Finding a map to Beamer's would prove to be no problem for Andrew. On the other hand, the GNA had unfortunately vastly understated the length of the hike that Andrew would have to endure to reach Beamer's. A mountain bike or something ought to make it easier, but otherwise, it would equate to a lot of walking, leading up to something like a miniature light-tower overlooking a small lake. It didn't seem to be functional as a lighthouse, though; instead, the lower portion had been converted into a storefront. A sign over the front read "Beamer's Tours and Hiking Supplies." The storefront was almost windowless, with the only obvious window being the small, circular one on the swinging front door. The store was probably open, given the lights coming from inside. Andrew would see no visitors on the way up and would probably get the idea that they didn't get a lot of business.
The worst part of the hike up for Andrew would most likely be that at the top, he would find no obvious signs of Dolly Chapellin's presence, nor that of the wayward youth he was looking for. Provided he wasn't too annoyed to continue, an easy course of action would be for him to begin by going inside Beamer's and seeing if he could find someone to speak to. On the other hand... he also smelled something very pungent coming from nearby. An out-of-place smell lingered, unusual and so strong that he cought a whiff even at a great distance. The smell seemed to be coming from behind Beamer's. It may be worth starting his investigation there instead.
Beamer's Tours and Hiking Supplies
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Very exhausted, tired, but still faithful, Andrew had slowly hiked the mountain, struggling to even reach certain peaks... He was a priest after all! Not a mountain man! However, he had gone and tied up his robes for the trip upward, looking more of a marshmallow than a religious man. After several minutes, what felt like nearly an hour, he had reached the top... Undoing the string he had tied his sleeves and other garb with, he took a minute, sitting down and taking deep breaths, before catching a whiff of the awful stench during near-meditation... He rose still, and walked to the door, pausing for a second, weighing his options... Find this stench's location, or find a way to get payed, and the answer was obvious. Rather than knocking, he moved, not swiftly, but slowly, cautiously and steadily towards the back to investigate the stench...
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As Andrew approached, he began to understand that the smell was almost appetizing... but ripe. The scent was almost like meat sauce left out in the sun too long and thus made rancid. Closer now, he identified the source in a heart-stopping way: a smear of red in the dirt and leaves, like something had been dragged or otherwise dragged itself, bleeding. Upon further investigation, the trail ended in something immediately alarming, so much so that it might prompt him to turn and run immediately: a woman's body, lying face down in a pile of leaves. Her legs and arms were sprawled away from her body and all of her flesh was coated in glistening, red-brown liquid. She wore a white, thin-strapped dress, which was almost hiked up to the point of immodesty around her plump caboose. She wasn't moving a muscle, strongly aiding the impression Andrew may initially have that he'd walked up on a murder.
Finally, the woman's leg twitched a bit and she let out a long, zombie-like groan. "Uwuuuuuuhuuuhhhrgh," the voice came, muffled by the dirt and leaves where her face was buried. It didn't offer much explanation as to what had happened, but at least, after studying the scene a bit, Andrew would confirm that the substance splattered everywhere was meat broth, not blood. It would probably smell good, if it weren't for the fact that it wasn't terribly fresh. That really begged the question of how long the woman had been laying in it. Most of her details were hard to make out, so slathered in broth was she.
The woman Andrew had discovered wasn't being very quick to offer up an explanation, but thankfully, a PET laying nearby Andrew (actually, closer to Andrew than the woman) lit up and a holographic view-screen appeared with a navi's face displayed upon it. "Andrew!" the voice called out, perhaps belonging to the navi of the employer, as it seemed to recognize his name. "Thank God you're here," she sighed. "I thought I heard Dolly just now. Is she alright?"
The woman on the ground, wearing a disheveled white dress, was likely the woman in question. She was a fair skinned woman (fair besides the broth) with a body shape and height suggesting she was probably just into her thirties, still shapely, but not lean like a younger person's would be. Her hair reinforced that guess, as it was cut into a mommish, unremarkable brown bob. Upon closer inspection, she was also wearing a rosary, and one white shoe, but she appeared to have lost the other one somewhere. The shoes was a slip-on with no socks, and it didn't seem terribly well suited for the hike up.
