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"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything." - Nikola Tesla
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| Alice Blanc's Journey; Fields of Lavender | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 14 2010, 01:29 AM (837 Views) | |
| Munchkinator | Sep 14 2010, 01:29 AM Post #1 |
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Pax Bionicus
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Wasn't Ayer supposed to have people? At some point in the last few minutes - though you weren't sure exactly when - they had all... vanished. Well, that wasn't quite right. You would have noticed if they had all vanished. It'd be hard not to. At some point they must have trickled away. All of them. Maybe if you were in a back alley, sure, but not in - somewhere. Wherever you were. Run-down buildings, no people. Perhaps you had taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Well, no, "run down" wasn't quite the right way to describe them - many of the buildings around you were positively ruined, missing immense chunks or already partially collapsed in on themselves. No signs of life, as if they had been abandoned, left that way for a very long time by caretakers who had simply gone out to a spring picnic and never actually bothered to come back. Above you, the sky had changed. It almost seemed as though the color had been leeched from the previously-sunny sky without anyone noticing, which was patently absurd - anyone, no matter how wrapped up in thought they had been, would notice that dramatic of a difference. There had been nary even a cloud in the sky not ten minutes ago, and yet now the sun - if it was even still out - was little more than a dull, greyish glow suffusing the grey clouds with an extra tiny of greyness. Granted, it had been close to sunset, but... Behind you, the skyline had changed as well. For some reason, the skyscrapers that marked Ayer had simply vanished, replaced by the same shattered, broken buildings that now surrounded you. All except one. One tower still penetrated the sky, an odd obsidian monolith, too far away to make out distinctly, but with an ominous aura to it, speaking of vague horrors that should not be. No wind blew, and no birds sang. Time itself had stopped, or perhaps had a minor technical hiccup. And then everything blinked for a moment - so fast you didn't so much catch the blink as the absence of it, and yet in that instant, it changed. Slightly. The grey became slightly more pronounced, as the few tiny remnants of color - which you hadn't actually noticed until their even more pronounced absence - vanished. Your Pokémon, too, was nowhere to be found, nor was its Pokeball. Interestingly, though, your own clothing still retained its original hues, and nothing else would prove to be missing should you choose to perform a hasty inspection; the world itself had changed, and not you. And then it all flickered again, to no apparent effect. Then came the voice, a quiet, throaty whisper, from everywhere at once and yet nowhere, a cacophony of undertones vying for dominance behind each word. "...Alice... was it?" The words were clear enough, if you listened carefully, but carried a raspy quality, as though the simple act of exhaling them was difficult, awkward. "Interesting, human. I see now that... I picked wellllll..." Again, the inflections were odd, alien, as though it was not actually speaking, or perhaps unused to the act. Or perhaps it was simply not speaking in a language that could be understood. "It is ssssssso diffffficult to... pick you mortalssss out fffffrom one anotttther." Fading? Slurring? It was difficult to ascertain which issue plagued the speaker. "I will cut to the chassssse. Yhhhhhou looked like an interesting... toy. I mean you no hhhhharm, plaything." The sincerity to the voice was impossible to measure, though you didn't feel any outright malice. Then again, anything capable of doing this - an illusion, perhaps? - for no apparent reason probably wasn't exactly trustworthy... though it hadn't tried to kill you yet, that was probably a good sign. "Hhhhhhowever, I am in the mood fffffffor amussssseemennnnt. You may opt out now. If you choose to accept my challenge, you will no longer have that option, until you win, or... lose." Yeah, that wasn't ominous or anything. "The game is simple, flesh-thing. Reach the tower. Alive, preferably." And then the scenery flickered once more, and the tower was closer - or was it farther? - and all the more intimidating for it. "Thhhhere is no time limit... other than your own consciousnesssss. Yyyyyyhour flesh-toy will be rrrrhetrurned... to you shhhhhhould you accept." Once again, fading, more serious than before, then a moment of perfect clarity. "If you win, you will be rewarded. Your choice, mortal?" [Request me for the next ref regardless of your choice. Fair warning: this is a plot, and the GTFO/stay junction is here. If you choose to go for it I will be your conductor; if not, other than my winding it down next ref, you'll be free to go about your business. There are certain hints as to what is going on if you look closely enough, and that theme will last throughout the plot should you choose to accept - the juxtaposition of the expected and the unexpected, and exactly how real anything is.] Edited by Munchkinator, Sep 14 2010, 01:40 AM.
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| Hoshiko | Sep 14 2010, 09:24 PM Post #2 |
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Novice Trainer
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"The tone of a petal shed in the midst of spring..." Alice walked through the packed streets of Ayer, lost in thought as she subconsciously wove through the crowds; it was a beautiful afternoon, warm and yet not hot enough to be uncomfortable. She sidestepped to avoid a man in a business suit, angrily talking into a Pokétch as he blazed past, yet she paid him no mind; she was lost in thought as she tried to come up with a poem to commemorate her arrival to the island. Her left hand rose to pull back a loose strand of hair and adjust her hat over her head; satisfied that it wouldn't fall off, she returned to her reverie. The smell of sea breeze reached her nose, carried on the wind from the nearby coast, both refreshing and light. Alice shuddered for a moment as she remembered her trip to the island; the ferry had been nice, but being surrounded by that much water had made her uneasy. "A word that rhymes with breeze...freeze! Wait, no, freeze has little to do with spring..." The girl was forced to stop walking suddenly as she noticed a large object enter her field of vision; she had been about to run into a lamppost. Maybe wandering around the city thinking of new verses wasn't as good an idea as she thought it would be. It didn't matter too much, though; she'd go to the fields outside Ayer instead, then! Route 1 was supposed to be pretty calm, and maybe, if she got lucky, she'd even find a wild Pokémon. Alice couldn't help but smile at the idea as she began to walk earnestly down the street, ignoring the large sign that stood next to the wide path in her excitement. Maybe she'd get lucky, and find a rare one. Nothing too rare, of course; she might find a Castform or an Eevee, or maybe a Dragonite! It had to be nice, to be able to fly freely on top of your Pokémon amongst the clouds from place to place, soaring with only the roar of the wind in your ears... The well kept signal, by now a few blocks back, innocently proclaimed a single word, written in large letters and adorned by a smiling Pikachu image: Downtown ![]() Alice sighed, breaking away from her daydreaming. She had been walking for at least an hour, and the town's border was nowhere in sight. Was Ayer really that gigantic? She didn't remember it being so large on the map, and she was sure the Pokémon Center wasn't that far away from the routes that left the town. She had probably gotten lost. The trainer felt somewhat silly; she really shouldn't have been walking around an unknown town without paying attention, but Ayer reminded her vaguely of Goldenrod, and she felt at ease within the city's bustling crowds. She turned around, hoping to ask a local about her location...and found herself alone on the street. There was no one near; the swarm of people that had filled the streets had somehow thinned and vanished without her noticing. Then again, she had been pretty lost in her thoughts as she walked here, so it wasn't that surprising to find out she had somehow walked into the only empty area of the city. "Great. What should I do now?" She asked out loud, mainly to herself, before breathing deeply and raising her voice. "Hello! Is anyone here?" Her words echoed around, repeating themselves in odd tones before vanishing. A cold wind blew by, and she hugged herself involuntarily as she shivered. She looked upwards; the previously clear sky was now overcast, providing little warmth and even less reassurance. She turned her eyes back to the ground, and saw it; a small, fleeting shadow that vanished around the corner of the next block. She hastened to follow it, running as she called out. "Hey! Wait!" As she turned around the corner, however, she stopped in her tracks, confused; the entire street's buildings seemed to be in shambles, ruined nearly beyond repair. Paint had fallen away in several places to reveal the gray infrastructure beneath the edifications, and some of them seemed ready to fall apart if the wind blew too hard. Alice's curiousity was piqued; there was no way a city of Ayer's caliber would have an area so abandoned without a reason to do so, yet something felt off. Part of her wanted to turn around and run away, and yet she still walked forward, helplessly pulled by the mystery of the place. She placed her hand against one of the nearby walls, and flinched back; it was cold, far colder than she had expected it to be. All around her, the buildings seemed to follow a pattern; all of them were painted with the same color scheme, just tones of gray and... "Wait. This...this isn't right!" Alice panicked as she noticed that, all around her, the color seemed to have been drained away; everything was painted in shades of gray. She was sure it hadn't been like that a minute before, though she couldn't remember clearly; she hadn't been paying attention to the color of the buildings. With mounting fear, she turned her eyes skyward, and felt cold dread fill her; the firmament was devoid of color as well, and the sun shone with unearthly gray light. