Haven

Follow VZ in their adventures in the post-apocalyptic Pokemon-filled continent of Karud! Delve deeper to find out more and hear their story.
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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Fri Mar 05, 2010 4:45 pm

"No reason to split up, is there? No way to know where everyone might be. Look at it." She said, nodding her head in the city's direction.

Haven was engulfed in chaos. Sand and rain and worse raged through it, and as they grew nearer signs of battle became more apparent. Unseen Pokemon collided in darkness, the impact of their skirmishes like artillery fire through the city, more felt than heard at such a distance. Giant, indistinguishable black shapes took to the skies in a rush, shuttling back down to crash into the streets almost as quickly as they appeared. There was no way to tell exactly who or what was fighting, much less winning.

"Gonna be hell finding anyone in there, even if the radios are working. Plan was to get any noncombatants to the Pokemon Center, if we got hit. Beyond that we had no real hope for a coordinated defense. The ferals have too many options. Impossible to plan for everything, with our resources. So unless you're backing out, we should stick together."

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:32 am

The Lapras shook his head, clearing the haze from fear and blood loss. The ferals were still a fair distance away, and he wasn't going to just give in. Shear closed his eyes and condensed the rainy air into a thick, chilling mist which billowed out to fill the street.

He could feel so much as hear the heavy footsteps of the Rampardos charging, but his wound prevailed against his instincts. His strength was gone, and so, unable to so much as open his eyes, he rested his head against the wall, and let the dark take him.

The Dragons of East and West took to the sky, jets of flame and water crossing between them, outlining their flightpath with a column of steam.

Meanwhile, the Father placed his hand upon the Son, stirring him from his sleep.

"Watch, boy, and learn. Your dragon has returned with vain hopes of rescuing you. It is a shame it will fail."

Zael sat up slowly, his body still stinging with numbness.

"Y- *Cough* You're wrong. Razor won't fail, it simply isn't in him to."

With that, the two stood in silence as the war raged above their heads, having moved on from the steamy stalemate to a beautiful dance of draconic energies. Hundreds of beams, bursts, and balls flew across the sky, but none found a home in their intended target, instead impacting with devastating force wherever they would ultimately land. A particularly ill aimed shot from the Eastern dragon flew to the city, blowing through one building and striking the foundation of another, leaving the first in flames and the second in ruins.

Even with such power, at the end of the firefight, they found themselves evenly matched and completely unharmed. The two behemoths exchanged a look of mutual respect as they hung in the sky.

RALLLLLAAAA! GYRRRRRAAAAHHH!

Shear awoke to a vastly different scene than the one he left moments ago. The mist was gone, replaced with a bitter cold. The Marowak that stood alongside the Rampardos had also disappeared, replaced with eerily similar ice sculptures. Most importantly, perhaps, is that his rest had miraculously healed his wound.

The Rampardos, however, had not changed, and was now only a few meters away. There was no time to get out of its way, no time to put up any further defenses, no time for anything but to lean into it.

RAMPARDOS USED HEAD SMASH!
Lapras lost 89% of its health
Rampardos lost 30% of its health from the recoil

LAPRAS USED HORN DRILL!
It hit!
Rampardos lost 100% of its health


Blood spattered across the icy street, as the mighty Rampardos struck Shear with terrible force, his head striking solidly on one of the steel spikes on the Lapras' shell. The spike, imbued with powerful energies, passed clearly through the thick skull of the Rampardos, killing it.

As the Lapras shrugged off the dinosaur's corpse, blood oozed from under his shell, splintered steel digging into his flesh. He lifted himself up, the broken shell fragments slinking off of his back, leaving him shell less.

Looking across the river, he could tell the sandstorm's strength was passing, so his work at the river was complete. Considering his wounds and the darkness falling on the city, Shear decided to head for safer ground, pulling himself to the center of the city.

The two clashed; claw and fang digging into hide and scale as the dragons plummeted out of the sky.

Vying for control as they fell, the Gyrados wrapped itself like a snake around Razor, as Razor hacked into the Gyrados with his cleavered tail and ripped at the dorsal fins with its claws. From the mouth of the East came frost, while the Western's bite sparked with electricity.

GYRADOS USED ICE FANG!
It's Super Effective!

SALAMENCE USED THUNDER FANG!
It's Super Effective!


Both dragons flinched with the pain, but neither would yield, sinking their teeth and claws deeper as the earth flew quickly up to meet them. The two struck the ground with meteoric force strong enough to knock Zael and his father from their feet.

Before the dust could settle, they broke apart and drew their Aces. Power surged from their dragonhearts, bursting from their mouths brighter than a thousand suns. The beams collided and gnashed against each other, the turbulence spitting out flares wildly from the center.

Razor's entire body burned with the power flowing through it, but he dug his claws into the earth and pushed even more power out from his very soul.

