As the girls strode through the vibrant streets, the heat of the sun bore down on them relentlessly, and the further they went, the more crowded the streets became. The sounds of laughter and hustle and bustle surrounded them from all sides, and children darted between the legs of the adults, adding to the chaotic scene. The sight of children playfully running around and vendors hawking their wares made for a lively atmosphere, but the group's focus remained fixed on finding Shelly.

Alice and crew continues their search for Shelly, but the streets are packed with people, making it difficult to move quickly. Everyone pushes their way through the crowd, the heat and the cramped conditions making the journey even more tiresome.

After a good ten minutes of navigating through the bustling market, Alice spots a small, inconspicuous building off to the side of a main road.

The sign above the door reads "Dam Control". This must be the place.

As everyone approaches the building, they are greeted by two guards who stand outside the door. The guards look at your group with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, their muscular frames blocking the entrance.

Camilla, being the most outgoing of the group, speaks up with a friendly smile. "Aloha! We're here to see Shelly.”

The guards exchange a look, their eyes flickering across the group, lingering on you a moment longer. One of them speaks up.

"Can I know what you need to see Shelly for?”

Noelle, determined to achieve their goal, steps forward and responds.

"We need to ask her about a Dark force that is attacking the dam. We heard she's the one overseeing the dam, is that correct?”

One of the guards nods. "Yes, that's correct. Shelly has been overseeing the dam's operations for years. But she's a busy woman, and you can't just waltz in unannounced.”

Rachel, not one to back down, speaks up with a firm tone.

"This is urgent. The dark entity is threatening to break the dam. We need to talk to Shelly, now.”

The guards exchange another look, their expressions thoughtful. After a moment, one of them nods.

"Alright, I'll tell her you're here to speak with her, but I can't promise she'll be available."

The guard moves towards a small intercom next to the door. He presses a button and waits. A few moments later, a voice crackles through the intercom.

"This is Shelly. Who is it?"

The guard replies. "There's a group out here who needs to see you, ma'am."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

There's a pause, followed by a sigh.

"Fine. Let them in.”

The guard presses a button next to the door, and the door buzzes. The other guard nods, and motions for your group to enter.

As you enter, you find yourself in a small, cluttered office. Boxes are stacked everywhere, covered in labels marking the contents.

In front of you, you see Shelly. She's a brown-skinned middle-aged woman with silver hair, ice-blue eyes, and a no-nonsense demeanor.

Shelly looks up from her paperwork, her eyes scanning over your group. She looks weary, as if she hasn't slept in days.

"So, you're here about the Dark entities, huh? Let's hear it.”

Noelle speaks up first. "Yes, we wanted to ask you about it. We're told you're the overseer of the dam."

Shelly nods, gesturing for your group to take a seat. "I am indeed. What do you want to know?”

"Okay then. Firstly, they are known as Depraved, creatures of the Dark who are created by negative emotions. Can you please tell us about the Depraved causing havoc? How long has it been attacking the dam?”

Shelly sighs, leaning back in her chair. "That damn Depraved as you call it... It's been causing trouble for weeks now. It shows up at random times, attacking the dam and the control systems. It's a miracle the dam's still mostly intact.”

Noelle's eyes widened. "Do you know where the entity comes from? How can we stop it?"

Shelly shakes her head. "That's the worst part. We have no idea. It just appears out of thin air, wreaking havoc on the dam. We've tried everything to stop it, from increasing security to installing new defenses, but nothing seems to work. It's like trying to fight a ghost.”

“You've mentioned increasing security, what kind of security are you talking about?"

Shelly leans forward, her expression darkening. "Everything. We've increased the number of guards, reinforced the building, installed surveillance cameras and motion sensors. We even tried setting up a few traps, but the damn thing just avoids them like it knows what we're doing.”

"Have you figured out its motives? Does it want to destroy the dam or just cause chaos?"

Shelly sighs, rubbing her eyes wearily. "That's what we're trying to figure out. It's hard to say what goes on in the mind of a mysterious, shape-shifting entity. For all we know, it's just bored and wants a punching bag.”

“So what have you done to protect the dam from the attacks? Surely there must be something that can be done."

Shelly nods, her face grim. "We've done all we could to reinforce the dam and the control systems. We've hired more security, installed new security systems, even called in some specialists to try and figure out what this damn thing is. But it always finds a way in. It's like it's taunting us.”

Noelle, her voice rising with frustration, says, "But there must be something we can do! We can't just let it destroy the dam and risk flooding the entire city."

Shelly holds up a hand to calm Noelle. "Trust me, we're doing everything we can. But this entity is unlike anything we've seen before. It's like a shadow that we can't catch. It slips through the cracks, always one step ahead of us.”

"There has to be a way to stop it. Can't we figure out its weaknesses? Or find a way to contain it indefinitely?"

Shelly shakes her head, her expression resigned. "That's the problem. We have no idea what its weaknesses are. We don't even know what it's made of. It's like trying to fight a ghost, or a nightmare, or something we can't even conceptualize in our minds. The more we try to figure it out, the more confused we become.”

"Then what do you propose? We can't just give up and let the city be destroyed."

Shelly's expression softens a bit. "I understand your frustration, dear. But panicking won't help us. We need to think logically, strategically. We need to find a way to outsmart this creature, not outfight it.”

"Okay, let's take a moment to calm down. We're all feeling frustrated, but we need clear minds to figure this out."

Shelly nods in agreement. "You're right. We won't solve anything by getting worked up. We need to think calmly, rationally, and come up with a plan.”

"All right... Let's try to think about this logically. Is there any pattern to the entity's attacks? Does it have predictable patterns?”

"It's a good question. We have observed a few patterns. The entity tends to appear at night, usually between midnight and 3 am. It attacks the control systems for a few minutes before disappearing again.”

Noelle, her mind racing, asks, "What if we can use that predictability to our advantage? If we know when it's going to attack, maybe we can lay a trap or set up an ambush.”

Shelly nods, a glimmer of hope on her face. "That's a good idea. Using its predictable pattern to our advantage might be our best chance. We can prepare ahead of time, set up traps and defenses where it usually attacks. Maybe we can even catch it off guard and incapacitate it.”

"That brings up another question, though. Have you ever tried to fight the entity head on? Do we know what its strengths and weaknesses are?"

Shelly's face darkens at the question. "We've tried to fight it before, yes. But it's almost impossible to land a proper hit on it. It moves quickly and unpredictably, like a shadow dancing just out of reach. And when we do manage to hit it, it's like we're attacking a strange fog. It just reforms and continues its assault.”

“So physical attacks are out, huh,” Rachel said.

“Then,” Noelle began. “We can try using pure Light against it. I'm very skilled at purification.”

Shelly raised a brow, her posture straightening. “Purification, you say? We'll give that a try then. In the meantime, you're dismissed. Come back at midnight, and we'll try out our new plan.”

Noelle nodded, her eyes full of resolve. “Understood, we'll be here. You can count on us.”