bravenewworld | What Lies Beyond

Entry tags:

What Lies Beyond

After weeks of repairs, tightened sanctions on incoming immigrants and the general feeling of unease that hangs heavy around the city of Union, the Council finally comes to a decision. It is not unanimous by any accounts, and there are many that wonder if this is the right approach. Union has existed for generations behind its great walls, and there were those who felt that it was that way of life that they should return to—one of solitude and skepticism. However, in light of recent events, the desire for security has own over the need for seclusion.

An announcement comes over the Warp Band, still hazy from the attacks on the Signal Tower. But it is not the face of a Councilmen that the citizens and visitors of Union are met with, but, rather, the youthful face of one of the leaders of the Seekers.

“Citizens and friends of Union—is that seriously what they wrote? Man, it feels weird talking like that, can I just say ‘hey you guys?’ Whatever. Everyone. We’ve got some big news, so listen up.” Maeve groans at the feed, tossing aside some paper, likely an official statement penned by some Council member. “So, the Council has decided that they want to take a more proactive approach after the attack by Sveta, Alina and their friends, and it comes to me to give you the juicy details.”

Okay, actually maybe she did need that paper. Leaning over in her chair, she ducks off the stream to reclaim the statement. “The Council has asked for volunteers to come together and investigate three possible leads for both our ‘friends’ with the Elite Four, Gigas, as well as some interesting goings-on in and around Refuge: a settlement to the west with supposed ties to Gigas; the inner caves of Refuge; and to the east of Glacier, in the direction which the great dragon fled.

“Now don’t all come flooding in all at once, I know how you Unionites get excited about stuff like this. Groups will disembark immediately, so get any supplies you can and meet up at the Seeker’s HQ before heading out. You’ll be given briefs upon your assignment into a group. If you have any questions, you can ask me or Captain Pirate Krabbypants, Ceilto. Maeve, out.”

Once they arrive, each person will be assigned a group, and after a quick briefing, begin moving to their destination within the day. Most take no more than a few days to arrive at their destination, and will immediately be put to work.

[All event logs are now live! As usual, mod tags will come every 24 hours. Feel free to post all IC questions to the Maeve top level and all OOC questions in the standard mod top level. During this log, several NPCs from prior events may appear. The event is scheduled to last a week and will end at midnight on the morning of March 5th.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Rapidash turns to eye Ryuko, taking her sweet time evaluating the new human before Michiru murmurs a few words to her. Then the horse finally seems to relax a bit. Ryuko is welcome to hold onto Michiru's shoulders!

Meanwhile, Michiru hides a smile behind a polite hand.]

Hanamura, was it? Perhaps next time. [that's a no.

Michiru shakes her head in response to Astrid's question. Rot in such climate?]

It could be from Poison-types. [ At a glance from Haruka, Rushing Wind the Pidgeot heads to one of those trees to bring a bark sample back to Haruka - she wants to confirm what they're dealing with in person, even if she doesn't know that much about plants.

Either way, she'll suspend further judgment until they see more of what's going on here. ] Does it get thicker anywhere?

[ Since, well, source. ]

[Minako had used Rico, her Staraptor, to keep up and keep an eye out for encroaching danger. Just because they weren't riding off into battle didn't mean they should leave their guard down when the dragon that attacked Union had headed off this way, right? When they were within smelling distance, though, she had to cover her face. That was bad.]

This is affecting everything except Amaras?

[Still from above, she tried to see how far it went from where they were and to see if there was possibly a central point it was coming from.]

[Ingrid nods, nudging Astrid in the general direction they'd been traveling.]

It's not poison types, if ever I've seen them, and it seems to be affecting most of the smaller Pokemon worse. Amara may be immune from their typing, or they may just be too big. I don't know.

[Plodding along, the woman slows a bit.]

It thickens further up ahead. You may want to cover your noses. The blight far exceeds any I've seen.

[She folds a cloth over her face as if to demonstrate before they reach a patch of air that seems warmer somehow. A fetid heat, humid and reeking of...something.]

And this is as far as I've gone alone. I am not foolish enough to go in without support, and our resources are still taxed from the attacks. But with you here, perhaps we might locate the source together.

[Yeah, okay, shoulders work. At least it's warmer up on the Rapidash's back but there's still the bite of cold air so if there's any redness in her face, it's totally from that!

But there's quickly more important things to worry about as they ride through the stinking and suddenly warm air. She makes a face and tugs a scarf up over her nose as she looks around at the withered trees and screwed up landscape when an idea occurs to her. She gives a quick glance to her Warp Band and then leans around from behind Michiru's back and speaks up to the party.]

Hey, uh, I got a Grimer with me. I know you said it doesn't look like Poison-types but he loves all that toxic sludge crap so maybe he could sniff it out or something?

[ This is not normal. Haruka's nose doesn't wrinkle, exactly - elegant ladies don't do that - but her eyebrows draw together and she nods again to her Pidgeot, who wheels up above them and moves ahead to see what, if anything, can be learned from an aerial view.

