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Every Mystery Dungeon tale seems to begin the same...
The hardest part of a journey of a thousand miles is taking the first step, But it need not be taken alone...it's just a matter of figuring out where to look.Â
The first morning in Arceliaze, the human now turned Plusle is overwhelmed with the new world he's lost in. With only the Riolu from last night to help guide him Avery is given his first task...and, soon, his first battle. A battle he must win or his adventure is dead before it's even started.
With everything stacked against him, Avery might find his purpose too much for him to handle.
The first day on the job, Avery will finally meet the rest of the guild. The question is whether Vizon can keep his composure. When the mission is given, more about Arceliaze and his own partner are revealed to Avery just before they set off towards their adventure.
But the first mission can be challenging. For the inexperienced, the first mission...might be their last.
Battered, bruised, Avery and Vizon return from Windscorch Mountain and learn the true nature of their mysterious attacker, Xamao. With the map taken and the villain's whereabouts unknown, Avery endeavors to face the grand obstacle of a Dragonite once more.
However, during a night of relaxation with his fellow guildmembers, Avery may just discover the obstacles he faces aren't just those he squares off with in a dungeon...
Day two at the Guild of Arceliaze, Avery and Vizon are settling in well with their new guildmates. The pair accompany the senior guild member, Nivanee the Eevee of Team Duskwalker, on a mission to liberate the town of Souljraan from bandits.
But the bandits of Tall Woods are no ordinary crooks. Avery will find himself at odds with himself when he faces against a strange group of foes all while butting against Nivanee's methods.
With Tall Woods behind them and their bonds reinforced, the Team Azure/Team Duskwalker combo job continues into the Rocky Hills where Avery and Vizon will have their first major clash with the Thieves Guild, already hot on the trail of the nefarious Xamao.
But such an imposing organization of crooks and bandits have equally formidable Poke'mon, and Avery will come face-to-face with his fiercest foes yet. Can this meager team of guildmembers stand up before such indominable adversity?
Another mission behind the team means another night spending time relaxing in the city. Avery will take some time to get closer to his guild, his family, learning about them, even taking some time out with his own partner, Vizon.
But tonight also brings with it revelations about the broken little guild Avery now calls family. He'll see just how important the warmth of love is for this small group of guild Poke'mon.
Just as Avery was getting used to Nivanee being one of the team, she's off to do her own mission, leaving Team Azure to fend for themselves on a new mission down south to the swamp village of Taeriana. The clock is ticking, as the gravity of the loss of the mysterious map is made clear to the whole Guild.
But what was meant to be a simple mission turns into a harrowing life-or-death situation. The question is, will Avery and Vizon be able to take on their most terrifying task yet?
At last, Avery and Vizon have reached the village of Taeriana to receive a voucher to enter the city of Psychics, Dove Fo Uddjo. However, a voucher won't come cheap, especially not in coin. The only way Avery will be able to get one is to do a favor. The nido hooligans in Taeriana's River Delta farms have been getting more and more rowdy and so it's up to the team to clear the place out of any bad guys and return it to the village.
But this is nothing like Team Azure's previous missions. The scope of work balloons out beyond anything Vizon or Avery could have ever imagined. This is the kind of mission that either breaks teams...or creates legends.
The mission is over. Battered but triumphant, Avery and Vizon return to the guild, back to the arms of their loving family.
But not all is well at the guild. Avery discovers a wrinkle in the bonds he shares with his guild family that brings him worry. Yet as some relationships strain, others blossom into something greater...something beautiful.
Avery and Vizon gather the whole team, including Rikzyod and newcomer Jolvia, and go on the latest of their wild adventures. Team Azure once again teams up with Nivanee of Team Duskwalker on an investigative adventure to track down and capture the infamous Old Wanderer, bandit for the THIEVES GUILD.
They will follow in the footsteps of the dangerous outlaw, treading lightly as they're no doubt a formidable foe. However, the Old Wanderer has many tricks up their sleeve. It's up to Avery to ensure the criminal doesn't give them the slip.
