The Dark Complex

(OOC:):

[Energy: 31 - 20 (Dungeon entrance cost) = 11]

Yigo tore down enough of what it looked to be the ceiling of this new area with a Crush Claw, planks falling onto the cold stone floor, and allowing the faintest moonlight glimmer to become the first to breach inside. The Sandshrew followed soon after, dropping down from above and, after bracing the landing to avoid making much noise, he observed his surroundings.

Ruined didn't make this place justice, as dusty books, pieces of parchment, metal tools, and clothing of various kinds and utilities laid about. Cobweb cut any corners and covered in a thin layer much of the debris while the landing from above already had caused a small cloud of dust to spring like a Paras releasing spores at Yigo. The only benefit of this place was that it lacked the moisture of the misty hill, something that was already about to get Yigo to catch a cold or worse.

Yigo's ears rose, avoiding to sniff about for the moment due to the dust, but they were unable to sense anything. It's as if there was no life inside this hall. No wind that could disturb any light material, no flame that could flicker or breath that brought warmth to this chamber as lifeless as a grave.

At least, this all meant that the coast was clear and that it was safe for Deimos to enter. Yigo waved at the entrance he made for himself "It's safe" he whispered before continuing the examination. An old and worn ladder was the best mean of getting out that Yigo could find around, in case it was necessary, but it had also led his eyes into a much more disturbing discovery. Claw marks, on the walls, floor, gear... No bloodstains yet but this may mean that the explorers won't be alone on this one. What had happened here?

Deimos held his ground amidst the mist coated surface of the hill, his ghastly claws of spectral energy shining vigorously amidst the ever familiar ocean of white, trying with all their might to provide some small source of illumination to help cover the Shrew's descent into the unknown. Despite having agreed earlier to let Yigo lead the next into the next area, the grin upon his face was replaced with a cold, serious expression. The joy of his senses indicating the existence of something beneath the hill wasn't lost on the Absol, but as he glared down into the darkness below, it felt as if his fur was standing on end. Quietly providing what illumination he could, he waited for the all clear to descend personally. This new domain lurking beneath the familiar mist had already set his thirst for exploration into high gear.

Soon enough the all clear was provided. Cancelling out his signature spectral claws, the Absol descended without delay, leaping down into the dark abyss without a moment's hesitation. Landing inside the blackened abyss swiftly, kicking up a sudden typhoon of dirt and dust as the heavyweight of the two landed, the old rotten ground creaking under his heavier frame. Dust rapidly covered his ashen white fur, diluting the colour somewhat as the particles tickled his nose. Shaking his frame, he shook off the residue and moved a few steps forwards, out of the faint light from above and into a dark corner of the room.

"No guarantee there'll be any sources of light deeper in. Compared to moonlight up above it'll be much darker. Let's take a few minutes to get our eyes fully adapted to this darkness" He spoke up quietly towards the young explorer with a soft nod. A desolate facility shrouded in darkness, better to be completely prepared.

[Energy: 47-20 = 27]

The advice didn't go unnoticed, Yigo's eyes getting used to the amount of light, or lack thereof, in the dungeon. The disturbing imagery didn't seem to faze Deimos, who in this situation still managed to stay calm. But his entrance didn't come without a cost as the creaking of the wood under his landing had caused Yigo's ears to pick up a foreign noise further ahead into the dungeon. It was as if anything that was dwelling inside had sprung to life, hopped onto all fours and scattered like Rattata, whose footsteps' echoes produced a scratching and cracking sound.

Yigo took a step back, hoping that this didn't signal a turn for the ugly, and reminded himself that it was time to turn over the leadership to the more experience Pokémon. Alas, Yigo gave up the lead and would let the dusty beast to dictate where to go and how to act, all without saying another word in case it would alert some undesired Pokémon. Before they advanced, he checked what he was carrying again. A Lucky Ribbon he could use instead of his beloved Trap Scarf, a Reviver Seed, an Apple, a Tiny Reviver Seed that'd serve as a guarantee, some pebbles that could be used to create noise and lure Pokémon in or away, and his Crystal.

