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 Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 2:36 pm
Ancient Battlefield Pokemon Types Located Here:  
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 3:46 pm
Guildmaster Veilmys  "I don't let just any ragtag adventurer into my guild, friend! Let's see what sort of moxie you got! In each of the dungeons of our region I've placed a colored bowtie! Be a dear and fetch it for me will you?"Location: Your ChoiceFloors: 4 (That's two pages in size 14 font minimum!) Rewards: x1 Colored Bow Accessory + Partner Voucher-only after completing this mission can you roll for your partner Pokemon. Team Sunstrike – First Mission
Members involved: Skye Skye ducked her head against the wind, squinting to try and keep the dust from her eyes as she surveyed the area around her. Broken pillars of stone jutted from the cracked earth, worn carvings and messages etched along their edges. Spread across the landscape, one could find the remains of arrowheads and remains of Pokemon whose families had never come to claim their dead.
It was a somber atmosphere, to say the least. Stronger Pokemon than she had lost their lives here, and it wasn’t wise to linger in one place for long.
She’d been sent to find a bow, for reasons she couldn’t fathom. She supposed that it was a simple enough task for new guild members, exposing them to minimal risks while the guild tested their capability in the field. Traditionally, the mark of guild members was a scarf or bandana which was worn around the neck. It was used as something to clip badges to, which identified you as guild members. That practice had died out a long time ago, likely due to the fact that badges were frequently lost or stolen.
The Espeon shivered, still glancing into every nook and cranny as she passed by another pile of rubble.
She had been hoping that the bowtie would be brightly coloured- something to catch the eye so that she could complete her mission and return home without any real risk or challenge.
A soft series of clicks sounded behind her, and the Espeon spun in place, growling as she turned to face her foe. White, sticky webbing shot across her face and shoulders, catching in her fur. She hissed, twisting in discomfort as she bit into the web and tried to pull herself free.
The string shot was just enough to slow her down as the Ariados launched itself at her, his sharp fangs digging into her leg (bug bite).
Skye yelped in pain, her white gem shining brightly as she shot a psybeam into the top of the Ariados’ head. She leaped to the side, ducking into the gap between a pair of broken stones. The sound of scrabbling claws echoed behind her as the Ariados tried to dig into the hole; he wasn’t prepared to lose his daily meal that easily.
Her eyes glowed to match the white of her gem, and the giant spider was ripped from the ground by the force of her psychic. He landed roughly on his back, dust and sand flying into the air as he scrambled back to his feet and scurrying away.
The Espeon hesitated, pale eyes narrowed in suspicion as she waited for a returning strike. When the retaliation didn’t come, she slowly crawled back from her hiding place. Her leg was not badly injured, and it would take little time for the wounds to heal over. She was lucky that the Ariados had been inexperienced. Older ones would be more likely to conserve venom for lethal strikes, since the spider-like Pokemon could only produce so much venom at a time. This one had probably spent his venom on other opponents that day, since she felt no burn of poison on her skin.
She rasped her tongue over the surface of the bite, cleaning it out as she allowed the sunlight to soak in. The sensation of synthesis was always a little strange at first, but she quickly became used to the warm and soothing sensation of the Grass-type energy repairing her injuries.
As soon as her leg could bear weight again, the Espeon was off to continue her search.
It was nearly sunset by the time that she was strolling along the top of a rocky ridge, looking down upon the remnants of a battle long forgotten. While the area had been the site of many struggles, this one seemed to be the most recent. Skeletons still lay broken in the open air, and clumps of decaying fur or hide dotted the hillside. It reeked of death, and the stench made her fur stand on end. This was certainly the less glamorous side of war.
Faint glimmers of violet and gold faded in and out of sight; evidence of the Litwick and Lampent that haunted the improvised gravesite. She wasn’t foolish enough to step down off the ridge, where the shadows hid the vengeful spirits from view.
Vaguely, she wondered what drew them to haunt that hillside in the first place- very few Pokemon ever came back as ghosts, and if they did, they certainly wouldn’t stick around where they’d died.
A shimmering light floated nearer, and the Espeon caught a glimpse of a dark, metallic structure as the Fire-type ghost rose into the setting sunlight.
Skye stood her ground, her ears flat and fur bristling. ”I call for safe passage- I mean you no harm,” she requested quietly, eyes glowing with nervousness.
This was a Chandelure, and it was much more dangerous to fight than the smaller, more timid ghosts that hid among the bodies of the dead.
”You misunderstand, Child. We have need of your skills,” it whispered back, with a voice like grating glass. As Skye straightened, her curiosity piqued, it continued. ”My kind are unable to bury the dead when they pass on. I simply want to give my son the burial he deserves.”
The Espeon felt her heart soften, and she stepped closer to the ghost. ”Take me to your son- I’ll help put him to rest,” she murmured quietly, the light of the Chandelure reflecting off her eyes and gem.
Hours later, the flickering glow of candlelight lit the freshly-buried grave. This mission had taken far longer than expected, but she felt she had done right by the guild she represented. Ragged wildflowers were freshly-planted atop the mound of soil. It was a quiet burial, but a good one, and the shimmering lights of other ghosts were visible across the field as they deposited flowers onto the other graves they had managed to make for the fallen.
Though she couldn’t tell from her face, the mother Chandelure was sad and somber. The dim light from within the grieving mother seemed to flicker as she spoke. ”Thank you, Child.”
”You’re welcome. …I’m sorry for your loss.”
There was a moment of silence between the two, and both seemed choked for words. They didn’t feel the need to say goodbye, but she could feel the Chandelure’s gaze at her back as she left the hillside.