The maelstrom of energy between the two grew ever more violent as they dug into untold depths of strength and power. Ultimately, the power of it became too much for even the two dragons to handle, the force hurling them across the landscape.

Zael and his father stood both in amazement as the energies churned in front of them still. Their Pokemon had forged a star, hanging right there in front of them.

Both Pokemon stood slowly, their entire bodies quivering, exhausted from the battle thus far. Razor moved first, taking once again to the sky, the Gyrados following suit. They met directly above the maelstrom, which had begun to pulse like a heavy breathing. Razor opened with a headbutt, ashamed that he had burned through the energy to do anything more extravagant. The Gyrados, equally tired, took the headbutt, responding by thrashing at the Salamence.

The behemoths had nothing extravagant left, and the strength of their strikes reflected this. The thrashing attacks of the Gyrados would have been enough to finish Razor off, he knew it. However, he blocked them with his steel wings, beating as steadily as they had been without any interference.

As the Gyrados finished flailing, the two hung in the air, breathing heavily. They shared a look of exhaustion and admiration, honored to have fought so gloriously for so long. The Gyrados had saved one last attack for this very moment, and laughed to itself as he called up one last ice beam.

Had his head still been attached, it would have probably killed Razor, but as Razor had caught his opponents intentions, he struck first, his cleaver slicing clean through the Gyrados' neck.

As its body fell, the Salamence made his way down to rescue Zael, all threats having been eliminated.

"Nice try father, but as I said, Razor doesn't lose. I'd recommend running before he does to you what he did to your Gyrados."

His father turned expressionless to Zael and replied in a flat tone, "You still have much to learn, boy."

A split second later, the corpse of the Gyardos slammed into the already unstable ball of energy. The body was consumed in an instant, but provided just enough a disturbance to collapse the star.

For a moment everything was still, as if the entire mass of energy had just disappeared, but that moment passed too quickly.

The maelstrom exploded, casting out a wave of energy that destroyed everything in its path, and closed on Zael's position incredibly fast. Razor was struck with terror when he realized Zael was too far to save, and that after all that, his trainer was still about to die. He watched as long as he could, until the light of it almost blinded him, at which point he accepted the truth, and let Zael's wings carry the Salamence to safety. He rode just ahead of the blast, but was never touched by it.

Thanks to Zael. Who he could now never thank. Because he failed.

The explosion yielded eventually, but not before erasing a quarter of the beach, leaving behind a softly shining gas, stealing the sunset's beauty and providing a brilliant backdrop for the stars as they broke through the sky.

Night had fallen in Haven, but for Razor, there would be no morning to follow. His light was gone, now, and forever.

All that remained was a wrathful darkness.
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:51 pm

Crux nodded and turned his head back toward Haven.
Titanic eruptions detonated across the sand chocked line, ripping a scar into the earth. Crux felt the tremors through Sutekh, and he shook his head in wonder. What forces lay beyond that veil, colliding with such power as to level the earth? Crux pulled back on the golden ring, but Sutekh had already slowed down. He did not fear death in combat, but he was not one to wade into the unknown for some fool reason. The outpost was a means to an end, just as the sidhe behind him was also someone to be used. Crux didn't need to look behind him to know death approached. He urged his mount into the building lines, approaching Haven at speed once more.

"I cannot delve so deep into the cityscape. Sutekh is far too large to simply dive in. It will be slow going."
He turned to eye her again, talking over his shoulder.
"The beast approaches upon his wings...'ware the skies..."
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:32 am

Hell greeted Zael strangely, he thought. Neither flame nor frost filled the air, but instead the sea's salt and a calm breeze. Adding to the absurdity, he felt a strange chill on his forehead, as if touching a metal tool early in the morning.

His ears still rang from the explosion, and eyes were likewise useless, so he simply stood there. He was dead, it wasn't as if waiting would hurt.

It wasn't until he noticed that whatever was on his forehead had been removed that he bothered to open his eyes again. Before him stood his father. Not unexpected, really. He always knew that despite his claims of nobility that his father would be as damned as Zael himself. He knew what he was capable of, and he knew exactly where that terrible potential came from. The Alakazam struck Zael as slightly out of place, but there he was, sitting before Zael and his father, polishing his spoons.

"Not a bad choice for a ferryman, eh Dad? Knows our thoughts, likely our sins, knows just which Hell to bring us to."

His father paused for a moment, looking deliberately at the Alakazam, who in response collapsed space around it in a flash, teleporting away.

"Zael, do you not know where you are? Did you forget the tales I told you as a child, of the brilliance and hope of my mentor, Dr. Fuji? We aren't in Hell, son. This is New Island, home of the Daedalus Initiative."

Razor spotted the Lapras easily in the early dusk, swooping to meet his companion and perhaps share his grief. The two stood in silence for a moment, taking in the other's wounds and weariness. The Salamence opened his mouth to speak to Shear, but a squad of ferals crossing the river silenced him.