A single poke of his claw already made this last item glow in a faint light, similar to that of Deimos's signature move but in a golden hue instead. Before it could cause any issues, he hastily wrapped it up in his satchel and declared himself ready, trying not to think about the copious amounts of dust making his nose itchy at the moment. Perhaps if they move away from the cloud that they have created he can get rid of the feeling... hopefully.

Being no stranger to dark environments and the lack of light after spending the majority of his life living high in mountains and caves with his family, his eyes readjusted to the sudden abundance of darkness quickly. Only upon being fully adjusted did Deimos glance around the room further, noticing similar signs of desolation. Dust continued to tickle at his nose without end and the sudden sound of panicked movement from afar only served to put him further on guard. This facility was inhabited to some degree!

Waiting for a moment among the darkness in and listening intently for more movement, it seemed clear that at the very least their sudden arrival and descent had chased off their observer for the time being. Nodding in silence, he glanced over the shrew and quickly understood that the role of leader had been passed back without hesitation. Deimos couldn't blame him in the slightest given their grim surroundings and only one of the pair being a professional Scout. in the Shrew's position, he would have done the same.

The duo had descended into what appeared to be a large open corridor, with clear signs of goods, tools, belongings and more scattered around the path along with signs of conflict across the walls, as if people had been running from something. "Hmm... This looks to be an old facility, some place for studying or hiding out during conflicts maybe. Judging by the claw mark... Either internal conflict broke out or something broke in if i had to guess. Hard to say from here" Deimos murmured under his breath, numerous mental images flashing through his minds as he quietly observed the wreckage. Without any clear way to tell if something broke in or if the damage was from internal conflict, the Absol was more than prepared to remain on guard at all times. Mega Evolving in such an environment would draw a lot of attention, but whatever kind of savage left that mark, he figured it couldn't be weak.

Glancing back to Yigo, Deimos quietly motioned for him to come along, before slowly advancing down the corridor ahead. Reaching a proper chamber would probably yield more clues than some wild guesswork with so little.

Those mumbles from the Pokémon by Yigo's side were calming in a way. They seemed analytic and not panicked, while the shrew had a hard time keeping his heart from beating at a faster pace. His steps were silent, his eyesight already used to the darkness inside, at least enough to see around him. Deimos's words sparked an image in his mind, a hopeful one where scholars were being protected from Pokémon such as Rattata while they made their escape, or of adventurers using the wreckage as their playground by kicking it about to make fights more interesting while dust acted as tracers of swings or blasts.

It was good for the child's mind to imagine this as just another dungeon and not of a dark environment. Someone could have fun in here, probably. His gaze turned to Deimos. His mind could be worried and planning with caution, but how does his heart feel? If this is the first time he's been in here, is he as nervous as the shrew but with that excitement trying to burst through his calm facade? There are many trinkets around and, even if Yigo can't read much, Deimos can probably pick up a paper and find something about whoever lived here. Yigo looked around and found such a piece lying around. It won't hurt to leave Deimos's side for a second.

A sidestep to the spotted piece of parchment, a quick hold in his mouth which twisted it, cracked the old document before he nudged Deimos's hind leg with his nose, wanting him to take attention at it. He didn't think it'd be anything special, but he was curious about it and wanted Deimos to consider checking out what was lying around and perhaps relax about the surrounding noises. Who knows, maybe it contains useful information... or ends up being trivial and useless.

Not daring to lower his guard for a single moment as he pushed forwards, he advanced through the corridor at a relaxed pace, passing scrap after scrap scattered along the corridors along the way, along with the occasional claw like gouges along the walls. Despite being an explorer first, He didn't recognize the claw shapes along the walls, locations being more of his forte over species. "Odd that the marks are just on the walls. Almost like something was running along them specifically... an Aradios or Galvantula with slashing moves perhaps. Can't say for certain" He quietly theorized once more.

Despite the potentially dark fate of the original residents quietly brewing in his mind, his attention was quickly drawn by the Shrew leaving his side for a moment, reaching for some parchment with clear intent. Soon enough Yigo nudged the dusty giant, trying to offer it for investigating. Not a bad idea really, considering reading was definitely in a scouts ballpark. "Hold onto it for the moment. Let's get to somewhere that gives us a bit more room to maneuver than a tight corridor first. That way if something does appear we won't be blocking each other" He spoke with a soft nod. Would be nice to find a table at the very least.