As her dirt-stained paws brushed through the grass, her toes bumped against soft fabric. She glanced down, and heaved a sigh as she plucked the dark ribbon from the grass. At least she’d finally found that stupid bow.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:38 pm
 Veilmys
The Sylveon was waiting for Skye when she returned, his eyes soft with sympathy. "It was a good thing you did my dear," he said, extending a ribbon to receive her bow, "You did our Guild proud." With careful claws he plucked the sky blue string from its back, already aware of its authenticity, and returned it to her with a smile. "Well now, we mustn't let it get us down. There's always time for mourning later, but this is a time of new beginnings! The bow is for you, to commemorate your new position as an official Rank One Team in the Guild of Eclipse. And here's a voucher to submit downstairs, that will help the staff pair you with your new partner." Veilmys extended the paper in his paw, handing it over to the Espeon for her to use as she pleased. The Guildmaster hoped that the shadow of the mission wouldn't continue to trouble the Psychic for long, but the best he could do for now was to send her on her way. "Be sure to look after that leg of yours," he added gently, before dismissing her with a flick of his ribbons.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:29 pm
Skye smiled gratefully, accepting the ribbon back from Veilmys. Now that the blue string had been taken from the back, the bow slipped out and the white ribbon hung flat over her paw. It would need a good cleaning, but it was certainly something she’d wear with pride once she’d done so.
”Thanks, Veilmys, I appreciate it.” Her voice was warm as her cousin congratulated her on rejoining the guild. The long walk home had been enough to lift her spirits, but she was very tired. More than ready to fill out the paperwork for starting a new team, and head to bed.
She was surprised as he gestured to her leg, but she realized that she hadn’t taken the time and energy to fully repair the skin. Bare, raw-looking marks could still be seen on her leg, where the Ariados had bitten her. ”I will,” she assured him, flicking her ears sheepishly. ”Have a good night.”
With that, she followed his gesture to the stairs, dismissed from duty for the time being.
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:53 pm
Client Armaldo  "Will you walk the Path of the Warrior with me?" Location: Ancient Battlefield Floors: #14 Rewards: 900 PD + ??? + ???
What was a very different experience was the fact that her voice was no longer the only one. Arturius maintained his usual stoicism and silence. It was a new voice entirely that belonged to the team's first and only recruit, Ty. Whereas Arturius had been silent and happy(?) to allow Katherine to pick the missions entirely on her own, Ty had his own opinions and preferences. He wanted a mission that would allow him to fight interesting people and to engage in fun challenges. He wanted an adventure... this wasn't strictly at odds with what Katherine wanted but having to balance her own desires against Ty's, at least enough that he would come along, was...
Well, it was different.
Thankfully enough for both of them, the ideal mission in this case was very much the same for both of them. It was the time it had taken them to reach it that had illustrated the differences between the two so keenly. Missions to strange and foreign places were discarded due to a lack of historical relevance and architectural value. Ruined civilizations and abandoned lands were similarly discarded because the request wasn't interesting. It was a conflict waiting to happen; as the two disagreed more and more, the courtesy of cooperation slowly melted away. They were still green. They did not yet have the understanding of one another that would be expected of comrades. It was only the opportune presence of a very specific mission that eased such tensions.
Will you walk the Path of the Warrior with me?
“Lets take this one.”
Ty had spoken strongly and Katherine was happy to be able to agree. “Sure.” She nodded her head, relieved to be able to do so. “This one looks good.”
She didn't really know what it was about it that interested Ty—it was probably the “warrior” stuff—but it fit her own needs nicely. It was exactly the right kind of place to search... it, perhaps, wasn't the perfect place to search but it would do. Katherine pulled the mission down off the board and handed it in to the guild staff. It was a standard procedure she had done a few times before; you didn't find out where your client was waiting for you until you took the mission. A few minutes later and Venari was headed not for the Ancient Battlefield nor the city itself but instead deeper into the guild. Katherine pushed a heavy set of ornate wooden doors open and then closed them ever-so-quietly as she stepped inside alone. Ty was waiting outside with Arturius beside him since the former would quite quickly invoke the ire of the librarian and the latter would raise some questions as to why a young lady entered a library with a sword. The guild's library... it wasn't quite where she had expected to end up. Not after the whole “path of the warrior” thing.
It didn't take her long to find their client. The Armaldo was sitting down by a table with books piled high on each side. She was quickly reading down each page with the only thing slowing her down being her own somewhat clumsy biology; her arms were somewhat poorly suited to the task of flipping pages. Still, she took great care to avoid creasing and damaging the pages. It was almost a little hard to approach her given the apparent depth of her study. “Excuse me?” A little hard to approach in more ways than one, apparently; the large Armaldo didn't respond at all. So Katherine repeated herself. “Excuse me?”
“Oh! I'm sorry, I hadn't heard you... what do you need?” It was quite clear that the Armaldo had “heard” Katherine in the strictest sense but simply hadn't noticed. She had been so deeply and thoroughly absorbed in what she was reading that it didn't quite click together.
Katherine simply handed her the confirmation sheet she had received from the staff. It was proof as to her identity and her intent and she hadn't even yet spoken when the blatantly joyful smile split the Armaldo's face. “I'm Katherine, I'm here for you mission.”
“Wonderful! My name is Rebecca but you can call me whatever you would like.” Rebecca tucked her tail, stepped away from the table she had been reading at, turned and then stepped towards Katherine. She reached out with one “hand”, leaving Katherine to stare. After a moment, the gears clicked in Katherine's head and the Armaldo's single arm was met by two in a friendly shake. Her movements had been slow and deliberate but not at all lacking in dexterity; there had been a great deal of intent and caution behind them as she glanced about in order to see to it that she didn't knock anything over. “I would like to be able to go with you right now but I'm afraid I'll need a week to prepare for the Path. Will that be alright?”
A week? That was absurd! “If you needed to prepare still, you shouldn't have put a request up.” Katherine responded in an ever-so-slightly grumpy manner. The idea that they should wait a week because Rebecca hadn't gotten everything together... that was dumb. Why would you put up a mission request if you weren't ready to have it happen?
