The Battle for Caldera

[bravenewmods]

The time for action is at hand, and the players have been set in place. Those who choose to make an attempt at diplomacy head off at the appointed time to meet with Valeria, the clerk and representative of the general who leads the Gigas army. Those who wish to take more direct action against Gigas leave with General Ironbrand to put their plans into motion. In the meantime, the refugees continue to stream into Union, while supplies are gathered and flow the other way.

The outcome of this war may very well depend on the combined results of these four efforts…

((This log will be a catch-all for all four efforts of the attempt to save Caldera. There will be four different parts of this post: Diplomacy, Aggression, Refugees, and Supplies. The first two should be well established, but the Refugees portion will encompass bringing those in Caldera who require help to Union and giving them medical aid and care, while the Supplies portion will encompass people in Union setting up shelters and gathering resources to send back to Caldera, as well as other miscellaneous tasks that may be of help. Gathering resources may entail leaving Union to explore out in other areas. You all signed up for groups, so please try to maintain these groups when posting, particularly to the Diplomacy and Aggression sections. The other two may be more free-form.

Mods will be responding at least once every 24 hours to keep the logs moving.

EDIT 5/31: Please try to group up if possible! We'll generally try to wait for threads to have 2-3 people before we jump in. Threads with 3+ may attract the attention of something a little more... interesting.))

Comments

[niepokonany]

Nice!

[Even Jadwiga smiles a little bit at Feliks's enthusiasm--she's more even-tempered than him, not so quick to start fights, but it's hard not to get swept along with his emotions. Oberek bounce around a little, trying to send some Stun Spore after the soldiers who attempt to flee... in spite of the Misty Terrain. Look, he's not always the cleverest egg in the carton.]

[Feliks wastes no time in advancing. It's the same as fighting the bullies outside the school, he thinks--hit them back, keep hitting back and they back off. Only there's a lot more of them than just these guys, so they have to keep going until they get the point, right? He scoops up Oberek and nods for Jadwiga to follow him.]

I'm gonna run up and check if there's more coming! We'll give you a heads-up if there are.

[And he runs ahead a bit, leaving Jade and Sync alone with the soldiers, on the lookout for more troops or anything that looks in need of a little sabotage.]

[rejected_trash]

[Giving a nod in affirmation, Sync waited until Feliks disappeared through the brush and trees before speaking.]

Did you even break a sweat?

[He did, though he doesn't plan on speaking about it; his wings ached from the sudden exercise and he had to try using them more anyway to make sure they could hold up on a longer fight. His Talonflame perched on his arm, lowering his head a few times to indicate he wanted down on the ground to use Roost. Setting him down, he finally turns to actually look and see if Jade heard him, or left, or somehow had been injured in the chaos.]

[antiseptic]

Of course. I'm completely exhausted.

[His levity fades, however, when he takes in the scene around them. With a quick command, he sends his Pokemon after Feliks, aside from Tyrantrum and the still-sleeping Jigglypuff, who are sent back to the Habitat.]

You must be as well, if you aren't going after Feliks.

[He doesn't want to follow him until they're finished here. Not that they'll have much time; the soldiers who had fled must be planning to go get reinforcements. He had thought about pursuing them, but the area is still unfamiliar to him, and it would be too easy for the soldiers to give him the slip.]

[Spear in hand, he approaches one of the fallen soldiers - the one that had first mentioned 'Formation E', if he's not mistaken - an intent expression on his face.]

[celebrity_commentator]

[Himiko covers her ears...or whatever...and piles more damage onto that Dodrio with its own Confusion, attacking in harmony with her fellow Kirlia.]

[Rise, meanwhile, mostly just tries to get out of the way of the Uproar and estimate which of the opponent Pokémon are closest to being knocked out.]

[rejected_trash]

A bit.

[The moment feels oddly normal, which puts him on edge. His history with Jade had taught him that when things appeared the most normal, something was about to happen.

True to fashion, Sync watches the older man approach one of the soldiers with his spear.]

...What are you doing?

[As he asks, he sends his own Pokémon back to the habitat; he had suspicions it was best they weren't around for the explanation if he got one. Jade also wasn't the type to explain his thoughts or actions, he recalled.]

