(06-19-2025, 10:53 PM)Lord Windos Wrote:

Spoiler

All your Decisions  made, unanimously in Denial of ITS D e a l  , caused the B e i n g  to go quiet for the longest time. Despite that, though, it felt like it all past in an instant as IT once more turned its ATTENTION upon you all.

Y o u r  C h o i c e

O n e  a n d  A l l

D e n y  m y  D e a l

S t a n d  b y  t h i n e  o w n  M i g h t

B e a r  t h e  b u r d e n   o f  L o s t  L i v e s

W a l k  t h e  H a r d  P a t h

N o  m a t t e r  t h e  c o n s e q u e n c e s

N o  m a t t e r  t h e  e n d

. . .

A r e  y o u  c e r t a i n  t h i s  i s  w h a t  y o u  W i s h

T r u e ,  D e a r,  a n d  P u r e ?

Your collective silence, your joint rejection, your Will to Carry On is felt by IT and between you all.

. . . V e r y  w e l l

I  a c c e p t  y o u r  c h o i c e

W i t h o u t  G r u d g e  o r  C o m p l a i n t

F o r  w h i l e  s o m e  m a y  c l a i m

Y o u r  W i l l s  b e  s t u b b o r n l y  c r u e l

W e  a l l  k n o w

H o w  b i g  t h e  S c a r i f i c e s  y o u  m a d e

H o w  l   o   n   g  t h e  S t e p s  y o u  m a k e

F o r  y o u r , y o u r  o w n

F o r  F u t u r e ' s  s a k e

T o  p r o v e  , b y  h o o k  a n d  c r o o k

T o  r e a l i z e , b y  h a r r o w  a n d  c u t

T h a t  a l w a y s

W h e n  i t  m a t t e r s  m o s t

Y O U R  W I L L  S H A L L  B E  D O N E

Silence

Then -

Information, pouring into all of yours heads

A sense of balance filling you, clearing away all stress and trauma

Power Hidden, unlocked from deep within

I f  y o u  a r e  t o  S t a n d 

W i t h  e a c h  o t h e r

'G a i n s t  D e m o n  o f  T w i s t e d  H a t e

W h a t  l i t t l e  w i t h o u t  b a r g a i n

I  b e q e u t h  u n t o  y o u

S e n d  y e  o n  y o u r  w a y

F o r  s u c h  W o r t h y

C o m m e n d a b l e

F r e e

E x t r a o r d i n a r y 

B r a v e

S o u l s  l i k e  y o u

T h a t  s h i n e  b r i g h t  a s  s t a r s.

F a r e  t h e e  W e l l

H o p e  y o u  P r e v a i l

*M A Y  F O R T U N E  E V E R  B E  I N  Y O U R   F A V O R*

***FLASH***

- And you all on the outskirts of the Staging Zone. You, your allies (all looking very confused and a little unnerved at just Teleporting all of the sudden), and your Pokemon....

As well as the Masked Wolf, still injured and pass out, but otherwise unaltered.

The pillar W h i t e  L i g h t that pierced the very Heavens was still visible from where you stood, but slowly it narrowed and slimmed, until it vanished into the aether.

...Yet it presence was still made manifest....

For soon a gentle ephemeral Snow started to drift from the sky, all of which was painted with pink-blue borealis.

Divine Diamond Dust is in effect: + 4 Defense and - 2 Damage to Ice, Water, Psychic, Fairy, Normal, and 'Pure' and 'Spiritual' Types of Pokemon. Increase Effectiveness of above kinds + 'Wind' of Moves. Mental Debuff Resistance Added to ALL, scaling off Will. Triggers Hail/Snow Abilities, and activates/enhances Hail/Snow Moves.

Everyone's Stress and Mental Imbalances have been Eliminated - this includes shock and any lingering effects of CHAOS. Negative feelings still exist, but they are blunted, as if you had time to cool off and reflect.

Oz, Bernhard, Seddi, and Akamu have gained Knowledge about some of the STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of the HATEFUL Sandlossugeist - more about it in the Meta Thread to come.

Akamu, Seddi, Bernhard, and Oz all have gained Hidden Power the Move; in addition, they receive + 1 Channel (if they didn't have it) and unlock that Specialty at a cap of 2, while those with Channel already Unlocked instead receive + 1 Empathy or Lore (Whichever is lower)

All that Met FAYETTE gain the Trait Harmonious Touch of The Shepard - Psychic, Fairy, Normal, Ice, and 'Spiritual/Pure' Pokemon and beings will Take Greater Note of you; all else ???

....Once you are done admiring/studying the sky and what you gained, you finally take note what is happening back at camp in the vicinity:

Something attacked it recently, judging by the damages seen and the....occasional body or viscera you see

The BLs are also nowhere to be found: apparently they didn't get caught up in GSG trap/space warping CHAOS blasphemy and subsequently were not included in the Fight & Teleportation. Hoo boy...hope they get back safely.

