) = 14 ]


The skies were dark, disperse and foggy clouds preventing the moon from shining down the hill at the edge of Rainfront Town. The seaside breeze blows much softer there, the wind grazing the tip of the blades of grass producing a very pleasant rustle as they shook yet that could only apply to the edge of the hill for the top is covered by dense forestry.

A soft squeak could be heard in the otherwise quiet night, a complaint from the cold from a yellow rodent walking by the side of a more serene-looking Absol. The former had caught the latter going off on an adventure and decided to join in, following on the tracks of the horned beast until he managed to catch up in the territory of rainy weather as Yigo internally called the Rainfront area. The ground type had already been to this particular area before. He went there to scavenge one day and ended up becoming friends with a guild member who took care of him. Luckily, this night was dark but not as harsh in weather and temperature as the other time he had wandered into the Pricklemist Hill. Besides, there was much he wanted to ask the Absol to simply pass on the opportunity.

Darkness limited his vision significantly, even if he was used to it due to settling down underground but his other senses worked fine. His ears twitched at each important sound: a step from his explorer companion onto the soft grass, the wind around them, both of the Pokemons' breathing. He could catch all of that and anything louder would sure set Yigo to high alert. Aside from his good hearing, his nose was too on point. With himself and Deimos close, it would be hard to catch anything in the distance that didn't have a very distinctive scent, be it pleasant or toxic, as the pair's scent takes most of the attention of his nose. This left Yigo's eyes free to gaze upon the show of contrasts, shadows and dark shapes unless he turned to his side where he was sure to find that friend with a wish to explore every corner of the world. The moonlight that managed to slip past the clouds was enough for him to stare at that calm figure, his fur now tinted silvery due to the tone of the light.

Yes, he had to stop complaining. He had to hold strong and not be an obstacle. For Deimos and himself. Quiet after the first squeak incident, he nodded to himself with determination and continued walking along, hoping that Deimos wouldn't call him out on what happened and want him away.

Holding his ground while the serpentine Dragon spoke, Deimos replied with a curt nod as he slowly emerged from the mists in a passive manner. Now that he could get a closer look, a plain expression spread across as his face as he lay his eyes upon the stele like gravestone, not daring to smile. A gravestone in the mists, investigated and tended to by a potent Draconic entity reeked of an interesting mystery to investigate, but the mere existence of such a grave marking erased any intent to interfere with the investigation. Having spent long hours before his brothers own grave, He didn't dare to interfere.

"Understood. Though i'm an explorer at heart, i have no intent to try and steal the stele you're investigating. Please pay us no mind" Deimos spoke in a respectful tone, keeping his head fairly low as a sign of respect. Glancing over the array of 'treasures' that the Dragon had offered to them, Deimos glanced back to Yigo and gave a small nod, indicating that it was safe to come out of hiding.

Moving with a more relaxed posture, He advanced towards the items and gave an appraising glance, recognizing a few quite quickly. The weaker variant of the Reviver Seed, a pair of large Apples, A box that one could get opened back in town, a strange ticket like item used back in the Dojo and another mystical ribbon akin to the one wrapped around his horn along with a few Gravel rocks here and there. Plenty of items that could be split fairly.

Taking a quick glance through his bag, Deimos came to the conclusion that some extra food would be worth grabbing and his interest was piqued by the box along with the ticket, leading to him claiming the three items after a moment's deliberation. "That's all i need, the rest is yours if you'd like it, Yigo."

[Energy: 0 + 1 (Page energy regen) = 1]

There was no danger after all? Maybe Yigo had been too quick to assume that the dragon would mean trouble. Even when called out, the young shrew waited and observed, wanting to see if the Dragonair would do something now that Deimos had collected part of the treasure. He didn't mind?

A hop into the clearing later, Yigo walked with caution at the remaining goods, his eyes fixated at the dragon type. It demanded some respect. His partner seemed to be aware of that and had done his part. "G-Good evening, sir!" He spoke, bowing down by lowering his front and, giving some time to pay respect. "Good evening" He replied, still uninterested yet polite, after which the boy started gathering the leftover items and placing them in his bag. An apple, a seed that looked smaller but had the same traits as a Reviver Seed and some pebbles with great weight and balance wrapped around a suspiciously colorful Ribbon. All to be collected and nothing to be left behind. "All gathered and ready!"

Yigo moved in quickly to catch up with Deimos, should he want to move on from where they were. If not, there will be enough time to rearrange the items and have a proper headstart into wherever the mist will lead them next.

