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A Ballad for Icarus - A Historical Pokemon Quest

Reader mode
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Baltoy, dancing and spinning on top of her.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Baltoy, dancing and spinning on top of her.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Baltoy, dancing and spinning on top of her.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.
I just like Cubone
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.

I don't know why I feel like it fits her, but I'm still casting my vote for the little guy.
 
[X] About Justus' Arm. Though she tried to hide it, you saw Ray's regret when she mocked him for it. The tremors in his arm felt like electricity.

I don't think its hard to figure out how the little con artist got banished, lets find out about Justus.

[X] … a Baltoy, dancing and spinning on top of her.

Baltoy!
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.
 
[X] About Justus' Arm. Though she tried to hide it, you saw Ray's regret when she mocked him for it. The tremors in his arm felt like electricity.

[X] … a Baltoy, dancing and spinning on top of her.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.
 
[X] …a Phanpy, blowing some sand on her.

I'm fond of the idea of Sophia's team consisting of absolute units. Big ol' Venusaur, Donphan, maybe a Coalossal or something.
 
[X] About Justus' Arm. Though she tried to hide it, you saw Ray's regret when she mocked him for it. The tremors in his arm felt like electricity.

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.
 
[X] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?

[X] … a Baltoy, dancing and spinning on top of her.
 
[x] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?
I'm curious! Ray's a weirdo conwoman priestess who was apparently banished.

[x] … a Cubone, poking her with its club.

Cubone's are cute. I like them.
 
[x] About Ray's banishment. That's new, you thought she's been in the city the whole time, but she was also out and about? What'd banish a priestess?
[X] …a Phanpy, blowing some sand on her.

:D chpater!!!
 
Pretty packed time of the year, but I thought I could squeeze in a little something for the end of Arc 2 with the window I have, and The Underbelly is certainly a delightfully ominous title choice to set the mood.

Elpis said:
The brothel's building is comparatively small, more akin to a mansion though still blocky and built from stone like the rest of Olympia. It sits west of the temple, and it is crawling with guards. You can see some priests, dressed much the same as Ray, glaring around at the various women and men that are offering their services.

And though people are clearly suspicious of everyone around them, the injured woman in your arms and the one in front of you hurrying you along are enough to get past the guards and into the building.
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Aria, who has blood you could tap for sapphires: Mansions are pretty small, right?

Honestly wondering what Ray's place in the temple even is, she's clearly got her own hustle going on, and doing magician sleight of hand to support a very real sense of faith (and her own reasonable cash flow) provides natural implications for where the inverse might lie.

Elpis said:
It smells… strong. Like perfume and alcohol, and all kinds of things you've never smelled before. You're on your own, now, and while Ray's plan seems to be to sell the matron out to the temple for a payday, you're less inclined to use the people that seem like they're mourning for some coin.

But… what would they be mourning about?
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Strong strong atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty going on for the whole scene setting, and that is an interesting question, isn't it?

What, or who, could they ever be mourning?

Elpis said:
"You've picked a difficult time to come to Olympia," she says, moving on without much of an issue. "A high priest was murdered last night, I'm sure you've heard."

"In passing," Sophia says, nodding. "The… lady at the entrance of the city mentioned it."

"Ah, the whores, yes," Ray says. You purse your lips at the rather strong word. "Don't mind them too much, though they're quite good sources if you need information. It's the oldest profession, they say."

"Who says that?" you ask. She waves you off, continuing without missing a beat.

"So here's the thing, high priest Aggamemnon wasn't the most popular person," she says. What a mouthful of a name. You're fairly certain it's a traditional one, you read the name in a book before. "He was a whoremonger, he gambled with donations to the temple, but he was the de-facto leader of the temple so unless someone from higher up the food chain came to Olympia to get rid of him, we were all stuck with him."

"Sounds like a lot of people could have a motive then," Sophia says. She's back to normal now, though still slightly miffed.

"For sure, but we do have one suspect." Ray grabs a scroll from her bag, rolling it out on the table. There's a drawing of an older woman, beautiful in a way that you cannot put into words. "The Matron, Debora, was the last person seen in his chambers. Since the murder, she's been missing."

"That doesn't mean she did it," you say, frowning. "That just means she's missing."
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It's interesting, the main press we have for what kind of person Aggamemnon is Ray, who mostly presents herself as apathetic in a city where the base view held towards prostitutes is contempt:

Elpis said:
Before you can make a decision, you hear a shout outside. A woman screams, and though many in the inn look armed and capable, nobody moves to help. You hear the whispers, you hear the disdain.

It must just be some whore, no need to worry.
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So, what might that suggest about his reputation as a high priest being "wasting money on whoring and gambling"? If we take it as given Debora isn't the one who killed him, what might that imply about why they were meeting, besides the snap judgement?

A picture is beginning to be painted...

Elpis said:
"Here," the woman says. On the ground floor is a door, far to the right and past more of that overwhelming stench. The woman opens it, and you step in to find yourself in a rather plain looking room with a single bed and a man sleeping in a chair.

"Justus," the woman shouts. The man starts awake, his entire body coming alive to knock the chair over. You can see it in the way he stands, in the way his hand twitches to a sword that used to be on his hips, that he used to be a soldier. "Justus, Tia is injured!"

That takes all sleepiness from his eyes. His face turns into stone, and his hands take the still unconscious Tia from your arms before laying her on the bed, checking over the wound on her head. It's no longer bleeding, due to your first aid.
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Sword Doctorrrrrr.

We got a name for the patient, Tia!

Love the way Aria is keyed into the little details, you can hear the dice rolls going off in her brain.

Elpis said:
"The wound looks worse than it is," he says, quickly grabbing some equipment from the desk he was sleeping at. Though he is clearly equipped to handle these things, the collection of material in his office seems too little for the amount of people that the brothel must contain. "Lora, did you use a potion on her?"

"Not me," Lora says. She points at you. "Her."

"We can't repay you for it," he says quickly. You frown. Repay? "Thank you for taking care of her. Go home now."

"Repayment?" you ask, your thoughts spilling over your tongue. "It's a potion, it's—"

Not that cheap, is it? You calculate the price, you bought them in bulk, and you know the merchants who sold it to you were quite happy about Wilhelm's capture, but…

"It's worth any price as long as a life is saved," you say, frowning. He looks at you like you said something ridiculous. You glare at him. "I don't want any money from you."

"She's a friend of ours now," Lora says, stepping between you and Justus. "So play nice, Justus."