After spending a few more minutes quietly advancing down the dark corridor, the end of the corridor entered his sight, signs of some for of barricading attempt being evident. shattered wooden boards and bent, rusty nails were scattered past the exit, leading into the corridor and towards the duo. "Look's like something broke in from here... Smells nasty" He spoke softly as he pushed on carefully, not wanting to get impaled through the paw by forcefully stepping on one of the nails. Even from within the corridor, a rancid smell exuded from the chamber ahead, accompanied by the tell tale signs of mold. Pausing in the doorway, his eyes began to scan around the chamber intently. Long tables crisscrossed the room, coated with mold, filth and rotting wooden trays and accompanied by the stench of rotting slop... A cafeteria perhaps. What caught his attention the most however was the layout of the tables closest to the duo, thrown onto their sides with clear slash marks within them, as if they'd been piled up before the entryway as a temporary barrier.

The theory about the marks of the walls was intriguing. Yigo would have imagined that they were strikes that had missed but not only were there too many of them but that it would explain the webs cluttering corners and covering gear. It also served as a warning. Depending on how old the cobwebs are, they may still be poisonous or electrically charged.

The pursuit of a more comfortable place to examine what Yigo was carrying had brought the team to a room in a much more desolate look. His nose was picking up a nasty smell that caused his mind to spin for a moment. It was not to the point of being nausea-inducing but it was noticeable and more than annoying to the point that he was already longing for the Pricklemist breeze. His mind cleared of that thought when he noticed Deimos slowing down in front of him when he was entering this new chamber. A quick examination revealed that the floor was littered in small spikes, the entrance at least, which would damage Deimos's paws. Yigo's paws were padded in that brick-patterned hide that made it a lesser issue for him but it sure caused the ground type to raise an ear. Unfamiliar to the idea of a barricade, all of this looked so foreign to him. Entering what appeared to be a mess hall only brought more questions. Why was everything piled so close to the doorway? Wouldn't that make it all that difficult to enter or come out?

These Mystery Dungeons made no sense sometimes and, perhaps next time, the layout would be more accessible and sensitive.

On the other hand, the stench issue only got worse from here. Leaving a berry for more than a week would already produce some worrying scent, but this feels as if whole winter stockpiles were exposed for years. Dust and filth were a regular sight, covering the tables and the floor and whatever laid past the one table with trays on it could stay a mystery as far as Yigo was concerned. Refusing to place the parchment anywhere on this room, he whined in denial as if to express his dislike with this room. Could they perhaps keep advancing until they find something else? Even returning to the hallway would be okay for the ground type.

PrimordialPrim carried out 10 launched of one Forsaken Complex :

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"Well that's quite unpleasant... Maybe... Skip this room" Deimos remarked with a soft sigh, originally having planned to just set down at the next table the duo came across, but such a stench was not in his plans. Zygarde knows what one would contract from just touching all that filth! He couldn't agree more with Yigo's response. Definitely skipping this area.

Carefully stepping into the rotten mess hall, Deimos began to glance around in further depth, spotting another two entrances into the chamber. One at the far end of the room, probably leading deeper into the structure and the one he figured it'd be better to check first originally. That thought was dashed however by the peculiarity of the other. Most of the facility was walled in old wood, yet this entrance was different. It appeared as if something had carved out a path straight into the depths of the misty hill itself, a feat which immediately drew his wholehearted attention. Theories quickly came and went within his mind as he unleashed his senses to probe the passage... Rumbling?

Deimos continued to probe the passage with his senses for a short while longer, before his eyes opened wide and he moved away from the duo's entrance, motioning for Yigo to do the same. The night had been quiet when up on the hill's surface, with no noticeable reaction by his disaster senses, but now they were screaming to take cover. "Away from the nails and stay close. There's a quake coming!" He spoke up urgently. There had been reports of quakes near the town but, being based in a dungeon and rarely trekking to towns, Deimos had kept the phenomena off his radar. Now that one was suddenly forming without any prior warning, alarm bells were ringing in his mind. Only one possible conclusion made sense. These's were manually made!

