|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:46 pm
 |
|
|
 |
Aile would follow behind the others, momentarily thinking about trying to catch a Wooper that she saw scurrying around, but eventually shook her head and thought against it. While she did find out that it was a ground type, she wasn't sure how well it would gel with the rest of her team. Nonetheless, she would wind up keeping up well enough with the group, despite her injuries, though she was hanging out in the back of it.
Once the group had made it to the ladder, she would bring out Kayvaan and have the ninja frog take the ladder down while she would be carried on his back. He'd give his trainer a look, and she responded with another one like he should know by now, at least, before the two descended. Once down there, Aile would bring out the flashlight and click it on, seeing as she only had tremor sense, not darkvision.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:57 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 10:33 am
|
|
|
|
Odd arrived in Violet City alongside the others thanks to Claydol, silently following Sub's lead with a nod as he explained that they were going to the Ruins of Alph. He had never been there before but he had heard plenty of stories about the strange things that always seemed to happen in the area.
Along the route to get there, he could only watch the surroundings pass them by, wondering if whatever Sub had in mind was really any less immoral than what he had considered?
He tried not to look at the Youngster that looked like he wanted a challenge with any sort of pity but, rather, he attempted to convey appreciation through his expression. It was a fairly young kid, though, so it was anyone's guess if he got the message or not.
Upon reaching the ruins proper and descending inside, he looked over the runes along the wall, searching for some possible meaning in them. Not like he could read them, anyway, he thought. The only language he had ever been capable of reading was not a language that any amongst the living could know without a deep connection to the Otherworld.
Rather than a flashlight, he simply held flickering blue, ethereal flames in his hands to illuminate the area around him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:10 pm
|
|
|
|
The lower level was dark, very dark. The use of flashlights and more spiritual sources of light helped light their way though, allowing the Snagems to see the walls and the numerous carvings of runes and other designs. Many of them were what looked like the Unown, though whether or not they actually were was anyone's guess. Other carvings resembled ancient Pokemon such as Kabuto and Aerodactyl. It was interesting to realize that such creatures and humans actually lived side by side at one time.
Sub would lead the way into the darkness, guiding them through a zigzagging tunnel, passing many of those 'pseudo Rhydon' statues along the way. Despite how long they continued to walk for it seemed like the corridor went on and on endlessly, the appearance of their surroundings barely differing a few feet in either direction.
At one point the group's flashlights began to flicker and act up, the faint sound of something like radio static could be heard. Sub would perk up and look around but would quickly dismiss the continued static, as if he was not concerned with it. "Unown." He said dismissively. Perhaps the man had been through here enough and encountered the creatures often enough to know when to be worried about them and when to not. Apparently this was the later situation, thankfully.
"Here we are." He told the Snagems as he stopped at a crossroads in the ancient hallway, their path branching off in three different directions, it certainly didn't look like where they needed to be. "It's about to get chilly so prepare yourselves." He warned them as he took out a Dusk Ball and tapped the button on the front, the device popping open to release Poe the Sableye. For once Poe didn't pop off or make some sort of perverted comment, perhaps he already knew the situation.
"This is where it gets weird. Night Shade." He told the Snagems before he ordered Poe to use Night Shade.
With a nod Poe would clap his hands and fling his open palms out to the side unleashing from his body an expanding and all encompassing orb of darkness, the black glob quickly surrounding the group of Snagems. The group would find that inside the Night Shade no light was allowed, not even from their flashlights nor did Odd's ethereal flame provide light. Whether or not this was really the work of Poe's Night Shade was anyone's guess.
The next thing the Snagems knew it got cold, very cold, just as Sub said. The Night Shade would only linger for several seconds before the darkness faded away and they now found themselves standing again in a room not unlike the first one they found themselves in before descending into the floor. Ahead of them was an open doorway, light shining in and a cold breeze to accompany it. An observant Snagem might note that the room contained no stairs, no ladder, no doors, nothing. Just a mostly empty room with some statues, carvings on the wall and the only entrance and exit was that one doorway. How did they get here? What did Sub do in the darkness?