Neither were in any shape to fight any longer, so they began on their way to the Pokemon Center, hopefully to find some allies and a quick respite.
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Sun Mar 28, 2010 5:31 am

The sandstorm rages.
Time of Day: Just Before Dusk
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Lucario's body had transitioned from responding to his mind's signals into a state that simply reacted to the battle itself as it progressed. He charged at the ferals with reckless abandon, all of them torn between fighting the human that was surprisingly capable or the immediately threatening Lucario. Lucario pressed on and was only 20 feet from the next wave of Marowak, both of them bracing themselves for impact. The Hippowdon in the back lines were split, one charging at Lucario and the other at Ingram. Any and all ferals inbetween tried to coordinate themselves with one of the large hippos and smash one of their foes.

Lucario's form split down the middle into two mirror images of himself as he got closer to the braced Marowak. Before the Marowak could follow exactly what was happening, he was upon them.


LUCARIO USED EXTREMESPEED!
Marowak lost 122% of its health.
..
LUCARIO USED EXTREMESPEED!
Marowak lost 118% of its health.

As if out of the sand itself, Lucario's form coalesced in different locations all at once. As soon as a Marowak would turn to face one of the images, the real Lucario would appear behind it and impale it upon one of its fist-spikes. This process would repeat itself two or three times per Marowak, all without incident to the already severely wounded, but enraged, Lucario.

Ingram weaved in and out of the ferals he was fighting, trying more than anything to simply parry the numerous blows than to actually fight back. He was having to move so fast that he didn't have time to think about counterattacking. The Marowak he was fighting was paired with a Sandslash now, each using their multiple-hit techniques against him to wear him down. Ingram was slowing; the ferals were catching pieces of his shirt or nicking his arms and legs over time. Ingram had only to hold out until Lucario could get to him...

Just as he moved to parry another set of Fury Swipes from the Sandslash, a huge shadow loomed over him from behind. He couldn't turn to look, but he knew what was coming...

The Hippowdon was rampaging just behind him, ready to smash him, but --


WEAVILE USED ICE PUNCH!
It's super effective!
Hippowdon lost 391% of its health.

The shadow of the colossus crashed down just beside Ingram, letting loose a minor tremor as it came to a final and complete stop - breath and all. It was engulfed in shards of ice, with its entire upper torso and sand ports frozen solid and entirely shut. In that instant, all of the Pokemon were stunned, as was Ingram. Unsure of what had just transpired, the battle against Ingram momentarily halted. Ingram saw in his peripheral vision a flash of red from the eyes of the creature that had just performed the attack.

The distraction was all he needed to finish them. Ingram lashed out at the distracted Sandslash, catching it in the neck with the sharp end of his staff. It gurgled a bit in stupefied disbelief, frustrated in its dying breathes that it could be taken advantage of in such a pitiful way. The Marowak, clearly not wanting to suffer a similar fate, reached back to pummel Ingram with its bone club, when--


WEAVILE USED ICE SHARD!
It's super effective!
Marowak lost 103% of its health.

Ice shrapnel caught into the fleshy underside of the Marowak, knocking it backwards across the large courtyard arena and pinning its lifeless cadaver to the wall of the closest rigid edification. It slumped there, suspended just above the ground with its limbs blowing lifelessly in the sandstorm, as if it had been dead for hours. Ingram looked for Weavile, but could find no sight of him. How did Weavile find him?

Lucario sensed ahead of him Weavile defending their master. It was fortunate that Lucario had sent out a call to Weavile when he had, otherwise the master might be dead by now. Fighting with renewed vigor at the possibility of beating the ferals back finally in their own storm, Lucario pressed onward, his mirror images colliding with each other and forming a complete form once more. Lucario sensed the trepidation within the remaining Hippowdon and its ferals. It contemplated escaping. It would be allowed to do no such thing.

SANDSLASH USED EARTHQUAKE!
Sandslash's attack missed!

Lucario was airborne from a jump before the Sandslash had even connected its foot to the ground in a stomp. Lucario, with the force from its kickoff, was now hovering just over top of the Sandslash by about 4 feet. As the Sandslash turned to the sky to trace Lucario's movements, however, Lucario charged an Aura Sphere in both hands and pointed them downward toward its adversary.

LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
Sandslash lost 88% of its health.
..
LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
Sandslash lost 83% of its health.

The two spheres of energy, flying at it from directly above, collided just to the left and right of the Sandslash. The eruption of energy at such close proximity ripped the Sandslash to pieces, shredding its flesh and hide with the shrapnel torn from the pavement below. Its form crumbled underneath its own weight as Lucario landed behind it to charge headlong into the Hippowdon.

Lucario's mind met Weavile's for a split second, and they both knew what was to come.