[antiseptic]

[For once, Jade explains, mostly because he doesn't quite trust his own judgement.]

Ensuring that he won't wake when I search him.

[He thinks it's necessary, thinks it's foolish that the Union has taken such a hard stance against killing when their enemies don't hesitate to use lethal force, but perhaps he's the one in the wrong here. What he does know is that they can't risk having the soldier make any noise at all, and killing is the easiest way to be certain of that.]

[meguriau]

[ Roxas complies and brings back Sora and Keeper into his warp band. Then on the third count he teleports as far away as he could from the area just as directed. ]

[rejected_trash]

...You shouldn't.

[But to Sync, it made so much sense to at the same time; they were going to kill them without a second thought if the tables were turned. This must have been how they managed to not have so much resistance. He looks down at the fallen soldier and contemplates for a few quick seconds that feel like an eternity.]

You shouldn't get caught, at least.

[He wasn't approving or disproving because now he didn't know what to think. This man might have family, but Sync knew he had family as well, and a bullet would have stopped him from seeing them ever again.]

...It'll need to look like a total accident or the body will have to be hid, Union won't forgive a killing.

[By this point, the teen isn't sure if he's helping his uncle or just trying to listen reasons why not to; it's all sounding the same.]

[antiseptic]

[Sync does not reject his plan, so Jade takes it to mean that his course of action, while not necessarily good, is at least acceptable.]

I'll have to risk it.

[He doesn't think word of this will reach the Union; the mist would have made it impossible to identify them, and besides, it's just as likely that the Calderans would have been responsible for the killing. Besides, spending too long on subterfuge would defeat their purpose entirely. They have to be away from this place as soon as he can.]

[With perfect calm, Jade lifts his spear, pointing the tip of it at the soldier's neck. He takes a second to gauge the position of the carotid artery before he stabs down in one precise, fluid strike.]

[bravenewmods]

[The Soldiers are flung away by the exploding shield. As they recover, some of them start moving forward to encircle Lea]

Take him alive if you can, looks like the bugger's on his last legs. The doctor'll want to examine him.

[thefloorislava]

Like hell you are!

[Lea will fight until he can't move anymore. And Robin didn't wait for a command. Instead, he raises his arms and smashed them down, unleashing another shockwave of Night Daze. Lea himself pulls his weapons, twin chakrams cloaked in flame. he vanishes in a flash of darkness, reappearing behind the group of soldiers. His teleportation skills weren't as advanced as Roxas'; that was about as far as he could go. But he hoped it would surprise them enough that his thrown chakrams will catch them off guard.]

[fistfullofmagic]

[It's kind of hard not to tell Aster's a bit nervous, really. Dhaos tries to smile reassuringly.]

Indeed. If it happens to become late however, Astrid and I have experience with camping, so we will have little in the way of problems in that regard.

[radiantwingedone]

I can glow a little, if that reassures any.

[ Flattest tone ever - is he joking? Who knows, he's facing away. Because that is totally the best use of his psychic abilities. Glowing at night.

And off into the woods! Yay, nerds are leaving the city. Duke's Drifloon comes back with a Palpitoad held in its thin arms, and that's probably all the excitement that happens via pokemon.

Duke gets sidetracked looking at plants once in a while. Don't mind him. ]

[withcourage]

Glowing? Really?

[There is surprise in Aster's voice, but no disbelief.]

So, then, does that make you a human torch?

[Nervous joking aside...]

That could come in handy if we need light. At least if it gets dark, I can see pretty well. I think?

[If any pokemon are seen, Aster would also be stopping to watch for a few curious moments. He has no room to comment on Duke's sidetracked-ness.]

[bravenewmods]

[Aaand assuming they make it to the Lake Shrine... The trek through the forest is about as mild as it always is. The forest Pokemon give the Unionites a wide berth, having learned now that most people leaving the city weren't good prospects to challenge.

The Shrine itself also radiates the same sense of quietude it usually does. If Duke hasn't been there before, he'll note that the plant variety shifts subtly towards those favoring a wetter biome, with an increase in mosses and lichens and so forth.]

[ourlegends]

[ Once they arrive there, it's a pretty interesting sight for her. She'd never been to this part of the forest before (despite being lost in it for a week or so), and seeing it herself for the first time was something that made her eyes widen just a bit.