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down, and partially succeeding. She was a witch, or at least a witch trainee, and no proper witch should panic in the presence of magic. None of the witches in the stories did so. Her hand went to her hip pouch, where she kept Illya's pokéball; maybe if she was with her, she wouldn't feel so alone here. Her hand grasped around the pouch, searching for her Pokémon...and found nothing. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that, somehow, Illya had vanished, and she felt her hands grow cold. A year ago, she had regarded the small Treecko as an animal, a pet; an extraordinary one, definitely, but not as a friend. Now, however, the absence of the small gecko was enough to send her already frayed nerves into overdrive. She felt a void within her as despair filled her; where could she have gone? She turned around, searching the ground, hoping that her pokéball had merely fallen to the ground, but found nothing. Her eyes widened as she noticed that the ruined landscape now extended all around her, stretching far beyond what she could see. There was no way to return to find Illya now; until she could escape from...whatever this was, at least. Alice wracked her brain furiously, thinking, attempting to remember the magic spells that she had seen in occultism books, in random novels, and in TV shows, but couldn't think of anything that would help her; or, at least, nothing that didn't involve a long, complex ritual that she couldn't perform anyways without instructions. Lost in thought, she nearly jumped when she heard a low, raspy voice ring out from all around her, calling out her name. "...Alice... was it? Interesting, human. I see now that... I picked wellllll..." The dissonance of voices grated against her ears, causing shivers to run along her spine; she turned around, searching for its source, yet finding none. She knew one thing, though. Whatever it was, it knowing her name was a very bad sign. Every single witchcraft movie she had ever seen, every novel she had read, every book that claimed to contain veritable information on the topic, was clear on the fact that magic anchored by a name was far more powerful than that without. "It is ssssssso diffffficult to... pick you mortalssss out fffffrom one anotttther. I will cut to the chassssse. Yhhhhhou looked like an interesting... toy. I mean you no hhhhharm, plaything." A small bit of relief filled her as muscles she didn't know had been tensed up relaxed; at least she wouldn't end up as ghost food anytime soon. Or so she hoped. She was quite curious about their inner anatomy, but that wasn't exactly the way she wanted to learn about it. Before she could ponder the train of thought further, however, the voice continued to speak; Alice winced as the sound came once more, and yet struggled to remain attentive, listening to its words. "Hhhhhhowever, I am in the mood fffffffor amussssseemennnnt. You may opt out now. If you choose to accept my challenge, you will no longer have that option, until you win, or... lose.The game is simple, flesh-thing. Reach the tower. Alive, preferably." "Preferably!? Wait, you said you meant me no harm!" Before she could voice her thoughts, however, the...spirit, for lack of another term for it, continued to speak; its following words made her heart leap, and she knew, at that moment, that the choice had already been made for her. "Thhhhere is no time limit... other than your own consciousnesssss. Yyyyyyhour flesh-toy will be rrrrhetrurned... to you shhhhhhould you accept. If you win, you will be rewarded. Your choice, mortal?" She felt anger rise as she processed the words; that thing had Illya! She forced herself to calm down, staring into the distance; the tower stood, almost as if mocking her, daring her to come. The terror that had filled her diminished slightly as resolve took its place; she couldn't leave Illya with it, not here! She tried to keep her voice from squeaking as she answered, as clearly as possible, closing her eyes. "I accept!" Edited by Hoshiko, Sep 14 2010, 09:34 PM.
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| Munchkinator | Sep 15 2010, 08:34 PM Post #3 |
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Pax Bionicus
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There was silence for a moment, profound and absolute - that of a world so long dead that there was no longer active decay, simply stasis, cold and silent. Then the voice came again, different in tone slightly - less slurred, though now modulating in volume somewhat oddly, as though it was unable to judge the correct volume to use. Or perhaps there was simply something uncertain about its method of communication, such that it drop in quality when distracted? "Excellent. You will, of course, find your Pokémon at your side, as it has been all along. I'm quite surprised you didn't notice it." Should you care to check, it was indeed been there... though not quite where it should be for some reason, and the mocking amusement in his voice made it quite likely that he had something to do with that. That, and that whether or not he outright wanted your life, he certainly was not going to be your friend. "Mortals! So inattentive! Why, I suppose that you could lose nearly anything if you took your eyes off of it for a moment. That does beg the question of how you could so easily lose something so important to you though, does it not? Unless, I suppose, it was not particularly important to you in the first place. Just couldn't find something quite arcane enough for you? I'm quite certain that you'll grow to love this place, then. Love it to death!" Mocking, discordant laughter shattered the smooth cadence his(?) voice had held merely a moment before, countless undertones of vaguely different intent just below the surface once more. The threat was about as subtle as a gunshot, but then this particular specter seemed to be more interested in jerking you around than actually destroying you - a straight shooter of some degree, at least so far. "Ah, excuse me, it's been so long since I've had company, I seem to have completely forgotten my manners. The rules are simple, as mentioned before; get to the end by any means possible. I will not be directly opposing you, of course, but this realm is..." The voice trailed off once more, this time in what seemed to be genuine pondering. "...unique, I suppose, for lack of a better word. 'Alive' might be more accurate, though not on a technical level. While you aren't likely to run into any of the particularly problematic threats, there will doubtless be any number of smaller ones. Manageable, even for someone of... your... level, but should you lose sight of what your goals are or be unable to decide exactly how far to go, they could well prove difficult." Oh, yes. Let's have the evil specter thing tell us that the game is going to suck. That's bound to really pump you up. "What is real, and what is not - that is for you to ascertain. This world is influenced by the one you are accustomed to, so you may run into odd sights, phenomena, the like. You are free to do what you wish, of course - I care not, so long as you reach the end. Or provide me amusement along the way. I wish you the best of luck, of course. ...Ah, and don't worry too much about being ground down. I would much rather see you succeed or fail based on your own merits, rather than how many pyrrhic victories you can string along." A billowing eruption of purple-black smoke covered the area for a moment, obscuring vision, and then you were alone once more, in a land that had been forgotten by time. Well, except for the emaciated, nearly skeletal Roselia that stood mere meters away, each rose dyed a nightmarish black and many of their petals gone, a ghastly hiss the only sound that accompanied its appearance. So much for not doing anything to interfere with you... though in fairness, he wasn't doing it directly, assuming that it was indeed his doing. Round one, go? lvl6