Having been given the go ahead once more from the shrew, Deimos stretched before advancing onward once more, aiming to vanish away into the fog to avoid any potential back-stab by the dragon. Just because an encounter had been resolved diplomatically didn't mean it was safe to let one's guard down completely after all. "Seemed civil enough... though i've never had good luck with snakes" He murmured under his breath as the duo vanished into the mists once more.

only upon ensuring that they had moved a suitable distance away from the Dragonair did Deimos relax, letting out a soft sigh, recalling the wounds received from the serpents of the region in the past. A time he'd learned quite well to remain incognito in the mists and to keep lighting to the minimum. "Now then... Back to exploring" the Absol spoke with a soft shake of the head to clear his thoughts.

Yigo observed Demos stretching and waited for him to reenter the mist alongside him to continue. The comment may have gotten past the dragon, whose peaceful attitude may have changed if he had heard Deimos call him a snake, but not past the shrew. Now that they were back within cover, he smiled at Deimos "You don't often see Pokémon that don't want to fight or join you" with a soft smile, he paused. Adventuring was stressful and made his heartbeat whenever the unknown could pose a threat yet, seeing even the most minuscule and insignificant situation resolved rewarded the kid joyful relief "It was... interesting"

It had only been a minor setback, costing the party a few minutes. Nevertheless, Yigo started feeling some strain and hunger. Just walking within Mystery Dungeons was enough to feel one's belly empty at a faster rate, or perhaps that was only Yigo. Wherever next the mist will lead them could be a place to enjoy some of their findings. Still walking softly and trying to keep pace with the disaster Pokémon, Yigo stared at him and wondered. Deimos would have surely prepared for a nighttime exploration and would have had dinner before starting it. Moreover, Yigo had already had a snack stop moments ago. There was no way that another stop would not be disrupting the scout's plans. The ground type had better find some way to distract himself...

"I'm sure it'll make a nice story to tell. A dragon giving away their hoard... If we encounter more Pokémon like that, your report is going to be pretty fun" Yigo's mind drifted to Deimos's objective, wondering what other interesting tales he and his workmates reported about. And, like that, Yigo had come across a quirky idea "Uhm... do you think I could... peek out of the mist first next time?"

The sense of wandering and exploring was an addicting sensation and Yigo couldn't help but be tempted into finding more wondrous events on their way. Besides, Deimos was here in case any challenge or foe was too much for the young Sandshrew. The more time Yigo spent inside the Pricklemist Hill, the more comfortable he was getting. Would that comfort lead to carelessness?

Maintaining his relaxed lead over the shrew, Deimos gave a quiet nod in response it's assertion. More often than not the Absol had came across territorial or aggressive entities while exploring, along with the occasional civilized mon. The reason why was fairly obvious him, one that he indeed couldn't argue against. Explorers enter dungeons and other regions for all kinds of reasons, many of which being much greedy than the Disaster Pokemon. If everyone entered dungeons just for the thrill of discovery and fighting or in pursuit of resources, maybe dungeons would be a little more peaceful.

Hearing the next remark from the shrew, he couldn't help but let off a soft chuckle. Though a naive thought he couldn't particularly disagree. Active reports are much more interesting to read after all. If only all reports could involve such shenanigans and splendor. "As long as it doesn't get too crazy yea, could be amusing. Long as it remains a floor one report that is" Deimos remarked, however his attitude soon shifted upon hearing the next request.

Yigo wanted a go at taking the lead in a landscape with limited vision, a landscape in which the Disaster Pokemon knew the dangers quite well. The mists concealed much and without having an innate advantage, Deimos would have never been so relaxed as to consider the young shrew's request. "Be my guest. Just don't get reckless and dive out headfirst. If i was a different species and didn't have my senses i would never even consider such a request." He spoke up in response.

Although Yigo had noted a shift in attitude in Deimos's words, he had greenlit the kid's request to make his own discovery. The tone had shifted with his reply, something that was necessary for Yigo to remember that he had to be careful. As always, Deimos proved to be an anchor that grounded the kid's vision, and Yigo was grateful for that. With a nod, he took a step forward and remembered to hone his skills. The mist obscured his sight but, just like with the scout, he too had ways around being partially blinded.

