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 Jan 15, 2010 10:38 pm

"Hold fast", he'd said, and Joanna did. She flexed the muscles in her legs, tensing up, relaxing, bracing herself. Like riding a horse, she thought. I hope... She drew her breath in as the stone wyrm stirred to life beneath her. Tried to focus on keeping her balance as Crux called out to the Onix in a language she couldn't recognize. His tone and the cadence of the words made it clear it was a command, though, and Sutekh obeyed its master. The Onix's reply shook Joanna with its force, the rock segment she was on seemingly unstable as it began to move. She felt like she was on an ancient boulder as it was being dislodged. Steady and eternal, immovable, then, suddenly, impossibly, plummeting down.

Joanna made herself keep her eyes open as Sutekh moved towards the earth, under it, through it. Began to relax, breathing out again, as she realized keeping steady wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. She was, after all, on a giant slab of rock. Sand-scoured and alive, true, but still rock. She listened as Crux spoke in front of her, nodding against his shoulder at his plan of attack. Watched as he turned, slowly, carefully. Exaggerating a little, she thought. For her sake, probably. Not her personally. It felt more like an unconscious gesture of kindness toward a not unwelcome stranger. She looked at his face for the first time. Hidden behind a veil, some sort of scarf. The only thing she could see were his eyes. They were hard, observant, intelligent. And old, she thought, old, and tired. A warm shade of grey, almost silver. She watched him watch her. Then he reached into his garb and drew out a bundle of clothes, the same fabric and color as his own.

"I will make for you a face mask that the sands will not obscure your vision harshly...if you permit me..."
Joanna recalled earlier encounters in the desert. She'd been unprepared, then, fresh to Haven. Remembered how the sandstorm had lashed at her, biting away at any exposed flesh it found. A constant, unceasing annoyance, often blinding in its persistence. "Please do," she said, grateful, "and thank you."

Moving her head to look past Crux, Joanna tried judging the distance between them and the still-advancing ferals as she waited, alert, hoping the boulder beneath her wouldn't suddenly dislodge again as it sifted through the earth, unbelievably steady.

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:48 pm

He watched her watch him.
"Please do....and thank you."
"Of course." he replied nodding. She glanced past him as he readied the cloth, no doubt trying to gauge the distance between them and the approaching sandstorm. Crux knew he had enough time for this before he had to grow sharp. With deft movements he twined and folded the clothing, making the basic shape of the Eshabir el-Hekhet, the same 'Merciless Mask' he now wore. He had done this countless times, but it had been a while since he had made one for someone else.

"Look at me and hold still...this will not take long."
With deft hands he shaped the cloth to her features, insuring that the folds of light fabric would not slip off in combat and best shield her from the sandstorm. He leaned in close to secure the back, avoiding her eyes, looking over her shoulder at the vanishing city. After only a few moments work he took his hands away, satisfied the garb was as it should be.
"There. That should serve well in the moments to come."

He turned to face the sandstorm again.
Standing, Crux took one of the golden rings in his right hand again. When he spoke, his voice lost the hint of kindness it once carried. It was hollow now. Pitiless. Merciless as the mask he wore. Not toward her, but toward the ferals.
"We shall use hit and run tactics to force their hand. Once they commit to an assault we will strike as a cobra before slipping away into the storm." He turned his head to face her over his shoulder, voice lightening a bit. "What pokemon do you carry with you? We should try to remain mobile so as not to be undermined by the enemy." Crux was prepared to fight alone, that she came meant having another pair of eyes, another set of hands. If her pokemon weren't up for mobile operations in a prolonged assault he would be able to endure.
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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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:25 am

Leon spoke to his Machamp as he and Ingram began his stride toward the Pokemon Center to relay the critical information. When Leon was finished, he turned to Ingram and spoke. Ingram looked to his left at him as he spoke, intent upon his companion's words. Lucario kept his gaze ever focused in front of him. He wasn't seeking the aura at that moment, but he kept his wits about him so he might sense if he needed to at a given moment.