“Oh, no, no.” Rebecca shook her claws vigorously. “The Path is a series of trials. I can do the first ritual here but it takes about a week to complete. I'm fully prepared, it's just not a simple task.” Still, it was a little much. To have to wait a fully week to actually undertake the mission was a little more than Katherine wanted to wait. They could simply go back, hand the mission back in and take another one and depart today. That would be much simpler. “Of course, it's alright if you don't have the time to wait. I can wait for another team, I'm sure yours must be quite busy.”
Katherine inwardly groaned. She would have canceled the mission and gone for another one but Rebecca was being so understanding. It was hard to deny people like that. It always made you feel like a bad person. If Rebecca had gotten huffy or something at the prospect of being rejected it would've been so easy to turn her down but like this it was... “No, it's fine. Can you come to our team room when you're ready?”
“Of course!” Rebecca was beaming and her tone, though hushed, was very much a joyful one. “I wouldn't dream of making you come to me. Just tell me where to go and I'll meet you there.”
“Our team name is Venari. Could you come to our team room when you're ready?”
“Certainly. I'll be there in a week's time at about noon. We should be out for most of the day.”
Katherine nodded. “We'll see you in a week then.” Katherine stepped back and turned towards the library door, only giving pause to look behind her to politely return the wave goodbye from Rebecca. She once more opened the big, heavy wooden doors and quietly shut them behind her. She couldn't help but think they were a bit excessive. Why does the library even need doors this thick? As she turned, it didn't take her more than a moment to understand Ty's stare. “She needs a week. She needs to do a ritual first.”
Ty nodded deeply. “Alright.”
It was surprising. Katherine couldn't help but stare as he simply walked off back towards the team room. There hadn't been any bitterness or sharpness to his words, simply acceptance... it wasn't what she had expected at all. He had been so excited to go on an adventure, to see new places and pick fights with new people and now he was simply... walking away. She didn't really understand it. She supposed it was good, though...? After all, it could have been worse. She didn't want to fight over it, she didn't really like it as-is and fighting would only serve to frustrate her. So this was good.
It was weird too.
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A week passed, though not without its own events. A certain guild-wide expedition happened only a few days after they agreed to the mission. It had been... frustrating for both Ty and Katherine. The former hated the feelings of futility, the feelings of pointlessness behind it all. Katherine simply didn't think about it; she was too drugged, too mentally muddied to actually do anything at the time of the discovery. It wasn't “fun” to get mad over things so she simply didn't think about it. It was much nicer to just ignore it and pretend it had never happened... it didn't really change anything anyways since they weren't a rescue team.
Of course, a week passing meant exactly what it meant: it was time for the mission. The morning began fairly predictably with Arturius reminding her that, “The client should be coming today.” to which Katherine yawned and nodded sleepily. A faint memory in the night of an absent blade scratched at the back of her mind but she ignored it. Rebecca had said a week ago that she would arrive at about noon... Katherine looked outside the window and was pleased to find that she had plenty of time. How late, or early, she rose was a result purely of however long it took to happen. Ty was already awake and eating, a sight that was hardly unusual. He always seemed to be up when she went to bed and up when she woke up. He liked to train in the morning. Katherine couldn't imagine waking up like that every day to punch at the air.
“Yo.” Ty raised a hand in a friendly greeting. God, he was so awake and aware.
Katherine yawned. “Good morning.” With their greetings exchanged, Katherine set about feeding herself as she looked out the window. She was glad that she had a window that faced the sun. It felt like the right way to start the day, and a good day it would be; the clouds had gathered the previous night to unleash their burden upon the earth, leaving the sky clear and the grass pleasantly moist. It was a nice day. Once she had finished eating, she set to preparing herself for the journey. She retrieved her belt and two pouches which she set to filling with dried fruit. It was a lesson she had learned from her mother; if you expected a long trip, you always brought food with you. As the appointed time neared, the pouches were placed on the belt at each side of her waist. Arturius was clipped on and the ribbon she had received from the guild was tied around her arm. She didn't really know why, but she had been told to always wear the purple ribbon when she went on missions. Whatever, it didn't really matter.
Ty, too, prepared himself though in a much simpler fashion that consisted entirely of tying the Black Belt around his arm.
The gentle tapping against the door came at the very punctual time of just a few minutes before noon. Katherine slipped her belt on, Arturius included, and pulled the door open. Rebecca was waiting on the other side. A large, cloth sack that smelled lightly of citrus was suspended from her arms and voice was unrestrained and cheery “Hello! I'm here and ready to go if you are!”
Katherine simply nodded. Rebecca was... certainly much more exuberant than she had been in the library. “We're ready to go.”
Ty stepped through the door and shook Rebecca's claw as Katherine herself stepped through and closed the door. “Hey. My name's Ty.” The two exchanged greetings and with no other reason to stay, the team headed off.
---------------
The walk to the Ancient Battlefield was a long one, though not tremendously so. The grassy, dewy plain they walked across was disturbed only by an informal dirt path and a gentle wind that did much to take from the bright sun. Summer had set in and with it came a heat that could be both pleasant and oppressive. It was thankfully the former.
“The path is fairly simple in nature.” Rebecca had begun speaking happily after having asked if anyone wanted to hear about it all. Ty had been quick to agree. Katherine didn't exactly mind; talk was preferable to simply walking silently. “There are five parts to it and supposedly it's a straight path. The first part is what took me a week to do. There is supposed to be a feast that last four days and then you aren't allowed to eat at all until after the path is done. You do this in order to free yourself of the strength of the earth so that you may be properly tested. The second is known as the 'path of will'. I'm afraid I could never find out what that was but I hope it will be obvious when we find it! The third is the 'path of readiness', I'll need your help there but it's very simple. The fourth is the 'path of worthiness'. I'm supposed to face up to my ancestors then. The fifth is the 'path of recognition', where the tribe will receive me. That's what is supposed to happen, at least. We might have to... approximate a few times but I hope to get the full experience!”