"Right through there." The man said, pointing ahead at the doorway and yet didn't step forward yet himself.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 6:30 am
|
|
|
|
Intrigued by the blue fire that Odd held and willingly went to reach at the ethereal flame. So long as Odd didn't pull back, her fingertips would dance with the fire for a few seconds before pulling back and realizing how badly it could burn. Except she only grinned.
Turning back to the cave, the fire had dazzled her eyes to the point where the darkness had gotten far more difficult to see through. She allowed the others' lights to guide her in a general direction. As the images of Kabuto and Aerodactyl were passed on by, she wondered what other sorts of pokemon existed before all of this. How the statues could have represented a version of Rhydon or the Nido-line that died out at some point.
As they kept turning and twisting through the cave, Veronica accidentally tripped on a small bump in the way that pushed her to nearly fall on Leon, grabbing onto his shoulder for support before apologizing in whispers for the whoops.
She tried to be a bit less clumsy for seriousness sake, but that's when the lights began to flicker. As she watched Sub take a moment to look around with the static sounds, she decided to keep her attention and waryness at its highest. Her Sableyes ears twitched, trying to find the source even as Sub claimed that it came from the Unown.
Before her mind could get too carried away with worry, they arrived - some where?
For an instant, she thought the Night Shade was a call on her and she looked around in confusion, before realizing Poe was there too due to the lack of light. It seemed she had a hard time separating their energy wavelength. After all, even Poe's Night Shade felt extremely familiar. The only difference is that the pokemon had already mastered this power, meanwhile her Night Shade could barely be called an attack. It occurred to her that as strange as it might sound, Poe could teach Veronica a thing or two. He could actually make everything pitch black and that sounded like a cool trick.
Then a feeling came that made Veronica realized how tempered the cave was. In just the change of degrees, she knew this place was merciless. The cold reached her nose, hands and feet as her body couldn't keep up. The slight burnt that was so recent on her fingertips felt like it was burning even worst. The wind was blowing, sending the most normal of shivers down her spine and making her teeth chatter.
At least they were in a lit up room. She took careful notion of her surroundings where clearly there was only one way in or out. As she accepted this nonesense, she didn't quickly step out even when Sub spoke up again. She wasn't ashamed of being a coward, it had kept her alive. It took another moment of realization and a deep sigh to remind herself that technically speaking she had already died. She didn't need to fear things unknown to her. Not anymore. So, still with care, she peeked out the door, expecting one of the other Snagems to pull on the door behind her.
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 9:36 pm
|
|
|
|
Odd continued following along with the others, quietly listening to the static in the air. It was an interesting sort of sound, he though. Something real but not quite there. A ghost of a sound, almost. He laughed softly to himself at the thought, pulling his flames back from Veronica's hand when he saw her make to touch them. Better to not risk her lighting up. He didn't know for certain that the otherworldly fire wouldn't decide she'd make a nice fuel to feed on. Her soul was still a bit foreign to him and it was hard to read her clearly as he could so many of the other Snagems. Terashi and Keiko, for example, would likely bask in the flames like the warm glow of the sun. Others, however? They would light up like a funeral pyre filled with agonizing screams, engulfed by flames unending.
"Curiosity killed the Skitty." He warned quietly as he followed Sub's lead. Upon reaching the crossroads, before Sub could call upon Poe, he spoke up again. "Crossroads are rarely a good place to be a destination." Was all he said. Crossroads were often birthplaces of great wickedness in lore from all over the world.
Upon seeing Poe and having the Pokemon called upon, he would watch as the world turned black. The moment the world vanished, he filled his eyes with Ghost energy and pulled the souls of his comrades into his vision, seeing nothing more than them, standing in place for a few seconds. Nothing else appeared. Nothing changed. But as the light returned, it became apparent that the reason the hair on the back of his neck had begun to stand on end was from the sudden shock of cold air he'd only just noticed.
