Home 24: A house in this market?

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

The hoblin stares at Commissar for one terrified moment, then runs away crying.

"Uuuh hu hu hu! You is so mean!" it blubbers as it flees the battle.

Ghost hurries over to the cage and smashes the lock off, allowing the two pokemon inside to escape!


*makes grateful gestures*


"Wow, you guys are life savers!"

One swirl of light later, and they're off to safety. Is there a pokemon village Inside somewhere? Khannie is really wondering now...

She hurries over to Commissar, putting a hand on his back.


"Hey, how are you doing? (A)
Do you think you can keep going?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quest]


”Did...did I do good, Ghost?” the canine Pokémon asks, falling over again.
He seems to be bleeding pretty badly.
Did Khannie bring medical supplies?

Or did she grab her costume and run out without thinking about preparation?

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quest]

Pfft.

What kind of lousy super-hero do you take her for?

Ghost pulls a little cylinder off her belt, depresses a button on the side, and smacks the thing into Commissar's hip. The device makes a loud hissing noise as one of the glowing green indicators on the side of the device goes dark. The pokemon should find a potent cocktail of healing agents flowing through him! This isn't some spray bottle potion. This is the good stuff. Ghost had discovered the device in the same ruins where she had found the rest of her super-awesome equipment. Having a little device that can heal you good as new a couple times is invaluable!

Even if she has to scrounge around to find healing kits to re-supply it afterwards.

But thankfully the robo-goblins in the ruins aren't very tough.

She can take 'em!

All by herself!


"You did good, but don't run ahead of me like that, okay? (A)
Dungeons are dangerous and this is your first time in one."

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

Commissar perks up, good as new.
Khannie probably will not accept doggy-kisses, even if he tries.

”It’s a good thing they only took Pokémon that fit in the cages they had huh? (A)
Where to next?” he asks, seemingly brushing off the criticism.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

Ghost is successfully licked.

Commissar's breath still smells like gross egg farts, but Ghost does her best to suffer through it.


"Let's check one last room. (A)
We still haven't found the treasure."

It has GOT to be something important, right?

This is her first quest, so there's gotta be something that puts her on the main quest line.

Back out into the halls, back into the final chamber...

And it's... empty?

Or so it appears.

Plenty of stalagmites for goblins to hide behind.

Plenty of alcoves and crannies for traps to be hidden within.

No cages filled with prisoners.

But most importantly?

There's a great big treasure chest! That's got to be it.

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

If Khannie would like to brush Commissar’s teeth, she is welcome to.
Commissar doesn’t really know why Khannie is so sure there’s a treasure, but he’s willing to roll with it.

The houndour sets about sniffing around the room, sleuthing for anything hidden in this deceptively(?) empty room.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

Ghost begins to cautiously approach the chest.

This feels like a trap...

Commissar smells...

Goblins.

Magic.

And death.

Something in here is seriously wrong.

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

This isn’t...right. At all. Something is not right about any of this. But he can’t tell what it is.

”Ghost, its a trap! Don’t touch it!” he urges her, jumping up after her.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

Ghost glances up just in time for a tremendous impact to utterly obliterate the chest. If she hadn't hesitated...

The shockwave sends Ghost bouncing across the floor until she slams into with a unpleasant sounding thump and a cry of pain. She immediately begins fumbling for her injector, one of her arms limp.

And the source of the impact?

"Huh huh huh... puny little poke-ee-mans. You be crushes into jelly," bellows a hoblin at LEAST three times the previous one. She's holding a huge wooden club with a glimmering crystal set into the end, its tip flashing with malignant magic. She raises the staff on high and begins gathering power, causing the lights in the room to dim even as the crystal's glow flares to a magnesium white flame.

Whatever it is about to do?

It is probably bad.

Commissar might want to disrupt it.

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

Commissar is not a particularly large dog. But if there is anything dogs are good at, one of them is ignoring the size discrepancy between themselves and anything threatening them.
So obviously Commissar’s first response is to bark at the hoblin. And then take a deep, deep breath.
And shoot a lot of fire at it.