The Priestess is currently tending to Lopzu, and pensive expression on her face. The later is out until further notice, and quite possibly is a dead woman standing. The former says she could Restore the ragged warrior, but it would greatly exhaust her Power to do so - though the special Soothe Bell that Oz has could potentially cut the costs for doing so to a degree. The question is if you want the Sentinel's help over saving the Fate-Defying/Redefining Powers the Mysterious Priestess has demonstrated for the Big One...

Citrine takes one look at the mess, a tired and haggard expression on their face, before turning to everyone and holding up his broken Gauntlet to all and says: "I'm done. Without my Gauntlet any further contributions of mine will be minimal at best, disasterous at worst. And, frankly, I've more than done my part in handling this crisis. I'll stick around the camp and offer what aid I can, though - I am not heartless, and that much is not beyond me now."

" *Looks to Bern* Consider the debt between us Fulfilled, Master Bernhard - I am open to further deals and any assistance you wish to provide me in the future. You've amply proven your considerable reputation tonight, and I would be honored if we could continue to support one another. *Sighs* Just - and please forgive me for saying this - please don't call for my aid in matters of similar caliber to this one. At least not without me advancing my own Understanding and Mastery of the arcane arts and suitable compensation..."

The Scimitar gives everyone a bow of respect, then departs, making their way further into the camp.

'James' , 'John' and his BBs, and the Chief Officer and his Squad are still willing to help, but only 'John' remains unshaken by the shit they've been put through. In fact he's positively RARING to get at the terrible monstrosity after the shit he's pulled. His goons are less thrilled, but in the end they get over their fears and rally behind him. You can almost hear the beat of the Brotherhood they share.

'James' is less gung-ho, but he ends up calming himself down after taking a fat cigar out from his inner coat pocket and lighting it up. He would explain that he still has plenty of ammo, but he's out of White Inferno Grenades (and politely requests you don't make much a fuss of it with the cops) ; he's got a few more 'basic' kinds and another 'big' one, but doesn't want to bring them out unless shit (once more) hits the fan.

The regular officers are ordered by their Chief to rush out and help stabilize the situation at the camp, both of which do so with great haste and without complaint. Partly out of a their impeccable sense of duty, partially because they don't want to be in over their head dealing with the craziest stuff anymore. The Chief remains, simply giving a nod of his head and crossing his arms.


Upon beating feet to investigate what happened, you quickly discover the cause: The Cruel Sand Whale launched a MASSIVE assault while you guys where away. Apparently it was quietly amassing forces greater than initial scouting and estimates got and used them to try and zerg rush the defenders in wave after wave of Cursed, Tortured Palossands and its own brutal Ambushes. Roughly 12 Trainers and Non-combatants died, though Fortunately none of them got sent to its Boss.

Why? Because the Old Sailor Lady directly engaged and beat its blubbery arse so badly it was forced to retreat, though not without severe injuries sustained for herself. Asking around would say she's currently receiving treatment and bedrest in a tent near the back of the Staging Zone - anyone interested is free to visit her, if you so wish. Latest reports on the Cruel Land Whale state they left with only 5 TCPs, though those were the meanest and sternest of the bunch (Base Line Stats, Even Nastier Effects with Moves), while its Leader, BIGER than estimated, looked as if the were put through a meat grinder (Severely wounded).

Vernax and the Supply Depot remained safe and sound - though the immediate area outside was an utter, ruinous disaster of epic proportions. Seems like the Sand Whale was deliberately seeking this spot out, whether it noticed this as a place of important of something else drawing its monstrous, opportunistic interest....

About the only good news was that it the last remaining Leader hadn't budged from their own Territory (though the Sand Storm seemed to become more erratic...), while the HATEFUL Sandlossugeist had halted its baleful march after getting BLASTED by a BIG ray(?) of W H I T E  L I G H T that seemingly appeared out of VOID IT conjured in front of IT for some reason, letting out a wailing scream that heartened many. Looks like the monster bite off more than it could chew when it tried to Directly intervene in Oz' and Akamu's Fight with its Eldritch Creation....

....And that is all.  Do as you may, be it going directly to the Super Boss, dealing with the last of its Leaders, simply going around the camp helping out or trying to drum up what little support it can give now, or whatever you think is best.

Your valiant actions have bought precious time - make the best of it.

(06-20-2025, 04:58 AM)Redstone Wrote: .............?

The first thing that he'll try after being deposited back at base is quickly reach out to *her*, feeling the impulse to check in after what they both just witnessed.

He'd turn to his pokemon, a proud and inquisitive tone in his voice, intending to motivate.

''Amazing performance already, keep this up and we will stand up against the greater threat for sure!''

He'd nod at Berns reveal, giving the Magi a thoughtful look.

''Honestly..... I would have been more surprised if you wanted to keep fighting in this state. I do not blame you for wanting to sit out the rest of this, its always better to retreat then end up dead.''

He'll also look at the others, interested if they would continue the fight.

John and the Officers continued will to fight is appreciated, though he does worry for the fate of the BLs, maybe a stop by the now empty location could be arranged on the way to the boss?