With a deep breath, Yigo took a step ahead, trying to claim the lead from Deimos, at least this once, and closed his eyes to make his other sense clear. His ears raised at that instant and his nose sniffed at the air yet none seemed to have caught onto anything suspicious. That was relieving but Yigo had to stay alert while he explored. Opening his eyes back, Yigo proceeded. Without any leads provided by the environment, the kid resorted to wandering through the fog, hoping to find another clearing eventually.

PrimordialPrim carried out 1 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

Halting his advance momentarily, Deimos waited until the Shrew overtook the larger quadruped. Being a much larger Pokemon, in terms of distance traveled it made perfect sense to the Absol to follow along slowly for now in order to prevent his larger strides of robbing the Sandshrew of his own chance at discovery. Discovering something new and interesting was a wonderful feeling, even if Deimos had only experienced it on a fairly small scale, nowhere close to the grand mystery of fallen leaf, he knew the feeling well and wanted to avoid robbing the shrew of that feeling.

With Yigo now firmly in the lead, Deimos instinctively switched to a rear guard role, focusing the full strength of his sensory ability towards their surroundings, to ensure their safety. Speaking from experience, there were plenty of natives to the hill that could disguise themselves within the mists to ambush prey, especially of the more ghostly variety. Being naturally suited for such tactics as well, the Absol was heavily on guard.

[Energy: 1 - 1 = 0]

With stealthy steps, the Sandshrew eventually started noticing that the fog around him was getting less dense as his sight could cover more distance of the grassy floor. They were about to enter another clearing, or so Yigo suspected. Yigo hungered for this discovery, approaching the line after which he'd be exposed with his heart racing. One deep breath, a look back at Deimos to seek comfort and safety in his presence, and a dive into the unknown.

The clearing ahead of them seemed empty, save for a large dead and lanky tree. Its branches zigzagged as if they were thorns, with the thickest and most prominent of them extending to the side with a piece of rope dangling, a noose drawing from the loose tip, cradled by the breeze. On a lower branch, a shiny red apple stood alone, hanging perfectly in complete contrast with the lifeless tree. It was tempting to step forth and take it. It seemed o so easy to just grab it and claim it. Too easy.

Feeling suspicious, Yigo took one of his Gravelerocks and tossed it at the tree, hoping to scare away any ghost that may be hiding in ambush. Alas, the rock hit the trunk of the dead tree and bounced off harmlessly back onto the grass by its roots. No Pokémon jumping to investigate the Gravelerock, nor fleeing from the potential startle "It's safe, let's come in" Yigo commented in a normal voice, feeling as if he had done enough to check for threats and entered the clearing. Looking around, he beelined towards the red apple and grabbed it, looking around to double-check that this was no bait of an ambush or a trap. They seemed to be safe.

Now that he had the succulent fruit in between his claws, Yigo's stomach growled once again. Was he hungry again? Exploring sure took a lot of energy. Then again, the kid didn't know if his partner needed it more than he did "This one looks nice... but I still have the ones from before. Would you like to have this one? We can stop here to rest and snack!"

Ceasing his advance once Yigo came to a pause on the periphery of another clearing, Deimos directed the full strength of his sensory powers towards the clearing in secret, scouting for familiar ghost types. Prankster ghosts weren't that hard to come across in the region, going off his prior encounter with a group of them at the nearby structure before. Judging the strength of one's heart was beyond his capabilities, something he sorely needed to try and gain expertise in. He didn't want to take the risk of Yigo being toyed with by specters in the mists.

Quietly shaking his head after coming to the conclusion of the area being relatively safe, he let off a soft sigh before trailing after the Shrew, stubbornly remaining as the rear guard. Swiftly glancing around to disguise his sensory cheating, Deimos visibly remained on guard. This was the kid's turn and he didn't want to let it be interrupted by an ambush. "I'll take it if you're offering. Thanks" Deimos spoke in reply upon being offered an apple after the shrew's rudimentary scouting for danger and lurking figures.

Deimos was taking the treat! May as well make of this place a resting spot. The Sandshrew placed the apple in front of him and made himself comfortable by lying down close to Deimos. Now that he was satisfied with where he stood, he could take his makeshift bag and take one of the apples he had taken from the dragon's hoard. Just looking at it reminded him of that odd situation and how entertaining it'd be to tell his friends about it, all while poking around with the fruit in between his paws as if he was a Glameow playing with a ball of yarn "Hm... There's nothing too interesting about this place. No Pokémon to talk to, no weird mystery..." Yigo's ears flattened. He had come into a new instance of the dungeon and explored it by himself but he couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. Nevertheless, there can't be anecdotes to tell about every step of the adventure and, if the boy had to choose, finding a stray apple from a dying tree was better than finding a fight.