"How much time do you think we have left? I have another pokemon who is a competent strategist. However, to have both it and Ludavius deployed is a mental burden and I won't be good for any personal combat for as long as they're both out of their pokeballs - and a short time thereafter."

Ingram looked forward at the approaching Pokemon center as he mused over what was asked of him. He returned the question hastily and directly shortly thereafter.

"The mass isn't stupid. They won't charge the front of the city with a visible sandstorm from miles away without a trump card - or several. They're trying to distract us from something else, something bigger... Something they very much want to keep a surprise until the last minute."

Ingram wasn't sure if that answered Leon's question, but he hoped that it had. He rubbed his chin concernedly with his right hand before he was distracted yet again. Lucario just diverted his gaze and looked up, directly at his master. Ingram, noticing the gesture, returned in kind with curiousity.

"What is it, Lucario?"

"The docks..."

Lucario looked genuinely concerned, shocked even. The city, before the green mass, was plagued occasionally by blue feral mass rogues in the waters. Eventually, the entire port area of the city was totally abandoned for the more landward parts. The city was always in two parts, separated by a wide river. He had the other side of the city cut off early on in the city's defense, and the water ferals eventually gave up on trying to take the rest of it. It was a victory, Ingram had thought. But could they be in league with the green mass? What was there?

"Can you be any more specific, Lucario?" Of course he could, but that he wasn't meant that something was there that shouldn't be. Lucario looked at his master with a look of cold and unrelenting pain as if it cried forth from his very soul. Ingram knew before he was told. They were too late.

"Master, I have failed us all... They are beneath us and already in the city.."

Lucario fell to one knee and looked down at the ground, shaking as if he'd just singlehandedly brought about the end of all that he loved.

A whirring sound whipped wildly through the air toward them. The docks erupted in a whirlwind of dust and sand. The ground began shaking as the storm was setting in. The mass had struck the city completely unawares. They were swift, knowing that with Crux leading the way, the city's inhabitants would be distracted from the underground work taking place beneath their very feet. What a better location to set up than the already abandoned section of the city? They would finish their work and channel their storm before any of the trainers or Pokemon could even reach them. With the bridges out at Ingram's command earlier in the year, the only access point was by swimming across the raging river or flying over it. They were cut off and about to be cut down. The perfect plan.

Ingram gritted his teeth and felt for the first time in a long while a pang of absolute terror strike at him from his very core. His head bowed slightly with the rage filling through him. He clutched his left fist as tight as he possibly could, draining all of the blood from his knuckles until they could have been as pale as the moon.

They would NOT TAKE THIS CITY. He reacted on gut instinct and began issuing orders to everyone around him.


"Lucario, take Leon and GET TO THE POKEMON CENTER! I need EVERY trainer at the river immediately! All civilians need to get to the department store basement level right away! You haven't failed, my friend, show them your strength in the hours to come. They will need all of it."

Ingram was poised for war, yet as he stood, he smashed his left fist across his right breast and bowed his head to Lucario; a salute. Lucario, immediately understanding and regaining his composure, returned in kind and began running with Leon towards the Pokemon Center. Ingram looked behind himself and made a beckoning gesture at Weavile.

"Weavile, with me! We will spearhead the counterattack. Ride the rooftops and meet me at the central bridge ruins!"

Weavile nodded, flexed his claws, and dashed off towards the river at speeds that faster than the human eye could follow. Ingram followed the path he knew Weavile would cut through anything that might be on this side of the city. He knew that nothing would be here yet, it was all across the river, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. Before Ingram could get far, though, Lucario's voice echoed in his skull.

"The sandstorm appears to be emanating from six sources, master. I cannot find them, though. The group appears to be mostly Marowak and Sandslash, the usual grunts. The Rampardos from earlier seems to be with them."

The Rampardos from earlier? But... Then how did it?

"The tunnel must connect in the forest to the west of the city, where I sensed those ferals earlier. Some immensely powerful psychic Pokemon must be masking the sandstorm sources' auras from me. Weavile may be the only thing that can see through its guise and be immune to its mental assaults. Be careful, master, you must return."