Katherine and Ty both watched and listened. For Katherine, it was all very good and interesting but there was no depth or passion to it. At least it sounded interesting and it was a better choice than simply wandering around. Ty, on the other hand, seemed completely taken by it all. His gaze never broke from Rebecca as she spoke. “Why are you walking the path?”
“Well, it's a bit embarrassing...” Rebecca fidgeted slightly as she walked. “I'm a pokepologist, you see. I specialize in anthropology. It means I study dead or dying cultures in order to preserve them, especially cultures of pokemon who walk on two legs. Ah, though my specialty isn't very special. Many quadrupeds have a very rich history and very rich cultures but their traditions are usually passed down orally. Rhyhorn have a wonderful history of sonnets but since it's all oral and they construct very little there's not much to study. We only ever know what they do, since anything that isn't told to the next generation is lost when the older one dies.” Rebecca finished speaking entirely until she looked over at the silent Ty who gestured as if to say “go on”. “Er, yes, sorry. I get distracted a bit easily. Anyways, I want to experience the rite myself. I think it's important that I do in order to understand it! My colleagues were... differently minded on the matter. They think it's enough to simply write down what happened without trying to properly understand it. I think they're a little...” Rebecca rolled the idea around her mouth as she sought out the right word for it. “Short-sighted.” It was spoken in a slightly more polite way than it was thought. “Because of that, they weren't willing to help me at all. I think I'm pretty strong but going out on my own wouldn't be safe so I decided to look for a team. And, well, here we are!”
“It is quite commendable to attempt to preserve history.”
Rebecca didn't seem to react for about half a second but, when she did, it involved a flurry of motion as she looked around her. The voice was distinctly masculine in nature but Ty didn't sound like that. Katherine was smiling and laughing a bit, but no matter how you looked at the Kirlia she didn't look like she could change her voice like that. She nearly tripped over herself when the “sword” on Katherine's back slipped out slightly and spoke to her.
“My apologies. I tend to keep my existence concealed. My name is Arturius but I am commonly addressed as Arthur.”
“A Honedge!” Rebecca whispered excitedly as she came to a stop and leaned over as much as possible to look directly at Arturius. Which, surprisingly, was almost all the way. Armaldo did an excellent job of balancing with their tails. “May I examine you, if it were not too much trouble?”
Katherine slowed to a stop herself and waited for Arturius to respond. After a moment of silence as he contemplated it, he assented. “If you wish.” With one smooth motion, Arturius slid out of the sheath and rose slightly in order to allow Rebecca to stand while examining him, though the sash from his pommel remained wound around his sheath.
Rebecca's gaze was thorough and careful as her eyes brushed over Arturius from pommel to tip. Her breathes were slow and soft as she tried to keep herself from causing discomfort. “Would you mind turning over?” Arturius did so wordlessly and she once more cast her gaze across his body. “How were you born? Do you remember? Do you know where it happened or how old you are?”
Arturius quietly lowered himself and slipped back into his sheath and allowed his sash to drop. “I am afraid that much of my memory are missing. Were that not the case, I may have answered your queries.”
Rebecca stepped back quickly. “Oh, erm... Oh dear, I apologize.” If an Armaldo could have blushed, Rebecca would be a prime example. “I was rather excited since Honedge are quite rare and unions between your kind are quite rare and since they tend to be ageless and they're often involved in warrior cultures...” As her voice trailed off, the fact that she hoped he would have some unique insights into the past went unsaid. Really, he was a historian's dream. A living, breathing tool that could have survived the rise and fall of entire civilizations... Especially because he was one of her own sector, since he would have invariably been involved in the very cultures she researched. Nonetheless, it was no excuse for her behaviour. She had “known” him for all of a few moments and she was asking him everything about his life. It was hardly a surprise that he withdrew. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry.”
“...Should my memory return, I will consider speaking to you further.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you, I would be happy if you would.” A silence fell over the group that was broken only briefly by Rebecca ushering the group along. “Well then, we should get going.” She quickly made her way to the front of the group and began leading the way, essentially guaranteeing that the silence remained. There wasn't a way for any of them to follow up on what had happened. Rebecca was too embarrassed to speak further and Arturius would choose not to. For Ty and Katherine, it was a hard moment to follow up on and the latter was invested more deeply in her own thoughts than any kind of conversation.
It was the first time that she had heard he was missing some of his memory. He had never mentioned it before and he had never showed it. In a sense that wasn't at all strange... he never really did anything. Since he never did anything, his memory loss could never become apparent. At first it had bothered her that he was so stoic and inactive but she had slowly come to accept it. He didn't really talk or venture out on his own, he simply accompanied her when she went out and otherwise waited for missions. It had been a slow but very easy transition for her and it was one that she wasn't truly aware of; it was so very easy to treat him as an object when he acted like one. It was because of this that she, for the first time, genuinely understood that she knew absolutely nothing about him. She didn't even know why he wanted to be a part of a team. She trusted him of course, she had every reason to. But she still didn't know anything about him. She didn't know where he came from, why he was on the team or anything about him as a person. She didn't even wonder about such trite things as what “hobbies” he might have, but rather who he was at his very simplest.
Then again, could she find out? He hadn't said anything. Would he tell her if she asked? ...Was she allowed to ask?
The thoughts consumed her so fully that she hadn't even noticed that the group, herself included, had come to a stop. Rebecca was explaining something that Katherine only had a loose awareness of. The only thing that snapped her out of it was the repeated calling of her name. “Katherine?”
Katherine quickly looked up. Rebecca was leaning down towards her slightly, having drawn in closer in order to get her attention. The landscape hadn't changed much, but the lush plains were marred by a single landmark: a very large, pointy rock. “Sorry, I spaced out...”