The doorway ahead of them, light pouring through it like the entrance to some heavenly hall of feasts beckoned him to explore way lay beyond. Something was out there and it was something he was both terrified of and intrigued to discover at the same time. What strange place had Sub brought them to and where in the realms of Heaven and Hell did it rest?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 8:05 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 10:48 am
|
|
|
|
As the others passed through, I kept my gaze upon the murals etched in stone. "Fossil Pokemon," I muttered to myself, reading what was written on the murals depecting Kabuto and Aerodactyl "I wonder if information on their origins could be found somewhere in this... probably not. If there were, it's likely someone would have found them by now," I glanced at the statues of Pokemon that looked like a mix between Rhydon and Nidoking, and wondered to myself if they had a common ancestor at one point, but kept that thought to myself.
I had to hold my jacket tighter to my body after Poe's Night Shade, but despite the thickness of the material, it wasn't doing much to keep me warm. However, my mind was soon distracted by the realization that the way we came from no longer existed. "Wait, how do we-"
"Through there," I heard Sub say.
I saw the doorway being held open by Leon, with Odd and Veronica peering in. Deciding to take the initiative, I let Rala out of her ball. "Master?" she asked, looking either confused or concerned, I couldn't tell which in that moment.
"Just stay close," I told her, motioning her to follow me as I walked towards the open doorway, walking past Leon, Veronica, and Odd and walking through said doorway into whatever lay beyond.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 1:05 pm
|
|
|
|
Once they Snagems stepped through the doorway they would find themselves standing in an unsullied field of snow, deep enough so that their shoes disappeared into the blanket of snow. on other side they could see nothing but thick forests of evergreen trees capped with snow. Ahead there was nothing else but snow, what looked like an ever expanding path of pure snow and nothing else. While it was a beautiful picturesque scene they would quickly pick up on the 'wrongness' about this place. First off, it was very bright, as if the sun hung directly over head without a single cloud to stave off its light and yet no matter how hard they looked there was no sun to be seen. Furthermore there was no wind, not even a waft of chilly air, at least at first. For each of them they wouldn't detect the breeze until they thought about it and then, as if willed into existence, the wind blew but only for the individual. How did they know that? They couldn't be sure but it felt true enough. Not even the supernaturally inclined Odd could make heads or tails of this place.
"You all feel it, don't you? Doesn't take long to pick up on it." Sub stated as he walked past the Snagems, plodding through the snow as he marched straight ahead. "This place puts the Fairy Realm's strangeness to shame. At least the land of the Fairies adhered to some semblance of rules. Here? There are none, or rather the rules are...malleable." He explained further, expecting the Snagems to follow and be in ear shot. At some point between the Night Shade and leaving the ruins he had put on a thick and heavy black jacket which he now pulled tightly against his body for warm. Poe had since been recalled.
The Snagems would walk a good twenty minutes through the snow, twenty minutes of frozen hell, the snow feeling unnaturally cold. Something told them that they didn't have to walk for this long to reach their destination, nor did the snow have to be as cold as it was. But that was a silly thought, wasn't it? No, it wasn't, which was even more startling to realize. Something, or someone, willed the distance and frigidness into existence, whether they wanted to or not. An observant Snagem might put two and two together as they watched Sub walk through the snow, a glazed over look in his eyes as if lost in thought, no doubt mourning for his Nevermore. Was all this in response to that?
Maybe if someone snapped him out of his thoughts they would actually get somewhere? It didn't make 'sense' but it seemed plausible enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 1:05 pm
|
|
|
|
As the others walked out first, the blinding light forced Veronica to keep her eyes closed. It took her a while to realize how white everything was. The next thing she noticed was the soft ruffled sound that came with each step into the deep snow. As nostalgic as that was, as more steps came, the sound would fade into the common and important part of her mind. Her other senses grabbed her attention next. Seeing how bright everything was made her uncomfortable, it made her feel like she stood out and there was no where to hide. It was cold enough that Veronica would only focus on keeping her warmth within her.