Ingram had nearly forgot that when he thought to Lucario, Lucario could actually hear him. A psychic Pokemon, then? What psychic pokemon could possibly get mixed up with this feral mass, though? He had no idea, but it would make for a nasty encounter when he found it.

Lucario, you must warn the trainers. I need the people to get there and help stop the sandstorm. God only knows what else is being masked by that psychic Pokemon. I will return. The aura is with you.

And with that, Ingram disappeared between buildings on the path to the center of the city where the river flowed.
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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VZhitogoroshi
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Re: Haven

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:56 am

"Lucario, take Leon and GET TO THE POKEMON CENTER! I need EVERY trainer at the river immediately! All civilians need to get to the department store basement level right away!

This was it, then. No more time for planning, and no time to consider retreat. Fora brief second, Leon contemplated it anyway - return Ludavius to his pokeball, leave the guns, and ride Ruu straight out of there. But no. As self-concerned, risk-adverse, and careful as Leon was, that was a line he was not yet willing to cross.

Now was the time to take Haven's fight as his own, to raise from the depths of his soul the warrior spirit of the Rai. He had been in this situation before, and it was those past wars that he brought to his mind, to try to simulate within one mind what it had felt like to have an army at his back.

No - two minds. For as Leon and Ludavius locked eyes one final time, it was clear that the Machamp was thinking the same thing. They both knew what to do here.

"Rai - seppur auch!"

Leon ran after Lucario. It would be hard for the other trainers to follow a pokemon blindly, but Leon - Leon, who was doing his hasty best to channel some bit of the generals who had inspired him into such impossible charges - would hopefully be able to mobilize them into action.

Ludavius, though, went with Ingram. While he was weighed down with heavy guns he could still easily outpace any human, and he took his place by Ingram's side. His top pair of arms drew the guns, while he kept his lower pair free in case he needed to batter away a few enterprising ferals. He had been extensively trained to guard his master, and while that master wasn't Ingram Ludavius could think of no one more deserving of a bodyguard at that point in time.

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Sat Jan 16, 2010 2:43 am

It happened in an instant, the deep wrath of a thousand Pokemon, surging to the surface in the blink of an eye, and Zael had a front row seat. At least he did, until the sun was blotted out, a growing hurricane of sand and debris covering the area.

One particular group of ferals stirring up this hell had burst out of the ground no less than twenty meters from his position, not only blocking off any chance of escape, but also being a hairs breadth from discovering him.

Thinking quick, he ripped off his sleeve, cutting a slit with a tiny shard of glass, then fashioning it into a mask to block the sand. Wrapping his hand in his other sleeve, Zael armed himself with a long, sharp piece of glass, pocketing the smaller one for later. With a thought, the quiet power source of his legs jolted into overdrive, small arcs of electricity flowing around them. After a small moment to focus his mind, Zael was ready.

He burst out of the crater, rushing headlong into the ferals. His knuckles were white from gripping the makeshift blade as blood soaked the preemptive bandage, and every step crushed the timbers beneath his powerful legs. The wall of sand buffeted him and hid the forms of his enemies, but his determination yielded its reward as his adversaries were given shape. There were seven of them in total, with six of them guarding a central leader, the source of the storm.

Zael's eyes shut, the whirling sands too great at this distance to allow him the luxury of sight, yet he carried on. His mind was set on the central Pokemon as he lept in the air, thrusting the shard with deadly intent.

He felt it connect, making a loud noise even in the midst of the storm, as the glass blade struck true. A momentary rush of excitement overcame him, but vanished as quickly as it came as the glass splintered in his hands. Agony gripped him as a shower of blood covered his forearms, only to be doubled as his rib cage shattered.

He flew back from the blow, barely conscious and at a loss for what just happened to him. His eyes eked open, finding their focus on a Marrowack with the tiniest shard of glass stuck in its skull. The storm seemed far away for a second as he reeled from the blow, but snapped back with terrible force when his senses returned. He scrambled frantically for anything to defend himself with, but Zael found nothing other than that he could no longer feel his arms, all other sensations overridden by fear and pain. Unable to so much as catch a breath while the Marowack closed with alarming speed, Zael let go.