She's easily impressed. New places just did that to her, it seemed.

In any case, Hilda is aware that they're here for a reason, and they need to get to work now that they were here. ]

Okay, so ... food and stones?

[ Let's confirm with everyone else. Awkwardly. ]

[bravenewmods]

[Unfortunately, they're starting to get used to his tricks. While the Night Daze definitely does some damage, before he can launch his chakrams he takes two successive rifle butts to the face]

[thefloorislava]

[At least one thing worked. But it was a powerful attack, and Robin couldn't just spam it all the livelong day. The rifle butts connect, giving Lea a few painful, bleeding injuries and another fuzzy head. He falls to the ground, and his weapons clatter beside him.

Robin gets between his friend and the soldiers, bristling his fur and growling ferociously. But this was bad. Real bad. And Lea didn't want Robin to die here just because Lea had made a stupid mistake]

Sorry, bud. T...time for you to go home...

[though blood stings his eyes, Lea manages to find the right button on his warp band. Robin protests, but the sound is cut off as he is warped back to Union, back to safety, leaving Lea alone.

At the very least, Lea sets himself ablaze. If these bastards were going to try and grab him, they were going to get burned at the very least]

[bravenewmods]

"Net him! Don't let him get away!"

Two strong nets are launched at Lea. They both appear to be somewhat flame resistant, whatever it is he's not burning them nearly as well as he probably should at the current rate of his flame.

[fistfullofmagic]

[While not his first time at the Shrine, there's something about it that Dhaos can't help but find beautiful.]

Food and stones.

[Awkward confirmation is awkward. Whose idea was it to let a bunch of nerds be in charge of a supply run?]

[radiantwingedone]

[ Yeah, its his first time out here. Squishy moss is squish-

Right, they're out here for things. ]

A rocky area would be best for finding stones.... While shrubbery would be best for finding edible plants, right?

[ He might have just checked with Laulyse to see if his plants guess was good. She's much closer to a grass type than he is, after all.

Low bushes and creepers. Or just the trees for Berries! ]

... So small splitting up? Stay within sight of someone, or perhaps everyone else?

[ why did you let him somewhat organize this again? ]

[thefloorislava]

The nets weigh him down, and Lea is captured. He's running out of energy, and he's not sure he can beat this one. His chakrams are out of reach and weren't responding to his call. Even the shadows weren't offering an easy escape, he couldn't focus enough to use them. Was this going to be the end for him? The flames die down a bit.

What a shitty way to go out.

[bravenewmods]

[One of the guards sneers at Lea and smacks him across the mouth with his rifle for good measure]

This one's caught. Go find his friend, he can't have gotten far.

[thefloorislava]

[Lea is content to let things go dark. Well, perhaps not content. He was still young, after all. He had a lot he wanted to do with his life, still. Perhaps "resigned" was a better word. Yeah. Resigned, he thought to himself.

That is, until he hears them say they're going after Roxas. Roxas, who was still a little off in the head. Roxas, who was lost in an unfamiliar and unfriendly city. Roxas, who Lea had sworn to protect.

He feels something well up inside, a heat, a light, that starts at his core and works its way all the way to his fingers and toes. Like lightning. On the outside, it just looks like Lea's started to glow, dimly at first and mostly in his eyes, then so bright that it was blinding]

Don't... don't you DARE TOUCH HIM!

[Lea suddenly erupts in a swirling vortex, a column of fire thirty feet high. The nets, and anyone standing less than five feet away, are reduced to ash in a matter of seconds. Lea stands up, shaky on his feet. Claws have burst from his fingers and toes, destroying his shoes in the process. A long tail whips behind him, with a row of spines and a bright flame at the end. He snarls, showing fangs. And behind him, ferocious flames in the shape of wings silhouette him.

He doesn't pick up his weapons. Instead, he digs his new claws into the ground. The earth below him rumbles, then starts to melt.

THE FLOOR IS LAVA!]

[bravenewmods]

[Cocky sneers suddenly turn into screams of pain and horror as several soldiers are incinerated instantly. The rest turn to flee, several nursing severe burns from Lea's eruption]