The navi looked a little younger and also a little better off in terms of her physical and mental condition. She was dressed in a lengthy white robe over a red skinsuit, with a red-and-gold cloth draped at her shoulders, displaying the image of a gold cross on either side. A necklace containing her navi emblem, two hands clasped in Christian grace, glittered upon her neck. Long, brown framed her face, with the back held into a straight ponytail. Her face was cute, young with bright blue eyes, but her eyebrows were clearly tensed with worry. Even once she saw Andrew, that expression didn't change, implying that it was a pretty common one for her. "What's happened to Dolly? Oh... Never mind that... We have to complete the mission," she sighed. "Roxy's taken off, down the path behind Beamer's. Dolly tried to talk to her but... she ended up getting suckered into a game. She lost the game, then... had to drink a tank of... well, let's not discuss all of that," the navi coughed. "I'm Oath. Please, take me with you! We've got to catch up to Roxy before she gets too far." It was going to be kind of hard to just leave Dolly here, though, as she certainly looked to be in need of help. That said, Oath didn't see her operator's situation as a priority, apparently.
Another hiking trail extended out beyond the store, leading into the woods. Thankfully, this one was downhill, at least, although he'd have to walk back uphill unless he happened to find another trail leading to a different metroline stopping point. "Let's hurry. You can ask me any questions you have along the way. Our main goal is to find Roxy and talk some sense into her... you're a priest, so I hope you've got a bit more experience in this sort of thing than my operator, who... honestly, mostly handles drive-through weddings," the navi coughed, looking embarrassed to have to admit that point. If Andrew wanted to do as the navi said, he'd need to pick up the PET before heading off down the trail. On the other hand, he might easily reason that this was a situation that called for slowing down and investigating events so far.
Finally, the woman's leg twitched a bit and she let out a long, zombie-like groan. "Uwuuuuuuhuuuhhhrgh," the voice came, muffled by the dirt and leaves where her face was buried. It didn't offer much explanation as to what had happened, but at least, after studying the scene a bit, Andrew would confirm that the substance splattered everywhere was meat broth, not blood. It would probably smell good, if it weren't for the fact that it wasn't terribly fresh. That really begged the question of how long the woman had been laying in it. Most of her details were hard to make out, so slathered in broth was she.
The woman Andrew had discovered wasn't being very quick to offer up an explanation, but thankfully, a PET laying nearby Andrew (actually, closer to Andrew than the woman) lit up and a holographic view-screen appeared with a navi's face displayed upon it. "Andrew!" the voice called out, perhaps belonging to the navi of the employer, as it seemed to recognize his name. "Thank God you're here," she sighed. "I thought I heard Dolly just now. Is she alright?"
The woman on the ground, wearing a disheveled white dress, was likely the woman in question. She was a fair skinned woman (fair besides the broth) with a body shape and height suggesting she was probably just into her thirties, still shapely, but not lean like a younger person's would be. Her hair reinforced that guess, as it was cut into a mommish, unremarkable brown bob. Upon closer inspection, she was also wearing a rosary, and one white shoe, but she appeared to have lost the other one somewhere. The shoes was a slip-on with no socks, and it didn't seem terribly well suited for the hike up.
The navi looked a little younger and also a little better off in terms of her physical and mental condition. She was dressed in a lengthy white robe over a red skinsuit, with a red-and-gold cloth draped at her shoulders, displaying the image of a gold cross on either side. A necklace containing her navi emblem, two hands clasped in Christian grace, glittered upon her neck. Long, brown framed her face, with the back held into a straight ponytail. Her face was cute, young with bright blue eyes, but her eyebrows were clearly tensed with worry. Even once she saw Andrew, that expression didn't change, implying that it was a pretty common one for her. "What's happened to Dolly? Oh... Never mind that... We have to complete the mission," she sighed. "Roxy's taken off, down the path behind Beamer's. Dolly tried to talk to her but... she ended up getting suckered into a game. She lost the game, then... had to drink a tank of... well, let's not discuss all of that," the navi coughed. "I'm Oath. Please, take me with you! We've got to catch up to Roxy before she gets too far." It was going to be kind of hard to just leave Dolly here, though, as she certainly looked to be in need of help. That said, Oath didn't see her operator's situation as a priority, apparently.
Another hiking trail extended out beyond the store, leading into the woods. Thankfully, this one was downhill, at least, although he'd have to walk back uphill unless he happened to find another trail leading to a different metroline stopping point. "Let's hurry. You can ask me any questions you have along the way. Our main goal is to find Roxy and talk some sense into her... you're a priest, so I hope you've got a bit more experience in this sort of thing than my operator, who... honestly, mostly handles drive-through weddings," the navi coughed, looking embarrassed to have to admit that point. If Andrew wanted to do as the navi said, he'd need to pick up the PET before heading off down the trail. On the other hand, he might easily reason that this was a situation that called for slowing down and investigating events so far.