All the terror.

All the suffering.

All the wrong in the world.

It was all gone.

And before him, in the midst of a spinning torrent of water, in the shadow of a Gyrados, stood his father.

"Come son. It is time."

===================================================================================================

Shear and Razor reached the river by the time they even noticed something was wrong, but even then were too caught up in their own sadness to very much care. Man was flawed, perhaps even vile, and if they were to pay for their abuses, then perhaps they had done something to earn it.

Tomorrow, perhaps, Shear would talk to the one human he knew to have an honest heart. Perhaps then they could understand. But not now.
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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Loki
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Re: Haven

Post by Loki » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:21 pm

Before anyone could start, the radio crackled with activity. Voices from other sectors of the city reporting feral activity outside and within the city. The screams and the cries for backup echoed through the basement as every trainer dropped whatever they were doing and could only sit there in awe.

"REGROUP, DON'T RUN INTO THE SANDSTORM. STAY CLOSE TO THE RIVER. THIS IS RIVER ONE, FERALS ARE ALREADY ON HAVEN GROUND. WE LOST CONTACT WITH RIVER TWO, THREE, AND FIVE.... WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, STAY TOGETHER. HOL---"

CITY WATCH, IS THIS HQ? SOMETHING IS GOING ON AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY. WHAT THE!? WHY ARE THE FERALS... DAMN IT, GET OUT OF THE SANDSTO---"

Each radio contact fell short one after the one, the sound of wind and sand burrowing into the comm remained. Tobias stood there in completely shock. Everything was falling apart. He had no idea that the ferals would be this capable of executing such an attack. It was happening so fast, Tobias grabbed his radio fast and called out to any trainer.

"ANY ABLE TRAINER WITHIN HAVEN MUST REGROUP UNDER BUILDING COVER. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BATTLE THE FERALS IN THE SANDSTORM, I REPEAT DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BATTLE THE FERALS ON THEIR GROUNDS. I WANT ALL TRAINERS TO PROCEED WITH CAUTION."

Tobias latches his radio onto his belt and looks at everyone around him. He wasted too much time idling and should have mobilized sooner. He figured that he would have more time, the river should have bought him more time. It won't be long until the sandstorms merge from both sides of the city, everyone must move now. Tobias takes out two pokeballs and calls out two pokemon.

"NAAAPE!!" "Rose.."
ImageImage

"Everyone on the west wall, head to the roof. My Roserade and I will lead and we'll prepare to stop the sandstorms from converging. I want everyone else to move up on the first floor and keep their radios close to them. I will be relaying commands from the roof. Infernape, go lead them."

Infernape was ready and did a quick backflip. It was how he answered to order from Tobias, he flexed at the other trainers to show off and led them up the stairs where they will prepare on the first floor. Roserade, on the other hand, went ahead and opened a door which revealed a ladder that led to the roof. Tobias nodded and she returned the nod by letting one of her flowers bloom in her hands. Tobias climbed the ladder first to open the latch and took the first look outside.

On the roof, taking a good look at the city, he sees two large sandstorms from the port side of Haven and the other outside of the city's walls. The streets were already covered in sand and buildings were waning against the harsh winds, Tobias tried to look for any sign of trainers but no luck. The roar of the sandstorms grew louder as they slowly began to come together.

It was now or never, Tobias look at Roserade.
"Roserade! USE RAIN DANCE!"

The Pokemon's flowers began to bloom and glow with a hue of blue. The clouds answering its call and began to circle over the Pokemon Center. Skies were darkening and when the first raindrops began to fall, Tobias heard the cries of ferals behind the sand.
Let's do what comes naturally
ImageImageImageImage
I'll be waiting in Haven.