Blade12 carried out 4 launched of one Forsaken Complex :

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[Energy: 11 - 34 (Rolls) => 0]


As much as Yigo wanted to have Deimos enter the mess hall by himself and save himself the hassle of getting closer to the moss, dust, and whatever may be causing the stench, if by any chance any event takes place, sticking together was the safest strategy. At least Deimos agreed with Yigo's opinion of the room and he too was thinking of moving past it. Hesitantly, he decided to stick close, paying attention to the environment to see if there was anything else of note. This room seemed to have two additional entrances, one that appeared similar from where they had entered, save for the lack of barricading attempts. On the other hand, the remaining way had no decoration or walling at all. A tunnel dug out from the side as if it had never been part of the dungeon in the first place. Ominous.

His examination was brought to a halt when Deimos turned to him, a worried look in his eyes, ordering him to stay away from the entrance and to stick close to him. Yigo obliged, rushing to the side of the Absol and curling into a ball. The nature of the disaster proved to be of his element but Yigo could do little against the quakes that shook the whole dungeon.  Adding this to the distant screeches and claw marks, it made it clear that this dungeon was not going to be an easy exploration. Fortunately, the tremors were short-lived and caused little damage, the walls of the dungeon holding the strain and refusing to collapse.  

Curling out and getting back on all fours, Yigo's expression changed to one of worry. This place was starting to get him, causing him some fear for the duo's safety. He dropped the piece of paper and picked it up in between his front paws as he sat down "It h-has passed..." He looked up to the Absol, wanting to see in his expression some semblance of certainty and determination "I-If the ceiling collapses... I-I'll dig us out, okay?" Or so he hoped. He poked his claws one against the other and tried to relax. Noticing that the paper was still in between his claws, he returned it to his mouth and waited for the march to resume.

It was then when a bright flash illuminated the room while the sound of building electricity and static roared down from the hallway ahead that continued the dungeon. First lightning, then thunder, and at last, a rusty, malfunctioning, and charged Magnezone floating into the mess hall. Its movements were erratic, unable to maintain a balance as it hovered, tilting up and down, seemingly losing power for a fraction of a second before compensating for the lost height and even crashing into one of the walls once, causing a second spark.

"DAMAGE SUS#$%@+D!  P@#WE1 LEVELS..." Its voice seemed to come and go, lost in a voice so obfuscated that I may have just been noise. A spark could be seen again, coming near its left antenna. A small electric orb stuck beside it caused the Magnezone to shriek and crash against the frame of the hallway.

For a second time, it crashed, this time against the doorway. The room shook and, hidden amidst the cracks of the ceiling, a yellow, sparky bug pounced onto the right wing of the Magnezone, digging its claws into the rusty steel and glowing like the orb from the left side of the Steel type.

"#$D3R 4TT@€CK...!  =¿P"OYING C@#&TE%ME=/#%@ES!" This provoked more energy to gather thaN the tiny parasites could absorb in time. A full Discharge which caused the Joltik to shake but continue holding onto each side of the Magnezone. Yigo saw this and tried to stand in front of Deimos to try and shield his partner from the electric shock. The electricity that reached the ground type instantly died out as it failed to find a surface through which it could travel, but the Discharge was spread too wide for Yigo to be able to absorb all of the overcharge.

The sudden quake passed just as quickly as it came, causing little damage all things considered, mostly just shaking trays of rotten slop from the tables, spilling their filth around the floor, fortunately away from the duo. Deimos let off a soft sigh, signs of further quakes vanishing from senses. Usually if it would be an earthquake there'd be aftershocks that would register, yet none appeared, only furthering his suspicion of the phenomena being manually created.

"I appreciate it. No signs of an aftershock, not even a tiny one. Definitely leaning towards it being manually created in some manner, a native outside the facility maybe" He remarked, letting off a soft a soft sigh as he glanced around the post shock room. Other than the filthy tables, the only thing of note appeared to be an open counter from where it must have been served, still standing without much damage. No gouges like the other tables and walls.

As he began to move over to investigate, his vision paused at the other entrance deeper into the facility, the sound of something metallic smashing into walls echoed out, drawing his attention immediately. Preparing to duck into cover at the soonest sign of attack, a large metal object flew into the room in clear distress. A Magnezone being feasted on by some small yellow insect, seeming as if it was trying to suck it dry, an assumption only furthered by it's distorted, anguished cry.