Weavile zipped across the field to the opposite side of the battlefield, making sure that he was across from Lucario's positioning. Weavile was never really one for strategies, but Ingram was generally good at employing his strengths as a leader to make Weavile useful in numerous situations he might otherwise be at a disadvantage in. Lucario, this time told Weavile to play the part of a distraction, letting him get in close to the Hippowdon and deliver the finishing blows. Weavile could do this, and would do it well.

The Hippowdon was intent on smashing the small little creature racing around in front of it. The Hippowdon charged at him, attempting to trample it with its might.

HIPPOWDON USED OUTRAGE!
Hippowdon's attack missed!

Weavile whisked itself out of reach of the rampaging behemoth. It was enraged, alight with fury the likes of which even Weavile wasn't expecting. Its bulk made it not too difficult to maneuver around, though, but it was too close for comfort. He couldn't do this forever. He had only to hold off the Hippo for a little while longer...

LUCARIO USED LIGHT SCREEN!
Light Screen raised its team's Special Defense!

Without missing a step, Lucario set up a stationary Light Screen at his present position, nearly 10m away from the Hippowdon. He knew exactly why it was there that he placed it, and even why he would use a Light Screen against a physical threat. This beast was too powerful to take down with repeated assaults, as it was nearly twice as large as the one Weavile had just taken out - it'd win in the battle of attrition. Lucario had a better plan than to fatigue himself relentlessly against it, and not a moment too soon...

HIPPOWDON USED OUTRAGE!
Weavile lost 53% of its health.
Weavile was paralyzed!

Weavile cursed under its breath. The thing was so large, that even maneuvering to dodge it wasn't enough sometimes. That attack had crippled him significantly too, rendering him much slower than he could afford to be. One more hit like that and -

LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
Hippowdon lost 16% of its health.

The beast stumbled to the left, just barely missing the paralyzed Weavile before it. Before it could recover, Weavile limped as far away as it could. With all of the ferals sans the Hippowdon dead, Weavile hoped he'd be able to get into hiding and wait out the storm's battering winds. Lucario, however, ran defiantly toward the Hippowdon. With Weavile missing, the Hippowdon directed its wrath towards Lucario and began its attack.

HIPPOWDON USED EARTHQUAKE!
Hippowdon's attack missed!

Lucario, as against previously predicted earthquakes, had leaped into the air over the Hippowdon. He charged an Aura Sphere to throw at --

HIPPOWDON USED SAND TOMB!
Lucario lost 17% of its health.
Lucario was trapped!

The Aura Sphere dissipated in Lucario's paws. The Hippowdon had seen this strategy be used against the Sandslash earlier and had learned. Rather than helplessly stare in awe at Lucario's leap to an overhead attack, it whipped up a cyclone of sand around itself, lashing out at Lucario and throwing it about violently. A few more seconds of this attack and Lucario might not live to see the end of this sandstorm...

Ingram felt cold. He had just seen what he had promised to never come to pass ever again.

"LUCARIO, NO!"

Ingram raced forward, caring not for his own well-being, right into the face of the Hippowdon. It was concentrating upon the Pokemon it was currently trapping with its Sand Tomb, and was surprised in the split second when Ingram appeared before it.

"YOU LET HIM GO, YOU WORTHLESS COW!"

Ingram jabbed one of the ends of his staff directly into the surprised Hippowdon's right eye. The creature, ravaged by the attack, stepped back sharply and lost its control over the cyclone. Lucario fell to the ground nearly entirely limp between Ingram and the Hippowdon. As the Hippowdon attempted to regain control of the situation, Lucario pulled itself up to both feet, one of its arms completely unable to move at all. Its left eye was shut and his face and body bruised, battered, and bleeding from numerous cut wounds. In Lucario's useful arm charged a large and pulsating orb of energy.

A faint voice echoed in Ingram's mind.
"M-m-master.. Trust me... Stand back..!"
Ingram knew better than to question him, despite his injuries. He knew what was coming and ran off in the direction Weavile had limped, glancing over his shoulder at Lucario as he went.

With as renewed a vigor as he could muster, Lucario pointed the charged orb of aura and blue light at the Hippowdon just as it managed to open its one good eye and focus it upon Lucario.

"Do not fear the end."

LUCARIO USED AURA STORM!

A beam erupted from Lucario's paw towards the Hippowdon. The beam's width was nearly 2 meters in diameter and the creature was too slow and stunned to even attempt to dodge it. It struck with a force akin to a hundred lightning bolts all converging upon a single point simultaneously. Not only that, the beam was so large that not all of it hit the Hippowdon at once and kept going behind it - directly towards the Light Screen. The Light Screen Lucario had set up previously acted as a reflecting barrier for the aura, bouncing the aura back at the Hippo from behind. The convergence of energy upon it acted as a catalyst and detonated violently, throwing a huge cloud of dust through the entire area over a quarter-mile radius.

Hippowdon lost 9999% of its health.
Lucario lost 3% of its health.