“Oh no, that's quite alright.” Rebecca stood upright again and shook her head as she did. She didn't mind at all. “I was just asking if you could lead the way. We need to take five hundred steps southwest, but your steps are the closest to the right size. If you'll give me just a moment to calculate things, we can be on our...”
Rebecca's words trailed off as Katherine simply began walking almost perfectly southwest. Ty and Rebecca glanced at one another but no words were exchanged as the two caught up to her. Katherine seemed confident and it was sensible to follow her. Five hundred steps were counted down in mere minutes and although the group fell somewhat short of their destination, it was clear enough what it was: the collection of trees and shrubbery were not at all far off. As they drew closer, the Path of Will became apparent in nature.
The forest and shrubbery was not something so convenient or polite as simple foliage. Thorned vines and flowered covered every open space. Each one was pointed menacingly. It wasn't a maze but rather a wall. A small enough creature might have been able to weave through and limit their exposure to the razor-sharp edges but that was certainly not the case for Rebecca. Even more threateningly was the fact that, once she entered, there was no way out. You couldn't turn around without raking them across your body and, of course, there was no safe way out. Once you entered, you had no choice but to go through. It was nothing short of a death trap for the unprepared.
“Well then...” Rebecca shuffled her arms awkwardly as she eased the sack off of her arms and onto the ground. With the sack deposited safely for Katherine or Ty to retrieve, Rebecca walked towards the flora and took a deep breath. She boldly proclaimed, “I shall see you on the other side!” before plunging directly in.
Ty whistled. “That's impressive.”
Katherine nodded but didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if calling it “impressive” was appropriate but it was... well, it was something anyways. Ty grabbed the sack off of the ground and started riffling through it as they started to go around the trees. Katherine nearly began to scold him but her curiousity got the better of her when Ty pulled out and held up a knife with a curved tip. “The hell?” Katherine, internally, echoed the sentiments. The knife fit snugly in Ty's hand and the rest of the bag wasn't any better. There was a bottle of what appeared to be ink inside, a bunch of papers sealed in various envelopes, a bottle of some herbs and a few other things that they couldn't identify. The only part of the sack that wasn't questionable was the dried food inside which were hopefully just travel supplies. “What do you think she needs this stuff for?”
Katherine shrugged. The obvious answer was, “The path stuff probably.” but that didn't explain what it was actually for. Ty simply scratched the back of his head as he made sure everything was securely back in the sack and more-or-less where it had been before he had stuck his hands in. Whatever the hell it was, he'd find out later on.
They would find themselves on the other side of the woods before long. The shape of it all had been more of an oval than an actual circle, allowing them to cross the same distance as Rebecca would without meandering much. Katherine came to a stop, pressed down some of the grass and simply sat down to wait. Ty glanced at her but followed suit. And they waited. And waited, and waited. Katherine let out a deep breath and flopped backwards onto the grass. Rebecca arrived with the sound of a loud crack as she finally stepped out. She was covered from head to toe in scratches and she looked very, very disappointed but without a trace of pain in her expression. “Everything alright?”
Rebecca nodded solemnly. “I... suppose so. I fear I may have been hasty in hoping for the full experience. The thorns weren't sharp enough to pierce my exoskeleton so I didn't really feel anything.” The disappointment on her face was very clearly reflected in her voice. It was obviously something very important to her that she achieve the “full experience” but that was something she could not have. Ty stepped around and patted her consolingly on the back. “Thank you. Well, there's nothing to do about it so we must press on. There should be a clearing up ahead and a pit near a large rock. We'll rest there.”
Much as it hadn't taken them long to reach the woods it didn't take them long at all to reach the rock and the pit itself. Rolling, grassy plains gave way to barren earth. When they reached the pit, Rebecca began giving out instructions to both Katherine and Ty. Katherine gathered some grass from the plains and threw it into the pit. On top of it was layered some kind of strange, black brick and a wide variety of different herbs and plants. A little tray was set up above the pit and a metal container was laid to rest on it. Water sloshed inside of it. All that was left, from the looks of it all that was left to do was to light it up. Rebecca paused and, somewhat anxiously, began speaking. “Now then... There's a part of this that I need your help for but I won't ask you to do it if you aren't willing to. Traditionally, the Path is a ritual for Primeape who have just evolved. At this point, an elder would usually take a knife and make shallow cuts along the skin while a younger, unevolved member of the tribe would rub ink along the cuts. If it was done right, the ink would settle just below the skin and stay there. I would like to do so, but I understand if you would be unwilling to take on such sensitive and... gruesome work.”
“If you would trust me with your life then it would be my honour to help you.”
After Arturius spoke, Ty spoke up as well. “I'll do the ink.”
Rebecca was elated. “Thank you both! I didn't think you would be willing to help me but I'm quite glad to have been wrong. The pattern is inside of an envelope that's inside the sack along with the ink.”
The team, sans Katherine, set to work. The tools were pulled out and the process was explained. Arturius would make the shallow cuts according to the pattern and then Ty would trace through them with a thin tool that would carry the ink into the wound. If they did it right, it would hurt but there wouldn't be any blood drawn. Arturius studied the diagram with care while Rebecca physically and mentally prepared herself by lying down on the ground. Arturius positioned himself with the tip of his blade against her chest. “Exhale and hold your breath.”
Rebecca nodded, breathed in deeply once and then breathed out completely. Arturius suddenly sunk into her chest and then withdrew slightly as Rebecca let out a pained gasp. Her breathing was heavy but even as her chest heaved no blood spilled from the wound. “Oh goodness...” summed up her reaction well. “Arturius, if I kept myself still would it be alright if I talked?”
“If you can keep your chest still, that would be fine.”