Electricity began to gather across the entities surface as Yigo dived in front, as if to shield the larger pokemon. Seeing how the small Shrew would be fine regardless, Deimos quickly dived behind the counter, keeping his head down as a torrent of electricity blasted around the room, singing the fur on his back. Keeping his head low, Deimos noticed a small locked cupboard and tore it open without hesitation, Must be something good if it's locked up surely?

"Couple rocks, some metal spikes... Berries? One's that don't stink? Odd... Is this area itself a dungeon, creating resources?" Deimos mused as he glanced at the contents, before shaking his head, grabbing a pair of thorns and rising up to glare at the offenders. Carefully setting the pair of thorns on the desk, Deimos flicked them towards the yellow Parasites without hesitation. Better to save the one that actually talks!

[Energy: 27 - 10 = 17]

Noticing how Deimos rushed behind some cover, Yigo decided that it was best if he did the same. The attempt at a barricade had left many tables against one of the walls, behind which the Sandshrew could hide until a better opportunity presented itself. That thing hovered, which caused Yigo to think that'd make his earthquakes useless if he even wanted to attempt using one in the first place. Moreover, noticing the steel plating of the unidentified flying object informed Yigo that all of his attacks would yield little to no results as clawing at it or even crashing into it in a boulder would not be very effective. The only thing he thought he could do is wait for Deimos to have a better plan while he draws its fire towards himself.

Now Deimos seemed to have found something interesting. From the edge of his peripheral vision, the Sandshrew saw a thorn thrown with great accuracy, hitting one of the small bugs feeding on the steel type and making it groan and cry. The second one hit the one on the opposite edge of the Magnezone, which gave it enough power to slam itself against the wall and have one of the electrovores fall off and run away. Finally free of one of the pests! Yet the other one, the one that Deimos hit first, had enough time to regain its footing and stay around. Furthermore, the Magnezone itself started eyeing the counter, where the thorns were shot from.

"NEW THREAD DE&%#[ED! PREP@R\?G MIRROR S#@T!" The machine Pokémon said out loud. The extra energy from the lack of that tick allows the magnets to spin at a faster rate, their still shiny surface reflecting light until a sphere was formed. As it was about to be released, a blast of sand crashed into the Magnezone, distabilising the Magnezone enough for the attack to be misdirected, missing by many feet over the counter.

"O-Over here! There's nothing there!" Yigo said, waving an arm, afraid at the prospect of being at the opposite end of steel type moves. Nevertheless, if anyone can effectively deal with this issue, it'll be Deimos. He'd just have to try and dodge.

"¿@REAT IDE@T$FIED! - COMENCI#@ RETALIATION!" The Magnezone continued, facing the Sandshrew. Meanwhile, on the Magnezone, the bug struggled to keep itself in its advantageous spot, grunted, and decided to leave, hopping off of the Magnezone and trying to skitter away. They had an easy source of food, ruined by these adventurers that they'd rather not fight against and, more importantly, the Magnezone seems not to have noticed them. They can fight each other and the Joltik will just wait for the spoils.

Seeing that the pair of thorns struck home with varying effect and his position had been revealed, Deimos ducked back into cover, deciding to leave the remaining items for the time being. Better to resolve the current threat before looting after all. The floating entity seemed to speak once more in it's garbled, distorted tone, proving difficult to translate accurately. New thread? No, probably meant new threat! Perhaps this Pokemon was an old sentry of some form that patrolled the facility back when it was in use.

Regardless of whatever function it served, it took generosity in helping get it's attackers off of it as a danger and turned to strike against it's supposed saviors. Staying low behind the counter as cover, Deimos heard some form of energy blast striking up above, being coated by falling dust and fragments of rotting wood that fell in response. Quietly shaking his head to clear off the residue, Yigo had sounded off, drawing the metallic sentries attention, granting more than enough time to prepare.

As the Magnezone turned to focus on the Shrew, Deimos pounced into action, lunging over the counter as the familiar sensation of strength rallied to his claws as he broke into range. With Super Luck unleashing it's energy full force, he struck out with Night Slash, intending to send this floating pest straight back down to earth. Yigo had a talent for destroying targets on the ground after all, so Deimos was more than happy to give the shrew it's time to shine!