They stare at each other for a moment. The smell makes your breathing shallow, and the silence is broken by a cough that sneaks its way past your desire to make yourself small and invisible.

"Fine, sorry for doubting you," Justus says. He bandages Tia's head quickly, moving on from her to mix some herbs from his drawer into something that vaguely looks like a powdered painkiller Drake once gave you when you had a fever. "There, now that that's done."
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Really fast and fierce tension to sneak up on us, like you can instantly feel how dire the stakes are in the brothel, too little to go around, too much to trust anyone else to care about, and the way Aria's constant need to remember oh yeah, Money, a thing people need to be worry about, is framed in direct contrast with how unironic her generosity is, makes for an instant flint between Justus's defensiveness and Lora's (last name get!) straightforward "Our Girl Now."

Aria's always talking about how she's an adult, and people shouldn't treat her like a kid, but this stuff always makes her seem so young...

Elpis said:
He stands tall, you notice, as he walks up to you. A bit taller than tall, even. It's barely noticeable when he's hunched over a patient, but this man would tower even over Redwood. In exchange, though, his limbs look sickly thin. While he hides as much as he can under his baggy clothes that seem to be the approximation of a doctor's robe, his own health seems rather… precarious.

"I'm Justus," he says, shoving his hand at your face. You shake it, meeting his strong grip with one of your own. "And you helped one of us, which means you're not an Olympian."
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Justus is a fun entrance. Physically and emotionally ill guard dog.

Elpis said:
"No, I'm not," you confirm. "I'm a wanderer, I arrived here in the evening."

"Then let me repay you by giving you advice," Justus says. You don't know what his problem is, but his attitude can not be more unwelcoming if he tries. "This city's going to war with itself soon, you better pack your stuff and go."

"Justus," Lora warns, her voice strained. "This isn't the time to make more enemies."

"No, it's not," you say, agreeing with her. "But I don't want to intrude on something I don't know about, so I'll go back to my companion."

"Wait," Lora says, grabbing your arm. She looks concerned. "The people saw you help us, it won't end here. Justus wasn't wrong, the temple is trying to throw us out of the city. They rile up the citizens, that's who attacked us."

"To help was her choice—"

"Not without the knowledge!" Lora shouts. You flinch at the volume. "We can't repay her by sending her out to those who'd do us harm! We owe a debt, Justus!"
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It's funny how Justus and Lora are both in Highkey Overprotective Mode, but Justus is trying to do Aria the barest courtesy he can because he's clearly at the fucking limit and if he gets attached to any more people he'll probably straight keel over, and Lora is "You dumbass you buffoon we're already Ride or Die in this fuckhouse."

We're watching the climax of a culture war that we didn't even expect to walk into and uh. It's not good.

Elpis said:
You can't take it anymore. "Everyone shut up!"

Everyone is all of two people, and the still sleeping Tia on the bed. They turn to you, equal parts confused and annoyed. You know there's some people outside the door listening in, though that really doesn't matter.

"I'd have helped regardless," you say, pointing at Lora. Your finger moves to Justus. "And I don't fear the people who'd let anger grip their hearts. It doesn't matter whether the matron killed the high priest, does it? If it wasn't you, they'd find some other group to attack. That's a systemic problem."

"Your sword won't get you out of this, vagrant knight," Justus says. "The tension in the air will not resolve by finding the right words and speaking them to the right people, I urge you to find a different place."

"He's an asshole but he means well," Lora says, frowning. "If you stay here or are seen leaving after helping us, you'll be a target. The temple is out for blood, the emperor asks them to self-govern, and the Centurion in charge is unwilling to step in."
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Love how Aria is using her Big Royal Girl Voice and it's mostly just getting "Come on, really?"

Justus earnestly trying to hustle Aria out of the city really does come across like "I know what it's like to martyr myself for this cause, it won't work, you will straight up waste away."

Lora's really directly rational on a different pivot because she doesn't expect Aria to get far enough, fast enough, for the trouble she's earned making the commitment she already has.

Aria is definitely planning on using the right words on the right people with the right sword though. Like her commitment to that is so funny, she'll say "That's a systemic problem" like this is even the genre to phrase it like that.

Elpis said:
You note the new military rank down. "Is the empire's law so meaningless?"

"Not usually, this is…" Justus begins, stopping himself as he realizes he's doing exactly what he didn't want to: involve you. "Bah, fine. The Centurion's a noble scion, he slowly replaced most of the guards with yes men. While he's not actively working with the temple, he's usually on the side of the money."
"And the temple has more money?"

"No," Lora says. Justus gives her a warning glare, but she does not hesitate to continue. "Don't even try, this isn't a secret in the city. The matron has our funds hidden away, without her nobody knows where. If we don't manage to pay for the guard's protection, we'll be expelled from Olympia by the end of this week."

This is a lot more complicated than you initially thought.
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Aria twirling her little mental pen: Oooo, if that isn't military lore to add to my collection.

Justus is so funny. Really trying to avoid an exponential problem increase. Which isn't going to happen.

Okay but the fact "the brothel would hide Debora away" is running into the surprise reality that "if they knew where she was they'd be less worried about the fact that she's the one with all the money."

Hm hm.

"So here's the thing, high priest Aggamemnon wasn't the most popular person," she says. What a mouthful of a name. You're fairly certain it's a traditional one, you read the name in a book before. "He was a whoremonger, he gambled with donations to the temple, but he was the de-facto leader of the temple so unless someone from higher up the food chain came to Olympia to get rid of him, we were all stuck with him."

"Sounds like a lot of people could have a motive then," Sophia says. She's back to normal now, though still slightly miffed.

"For sure, but we do have one suspect." Ray grabs a scroll from her bag, rolling it out on the table. There's a drawing of an older woman, beautiful in a way that you cannot put into words. "The Matron, Debora, was the last person seen in his chambers. Since the murder, she's been missing."
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I wonder where she got all that money, huh?

The fact that the temple has wanted the whores gone for a lot longer than the present circumstances, and Aggamemnon's death, as their most obvious patron in Olympia, has conveniently provided the perfect trigger...

Elpis said:
A lot more complicated. In fact, it's probably information that Ray had but didn't share with you. The emperor's men running a protection racket? Why'd people even play along with this? Well, you suppose it makes sense. People are unbothered by the things that don't concern them, so the temple or a bunch of prostitutes filling the pockets of the guards while the average citizen can simply enjoy the privilege of fence-sitting…

That's wrong. It's wrong in a way you'd have struggled to articulate a month ago, but now you do have the right words for it.