“I'll do my best then.” Arturius sunk back into the cut and, as he moved across her body, she began to speak in an attempt to distract herself. Her words were strained and accompanied by slow, controlled breaths. Periodic bursts of pain made her pause or accent her speech strangely. “The ancient battlefield is often a surprising sight for those who come across it. Many—oh, oh... expect scorched earth and ruined lands to greet them. However, the important part of the name is not the 'battlefield' but the 'ancient'. In the distant past it was a flourishing area of diverse plantlife and it was home mainly to to clans of fighting types. The—ah. Ah... They were at peace with one another for a long time but about a hundred years ago a spat started up over a particularly poorly thought out elopement. Whereas before the plains had housed only fighting types, a somewhat unscrupulous tribe leader involved in the offense managed to pull many fire types and poIII... poison types into the field to wage war. It worked and the fighting tribes were wiped out, including their own. The new tenants of the plains were less than kind to the typical agriculture of the a-a-area. In modern times, the plains are inhabited largely by fire types with some poison types and some fighting types sti—still living here.” Rebecca ceased reciting what sounded very much like a guidebook and fell silent, or as silent as it got. Her breathing was heavy and forced as she tried to control herself for a moment before she worked her way back into speaking. “I would wager the rain is why we've had such a simple journey. The fire types who live her are supposedly cautious but, since this is the season for them to rear their young, they may be being especially reclusive after a rainy night. They would have trouble fighting in such conditions. And if you have anything to ask me, no-o-o-ow would be an excellent time to do so as I've run out of things to talk about.”
Ty stuck the sharp, flat instrument into the pot of ink and then into the wound and began tracing along. Arturius had completed most of the pattern in the area meaning that Ty could begin working without the two interfering with one another. Rebecca gasped in obvious pain as the second metal instrument rubbed across her nerves. “Sorry. What made you become a pokepologist?”
“No no, it's no~othing to worry about.” Rebecca's expression shifted back and forth between contemplation and pain for a moment. “I suppOSE it's because I wanted to know what it's like. My spEcies is rare and we spend our infanceee... in the water and only come to the land when we grow up.” Rebecca paused. Deep breaths, deep breaths. “We don't have very big comMUNities, so we don't have anyTHING—oh lord, lord—like this. When I found out, I was fascinated by the idea of living among a bi... oh, big group of my own kind. I was fascinated by the idea of having this kind of ritual, this kind of... of acceptance, I supPOSE. I never had a community of my kind to gather around me and recognize me. I'veee... always been a bit of a stranger. With all my INterest it seemed like making a carEER—oh, oh... out of it was the next natural step. If I might A... ask, where are you two from?”
Ty spoke first. “My Aunt runs a group with some other fighting types to help out fighting type orphans. Apparently the last twenty years have been really hard for a lot of clans... when the guilds fell and things got bad apparently a lot of them got pulled into things. I never really knew my mom and dad but Ruth—” Rebecca let out a small gasp of pain. “Sorry. Ruth says they were good people. She and the others always took us places here and there to help us learn a bit about our histories, she always said it was important that we learn a bit about where we come from.” Ty paused as he reached back to freshen the ink. “I don't really get that sort of thing. But I guess it must be.”
Katherine listened to the exchange from where she sat with her butt on the ground, her knees up and her arms around them. Nobody looked her way but she felt the baton be implicitly passed to her. Everybody else had said a lot, and it had been a lot since she had known none of it prior, and now it was her term. “I think my mom might be one too. A pokepologist.”
Rebecca resisted the urge to lean up and look at Katherine. Arturius was carving across her neck, leaning up would be very bad. “Oh? What's her name? I might have met her.”
“Helen. She has orange hair like me, she's hard to miss.”
“Hmmm, I don't think I have. I might forget a Gardevoir but I don't think I would fORget one with orange hair.”
Katherine was disappointed but not crestfallen. It would just take more time. “We were traveling together ever since I was born. She always had a big, old book with her that she wrote into. She told me when I was older it would be mine but I would have to wait until I grew up. She knew a lot about old places and she liked to look around in them. We got separated and I've been looking for her.”
Ty paused in his movements as he glanced over at Katherine. It was the first time he had heard about why she was at the guild. “How'd you get separated?”
“...There was a landslide. We got attacked and it started in the fight. I got knocked down the cliff and I couldn't find her so I've been looking for her ever since. I thought the guilds would be a good way to look.”
“Ah... I'm sorry if I touched on a sens—sensitive subject. But you're quite lucky to have survived such a fall, so I'm sure you'll find her again in time.”
Lucky... “Something like that.” Katherine's dismissive tone made it clear that it was a subject she no longer wished to speak of. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing you talked about in good spirits and it had immediately put her in darker ones.
“I see. Well, I'll be sure to ask my colleagues when I return. I haven't seen anything but they might haaa... have. With some luck, one of them will have seen something.”
“Thank you.” It was a genuine thanks but it was given in a somewhat poor mood. The conversation broke and lapsed into silence that was only broken by the eventual discussion of less serious things. As the process continued, the gasps of pain and breaks in Rebecca's words became less and less frequent as she learned to bear the pain and as Ty learned the proper way to apply the strokes. Rebecca asked questions about the guild, which were mostly answered by Ty, and in return was asked questions about her own work. While Ty could mostly only speak favourably about his experiences, Rebecca had a few gentle remarks about some “hardheaded old men” that she worked with. The exchange was mostly limited between Ty and Rebecca. Arturius didn't speak a single word and Katherine didn't respond without prompting, having instead stuck herself in her thoughts. She disliked thinking like this but it was hard for her to stop once she started. She didn't like those memories.
Eventually, the tattooing process came to an end. Rebecca had had to flop over part way in order to have the lines connected on her back and around her neck but it was all finally done. She winced as she stood but aside from a moment's reprieve from the effort of pushing herself, she didn't allow it to slow her down. She leaned over into the pit and retracted one of her claws before striking forward. The resulting force was enough to light light the black substance and the fire quickly spread through the pit, which in turn quickly brought heat to the metal container that had been placed over it. “Oh, that's acrid.” Rebecca coughed as the plants that had been thrown in from her sack caught and smoke began to billow upwards into her face, though she didn't step back. “I'm supposed to brew tea here but for the sake of simplicity I brewed it before we left, so it just needs to heat up. There's some food in the bag that you can have if you want, just please leave some for me. I'd like to eat once we're done all this.”