Yigo started nibbling at the apple, feeling better about this situation. It could have gone way worse. In between nibbles, he'd stare at Deimos, wondering what it'd be in his mind "How many times do I owe you for now?" Yigo tried to catch his attention with a cheeky giggle. Hopefully, he can have the ashen beast to enjoy this lackluster discovery more if he invoked a past memory "The cult is one... The food stall in Rain-front was another one... What happened with Radar in Shadowhue... Does this apple make up for one of those, at least? Ah, I would still owe you two" More than an annoyance, it was proof of how much the two Pokémon had experienced together. Yigo really appreciated Deimos's presence and attitude, always serene and helpful even in the worst situations "Someday I'll clear my debt, or I'll have you in my debt for a change, haha!"

The kid bounced what remained of his apple in between his paws and thought about that for a moment before jerking his head into motion and finishing what was left of the apple, leaving the heart on the grass unattended.

Quietly taking a seat alongside the young shrew, Deimos retrieved the promised apple, stuffing it away into his old Reaper Cloth bag. Despite exploring quite often, his inventory had never been particularly large, so it was somewhat relieving to start establishing a surplus of food. "Now i just need to find another petrify orb and i should be good to head somewhere pretty difficult" Deimos murmured under his breath, having developed a strong sense of respect for the mystical orbs that manifest within dungeons. His only experience with them was using a Trawl Orb and a Petrify orb but he'd already established a great level of value to the items in his mind.

Shaking his head to get his wandering thoughts back on track, he let off a soft chuckle in regards to Yigo's remarks about owing him and debt. "I'm a generous guy, that counts. You don't need to worry so much about paying me back. I'm not the kind of mon who'd make some outlandish or dangerous demand of someone who owes me one... or two in your case." Deimos remarked with a nod. Owing Yigo one or two huh? That could be amusing.

Relaxing his mind during their short break, he let his senses wander beyond their clearing, Deimos rested for a moment, before suddenly jolting up. He'd been too concerned with checking just the clearing he didn't check past it and in doing so missing something that he really shouldn't have. "You said there was nothing interesting... Seems like you were wrong" Deimos remarked with a grin as he quickly retrieved his bag and advanced into the mists ahead once more.

Only taking a moment, Deimos came across the point his senses had alerted him to and immediately summoned a set of spectral talons, seeming to slice into the surface of the hill. The reveal of old, rotten wood just beneath the surface however quickly erased that assumption however.

[Energy: 0 + 7 (Big Apple) = 7]

The alert stance of his partner confused Yigo but produced a similar reaction in him. He was sure that there was nothing dangerous in this clearing. Had the shrew overlooked something? Deimos's words seemed to suggest as much, which slightly demoralized him. How come he scout this place and fail to notice whatever Deimos found remarkable? Whatever the case, Yigo was done with the snack already so he was going to gear up again sooner or later. May as well take this recent discovery to get back on the move.

Even following behind the Absol didn't reveal anything of note to the Sandshrew. He was clueless, aimlessly looking around trying to sense anything around him, be it within the clear opening or past the mist. With curiosity, he observed how Deimos prepared to strike but, the attack struck the ground, tearing through it with the sound of wood cracking and breaking. Yigo finally seemed to get it, looking down with a wondrous "Oh" and poking the floor below him with his claws. The texture was ripe for scratching and sounded as if what was below was not dirt but hollow. For being a ground type, he should have noticed it earlier.

His head turned to Deimos. How did he know about it? Yigo theorized that experience had to do with it, as much exploration being his calling. Nevertheless, Yigo smiled, inspired by this breakthrough "Looks like there was more to this area than an old tree and a shiny red apple. What are we waiting for? This will probably look great in the report"

Yigo paused, unable to stand still, his rear shaking lightly and lowering his snout closer to this new area. Were they the first to find about it? Nevertheless, Yigo reminded himself to focus on their safety, relaxing somewhat in the process. As thrilling as this discovery was, if he forces them out of it due to carelessness or incompetence he was going to regret it... and probably owe Deimos another one "It looks... dark inside. Let me get in first. I promise that, at the first sign of danger, I'll get out"

His voice had changed, sounding much more focused than excited. Yigo was now taking this with the seriousness it deserves. Who knows what lay in there? He was about to find out.

(OOC: RIP energy)