Ingram fell over from the eruption of energy behind him. As soon as the dust settled, he turned around to face where Hippowdon and Lucario were moments ago. The Hippowdon was gone, completely and utterly gone as if it had never existed at all. Lucario was collapsed upon the ground in a heap, unmoving... Not even appearing to be breathing...

Ingram lost all self-control and ran toward Lucario. As he reached Lucario, he noticed that there was no sand in the entire area anymore, as if the blast had disassembled the very molecules themselves. Lucario's eyes were closed and he was indeed not breathing at all.

Weavile, having come out of hiding following the blast, just made it to Ingram's side as he looked over Lucario. Weavile saw Lucario before him and refused to believe it. Lucario was the only Pokemon Weavile respected as an equal, and he knew that there was no way that Lucario would let it end like this.. There was no way..

Ingram fell to his knees before Lucario, at a complete loss for what he could possibly do. None of his items could help him now. He was gone. And now Ingram was completely lost once more.
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:56 am

Joanna said nothing. Just continued watching the city, a slow, steady scan that broadened as they neared. She turned, glancing at the sky in each direction. This time, she did see something.

Between the darkening sky and immeasurable distance, she couldn't make out what it was. But she could tell it was moving closer. First it was a rogue star, tiny and out of place, floating toward the city. As it crept closer she realized how fast it was moving, how far it had been. It sped through the sky, faster than any recon jet, growing as it neared. From a miniature, almost indistinguishable blot to a rocket, soaring with unhindered force and power, straight for Haven. And it wasn't alone.

Joanna resumed her watch, uncertainty seeping into her for the first time in months.

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:35 pm

The rains beat heavily upon the center of the city, allowing for the duo of Pokemon to avoid the groups of ferals already in the city with relative ease.

Their arrival at the Pokemon Center was met with an empty silence. Their allies were gone, and suddenly their greener pastures became yet another challenge. Razor, the Salamence, stood in the doorway, staring up into the storm without a word.

Shear wished he could stop to comfort his old friend from whatever demons hid behind those clouds, haunting the dragon's heart. But wishes were for brighter days, and if either of them were to wish again, he had to get to work.

The machines were in poor shape as a whole, only a single bay showed any chance of working, and even then the chances were slim.

"Woop woop woop," the Lapras called, drawing Razor out of his fears and anger. He shook himself dry and crossed the Center over to where his companion stood, toiling over a mess of wires and equipment. He made due exceptionally well without the use of thumbs by the use of a pair of forceps hanging in his mouth.

Razor watched for a moment, for the first time noting that Shear had lost his shell, revealing a horribly scarred and still bleeding back. He looked so much smaller now, losing a portion of himself in his recent battle. He dared not mention Zael's fate, not yet, not with everything Shear had already been through today.

The Salamence stepped forward heavily to let his companion know he was there, but Shear didn't turn to greet him, only pointed at the machine to his left, upon which sat a single Pokeball. The plan was clear, and as much as he wanted to hate it, he understood completely.

"Rala," he grunted as he tapped the button with his mighty claw, careful not to damage the tiny orb. It snapped open in reply, a wave of energy rippling out and surrounding him like a cold embrace. A moment later he both was and wasn't. Trapped in some metastate between life and sleep, his only lifeline his shell-shocked compatriot.

Shear was almost complete with the repairs as the Salamence vanished, a small arc of electricity crossing the tools, soldering the last wire in place. The power was out, and to call the machine fragile would be more than generous, but it would have to do. The Lapras maneuvered behind the device, ripping the power cords to the bare leads, holding them in his flippers.

He paused for a moment as the reality of it all sunk in. He was too far gone to defeat even the most pittling feral, but there he was, about to continually power possibly the most despised of all devices in the eyes of the ferals, within clear view of the doorway. He feared not only for his life, but for that of Razor who faced a fate worse than death were the ferals to find him using such a device. He could only pray that the machine worked quickly.

With that, he shut his eyes and focused, lightning coursing through his fins and into the machine.

Rest, friend, and return to us soon. We still need you to rescue Zael.
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Thu Apr 01, 2010 12:18 am

Crux thrust a glance into the dying light of day and cursed.
"Rach! Dar vidonesh." He turned back to the reins and tapped the golden ring. The Onix lifted its head and once more Crux spoke in his cryptic tongue. "Sutekh. Ar Amuskeht a' Lir. Shak Fahn! Daga! Daga! Daga!" He had lost any hope of reaching the deep interior of the buildings, he was going to have to play out the dance at the edge. Death approached, that which he could not defeat alone. Too fast, too swift, the beast for the likes of Sutekh to contend with...but if others were there as bait, distraction...perhaps then...The desert Nomad grabbed the woman lightly by the shoulder and spoke quickly.