(06-20-2025, 05:20 AM)Lord Windos Wrote: You are almost bowled over by the *RELIEF* that slammed into you, nearly causing you to trip and stumble as your full Connection with your Patron was Re-Established. Yes, She is Happy that you got back from THERE safetly, Yes, she is relieved and grateful you didn't end up D e a l i n g  with FAYETTE , and YES, she is practically fretting over you like a mistress that just reunited with a young ward of theres. You had a feeling that were you not surrounded by other, more Spiritually attuned and Insightful people, She would demand and audience and probably want to get you out of this mess, so badly SPOOKED by your most UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER with that.... B e i n g .

It wouldn't be hard to convince Her for you to Continue Fighting the Good Fight through your Connection, though She'd be rather stressed about it all the same. 

All your Mons were mysteriously Auto-Recalled when you reappeared - save Gloomtail, who looked and felt [V E R Y  S C A R E D ]  after everyone's ENCOUNTER with THEM , pacing around further back and twitching/jumping at every odd sound. You didn't see them in the MEETING, but that doesn't necessarily mean they weren't a part of it somehow....

Wow. Your Patron....She has gotten really invested in you. Hell, you're confidant she actually CARES, *just* a little. Which....isn't necessarily a good thing , mind you - Haunting Tales of the Laughing-Cruel One's Favor she had towards those that caught her eye are well known legends of tragedy, drama, or the wackiest rom-com imaginable spring to mind - but at least this means your Patron no longer considers you a 'mere' Disciple of Hers? Something to explore later....

The BLs were left in a location well off from the Super Boss; a direct path to IT is available from the former CHAOS Zone, but going their would be quite a diversion without much to be gained on the PCs side and only serve to give time to the remaining baddies to rest and Plan without harassment.

(06-20-2025, 01:18 PM)Redstone Wrote: And try to convince her to let him keep fighting he would, after all his team only really recived a scratch so far. It really would be the more ~~interesting~~ option, wouldn't it = ) ?.



He'd promise to run if things got too bad, after everything else he survived and with his friends this wouldn't be the end of him. Dealing with her newfound care for him would prove to be interesting.


He did feel bad for Gloomtail. If even *she* was scared of that being he could only imagine what he must have felt. Walking over to the dragon and placing a hand on his leg. (if only he had aromatherapy lol)

''You're safe now...., I'm sorry you had to see that. A presence like that is not easily handelled but its over now. Do say, would you still be willing to keep on fighting after this? Your skills are still greatly appreciated''

Cosmic would be returned to Ross, a shame he couldn't be of too much use but it could also be a good sign that his services weren't needed. ''Guess you won't see Ecclesia in action after all, maybe we can arrange something some other time.''

With saying his goodbyes to one dragon there comes a positive though, withdrawing Lani so she could be present at the main event.

(06-20-2025, 06:55 PM)Spiritmon Wrote: (I will try to be brief with Oz actions for better pacing of the story)

When Oz returned to the field, and saw the level of destruction around her, her heart sank for a second. She was agap. Her heart was in deep despair, since if she and the others were inside that light…then that means…

!

“SISTERS!” She flies at high speed, using the ability of flying in her new form and shouting, desperation in her voice. “FORTUNA! GLINDA! PERSEPHONE!” She shouted, desperation in her voice. “BETHY! MEZA! DITE! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

How could she forget?! They were inside that meeting with Fayette, while time was going forward. She feared the worst would happen to her sisters. She did not forget the situation of Lopzu, and not taking too many seconds, she grabbed the Soothe she carried with her, and gave it to the Priestess. “Please, use this to heal Lopzu! It’s precious, but life is even more precious!”

She then wasted no time but to search for her Coven. She must make sure they are safe. She will fly around and shout for them, using her connection with Glinda to make sure they are safe. While worrying deeping in her mind. Most of them was outside of their Pokeballs while the battle against Sand-goth was happening, so that's why she is worried.

Quote:Bernhard and Nox: 3 + 2 + 26 + 10 = '41' ; 20 XP (shared) for Bern and Nox, split remaining 21 XP between Bern and Nox however you wish (pool). Zephy gets 7 XP from your shared bond.

Quote:Citrine takes one look at the mess, a tired and haggard expression on their face, before turning to everyone and holding up his broken Gauntlet to all and says: "I'm done. Without my Gauntlet any further contributions of mine will be minimal at best, disasterous at worst. And, frankly, I've more than done my part in handling this crisis. I'll stick around the camp and offer what aid I can, though - I am not heartless, and that much is not beyond me now."

" *Looks to Bern* Consider the debt between us Fulfilled, Master Bernhard - I am open to further deals and any assistance you wish to provide me in the future. You've amply proven your considerable reputation tonight, and I would be honored if we could continue to support one another. *Sighs* Just - and please forgive me for saying this - please don't call for my aid in matters of similar caliber to this one. At least not without me advancing my own Understanding and Mastery of the arcane arts and suitable compensation..."

The Scimitar gives everyone a bow of respect, then departs, making their way further into the camp.