And when that inevitably fails to run up and bite it on the hand with its stupid magic weapon thing.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

Ghost slams the injector into her thigh, sending its healing concoction coursing through her, her arm righting itself with a sickening snap.

And then flamethrower!

Sheets of flame wash over the giant hoblin, but the flames part as they meet the arcs of magic roiling across the end of the staff.

"Huh huh huh. Yous dumb magic is too weak! You all be crushes!" she bellows as she levels her staff at Ghost-!

-just in time for Commissar to leap up and chomp the monster's hand.

The arc of raw power goes wide, blasting into the wall mere inches from Ghost and sending a surge of wild magic coursing through her from proximity alone.

This is followed by a loud POP like a bursting lightbulb as the pendants hanging around her neck shatter in a spray of glittering dust.


"NOOO! AGUH!"

Khannie clutches her arms around herself as she doubles over, her form rapidly shrinking.

"UGH! Stupid dog! You go crushes!" the hoblin bellows as she gives her her arm a flick, aiming to toss Commissar into the air. Should that work, she'll haul back and aim to swat him with the staff as if he were a softball.

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

You would think that some time today Commissar would catch a break.
But this time is not that time.
The houndour gets batted around like a toy, making a nice sized crater in the wall, and drops to the floor with hardly a whimper.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

Khannie struggles a bit, taking a few moments to disentangle herself from her Ghost outfit which is now WOEFULLY mis-sized for her.

And under that suit?

A very angry looking kangaskhan joey.


"You broke it... (A)
You broke my pearl! (A)
Rraaaaawh!"

And with that she goes dashing across the floor, leaps over a club swing, and plants a fist square in the hoblin's cheek!

The hoblin doesn't appear to care at all.

"Huh huh huh... stoopid little poke-ee-man. You is too weak to hurt me with poke-ee-man punches," she bellows before effortlessly swatting Khannie away.

Not one to go down easily, Khannie lands in a roll, popping up to her feet. A sly smile tugs at the corner of her mouth.


"I wasn't trying to hurt you with a punch."

Then the plasma bomb she had stuck to the hoblin's head detonates, causing the towering brute to howl in pain.

With the monster distracted, Khannie runs over to Commissar.


"You had better not be dead, we're a super hero team, remember?"

[billtodamax]

Driving Nigel

The folder is left to wait until after he has something alcoholic in his hand. Something recognisably alcoholic. To that end he digs through the bar until he has all the parts to fashion himself a bloody mary (or, if it's woefully understocked, just a gin and tonic).

Once he has a drink ready he gives the folder a quick once-over, rolls his eyes, and has a look at the clothes Kramolagh has picked out for him. He does not have high hopes. Still, without much of a choice he'll put on the clothes provided (although any unnecessary frippery will be left in the car).

[Murkus]

Sagittarius Towers - Night

When Tina comments on the scariness, Cantata immediately starts typing, anxious to quell those worries. Well, not exactly. I don't just look at someone and know instantly what you're feeling at the moment, not unless I focus on it. She pauses, glancing away as she grasps for the right words and metaphors to describe her abilities. It's more like how people sometimes describe a room as feeling tense or charged with emotions, but amplified. I can't help but perceive these little tinges from those around me, whispers of happiness or sadness or what-have-you, and sometimes when there's enough people, like in a party, it can kind of bleed into my own mood. The request catches her off-guard, and she pauses and hesitates before nodding and closing her eyes, reaching out mentally to read the beauty's general mood.

After a long moment, Cantata opens her eyes slowly, and gentle blue glow fades from her irises. I can sense... curiosity, but mostly anxiety, nervousness. A rosy hue warms her cheeks as she tries to pretend that those feelings were all she sensed. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to avoid any questions, I just felt I had to tell you about this, it felt... disingenuous not to.

[Sagittarius Towers - Night]]

"Aw, honey, that sounds sucky. I've got enough of a rollercoaster going on in here without other people's moods bleeding over into mine," says Tina, making a rising and falling gesture next to her temple."Curiosity, huh? Well I guess that's not wrong..." Fettina rubs her chin as she peers into Cantie's eyes. She lets that gaze linger a moment. "Hey, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. It's not like it's really invasive or anything, and you don't have full control over it."
"Now," says Fettina, hopping her hips closer on the couch until she's nearly in Cantie's lap, getting her face very close to the poor songstress'. She tries to slide a hand onto Cantie's cheek. "Tell me who hurt you so I can go kick their ass."