Veronica didn't recognize the forest right away but she did notice the strangest of things: this aurora flowing through like a mist leading the way. She looked around to the others wondering if they saw it too. It felt magical. Sub was right, the place was mystical like the Fairy Realm and she was glad she came despite the cold. Then something even weirder happened, despite never being efective before, the lie that she repeated to herself that she felt warm started to work.
Thankfully, her feet didn't have much sensing as they were covered in a rock-like feature. It didn't stop her from a sensation of burning rushing through her from the snow. "This place is really weird." Veronica said as she listened to Sub explain how there were no rules. Great! Sounded just like her kind of place. She was entranced for a good twenty minutes, enjoying their long way. It seemed to be a lot dependant on perspective. Veronica loved the snow, winter and Christmas.
She noticed the aurora would avoid sub, or maybe it was just a visual representation of what was going on. So she went up to him, wondering if something funny or mischievous would work. Instead of that, however, she carefully stopped him and hugged him, trying to give him some good vibes at least for a moment. She wanted to ask him beforehand about the hug, and then tell him its okay, but she couldn't manage the words. She hugged him for a bit, until he felt comfortable, before letting go and deciding to take the lead. She didn't Really know where they were going but she believed they would arrive at where they needed to be and surely that was enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 11:57 am
|
|
|
|
Aile flinched at the cold, drawing her jacket closed. She’d recall Kayvaan once more, taking a couple of breaths before walking forward, shivering. “Snow. Not just cold, but snow.” She’d trudge on, though, waiting for at least some respite from the cold soon.
After about the twenty minutes or so, however long she thought it was, and fear of frostbite was really starting to take hold, she go and gently put a hand on his shoulder, trying to control her shivering enough to where it didn’t seem like she was under the effects of an earthquake. “Uh, hey… how much further is it,” she’d gently ask, trying to not offend Sub while hoping that they were nearing their destination. She was not as tolerant of the cold as she once was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 7:16 pm
|
|
|
|
Sol and Cera both kept relatively silent as they followed Sub and the rest, not terribly inclined to try and catch anything. It didn't feel right when they were wanting to pay respects. Once they had gotten into the lower levels, a quick remark of "stay close" was given before a flame sparked to life in one of Sol's hands to serve as a torch of sorts, both of them looking at the runes and designs before going through the tunnel and eventually slowing down when the flame wanted to die out on its own.
It'd finally be snuffed out with Poe's Night Shade, with Cera draping herself over Sol's shoulder to keep herself warm thanks to the hybrid's naturally higher body heat. Even with that, both of them could feel a bit of a chill in the air, more than the open doorway should conceivably allow for. The reason for it would become clear as they all passed through to see the snow; no wonder it was so cold. And hard to see thanks to the sun beating down. Despite it, they'd traverse through the snow, finding theirselves somehow shivering after a while.
Eventually, Cera would finally pick up on something, and it felt like Sub was going through the motions a bit. Her concern made her leave what warmth she was getting from Sol to catch up to Sub and tap on his shoulder. If the rules of this place were as malleable as Sub said, perhaps he was altering them without noticing. "Hey, you holding up alright? I still don't understand this place much, but we're all in this together." She still hadn't thought of what to say when it came to Nevermore's fate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 4:40 pm
|
|
|
|
Odd remained quiet even still, holding Dull's jacket closer to him as he moved through the snow-filled landscape. Something about this place felt wrong. He could tell very quickly that it wasn't as simple as a snow filled landscape. The cold was unnatural. Almost like it was reflecting the cold emptiness of broken heart or a shattered soul. The longer the Snagems walked through this frozen hellscape, the more he wondered. The more he watched Sub, the more he suspected. And then, just as even he began to question if he could take this cold any longer, he began to feel a strange warmth spreading through him.
Looking up at the sky, the grey expanse filled with light from an unseen source continued to make him question this place. He knew of only two places in all of existence that might be such a strange realm and he had thought of neither since leaving the abbey. The Hall of Origin was certainly out of the question. But what of... "Sub... Have we come to the Sinjoh Ruins?" He asked, looking around for signs of the Great Creator that might give him an answer. "It's a fitting place for such a task as we've come, if so." Perhaps the first time he had spoken anything meaningful thus far and of course he had to ask an arbitrary question. He realized afterward that where they were mattered less than why they'd come to it.
