bravenewworld | Descent

Entry tags:

Descent

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.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I dunno. As long as it's not alive.

[He pauses at that longer than he normally would]

... What would we do if--

[He shakes his head]

No. We can't know for sure yet, and... if it is alive, why would it only become active now? ... Some hibernation period? But surely we would've known about something like this happening before the war. I don't think there's anything that sleeps for over five, six hundred years. Unless... What if it did happen before, but coincided with the war? Was part of it? No, there would probably still be records, mentions--

[And with a nauseating feeling he realizes the legend of the Savior mentions at one point the "rage of the earth itself". But there hasn't been anything that would provoke the war again, has there? Things have been going as peacefully as possible, and everybody still follows the example of the Savior, and people actually bond with Pokemon. So what is going on?]

[Mari scopes the area while Kaido and Atsuro talk- there's so much damage, it's hard to know where to begin looking. She shakes her head and takes a breath to keep calm.]

Whatever is causing this, we can't count on it stopping any time soon. We should try and look for any injured before another aftershock hits.

[Personally, he's banking on "got woken up by whatever's calling from the caves," but he's not going to make Atsuro's agitation any worse.]

Right. Let's see if we can get it.

[Perhaps they aren't going to get on it more than something's going to get on them. As they begin to descend into the Old City, the earth rumbles beneath their feet.

Another earthquake!! ...But, no, it doesn't feel quite right.

After a few moments, it may become clear. It's the pounding of footsteps...

...Not-so-far-off footsteps. Whatever's approaching is running at full speed towards the group. They seem to have picked a bad time to decide to descend.]

((Since we're getting to the tail end of the event, just gonna cut to the chase with the NPCing!))

[ Oh, gods-- That can't be true, can it? He couldn't have been right, could he? But before he can panic, his brain dishes out a more proper reaction to the situation]

Scatter and hide!

[There's a lot of rubble around - some must be big enough to hide behind, legging it all the way back to the entrance probably won't work]

[Mari's panic only reaches her face for the slightest moment before it's pushed back down behind a mask of composure. She's the oldest here, she's responsible for them, and she will act like it.]

Stick close to the walls! [She looks over her shoulder at the two boys as she follows her own advice. She didn't want to let them out of her sight for even a second, but it didn't look like there was going to be any hiding spot convenient enough to fit all three of them.]

Oh are you fucking kidding me--

[He's going to look for cover, all right, but he's also going to look for a cover that's 1) more in plain view than yours and 2) easy to bolt from in case he needs to act as decoy. Depending how big that thing is, hiding in the rubble might be a bad idea. So he's ducking behind a fallen piece of ceiling that's further inside from you while activating the distress signal on his warp band]

Incoming threat in exit 3 of the Old City. Whatever it is, it's big, evacuate any civilians around the entrance!

[It's coming too quickly! As Mari, Atsuro, and Kaido struggle to find some place to conceal themselves, the pounding intensifies to such a point that it's clear there's no more time. Kaido's hurried message gets through just in time as something leaps up from the side of a ledge and lands with a deafening roar!]

Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrauuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!

[A wild Nidoking has appeared! But even as it lands, a gleam of light runs up and down its body; the Nidoking is a strange color...

Its appearance had been predicted. It charges for the entrance up into Union -- but as it rushes past, it seems to catch something out of the corner of its eye.]

Grrrr....

[Its head swings around and it makes eye contact with one Kaido hiding behind a piece of rubble barely off to the side of its path.

There is a split second's pause before it opens its mouth and some sort of energy begins to charge...

Have some mood music.]

Edited 2014-02-01 03:08 (UTC)

[Oh f--

He may not have run into a Nidoking before, but he knows enough to know any charged attack is going to hurt.

So he'll dash out of his hiding place and back towards the path--away from the exit.

Fight it--try to reason with it--stall it until reinforcements arrive--he's not sure which is the best, but what he is sure about is that it needs to be drawn away from the others (and from Union, but that thought is more fuzzy). He's pretty sure that's a poison type and Mari is weak to it]

Tada-!

[She starts to stand, only to catch herself and cover her mouth with her hand- forcing herself to not call out his name, to remember that Nidoking is a Poison-type, and there's very little she could do to fight it. But this- this was not something she could be calm about. She had to do something to help Kaido, to keep him safe. Maybe, if she couldn't fight, she could speak with the Pokemon, calm it down somehow...?

Where was Atsuro? She tries to catch sight of the other boy- it was bad enough one of them run off on their own, she couldn't afford to lose track of him too.]

[Mari wouldn't have to look long, because Atsuro's assumed the role of the strategist, trying to keep as far away from the Nidoking as possible and yelling out advice]

Kaido, it's Poison and Ground! It's got no weaknesses to any of us, so be careful! Use anything Dark if you can!

[And with that, he quickly turns to Mari]

Miss Mari, we have to try to talk to it! We don't have much chance with fighting, or even trying to hold out!

[Kaido is about twenty feet away when the Nidoking lets loose with a bellow, electricity arcing out of its mouth! A Thunderbolt crackles forward towards the running man.

His maneuver is successful, though, as it begins to charge after him. The noise made by Mari and Atsuro hasn't gone unnoticed but its single-minded intent prevents it from attacking the other two at this time.]