Ty didn't need to be told twice. Food was easy enough to go without but when it was in front of him and there was an invitation to boot he was more than happy to indulge. Katherine too opened the pouches on her waist and pulled out some of the dried fruit she had brought. Both of them sat well away from the fire. It smelled like they were burning a body. From Rebecca's obvious gagging, it seemed like the tea wasn't much better either but in spite of that she still managed to drink it all. Supplies were stored back in the sack which was hoisted off of the ground and carried by Ty. Katherine led the way and they headed straight west. The barren earth gave way to grassy plains which, in turn, gave way to a much less vicious sort of forest than they had encountered in the past. The forest itself was filled with the vitality afforded by young trees but was oddly absent of the expected grass and bug types. Further in, there was what must have once been an arena. The circle of stone was obviously constructed artificially and it had weathered the years well. It had been put together by someone with an expert hand.
“Worthiness. I'm supposed to prove myself here by fighting my ancestors.” Rebecca scuffed the arena slightly with her foot as she spoke. It was good ground. She turned and looked back at Ty. “I know I've asked for quite a bit already Ty, but would you spar with me for a bit?”
Ty clenched his fists and tapped them together before bowing. “Any time.”
Rebecca tapped the tips of her claws together and returned the bow. The two drew a few feet of distance from one another and then launched into the fray. What followed was a relatively slow fight. Rebecca consciously held back, resorting solely to attacks that were choreographed. She swung her claws at Ty forcing him to bob and weave in order to evade the blows. She stepped forward and, claw poised to strike, instead spun her body around, bringing her hardened tail whipping around in an effort to catch him off guard. He managed to jump over the tail and strike as he had several times before. It didn't matter though, because while Ty had a relative advantage over Rebecca in training, style and match-up, her armor was simply too hard for him to meaningfully hurt her through. The only thing that mattered was tiring oneself out.
“My god.” The voice was shaky and raspy. It was old, it was very old. Rebecca withdrew from the fight slightly, leaving her Pancham opponent staring at she looked over at the source of the voice. The Primeape on the edge of the arena walked forward uneasily until he was right near Rebecca. His hands went up and he gently ran his fingers across the markings on her body. They matched the marks that encircled his entire body. “They're beautiful. I never thought I would see someone walk the Path again. Please, let me fight you. Just this one last time.”
“You alright?” Ty was staring at her. He looked confused and maybe even a bit concerned.
Rebecca nodded vigorously in his direction before looking back down at the Primeape. “It would be my honour if you would do so.” As before, the pair exchanged a bow and quickly moved to blows. The Primeape, in spite of his elderly build, was both agile and enduring. She was careful at first but he seemed to take every blow with ease, every swipe with a sidestep and she eventually went full force against him. In spite of that, it was a one-sided battle. The Primeape had the advantage. Blow after blow drove her back even as she struck back. Her body ached under the pressure of the cuts, the inking and the blows but she did all she could to keep pace. She couldn't do anything less, she wouldn't allow herself to do anything less.
The fight came to an end in a moment of anti-climax. The Primeape, very plainly, simply fell over onto his back. “You pass.” His breath escaped in wheezes. He was old and exhausted and it made sense. “Go ahead. They'll be waiting for you. I'll be fine here.”
Rebecca bowed once more. “Thank you for this. It means more than I can say.” She was also breathing hard but not nearly as much as the elderly man in front of her was.
“Rebecca, are you alright?” Katherine had walked over and was looking up at Rebecca. She was clearly very concerned, a fact which made Rebecca feel a little warm inside. It was nice to have somebody concerned about you!
“I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired out but I can't stop now! I need to go!” Katherine looked confused but Rebecca paid it no mind as she continued down the Path away from the arena. The trees seemed to pass by her so quickly as she walked through the woods. Eventually they broke apart entirely and there it was. The cliff. Recognition. Two torches were already resting at the very top, she needed to only walk up the slope. She broke into a run and stopped only when she reached the very top.
It was beautiful. The sun was fading into dusk and countless, countless Mankey and Primeape were on the plains below. The glowing red of the sun was cast across the land. All eyes were pointed up at her. All eyes were pointed at her. She could feel it from here, their feelings. The respect, the appreciation. It was all so ceaselessly warm and wonderful.
---------------
Katherine and Ty were left overlooking the unconscious Armaldo. Her breathing was calm and she didn't seem to be in any pain. Far from it, in fact; the smile across her face and the tears streaming down her face said much about how she was doing. It, also, did little to clarify matters; they had absolutely no idea what had happened. Half way through the sparring match, Rebecca had backed off and started muttering to herself before she started flailing wildly at the air. She had seemed lucid and she responded to what they said but she had just as quickly run off into the woods, run up a slope and then struck a triumphant pose before collapsing into unconsciousness.
There wasn't a whole lot they could have done about it. Neither of them was strong enough to restrain Rebecca without seriously hurting her and, after rushing to make sure she was still breathing, all they could do after was to wait for her to wake up. It was all so very, very strange.
At the very least, the view was nice if a bit simple. The empty plains below and the slowly setting sun were nicer things to look at than most.
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 7:37 am
Claudius Claudius was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Team Venari when they returned: he’d heard tell of the task that their client had been planning to undertake and he was thoroughly interested in seeing how it had turned out. While the Aurorus’s cartophilia was a commonly known fact, it sometimes caused his equally deep interest in Pokepology to be overlooked, even though it was no less present. Of course, Claudius was never so forward as Rebecca with his questions, but that was a difference in methods more than anything else; he was a far cry from the “hardheaded old men” that the Armaldo disagreed with, as his status as a Pokemon of the Guild likely made clear.
