Descent

[bravenewmods]

Iron Mines:
The trip to the eastern mountains is punctuated by the continuing aftershocks. After each one, it may be tempting to glance back at Union to see if any of the towers have fallen yet. The expedition parties move with incredible speed, knowing that the fate of their City hangs on the line.

When they reach the mountains, guided by the coordinates given of the 'strange radio signal', the parties will find that many of the normal entrances and routes have been blocked by cave-ins. In contrast, however, a gaping hole has opened up where none existed before. As this seems to be the easiest way to gain access, the parties slowly lower themselves in...

They will find themselves in the long-sought iron mines.

But there are so many twisting turns and tunnels, it will be impossible to stay together and make any sort of progress. Each group will have to take their own paths from here...

Old City:
Each of the twelve entrances down into the Old City take a different meandering route through the ruins. Though several are blocked off by this time, there are still many potential paths to take. The state of the Old City is poor, being underground as it is, and occasional soft rumblings are certain to cause unease. As the report states, however, there is enough of an interval between quakes that it should be possible to investigate safely.

It would be unwise to venture down alone, but it is impossible, too, for everyone to stay together if they wish to make headway.

Union:
The wild Pokémon continue to come out of the Old City, though the frequency has been somewhat lessened. Rubble lines the streets and though no towers have collapsed as of yet, some seem to be dangerously close and certainly nobody should be staying inside of them. As stated, the towers in Sector 3 are the worse off and construction crews work frantically to attempt to restabilize the foundations of these buildings.

The injured are innumerable, the number of casualties is as of yet unknown, and the chaos and panic is difficult to fend off.

There is a great deal of work to be done.

((Please post below with your groups - in the first comment, please note the members of your group, where you are, and whether or not you intend to keep a threading order. Regardless of threading order, mods will be responding at least once every 24 hours to keep the event moving. Groups should be three to four people in size.

At this time, all characters entering the iron mines will be able to choose to bond with a free extra Pokemon listed under 'Cavern' in the Map and Wild Pokemon post. Please respond there if you intend to make use of this. Characters who have already claimed a free Old City Pokemon may not do so.))

Comments

Iron Mines!

[moonbay]

[Having strong armed Irvine into coming and basically dragging Sora to be their scapegoat third body, Moonbay leads the way into the caves, looking around with wide eyes once they're all inside. Her fingers are clenching and unclenching as she loosens up, a grin on her face.]

You two ready? Irvine, you're our eyes. If we trip, I'm blaming you.

[ooc; no thread order]

[wolvenmemory]

[Caves were never his favorite place to explore—he preferred wider, open spaces—but at least Irvine can see where he's going. He's not sure where Moonbay picked up the kid, but it looked like he was in for a life of indentured servitude at this rate, if he could be suckered into things so easily.]

Yeah, yeah. I got it. Though places like this are more your thing than mine.

[Considering she could technically "see" farther than he could. He glances over to their other group member.]

Unless you have some special talent we don't know about, kid.

[heartstorage]

[Sora's not entirely sure how he wound up with these two, but he wasn't going to pass up a chance to actually help instead of being told to sit still and be good. Even if caves were...not exactly his favorite place. But that's okay, he had to face his fear sometime, right? Right!]

[He'll look up at Irvine. Moonbay he knew before, but he was new.]

Not with seeing in caves, but hold on.

[He was a psychic/flying type, not a flashlight! But at this time he'll focus on his warpband and call forth his Shinx and a Squirtle...wearing sunglasses. He kneels down for a second to talk to them, petting the Shinx and giving the Squirtle a brofist]

Simba, you help keep an eye for us okay? You know what to do if there's danger. But be careful about getting into fights.

And Crush, you're gonna help us take care of any rock types okay? But only shoot your gun when I tell you too!

[Crush seems to scoff and sulk at that idea. He wants to shoot things!! Sora will get back up and then he nods at Moonbay]

I'm ready. Let's go!

Old City

[paradiseshrinemaiden]

[If Reimu needed more reason to label this as an Incident, then the fact that the earthquakes hadn't stopped yet was plenty. The last venture into the Old City hadn't gotten very far, so it was time to try again. So Reimu and Marisa headed down to one of the intact entrances to the Old City with intention of getting to the bottom of things as soon as possible before the damage got any worse.

Now the two of them were in front of one of the still intact entrances again, preparing to embark on their investigation.]

I guess we'd better get this over with. You ready?

((No posting order, but we're open to another person or two if anyone wants to tag along with the girls.))

[stardustreverie]

Always.

[Marisa had her broom on her shoulder for the time being. Any worries were gone as she had slipped into a good focus. There wasn't time to worry or fear, just to act.]

Let's go and fix this up so we can get back. Maybe this time they'll reconise ya and bring stuff to the shrine?

[paradiseshrinemaiden]

[Reimu frowned, and replied a little drily.]

Yeah, that'd be nice...

[Of course with her luck, this was unlikely, but thankless job or not, she did chose to do this, so what can you do?]