She also moves to put a hand on her sword as they travel. Just in case. ] I don't like this.

[ But World Shaking is still moving. Not liking it is itself grounds for further exploration. ]

It's a very strange person who would like this. [ Garen's been keeping up with the group at a steady jog. He doesn't seem tired, at least. This is just the kind of thing he does. ]

Nika doesn't like the cold, but if it's poisons, she'll deal better with it than most.

[ He calls his Venusaur from his Warp Band. Hey, he had a steed after all! The Venusaur shivers, definitely one who prefers to warm and the wet, but while Garen's happy to leave her out of long hiking trips, for actual work there's no real choice. ]

[Minako was glad for her scarf, and pulled it higher to cover her nose and mouth. It helped... a little. On her Staraptor, she was able to keep up with Haruka's Pidgeot.]

I definitely wouldn't have wanted to head into this alone, either. [Ingrid had made a good call, from what she could see.

She nodded to the other Pokemon, giving Rico's neck a little pat from where she sat.]

The three of us can keep an eye out from above if you're ready to head in.

[Michiru glances back at Ryuko.]

That could be a good idea. [seeing how they're going by their nose, in any case] Just be careful.

[from the sounds of it, she wouldn't recommend letting Grimer bathe in whatever this source could be.

And sorry team! She'd offer her Roserade's Aromatherapy, but that wouldn't help their search.]

[The flying scouts will be able to spot a deep indentation in the ground from the air, the obvious source. It's a mile or so off, and the area looks a bit like a bruise on the landscape from above. Black, dark, foreboding and unfriendly.

And worst of all? There are no signs of anything even remotely resembling life up a head.

Those traveling on the ground, however, won't see that. What they'll notice is a pall of silence, a fetid reek like a midden heap, and the forest growing steadily more and more twisted. Mushrooms rise out of the warm ground, steam and muck bubbling up. This land is definitely in rough shape.]

Foul. I would...not recommend allowing any living thing to play around in this, even a Grimer.

[It's... kind of hard to argue with that point, even if she does still feel kinda useless in this whole thing. Normally she might try but... well, Blob's pretty gross but something about all this just isn't sitting right and that's not just the stench making her queasy.]

Yeah... maybe. I got him in case we need him though.

[Screw it, she reaches back with one hand to grip the hilt of her sword over her shoulder. She doesn't like this at all. She's not scared of going into a fight (Hell, she'd come along looking for one) but to Ryuko, fights have always been pretty simple things: you square off, trash talk a little, then try to waste each other. Something like this, going up against something completely unknown, where just about anything can happen. It's got her on edge.]

Nobody told me I was signin' up for this kinda shit. [She mutters that last part, mostly to herself.]

[Ryuko gets a small apologetic smile from Michiru, but then she's looking ahead again and patting the neck of her Rapidash, whose ears are laid flat against its head. The horse definitely does not like this.]

How long has it been like this? And has it always been this bad?

[ Haruka's expression darkens as Pidgeot relays what she's seen, the bird's feathers obviously agitated. Haruka doesn't share with the group out loud, not yet, but she does shift so World Shaking is angled towards the center of the blight. She looks for Michiru's gaze, and if she catches it, her head will nod in the direction where it's worst. Just in case.

This is also visible to everybody else, though, so she's not nearly as exclusive as she thinks she's being. ]

[Sorry, Haruka. They were in this as a group, and Minako was going to share. It would be just too dangerous to run off alone into an unknown like this. She was learning that working together was better than working alone.

She gestured in the direction of the depression ahead and pulled her scarf down from her face just long enough to speak to the group below.]

It looks like there's something in that direction. We should be careful, though. Does everyone have potions and things?

[She hoped this wasn't going to get their Pokémon sick, too.]

We've been getting odd reports about this area since shortly before the attack by Reshiram. We just haven't had time to really investigate, but by the frost I had no idea it was so bad.

[The silence grows more and more ominious as they get closer, Ingrid growing more quiet.

At last they crest a ridge and look out into a small valley. Ordinarily it probably would be frozen over, but thanks to whatever it is...the whole area is filled with black, rotting fungus, a horribly bleak landscape that smells like death. Mushrooms blossom from everything, giving off most of the smell, and several Pokemon shamble along down there...obviously ill. Stantler, mostly, but a few Beartics too.

And at the center of it all is a huge black and red object. It seems to have been crafted entirely out of crystal, shards of jet and ruby littering the ground all around it. An oily black sludge spills out of the sides, looking remarkably like an egg. An egg large enough to house a family of Tyranitars...]

In the Frost's name! What is that?!

Edited 2016-03-04 03:58 (UTC)

[A sort of silence had fallen over the group as they rode on and Ryuko didn't really feel like being the one to break the quiet. So she remained silent as she road behind Michiru, scowling at their surroundings and keeping her hand on her weapon, ready for whatever might come their way.

