[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Now that Nathan's starting to see a potential solution, he's calming down a little.

"...the Scims took all of Keni's artwork, right?  He probably has cards depicting other locations that we could use if we could find where they're being kept.  They might be able to take us straight to where we need to go if we're fortunate..."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Oh, that's actually more than enough proof for Shiva, hooray. She forces herself to take deep breaths to not succumb. "Cards... artworks... Keni? KENI MUST BE THE KEY! Yes, it's possible that he has cards that might... take us to places we can go immediately, more True Cards..." She gives a short nod to Nathan. "W-well then, people... Shall we continue to wander into the lab then? Can't waste or loose...time, not now... This Card here..." She clenches the one she has found "...Only usable three times, but this should be enough to get it done...!

[Spiritmon]

Oh, that's actually more than enough proof for Shiva, hooray. She forces herself to take deep breaths to not succumb. "Cards... artworks... Keni? KENI MUST BE THE KEY! Yes, it's possible that he has cards that might... take us to places we can go immediately, more True Cards..." She gives a short nod to Nathan. "W-well then, people... Shall we continue to wander into the lab then? Can't waste or loose...time, not now... This Card here..." She clenches the one she has found "...Only usable three times, but this should be enough to get it done...!

"I think we should split up like I say (and I was completely ignore). Shiva, Spira and Terra go find the artefacts and I and Nathan go to rescue. We are more stealth and also less people attract less attention."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

"Nooooo, please... PLEASE no splitting up between us, we can't do that, we mustn't do that, the prophecy appears to have told so....!!" Shiva forcefully shakes her head, her long hair is flying into all directions and gets messed up more than it already is 24/7.

"I'd like to, prefer to....follow what Gallade thinks is a good idea, even if it's just a deduction....", she's almost sobbing as she shares that, cuddles Cottonee harder. "My dearest - is the time coming for us to head into the Skull Ruins? Even if we'd do with Keni's artistic help... Yena, Lilith... If we'll do, I'm SO glad to have both of you with me at the moment as well....!"

[Mikaruge108]

Spira is mostly listening to the options, then speaks up; "Just a sec, while it is true that if we split up here and tackled both options at once, that might ease things for us, but I feel like it'd be smarter to focus our attention on one thing at a time, and be less likely to muck up either thing."

[Dragonstrike]

Nathan sighs.  "...you're forgetting something, Shiva."  He pulls out the card that teleported them out of Mt. Sentry.  The Finished True Card that depicts Cress.

Yeah, he still has that.

At Heart's suggestion that they split up, Nathan responds with a firm, "No.  Absolutely not.  The Skull Ruins are the most dangerous place in the region.  Particularly the lower levels.  Venturing in there alone without proper preparation and/or numbers is bound to only end in disaster."

Nathan also sends a text to Terra saying much the same stuff.  'I'd rather not split us up when it involves going to the most dangerous place in the region.  Gallade reminded us that Keni's cards can Teleport us back to Cress no matter where we are, though.  The Ruins aren't far from there.  Using the cards, we might have enough time to do both the rescue mission and explore the Ruins.  We're going to continue with our original plans and notify you when we're getting out. And if I have to call in that favor I have...so be it. It's a last resort, though. I can only call them once.'

Nathan looks at Calam when all is said and done and a decision has been determined.  "...I think we've lingered here for long enough.  It's time to act, and quickly.  If Gallade thinks we can pull this off, I trust his judgement."

[Spiritmon]

"Alright then. After that arguments I think I can't disagree. Let's go then." Heart return Xatu and Honedge inside the Pokeballs. Ready to begin the stealth rolls @Iron!

[Iron]

Calam leads you to the northwest corner of Almanac.

Stealth time!

3 is the number to beat for the Fortress' passive defenses.

Spira:
(3)(1)(5)(1)(6)(4) (4)(1) Spira stumbles, but his ghosts help shroud him in a little more darkness.

Shiva:
(5)(5)(3)(5)(1)(2) (6)(3) The Baashaun boots make it pretty easy for Shiva. They work perfectly on the harsh rocky soil.

Nathan:
(4)(4)(2)(6)(1)(6) (4)(2)(1)(4)(1)(2) (6) Need I comment?

Heart:
(3)(4)(4)(5)(5)(3) (4)(5)(3)(6)(2) The resident stealth expert also has no trouble.


Calam jumps ahead and presses his horn against a particular segment of the grey wall. An Almanac logo lights up, and a Calam-sized hole slides open in the wall. Everyone can crawl through, Calam leading the way.

The tunnel descends to just below ground level. There are signs that people and Pokemon have passed this way, but the most recent was months ago. You find yourself in the basement of the Almanac fortress. It's a little nest, built in one corner of the rafters, reinforced with steel beams and divided up by curtains. A heap of cloth in one corner suggests a bed - Calam curls up in it with eyes opened wide. He's too big to fit now, but it's easy to imagine a young Infiltrator sleeping there years ago. He growls at a Rattata that has made its home there, making it skitter away past a chair, card table, and a chewed cardboard box.

This extra space was clearly put here during early construction, since pipes swerve to avoid it and it seems to be made from beams salvaged from other operations. You can probably guess it wasn't sanctioned at the highest level, though.

Pulling aside the curtain, you can see a thin beam leading to a mess of strung ropes. 20 yards below, there are stacks and stacks of crates, far as you can see in every direction. In the upward direction, pipes and ducts lead up, presumably into Almanac's workshops or offices. They probably lead to a few boilers and such, but you haven't laid eyes on those just yet.

[Dragonstrike]

Almanac Labs: Triangulum (Dead of Night version) - SMT: Devil Survior 2: Record Breaker

Nathan looks around the small, hidden room with interest.  "...so this is where you took up residence after you stayed in 2014, huh?  Must have taken some doing to pull the wool over the construction workers' eyes, I bet..."

And the fact that they're in the rafters as well is certainly quite interesting...must not have been easy for Calam to get up to this area from the basement's floor if the crates weren't stacked high enough.

Nathan looks down at the floor that's 60 feet below, at the ropes across the thin beam...hmmm...

He shakes his head.  "...well, unless someone thinks they've got a particularly good balancing act, I don't think we're reaching those ropes very easily.  If we want to get down, though, we could probably just have Gallade and Lilith use Telekinesis."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Shiva watches with interest how Dizzalam leads them 'through the wall' and into the basement, she has to recall all her Pokemon into their respective Balls to reach the latter. 'Slice of night shows hidden hall'.... It may not be meant literal and by no means detailes, but that's the line that crosses her mind as she makes it through this tunnel.

She's shivering upon arriving and letting her gaze wander across the basement, for some reason this place is giving her a lot of discomfort; and not because it's cold and unstable down here. This place the Infiltrator is calling his place, his bed - this catches much of her attention and she knees down to investigate it a bit closer. Touching it, stroking it even if the Absol allows. "Dizzy, dear one.... Ehm, if it's okay with you, I'll just adress you this way as that's what I'm used to call you." She coughs a bit, then faces him with seriousness, curiosity and interest in her eyes. "Is this the place you.....? Yes, but.... Did you choose this yourself or have the Almanac scientist...brought you here?"