[Super Luck roll for Night Slash: 19]

With the Steel type's sights on him, Yigo could do little more than to prepare for its next strike. To try and make it harder for it to aim, he started running around the mess hall, often heading behind tables and chairs for partial cover and trying to change direction to confuse it. However, with his energy source untouched at last, it could gather all of his energy. The three cores started to prepare each their own type of attack. The left core gathered heat, the right core gathered frost and the center started charging up electricity. While Yigo would have been unaffected by the main lightning strike, the mixture of elements neutralized the attack's weaknesses.

"TRI ATTACK!" It announced, it's magnets rising so as to release the three attacks and, while the Sand Attack had shaken its sensors, this attack had hit true through ruined wood that shattered without offering any resistance. Yigo cried in pain, falling to the floor as his legs gave in to weakness, but the attack was short-lived. While trying to target the Sandshrew, the guardian had given its back to the counter. That mistake would cost him the battle, as the hiding Absol had not only pounced him into the ground, causing a greater dust cloud while the wooden floor shattered and the only material that could have softened the landing was the growing mold, but it had dug its claws deep into the machine at a critical spot.

Sparks jumped off of the steel type while alarm sounds drowned the static and malfunctioning speech. A last attempt at a Discharge to bring Deimos down with it? Luckily, Deimos's hopes were in his eyes. Yigo glanced at him, seeing his friend coming in to the rescue, and drew as much strength as he could. He had to stop the Magnezone from retaliating, from harming his partner. Still in pain, he rose to his feet and took advantage of this unique opportunity that Deimos had provided. In a quick move and with an accompanying battle cry, Yigo crashed his claw against the wooden floor, who shattered at the contact and causing a fissure that traveled to the Magnezone's position. Upon contact, the fissure made the floor collapse as if there had been an explosion, the metal surface in touch with the floor shattering Super Effectively.

The charging electricity stopped, and the eyes of the Magnezone turned into red glowing crosses indicating that the Steel Type had fainted. The battle was over.

Seeing this, Yigo fell back onto the ruined floor, holding his hind leg with both claws and observing an open wound coated in a mixture of scorched hide and frostbite. He whined in pain, almost wanting to cry. If Deimos hadn't stopped the attack, this could have been so much worse "D-Deimos...?" He spoke, afraid of upsetting the explorer for getting hit like this yet barely able to hold himself from whimpering "A-Ah... I got hurt..."

Quickly jumping back after slamming the hostile Mon into the floor, Deimos let off a soft sigh as the Shrew decimated the targets remaining attempt at resistance. Taking a seat as the target was obliterated, Deimos focused the remaining energy from super luck, channeling it into a swords dance, his claws and horn sharpening and lengthening slightly in temporary response. As the Magnezone's remaining screams of resistance died down, Deimos shook his head before maneuvering around the scene of destruction and advancing towards the wounded companion.

With the Shrew's emotional state clearly devolving from the nasty looking wound, Deimos paused before the shrew and carefully checked the remaining items in his bag, before fishing out a berry, the singular one he kept with him in reserve for emergencies. Passing the berry to the shrew, Deimos let off another sigh, before shaking his head and glancing back the way they'd came. "Eat up and get your strength back. For now we've discovered this location exists and done a small check for danger and it came up that there's territorial entities here. I'd recommend retreating for now and coming back later with more support." Deimos spoke, turning his gaze to sweep the room once more after rolling out a special stone from his bag.

With one explorer wounded, strong guardians and roaming parasites just waiting to suck the unwary dry to feed their attackers along with Zygarde knows what else, escaping felt like the most sensible course of action. That peculiar entrance the man made quakes would have to wait. "Best case scenario in my opinion? Find someone capable of healing others to lend a hand for a thorough inspection. With the source of the local earthquakes uncovered it shouldn't be too difficult to gather people to help as it does have a noticeable effect on those living nearby. If something is causing those quakes manually, or even just on accident as it roams around it's home, i doubt it'll be anything weaker than the guardians here. Probably even stronger if the guardians haven't directly wiped out the troublemaker personally."