... Or that's what she thought anyway, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight that eventually greeted them when they arrive at the valley. The overwhelming stench in the air, the horribly sick Pokemon wandering about and of course the monstrous... thing in the middle of it all. An egg to her admittedly untrained eye. A really big one and apparently whatever had hatched out of it had just murdered its way into the freaking world.

She spends a few seconds gawking before artfully speaking the first thing that comes to her mind. The only words she can think of to properly describe what she's seeing right now.]

Oh, FUCK THAT!

[ Haruka tries to steer closer and World Shaking refuses to go, turning his head and grunting; he can feel the wrongness here, and she trusts him enough not to push it. Sky the Beartic, lumbering behind him, clasps her paws over her muzzle in a dainty expression of dismay. This is the first time she's seen Pokémon who look like she does now since she left the mountains, and she hadn't wanted it to be like this. Despite her girth, her knees knock together. This is....it's... ]

....it's spreading this just by being here.

[ Is this where the creature that'd attacked Glacier came from? But that had used fire. This doesn't fit. Haruka unslings her sword from her packs. ]

What... what is that...?

[Though, the people below might not have heard her question. It was mostly whispered in the shock of seeing it.]

Star...

[Rico didn't like it either, and started to back away. Minako patted his neck from where she sat.]

Let's land.

[He came down next to the group now, landing near them.]

Edited 2016-03-04 14:39 (UTC)

[ It gets harder to keep up his expression of stoic preparedness as they all get closer to what can only be described as a big toxic egg. Even Nika seems to prepare keeping away from it, and it's not often that a Venusaur would care much about poison at all.

But he has no time to be afraid. That's a privilege granted to other people. Garen Crownguard must always stand strong, so his mind is already whirling, seeking a solution. ]

Don't break it, that might just release all the sludge at once. We should get everyone as far away from this thing as possible.

[ As for how they're going to do that... ]

I'll have Nika spread Sweet Scent as we leave. That should lure the wild Pokemon towards us, and further from this... thing. After we're gone, we should seriously consider scorching this blight so it doesn't spread further.

[ A plan! And a rather extreme rider attached to it, but they can discuss that bit later. ]

If anyone wants to study it closely, I'd suggest doing so quickly. It's obviously not good for anyone's health.

[Rapidash's flames flare as it uneasily paws at the ground. The only thing keeping it here is Trainer's steady presence.

Either way, there's no trace of a smile on Michiru's face now.]

My Roserade has Aromatherapy. We can see if that'll work on those Pokemon.

[and if Aromatherapy can't heal it, then it's not just a common status effect - even if it's obvious they've never seen it before, it won't hurt to try.]

You're welcome to try...but...

[Ingrid looks at Garen, a very serious expression on her face.]

I'm going to take your advice, sir. We'll get every Fire-type in Glacier if we have to, but this is going to burn. I can't...we can't leave this like that. It's only going to spread.

[She keeps her poor Aurorus under tight control by rubbing it's head, but it's not happy. It wants to go. Now.]

This is...this cannot be Reshiram's work. That was just fire. This is something wrong. The whole place smells of death...but if you're going to investigate, do it now. Photographs, or whatever it is Unionites do. But don't touch it.

Edited 2016-03-05 05:02 (UTC)

[Minako definitely wasn't planning on touching it, that was for sure. Rico's unnerved reactions to the whole place were enough to keep her from touching anything.]

Does anyone have one of those cameras? [She didn't have one herself, but she knew some people did. They weren't common, though...] Rico and I can fly over and take some pictures before we go.

Edited 2016-03-05 05:14 (UTC)

It's unfortunate. Even if my plan works, we won't be able to get every Pokemon out, but perhaps compared to this fire may be a mercy.

[ His lips are pursed tight. Firebombing everything is not something he really wants to consider, but unless they can heal these poor Pokemon they really have no choice. A blight like this can't be allowed to spread. ]

Michiru, give it a try. I doubt it will work, but we can pray for a miracle. After that, you can join me in spreading the Sweet Scent.

[ We're cooperating? Okay. Haruka takes her cue from Michiru and hops down off of World Shaking so he doesn't have to make this trek with her. ] I'll walk the perimeter.

[ She doesn't have a camera, but she wants to try and find hints of where this thing went.

She keeps her sword with her just in case, but given the state of the Pokémon around here, she's not expecting active trouble. ]

[Ryuko sits silently as the plan to deal with the thing is hatched. Try to lure the sick Pokemon out and then torch the place...? She glances down at her Warp Band as she considers the Pokemon inside. Squawks would have ditched this shitshow as soon as it started, Blob might actually like it, but a Pokemon like Skullface wouldn't have anywhere to go at all....]

Me too. [Her feet hit the ground and she's walking before anybody can argue.] If we're gonna torch that bitch we gotta make sure everything that can get out does, right?

What Lies Beyond

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)