Heat Rises

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Sosio: {51 - 20 (entrance) = 31}

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Just a small speck of grey in the wintery white landscape, Sosio shivered violently as she trudged through the snow. At least with the numerous coniferous trees, some wind was shielded from reaching the inhabitants inside. Even still, it was too much and far too cold for the firebird to take flight safely for very long, lest she risked freezing her feathers from the wet snow whipping into her exposed underside. She much preferred them close to her warm chest, which generated her flames and heat to keep her warm in this freezing environment, even if it meant getting her feet wet from walking through the frozen crystals completely blanketing the ground.

Though the bird had very limited feeling in her bony feet, the snow at times would reach her knees, completely encompassing her stick-like limbs and making her blood run cold and slow. Should she have been even the slightest bit discouraged, the Fletchinder might have just given in to the frigid claws of her surroundings and simply remain still until the never-coming Spring. However, with an unreasonable level of determination, the bird pushed onward as if her life depended on it. The more she delayed it, the more she grew aware of just how long she had been putting this journey off, whether out of fear or her rising irritability that came with the number of responsibilities she gained since she was just a Fledgling. Being surrounded by stressful situations had dimmed the inspiration that made her travel in the first place--more than anything in the world, the robin Pokemon wanted to reach the Floating Islands and finally live her life-long dream of joining the guild there. Her current goal: to reach the peak of the tallest mountain she knew of and fly with sheer abandon into the dreamy sky above to find the town rumored to be resting among the clouds.

With every ounce of will in her spirit, the flying-type blocked out the numbing feeling of the ice surrounding her; one of her greatest weaknesses, but ironically something she should be able to overcome easily thanks to her ability to ignite her surroundings and even set her own heart ablaze. Even before she had gained her beneficial typing through evolution, the energetic creature always had a fiery spirit and a level of excitability that could spread like wildfire to her like-minded companions. Right now, however, she was filled with an uncharacteristic misery, thinking that if she had failed many times to pass through the Frozen Stream, then just how difficult would this dungeon be to travel through, not to mention the mountain that lies just beyond the border? A cartographer ghost informed that this would be the most ideal path to close the gap of distance between Sosio and her destination, but the frostbitten Pokemon wondered if this was even worth traversing. Why not just fly directly upward in hopes to reach the sky? A rhetorical question, as she already knew the answer; a Fletchinder's body was not built for high-altitude nor long-distance flight, and although she could simply evolve and gain more strength, the stubborn girl figured that to be "giving in," especially since she had wanted to join the guild back when she was still a little Fletchling.

And look at just how long that's taken, Sosio thought bitterly, gripping her beak shut tightly as to not hear the redundant chatter of her warmth-desperate jaw muscles. Truly, she had no one to blame but herself and getting so sidetracked by others that she completely forgot how much this expedition and goal meant to her.  Without further hesitance, she let out a hearty sigh, the trapped warmth among her lungs escaping her throat and swirling to the air above, spreading and dissipating in a singular fleeting moment. Just like the heat, she too wished to rise up into the sky as she was destined to this whole time. So the bird pushed on, hoping she could even make that dream come true today.

Man, everybody was so nice north of the mountains. If Celio had run up on two other pokemon back home, odds were he’d be running for his life within seconds of meeting them. But Darcy and Sosio were every bit as friendly and eager to get along as he was. Maybe it was a regional thing, Cel thought, and his parents were just the exception to the “everybody’s a big meanie,” rule.

The eevee patiently—in his opinion—stopped for the fletchinder at his side to put out the fire, digging his paws into the snow as he waited. He felt eager to get going, to help out on a real rescue mission for a bonafide guild with an actual explorer. Cel wanted to measure himself up against Darcy and see where he stood; then he could ask about her rank, and maybe even see if she knew Acro depending on how good she was.

Celio sighed with relief when it was time to get a move on, falling in line behind the bird pokemon in front of him without complaint. He felt a surge of gratefulness as he basked in the warmth she provided; of all the pokemon he could have partnered up with in this kind of dungeon, he was glad it was a fire-type.