"That's fucked up," you say. And that's all it'll ever be. Lora snorts, while Justus raises an eyebrow.
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I love how much Aria's power level has risen.

She can curse all she wants and no one will be able to shove her into a swear jar.

^ Skiddle's influence.

But yeah, Aria is getting Fucking Pissed and the way she always says "Emperor's Men" really does give you a glimpse of how much she's gonna beat these fools ragged for not representing her empire's name right.

Elpis said:
"Okay, so we have actual hostile assholes, a really indifferent and corrupt guard force, that's not great. That's—sorry, why'd the matron have all those funds hidden by herself?"

"We got robbed too often, so now most of our earnings are kept by her," Lora says.

"And you don't think she might've taken them?"

"No," Lora says. The conviction in her voice makes you feel bad for doubting the matron. "Debora would never do something like this, even if she had murdered that bastard she'd come back here to tell us goodbye. If she's missing, something happened."

You nod. You suppose that's the kind of trust these people must have in their leadership. You cannot deny that it feels good to have your own doubts confirmed, even if the source of that statement is biased.
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Okay so Lora doesn't like Aggamemnon, that's two (2) independent sources of information who assert he was a piece of shit.

Aria going low register to describe this situation as just. Bad. Is hysterical.

Elpis said:
So you played the highest card in your deck—honesty.

"A priestess asked me to help look for Debora," you say. Lora frowns, her attitude towards you quickly cooling. "A few months ago I was in the same situation, someone I cared about was killed and I had to run because people accused me of the murder. Believe me when I say this, I have no intention of letting the temple get to her. Even if she is guilty, her judgement must be passed by the empire's law, not a lynching."

What little charisma you have seems to resonate with her. Justus, too, seems to see you in a better light.
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"What little charisma you have" girl you straight up said a priestess hired you to find their boss and they think you're real steel.

Delusional.

But yeah Aria will just straight up toss dishonesty into the trash without so much as looking backwards, zero impulse control, her sincere and earnest belief in the imperial law of a country she spent her whole life being prepped to go to war with is funny. Gilderan propaganda slides off like water on a duck's back.

Elpis said:
The temple's scapegoats are numerous. While you don't know how many are in the streets, looking for customers, you'd estimate about seventy or so people who call the brothel home. The temple is, without a doubt, larger. Maybe two hundred priests and priestesses, mostly consisting of worshippers of the Thunderbringer, with a few stragglers that have come here from other cities.

You have ideas, but without Sophia and Ray you don't think you can make most of them reality. You'll need to find your allies and share what you've learned.

You might also need more than just them.

"I made a friend," you say. "At the border, his name is Uten. If you can send someone there, tell him what's going on with the guard's in the city, he might be able to help."

A friend might be a strong word, but in the end, someone with such earnest smiles will surely not side with a high-ranking soldier over the empire's own justice.
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Crazy how fast Aria has gotten started on taking advantage of her networking skills, we'll make a politician out of you yet (which you'll hate but this is the life you chose homeslice, blame yourself or the Thunderbringer).

The Centurion doesn't even know Aria exists but he's already getting written up by his undercover boss, rip.

Elpis said:
"Leaving the city at this stage is hard," Lora says. "People who leave might not be able to enter again, the priests are more meticulous than the guards in checking the city perimeters."

You don't know if Uten will be able to help, and even if he is willing, you are uncertain just what help he can offer considering there's little in terms of cities near the border. Even if he calls for reinforcements, or asks for a higher ranking noble to bring a hammer down on the guards, it could still be weeks that the brothel does not have.

But doing nothing is worse. "If the situation is resolved by asking for help, they'll not be able to stop them from coming back. Someone must be willing, someone must have that courage."

"I'll go," someone shouts through the closed door. Another voice chimes in, agreeing that they'd do the same. It opens, revealing two young men who are dressed at least somewhat more modest compared to the rest of the crowd. "Let us go!"
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Wait this is so fucking funny.

Literally gassing up the eavesdroppers to strengthen her multipronged play, her base cunning bewitches me.

Setting up the cavalry, even if help has no chance to arrive in time...Ahhhhhhh, fond memories.

Elpis said:
You smile at them, then turn your head to Lora and Justus. The former sighs, but ends up nodding. You're not sure about the hierarchy in this place, outside of the matron, but it seems that there's a good sense of harmony.

Then there's just one more thing to do.

"Inana," you say. Inana jumps out of her Pokeball, yawning. The day was long, but you can't quite go to sleep yet. Lora and Justus jump back, and once again you can see Justus' hand moving to something that is not at his hip. "Can you find Sophia?"

Inana stills for a moment, closing her eyes. The feathers on her back twitch for a moment, her nose following suit before she opens her eyes and nods.

"Okay," you say, turning to Lora and Justus. "Whether you want it or not, I'm getting involved. I cannot stand by and watch people suffer, especially not when those who are meant to protect them are turning a blind eye."

Justus gives you a nod. Lora looks skeptical, yet unwilling to reject a helping hand. She smiles at you. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I am Aria," you say, your hand on your chest. "Just Aria."

And that's all you ever want to be.
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Girl you are gonna make "Just Aria" a legend, I hope you've made your piece with that.

And Inana! Hey Inana!

Having a pokemon at all is almost definitely more firepower than anyone in the room expected, you maybe should have opened with that Aria.

Justus sure used to be a guy, I wonder what happened to him.

Alright, that's all the time I had, fun start to the chapter, allow me to mark down the changelog for the character sheet in case I get lapped more.

Elpis said:
Aria, the Aspirant Knight
Aria, the Aspirant Hero
Aria, the Runaway Knight

​
Art by Me


Your Pokemon and your Skills share the same slot. As one grows in power, the other will too. Aspects are combinations of Skills, representing the content of your character and choices, not necessarily the things you can bring to the table.

They're graded loosely adapted from We Stand In Awe's and But Not Forgotten's skill levels. Everything runs purely on a narrative basis, with your capability in a skill deciding the paths that become available to you rather than rolls which decide their outcomes.

Aspects and Skills​
Aspect: Imp‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎r‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎al (Wisdom + Authority)
This is an Aspect of your Character. Something that you ARE, not something that you CAN DO. Wisdom and Authority make for a better noble that most. If you hone this aspect, perhaps you can forge it into a blade that can carve borders. It is missing a few letters, though. You should go find those.
Skill: Wisdom [Competent]
There are many ways of persuasion. Knowing when to apply the right kind of force, knowing when to ease up, such is the way of a Knight. During lessons, the stories of those generals who set enemies up to fail with strategy and wit were always much more interesting to you. You are Aware. You notice things that you might not usually, you make connections that make no sense sometimes because of details you picked up but might not quite have the context for yet.
Skill: Authority [Competent]
Your voice commands respect. Your deeds will make people think twice before starting a fight with you. It is easier to convince others to follow you. These are all aspects of Authority, something you have inside of you whether you want it or not.
Skill: Righteousness [Student]
You are Righteous. Your path is true and the help you offer to people comes from a place of kindness and goodness. This does not make you a pushover, but rather someone who cannot stand people being helpless. You also know how to share that load, rather than take it all on your own.


