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 Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 3:37 pm
It was always spread through rumors that the town of Ambergris was not a place that travelers should go.
Having once been a flourishing town and a place where many called home, it had taken a turn for the worse, and was now considered a ghost town, home to still few people, and overrun with ghost types. Rumors and terrible stories were constantly flowing from the town, helping to keep its population in the decreasing state as it was.
Two sets of hooves clopped through the dirt path, the first of a tall white Rapidash, with a brightly colorful mane, and golden jewelry sparkling in the sun.
A a young women, with blond hair sat on her back, hands pressed into the mare's shoulders as she watched ahead, a length of pink fabric from the girls hip draped like a cape over the Rapidash's back.
Next to them trotted a much smaller horse, with eager blue eyes and a much more natural coloring to his body and flame.
Rosie would certainly never guess the rumors to be true, as lovely as the road was up to the city, long green fields, flanked by blooming summer trees.
"Oh... look." She said, causing Celestia to draw to a stop in her walk, lifting her head.
A hand was extended, pointing to the grim sight of rickety building rising in the distance.
"There it is."
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:06 pm
Luke had heard tell of Ambergris, and it was due to those rumors that the town was one of few areas in Kodo he had never visited properly. He moved alongside Rosie, sometimes walking and sometimes airborne with Leste's aid, though he was on his own feet at the moment Rosie pointed out the form of the town rising in the distance. It was a monolith of despair rising out of the otherwise serene spring landscape.
"Yeah," he said, tilting his head slightly askance at the sad shapes crowding the approaching horizon. "It's uh... about what I expected, I guess." Perhaps that was an unfair judgment, given that their experience with the town thus far was limited to viewing it from a distance, but he had serious and well-founded doubts that the area proper concealed any kind of oasis of culture and fortune. It looked like everything he had heard of it: a worn-out ghost town choked with misfortune. It had a sort of allure to it, though, even with that kind of reputation - a certain air of mystery that appealed to one's desires for exploration.
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:23 am
Rosie pushed herself up a little to give herself a cleared look of the town, before she turned her head, and looked over at Luke.
Pastin stepped up next to the red haired trainer when the four of them paused.
He had a more uncertain look on his face about going into the town, he could tell from here it didn't seem like such a nice place, and he could practically feel the ghost types from here.
"Its recommended that starting trainers don't go to the town," The blond said from on top of her Rapidash.
with a gentle pat on Celestia's neck, Rosie swung her leg around and let herself slide off of the taller horse, stepping up by Pastin and Luke.
"But its said that there are people who still live there... There has to be something that keeps them from leaving."
She tilted her head, giving a pitying look at the buildings.
Giving one more glance over to Luke, she grinned before hurrying forward again. "Hopefully we get there with enough time to look around before it gets dark!" She called in a laugh.
Pastin whinnied and galloped after his trainer. Celestia, with a gentle amused smile on her face waited for Luke, to trot along with him.
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:22 pm
It certainly didn't look like the friendliest place for new trainers just starting off on their journeys. Rosie's comment on those that remained drew a momentary pause and an expression of understanding. "It's hard to leave the only place you know," he said with a shrug. Well, he assumed that was what kept the town's residents there. Either that or that had some kind of amazing spa or something. Looks could be deceiving after all.
Despite the grim sight before them, Rosie's positivity was infectious, and Luke responded with a building grin of his own, following after his companion. He couldn't really complain against the allure of exploring someplace new, especially with his friend. It was always more interesting that way; he was passingly reminded of sneaking around the manor grounds Guy when he was younger. Hopefully the peculiar town wouldn't disappoint.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:24 pm
The town wasn't as far away as it appeared to be, and pretty soon Rosie found herself making out more details of just how run down this old town was.
The wood was weathered and splintering, stone foundations cracked and unkempt.
It looked terrible, but at the same time, the structures around, some rising high into the air, others more humble and homely gave the ghost town a touch of awe and beauty long with the etchings of sadness and something darker.
The shadows of this place seemed much more intimidating then normal.
White and pink boots paused just as she slipped into one of the towns main intersections, and she turned a full circle to get as much of a view of the place as she could.
"Wow, it really is a ghost town." She said softly, pausing once she had done her slow turn, and looked to Luke.
Pastin seemed a little uneasy, glancing around at the shadows as if sensing something was watching them.. a lot of somethings really.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:38 pm
From a distance the buildings had looked as shambling sentinels crawling on the horizon, a perception that was enhanced by the dismal rumors one couldn't avoid hearing whenever the town came up in conversation. Experiencing the town from amidst those sentinels, though, it was hard not to overlook the withering characteristics for the grand scale of some of the buildings and the unique architectural style.
"It's so different, though," he replied, still taking in the environment. "From Camphoreon, I mean. Or anywhere else. It's old and kinda creepy, but isn't it all really cool too?" Sandalwood's buildings that clung to the trees were unique as well, as were Camphoreon's urban skyscrapers and Makko's modern residences, but Ambergris presented something else yet that Luke had yet to witness. It was interesting, and when he finally pulled his attention from their surroundings to lend to Rosie, it was with a much brighter expression than he had sported earlier. The quiet, empty streets had clearly yet to faze him.
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:44 pm
"Its very different." Rosie agreed, still taking in the buildings. "At one point this town used to be so grand, lots of people wanted to live here."
She tilted her head, "I'm not really sure what happened to it..."
She looked away from the buildings and over to Luke, unable to keep from returning his look with a more excited expression of her own.