Once they find the Old Wanderer...it'll only be a matter of beating them. Nothing else.
Nothing else.
Another mission done, but the outcome of it has rattled the guild to its very core, shaking every member. They need a moment to bond, to come together and reaffirm their conviction and love for one another. And from the trauma, some bonds reform even stronger than ever.
But this family is missing a member. One who perhaps knows best what family means to the Guild of Arceliaze.
The day has come for the big trip to Dovve Fo Uddjo, the city of the psychics. While Avery expected such an important task to be left with a more experienced team, he finds to his horror that not only has Azure been picked for the task but his team is paired with the one other team Avery doesn't want to be with right now.
And amid the bickering and slights the ugly underbelly of Arceliaze makes itself ever more clear to the Plusel.
The dome is entered and the road to the city of psychics, Dovve Fo Uddjo, is dead ahead. And yet, it couldn't be any less clear. The guildmates are now faced with a confusing, twisting path over a bottomless void, accosted on all sides by dangerous, ghostly Poke'mon.
With danger baring down on them from all angles, can Team Aquashock and Team Azure put aside their squabbling long enough to survive or will this mission prove to be too much for Kipuuna, the cautious Piplup?
The team finally arrives in the city of psychics, a city of luxury and relaxation for the most affluent of the Arcean populace. Thankfully, they're given a breather, a time for rest and relaxation after the harrowing journey.
However, there's trouble brewing more and more between the team leaders, fit to broil over as tensions reach their peak and threaten to tear the mission apart. Will cooler heads prevail or will the family crumble to nothing?
Everything seems hopeless. Team Aquashock is set to break apart, nothing seems likely to repair the damage done to the friendship between Kipuuna and Ganisus. And now, with the doom and uncertainty about the fate of the second-oldest team in the guild, the group must travel down into the mysterious unknown of The Deep Dimension.
What awaits them in the depths? What challenges will stand in their way? And will it seal the fate of Kipuuna and Ganisus?
With the Deep Dimension far behind Team Azure and Team Aquashock the teams return to the guild victorious and triumphant. Lucky for Avery, he's just in time for his planned dinner date with the banker, Kellixae. It's a dinner date full of warmth and fun, a side of the world brand new to Avery.
And yet amid the joy, tonight shall be when the darkest corners of the city reveal themselves to Avery. He will face down the horror that lurks in the underbelly of Arceliaze.
Without a wink of sleep, Avery and Team Azure must face the new day and a new mission. As feared, the situation with the Pearls has led to their team being called upon to retrieve one in the heart of Lightning Wastes. However, the Guild defies orders and insists Lahnae and Loshjno be put to the task alongside Team Azure so they may prove themselves and, hopefully, rise from their losing streak victorious.
But, as Avery begins work with the feisty Torchic he immediately begins to see what may be the reason for Team Spade's lack of success...something he might not be able to help with at all.
The adventure of Lightning Wastes begins in earnest and already the greatest strengths and the greatest weaknesses of Team Spade are on full display. Avery watches the two sides of the second youngest team clash as much as they work together, even as more and more bad luck throws one twist after another on the mission.
But Avery and the rest of his time have no idea how far the twists can go, no do they know the depth of danger that awaits them.
Alone. Broken. Here in the bottom of the world, Avery finds himself at the lowest point he has ever been. His thoughts run rampant in his head, his doubts and fears attacking him. Walking alone he'll realize he's stared down into the horror of how dangerous this mission could be...and how much worse it could get if he pressed on.
How can there possibly be any hope left?
CW/TW for implied injuries/gore and medical triggers throughout. One particularly bad section will be tagged with [CW START] and [CW END] to let you skip, with a summary provided at the end of the chapter.
Team Spade and Team Azure come upon the palace of the Lord of the Skies, Thundurus, sat atop Thunder Mesa. One by one, each of Loshjno's predictions come true, word for word. The situation only continues to get worse.