Aria's Pokemon​
Inana the Sneasel

A proud Sneasel of Northern Gildera. She knows she's adorable and will let everyone know. Her biggest goal seems to be proving herself as strong and dependable.
Name Pending the Helioptile

A fighty Helioptile with a strong personality. He mocks Inana by copying her poses while behind her.


The Flamberg Growlithe
?: ??? the Growlithe: You are someone capable of great empathy and affection.
Skiddle, the Runaway Knight's Regret
Skiddle is your first partner as a Glastrier Knight. She's kind and happy, always ready to cheer you up and keep you company when you're down. She will keep you upright if you can barely walk, and she will warm you up at night if you're cold. That's the kind of Pokemon she is.

Or was.




Aria's Party​



Sophia, Aria's Knight
A former knight of the Spectrier Order. You saved her life. She has sworn loyalty to you, and your cause, whichever cause that is or will be.


​
Ray, Maiden of the Thunderbringer
A scam artist and priestess of Raikou. She is tiny, but her eyes look so old.


Precious Friends and Important Characters​

Capella, your precious friend.
Capella is a year younger than you. She has spent a lot of time with Drake before he returned to the Caer after picking you up. She is your best friend. The only one who truly understands you.

Drake, your adoptive father.


The man who took you in. A bald Commander whose name makes many tremble in fear. To you, he's your savior and mentor. His trusty Partner is a Dragonite named Typhon as scarred as him.
Lissy, the Future Legend


A girl who wants to become a hero. She knows all the tales and stories of those who now dwell in the Elysian fields. Her ability to fight in close combat is enough to make even some older knights cower. Her Scraggy is named Perseus.
Ruby, the Mountain Child

A member of the last natives in Western Gildera. They hail from Regis' Pass, a village where the last survivors do not know what their future looks like. Ruby wishes to become a noble to protect their people. Their Bunneary is called Opal.
Leif, Spectrier Knight
A man who knows more than he lets on. Leif is a Spectrier Knight who used to be a villager in the Reichert Marquisate. He is easy to get along with and quite perceptive. He gifted you a Pokeball.


Minor Characters and Acquaintances​


Silvia, the Lightning Blade


Silvia is a Captain of the Glastrier Order. Despite using a long sword, she is said to be the fastest swordswoman on the continent. Her partner, Bolt, is a Raichu with a darker fur than usual.



​

Redwood, the Scholar

A man who towers over everyone in the Caer. Redwood is a teacher at heart, though his own skill with the blade is not to be taken lightly. His partner is an Ursaluna named Princess. She wears a crown.


The Murkrow Squad of the Northern Woods

Led by Thalia the Murkrow, these four Murkow were your first battle, and rivals for berries. They're not that bad, though. They did save your life. Maybe one day you can come back for them.

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A very intriguing mystery to look forward to unraveling, for sure.
 
[X] About Justus' Arm.
[X] …a Phanpy, blowing some sand on her.
I prefer baltoy, honestly, but I think phanpy suits her most, always rolling straight into danger. Plus, if these options will affect her stats, this is one that's power!
I also think it's easy enough to find out what Ray did, but developing friendship with Justus is more important. Also, drama!
 
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    Update 15: The Tomb of Giants New
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    • Wilhelm the Fool and Tauros (as Inana sees them)​
    Winning Vote:

    [X] Cubone
    [X] Ask about Ray's banishment.

    ###

    You wake up with a start, standing up so fast that you see stars in front of your eyes. A small cry announces that the weight you felt on your chest was Perun, now on the ground and not that happy about the sudden wakeup call. He looks at you with wide eyes, the cracks in his head pulsing with the same color as the bioluminescent fungus around you.

    The cave you're in now is… different. It's still very much a dark and dusty cave, but the energy down here is less intense than above. You look around, finding Sophia on the ground still, looking like she's having the most restful sleep of her life.

    Unfortunately for her, she's not going to stay asleep long. A Cubone stands next to her, poking her with its club. It has a rather long tail with a bright blue tip that Sophia is lying on, trapping the poor girl in a stalemate, too polite to actually attack Sophia outright.

    "Here," you say, taking Sophia's arm and turning her to free the tail. The Cubone turns around, now free, and finds herself staring up at you, then back down to Sophia. "Sorry about that, we didn't mean to land here. Are you alright?"

    Cubone checks her tail, then nods when satisfied that nothing is wrong with it. You can see electricity sparking when the tip touches the ground, small bolts of lightning vanishing in the darkness in fractions of a second. You nod back, looking around once more for your other party member.

    Ray is not lying down at all, you see. The hole above you closed, and as she was the final one thrown in by Wilhelm, she ended up stuck with her feet in the ceiling.

    It'd be funny if her face wasn't so red from all the blood rushing into it. You point at the ceiling, it's not too far, but you don't want to pull on her unless you know it'll give. "Hey, can you help with that?"

    You ask both Perun and Cubone. They look at each other and nod, and you find yourself used as a ladder. Perun is on your head after climbing up your back, and Cubone takes a small leap on top of Perun's head to jump up and smash the club into the ceiling. It breaks apart, releasing Ray, who wakes up from the sudden motion.

    You catch her, one arm under her head and one under her knees, slightly kneeling to cushion the fall. She growls as she finds herself in your arms, flailing about and forcing you to let go.

    She falls on the ground with a thud, face first.

    "You really shouldn't be moving around that much," you say. "It's dangerous."

    "That fucking bastard," Ray says, pushing herself off the ground. "That utter piece of shit, how dare he, that staff doesn't belong to him!"

    You move aside when she starts swinging her arms around, all the emotion she usually puts under a mask of false sincerity spilling out into movement. "Careful—"

    "That stupid priest should never have been promoted, that imbecile!" Ray's fist connects to a wall, and though the loud crack sounds like a broken bone, she does not look hurt or in pain. She turns to you, her finger pointed at your face. "You let him get away!"

    You raise an eyebrow, pushing her hand down gently. "I think this has become a bit more complicated than a murder, so maybe we should take a minute to gather our thoughts. There's no need to become enemies at this point, right?"