"It is cool isn't it." Even Kodo has some amazing history. and a lot of it is in this town right here.
Rosie perked up "Hey Luke, I hear there is an old shrine somewhere around here, we should see if we can find it."
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:44 pm
"Maybe there was a fire or something...?" But it didn't look like there was any burn damage. It just looked like half the town decided to up and leave one day and no one had come to replace them. It was kind of sad; Ambergris looked like one of the most historical towns in Kodo, but it had become such a mess...
"Sure," he agreed, nodding. He turned to observe the infrastructure more closely, seeking some indication of the shrine in question - not that he had seen such a building before or had any idea what to look for, but how hard could it be? It sounded important, and important things usually stood out. "Which way, do you think?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:17 am
"I don't know... I didn't hear anything about a fire." she admitted, glancing around for burn marks as well, not seeing any.
"I hear it happened over time... people just started disappearing, and others left becasue of it. Maybe if we see someone here, we can ask them."
She heard there were some people still living here, maybe one of them would be willing to tell them the story and history of this once great town.
"Uhhh..." Rosie glanced around when asked what way she should the shrine would be, swinging her arms next to her.
"well, why don't we try that way first" she offered pointing down one of the paths that lead to the far side of the town.
Pastin shifted closer to the trainers, peering down the road with uncertainty, and pawing at the ground.
Celestia, seemed much more calm, stepping up next to the two trainers and watching them with a gentle smile in her eyes.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:06 pm
"Huh... Weird." Just disappearing, huh? What would send people away from a city so thoroughly and so permanently that its grandeur would fade to such a degree? Maybe it was some kind of pokemon infestation or something... though they hadn't seen a single pokemon since arriving. This was just weird...
"Sure, good a place to start as any," he said, grinning as he started in the chosen direction. Maybe it was weird, but it was cool and mysterious too. It felt like they were exploring some kind of ancient ruins. "Maybe if we find someplace open we could ask about it? About the shrine, and the reason the people left." Surely the town's remaining residents would know the cause.
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:01 pm
"I'm sure there still has to be a store somewhere around here." she agreed, thinking Luke's suggestion was a great idea.
Finding someone to talk to would probably help give them a better understanding. Plus it would just be really nice to see another living person here in the town, make it feel a little more alive.
That hope was looking more and more bleak however, as they continued down the roads, past rows and rows of abandoned buildings, and and unnerving silence throughout the town.
Rosie furrowed a brow as she looked around through the homes, noticing that the further int he went, the more she was seeing signs of vandalism, sometime whole buildings that seemed smashed in from something that wasn't natural.
"Uh... maybe we went the wrong way?" She offered, turning to glance back the way they came, but found she wasn't too certain what why they had come down. "It doesn't look like anyone lives around this part..."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 6:47 pm
It was such a quiet place. Luke was accustomed to a general sense of noise from residing in Camphoreon for a year, but even the quiet that pervaded in the city's outskirts or in any of Kodo's less populated areas couldn't compare to the stillness of Ambergris. It wasn't just quiet - even in quiet areas one could hear leaves tousled by the wind or Pidgey calling to their companions. This silence seemed almost unnatural, and a building feeling of unease slowly began to displace previous feelings of excitement towards the new environment. He had heard time and time again that Ambergris had a low population, but he was only just beginning to understand what that meant.
Rosie's words, suddenly breaking through the quiet, startled Luke, though he did his best not to show it. "Uh, yeah, maybe so..." he acquiesced, reaching up to run a hand through red hair, frowning. "It doesn't look like anyone lives around any part. Are we sure there are still people here at all...?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:38 pm
"I thought there were..." She replied casting one more glance around the buildings, in the vague hope that there would be any kind of signs of life.
Not getting any different results, she turned to Luke.
"... Maybe we should try the other way."
It didn't feel good here, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it left a dreaded knot in her stomach, and a feeling of great sadness and loss for the town.
Rosie nodded her head in the other direction when something caught her eye and she paused, eyes widening as if she had found something interesting and staggered back a couple of steps.
"Oh- Look."
pointing out int he direction of the next block, at what looked like arched gates that loomed crookedly over the hunched and disheveled remains of what was probably a home at some point.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:43 am
It was certainly a sorrowful town, like an animal that had gotten caught in a pit of mud and didn't have the strength to break free. The warm sunshine seemed to pale as it reached the dismal town, as if in fear of the whispering shadows. It was not a friendly place, that much was for certain.
Luke turned to look in the direction Rosie indicated, frowning at what he found there. "This isn't normal," he decided, his eyes still searching the sagging architecture for some indication of the cause. "I mean, this isn't a bad town, right? It's kinda creepy, but that's just because there are so few people around. How come no one lives here? There's nothing wrong with it..." It was confounding; the town was vast and beautiful, if not aged and in need of repair. Was it really just nasty rumors that kept everyone away?
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:47 pm
"I'm confused too." she said feeling a chill run thought her back as the stillness was starting to really get to her.
"Well, lets try looking a little more." She glanced at the horizon "It looks like its going to be getting dark soon, so maybe we should call it a day soon."
She got a sick feeling in her stomach at the thought of being in this town past dark.
The unusual tall gates seemed to be a good start, it got her curious anyway, and she stilled hoped there would be s sign of life around there.
the blond set off again, with her pokemon following behind.
"Do you think maybe the pokemon around here made it unlivable? I've heard there are supposed to be a lot in the aria... but I havn't seen any yet."
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