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Before the Navi even began, and while it started, Andrew looked in shock, as he ran to the woman's side, nearly sliding to her...
"Oh divine light! What happened?!"
He immediately checked vitals, disregarding the thin coating she had over her body, finally, with the groan, he sighed in relief, as Pyromancer began to transmit to the navi called 'Oath'. He was certain this was more than it seemed to be...
"Hey, uh, listen lady... He's gonna be a sec, see, he's used to work as an emergency doc, ya know, ambulances, whee-woo-whee-woo, whatever. So he know's what he's doing, we need to slow down, find out what's going on, anything you know about what happened here besides 'Chick got covered in sauce'..?"
The arrogant fire-manipulator began, in a tone not to be confused with 'cocky', more or less just superior sounding, like he carried confidence, even in casual conversation... Something was still off about this scene to him... But he dismissed the thought...
"Also, the name's Pyromancer, just call me Pyro for short, it's what he calls me... But seriously, need an explanation here."
"Oh divine light! What happened?!"
He immediately checked vitals, disregarding the thin coating she had over her body, finally, with the groan, he sighed in relief, as Pyromancer began to transmit to the navi called 'Oath'. He was certain this was more than it seemed to be...
"Hey, uh, listen lady... He's gonna be a sec, see, he's used to work as an emergency doc, ya know, ambulances, whee-woo-whee-woo, whatever. So he know's what he's doing, we need to slow down, find out what's going on, anything you know about what happened here besides 'Chick got covered in sauce'..?"
The arrogant fire-manipulator began, in a tone not to be confused with 'cocky', more or less just superior sounding, like he carried confidence, even in casual conversation... Something was still off about this scene to him... But he dismissed the thought...
"Also, the name's Pyromancer, just call me Pyro for short, it's what he calls me... But seriously, need an explanation here."
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Oath furrowed her brow again as it became apparent that her operator's well-being was going to be the first concern here, which was somewhat surprising. "No, Pyro, Andrew, I understand how you feel. I know that whatever state Dolly is in, the aftermath of that conflict must be quite a spectacle and I know why you feel like you need to tend to her. But trust me: our top priority is catching Roxy and setting her straight right now. Dolly can take care of herself and... this isn't the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to her in public," Oath explained, shaking her head as if to dispel some bad memory at the last point. It was clear, however, that Andrew and Pyromancer weren't going to just take her word that the operator was okay, which she was forced to admit made sense, given that the scene had looked pretty grisly when they first showed up. "Alright... I admire your sense of Christian charity, but we really do need to get moving... and Dolly may be beyond anyone's help."
The woman finally made it to a sitting position; her eyes were still swimming and out of it as the two operators worked to get her face clean. "Andrew... Thank you!" she responded, giving a pleasant, beaming smile of gratitude, one that sort of made it feel worthwhile to take the time to help her, regardless of what Oath said. "I'm sorry... I came here to Okuden Valley to try to help Roxy. So I... suggested we go on a hiking trip together and picked out a nice dress... She didn't want to do it, of course, but I bribed her into it by paying for dinner... then when I showed up, right when we got up here to Beamer's, I'd already started talking to her about our Lord and Savior and how she needs to beg forgiveness and be saved and, you know, heavy things like that... I wanted to start off with something friendlier, but Oath wanted to go straight to it, you know?"
The navi gave a startled frown, then scolded her operator quickly to preserve her own innocence. "I did no such thing! I only recall that you'd started talking about boys and whether there were any guys she liked, then Roxy started talking to you about things that servants of God have no business talking about. It was your fault for starting the conversation onto such a vulgar course! I simply interrupted and turned the conversation straight to where it needed to be..." she defended.
Dolly laughed without a care, then continued her story. "Well, that's what Roxy hates more than anything, talking about God and what not. So, our conversation turns into a debate on the hike up and, before I know it... the debate turns into an argument... well, kind of a fight..." Oath's operator chuckled.