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| Hoshiko | Sep 16 2010, 12:10 AM Post #4 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice had never understood the phrase "deafening silence" as well as she did in that instant. The world seemed to grow quiet for one perfect, terrible moment; she couldn't hear even the rustle of the wind as it blew past. She swallowed, trying to hold her emotions back as they threatened to overwhelm her; she felt despair, fear and anger all vying to be let out, and was afraid that if she did so, she'd either end up crying on the ground or flying into a fit of rage at the air around her. The silence made her uneasy; she was used to having sounds around her, the noise of a bustling city, the rhapsody of voices that filled its streets as crowds of people went about their business. Not even the wilderness around it was so quiet; Pokémon cries filled the air constantly, oddly reminiscent of the way the city was also filled by human voices. She had accepted, hadn't she? Then why...why wasn't there a response? It had promised to give her back Illya, hadn't it? "Excellent. You will, of course, find your Pokémon at your side, as it has been all along. I'm quite surprised you didn't notice it." Alice's neck snapped to her right so quickly, she was sure she heard something crack in protest. The small gecko was standing there, outside of her pokéball, a look of confusion filling her face as she stared up at her trainer quizzically. Alice felt her heart soar as she saw Illya, a big grin spreading as she dropped to her knees, reaching for the Treecko. She stopped, however, as the voice continued; her neck turned once more, searching for its source, and yet, as before, she was unable to determine it. Far more calm now, certain of her partner's safety, the self-proclaimed witch's mind ran through her knowledge of the occult, trying to find something that could help them escape its grasp as she only partially listened to its words. Why did all the stories picture witches summoning spirits, but not banishing them? It seemed to sound clearer, though; maybe it hadn't been attuned properly before? She knew her acceptance has possibly formed some sort of contract; after all, that was the way it worked in most fiction works, and there had to be some truth in them, at least... It was then that her train of thought was brought to a crashing halt, as the voice said something that she simply couldn't ignore. "Mortals! So inattentive! Why, I suppose that you could lose nearly anything if you took your eyes off of it for a moment. That does beg the question of how you could so easily lose something so important to you though, does it not? Unless, I suppose, it was not particularly important to you in the first place. Just couldn't find something quite arcane enough for you? I'm quite certain that you'll grow to love this place, then. Love it to death!" The chill of its words filled her as they rang true in her mind; Alice remembered, all too clearly, the disappointment she had felt as she had first laid eyes on Illya. She had hoped for a ghost, or maybe a psychic; something more attuned to the mystical forces of the world, certainly not a lizard. Her eyes met Illya's and she stared deep into the Treecko's eyes; she returned the stare, the same look of confusion she had noticed earlier filling her features...or, maybe, was it a look of betrayal, silently reproaching her? She broke eye contact, turning her head away as she stood up; she felt a lump rise in her throat, and took a deep breath. Her hands shook lightly, and she grabbed her left wrist tightly to keep them still. Crying would solve nothing now; she had to endure it, she couldn't stay trapped here with Illya. And yet, her own feelings betrayed her; a pang of curiousity rang out at the spectre's last words, her love for mystery rising to the forefront. This was what she had been waiting for the past three years; she was finally finding proof that there was something more to the world than what could be simply seen or heard! Guilt assaulted her as the thought crossed her mind; was she really so shallow, as to prefer to sate her curiousity over the well-being of Illya? The thing's laughter rang out, burlesque, taunting her, almost as if the phantom had read her thoughts. Alice dropped to the ground once more, hugging Illya tightly; the gecko, sensing her distress, nuzzled her head lightly against her trainer, soothing and comforting. She took another deep breath, steadying herself, and rose slowly, holding Illya in her arms. It didn't know. It couldn't know. She loved her Pokémon, and would make sure she stayed safe. The laughter died out, slowly, as the spirit continued. "Ah, excuse me, it's been so long since I've had company, I seem to have completely forgotten my manners. The rules are simple, as mentioned before; get to the end by any means possible. I will not be directly opposing you, of course, but this realm is..." Alice listened to its words attentively, waiting for it to continue. "...unique, I suppose, for lack of a better word. 'Alive' might be more accurate, though not on a technical level. While you aren't likely to run into any of the particularly problematic threats, there will doubtless be any number of smaller ones. Manageable, even for someone of... your... level, but should you lose sight of what your goals are or be unable to decide exactly how far to go, they could well prove difficult." Her thoughts raced furiously; it had to be referring to her priorities. It knew; it had to know how tempted she was to run off into this strange new world, to investigate it, to learn how it worked; and yet, she also knew her answer to that question. She moved her arms slightly, shifting Illya to a more comfortable position. It...it would try to make her doubt again, though. Could she resist the lure, if it came? She cut off her thoughts, staring forward defiantly. She didn't know, and she didn't want to worry about it now. Right now, she knew she wanted to escape, and so, reaching the tower would be her top priority. Anything else would have to wait. Still, a tiny voice of her own taunted her in the back of her mind, calling out softly. "It could be my last chance...my last chance to make contact with the arcane; I could become a real witch..." No! She would worry about it later, when and if the moment came. The spirit's voice continued, and she hastened to pay attention; the key to escaping would probably be hidden in its words. "What is real, and what is not - that is for you to ascertain. This world is influenced by the one you are accustomed to, so you may run into odd sights, phenomena, the like. You are free to do what you wish, of course - I care not, so long as you reach the end. Or provide me amusement along the way. I wish you the best of luck, of course. ...Ah, and don't worry too much about being ground down. I would much rather see you succeed or fail based on your own merits, rather than how many pyrrhic victories you can string along." Alice's eyes widened. Illusions! Of course! Ghosts were always creatures of misdirection in the stories; some of this, at least, had to be an illusion! It was probably how Illya had disappeared, too, though that still didn't explain how she had gotten out of her pokéball. She had to be careful of what she saw; it could very well be fake. She closed her eyes, focusing on her hearing and her sense of smell. She breathed deeply... ...and gagged as smoke entered her lungs, an horrid smell filling her nostrils. She opened her eyes in time to see a cloud of purple smoke already dissipating into nothingness around her. Alice knelt to the ground once more, letting Illya down; from now on, the two of them would have to be alert for danger, and holding the Treecko would make it far more difficult for either of them to defend herself. The thought had barely crossed her mind when she saw something moving to her left; turning, she felt her hands grow cold as her eyes focused on the figure. It appeared to be a Roselia, and yet...the creature emitted an aura of wrongness. The bright roses and colors that usually announced its presence were dead and withered, dyed in black, giving the Pokémon a ghastly appearance. She took a step back cautiously, her attention focused on the strange creature. Illya moved to the front wordlessly, preparing for the battle, yet she was obviously shaken too, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot. Alice looked to the side; the tower stood in the distance, in sharp contrast to the ruined buildings that surrounded her. She swallowed, hoping she wasn't about to make a huge mistake, before speaking out. "Illya, pound it twice, then brace yourself for its counterattack!" Her voice shook slightly as she stared at the horrifying Pokémon, but she continued to speak regardless, in a slightly more subdued tone. "We'll get out of this together, Illya, I promise." Without missing a moment, she drew out a pen and a small notebook from her pouch; pausing to stare at the Roselia once more, she began to draw furiously, hoping her idea would work. She had no idea how to banish ghosts, but she had seen the diagram to repel demons and undead in a book before. Lucky! |
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| Munchkinator | Sep 17 2010, 08:44 PM Post #5 |
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Pax Bionicus
