[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

The damn rustling was still there, and it was silently making her very nervous. It coud mean anything, good and bad, but she wasn't inclined to find out unless it's inavoidable.

Soon enough, Ghastly came back and expressed eager to help them out. How pleasant to see! While Shiva was stiil wary of Ghastly being a Ghost and Poison Type, she trusted in Valder having his Pokemon under control. "Okay... Ghastly, you saw anything unusual, suspisous down the path or in general something that could pose a harm to us? A simple 'yes' or 'no' will be enough."

[Iron]

Gastly nods.

[Lord Windos]

"There might be a good way to choose which path to go" Valder said, not realizing he was talking out of the blue. "I could send Ghastly in advance, he can hide in the wall and/or stay in the shadows to see what's up ahead while being safe. And then. When he comes back we'll ask him simple yes or no questions to choose which way would be the better".

 Valder was cool on the outside, but on the inside, he was anxious and hopefull. He was definetely going to keep an eye out for any prisoners!

Ventus blinked a few time at that simple yet ingenious response from his mercenary, before an excited smile graced his face for the first time in what seemed to be hours. "Brilliant, Valder! Ghastly is the perfect scout to employ in this dank, dark, diabolical wizard coven! He can become incorporeal in the shadows, freely faze into and out of solid matter, or even use Hypnosis and Dream Eater to neutralize any individual guard before they even have a chance to react! You deserve an advance for this idea, so I'll be giving you $500 Poke once we leave this place, my friend! Now, let us send out your Ghastly to explore this place, and make our assault a far safer prospect!" he whispered excitedly to them, reaching out and using his empathy to find Valder's location in the dark, and clasping him on the shoulder. While the merc doesn't speak up often, what he does say is often quite insightful. Go Valder!

When Ghastly came back and Shiva began questioning, the researcher has one of his own : "Was their any Pokémon down the Skull path that would pose a significant risk to our health? If so, are they a particularly viscous species or not? If not, was there any devices, traps, or mechanisms you detected that could potentially cause harm to us? Are their any guards down that way, and do they look alert and armed? Answer each of these question individually with a yes or no, as I want as much specifics as possible on the path ahead, rather than a general sense of 'Danger'.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

... It seemed there indeed was something down the path with the skulls. Something...bad. Bad omen. But, on the other hand, what was there to expect in Base of the enemy? It was not like they wouldn't take actions against any intruders and unwanted visitors.

Stiil having one arm wrapped around one of Ventus' arm - for safety and comfort - she spoke out in what was not more than a whiper, clearly worried by Ghastly's respone. "Okay... What now? We could act bold and nevertheless head down the path, eventually we WILL run into something bad, sooner or later. That rustling down the other path gives me a very bad feeling, I'd rather...not investigate it..."

Before Ventus could answer though, Ghastly would respond to his questions. Better hear him and the ghostly Pokemon out before deciding.

[Iron]

"Was there any Pokemon down the skull path..."
*shakes head*

"Devices, traps, mechanisms..."
*shakes head* (Gastly may not understand complex human technology, but he would understand basic traps for sure)

"Are there any guards"
*nods calmly*

"Do they look alert and armed"
*Shakes head*

[Lord Windos]

"Was there any Pokemon down the skull path..."
*shakes head*

"Devices, traps, mechanisms..."
*shakes head* (Gastly may not understand complex human technology, but he would understand basic traps for sure)

"Are there any guards"
*nods calmly*

"Do they look alert and armed"
*Shakes head*

"Thank you for answering my question, Ghastly. If Valder permits, you, Raphael, and I could go out hunting sometime for Pokémon to put asleep, so that you can dine on their dreams as a reward for excellent work! Now, I have one more question for you: how many human guards are their? If their are less than 2-3, shake your head no, but if their is more than 3, shake your head yes. Afterwards, can you search the other path for those same dangers/threats I outlined to you, and I'll run through the same list of questions for you. In enemy territory, you can never have too much information, so could do this for us please?"

[Iron]

Gastly has to think about how to answer that one...that's a pretty complicated question.

But he eventually shakes his head no.

Gastly heads down the other path briefly, but quickly comes running back. It's clear he couldn't have had enough time to explore it.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

It was a little impressive to her how Ventus managed to stay cool and logical in this situation.

However, seeing that Ghastly practically came rushing back almost immediately from the path with the rustling - it only increased the bad feeling Shiva had about that path.

She looked at Ghastly, then moved her glance to Ventus. "Alright... That means there likely are just one or two persons down the path, right? We could...  try to put them to sleep with both Ghastly's Hypnosis or Raphael's Yawn before we head down the path. It's actually not allowed to use a Pokemon's move on a person, but...I see no other possibility. If we encounter them directly and possibly start a fight or battle, it will arise attention that we don't need nor want, least of all since they're seemingly still innocent about us."

[Lord Windos]

Gastly has to think about how to answer that one...that's a pretty complicated question.

But he eventually shakes his head no.

Gastly heads down the other path briefly, but quickly comes running back. It's clear he couldn't have had enough time to explore it.

The research is keen to pick up on this fact, and looks quite concerned about this...complication. "Was their a Pokémon down that way that could possibly detect you, and you had to retreat before you alerted them? Was their some arcance force/presence that repelled you and/or forced you to flee? And finally, which path seems 'safer', as relative as the term is down here, to not only you, but everyone single one of us? I trust your judgement Ghastly, so I also want your opinion on which path we should explore first. You did scout them out for all of us, after all, so you should have a say in which direction we should go."

[Lord Windos]

She looked at Ghastly, then moved her glance to Ventus. "Alright... That means there likely are just one or two persons down the path, right? We could...  try to put them to sleep with either Ghastly's Hypnosis or Apsis Glare before we head down the path. It's actually not allowed to use a Pokemon's move on a person, but...I see no other possibility. If we encounter them directly and possibly start a fight or battle, it will arise attention that we don't need nor want, least of all since they're seemingly still innocent about us."

He gave a small, comforting squeeze to Shiva, attempting once more to sooth her ramped up feelings distress and worry. "That is what I would suggest too, as its far better to use status to stun or incapacitate the wizards down here, rather than....'pacify all resistence' . I also have Raphael with Yawn and Sweet Kiss as well, so we can further disoriented and knock out any enemies safely. Lucifer could also be used in conjuction to further confuse the enemy and Frisk them for anything important on their person. Worst case scenario...things will get violent, but we will all endevour to avoid that outcome, alright?"