"We have to go. Make for the buildings and then do not move until we see the beasts attack."
Crux readied himself for the jarring land and run and Sutekh began to dive into the earth.
"Now." He breathed and leapt into the air.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Sat Apr 03, 2010 1:32 am

Joanna hurdled off the stone snake before it barreled its way underground, landing easily, light on her feet, still surging with energy. She'd been awake and active for over twenty hours, minus the two hours of rest she'd gotten after her nightly patrol, but there was nothing to prove it except a faint tinge in the corners of her eyes. She bounced up and sprinted straight for Haven's bordering buildings, not looking back.

The first few blocks of any given city tended to be the nicest, in Joanna's experience. For tourists, she guessed. Haven was no different. She remembered the first time she'd seen it, full of wonder, long before the ferals came. It had been an idyllic strip of land, full of exotic imported trees and plants, a huge ornamental pool and buildings of marble and sandstone, big and beautiful. Further on the buildings became long, low houses, wide windows facing the coast, quiet and cozy. The whole city had buzzed with life, thriving with a kind of careless splendor.

Now the first few blocks were the worst, a twisted wreck of a battlefield. More than one of the buildings was half-sunk, victims of past assaults, the ground around them split open, cracks scarring the city streets in crazy zigzags. Random sections of buildings were carved out or crashed through, marking the brutal skirmishes that had taken place in some desperate defense that might have occurred a year or a month or a day ago. Nobody was stupid enough to take shelter on the city's border. The buildings there housed only corpses and violent memories.

Joanna was still breathing easily as she neared the first string of ruined buildings. She slowed down, alert and resolute, watching for any immediate danger. Saw the havoc the mixed storms were causing further on, the unnatural weather's hectic clashing masking anything beyond it. She spoke aloud, not turning to face Crux, still vigilant.

"They haven't stopped the sandstorm. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it's there. Not good. Ingram would have gone after its source first."

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Sat May 22, 2010 4:55 am

Inside the device, time flowed sideways, dropping Razor in a place tens of years removed from the war, and yet not a moment out of synch with it. His aged limbs landed softly upon rolling plains, a stiff wind whistling through rusted out holes in his once proud wings.

Somewhere within this paradox place rests my salvation, the Salamence thought, or possibly even knew.
And yet, only the monument to the damnation you wrought still stands, echoed back a darkness.

His spined head sunk in shame, a casual shifting in the wind revealing countless gravemarkers filling the field. In each one of them he saw everything, the who, the what, the when, the why, and the what for. A kaleidoscope of emotion and history, swirling, colliding, mixing into something deeply telling and overwhelmingly tragic.

Tragic, for despite all the differences, the hundreds of years spanned by this graveyard, one thread flowed through each and every tombstone's tale: The Kaleidoscopic Dragon. A thousand tales, all ending in the same brilliant flash, a light that gives no warmth, no comfort, but only brings utter annihilation.

Dig, add another to your endless bodycount. Perhaps this one will be enough to open your eyes to the truth. Perhaps then you will make it right, allow our power to be complete once again.

A mighty, defiant roar was squelched by the shackles of guilt, and so he silently went about preparing yet another empty grave.

How many more must fall, because you were incomplete alone?

His eyes cast to the dirt, the Salamence's once mighty tail punched a hole into the soft earth. The ground yielded without question or challenge, the gritty moisture on his tail reminding him of a hundred thoughtless deaths, the only difference being how cold one felt over the other.

Come Brother. It is within your reach to never be alone again.

Razor broke a sliver off of a boulder which simply was, and began to work it with tooth and claw, crushing and crafting it in a fashion that could almost be seen as mechanical, but could never be. A painful task, but one required of him, and so he did it, like so many others. So many...

Even now your emptiness is killing the only creature left that doesn't see you as the monster you are.

He paused, the distance almost causing him to forget. Shear, and today's battle from years ago. He snarled at the air around him, carving the letters with a deliberate claw.
Z

I, Zot, saw the tears in that poor boy's eyes when he first saw.

A

I, Annen, knew his rage when you asked of him an impossible choice

E

I, Eset, screamed as that wretched human stole you from us.

L

And I, Loch, I laughed as you killed him.
Razor eased the tombstone into its place, tears streaming down his face. He closed his eyes, and the fields fell away, his body complete once again.

He rematerialized, bursting forth from his Poke'ball unaided. Refusing to waste a moment more, he left the Pokemon Center, and Shear, without a passing glance.

Right then, he needed nothing more than something worthy to kill, and to make a bloody mess of it.
Last edited by TheDeathstalker on Wed May 26, 2010 4:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Mon May 24, 2010 12:20 am

The sandstorm rages.
Time of Day: Dusk

The sky blurred. Everything around him blurred. The entire world seemed out of focus except for one, little blob in the center of his vision. Haven. He was less than a minute from the city that he would end. The Skarmory howled and whined around him, struggling to keep up with the Mach Pokemon. His eyes fluttered open and he suddenly remembered back to when he was weak, when he took orders instead of giving them. Back then, he was just a battle dog for some human, a plaything with which he won tournaments and fame. It was never he, Garchomp, that received the rewards for his hard work. No, it was always the human, always the one that did none of the work. These humans had no use, they had no point. All they existed to do now... Was die.