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The Roselia-form didn't seem to actually react to your orders, assuming it was capable of even hearing them - they didn't exactly have ears per se, at least as we know that particular appendage, and it was already nearly skeletal enough that any "flesh" was suspect. After a moment of orienting itself, it simply let out a keening screech, a horrible wailing that chilled flesh and bone, keeping up the horrible noise as its body began to decay rapidly. Oddly, rather than simply falling apart, there always seemed to be just a bit more plant matter, even deader than the last and yet somehow Growing into place in some vicious mockery of true life as it slowly gained somewhat in size. And then the keening stopped abruptly as Treecko launched itself into the foe, barely holding back its evident hesitation before Pounding the ghastly foe. It recoiled, expecting a counterattack, but there was none - the creature simply swayed in place, clearly affected by the beating - parts of its body had been torn off and now lay on the curiously indistinct grey ground, but it let out neither sound nor evident displeasure. Illya was clearly taken off guard - generally speaking flesh horrors had a tendency to try to actually do something if you attacked them, usually some variety of horrible murder, but this foe seemed satisfied to do... well, nothing really. Not that it stopped the nervous Treecko from Bracing for an attack that didn't seem to be coming, as ordered, but the awkward pause dragged on for a few seconds, soundless anticipation only broken by the scratchings of your pencil on the paper. After a few moments, Illya realized that the Roselia didn't seem to be attacking back - assuming it had indeed noticed at all - and lowered her guard, still waiting for the ienvitable attack. A heartwrenching moment of suspense later - none came. More leaves fell off of the creature as it continued to Grow ever uglier by the moment, but little else. Your confused Pokémon hesitated for another moment, then went in for another Pound, realizing that if the other side didn't itnend to break the stalemate, no one would. A storm of thorny vines erupted from the Roselia's body the instant Illya made contact, pentrating flesh and lodging barbed hooks inside the shocked Treecko in the blink of an eye, even as more prehensile tendrils shattered the ground as they launched forth from each fallen bit of floral matter - a maelstrom of thorny chains, entirely too many embedded in the unfortunate Illya for anyone's tastes. Some drew blood and energy, viciously ripping out Illya's very life force. Still others introduced their own horror, necrotic essence that poisoned and twisted Illya's veins as quickly as it could be introduced. The horrifying spectacle was accompanied by horrid gasping, Illya's and the Roselia's intermingled in obscene symphony. Growth(Illya) 5 ![]() 10 85%Status: Poisoned (-3hp/turn), Braced (+1 defense, 2/2 turns left) Supplementary: Brace (+1def, 2turns) Primary1: Pound (8-1)+1=8 damage Primary2: Pound (8-1)+1=8 Versus Poison Point(N/A) 6 6/22 87%Status: +2 Sp. Atk Supplementary1: Growth (+1 spatk) Primary1: Growth (+1 spatk) Primary2: Absorb ((((4+1)+2)x1.1)x.75)+1=7 damage to Illya Edited by Munchkinator, Sep 17 2010, 08:52 PM.
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| Hoshiko | Sep 18 2010, 12:43 AM Post #6 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice drew furiously, her eyes focusing on the plain notebook rather than the battle that raged before her eyes. Or, perhaps, raged wasn't quite the best way to describe it; the ghastly Roselia seemed to just stand in place, staring steadily at Illya. She focused on her diagram; every line had to be drawn carefully, overlapping other pieces of the design, then doubled back towards a single central circle. Alice smiled, satisfied, as the drawing neared its completion; soon, she'd be able to send that monster away, and they'd be safe to head for the tower! A shrill cry rent the air as the creature's mouth opened; the sound pierced through her mind, enveloping her, almost as if holding her captive, making the girl cringe as she felt shivers run down her body. Her eyes snapped to the battle, and she watched with morbid fascination as the Roselia seemed to grow in size, bits and pieces of its body falling away, only to be replaced by withered, unhealthy matter. A soft breeze wafted the smell of the creature towards her, and she fought the urge to gag as its putrid smell reached her nose; sweet, and yet filled with the promise of decay and death. Shaken, she turned her eyes back to the notebook, racing to complete her diagram. She heard a dry, crushing sound, and turned back towards the battle; Illya seemed to have struck the other Pokémon, small fragments of dead matter flying away from the point of impact. Illya spun away from the Roselia as her feet touched the ground, tensing her muscles as she waited for a counterattack. She swallowed, trying her best to hold back the terror she felt at the mockery of Roselia before her, and succeeding only partially. The young gecko's body shook like a blade of grass as she waited for a counterattack that never came, nervously holding her arms before her in defense. Nervously, she lowered her guard, her ears catching only the sound of furious scratchings on paper. Wait, paper? Just what was Alice doing back there? She wouldn't be drawing up one of her silly spells in the middle of a battle again, would she? The Treecko resisted the urge to look back; she wasn't going to give her back to the...Roselia...before her. She eyed her opponent warily, waiting for its attack. Had...had she really harmed it? It didn't seem to react to her attack. Illya felt doubt course through her body as she backed away carefully, holding her breath. It could move at any moment; she had to stay alert. Alice raised her hand in triumph as she drew the last stroke on the diagram, smiling widely at her masterpiece. Storing her pencil back in her pouch, she tore away the page on which the banishment charm had been drawn, noticing with a pang of regret that two of her poems were on the other side. Now, how did you pronounce "Kŕhbdjt" again? She was sure it had to rhyme with "Lëbdkt", so it couldn't be that different, now, could it? Illya stared, dumbfounded, as the girl raised her fist in triumph. The gecko shook her head from side to side, unbelieving, her previous caution forgotten as she stared at her trainer. She was fighting an horrifying monstruosity from who-knew-where, and Alice was drawing those stick figures again! The Treecko couldn't help but feel a bit hurt that she couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to the battle, but she pushed her feelings to the side. She couldn't let them distract her, not now! She turned back to the undead fiend, eyeing it warily; it had grown in size, yet it remained rooted to the spot. Maybe they should just run away? "No," she thought softly, her heart pounding as she tried to gather enough courage to charge towards it again. "If Alice wants it defeated, I'll fight it!" Despite her courageous thoughts, however, she couldn't help but feel a small sliver of doubt question her trainer's choice; was it really necessary to fight it? Hesitating for a moment, Illya dashed forward once more, preparing to attack the creature. She struck true once more, scattering petals and vines as her attack crushed the frail body of the abomination. Wait, vines? Her eyes widened in realization as thorns suddenly sprouted from the seemingly-innocent tendrils, hungrily darting towards her. She cringed, trying to get away, but her hesitation had cost her her chance for escape; she screamed as the thorns dug into her skin painfully, rending, puncturing and slashing her body, stealing away the warmth in her blood and replacing it with chilling poison. She tried to step backwards, desperately pushing herself away, holding back tears as the movement caused the thorns to dig deeply into her, the spikes unwilling to let go of their prey. With another piercing cry, she fell backwards, scrambling desperately away towards Alice, her head throbbing as the foul thing's poison raged through her body. Her eyes silently begged the girl to stop the fight, to run away, hoping against hope that the she would understand, that she would save her. An horrible cacophony of sounds rang through the air, breaking Alice away from her reverie. She looked on in helpless horror as Illya was struck by the Roselia's counterattack, a lump rising in her throat as the small gecko crawled, bleeding, towards her. Her heart went out to Illya, and she knew that the battle was already lost; if she pushed Illya further, she could be seriously harmed. Rubbing the poor Treecko's head gently, she took out her Pokéball, silently recalling the gecko back before turning her attention back towards their assailant, glaring. She knew, deep down, that it had been her fault, that she should have run to the tower instead of fighting, but it was far easier to blame the creature standing before her, and direct her anger towards it. Her mind, ever traitorous, rebelled, recalling the spectre's words: "Manageable, even for someone of... your... level, but should you lose sight of what your goals are or be unable to decide exactly how far to go, they could well prove difficult." The words rang true, and she felt guilt course through her as she realized just how much her thoughtlessness could have cost Illya. Alice stepped backwards slowly, careful to avoid placing her feet on uneven ground, trying to avoid quick movements that would alarm the Pokémon and cause it to attack. Bending down, she picked up a stone, about the size of half a fist; aiming carefully, she threw it as hard as she could, hoping to catch the Roselia off guard. Taking a second stone, she held out the drawing in her left hand, pointing it towards the Pokémon, her arm shaking as she began to observe its body in detail. Licking her lips nervously, she realized just how different it had to have been for Illya to face the monster; after all, she had been standing back safely, not facing the thing in a possible battle. She couldn't just turn her back to it and run, though; she had no idea of how far it could reach with its attacks. She continued to step back carefully, hoping to place as much distance between herself and the skeletal Pokémon as possible. Trying to keep her voice from quivering, she spoke, her tone a mixture of both command and terror. "S-stay back! Kŕhbdjt! Kŕhbdjt!" Was she pronouncing it right? "Ohh, why did the first witches have to make every magic word so complicated?" |
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| Munchkinator | Sep 18 2010, 10:33 PM Post #7 |
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Pax Bionicus