    That does seem to calm her somewhat, but not by much. Her hand comes back again, grabbing your arm, drawing you in close.

    "We need to get that staff," she says, her voice low and demanding. Something in her eyes looks off, different from the usual coolness she tries to put on. "If nothing else, if I can't ask you for any favor after this, that staff has to go back to the temple."

    "Fine, yes," you say, taking her hand off you. You hate that grip, that feeling of fingers twisting your skin under them. "Let's wait for Sophia to wake up and then we can talk about the staff, just take a deep breath. This isn't productive, Ray."

    She walks off, not too far, and without any purpose. The distance is enough for her to be alone with her thoughts and come down, so you turn to Sophia, who now has Cubone, fascinated at her deep sleep, sitting next to her.

    "Wilhelm's still up there doing his nonsense," you say, irritated at how easily this man got rid of you. "Sophia, we can't stay here any longer, we have to go."

    She does not stir, so you do the only thing you can. You walk up to her and pinch her nose shut.

    It takes a good minute, but she starts to wake, gasping for air. You let go, watching as the now slightly blue girl comes back alive. Cubone jumps back in shock, holding her club up in two hands.

    "I had such a nice dream," Sophia whines. A moment later, she remembers just how you got here and her eyes light up, now fully awake. "Where's Wilhelm?"

    "Up," you say, pointing at the ceiling of the cave. There's paths out and about, though which way is up is going to be difficult to tell. "That staff of his is dangerous."

    "It's not his staff," Ray says, back in the fray. "Let's trade information then, who the fuck is he?"

    "That's not a polite way to ask," Sophia says. You give her a hand to stand up, shaking your head. It's not the time to fight, and that much is still true now as it was three minutes ago when you said it to Ray. "Sorry, it's been a bit of a day. That man's Wilhelm the Fool, a thief whose organization should only be active in Gildera. And it's… impossible for him to be here, really."

    "Impossible?" Ray asks. You frown, thinking back to the man's face. It was undoubtedly him, from the characteristics, his way of speaking, and that stupid mug. "I guess that makes two impossible things then, that staff is a holy relic. It's not kept accessible to anyone, not even the high priest can get to it without the keys."

    "Keys?" you ask. "What keys?"

    "These," she says, pulling on her collar and revealing a rather ornate, triangular key hanging around her neck. "There's only three of them, and if I still have mine I don't understand how he got to the staff."

    "Two impossible things indeed," Sophia says. "Aria and I fought the man over a month ago now, she broke all his limbs and left him unable to hold a spoon by himself, there's no way he's up and about. Rather, there's no way he managed to escape and cross the border. That place is shut down tighter than the royal treasury."

    "I guess we'll have to break all his bones again, then," Ray says. You can see teeth as she speaks. "I don't really care about the hows and whys, if he has the staff then he can only be up to no good. It's… not something a person should wield."

    The last sentence trails off into a tone you have heard from her only once before. The pain in her voice tells a story. Before you can ask, however, Cubone interrupts you, looking up at Sophia. Sophia looks down, finally noticing her previous victim and giving her a smile.

    "Aw, aren't you just adorable," Sophia says, bending down to pick the Cubone up. "Did you take care of us while we were asleep? That's so nice!"

    Cubone actually looks somewhat bashful at the praise, scratching the back of her head. She wiggles a bit, forcing Sophia to let go. Cubone lands on her feet, turning to Perun and saying something. Perun nods, then looks up at you and gives you a bright smile. You tilt your head, finding yourself slightly confused at what he's trying to say.

    Then Cubone points her club at one of the pathways and begins to walk forward slowly. You smile back at Perun.

    "Well, we have our guide," you say, clapping your hands. "So let's go, if we want to catch Wilhelm we have no time to waste."

    Ray and Sophia nod. Perun takes to your shoulder, chirping in your ear.

    "Inana and Spring will be fine," you say, glancing towards Ray, "and Gumi. Tauros is strong, but those three won't be stopped by it."

    "It does feel quite bad," Sophia says, her hand tracing her belt until she touches Spring's Pokeball. "To be separated from him, he's… been with me since I received him from the Guards."

    "Yeah," you say, your mouth dry. Sophia realizes just a moment too late, but your own separation from Skiddle is not something you've been trying to dwell on too much. You know for sure that Capella and the others will take care of her, you know for certain you'll one day be re-united.

    So you have to keep going, and every step that takes you further away from Gildera will make that reunion all the more sweet. Sophia puts an arm around your shoulder, and you try to smile as she makes a joke you can barely hear.

    Cubone leads you further and further in…

    ###

    The cave walls become more artificial again and you realize just how it comes together.

    "It's a temple," you say, blinking. Ray stops, turning around with narrowed eyes as she takes a look around. Really looks, rather than stomp behind Cubone the entire time. The fungus hides a lot of it, but if you really pay attention you can see faded murals. Depictions of people, abstract and ancient, so old and in a language that must precede even Ancient Elysium. "This whole thing has been a temple all along."

    "It all comes down to faith," Ray says. She's finally calmed down from before, though the sharpness in her eyes and voice has not settled completely. She brushes off some of the fungus from the murals, the cracking sound returning as she touches the wall, and you can see how the images form a greater whole as Sophia makes an excellent Magikarp expression. "But it's predictable, something you can find anywhere."

    "Indulge me," you say. She shakes her head, but continues nevertheless.

    "Before humans reigned, Pokemon controlled the world," Ray says, tracing over the mural with a soft touch. You can see the image of a giant, humanoid something. "To protect that world of Pokemon, an ancient god created five demigods from his image. Unfortunately…"

    Unfortunately humans. You can see the spears in their hands, the staves held up high, the and the three beasts depicted. You see the ancient struggle, the world of before, and after.

    "Humans have something most if not all Pokemon don't," Ray says, sounding bitter. "Endless curiosity, a desire to understand and own the world around them. The things they don't understand, the things that they can't control must be destroyed and buried. You're wrong, Aria."

    You frown, a tight feeling in your chest as Ray turns around and points at the image of something that initially looked like the sun to you.

    "This isn't a temple, it's a tomb," she says. "For a god that we humans have killed and forgot."

    "You don't sound surprised," Sophia says, leaning against a wall. Cubone is imitating her, trying to look cool after putting the club next to her as if it were a sword on her hip. "I thought you didn't know about this place?"

    "I didn't," Ray says, crossing her arms and looking away. "But it's not a new story to me, it's just told differently on the surface."

