bravenewworld | 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 agree with miss Mari. I think we have better chances if we regroup and alert others. Rushing in is too dangerous, and we don't even have a backup plan - Old City might be an at least somewhat familiar territory, but we've never been to the mines, nor do we have maps of them. And we don't have any proper supplies ready in case one of us gets hurt, which is rather likely--

[He stops with his speech, suddenly remembering something, and quickly turns to Mari, lowering his voice.]

Miss Mari, can you ask the Nidoking about where it's learnt its moves? They're not supposed to be a part of its naturally developing abilities, so maybe there was some outside intrusion with that, too - and I think it's possible it's related to the noise or whatever is causing it. If I'm right, of course.

[And now, back to Kaido.]

Anyway, that's what I think. It's just too risky, Kaido. It's one thing to go face something dangerous, and a completely different thing to do so completely unprepared.

[Nidoking interrupts this conversation by snarling loudly at this point. What in the world are they yammering about and how is it more important than destroying that machine and exacting vengeance???

It will begin to stomp back towards the exit out of the Old City.]

((Nidoking is calm enough that a Bonding may be attempted at this point! As only one person can successfully bond, however, we ask that you discuss it amongst yourselves and decide who will try. Bonding may still not be successful depending.))

[The snarl startles Mari's attention away from the boys. As the Nidoking starts to leave, she finds herself thinking. It's very strong, certainly, but more than that, it's been helpful and willing to understand and reconsider. A Pokemon like that could be a good partner.

And there's something else, too... a thought that has been troubling her since the Nidoking's revelation of the evidently man-made noise.

After a moment to consider, she makes her decision and follows after it.]

Pardon me, but could I make a proposal?

[If she wants to propose destroying the noise, she already proposed it earlier and she'd better hurry up and snap to it before it changes its mind about not frying them.

Nidoking's tone is more grumpy than it is actually serious. It seems vaguely annoyed at having been persuaded not to eat them.]

[A bit amused at the attitude, she smiles.] No, not that. Though it is related.

Destroying whatever is causing that noise is only the first step. Whoever made the source is still out there, somewhere outside of Union. If you'd like, we could work together to find them and see them punished.

[After all, this was the first serious evidence she'd found to support people living outside of Union. There was no way she wasn't going to follow up on it, one way or another.]

((Assuming this means Mari is initiating the Bond!))

[Nidoking stops for a moment and glances back with an expression halfway between disgust and dubiousness. It had wiped the floor with them earlier. What in the world could they offer?]

It's true we're not very strong now, but that will not always be the case. The three of us take our decision to be trainers very seriously, and I have no intention of letting whoever is responsible for this get away with it.

I could show you what I mean more easily if I use this. [She holds out her wrist to show the Nidoking her warp band.] May I?

[It stares with an even more dubious expression. Why in the world would a bracelet convince it of her intent?

...Well, it doesn't seem to be angry about it, so she may as well go ahead.]

[She smiles and turns it on, the prongs opening up and the pulse of light shooting forward at the Nidoking.

When it hits, Mari lets it see, however briefly, her own anger, her own desire to protect, her own deep, unshakeable need for revenge, which even know lay outside the walls of the city. They may share a common foe- if nothing else, one enemy could lead to the other. Her belief in that is genuine. As is her conviction that she would not let either escape.]

[Mari, in return, will feel Nidoking's deep resentment and simmering anger that had been brought to a head by the most recent developments. Though prevented from having hurt the trio any further, it is genuine in its desire to cause suffering in a people it perceives as having caused so much pain through their own actions.

It seems surprised by Mari's convictions, though. The Warp Band isn't necessary for that; the expression shows clearly on its face.

Nidoking quickly shakes it aside, though, and returns its expression to one of sullen irritation. ...The Warp Band will betray, though, that it seems vaguely impressed.

Fine.

Maybe they can work together. ...Just for now.]

((Mari has successfully bonded with Nidoking! It is Level 25 and will come knowing the special moves Thunderbolt, Bulldoze, and Earthquake. I can continue tagging with the three of you if you decide to look through the tunnels into the mountains; however, by the time you get there, the machines will have all been disabled already ICly.

The three characters may be credited with being the first to find the path to the iron mines, however.))

Descent

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