”We can always stop for another fire break if we get cold,” Cel offered, addressing Sosio’s latest comment. ”Darcy and I can probly sniff out dry wood pretty easy, and you can light it up without a sweat—oh, man, lookit that!” he cut himself off, his voice rapidly shifting from absentminded to heated and hushed as something caught his eye.

In the distance, perhaps a dozen and a half yards away, half heartedly camouflaged in a heap of snow, two pokemon seemed to be slumbering. One was quite comical, being about Darcy’s size, maybe a little taller. It had a snowy cone on its head fashioned like a hat, tiny little eyes, long arms that ended in grassy fingers, and a round body with an earthy brown bottom. The second pokemon, however, was anything but comical. It was huge, all-white with the same green ends on its limbs, with furry white facial-hair looking things on its face. Its sheer size was apparent in comparison to its smaller companion, and the way it was cuddled around the smaller pokemon gave Cel the impression that waking them would be a very bad idea.

Cel didn’t know the names of those pokemon, but he and his allies had just stumbled upon a snorunt and its parent abomasnow.

3 energy + 1 (new page): 4 energy

the sunset hero carried out 4 launched of one Icicle Woods :

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Darcy smiled softly as the Fletchinder stood up, seeming more excited than both Celio and Darcy herself put together. It was quite nice to see someone so excited to help another person, even if they weren't from the guild themselves. At the very least, she was fairly sure that the bird wasn't from the guild. She couldn't remember having ever seen her around before...  They even seemed pretty responsible, as well! At the very least, she had the same idea of putting out the fire before heading out, which seemed like a pretty good indicator of responsibility to her!

Darcy nodded her approval of this idea, before beginning to work alongside Sosio, tossing snow onto the fire as fast as her legs would allow. If it had been up to her, she would've been much more relaxed about this task, except for the fact that Sosio seemed to be working harder to put it out than Darcy felt she had to... After all, her body wasn't exactly well suited to such a task...

"Thank you for helping!" She said cheerily to the Fletchinder, the past stutter melting away as a sense of warmth and comfort began to fill her. The type of person you met in a mystery dungeon was always a roll of the dice. She was just happy she'd run into such pleasant travelling companions instead of outlaws or ferals... "And I'd be happy to share with ya!" She lifted up the flap on her bag, exposing the contents within. There lay a good amount of cookies still remaining, all tightly wrapped.

They walked along in relative silence, simply enjoying the scenery. Despite the current blizzard, the place still conserved quite a bit of it's natural beauty. The trees were permanently green, the winds and snow rocking the green needles attached to their branches. They towered above the Pokemon, and above them lay a collection of fiercely grey clouds. She hoped that the snow would clear up at some point. Not only would it make the walk quite a bit more pleasant, what with the winds simmering down and the snow ceasing to get in her eyes, but it'd also allow her to take in the sights this mystery dungeon had to offer much easier.

Every dungeon she'd been in so far had always been quite pretty, if rather dangerous. She wanted to see this one clearer!

Any further thoughts regarding this matter were extinguished when the Fletchinder made her next comment. It certainly was cold... But before she could say anything much, Celio already offered a rather good solution, and all she could do was express her agreement.

"Yep! Even with the snow, it ought to be pretty easy..." She began, but was once again cut off, as the small Eevee expressed his excitement towards something... that honestly, didn't seem all too impressive to the Skitty. There was a Snorunt and an Abomasnow, sleeping on the soft, powdery snow. Of course, she wasn't going to say that it was unimpressive, especially given how exciting it seemed to make the eevee.

"Yep! Pretty cool, huh...?" She said, a small, bemused smile on her face as she tilted her head, beginning to consider the possibilities. "Say, do you guys think we should just ask these two if they've seen the client...? I mean, this place is a pretty big dungeon, and... Well, it might take a while if we don't get help from some local, y'know? But... I won't do anything without hearing what you guys think first..."