But now it's different. There's no more sandbagging, no more holding back. The teams have unleashed themselves to give nothing short of their absolute best, With these shackles off, will they be successful? Will Team Spade finally get the win they've hoped for? Or will this just be another failure for the books?
The time has come, the end of the Lightning Wastes. Thundurus awaits the team at the top of his Palace, amid rain and wind and storm. The coming battle with require every ounce of effort from everyone. Lahnae and Avery must be ready to give it all, push against their limits, or perish as failures.
But there's always another twist.
Back to Arceliaze, Team Spade and Team Azure have news to deliver. For their trouble, they are given time off from working, which Avery decides to use in earnest. Tonight, he'll meet up with friends and bond with the other side of his team, the subordinates in his employ, and see yet another side of the city of Arceliaze.
But more than anything, he'll remember well what he was told back in the Palace.
Fourth door on the left...
A day off, the first that Avery has had since first joining the guild. No gong, no mission...but his day still yet begins in earnest as he pays a visit to Castle Arceali to talk with Olistia.
No more lies. Candid speaking. Avery only hopes her can trust the Conduit.
The meeting with Olistia is finally behind Avery. Now he can tend to his day off, seeing what everyone is getting up to and trying to relax. But as the day goes on, more and more cracks in the foundations of his relationships begin to show, until it seems like they're all ready to crumble.
He only hopes he can find one single bastion.
Avery tries to rebound from his fight with Vizon, just trying to disconnect and disassociate from the issues and find happiness where he can. He tries to make closer bonds, real bonds, based around more than just the problems plaguing Arcea and his role in all of it.
But the respite can only last so long. The poison of Arceliaze always rears its ugly head eventually, no matter how much one tries to block it out.
Everything keeps crashing down. The world Avery tried to ignore, even briefly, comes back tenfold, more and more, fracturing his friendships, blackening his future. Despair claws at his heart now more than ever, but any time he tries to just rest or give up it just gets worse and worse.
No reprieve. No escape.
Not but for a single bastion. One he only just realizes he's had all along.
Even if that bastion drives the wedge between Avery and Vizon deeper.
CW/TW for Alcohol usage and mild abuse triggers. One particularly bad section will be tagged with [CW START] and [CW END] to let you skip, with a summary provided at the end of the chapter.
The morning has come and it seems Jolvia's prediction has come true. The gong rings and the day begins. Crisis mode is still in full effect, and every moment counts, even if the teams still carry their wounds from their last jobs.
But this morning there's something different. Olistia is, beyond anything else, determined to secure the pearls by any means necessary.
The adventure for the Water Pearl begins in earnest! Team Azure makes tracks for the eastern Pennisula of Arcea to find Yahneri Port under elite Lock-down to ensure security of the Water Pearl.
With all this security it's hardly even a challenge...at it seems as though this adventure will be Team Azure's most wholly uneventful...
...at first.
With the location of the Water Pearl revealed, Jolvia and Avery rush to the Museum to get Vizon and Rikzyod. The true adventure begins!
Or it would, perhaps, if they could find anyone to take them upon a journey as harrowing as this.
Team Azure sets sail! The blockade of massive iron ships looms on the horizon, but Avery and Vizon steel their resolve to take on anything as they punch a hole through the wall all the way to The Black Hoard of Yahneri Cave.
However, gunpowder and cannon balls will hardly be the greatest challenge they face.
Team Azure finally reaches the resting place of the Black Hoard: Yahneri Cave. It's here they plan to find and retrieve the Water Pearl. But it seems they aren't the first to come upon to the cave. But scuffles with the usual suspects are routine, even as they're faced with their most villainous adversaries yet.
But nothing is ever easy for Team Azure and the greatest foes are closer to home.
This might be well and truly where it all ends. For Avery, for Vizon, for Jolvia, for Rikzyod...for Azure.
Whether it's with a loud, violent bang or a shuddering whimper, it's all sure to end...