The wind whipped around the city. Four of the six Hippowdon had been slain and the rest had grouped up in order to focus their efforts and survive. The sandstorm was weak, especially with all of the efforts of the Rain Dance Pokemon from atop the Department Store. The sand still bit into the skin and eyes of everything in the area, though, enough so that it was at least partially difficult to see. In the distance, a blue speck seemed to be growing larger and larger with every passing second. As the seconds ticked by, the one speck became multiple, with one very large dot in the middle of the cloud. From atop the Department Store, a rookie in the military tangent with Tobias spoke up, asking a question.

"Tobias, sir, do you see that?" His finger pointed in the direction of the incoming cloud.

Before Tobias could answer, as he turned away from his Roserade to look, the cloud became even larger. Now there was a distinguishable form to the shapes, no longer dots. One was... A dragon.

This was his time. He would not falter. He would not show mercy. He would not let up. They would know terror, and its name was --
Image
"GAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRCHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMPPP!!!"


The call echoed throughout the streets of Haven. Windows shook and some even shattered from the combined sonic shock and the incessant sandstorm barrage. Everything in the city stopped moving for one moment and turned toward the origin of the call, and in that moment, there was not even room for the terror that might normally accompany such a realization. There was only awe for what was about to descend upon them.

Ingram looked up at the source of the call. He knew he was too late, both for the city and for Lucario. Weavile tugged at Ingram's shirt, trying to pull him out of the sandstorm into the cover between two structures. Ingram looked swiftly back at him.

"Vile-wee. Wee!"
Ingram knew what had to be done. Weavile only needed a cure for his paralysis and he could face down the Dragon. Ingram had heard stories of how the dragons would avoid the snowy regions of the Iniquill Temple. They avoided it because the hail and the icy winds dealt major damage to them, almost completely killing them entirely simply from being there. Weavile's potent Ice-type attacks could surely bring down the monster if he could only get in close enough... Ingram dragged Lucario's corpse to the cover of the structures, unable to let it go.

"Go, Weavile, protect the city, stop the monster. I know you can do it."
Ingram shuffled through what remained of his supplies that he kept in his pockets across his pants. He found the right one and extracted a Full Heal from it. He never bothered with things like Paralyze Heals, they were too unreliable if you got burned or something. It was always a Full Heal that did the job. He shook the canister, got down on one knee, and began applying it to Weavile's crippled limbs. Weavile flexed his muscles and his joints as the medicine was applied, noting the improved flexibility in all of them. As soon as he was satisfied with the results, Weavile stood up and placed a paw upon Ingram's shoulder. Weavile looked into Ingram's eyes with sadness and determination.

"Wee.."
Ingram looked back, knowing Weavile's pain all too well. It wasn't something that could be fixed with a potion or at a Pokemon center. It was something that neither of them had any control over. Ingram placed his own hand on Weavile's other shoulder and spoke.

"He would want us to press on. He would want us to end this."

Weavile knew it to be the truth, and with a stiffened resolve removed his paw from Ingram's shoulder and turned toward the department store. As Weavile ran off into the storm and at the building, Ingram looked after him, his other hand never having left Lucario's shoulder.

Garchomp's eyes narrowed as the shapes in the city came into clear view. What? Humans and other Pokemon on the roof of this tallest structure? Ah.. How adorable. They were trying to stop the sandstorm with their Rain Dance. He could see their pitiful clouds just barely hovering over the edifice. No matter, he would deal with them first.

"Gar! Chomp-gar, GARCH!" Garchomp issued commands to the Skarmory to ignore the structure and go straight for the streets. They were to harass things there as Garchomp dealt with these mere pests.

Garchomp swung low, below the rooftop of the building by about 3 stories, out of reach of their attacks. As he zoomed to the city at mach speed, mere instants away, he stiffened his right wing and made a flight path that cut his wing through the struts of the building at his top speed. They wouldn't survive the entire building collapsing with them on top of it.


GARCHOMP USED DRAGON RUSH!

An entire section of the structure was torn out by Garchomp's initial sweep. He wouldn't have to come around for a second attack with how the upper echelon of the structure was swaying and buckling. The entire structure, with everyone on top of it, began to topple over. No one had any idea what had happened, only that they were about to fall 10 stories to their deaths. The rookie, not being sure what to do, cried out to everyone -

"Everyone! Does anyone have Flying-types?! Anythin-- AAAAAHH!!!!"

Just as he tried to finish his sentence, the segment of structure he was standing on crumbled away from the rest of the building and he toppled over the side down to the city below. His scream could be heard nearly all the way down. The rest of the people on the roof looked at each other and gathered at the center of the building as it tipped sideways, hoping someone had a plan. Many looked to Tobias for an answer - if they couldn't get out of this somehow, they would all die.