The navi clutched her hands together and began wringing them, making it obvious that she felt guilt in being unable to stop the event from escalating. "She challenged Dolly to see who could get to the top of the hill faster, which really has nothing to do with one's theological standpoint... and the loser would be forced to drink all of the stew from the beef that they'd brought in a little plastic container, which they'd intended to warm up and eat later for dinner. Well, of course, Dolly lost... and while Roxy was already getting away, Dolly honored her word... and somewhere during drinking that beef broth, she passed out. That's when I sent out the urgent request that brought you here. As you can see, Dolly is fine now-"
"I do have a bad stomach-ache though..." the operator complained childishly, clutching her hands to her gut.
"... But Roxy's spiritual health is not! She's out there, feeling content with her perceived victory over goodness and righteousness, because she bested one of God's humble servants in a meaningless physical contest. Her soul is wallowing in sin! We need to help her as quickly as possible," Oath finished, sounding very confident of what she was saying. "Just... when we talk to her... you need to be absolutely, fully sure that you aren't goaded into a silly contest with her. I assume you're a bit more reasonable than my operator, but know that Roxy is very persistent and also quite unfortunate in her devotion to agnosticism. I know that religion is what she needs, but she does all that she can to resist it. I don't know if we'll break through to her today... But we at least need to fight the good fight! And this time, without getting talked into a running contest and penalty game drinking meat broth..."
"It was especially bad in this heat! I wasn't planning to eat it until the day got a bit cooler," Dolly added. "That's probably why I passed out. It was super grody..."
It was now up to Andrew to decide whether he wanted to go along with the plan and, if so, continue down the path into the forest with Dolly and Oath.
The woman finally made it to a sitting position; her eyes were still swimming and out of it as the two operators worked to get her face clean. "Andrew... Thank you!" she responded, giving a pleasant, beaming smile of gratitude, one that sort of made it feel worthwhile to take the time to help her, regardless of what Oath said. "I'm sorry... I came here to Okuden Valley to try to help Roxy. So I... suggested we go on a hiking trip together and picked out a nice dress... She didn't want to do it, of course, but I bribed her into it by paying for dinner... then when I showed up, right when we got up here to Beamer's, I'd already started talking to her about our Lord and Savior and how she needs to beg forgiveness and be saved and, you know, heavy things like that... I wanted to start off with something friendlier, but Oath wanted to go straight to it, you know?"
The navi gave a startled frown, then scolded her operator quickly to preserve her own innocence. "I did no such thing! I only recall that you'd started talking about boys and whether there were any guys she liked, then Roxy started talking to you about things that servants of God have no business talking about. It was your fault for starting the conversation onto such a vulgar course! I simply interrupted and turned the conversation straight to where it needed to be..." she defended.
Dolly laughed without a care, then continued her story. "Well, that's what Roxy hates more than anything, talking about God and what not. So, our conversation turns into a debate on the hike up and, before I know it... the debate turns into an argument... well, kind of a fight..." Oath's operator chuckled.
The navi clutched her hands together and began wringing them, making it obvious that she felt guilt in being unable to stop the event from escalating. "She challenged Dolly to see who could get to the top of the hill faster, which really has nothing to do with one's theological standpoint... and the loser would be forced to drink all of the stew from the beef that they'd brought in a little plastic container, which they'd intended to warm up and eat later for dinner. Well, of course, Dolly lost... and while Roxy was already getting away, Dolly honored her word... and somewhere during drinking that beef broth, she passed out. That's when I sent out the urgent request that brought you here. As you can see, Dolly is fine now-"
"I do have a bad stomach-ache though..." the operator complained childishly, clutching her hands to her gut.
"... But Roxy's spiritual health is not! She's out there, feeling content with her perceived victory over goodness and righteousness, because she bested one of God's humble servants in a meaningless physical contest. Her soul is wallowing in sin! We need to help her as quickly as possible," Oath finished, sounding very confident of what she was saying. "Just... when we talk to her... you need to be absolutely, fully sure that you aren't goaded into a silly contest with her. I assume you're a bit more reasonable than my operator, but know that Roxy is very persistent and also quite unfortunate in her devotion to agnosticism. I know that religion is what she needs, but she does all that she can to resist it. I don't know if we'll break through to her today... But we at least need to fight the good fight! And this time, without getting talked into a running contest and penalty game drinking meat broth..."
"It was especially bad in this heat! I wasn't planning to eat it until the day got a bit cooler," Dolly added. "That's probably why I passed out. It was super grody..."
It was now up to Andrew to decide whether he wanted to go along with the plan and, if so, continue down the path into the forest with Dolly and Oath.