...but it certainly won't go at all like how anyone expected. Certainly not when it comes to someone like Vizon.
Many things loom on the horizon. The beast's storm threatening Yahneri Port, the ridiculous war between Vizon and Diquarni, and the very end of Team Azure.
All Avery can do is face it head on as best as he can...and hope everything turns out okay in the end.
Team Azure is reborn into something new, redefined with a clearer relationship in mind. And now, this strengthened team may be completed.
The storm grows, soon to swallow up the island. This is the final hurrah in the Water Pearl adventure. They can only hope the new strength is enough to face the dangers deep within the storm of the Black Hoard Beast.
A lot can happen in a week.
After finally returning home from the harrowing week on the Water Pearl adventure, Team Azure at last returns to Arceliaze. After much ceremony, Avery learns what all's happened since they were gone...and what all's changed.
Avery is caught in a strange dream, one that begins to fill him with unsettling questions. But he can't focus on that right now, not when he has a vacation to get to.
Now's the time to get ready for his special trip.
Avery prepares for his camping trip with Lahnae, trying to enjoy his time with friends.
But it seems like someone else is enjoying the day with their friends as well.
Avery goes on his camping trip with Lahnae and reflects on things with her.
Avery and Lahnae's trip into the Rocky Hills continue, as does their adventures just to get there.
Tonight will be a night to remember...
Deep in the mountains, Avery has a dream...and the morning reminds him of his other task.
Thankfully...he's not alone.
Avery and Lahnae take a moment to process what they saw...and finally return home.
Avery sits in with Sekura and Lahnae at Sekura's home, with other house guests included. The broiling danger becomes increasingly obvious...until someone comes to bring relief at last.
There's a good person in there. Avery wants to see it again.
Avery finally attends the banquet...personally invited by Deshuuna, the suspected leader of the Thieves' Guild...
...and Avery learns just how in over his head he is. How messy the world's become.
Olistia takes to the stage and at last reveals to all in attendance her goal for retrieving the pearls.
CW/TW for major character death. Section will be tagged with [CW START] and [CW END] to let you skip, with a summary provided at the end of the chapter.
The Banquet has come to a harrowing conclusion. Avery must run to the guild as fast as he can to warn his friends.
SPECIAL EPISODE! Something quick to tie ya'll over during the Hiatus~! Come and Witness the exciting escapades of the fearless TEAM GANUSI in this month's edition of the ARCEALI GUILD SERIAL PROGRAM!
Through the back roads of the Yahneri forest, deep down where a crumbling trail hits a dead end, there's a hill hidden by trees and overgrown grass. At the top of it is a grave, stained and forgotten by all.Â
All but one.
It's a bright and sunny start to another day of adventure for Team Duskwalker! Nivanee gets up, gets ready to seize the day and moves out to get to work!
Only issue is that she needs to find that impulsive sister of hers.
A brief story detailing a journalist's trip through 'New Illamini', after over a decade of droughts.
In this story, Lahnae does not go home.
The Souljreini Printing Company is proud to present its exclusive deep-dive into Avery of Azures, featuring research, testimony, quotes and a full interview with the guild's most mysterious member!
NOTE TO ARZUS: I know you've been trying to sneak out a copy -- seriously, don't attract the wrong attention to yourself...
Avery awakens on the final day before the guild is sent to Ember Summit. A rough awakening, and the birth of a new paradigm.
Avery and Nivanee ask Janus a very important question.
Avery finally has a talk with Vizon.
Avery begins to climb. Ember Summit awaits.
Avery arrives at Ember Summit and stares into the abyss.
What's past is present. What happened before always happens again. And the perpetrators only get better at doing it.
CW FOR EXTREME VIOLENCE AND IMPLIED GORE + VOMITING. One particularly bad section will be tagged with [CW START] and [CW END] to let you skip, with a summary provided at the end of the chapter.
Avery and Lahnae are brought across the aisle, and a plan is laid out.
The ones who used to perform one action are now ready to perform another.