    Of course, history is written by the victors of a conflict. Or at least the surviving parties. You imagine that the original intention of the tomb was to honor the remains of that dead god, even if it was in conflict with the people who built it. But hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years, can make people forget. Generations move on, and temples are built atop of those tombs.

    One man's murderer is another man's hero.

    And so the cycle repeats, over and over again, as senseless greed takes and takes and takes.

    "Back then, the priest's taught me that the demons had such powerful control over the weather that humans were forced to live in caves," Ray explains. She sounds bitter, as if the realization her faith was built on misinformation had taken something from her that she can't get back. "So the three beasts came and offered their help. Those ancient demons, those ancient demigods, were defeated with their help. In those places where they were fought, we built temples to honor our saviors."

    "That doesn't sound completely wrong," you say. She nods. Her issue seems to lie elsewhere. "Though the version is twisted, was it wrong for those forced to live in darkness to fight back against forces of nature? Pokemon and human alike are not all the same, the beasts helped humans, your faith is still true."

    "My faith does not waver," she says, nodding. "But the truth has to come to the surface, and I'll make sure it does, even if the temple becomes my enemy."

    A shriek to the side makes you jump slightly. You grab the sword from your hip, the shield on your back attaching to your left arm. You see… Zubat.

    A lot of Zubat. While you were talking, a group of them gathered above you, and some began to descend. Perun stands in front of you, and though Cubone tries to do the same for Sophia, she looks rather worried at the large group of wild Pokemon.

    "Hey, Perun," you say. He turns his head to you, his eyes still focused on the Zubat. "Remember that thing you used to shoot Inana out of the air?"

    "Heeee?" Perun asks. 'Yeah, what about it?'

    "You think you can shoot down that many?"

    Perun shakes his head. Too bad.

    "Then I guess we'll do it differently," you say. You raise your shield. The Zubat are large, but not very heavy. You can block some of them. Ray's bag, which always seems to have some solution to whatever problem she is facing, reveals a few stones that glow in a very light blue.

    "Follow my lead," Ray says. Sophia nods, drawing her sword as well. "On three, attack with everything you go. They're usually in packs, if we beat enough of them back the rest flee."

    You give her a nod as well. After floating around for a little bit, the Zubat swoop in all of the sudden, the large group on the ceiling descending all at once. Just before they reach you, Ray throws the stone up. It creates a loud noise, bad enough that it rings in your ears, and much worse of the Zubat it looks like. A lot of them end up crashing on the ground, Perun hitting a few of them in the air with a beam of condensed lightning.

    You see Cubone slam her club into one of the Zubat that lands in front of her. She looks to Sophia, giving a thumbs up. Sophia smiles, then slaps one of the Zubat out of the air with the flat of her blade. No need to hurt anyone more than necessary, after all it's much harder to deal with grief and anger than just plain hunger and annoyance at their nest being invaded.

    "Perun," you say, holding up the blade above his head. You don't know if this will work, but you can't imagine why it shouldn't. Skarmory steel is, after all, the shed armor of a Pokemon. Perun grins, standing on both feet to touch the blade with his head, then wraps his frills around it. With a loud shout, he begins releasing electricity, charging up the blade until the blade begins to crackle. "You're a dear."

    You ignore the rather annoying pang in your fingers as some of the excess electricity decides to move into your body. The hilt is not metal, so you know you can do this.

    "Sophia," you say, sheathing your sword. It's a technique you've seen exactly once, and Silvia has told everyone who witnessed it to not attempt any imitation, on pains of death. "Get behind me."

    She does, slapping one of the Zubat to the side and letting Cubone bat it away with her club. There's still a good two dozen of them flying in the air, having recovered fast from the strange gem that Ray used.

    You take a deep breath, the sheath of your blade vibrating with all of that power and energy. There's no way you'd be able to do this without practice anywhere but Olympia, where the electric energy is so abundant that everything is filled and touched by it—but you are in Olympia.

    And you really wanted to do something cool like this before.

    "Lightning Blade!" you shout, drawing the sword from the sheath. It sounds like thunder, and it smells like fresh rain on dry earth. The blade sings as you slash in front of you, the bundled energy releases in a line from the tip of the blade as you trace a path among the Zubat. The lightning explodes forward, the thunderwave hitting six directly and causing them to fall out of the air again.

    You don't know what Silvia has, this is eas—and there is the drawback. There is too much energy in the blade, and it has to go somewhere. Rather than swing it further around and risk hitting your friends, you stab it into the ground, releasing all that energy into the floor.

    It explodes with such a force that it sends you back. Sophia catches you, sliding back a few meters as she leans forward to make sure both of you don't get hurt. Unfortunately you still haven't moved on from the mural, so those few meters end up sending you both into the wall.

    Fortunately, the force of the impact is negligible. You feel a bit bruised, but that's nothing a potion can't fix up in a moment. Your hands… are burnt. Not badly, at least, but the palms definitely require some ointment. Not great, but not bad either. The Zubats turn and fly away, and Sophie lets you down slowly, sliding down the wall to sit down and catch her breath.

    Perun looks… stunned. As if he never knew just what kind of power could come out of those little frills. Cubone, too, finds herself rather awed at the sight of twitching Zubat on the ground, paralyzed and quite unhappy with you. They crawl away, rather than fly, and you find yourself having to deal with a whole new problem.

    "Pfff-hahahahahaha—" Ray begins to laugh. A genuine, deep laughter that causes her to hold her stomach and keeps her unable to stand straight. "Lightning Blade! HAHAHA—"

    You feel your face heat up. "It's… it's what one of the Glastrier captains called it, it became her epitaph…"

    "It's so—it's so childish!" Ray says, laughing even louder. The heat reaches your ears, it's not such a big deal is it? What's wrong with shouting the name of your attack? She seems to calm down for a moment, then looks at your sword, still stuck in the ground, and begins all over again.

    Sophia starts laughing as well. This betrayal is too much for you, so you just ignore them all and stick your hands into your bag, getting all the medicine you need out for treatment.

    They're so mean…

    Steel made from Pokemon materials has unique properties. While they suffer from similar weaknesses as the Pokemon they come from, they are also aspected to the elements around them. With the proper training, you can become even more effective at combat.

    When the time calls for such a boon, you must be prepared. Spreading yourself too thin will not help you become stronger, so you have to pick your preference:

    [ ] Practice with Inana when you have time.
    Inana is aspected to Ice. She's the memory of Gildera, of home.

    [ ] Practice with Perun when you have time.
    Perun is aspected to Electric. He's a reminder of the path ahead, of Sol.