Let's get moving then.

[And with that the miko took off into the air, heading through the entrance into the Old City.]

Iron Mines

[indy_wannabe]

Ezreal normally works alone, but he somehow managed to acquire two tag-alongs, and nobles at that. With Lux and Imogen both with him, there was at least some backup if things went wrong. Additionally, he'd heard word that another might be joining them. At the very least, he'd have some company.

"You guys ready? Is it just us?"

[for_realsies]

Imogen's pack was a bit heavier than usual. Then again Imogen was also wearing her outfit that had the technical climbing harness built into it. So she was prepped to do the whole ropes and repel thing. Not the most comfortable, or stylish, but with the Earthquakes it seemed prudent.

"Just us, were you expecting more? Lux what did you tell your parents you were doing? In case it comes up in polite conversation?"

[ladyofluminosity]

Not a delver by trade, Lux was a little bit less prepared, although well enough stocked. Dressed in her normal winter weather attire, she did have rope and what appeared to be harnesses--upon suggestion from the rangers at the outpost--in her pack.

The blond winced at Imogen's question. "I... may have neglected to tell them that I was leaving the first time." Meaning that she hadn't mentioned leaving, ever. "It's easier that way." Less of a chance that they would get in the way of her adventure in the first place.

She shook her head, quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, what's our plan?"

Iron mines

[comparative_insanity]

[Fai and Yuii had of course wanted to help out, but it had been a bit of a struggle to decide what to do. Mainly because of Fai, since he was the one of the two of them who suffered from rather severe claustrophobia. It would of course be more sensible to stay in Union and help out, since the other alternatives both would involve going underground. But... well, the point had always been to get out of Union, hadn't it? And Fai knew that if he actually wanted to explore the world as thoroughly as he wanted, sooner or later he was going to have to get to terms with caves, where a significant part of the world's pokémon were known to dwell. So he might as well start now, and maybe one day he would actually not break into a cold sweat thinking about a cave-in. He had to hope.

He'd asked Feliks if he wanted to come along too, both wanting to spend more time with his new friend and thinking that perhaps if there was someone around that he really wanted to impress - just why he wasn't certain of yet - then maybe he'd be able to hold it together.

And hold it together he did, remarkably well, right up until they'd walked almost a kilometer through winding tunnels. That was when constantly controlling his breathing finally took its toll and Fai had to lean against the wall to not sway alarmingly, blinking to try to clear his vision of black spots. The air was just so still, the walls so very close, the weight of the rock above them like a physical pressure against his mind. He didn't even like staying indoors for long, and now there was no quick and easy way of getting anywhere where he could breathe. It was nauseating.]

Ahh, you two, could we... mm, stop a moment? It must be all that thin air on the way here, I feel a little faint. I'm fine, really! I just need to rest a bit. [Pff, thin air. About as thin as his excuses, and he knew it. Despite the faint violet glow from his skin, it must be obvious to anyone how pale his face was under that faint layer of sweat.]

Re: Iron mines

[niepokonany]

Hey, Emilia, hold up a sec!

[The Houndour gives a small bark of acknowledgement, and sits down, scanning the darkness for any hint of danger. She insisted on being in front, considering how soft and squishy the majority of the members of this strange little pack looked.]

[Feliks, meanwhile, turns to face Fai curiously. What's his deal all of a sudden? He himself has been a ray of sunshine in spite of the obvious high stakes, unable to quite contain his excitement at his first breaths of clear, chill mountain air, chattering away amiably and only slowing when the sunlight faded away completely. It took a little concentration after that point to control the fire in his lantern, making sure it was small enough to use little air and bright enough to see by decently.]

Wow, you totally don't look so good! You're not seriously tired already, right?

Hey, ow!

[Thankfully, at least his Pokémon friend is capable of telling how people are feeling, and they've known each other long enough that he immediately understands her poke in the arm and dissatisfied presence in his mind to mean "Feliks, I know you aren't trying to be a jerk, but you're being a jerk." And she's usually right, considering the whole psychic deal. He hesitates, looking Fai over more carefully.]

...I mean, are you like sick or something? I've got some water...

[bravenewmods]

As Fai is getting his breath, a deafening roar comes bouncing through the tunnels. It's hard to say where it came from or how close it is, but the sound is definitely penetrating to say the least.

Iron Mines

[reborn_love]

[Jade, Melaka, and Elly moved down into the iron mines, working their way through the tunnels. Elly stopped as she reached a particularly narrow pathway; there, she could see where a narrow pathway led into a wider room. She took a deep breath; behind her, Vierge perked up.]

I think we can squeeze through here, but it's going to be tight.

[She looks back at the others and frowns; she keeps her voice down, just in case there's anything waiting. It could be dangerous.]

[makeitquick]

Sneak could prob get through there even easier.

[ But she's currently looking up at some of the areas around the path. To see if it looks secure. ]

[bravenewmods]

((Gonna go ahead and get this started!))