"My apologies. We're here to support you, not ask stupid questions." He reminded himself aloud with a shake of his head. "Are you alright?" He would finally ask, offering the consolation he had come along for in place of his curiosity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 3:56 pm
|
|
|
|
Sub flinched as Veronica stopped him for a hug, the cold becoming intensely more bitter for a brief moment for the man allowed himself to relax and breath. Letting out a sigh he returned Veronica's hug, the temperature in this place seeming to rise a few degrees, the cold wind ceasing. "I'm doing okay, thank you guys for your concerning, and coming out here with me." He replied to Cera and everyone in general, knowing they all had the same question in mind.
Breaking from Veronica's hug he sniffled a little and looked back at Aile. "It's just up ahead, not much longer, I promise." He reassured her before beginning to proceed forward, not forgetting Odd's question. "If anyone might guess where or what this is I figured it might be you." Sub responded to Odd as he continued through the snow. He said no more, he could answer his question better and more in depth in a few minutes.
Shortly after the Snagems would find themselves walking up hill, the climb a bit of a task in the snow but a manageable one. Sub would be the first to make it to the top of the treeless hill and there he would stand, waiting for the others to join him at the top. Once they arrived at the top they would be treated with a view of their fabled destination.
"Welcome to the beginning and the end, nowhere but everywhere, the Sinjoh Ruins." Before them at the base of the hill was a sprawling complex of ruins constructed at the bottom of a narrow canyon, an ancient pathway of stone stretching throughout the complex, stone statues lining it, all of it ending with a magnificent building made of stone. Here the light of which no origin could be found was significantly more bright and dazzling and yet didn't harm the eyes in the least, in fact it was inviting. The thick blanket of snow ended abruptly at the base of the hill and even from up here the Snagems could tell the freezing temperatures were somehow cut off at the exact same point of which the snow abruptly ended.
Without further delay the Snagem leader proceeded down the hill and began to walk along the stone path, taking in the sights of a place he hasn't visited in what seemed like an eternity and yet not a single pebble seemed out of place since the last time he visited. "The priests, the archaeologists, and what have you have known of the existence of the Sinjoh Ruins for centuries. The more religious were certain in its existence, the skeptics considering it a myth. Few have claimed to ever have found it, and the vast majority of those claims I can confirm to be lies, uttered only for the prestige that finding it would afford. It's said this is the site where Arceus last touched down in the mortal realm, where he is claimed to have last communed with his creations. I'm not sure of the truth of those claims but I can confirm, as you can with your own eyes, that an ancient people considered this site most sacred and erected the complex you see here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:36 pm
|
|
|
|
Veronica nodded several times as she followed along. Odd's question made her extremely confused and she tried to check her SNAG for more information but it didn't seem to be working properly. Strange. She decided not to say anything about it then.
She began to feel colder as she noticed the others felt cold; she supposed that it was meant to feel cold not magical. In any case, going up the hill, Veronica kept switching from logging her legs up and climbing on all four. Until reaching the top, where she worried more about getting the snow off of her while Sub spoke. Then her eyes sparkled with glee, and the reflection of so much brightness of course, truly glad she had come along to see this marble and- and... and what were they doing here exactly?
Before continuing in her own thought, she listened to Sub. Knowing that this place had been where Arceus last visit would supposedly be didn't really excite her. It terrified her. If there was one thing she knew about surviving was that these kinds of places weren't necessary. Anyways, here she was. Despite how crazy it all seemed, she just hoped Arceus wouldn't feel like showing up so that she could make the best of a nice adventure-tourist trip. At least, that was as best she could think of it: in a light hearted, fun way. Otherwise, she might think Sub had lost his mind. She couldn't imagine herself ever really facing a wild legendary, much less of this magnitud. At least hybrids were more predictable, as in human nature is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