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It was probably a pretty reasonable decision to put a bit of extra distance between yourself and the skeletal Roselia, for a number of reasons. First was simply common logic - psychotic murdering opponent, no Pokémon to defend you for the moment, probably a good idea not to push yer luck in trying to dropkick it. Second, perhaps more importantly, was that when you had recalled Illya, the vines had fallen to the ground all around where she had been, though not yet satiated; many continued to grow, albeit more slowly, in your direction, a twisting, writhing mass of hatred and agony that slowly grew in mass and speed. A veritable carpet of death spreading across the ground, even as the Roselia seemingly vanished into the ground cover. Tertiary reason was pretty simple, too - if you hadn't taken a step back when you did, the lance of vines erupting from the ground an instant later would have driven through your body, killing you in a heartbeat as the inch and a half-wide monstrosity impaling yoru brain and then likely ripping it, the surrounding skull, and the rest of your body apart. As it stood, you were unharmed, though subsequent steps backward were also probably a very, very good idea. Oddly, the ground that had been so abruptly sundered seemed to be less earth than - something nondescript, almost more like a solidified substance that roughly simulated concrete rather than actual concrete. The alternative was that the spear had punched through untold inches of pavement, and really, it was easier to believe that it had just been dirt! Unfortunately, neither stone - technically a chunk of concrete(?) that had apparently fallen from one of the nearby buildings, given that plenty of them, of various sizes, were scattered around - actually hit the Roselia, who had by now compeltely disappeared into the writhing, cresting mass of matter. It was significantly larger than it had seemed a moment ago, even as creeping vines encircled a vast area, in the process of closing off your avenue of escape. The next few occurrences happened in very rapid succession; another lance erupted from the ground, tearing through the paper, though oddly somehow contriving to miss your hand, even as a sudden stinging pain tore through your foot - a much smaller vine had popped out of the ground and lanced into your foot, leaving a small wound that hurt like hell before retracting. Well, that really didn't help mobility. The Roselia - suddenly much larger - popped into existence atop the wave of plant matter in front of you, vines and thorns twisting together to form its body. It was still possible to escape, but with your new wound it would be harder to make it past the perimeter thorns unharmed... not that the Roselia seemed to want to make it any easier. Unbidden, the thought of using Illya as a sacrificial lamb to hold off the Roselia just long enough popped into your mind, a flash of substance that settled into whatever you had actually been pondering at the moment. Whether it was a particularly dark thought genuinely your own, or a side effect of the shadowy realm you found yourself trapped in, was... indistinct. lvl16
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| Hoshiko | Sep 19 2010, 07:37 PM Post #8 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice gasped as vines seemed to cover the ground, obscuring the concrete as it pulsed and writhed, almost as if sentient, expanding outwards, away from the Pokémon. The same putrid smell that emanated from the Roselia seemed to fill the air as they creeped towards her, slowly but surely engulfing all that dared stand before them.Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the hand holding her diagram from shaking as she backpedaled, instinct pulling her away from the creature before her. With a loud, sharp crack, a gigantic mass of thorns burst forth from the ground, its shape barely resembling a lance reaching towards the skies as bits of debris and dust flew away from the spot in which Alice had been standing mere moments ago, causing her to shriek as she closed her eyes and turned her head away, arms rising protectively before her face in reflex. Grisly images of the spear impaling her ran through her mind unbidden, and she fought the urge to throw up. She felt her heart pounding furiously against her chest as she tossed her second stone towards the writhing mass of vines, only to see it pulverized in an instant by the raging thorns as they hungrily searched for something to devour. She swallowed heavily, adrenaline surging through her body as her mind screamed at her to turn around and run. Her head turned to the side, and she recoiled in surprise as she took in her surroundings, grimacing as she realized the vines were spreading to surround her. “Definitely not good!” Her eyes swiveled from side to side as she sought a safe escape route; to her right, an alley had already been filled with a veritable sea of brambles, black, decrepit roses eagerly waiting for her to attempt to break through, almost alluring in a dark, unearthly way. “Nope, that one’s sealed off…” To her left, an opening in the wall of a building lay uncovered by the vines, yet the room inside had no other exits; to enter was to trap herself inside until the Roselia could reach it. She saw the plants creep closer, slowly but steadily advancing on her location, and felt her skin crawl as she envisioned what they would do once they finally got to her. No, she had to keep focusing on escaping! Taking a deep breath, she looked back over her shoulder; a heartfelt, relieved sigh left her lungs as she saw the rest of the street back was still uncovered by the thorny appendages. Her reprieve was short-lived, however, as she suddenly heard the rustle of leaves brushing against each other, of air being displaced as something lanced through the air. She turned her head back just in time to see a ferocious mass of plant matter rip the paper in her hands to shreds, narrowly missing her hand; Alice stumbled backwards once more, yet her luck had run out. Her eyes opened in shock as she felt something sharp pierce her right foot, and just as quickly shut close as she grimaced in pain, a small cry leaving her as her foot throbbed painfully in response. Hissing as the object left her foot, easily tearing past the sole of her shoe, she struggled to remain standing as she stumbled, pain racing through her every time she attempted to place weight on it; her vision blurred as tears came unbidden to her eyes, but she wiped them away with right hand as she hobbled backwards, trying to keep her left foot on the ground as long as possible and trying her best to endure the brief moments in which the right one made contact with the uneven concrete below her. A soft groan left her lips again as she stepped on a small, round stone; while it wasn’t sharp, the added pressure dug into her wound painfully, and she nearly lost her balance again as she hastened to get her foot off the rock. Stopping for a moment to swallow and gather her resolve, she saw the skeletal Pokémon emerge from a mass of writhing thorns, much larger than before; Alice felt the urge to run return to her, and yet a small part of her mind seemed to be enthralled by the dark beauty of the spectacle before her. She knew, without looking back, that the escape route would be sealed off if she didn’t hurry, but the Roselia was too close. She couldn’t run away from it, not quickly enough to escape, and specially not with her foot wounded as it was. “A-am I going to die here? I need something…some sort of distraction! Something to pull its attention away long enough for me to escape… “ Her fingers pressed into a button, enlargening what had been a tiny sphere but a moment ago, before her mind caught up with her actions. She recoiled as if burned, dropping Illya’s Pokéball back into the pouch as her heart began to beat faster. Just what had she been about to do? Would she really have been willing to sacrifice Illya to save herself? She shook her head in disbelief and horror, yet her heart mocked her, knowing fully well that she was capable of doing it. What did it mean, after all? It was just a Pokémon, wasn’t it? Inferior to an human being, of course; a mere animal, and definitely not worth sacrificing herself for. Illya would obey blindly, too; the small gecko trusted her far too much, enough to fight the monster for a while before it realized Alice was gone, at least. At the mention of the Treecko’s name, her mind brought back memories of the past year; of her chasing Illya as she ran off with her poem notebook, taunting her as she waved it around; of the two of them eating strawberry ice cream together late during a summer afternoon, walking back to Alice’s home after one of her classes; of that time in which the Treecko had fallen asleep on top of her lap while she was reading, and she had gently cuddled her small body until the Pokémon woke up. Tears came to her eyes again, not because of the pain in her foot, but because of what she had been about to do; sacrifice one of her dearest friends to such a terrible fiend. It made her feel sick. But then again, did she have another choice? She sniffled as she took in a deep breath, her whole body shaking slightly as she tried to gather her resolve. She would only have one chance, and she had to make sure she’d be able to make use of it. Her fingers tightened against the small sphere in her pouch, depressing the button with grim determination as she stared defiantly at the abomination before her. Her hand whipped out, rising overhead before she tossed the empty Pokéball towards the Roselia. “Here, catch!” She shouted as she turned around, hobbling and stumbling as quickly as she could towards the ever-smaller opening that taunted her with the possibility of freedom. Edited by Hoshiko, Sep 19 2010, 07:49 PM.