[The narrow pathway is tight enough that there might be some clothing damage, but they should all be able to fit. The visibly wider room, unusually, has some light shining through, vaguely bluish.]

Union

[all_onis_are_true]

[Hiroshi figured he could handle this. Help with repairs? Keep an eye out for survivors? Certainly he can do that. But he keeps eying every new wild Pokemon that runs out of the Old City nervously, as if expecting something. And when he actually saw an injured person being dragged out of the rubble...

Anyway, now he's over by the side of a building, trying to fight off a case of the shivers and the dry heaves and feeling like a complete idiot.]

Stupid... This is straight-forward, I just need to focus on the task at hand... urgh...

[At least Takuro looks sympathetic. Either way, when Sophie finds him, he's definitely not displaying his shining best.]

[bravenewmods]

((Gonna go ahead and get this started!))

[Both the wild Pokemon running out of the Old City and the people going about their panicky business in the street, for the most part, ignore the anxious looking teenager as he leans against the building.

A man wearing the insignia of the Guardsmen, though, will note him and approach.]

Hey, kid.

You wanna be sick, you go be sick in the Med Center. This area's dangerous.

[all_onis_are_true]

Ah... sorry. I really am here to assist. I just needed a little air.

[Ugh, this is so humiliating.]

Iron Mines

[tagteams]

[With Jinxie and Apollo right behind her, as being side by side is not possible with the lack of space inside these caves, Quinn leads the way through the tunnels. Been a few dead ends here and there, but the only choice that matters is going forward. Edan is still staying close to her on her shoulder, since there is not even enough space to fly properly.]

You two doing alright back there?

[(( No tag order. ))]

[somnambulatory]

Uh huh. Dokuro and I are fine.

[Jinxie follows along, looking noticeably nervous but also quietly determined to be of some use. She's been working with her Pokemon a lot lately, so she's hoping all the careful training has paid off. Her Duskull's attitude is much more devil may care, but that's par for the course.]

[a_gentle_boy]

[And having been here the whole time and in no way being a last minute add-on, Lucas catches up a bit with the rest of the group after having spent a moment adjusting his internal light. A soft, cyan glow emits from his hand as he focuses his psychic abilities.]

I hope someone can find the radio quickly. ...I'm still not sure how something like that could cause an earthquake...

Iron Mines - gonna try and keep a post order for the most part

[stahlflugel]

[Somehow, Levi ended up coming with them. Eren knows he should be honored, and somewhere, really deep down, he is! But Savior, when they said he had a terrible personality, they were not kidding. This guy was something else.

So now, their group was Eren himself, Jean, Armin, and the ever grouchy Levi.

After making their way down into the cavern, exclaiming about the iron ore, and pow-wowing with the other groups, they decide to go down one of the many tunnels. Eren is carrying a lantern in the back of his mouth so that he can (kind of) speak around it. There's a weird noise and it's driving Eren insane]

Does anyone else hear that noise?

[Blitz, now walking on the ground, folds his ears and nods. It's awful. Victor had to evacuate Eren's backpack because the space was needed for supplies, and he occupies Blitz's former spot at the base of Eren's neck. And he's covering his "ears" with stubby little legs]

Re: Iron Mines - gonna try and keep a post order for the most part

[sturzflug]

What sound...?

[ Jean scratches at the feathers around his ears. Nope, nothing. He's mostly trailing at the end though, keeping an eye out for, well, anything. Apollo huddles close to him as usual, perched on his shoulder. This whole thing gave him a bad feeling... but, a job's a job. ]

Ugh, I hope we find whatever it is quick, I wanna get out of here.

[ Doesn't mean he's gonna stop complaining, though. ]

Old City

[kaidont]

[You would expect a group containing a young nerd and a medic to be cautious. But somehow these three seem to have a bad effect on each other in those circumstances: Kaido, for once, is the least hotheaded, as he was planning to enter one of the still stable entrances.

But no, half-collapsed entrances mean people could be trapped inside! And thus he's been dragged to entrance 3 to try and see if there's a way in, and anyone inside.

And hey, maybe they might discover something about the cause of all those quakes. The original source might be in the iron mines, but something here sure is reacting to it.

Kaido is taking the lead, with Mari and Atsuro not far behind]

Well, at least we're not gonna get stampeded on this side.

[at_too_low]

Yeah, it's good we don't have any Pokemon going rampant here. The exit's damaged enough as it is, and it would make it much harder to look for any clues with Pokemon panicking. What do you think is down here?

[And, as usual, he trails off into his own thoughts, talking both to himself and to others]

I wonder what's making the quakes reach all the way down here? Is the Old City connected to the mines somehow? ... Rather, do they go under it? No, that's too dangerous, no one would plan for it, plus it probably would've collapsed way earlier. They're probably just connected somehow... Would be easier if we knew what the mines are like. And I wonder why it's not stopping...

[A beginning of an idea starts to form in his mind, but he brushes it away as something only born of fear - falling into that when you just don't know what's going on is wrong. He shrugs his shoulders and continues on, uncharacteristically quiet (for a while)].