Garchomp landed on top of a nearby three story building and surveyed the city. This was going to be far easier than even he had anticipated. The building behind him was wobbling in the storm, collapsing under its own weight. He took the opportunity to look back at it with a sick, twisted smile across his face. There was no telling how many humans would die with that building's end. His claws snicked as they idled, ready for whatever the humans might dare to throw at him as his onslaught continued and the Skarmory scoured around him and the city, looking for prey.
BOSS BATTLE
Image
Garchomp, Green Feral Overlord

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Mon May 24, 2010 3:24 am

A fanged smile grew across Razor's face as the ground beneath his feet trembled from the roar. With dark, hateful eyes, he watched as the Garchomp shot overhead, flanked by a legion of Skarmory.

With a quick beat of his wings he took to the sky, leaving only cracked pavement behind. He cleared the surrounding buildings just in time to watch the Department Store lurch sideways, its collapse imminent. The Salamence could have saved them all, but such thoughts felt so far removed from his current state that the only factor in the building's collapse that interested him was the Garchomp.

A quick motion snatched two of the Skarmory out of the air, Razor's sharp claws digging into their steely throats. Never giving them the honor of looking them in the eye, he coughed blindingly hot embers on their metalline hides as his wings took them higher into the sky. The metal under his talons grew pliable, indicating that the bodies had properly roasted into hunks of slag.

His display was not without purpose or profit, for as he looked down at the Garchomp, he knew it looked back up at him. As if challenging his foe to prove its own might, he hurled the bird-bombs towards the Garchomp with an agile spin and a mighty roar, proudly declaring his own name as proper king of these skies.

RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHLLLLLAAA MEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNCCCCCCEEE!
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Mon May 24, 2010 2:44 pm

The sandstorm rages.
Time of Day: Dusk
BOSS BATTLE
Image
Garchomp, Green Feral Overlord

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Garchomp looked with contempt at the other dragon that now flew a hundred meters or so above and in front of him. How DARE another of his kind stand before him so? Why would HE protect these, these... PESTS! He could not understand it. It made no sense that a Salamence, another of the greatest dragons of the age, would stand before him. Yet now it did, and that it did infuriated Garchomp unlike anything else could have. The Salamence threw molten Skarmory at him, clearly to try the waters and see just how powerful Garchomp was. Garchomp responded by clawing the side of the building at his feet and ripping out a chunk of the concrete there. With one swift motion, he hurled the stone at the incoming Skarmory, knocking them off course and shattering the boulder in one fell swoop. Heh, Garchomp mused, those birds really were hard-headed.

With that display, Garchomp shouted his own call back at the Salamence. If Salamence wanted this city for himself, he would have to try a lot harder for it.

"GAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRCHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMPPP!!!"
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Tue May 25, 2010 12:50 am

"Merciful Father, I have squandered my days with things of ill-repute...I only ask, that if I should only have these last few minutes, that I should live them well." Crux whispered the prayer as gods given flesh prepared themselves for war. He was not an overly faithful man, but everyone broke down sometime. You had to have faith in something, even if it was three meters of steel and a strong arm. "All that should have been said, has not been said. All that should have been done, has not been done. And If this should be the end, let my end be worthy of recall." Crux kissed the ring he had slipped on his right hand, touched it to his forehead, then tapped the ground with it. As if by command, the earth moved as if it had a mind of it's own. All the desert bandit needed was a moment, a single shot. Enough time to stun, and then move in for the kill. Inside the building behind him, the sandstone fin of his mount broke through the concrete and steel. Higher, higher and rose, snapping through the floors until its whole head was revealed. The diamond eyes shone, glimmering, angry. Determined. It's breath was the hand of the Creator, vast amounts of energy building up as it focused them, waiting to strike.

Crux had taken shelter near the limits of the outpost. The girl he had fought alongside with was somewhere nearby but his attention was focused on the skies, and the terrible blood war that was about to be unleashed. His hand went to his sword, resting on the edge of the grip, anticipating the need to use it against some unseen foe.
It was only a matter of time....
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Tue May 25, 2010 1:24 am

Razor's grin widened as he puffed the last of the embers from his nostrils, casting his face in a flickering red light. He had found just what he was looking for, a foe so terribly powerful that not even he was confident he could survive the fight, much less win. He would have to thank Garchomp for that before he crushed his skull.

The blood of his forefathers flowed within his veins, beat in his hearts, and churned in his very soul. It drove him to speeds that threatened to rip his wings from his back, and to a strength his flesh could hardly contain. He circled Garchomp in grand, high flying arcs, crying out as he entered into a grand aerobatic display, asserting his dominion over the skies, and over all dragonkind, but never once breaking his steely gaze towards his adversary.

RAZOR USED DRAGON DANCE!
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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