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| Munchkinator | Sep 20 2010, 06:16 AM Post #9 |
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Pax Bionicus
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The Roselia didn't even react per se to the Pokeball, much like its lack of obvious reaction to Illya during the little gecko's assault until it suddenly lashed out with that previous vicious counterattack. Oddly, the Pokeball didn't seem to immediately register the Roselia as a target, hitting the leafy Pokémon with a squishy *thunk* before falling to the ground, and only a moment later beginning to attempt to catch anything. It found only vines and other plant matter to capture, and did so with gusto, filling itself up with more and more and more of the stuff until it didn't even seem possible to hold more. Perhaps more worrisomely, though you would only have noticed it if you'd actually been watching the scene while escaping, pulsating black veins had appeared on the Pokeball itself. And then it burst, an unbelievably vicious explosion that sent shockwaves for several meters, cratering the ground, instantly vaporizing a significant portion of the tsunami of flora and finally eking a response from the previously-silent Roselia, a high-pitched grating scream unpleasantly remniscent of nails on a chalkboard, but with an undertone of mixed hatred and agony that somehow served to make the monster even more unpleasant. Not that the horrible stench of charred death and the rain of bits and pieces of the plant matter - complete, sadly, with plenty of thorns - wasn't already making the situation unpleasant enough. That wasn't enough, though, for the Roselia. Finally somewhat sensate to the world around it, it narrowed in on you in short order; the vines that had been holding back your escape had recoiled violently due to the explosion and were now dying oddly quickly, but even deprived of much of its powerbase, the monster continued to slowly follow you, implacable and silent once more. You had clearly dealt it a horrible blow, but it was still conscious, if not particularly functional, and more than eager to stain the deserted streets, make them run crimson with your blood. That was when you noticed that there was a cat watching you from a nearby alleyway. Not a Meowth, or a Persian, or a Skitty - an average housecat, horribly out of place, but... as far as you could tell, at least, just an ordinary housecat. It seemed to be coughing, though, or hacking up a hairball possibly, and disappeared behind the corner a moment later. |
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| Hoshiko | Sep 21 2010, 12:10 AM Post #10 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice winced as her right foot made contact with the ground once more; pain flared up once more, though it seemed to lessen a bit as she became used to the pain. She strained her ears, hoping for to catch the telltale sound of a Pokéball capturing a Pokémon; with a bit of luck, she'd even be able to catch the Roselia. Her mind wandered off as she pondered what to do with a demented, skeletal Pokémon; maybe she could fill a room with protective enchantments and lock the Pokéball inside? She began to imagine a cold, dark dungeon, water dripping from the ceiling steadily as a Rattata scrambled away to find shelter; the floors and walls were covered with complex arcane runes and drawings, holding the evil within the device at bay. She couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the Roselia, however; maybe she could befriend it slowly? Yes, that sounded about right! She'd help it come out of its maddened haze, and find a way to restore it to its former state; she was a witch, after all! Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by a soft, wet-sounding thunk. "Thunk? I thought Pokéballs were suppossed to go piyo, or whoosh, not thunk!" Her heart sank as she saw the vines close in from the sides, and she realized her Pokéball had missed. Her depression was short-lived, however, as she saw the plants retreat violently, almost as if being pulled back by something. A wide smile filled her face as she turned around, and saw the open Pokéball eagerly consuming the vegetation. "Yeah! Take that!" She couldn't help but cry out in joy as her fist shot into the air, only to wince and hiss again as she realized that jumping was quite out of the question with her injured foot. Even the pain couldn't dull her excitement, however; she could now take a bit of time to check her foot, and then head for the tower. Maybe Illya would like to come out for a little while, if she had recovered enough, and they could travel together? Before she could turn around, however, she saw the Pokéball shaking oddly from side to side; rather than the regular twitching that could be seen from a Pokémon trying to break free, it seemed to jerk and shudder erratically. Her eyes widened as small black trails began to appear on its surface, and she suddenly decided that maybe hurrying away was still a very good course of action. She was able to take two steps before a violent explosion shook the earth, knocking her to the ground as dust and loose debris mixed with small petals and charred leaves, filling the air. Scrambling to her feet, she heard the Pokémon cry out in agony, its scream unnerving; she felt her entire body shudder once as its eyes focused on hers, filled with hatred. Yep, getting away was definitely high on her list of priorities at the moment. The monster began to advance slowly towards her, and she turned around once more, dashing as fast as her injured foot would allow to get away from it. The vines that had previously covered her escape routes were either dead or dying at the moment; she headed straight down the street, hoping she'd be quick enough to get away, yet not daring to turn her head around and look at her pursuer. Her eyes, however, caught a brief flash of movement to the side, and widened as they focused on the creature. A small tabby cat was licking its fur next to an alleyway, completely oblivious to the chaos and destruction around it. It stared at her, and meowed once before coughing and vanishing into the small side path. Alice realized her mouth was open, and shut it quickly; her heart began to beat faster once more as the rustle of leaves reached her ears. Still, she felt her curiousity stir; what could that cat have been doing here? And, perhaps more importantly, why was it so calm? Even if it hadn't seen the abomination behind her, there was still no reason for it not to have fled after the Pokéball's explosion, no? She felt doubt stir within her as she stared indecisively at the alley for a moment. Should she continue to run, or should she follow the cat? Maybe it was the key to getting out of this place, or maybe it was meant to be a hint. Either way, she wanted to go after it. Hoping she wasn't making a terrible mistake, she turned to the side and entered the smaller street, hoping it had an exit on the other side. |
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| Munchkinator | Sep 23 2010, 02:32 AM Post #11 |
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Pax Bionicus
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One last piercing screech from the nightmarish Roselia shattered the silence, the sound of rustling leaves and scraping ground cover evident as you turned the corner. The cat had brought you a present, and looked up at you, purring happily and rubbing your leg momentarily, before turning tail and dashing around the corner. It was more than a touch odd that the cat seemed to be entirely unaffected by the location, much less the fight nearby, and even moreso that it seemed so... well, for lack of a better word, happy. It didn't look particularly skeletal - a touch skinny maybe, but nothing particularly unhealthy, and the occasional rumbling purr was a far cry from the hellish eruptions of screeching that accompanied the Roselia. On the flip side, it had brought you a still-beating heart, which was sort of a poor replacement for the dead bird that cats sometimes brought to their masters. On the flip side of the flip side, it was back a few moments later, proud of itself beyond reason, depositing what appeared to be a liver before purring happily as it looked up at you just out of reach, then hightailing back around the corner. The new organ was just a foot or so farther down the alleyway from you, beyond the heart. If you didn't know better, it might almost seem like the cat was trying to provide a trail of "breadcrumbs" to follow, though despite the grisly nature of the breadcrumbs, at least it wasn't trying to hurt you. Should you care to