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VZBushkiller20
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Re: Haven

Post by VZBushkiller20 » Sat Jan 16, 2010 2:15 pm

Lawrence had sat there silently through most of the meeting, except to volunteer his pokemon. He was never a man who liked to speak up, even less so now, and so when all the others began to shout out there plans and convictions, he quietly listened, trying to track everything that was being said. It wasn't easy, as there was quite a lot, but he thought he had enough to piece together what needed to be done. Of course, that changed when the radio came alive. As the panicked voices filled the room, Lawrence instinctively reached for the pokeball that held Ember. The ferals had launched an attack? From underground as well as in the cover of a sandstorm? Something isn't right...This isn't normal.

"Everyone on the west wall, head to the roof. My Roserade and I will lead and we'll prepare to stop the sandstorms from converging. I want everyone else to move up on the first floor and keep their radios close to them. I will be relaying commands from the roof. Infernape, go lead them."

"Not much I can do about the sandstorm..." Lawrence said, as he started ascending the stairs to the first floor. He grabbed one of the unused radios and clipped it onto his belt. "Ember, let's go. We've got work to do." He said, as the flareon appeared on the ground before him. "We're holding this position mutt, until further orders. First and last line of defense for the building. You better be prepared." Ember growled in response, before darting ahead of his master. Lawrence turned on the radio, searching for the right channel. Static, static...there! Lawrence entered into the lobby and crouched behind the desk. "Lobby secure...for the moment."
Image

Image Image ImageImageImage

Lawrence-Ember-Mirage-Skywings-Jasmine

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:50 pm

Crux was a little awkward as he worked the fabric. Not his hands. They were sure and steady. Fast, practiced movements, no hesitation, second nature. Something about the way he moved felt defensive. The distance he kept between them, the way his eyes never rested. Maybe he didn't trust her. Maybe he didn't trust anyone.
He turned after finishing the cloth and spoke up once more. There was a subdued menace about his stance, in his voice.

"We shall use hit and run tactics to force their hand. Once they commit to an assault we will strike as a cobra before slipping away into the storm. What pokemon do you carry with you?
Joanna shrugged, thoughtful.

"My Torterra's best suited for this, but... There's two of us now. We should use that to our advantage." Straining her head around to catch the last of the fading city, she thought she could make out a cloud, black and chaotic, over Haven... No, not over it. Inside it. They're in the city. But how? She didn't waste time thinking about it. Wasn't surprised, wasn't upset. Surprise was for amateurs, and being upset made you worry. Worry made you panic, panic meant fear, and fear got you killed.
Instead, Joanna Lane concentrated on the task at hand, with ruthless intent.

"Gotta be a faster way to do this than small skirmishes. Drop me off fifty yards from the first one we see, then keep going. I'll get their attention, keep them busy. If they're as unorganized as you say I won't be overwhelmed, and your Onix will have plenty of easy targets. They'll be funneling toward me. Like fish in a barrel."

"I think we have to be quick about it. I think their real force is already in the city."

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:16 pm

Crux nodded as she outlined her plan.
With her on the outside Crux could slip into the sandstorm and allow Sutekh to attack at the utmost of its capabilities. If the line was still broken as he had seen it in the desert than between the two of them they should be able to deal with the ferals they found. His left hand clasped the sheath on his blade in anticipation.

"I think we have to be quick about it. I think their real force is already in the city."

Crux turned to look behind them, then switched hands so he could lean out and get a good look. He knocked once, letting Sutekh know there was no course adjustment. Crux took in the apparent situation with silence. Haven was under attack by a massive feral incursion. Too late his warning had come, damning more souls to the abyss. He gritted his teeth, his entire journey in vain. He saved that for later, turning back to face the oncoming storm.

For now he would fight...then decide if the city was already damned.
"This is where you get off then Dammen Lane...take care, I shall provide cover when you need it most."
He turned to look back at her. "Know that the Desert God watches over you..."
Sutekh slowed enough for someone to disembark as Crux knocked the golden ring twice against the sandstone fin.
The storm raged just ahead...
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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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:21 pm

Lucario reached the Pokemon Center with Leon seconds behind him, finding trainers pouring out of it haphazardly. They were panicking, doing what they could, but not doing it together. He needed to speak to all of them! Perhaps this is why his master had chosen him for the task. Lucario nodded, knowing that his master was wise in the art of tactics and planning. He reached out to everyone in the area, so everyone would be able to hear his thoughts.