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Icicle Woods :

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Icicle Woods :

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Icicle Woods :

Sosio: {31 - 8 (roll) = 23}

Items:

Highly appreciative of the Skitty's help, Sosio turned to her and smiled gratefully, continuing to struggle to push snow onto the fire to work her own weight. Once finished, Darcy thanked everyone as well, offering a pouch of delectable-looking treats. The bird's face lit up as she peered inside, pointing her beak at the numerous options until she selected a favorite, snatched it with careful precision as to not touch any other food, and tossed her head back into the air to snap it up. Already as the flavors hit her tongue, the Fletchinder was overwhelmed with happiness, tempted to speak as soon as the cookie slid down her gullet.
"Woa, tha'sh ama-sching!" Sosio exclaimed, speaking around the lump of food in her throat. She finished swallowing it heartily, much more energized than before and ready to continue.

The interactions between her new friends plus the food that digested inside heated up her body and heart from the inside, escaping as heat that warmed the surroundings on the outside. This trip would have been miserable for the extroverted animal if she hadn't encountered anyone who would restore her much-needed hope and give her the energy she needed to continue living, let alone climb a mountain. She only hoped that staying with them to help for the search of a lost Pokemon would be enough to last her all the way to Aileron. She walked along peacefully and pleasantly when the Eevee pointed out something ahead. Even with her vision that allowed her to see far from the skies above, she was surprised at his ability to catch even the tiniest detail in the snow-filled forest. The camouflage had the Pokemon nearly entirely hidden, save for the slight off green that covered their skin.

"Ask them...?" Sosio responded with a tilt of her head to Darcy's suggestion. "But they're asleep!" She whispered with exasperation, flapping her wings to match her expression, lifting herself slightly above the ground before landing back down in front of the mammalian duo. "They just look so peaceful though, plus we don't know how mad they would be if woken up." The Fletchinder was definitely determined to find the lost Pokemon, but she was terrified of witnessing any choices that would put the smaller Pokemon in danger, especially since they relied on the bird to keep them warm and safe. "Why don't we find someone who's awake and might know...? Like, uh..." she gestured with a flick of her wing to a slow-moving lump, "...that one over there?"

The Swinub nudged its way along the forest floor, digging its sniffling nose into the ground in search of food. While Sosio didn't recognize the icy Pokemon, she knew it seemed like far less of a dangerous option than the giant slumbering creature. In haste, the long-legged bird lifted her legs above the snow-covered ground, placing them back down again in a sort of high-kneed prance that allowed her to travel without trudging. The snout-nosed pig paid no mind to her approach, however, and instead continued its search for food. Unable to grab its attention, Sosio turned to look at the others for help, gesturing with a small shrug in confusion for how to communicate with the creature. At least it was docile, though.

She did find a few items along the ground, however, that seemed to imply the earth was plentiful, but the swine was looking for something in particular. Maybe not just any food would do, but something especially delicious was the only thing to grab its attention. She held out the gummis she had found, but to no avail, as not even a confirming snuff in her direction to indicate the slightest interest in what she offered came from the pig.
"C'mon, little dude, we just need some help," she requested in her efforts, realizing that it might actually be a lost cause considering if it didn't even pay attention to her, why would it have noticed a different bird in the area?
"No luck," she reported to the others, returning by their sides. "Maybe there are still other Pokemon around though?"

”Yeeeah,” Cel echoed in agreement, not in a hurry to wake up the two sleeping ice-types. ”In my experience, it’s not a good idea to run around waking up sleeping pokemon in a mystery dungeon. You never know who’s friendly and who’s not.” he mumbled, speaking absently as he thought about their little predicament.

His first thought was that Sosio could take care of this problem pretty quick. As a flying-type, she could cover a lot of ground really quickly, scouting around for the client’s location. But seeing as she’d been waylaid by the snow as much as he and Darcy, he figured it was a bust—plus, it was probably hard to see through all the snowfall.

The eevee shook himself out, sending flakes of snow flying around him briefly as he cleared his coat. ”There’s definitely others around,” he said. ”Lots o’ pokemon live in these kinds of places. We just have to keep going and we’ll ask anyone that looks like they don’t want trouble.” Cel decided, feeling confident about it. It was a pretty boring resolution, but going around picking fights over something as silly as directions was just asking to get eaten by something bigger than you.