perform open-heart surgery on yourself, after all, you'd still find your heart happily there and beating just fine. And then another entry to the trail, this time a meter or two away, an indeterminate organ that you couldn't quite identify. The cat seemed quite beside itself with eagerness, none too subtly hoping that you would follow it out of the alleyway, at least. Not that you had a whole lot of a choice - the vines had already reached the far corner of the alleyway, so have fun getting out that way. Whenever you did reach the end of the alleyway - it was only maybe a half-dozen meters long, completely barren of dumpsters or dirt or anything save the assorted organs, you found... well, a street that looked exactly the same as the last one, though fortunately clear of any omnicidal Roselia. It wasn't completely clear, though ; after a moment of inspecting the objects, you realized that the trail of organs continued, no two exactly the same, but every few meters, a new blood-stained piece of someone's insides. And at the corner of another alleyway, there the cat was again, unconcernedly washing itself while waiting for you. Once it noticed you, it meowled quietly once more, then disappeared into that alleyway - the angle was such that you couldn't see what was inside, though at least it wasn't on fire, glowing with the baleful nightmares of Hell itself, or obviously full of slavering monsters. On the flip side, about a block or so down the road on either side of your exist point from the first alleyway, something, or things, it was hard to tell, writhed through an indistinct, inchoate mass of dark... something. It was too far away and too indistinct to tell whether it was a liquid or masses of shadow, though you were welcome to investigate, at the risk fo drawing the attention of whatever was inside. Or just follow the cat. Whether its "help" was for the better or just a trap was hard to gauge, though at least it didn't seem to have four foot long teeth or be made out of concentrated nightmare fuel. Don't you just love choices? |
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| Hoshiko | Sep 24 2010, 12:47 AM Post #12 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice stopped for a moment, taking a few seconds to regain her breath as she entered the alleyway; brushing away a few sweaty locks of hair that had rebelliously decided to stick to her face, she turned her head towards the monster, and noted with relief that it still had not caught up to her. She closed her eyes for an instant, trying to block out the horrible, scraping sound the Roselia’s vines and thorns made as it advanced towards her, yet her efforts were thwarted when another of the monster’s shrill cries rang out, shattering her flash of calm. She felt the beginnings of hopelessness settle in her mind and, just for one terrible instant, she envisioned the dreaded Pokémon’s brambles reaching for her, enveloping her body as they tightened cruelly, crushing her… “No!” Alice shook her head from side to side, clearing away the vivid image as she opened her eyes once more. She couldn’t let thoughts like those cross her mind, not now! “Illya and I are going to beat that ghost’s game, escape from this place, and eat strawberry ice cream until we fall unconscious!” Okay, maybe they wouldn’t do that last one; that definitely wouldn’t be good for her health, to begin with, and she didn’t have enough money to buy Illya that much ice cream, either. Wait, no, that wasn’t the point! Optimism was the key here; she had to keep thinking that they could escape! Something bumped against her leg, breaking her away from her reverie; the trainer nearly screamed as she lifted her foot of the ground in panic, recoiling, expecting to see vines entwined around it. Her heartbeat began to slow down as she realized it had just been the small cat she had followed, who had chosen an odd moment to rub its head affectionately against her leg. She placed a hand on her chest as she took a deep breath, feeling her heart still pounding fiercely, trying to calm herself. Before she could react further, however, the feline vanished around the corner, apparently pleased with itself. Despite the horrible, rustling sound of vines and flora approaching, she couldn’t help but smile as thoughts of the small cat crossed her mind; maybe it wanted her to follow it further? She was more than happy to oblige; after all, she did have a monster trying to kill her waiting behind! Gathering her resolve, she placed her hand on the wall nearest to her, grateful for its support as she began moving forward once more, striving to avoid placing weight on her injured foot as much as possible. As she took her first step, however, she felt something strangely soft beneath her left foot. Oddly enough, it seemed to be squirming, too…but the movement seemed to be rhythmic, almost regular, for some reason. Lifting her left foot briefly to take another small step forward, wincing as her right foot made contact with the concrete once more, she looked back to the spot where she had been previously standing. Alice was suddenly glad she hadn’t had the ice cream before arriving to this place. A wave of nausea ran through her as she felt a stab of fear lance through her consciousness; she swallowed nervously as she stared at the still-beating organ that lay before her. She shuddered, and looked away quickly, the sight making her queasy; how had a heart, of all things, ended up in the alley? It had to be a fake. There was no way a real heart could have arrived, out of nowhere, and appeared just beneath her…ahh, she had stepped on a heart! “No, I can’t panic just because I stepped on a random organ either. Focus, Alice!” It had to be an illusion, cast by this world to confuse her. Yes, that had to be the answer! She turned away from the disturbing sight, intent on getting away from the grisly scene as quickly as possible…only to see the kitten again, meowing contentedly as it deposited a liver a few paces away before vanishing once more. Trying to ignore the newly-placed organ, Alice rushed to the alley’s exit, the rustling of leaves behind her reminding the trainer that she was being pursued. Yet, her thoughts refused to simmer down; why would the small animal bring her organs? Not only that, the cat’s demeanor was completely out of place; why would the feline act so friendly and content when surrounded by this strange wasteland, apparently populated by vicious abominations? By all logic, it should be panicking, desperate to escape, not meowing happily and bringing her body parts. Either the kitten was a trap, or…maybe the organs were illusions? Something meant to throw her off track, to get her distracted and away from the kitty? But then again, maybe the ghost thought she would think that, and created them for the sole purpose of getting her to trust the cat? As she reached the alley’s exit, she stored the thoughts away for later; she had to stay alert. Alice emerged from the alley, carefully stepping away from the wall, and gulped as she stared to her left; a strange, dark mass pulsated, beckoning, just a block away, figures dancing just out of sight as she tried to focus her eyes on it. Reflexively, she took a step backwards, shaken; the thing seemed like something drawn out of her nightmares, a viscous liquid that seemed to devour everything beyond its threshold. Turning around, she felt her heart sink as she saw a similar field to the right of the alley’s exit, blocking the route; she definitely didn’t feel like braving the nightmarish boundary. She looked around quickly, desperately searching for another escape route as she heard the rustling of leaves grow ever closer; she did not have much time left. She spotted the cat again, calling to her at the entrance to another alley across the street; it turned around and began to clean itself slowly, almost without a care in the world. She briefly spotted a trail of organs leading to it, too, and her mind brought back her previous doubts, debating whether to follow it or not. “Ugh, that’s too much! I have no idea whether it can be trusted, and I’m going to get eaten alive by the Roselia if I stay here. The cat hasn’t tried to eat me yet, at least!” And, of course, the cat looked far nicer than the horrible darkness gathered at both sides of the road. She felt it was the right choice, at least, far better than the other two; she shuddered as she imagined walking into the inky black fields at the end of the block, and her resolve strengthened. Spurred by the approaching sounds of flora, she hurried to the alley, walking as quickly as she could towards the waiting feline. Edited by Hoshiko, Sep 24 2010, 12:48 AM.