[Sagittarius Towers - Day]

"Th-there's a difference?" Rein asks, wide eyed and innocent looking. Surely burgle and rob and looting are all the same thing right?

Regardless, Rein's face falls into a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry. That must have been very terrifying. That violation and loss of feeling secure is not something I would wish on anyone," He says quietly, understanding the feeling.

He suspects Tina doesn't want to dwell on it though, so moves along quickly enough. "There's a whole cabal involved? That's unfortunate. Though it's good you know who did it. Tellysandra was it? Some, not all, but some curses end when the person who cast it perishes."

[Sagittarius Towers - Day]

"It's okay. I'm over it. I swear," Tina assures, just as she slams a drawer in the kitchen a little hard. She shudders and shakes her head, just trying to listen... then her eyes widen.

"Wait, if I Telly eats it, this stupid angel bod goes away?" Tina perks up, clapping her hands together. "Oh my gods! I got it! I'm gonna hire MERC to kill Telly! They hate her anyways!" Tina perks up, wings spreading.

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

Commissar whimpers as Khannie goes up to him.

”Everything hurts. (A)
You got any more magic goop?”

he moans, apparently not able to move much with all those broken bones.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

Khannie slams the injector home, causing the third, and last, green indicator to go out.


"That's the last one. (A)
Try not to get clobbered again."

Then?

She turns her attention to the giant hoblin.

The bomb has ruined half the monster's face, which appears to have done little more than made her really angry. And she was pretty angry to begin with. But before it was an arrogant sort of angry. Now it's a murderous rampage sort of angry. With a bellow, the monster charges our heroes and hefts her club with clear and smashy intent.

Khannie scoops up Commissar and darts away, narrowly avoiding the stone-shattering blow while raking her now crackling baton along the monster's arm.

She REALLY needs to find a way to resize her gear. With her dashy boots that would have been an EASY dodge.

[CosmicHobbit]

Oliver searches their face for deception. Having lied quite a bit and learned how to disguise markers of doing it, he knows how to look for those markers. While doing this though, Oliver simply says, "Thanks, though I guess I should wait to say that until the boss gets back."

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests

Commissar takes a deep breath and ROARS again.

"YOU DON'T EVEN FIT IN THE HALLS! HOW'D YOU GET IN HERE?" He booms.
Commissar used EXISTENTIAL QUESTION! He also wriggles out of Khannie's grip so he can stand on his own.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]

"Ugh? What? How fit?"

The HOBLIN is CONFUSED!

With a great flailing blow, the hoblin manages to completely miss Khannie and instead strikes the ceiling, causing a stalagtite to dislodge and drop onto her head with a resounding thud.

The HOBLIN hurt itself in its confusion!

Khannie takes the opportunity to blast the hoblin in the ribs with a jolt of lightning from her pistol, causing the monsters to twitch and sizzle.

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

Now that the Hoblin is confused, Commissar goes to make it even more off-balance, by aiming its FLAMETHROWER at the monster's feet, which is probably harder to defend with its weird staff thing.

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quest]

"Ugh stoopid poke-ee-mans burning feet! You all be crushes!" the hoblin bellows as raw magical power begins gathering around the crystal again.

Khannie doesn't wait.

She takes aim with her pistol and sends a flurry of comet-like bolts smashing into the stone.

With a sound like a thunderclap, the gem shatters into a cloud of prismatic dust.

"WAAAAAAAAGH!!"

The hoblin appears to be displeased by this.

[Deathkeeper]

Starting Quests]

Well, there goes the magical defense.
You know what that means?

Commissar can now spray fire at the hoblin ad-nauseum without being impeded with defensive wards. So he does so. Why get close to something when you can spray fire all over it?

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quest]

Welp.

The hoblin is even MORE on fire now.