    ###

    The tomb is massive.

    So massive, in fact, that your first thought comes true. You're too tired to continue, and so you decide to camp out in the cave, to continue your journey after some rest. It's not hard to start a fire, with Ray's practically infinite supplies of minor elemental stones and some of the fungus which turns out is rather flammable.

    The blue flame crackles, whipping left and right as touched by unseen wind. You see Gildera in it, the Glastrier Knights, the faces of your friends. You can see Lissy make a joke, and Silvia hitting her over the head for it. You can see Ruby cooking, their smile so bright as Redwood enjoys the meal.

    You can see Capella brushing Skiddle's fur, the Murkrow feather on the horn reflecting candlelight.

    "You get that look in your face sometimes," Ray says, feeding the fire some more mushrooms. "When you think of home, you look like you're far away."

    She's back to usual, for now. Though she still itches to continue and rip Wilhelm's head off his shoulders, the earlier bout of joy at your expense has removed some of the tension in your group and left Ray as normal, if slightly less cheerful.

    "I don't know if it was home," you say. Sophia has already fallen asleep, Cubone curled up next to her. For you, sleep does not come so easily. For Ray, it must be even harder. You can see the bags under her eyes, the tiredness that must be wreaking havoc on her mind and body. "It was, it is, my people. My dearest and most precious friends."

    "Home is where your heart is, isn't that right?" Ray asks. You nod, though you see she's not looking at you at all. Her eyes are distant, much like your own must be. And even though she is right in front of you, barely an arm's length away, she feels distant. "We've not had much time to talk, so I barely know a thing about you besides the nobility thing. Well, that and your old order."

    You lean back, pushing against the ground and raising your eyes to the ceiling. "You heard about the commander dying?"

    "There's nobody who hasn't," Ray says, nodding. Figures, there's no way something like this could stay hidden for long. You just hope that this does not encourage the nobles of Sol to become bolder. "Was that you?"

    "No," you say, your voice firm. There's no energy left in you to have a stronger reaction. Perun purrs, his head on Sophia's lap as he drifts off to sleep. "Drake adopted me when I ran away from my family. I owe him more than I could have ever repaid in one lifetime. But… When he died, what was left behind was no longer me. I ran, and I ran, and I ran. I stumbled, I fought with my best friend, and at first I thought I could turn around, but…"

    "It's just not the same anymore," Ray says. You nod. "So you don't want to go back?"

    "I don't know," you say. Admitting this is the hardest thing you've had to come to terms with lately. "So many things make no sense, so many circumstances have led to this journey, and every time I look back at it I don't understand how I let these things get so out of hand. At first I said it was to keep my friend safe, then I argued about my desire to wander. Now I am here helping you because I can't say no when someone needs me."

    "And here I thought it was because you can't say no to a cute girl," Ray says. Her distant eyes take on some shine again. She grins at you, and you can't help but smile back. "Well, fair's fair. You want to ask me anything, Miss Aria?"

    You do. It's a question you've wanted to ask since that meeting in the manor.

    "Why'd you get banished?" you ask. Ray stills, no breath passing her lips as she becomes more statue than person. It takes a bit for her to answer, and you do want to know, so even as you see the conflict in her eyes you don't tell her it's fine if she doesn't want to talk about it.

    "Murder," you say. It's your turn to hold your breath, waiting for her to make a joke about it, to make a mockery of you for even asking and just move on as if nothing happened. She does not, her face still dead serious as she raises it, the blue flame reflecting off her eyes make them shine green. "It's the only reason anyone really gets banished, even blasphemers are more welcome than murderers."

    "That can't be the whole story, can it?" you ask. She smiles softly. "Ray?"

    "My mother was a priestess," she says, taking out the key from under her collar. "In the running to become the next high priestess, even. If the person in that position is a man, they are Agamemnon. If they are a woman, then they become Cassandra. To me, she was just my mom, Mika of Olympia."

    You feel a chill, as if the name had summoned ghosts of the past that now fill the void around you. You inch closer to the fire, wrapping your cloak tightly around you.

    "She was beautiful, and wise, and busy all the time," she continues, "but never too busy to come and sing me a song to help me fall asleep."

    You don't know why, but you can feel wetness in your eyes. The heat of the fire must be drying them out.

    "One day, my uncle came to me." Ray holds up her hands, tracing her fingers over the fire, drawing an image only she can see. "He says 'Ray, your mother needs your help' and I jump up, ready to do whatever she needs me to do. You see, these keys here, they're given to the two candidates. My mother was one, my uncle the other. The third key is held by the eldest cleric, who passes it on before death. It's a balance of power, safety and trust. That way, no one person has the ability to open the vault where the artifacts lie."

    You've heard of similar systems before, though the meticulousness feels largely over the top. What would stop someone from simply killing those three and taking it? That's—hm.

    "High Priest Agamemnon was… your uncle?" you ask. You try not to frown, you really do, but your mouth hangs open loosely and your eyes are still stinging. Ray nods. What a mess.

    "The high priest gives one key to the youngest cleric." She draws that image again, and you really wish you could see through her eyes right now. "They keep the other key for ten years. That is how long Raikou stayed at the temple after killing the demon."

    "Then he picks a candidate?" you ask. She nods.

    "He gives his key to the person that should succeed him," she says. "So we have two candidates. The youngest cleric at the time, my uncle, who had years to become worthy of the mantle. And the person who the high priest favored, my mother. In the end, the choice is left to the temple. Everyone has a vote, even the children who haven't yet become clerics or priests."

    That's one way to create resentment. While it's above you to complain about the ridiculous ways of an old faith, and the rather convoluted ways they choose a successor, it does feel unfortunate that it was siblings who had to fight for the position.

    There's a different kind of ache in your heart when you think about fighting your brother.

    "My uncle held all three keys on that day, he stole the others." She stops tracing that picture, her hand clenching into a fist above the fire. It flickers away for a moment, then appears again. "He said she needed the staff from the vault to… to be acknowledged as high priestess. So he sent me to get it. He gave me all the keys and sent me on my way in the middle of the night."

    That explains her fury about the staff. You can imagine where the story goes from here, but you don't interrupt her. Ray looks almost relieved to tell it, as if it finally has to come out. You know that feeling, after all. To finally tell someone your truth.

    "When I got to the vault, nobody was there. Usually there's guards there, but on that day there was a smell in the air and nothing else. So when I entered the vault, nothing seemed off. I got the staff, and my mother caught me."

    She laughs, short and wistful.