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| Munchkinator | Sep 24 2010, 03:14 PM Post #13 |
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Pax Bionicus
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It watched you the entire way across. The vague shapes capering and gamboling through the shadows in each inky pool never once ceased their movement, never showed any sign of noticing you, never even paused for the slightest fraction of a second - and they you knew somehow that each and every one of them watched you throughout the traverse, unblinking, unwavering... hungry. The sense of ravenous hunger was palpable. What exactly they hungered for, or what they were, or whether it was you or something about you... perhaps it was better that you did not know. Yet. The funny thing was that those pools seemed to cover just a little bit more ground every time you looked, too, and sometimes, the creeping shadows swallowed another chunk of ground that was not on the far end of the chasm. But you had your trail of organs to guide you, and so all was right with the world. The next was a lung. Two, three meters later, another lung. Both were very, very fresh. One of them was still contracting slightly. The kidneys was next, leaking an indeterminate fluid that pooled on the ground around it slightly, tiny tendrils extending out a few inches. The stomach still leaked stomach acid, which was gradually burning a hole in the ground around it. Stomach acid wasn't generally supposed to be quite that acidic, but then given the world you were in, you were probably just lucky that it didn't turn into a sixty foot tall mass of poisonous barbed tentacles. As you approached the corner, the cat appeared once more, perhaps even more eager than before, though absolutely silent - not even its footsteps made a sound. It had something else in its mouth, unsurprisingly. A brain. A small brain, perhaps a child's, so fresh that cerebrospinal fluid was still dripping off of it. It dropped the lurid present in front of you, near the edge of the corner, and looked up at you again. Waiting. For some reason, a tiny part of your mind, detached from the rest of the world, heard something in the alleyway behind it, a scraping. Something was in the alleyway. Something, or perhaps someone. Then the cat imploded with a slurping noise, the empty corpse falling to the ground as it collapsed in on itself. Only flesh and fur was left, nothing inside, not even a skeleton. The organs were the cat's. |
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| Hoshiko | Sep 25 2010, 12:15 AM Post #14 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice walked as quickly as she could, trying to keep her eyes firmly focused on the entrance to the alley across the street, yet they kept wandering to the ground, littered with an impressive variety of organs. She was close, so close to reaching the other side, the entrance to the alley just a few paces away; she had to endure it, just for a little longer! She felt something rise in her throat again as her gaze lingered for a moment on an odd piece of tissue, slightly oval-shaped, which seemed to leak some sort of foul-smelling liquid on the street. She shuddered again, feeling her skin crawl, and turned her head away…towards the side. The black, inky substance seemed to pulse in glee as she stared at it, almost as though it had a mind of its own; fleeting shapes moved beyond the threshold, seemingly eager about something. She licked her lips nervously, finding them suddenly very dry; her hands shook slightly as the nightmare seemed to grow, reaching towards her, and just for an instant, Alice imagined it covering the entire world, stifling all sound as it spread over and around her; the creatures inside fought against each other to reach her first, their eyes shining with crazed hunger as they drew closer. She chastised her overactive imagination again, though with far less enthusiasm than before. She felt frightened, truly frightened, but the terror seemed dulled, almost as if she couldn’t bring herself to care enough anymore. I-it was just too much! The organs, the Roselia, the horrible wall…She felt hopelessness settle as she stared deeply into the dark boundary, drowning out any other thought or emotion. The wall pulsed once more, and a small part of her mind screamed at her to look away, to keep walking, to rush towards the alley before the Roselia caught up with her or the walls closed in, but she refused to listen; she was going to die, either because of the creatures behind the inchoate veil or the monster that hunted her, and there was no reason to push herself further, because escape was impossible. The entire world was her opponent; there was nowhere she could run to, nowhere she could hide, that was not under the influence of the ghost’s spell. Her mind buzzed angrily, furiously, trying to rouse her, but all she could do was stare at the shadowy curtain as it loomed, ever closer. There was no reason to fight it, none at all… And then, she heard a soft, scraping sound to her right, coming from within the alley; her consciousness suddenly snapped back into place, clearing away the haze that had seemed to permeate her thoughts. Adrenaline rushed through her as her heart beat furiously once more, her eyes snapping shut as she twisted her head to the side, breathing deeply; if she concentrated, she could still feel the despair, the state of absolute gloom she had been in for a few seconds still a vivid memory. Just what had happened to her? She couldn’t think like that, there was too much at stake! She had to escape the Roselia, escape the walls, and run away from every horror this world decided to toss at her! It…it wasn’t right. She had never felt so depressed in her life before, so ready to just give in and accept defeat. It was an horrible, horrible feeling, and she realized, at that moment, that it had scared her more than anything she had seen in this place so far. Whatever it had been, it had twisted her emotions, altering her perceptions, her goals… “Or, maybe, it wasn’t this place…and that was just me.” A sliver of fear rang out through her mind along with the words, laced with shame. Maybe she had just been ready to give up. It was a lot easier to believe that it was this world’s fault, but that small, nagging part of her mind just wouldn’t let her lie to herself like that. She looked down, embarassed…and saw it. It was just the small kitten, holding…something…in its mouth again. She tried not to think about the organ, tried to just focus on the small tabby cat’s fluffy tail, on its soft, caring eyes. It was easy to like the small animal; it always seemed to be so happy, so cheerful. It gave her back hope; looking at it, she felt that maybe not everything in this world was horrible, that maybe she really had a chance to escape. She smiled down at it, and felt her heart warm up as it looked up at her, meeting her stare. It opened its mouth to meow…and no sound left it. Dread filled her for one fateful second as she realized something was wrong, but it was far too late. The small, gentle animal suddenly seemed to collapse into itself, an awful sound ringing out as it became a lifeless sack of flesh and fur, falling to the ground. She couldn’t help herself; she screamed, her thoughts scattering as her shrill cry echoed through the empty streets. Panicking, she jumped backwards, the pain in her foot forgotten, and took one step back before she saw the black wall again. It was much closer now, the veil now revealing hordes of creatures all eager to reach her. She turned her gaze away instantly, not daring to keep her eyes on it for any amount of time; the memory of what had happened the last time she stared into it snapped her out of her blind panic, yet her entire body shook like a leaf caught by a gust. The Roselia would be upon her soon, there was no way to escape…no way, other than braving either the nightmare or the alley. She tried to focus, to think, but she was still far too shaken from the cat’s sudden death; it was all she could do to keep from running into the wall, just to get away from the kitten’s body. But…no. It had sacrificed itself…sacrificed itself to show her the way to escape. That had to be the correct route. Trying her best not to look down, she walked forward towards the alley, hoping her feeling wasn’t wrong. |
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| Munchkinator | Sep 25 2010, 07:33 AM Post #15 |
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Pax Bionicus
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Interestingly, any sound from the berserking Roselia had ceased some time ago, though you couldn't quite pinpoint the moment at which it had done so, and there was no evidence of any of the vines still following you. It was almost as though none of that had ever happened, though the wound in your foot still twinged, showing that lie for what it was. Not that it made the situation as a whole any less ominous - the damage it had done was a constant, silent reminder that regardless of what form these phantom horrors took, they could still wound you. But then... physical damage meant so little, in the grand scheme of things. Fear not those who can destroy the body and then do no more...fear him who, after killing the body, can destroy the soul. The question, then, became which of the creatures were capable of doing that, and which would only flense the flesh from your bones! On the plus side, the alley was pleasantly free of nightmarish hell-creatures or flesh horrors or really anything outside of a vaguely confused-looking young man, sadly without any exposed organs or bloody wounds or giant swords or orbiting ghosts. He did look halfway torn between standing his ground and running away, despite having no Pokémon evident. After a moment of awkward silence, looking suspiciously at you, he spoke. "...What, ANOTHER trick? Dude, not cool. I'm getting really tired of this place and these stupid ass psuedo-people, and you can't even bother to make this one look like a normal person?" It was difficult to tell whether he was speaking to you directly or launching more of a rhetorical question, possibly towards whatever had imprisoned you here as well. It was also entirely possible that he had a back made out of blood and teeth, and was actually the Antichrist, but that was up to you to find out. On the flip side, "can't even bother to make this one look like a normal person?" Ouch. Must not be a fan of the hat. |
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lvl6
Growth
10
85%
11:52 AM Jul 11