"My friends, you must listen. There are six sources of the storm. Each is across the river on the abandoned side of the city. The bridges are out, so anything that can swim or fly can reach them. We must stifle the storm with haste, as I do not doubt this as a preparation for an impending assault. Be forewarned, there is a tremendous psychic presence supporting the sandstorms."

Lucario paused, letting it sink in with those who were now thinking back to him. Many had never experienced telepathy before, so they had no idea they were actually communicating with Lucario. Lucario reassured each one individually with a calmness of mind. They needed to focus now more than ever.

"All civilians, you must come to the Pokemon Center. I will guide you to the safest place for you now."

Lucario opened his eyes and within half a minute, faces began appearing around corners and grouping up around him. They looked worried. Many of the men wanted to fight, but had no Pokemon or experience. Lucario reassured the scared people with nods and the promise of eventual shelter. He would take them to the Department Store basement as soon as he sensed no more were trying to join him.

The Hippowdon shells were pouring sand out of them as fast as they could. Each arriving in a different segment of the abandoned side of the city as the lord had planned. The Metagross was hard-pressed to hide their presence against the many psychic Pokemon the lord had predicted would defend the city. Being the only psychic Pokemon of the entire feral mass made his role crucial.

He noticed a rain dance forming at the other side of the city across the river, attempting to thwart the sandstorm's spread. It would need to be stopped. His eyes darted to the nearby Rampardos, whose great brutish presence prevented him from being cloaked by Metagross' mind.


"Meta. Meta-tamet GROSS!"

Metagross instructed it to take one of the Gliscor and some of the Marowak that had come with them and deal with the threats across the river. Bonemerang and Gliscors flight would make for a deadly barrage of attacks and a substantial distraction.

The mach Pokemon soared. He was over the mountains to the north of their wretched city, ready to rain hell down upon them when the storm had engulfed it. A grin played across his maw and his eyes glowed of the death and destruction he had wrought upon these pitiful humans.

An entire flock of Skarmory were in tow behind him as he broke the sound barrier in the sky over the mountains. They could barely keep up, even with him restraining himself to not tire or arrive at the city alone. They would form his vanguard as he descended upon the city. The group was leaving from the dragon's mountain peak and would arrive in the city by the time the storms were properly set up, likely in just under two hours. Everything was progressing according to plan... The grin grew wider with every second as the shockwave rippled behind him and sundered the very air around him.

Today, humanity would fall.
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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Jericho Veronus
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Re: Haven

Post by Jericho Veronus » Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:49 pm

"REGROUP, DON'T RUN INTO THE SANDSTORM. STAY CLOSE TO THE RIVER. THIS IS RIVER ONE, FERALS ARE ALREADY ON HAVEN GROUND. WE LOST CONTACT WITH RIVER TWO, THREE, AND FIVE.... WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, STAY TOGETHER. HOL---"

CITY WATCH, IS THIS HQ? SOMETHING IS GOING ON AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY. WHAT THE!? WHY ARE THE FERALS... DAMN IT, GET OUT OF THE SANDSTO---"


Terds came to a screeching halt as the reports came over the radio he had clipped to him. The ferals were in the city, even though a sandstorm still lies ahead of him. He was torn on which way to go. Whether he should continue on towards the possible location of the mass’s leader or turn back to defend the city, where the ferals were already attacking.

Any other man would be just as hesitant to act on the choice that needed to be made in such a situation. Though while anyone else would be conflicted on choosing where he would help out most or where he was most needed, Terds’ conflict rested in, ‘which would provide him with a better tale of excitement and glory?’