"GRUH! Me... me crushes! Puny poke-ee-mans!" she bellows, aiming a wide sweep of her ruined club at our heroes.

Khannie isn't having any of that, though! She leaps onto the club, runs up the giant's arm, and plants a haymaker right between her eyes!

Ka-POW!

With a groan the hoblin topples over backwards with a thud as a much fancier looking treasure chest appears in a swirl of light!


"We did it! We won!"

Khannie pops the chest open and pulls out... some weird little blocky thing? It immediately latches onto her pistol and incorporates itself into the device.


"Oooh, a charge upgrade! (A)
We really did good here, Commissar. (A)
We saved those other pokemon (A)
AND I found an upgrade! (A)
I wonder what this thing is, though?"

She pulls out a weird slab of stone that was ALSO sitting inside the chest.

Huh...

Is she starting to glow a little bit?

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]



"You said upgrade twice. (A)
Is there anything for me?" He asks her.
Oh, she appears to be getting shiny.

"Is it magic?"

[Rebonack]

[Starting Quests]


"There are some black glasses in here. (A)
They look pretty shady. (A)
Maybe they're for Dark-Types?"

Khannie doesn't have much time to contemplate the wisdom of wearing shades indoors, because she's being consumed by particles of shining blue-white light! Slowly she lifts up into the air as the glow surrounding her rapidly intensifies!


"I'm... I'm-!"

And then in a brilliant flash, she's changed.

Taller, lankier, with that distinctive middle-stage look. The awkward teen pokemon between cute baby and imposing adult. Her armor plates have grown in, but they're a dark purple featuring ghostly swirls and and spiraling wisps. Her head plate, likewise, is purple and sports Haunter-style horns and spikes running from it down the back of her neck.

Congratulations! Your Kangaskhan evolved into... something else?

[Hattish Thing]

Driving Nigel

The folder is left to wait until after he has something alcoholic in his hand. Something recognisably alcoholic. To that end he digs through the bar until he has all the parts to fashion himself a bloody mary (or, if it's woefully understocked, just a gin and tonic).

Once he has a drink ready he gives the folder a quick once-over, rolls his eyes, and has a look at the clothes Kramolagh has picked out for him. He does not have high hopes. Still, without much of a choice he'll put on the clothes provided (although any unnecessary frippery will be left in the car).

Fortunately, the portable bar is quite well-stocked, carrying, even, a number of unlabeled tonics which Nigel's expert eye likely recognizes as rare and exotic synthetic poisons. The alcoholic beverage of his choice is easily manufactured, the choice ingredients likely resulting in an overall pleasant experience.

The suit, eerily enough, is perfectly tailored to Nigel, and happens to be little more than a dignified tuxedo suit.

--

Mr. Bloch, only identified by the poorly written nametag upon his chest, remains silent.

[Shadowcaller]

[Tieflings and Vampires and Sneks Oh My]

Valerie grins and chuckles, nervously but relieved too. "Great, great." She puts her free hand over Astrana's and turns her face to kiss Astrana's hand. "You're amazing, you know that? I'm... basically ready whenever. As ready as I'll ever be." Her voice is trembly, nervous and excited all in one.

[Tieflings and Vampires and Sneks Oh My]

Astrana smiles calmly, Val was so eager that it was hard giving her any kind of bad news at this point. "Val, you know this won't be easy. Considering it's almost the weekend though, we could do it then. I will need a day to prepare, but you're the one that are going to have to do the hard part here I'm afraid. The entities we will reach out to are not especially nice and they don't like the fourth tower so you will have to be the one doing the negotiations."

[Deathkeeper]

[Starting Quests]

Oh no! Khannie can’t be a teenager! She’s only ten!
Commissar doesn’t seem worried about this horrible existential problem.

"Oh! You got bigger! Big Boss will think you’re adorable."
Actually he’ll probably scream because he went for a walk for one day and suddenly his daughter and girlfriend and dog started changing.

But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

[Gullara]

[Tieflings and Vampires and Sneks Oh My]

"Ah, right. I understand." Valerie sobers a bit. "But if you walk me through it, I'm sure it'll go just fine." She leans over to give her girlfriend a peck on the cheek.