    "She was so angry, I've never been scolded by her before. I let go of the staff, and it exploded on the ground. Electricity everywhere, so much power, so much… destruction. All of it."

    "That's… an accident, that's not murder, Ray."

    "Maybe not. My uncle was made high priest so quickly, and then when they held a tribunal, he was the one that said I was just a child, they couldn't execute me. So they banished me. In the same vein, as a child, my imagination must be running wild. My uncle? Stealing all the keys and sending me to get the ancient relic? Whatever for, he was going to be high priest anyway! My mother never had a chance."

    "Nobody asked how the keys got in your possession?"

    "Nobody cared, some said my mother was the one trying to steal the staff, most quietly swept it under the rug," she says. "Because the only candidate left was my uncle, and anyone who opposes him when he just ascended will have a difficult life. They closed their eyes and ears, they sewed their mouths shut. They all knew it was true, they all knew he was responsible, they just didn't care enough about my mother to fight back."

    "I'm sorry," you say. You don't know what else you can add. You don't know what to say and how to say it so you can touch someone's heart and take away even a fraction of that grief you can see on her face. "Even if your uncle paid for this with his life, I know it is too little and too late. I'm truly sorry this happened to you, Ray."

    "Yeah, well," Ray says. You can see how a joke forms on her tongue, how easy it would be for her to dismiss your words and try to continue as if she hasn't just shared the most intimate details of her life with you. She doesn't. She simply nods. "Thank you, Aria. For listening, and everything else."

    You move over to her, reaching out for a moment before pulling your arms back. You don't know what you're thinking, but it seems like your motion was enough to take care of the rest. Ray buries her head in your chest, her arms wrapping around you so tightly you wouldn't be able to remove her without maximum effort.

    "That staff has to be locked away," she whispers. Her shoulders are shaking. "Promise me, Aria. Promise we'll succeed."

    "I promise," you say, putting your arms around her. "We'll beat the shit out of that asshole and get it back."

    There is no way you can't now, not when you know just what kind of reason she has. Even if you didn't hate Wilhelm with your entire being, you'd still kick that man's ass for Ray.

    You have forged a new bond.

    Even a corrupt institution could not shake her faith, which she shared with her mother. Her uncle banished her, for as corrupt and disgusting as he was, he still could not bring himself to call for the execution of his own niece.

    That she stole away with one of the keys became apparent only later. Even back then, Ray was quite quick with her fingers. She will be a valuable friend and ally in the days to come.

    The way up is treacherous. Your partners are still up there, likely following the path down to find you the same way as you are going to meet them. There's multiple paths, Cubone says. She draws on the ground with her club, revealing…

    [ ] … the path to the left contains a dangerous dragon-like Pokemon.

    [ ] … the path to the right contains a dangerous ninja-like Pokemon.

    [ ] … the path to the middle contains a dangerous dinosaur-like Pokemon.
     
  • New
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Practice with Inana when you have time.
    Inana is aspected to Ice. She's the memory of Gildera, of home.
    [X] … the path to the middle contains a dangerous dinosaur-like Pokemon.
     
    [X] Practice with Inana when you have time.
    Inana is aspected to Ice. She's the memory of Gildera, of home.

    Ice for the Glastrier knight.

    [X] … the path to the middle contains a dangerous dinosaur-like Pokemon.

    Is there a single dinosaur-like pokemon that's not mad cool? I don't think so!
     
    Last edited:
    Elpis said:
    [ ] … the path to the left contains a dangerous dragon-like Pokemon.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    *Insert "do you realize how little that narrows it down?" meme here*

    Elpis said:
    [ ] … the path to the right contains a dangerous ninja-like Pokemon.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Ninja like? Here? the only Ninja pokemon that come to mind are Greninja, Accelegor, and Ninjask



    [x] … the path to the middle contains a dangerous dinosaur-like Pokemon.

    Fossil Pokemon? Fossil Pokemon

    Elpis said:
    "It all comes down to faith," Ray says. She's finally calmed down from before, though the sharpness in her eyes and voice has not settled completely. She brushes off some of the fungus from the murals, the cracking sound returning as she touches the wall, and you can see how the images form a greater whole as Sophia makes an excellent Magikarp expression. "But it's predictable, something you can find anywhere."

    "Indulge me," you say. She shakes her head, but continues nevertheless.

    "Before humans reigned, Pokemon controlled the world," Ray says, tracing over the mural with a soft touch. You can see the image of a giant, humanoid something. "To protect that world of Pokemon, an ancient god created five demigods from his image. Unfortunately…"

    Unfortunately humans. You can see the spears in their hands, the staves held up high, the and the three beasts depicted. You see the ancient struggle, the world of before, and after.

    "Humans have something most if not all Pokemon don't," Ray says, sounding bitter. "Endless curiosity, a desire to understand and own the world around them. The things they don't understand, the things that they can't control must be destroyed and buried. You're wrong, Aria."

    You frown, a tight feeling in your chest as Ray turns around and points at the image of something that initially looked like the sun to you.

    "This isn't a temple, it's a tomb," she says. "For a god that we humans have killed and forgot."

    "You don't sound surprised," Sophia says, leaning against a wall. Cubone is imitating her, trying to look cool after putting the club next to her as if it were a sword on her hip. "I thought you didn't know about this place?"

    "I didn't," Ray says, crossing her arms and looking away. "But it's not a new story to me, it's just told differently on the surface."

    Of course, history is written by the victors of a conflict. Or at least the surviving parties. You imagine that the original intention of the tomb was to honor the remains of that dead god, even if it was in conflict with the people who built it. But hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years, can make people forget. Generations move on, and temples are built atop of those tombs.

    One man's murderer is another man's hero.

    And so the cycle repeats, over and over again, as senseless greed takes and takes and takes.

    "Back then, the priest's taught me that the demons had such powerful control over the weather that humans were forced to live in caves," Ray explains. She sounds bitter, as if the realization her faith was built on misinformation had taken something from her that she can't get back. "So the three beasts came and offered their help. Those ancient demons, those ancient demigods, were defeated with their help. In those places where they were fought, we built temples to honor our saviors."

    "That doesn't sound completely wrong," you say. She nods. Her issue seems to lie elsewhere. "Though the version is twisted, was it wrong for those forced to live in darkness to fight back against forces of nature? Pokemon and human alike are not all the same, the beasts helped humans, your faith is still true."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    So, this place was a Temple to Regigigas, who created the Regis. And the people over threw them.


    The Demons that control the weather sound like Tornadus and Thunderus up to their usual antics.
     
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