For several moments, he turned his head from the city of Haven to the sandstorm ahead and back again, until he finally came to a decision. Lifting his foot from the brake, he continued his drive towards the sandstorm. Terds reasoned that if it truly was the main force of the feral mass, then there would be plenty of time to return and join the battle. Besides, Chauncey had that front covered, and he knew full well the procedures for whatever situation may arise.


______________________________

Chauncey backed up slightly into the alley as several civilians ran by. He poked his head back out onto the street, bolting to an alley on the other side once he was clear. The attack on the city came much sooner than Terds had anticipated so their plans had to move ahead without the desired planning and scouting. Chauncey didn’t mind it too much; it had its ups and downs. While it allowed the chaos that would cause a distraction for him to run freely from building to building, they wouldn’t have predetermined marks and just have to deal with whatever Chauncey could get in the time they had.

Sneaking into the first back window he came to on that side of the street, he scanned the room. Nothing of high priority apparent in the open so he quickly began pulling open the closest drawers with his mouth and sniffing through the contents. He found a several objects worth ‘tactically acquiring’ and tossed them in a sack he found in the first house he searched. The search was taking so long and there were still several targets on that street to be hit. Chauncey propped himself on the windowsill, ready to leave the same way he entered, until he heard something. It sounded like crying.
Last edited by Jericho Veronus on Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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May God have mercy on your soul, for you shall find none here!

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:31 pm

Joanna watched the ground as Sutekh slowed. Gazed ahead at the sandstorm: a fierce, menacing veil. Caught vague glimpses, bare outlines, of something that might have been a Pokemon through the storm. Large and slow, bipedal... a tail on one end? A Rhydon, maybe. Joanna wondered if she'd have seen it at all if Crux hadn't. Probably not, she thought, sandstorms are probably a daily phenomenon, for him. Just part of his territory.
She took a quick glance around her to be sure of where she'd land. Turned back to Crux and said "Regroup south of the storm if it doesn't fade out once we're done. Good luck."

Then she jumped off the Onix, landing lightly, feet steady. She lost sight of Crux as Sutekh sped up, faded away, vanished in the storm. Crouched down as soon as she was on the ground and started moving toward the storm, scanning all around her. Flat plains as far as the eye could see, the same hard-packed earth as the night before, still and lifeless but for the storm. No hills or trees to obscure vision or hide behind, here. No unexpected activity. Nothing from above or below. No ambush. The ferals hadn't spotted them yet. The sandstorm still raged ahead, still moving toward Haven, still unaware.

So Joanna set about changing that. Kept an eye on the outline of the Pokemon ahead and started sprinting southeast, moving with and toward the storm. She could see more vague outlines of various shapes and sizes the closer she got. They were fanned out across the plains, moving at a steady pace, conserving energy. Not fast, not slow. Just an eager, composed march. But a sloppy one. Unorganized. It was a short distance to sprint across and Joanna was still full of energy as she slowed, reaching into her pack. Came out with a Poke Ball and stared at it for a second, still astounded that something so small could house the titan within it. She turned the Poke Ball so it was facing away from her and tapped the small button in the center, releasing Aker.

First thing out of the Poke Ball wasn't Aker. Not exactly. It was a thread of energy, small and bright and pure. Like sunlight through a magnifying glass. It began to take form as it touched earth, materializing into the shape of a Torterra. Just an outline at first, blank white, pure energy. Then after a sudden, blinding flash, he was there, no coalescence, no other precursor. Just a giant, intimidating force of nature. Aker roared out as he was released, eager for a fight. The tree that stood on his shell shook with the force of the roar, razor-sharp leaves swaying. He stomped the ground, stretching. His legs looked like oversized tree trunks with three pointed boulders at the base. They shook the earth with each step he took.

"Break's over, Aker." Joanna smiled up at him as his small red eyes gleamed. "Ferals east of us, in the storm. No definite tally, but I caught sight of at least ten of them. There's a friendly amongst them, on an Onix. He operates well in the sand, so the storm stays. We're the bait." Aker nodded his understanding as she spoke, then turned his bulk to face the storm. Dug his feet into the ground, readying himself. Like a trained rifleman adopting a shooting stance. Or a tank adjusting its cannon. They were roughly twenty feet outside the storm, and the Rhydon was clearly visible, maybe twenty feet inside.