“Welcome back!” he greeted them, nodding to each in turn. “It seems that you’ve completed another successful mission.” For all the difficulty surrounding their first mission, Venari had been developing a good track record since then, which was something that Claudius greatly appreciated. Taking a look at their client, he noticed with concern that she appeared to be a bit off balance and her eyes were somewhat less than focused. “Perhaps we should get you to the Infirmary Miss,” he said gently, bending his head down to examine her a little more closely. It seemed the Path had lived up to its reputation for difficulty, even for an Armaldo. He also noted the fresh tattoos on her skin with interest, though he knew to save the questions they prompted for another time.
Looking back to the trio of smaller Pokemon, Claudius bent down and retrieved a sizable stack from his scarf. “Here are your rewards,” he informed them, placing the sack on the ground in front of them. “I will escort Miss Rebecca to the Infirmary, and you are welcome to join us or return to your room if you would prefer. You’ve had a long day I’ve no doubt.” It was most practical for him to attend to this task anyway, seeing as none of Venari’s members could really help to support the weight of their client. Turning around to allow Rebecca to get a firm hold on his side, he began to head off in the direction of the Infirmary at a slow pace so that the still-addled Armaldo wouldn’t lose her grip.
The next day the Team would be met with a brisk knocking at the familiar time of a few minutes before noon. When they answered the door, they would find a restored Rebecca beaming at them cheerfully, informing them that she’d been patched up as good as new. She also, perhaps surprisingly, still retained her tattoos; one would think the medical staff would have tended to those out of concern for infection, but perhaps Claudius had addressed that matter? The Armaldo expressed her immense gratitude for all that the Team had done for her, and concluded her brief tirade with a rather abrupt request to join Team Venari as a member. Her inquiry was met with a set of irritated grumbles, which were shortly revealed to have come from a Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee when Rebecca turned around in surprise. The duo were quick to request membership on the Team as well—apparently they had witnessed the sparring between Ty and Rebecca and were quite impressed—but by this time Katherine and Arturius would know that they could only take one new member.
Rewards:
-2 MP
-900 PD
-Sky Uppercut TM
-Rare Bone
-Armaldo or Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee Recruit
Explorer Bonus:
-Naturally, being a Pokepologist, Rebecca couldn’t bear the thought of leaving behind any precious artifacts that she found on the trip. Per protocol, these were submitted to the organization she worked for so that they could be analyzed for any potential cultural and historical value, but one of them was later returned to her with the claim that it wasn’t suitable for preservation. Upon further reflection, Rebecca decided to give her find to the Team out of gratitude for their assistance—the item was one of these:
Relic Statue // Endure TM // Expert Belt ((Excellent mission this time around! My only complaint would be that the last two parts of the Path were a little short compared to the first two, and while I understand it I'd just have liked to see a bit more attention given to each part, since most of it was devoted to the tattooing process. Otherwise I enjoyed it very much (though if you could avoid using Mankey next time so I can hook you up with some non-Mankeyish items that might be helpful for getting some variety in your rewards)!))
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 3:22 pm
Getting Rebecca back to the guild had been somewhat of a trying process. In hindsight, it seemed likely that whatever she had drank had done it to her and that it had hit her full force. She took her time waking up and there was an unspoken thankfulness that she was no longer hallucinating, but she had instead maintained the mild euphoria and she had acquired a certain degree of unsteadiness that was hard to pin down. She had had a tiring day and, even worse, she hadn't eaten in three or four but they couldn't convince her to actually eat anything. Eventually the euphoria gave way to plain and total exhaustion. Rebecca's speech had been rapid and almost senseless when she woke up but it slowly drifted off into silence. By the time they reached the guilds, she looked and felt poorly enough to demand the kind of attention she received. She was very grateful to half-way collapse onto Claudius, though she had little other choice given her awkward biology.
With their rewards accepted and the mission completed, all parties involved would find themselves in bed fairly quickly. Venari had slept heavily, awoken well and continued on with their lives. Rebecca would rest overnight and be given a clean bill of health, or at least as clean as it got; the ink and the tools she had used were safe and there was nothing to be done about that now but she wasn't out of the woods until the next layer of her carapace grew in. The tattoos, at that time, would most likely fade as well. The explanation hadn't surprised her. She wasn't made of flesh and she knew the risks, both of infection and impermanence, that the procedure carried.
The only real surprise came from Rebecca's request to join the team. Katherine hadn't expected it, but she understood it. Rebecca wanted to explore and investigate areas on her own rather than being bound to the group she was in. She explained as much very simply. The surprise for Rebecca came from Katherine's response. "Can you speak any..."
"A... little, actually. That's a very old language, I'm surprised you even know the name. We only have small bits of it preserved."
Small bits... It wasn't much, but it was still worth asking. "Do you think you could leave a message somewhere? 'Come to the guilds'?"
Rebecca pondered it. "I could certainly try. I'm not sure I can get the exact meaning but I think I can get something close."
Close was... Well, close was good enough. And having another fighter was good too, realistically. Rebecca was huge and while she wasn't exactly combat-minded like Ty (at least, not as far as any of them knew) she certainly had a degree of raw strength and size on her side that would probably be enough to do quite a bit for the sake of protecting them. It was a very... practical way to look at things but that wasn't necessarily bad either. She had thought about this kind of thing a lot more since Ty had asked to join the team. Having people around to protect her, and the rest of the team, was a good thing. It was something she wanted. Rebecca fit that very nicely and she was also an agreeable person. It seemed like a good enough reason. "Then please join us."
The other two fighting types, of course, were rejected blatantly. Katherine knew nothing about them and Rebecca was a much, much more appealing recruit.
[Endure TM; big part of the delay was figuring out statue vs. TM, to be honest.]
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