[Great, now Thunderbolt? Yeah he's going to wing it, and try to find a ledge to jump on. Won't do much against thunder, but at least it'll stop him from getting trampled.

At least it's not running after the others. Small mercies, because Atsuro's warning that it was part ground type triggered a long chain of swearing in his mind--strangely enough, it keeps him focused while running]

[Mari nods at Atsuro. The Nidoking didn't look like it was in much of a listening mood, but it was the only thing they could try. And they had to get its attention off Kaido before he got hurt.]

If we can't immobilize it, we should slow it down first. I can try to lower its Speed if we get closer, that should make trying to talk a little safer. [She wasn't sure how much good it would do at her level, but it couldn't hurt. And, she thought as she stood up, it would at least make it easier to get away if negotiations went badly.] Let's hurry, before they get too far away.

[Atsuro had just been gaping at the Nidoking up until that, because Thunderbolt? Thunderbolt?! That's not supposed to happen, that doesn't happen by itself-- meaning there were either some very specific and unusual circumstances or that Nidoking came in contact with humans at one point. No, maybe just the old technology?.. That kind of thing was pretty popular before the war--

And then his attention gets snapped back to reality by Mari's voice. He nods at her hurriedly]

G-Got it! I can't do anything about it, but maybe I could help talk to it... And if it throws another Thunderbolt, I should be able to take care of it.

[That's kind of big talk for someone at the beginning of his journey as an Enlightened - he doesn't actually have the skill or experience to be able to handle something as big as that. But natural resistances are still there, and he's sure the attack won't kill him at least]

[And just as Kaido is thinking that to himself, the Nidoking lowers its body and tears through the ground in front of it like a bulldozer, sending a shock wave slamming into the ledge he stands on.

Nidoking has used Bulldoze!

One way or another, this Pokemon knows some unusual moves... Atsuro and Mari may want to move fast to prevent Kaido from being obliterated.]

[Welp--he goes crashing down with some rubble. His reflexes make him avoid ankle injury by rolling as he lands, but he's still pretty roughed up, and his muscles took strain from the shake.

Part of him wants to summon Flabébé... but no, all she could do was distract it, which he's already doing, and she might get downed in a single hit.

This is very unlike him, but he's actually praying that someone will have heard his warning earlier and come help. He's not sure he can protect the others in this state, and unless he can make a strategic hit, there's no way he'll win by attacking]

[Now that she has a plan under her belt, Mari does move fast. As she runs towards the Nidoking, trying to stay out of it's field of vision, she's already concentrating her power. Once she deems herself close enough, she blows out a dust-like substance that would lower its Speed if it hits.

But with Kaido down and, she assumes, hurt she can't afford to wait and see if it lands or works before she calls out to the Nidoking.]

Sir! Please, we beg your pardon, but why are you attacking us?

((Gonna go ahead and keep this moving since it's been a bit!))

[The sound of the voice immediately causes Nidoking to perform an abrupt about-face; it's hard to tell if the dust is successful as it doesn't immediately begin to chase after her or anything.

It lets loose an angry roar!

How bold of her to speak as if she didn't know! The humans of the city invaded their homes, took everything useful and valuable, took their children and friends, and now sought to incite destruction upon them all!

Its response is punctuated by another crackle of energy from its mouth!]

[Oh man oh god oh man oh god-- It certainly doesn't look like it's in a listening mood, so things might get very bad very soon. Atsuro's torn between dashing to Kaido to help him up and drag him away (he's taken some hits, after all, doesn't look like he can move all that well) and shielding Mari, because-- is that another Thunderbolt it's readying? He should be able to take that, but-- He would call out to Mari or Kaido, but that would just attract attention to himself and ruin his chances to do about anything. ... He's going to leave it to you for now, Mari!

And he's sneaking around the Nidoking's back to get Kaido. Hurried whisper as he's offering him his hand]

Can you stand? Move?

[He was already getting himself out of the rubble, and he'll haul himself to your level with a wince--okay joints are fine]

Yeah--

[He looks up]

Mari--

[Shit, why did you come to his aid instead of running away with her or something? Well, no helping it now. He's going to ready himself to attack it from behind or run past it with Atsuro to help out Mari, depending on the situation]

[Mari doesn't even glance away to see if Atsuro reached Kaido. Her full attention is spent on the Nidoking and not flinching at the volume of the roar or the sparks coming from its mouth. Even with her ability, she could not understand it perfectly but... 'destruction'...? Did it think humans were responsible for the earthquake?]

I understand you're upset. You have every right to be, considering all the damage that has been done here. But I swear, we three are not responsible for it, and attacking us will not fix anything.

All we want is to leave your territory and return to our own. If you'll allow us, we'll cause you no further trouble.

[The talking is enough to keep the lightning from frying her immediately, but Nidoking snorts derisively.

It's heading up to bring justice and vengeance on all the humans. It hardly matters if it hurts them now or later.]

[As long as talking keeps it from attacking, then Mari will take that as a good sign to continue. And if it's not going to let them go that easily, maybe she could at least get more information from it.]

May I ask, why now, of all times? Am I right in assuming you think humans caused the earthquake?

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