"Aker,
Solar Beam."

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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:09 am

Ingram stood at the edge of the river. At his left there stood the menacing Machamp, Ludavius, that had likely followed him at his master's command. At his right and on the head of one of the bridge gargoyles crouched Weavile, staring steadily out into the sandy abyss that was forming across the river. Ingram had no means by which to cross the blasted river, but he was considering all of his options - even swimming against the current.

Ingram cursed under his breath, wishing for nothing more than to figure out a way across the rapid river. At his right several blocks down, Ingram caught wind of a rainstorm brewing. No doubt this was one of the trainers making an attempt to stifle the sandstorm. They needed to get over to the other side, though, they couldn't do enough from here..

He looked at Ludavius and asked a question with a nearly rhetorical undertone.


"You wouldn't happen to have any ideas of how to cross this, would you?
"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 Jan 18, 2010 3:36 am

Shear crossed the mighty river slowly, his thoughts weighing him like an anchor, the growing tension on the air little more than a tickle to his senses. He was, thus, caught off guard by the two figures, one man, one Manly, standing before him as he exited the river.

"You wouldn't happen to have any ideas of how to cross this, would you?"

The Machamp was new to him, but the trainer was not, at least not entirely. Shear had heard the name Ingram throughout the town, and while he had never met the man, he had a presence not easily mistaken. This was a man on a mission, and from what Shear had been told, that oft makes it one worth taking.

"Whe-oop?" Shear asks, along with a gesture towards his shell as Razor lands next to him, likewise offering his back.
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 » Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:09 pm

Conquer your fear. Let it pass through you, for fear is the mindkiller. Let the storm wash over you, around you, through you. Let it take away all your imperfections, leaving a void within you that you may fill. Do not fear the sandstorm, for it is much apart of our life as we are to its ecosystem. Use it. Allow the storm to hide you from prying eyes while you gaze through it with clear sight. Let the storm hide your presence that you might descend upon your foes. Do not fear it son. Do not fear it.

"Conquer your fear..." Crux whispered, shutting his eyes for a brief second as he crossed the threshold into the ravenous storm. The sandstorm buffeted him, trying its best to dislodge him from the back of Sutekh. Crux adjusted for the swirling wind, allowing his eyes to open and take in all there was to see. Ferals surrounded him in jagged broken lines. They sensed the approach of an enemy, but did not grasp the true form of what they faced. Sutekh rose out of the ground like an angry god. Several broke, true fear gripping them as Sutekh roared in all his fury. Crux shut his eyes again, feeling the roar in his very bones, such was the intensity of the mighty roar. The sandstone Onix with eyes of diamond plummeted into the earth.

Crux opened his eyes, running across the disappearing rocks of the Onix's hide before leaping off into oblivion.
His sword snaked from it's sheath, finding a temporary home in the flesh of a Sandslash before that too was separated into two distinct pieces. With slow deliberate moves Crux took in the foes around him. Seven he could see, three he could not. The dance began when the Marowak to his left threw its mighty Bonemerang as the Graveler to his right charged. Crux Vaulted over the form of the Graveler, Bringing his blade crashing down and around the form of another Sandslash. The solid impact of bone on rock rang out before the feral Graveler gave voice to it's pain. With his free hand, Crux spun the limp Sandslash behind him, slipping between his foes like a Desert Wraith.

The Sandstorm raged.
If one had their eyes upon it, flashes of Diamond could be seen at one side. The roars of Sutekh broke through the whirling sandstorm. At another side, emerald flashes punctuated the blinding sand, no true form seen, just the tell-tale flash of green. At the center, gems of fire burned. Ruby flashes snaked across the field of vision, each roar of Sutekh answered in kind by creatures that could not be seen from without the sandstorm...and scarcely comprehended from within.
Their roar was answered by a distinct call.
A Tyranitar raged in the sandstorm.
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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