The response of the other Pokemon was not encouraging in the slightest. Of course, she hadn't figured that it'd be a particularly popular suggestion with the other two. The large, sleeping pokemon probably outweighed the three of them combined, and she had no clue what kind of moveset they had, not to mention their smaller pal. But she felt as though the mission required at least a bit of urgency, which put her in quite a predicament. But of course, it was no predicament at all, because Sosio seemed to find quite the suitable solution! Just... ask someone else. Someone not scary.

Or... Maybe not. Of course, things wouldn't be that simple. The Swinub didn't seem interested at all in what Sosio had to offer, and simply continued along in his task, slow and meandering. It didn't seem like it'd be much good if she tried to get through to him herself.  The Eevee shook the snow out of his fur, and the pink and cream cat followed suit unconsciously.

"Yeah, that much is true... I suppose you're right." The Skitty said, looking around to see if there was anyone else who might be of assistance to them. What an unfortunate stroke of luck, that it should be snowing right then. If it wasn't, it shouldn't have been too complicated for Sosio to help out, what with the ability to fly and all. But she couldn't, because it was snowing too hard. But it wouldn't do to wait either...

It was tough to see through the snow too. "It's only a matter of time before someone comes around to help us!" Darcy said brightly, as she extracted another cookie. "In the meantime, would you guys like another one?" She placed two on the snow before her, one for both of her companions. She couldn't eat, she had to look for someone to give them... well, at least somewhere to start, with any luck. Say... Was that a Delibird right there?

Sosio: {23}

Items:

Sosio appreciated that her idea was acknowledged, even by the very individual who suggested they do something she didn't want to. Even as she tried and failed to pull information from the porky Pokemon, the others were supportive and ready to continue searching. There was something about this that warmed her insides, even if it was just small sentiment.
"Plenty of Pokemon and plenty of places to look!" the fire-type chirped, hopping to the middle of the group, ready for action. As if in response to her positive attitude, a kind-looking bird approached shortly after.

Despite the frigid temperatures, the Delibird seemed to be traveling just fine, which was to be expected of a Pokemon who lived naturally in such a habitat. Excited, but certain not to get ahead of herself, Sosio danced in place as she hopped between legs, glancing excitedly at the others.
"I think that's our next chance!" she whispered harshly, her voice lowered into a gravelly yet highly-audible speech that barely passed as a whisper. The walking furnace would have gladly taken another cookie to fuel the fire, but any more sugar in her and she'd definitely be jumping off the—well, trees.

The gift Pokemon seemed to be approaching another, that which not even the long-sighted Fletchinder could make out in all the snow.
"C'mon, let's go ahead and ask!" Sosio recommended, quelled somewhat from her earlier burst of excitement while still certain the others were prepared to follow. Had she been more impulsive, she may have blasted ahead of all the others and left them in the dust with her tunnel vision—both a physical and psychological condition, on her part.

OOC//:

"I'm good, thanks," Celio chirped in response to Darcy's offer. Now that the newly-formed group had reached a consensus on what to do next, his grin had widened, and he strutted toward the pokemon in the distance with a skip in his step. Asking for directions was a reasonable solution, and if things went south with these guys, they could always dip out and beat a hasty retreat.

So he didn't act shy about things. As the eevee padded through the snow, he raised his voice and called out to the pokemon. "Hey, y'all!" The eevee even hopped up a bit into the air to accentuate his signaling of the other pokemon, and their heads quickly turned in response to the sudden uproar. It was a delibird and another creature that he didn't quite recognize. It was a bright yellow creature with purplish pink limbs, slender, lithe, and graceful. "You guys friendly? We got some questions if ya don't mind!" he called out, approaching the duo of pokemon cautiously but transparently.

The delibird showed a bit more caution than its friend, warily glancing at the fletching among them, but the other one didn't seem too threatened by Celio and his group. It shrugged and waved them over. Cel glanced back at his allies with a smile and took the invitation, silently but clearly gesturing for them to join him.