[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Actually Shiva is mounted on Dunseraph. Skarmory has two Marcomons.

"Below this Layer are the hostile caverns themselves, where the earth is alive with Earthpower and can make judgments of its own. Only by exceeding these depths will we reach the King's true domain."

The sagely monk frowned thoughtfully and with great grim reservation at his technoarcanist master of a partner's assessment of the dangers ahead, his already chiseled features turning from stony to Steely, like a Mega Aggron's pecks. Already thoroughly aquianted with how fraught with perilous DOOM the Skull Ruins were, he developed a healthy respect and wariness with every minute aspect of it, so Cosh's brief warnings only strengthened those feelings and jump-started him thinking of how he'd get himself and everyone else through the trials ahead. 

He was neither Intimidated nor afraid by it all, though. Despite all the danger, past, present, and future, he remained uncowed by it all, for he was not only confidant that his own Strength, training, and conviction would prevail and conquer the Skull Ruins, but that too would prove true for his friends. After all they've faced, suffered, and endured, together and not, he was certain of that. Simple as that.

The fact that the group just recently beat back and scared off a Genesect, and most of his friends had 'beaten' a full fledged Legend in Siekamater in the past and accomplished a whole bunch of other heroic feats, also lent a certain comfortable weight to his beliefs. Hard to be too scared or shaken up after dealing with all that, and quite handily too, or at least that what he thinks!

Terra would have said something back to Cosh and everyone else, once he was done with his brief ruminations.....

Spoiler

In a flash, Skarmory has FLOWN Feraligatr and Luxray to the safety of an island. Feraligatr quickly slips into the water and begins a patrol, as he's been trained. Luxray prepares an electric attack.


(...)

Cosh is frowning and preparing a Fissure, but he's just not close enough for that yet. He leaps off of his spiderweb and goes plummeting downward, rotating his gauntlet as he goes.

(...)

Terra also tosses a Pokeball as soon as he's close enough, but it just bounces off and doesn't even distract the monster. (You can pick it up later.)

The steam bath is finished charging!

Steam Eruption 1A on Angie's group
(5)(1)(2)(4)(3)(5) (5)(1)(6)(2) 4 successes
Angie's evasion: (4)(1)(4)(4)(2)(6) (6)(5)(4) Successfully dodged! You can feel the intense heat of the blast as it passes through Angie's coils.

(...)

Steam Eruption 2 on Angie again
(1)(5)(1)(3)(4)(1) (2)(2)(5)
This time it hits, but Arete is ready to absorb as much of it as possible. And Angie is providing some cover to her riders.
Arete heals 1 hp and absorbs two dice. That leaves 4 dice. Angie reduces 1 of 'em.
(6) Angie takes 1 dmg
(1)(5)(6)(2) Shiva, Terra, Glaceon take 2 dmg
CD: (4)(6)(5)
Shiva, Terra, and Glaceon were burned

(...)

Psywave 4
(2)(6)(3)(3)(5)(6) (2)(2)
(2)(4)(5)(5)(4)(6) Volcanion A is slammed into the sand and shatters. An immense amount of steam leaks out, obscuring vision. -1 accuracy for the party.
Solosis gains 1 happiness at the destruction.

(...)

The island gleams, and is suddenly and briefly covered in a layer of rimefrost. It melts away from the steamy machines, but even as it does, the rock is shifting and reshaping into the appearance of a Primal Eeevee's den. Volcanion is caught in the transformation and takes some damage, and Primal Glaceon gains +1 in all stats. Since you are now nearing the bottom of your descent, Glaceon hops off, heedless of the danger, and tries to enter the Ancient Power den.

(...)

Cosh has finally finished rocketing to the bottom. He does a three point landing, Gauntlet striking first. A Fissure splits the island in half, pitching Volcanion forward into it.

Fissure 2
(4)(2)(5)(6)
Volcanion shatters.

Everyone's share of XP is 8 to split among their Pokemon.

I need to know if Shiva lets Glaceon enter the little den, and I need to know where you are flying to now.

Spoiler

(...)

From your vantage point on one of the more central islands, just across from the Volcanion sentry islands, you feel surrounded by the collected watery shipwrecks. In toward the more central islands you can see that recipient tube which captures the waterfall; lots of metal items around it too. There's kind of a moat separating each ring of islands. 

After a few seconds of being on the ground, a second colossal red tube rotates into place, swirling all the water and spraying a huge fountain into the air. Between that movement and the constant heat, this water stays clean and fresh. Then the second tube sinks away again, leaving only the recipient tube and a lot of agitated water.

....But then the steaming red metal beast things made their presence and intent known, derailing any attempt of conversation in line of devoting all his not so considerable brainpower and focus in keeping him, Shiva, and the rest of their partners unscathed from their upcoming scathing, torrential assault! 

Don't you just hate it when someone interrupts you out of the blue? Terra normally wouldn't have minded, being the stoic but gentle soul that he is, but when said interruptions involves being blasted out of the air and possibly dying because of that, he found he quite did. Extremely so, as a matter of fact. 

Terribly rude, those ancient crimson behemoths were being. He'd have to teach them a lesson in manners, once Angie safely transported him and Shiva to the archipelago below.

Fortunately, Nathan, Shiva, Heart, and Cosh managed to do just that and more by demolishing those things, saving him the trouble of doing so himself!

Less fortunately were some of the events that happened between that and then.

He nearly had a heart attack when his archmage of a partner jumped straight down from a terminal height, prompting him to shout with wide eyes "COSH!!!" , before his supreme seraphic serpent's Evasion maneuver to avoid those things scalding blasts forced him to hunker down and pay attention to them. Still, he couldn't help but think 'Why?!' as he watched his partner rapidly plummet to the island below....

His Pokeball failing to make any difference also annoyed/alarmed him, but was promptly distracted when another boiling cascade nailed everyone, causing him to scowl and grimace briefly as it blistered his skin and turned it a throbbing, Painful shade of red. Yeouch! Luckily, Arete and Angie together had managed to blunt the worst of the Damage, and they and Shiva + her Primal Glaceon remained relatively unscathed (As Angie's Dragon Typing would have reduced the Damage she received to 0!), so it was not nearly horrible as it could have been! He'll definitely would be treating his and Shiva's Burns with 1 Burn Heal each once they made their way onto the island, though!

Speaking of which, when PG's Ancient Power made what looked to be a den on the island, the mountain of a man couldn't help but find himself intrigued/somewhat mystified by that in spite of the chaos of the current Fight, but that quickly changed to surprise/alarm when the boldly dives off Angie and tries to make his way there! 

Okay, what was with not one, but two people pulling a stunt like THAT? Had they lost some of their self preservation instinct, or something? Regardless, they were doing a pretty good job of giving him a scare, when the Skull Ruins had mostly failed to do that so far!

Thankfully both of them came out seemingly unharmed from their respective leap of faiths, with the later managing to even pull of a decisive and impressive FISSURE that totaled the last remaining steaming red beast things, causing him to heave a great BIG *SIGH....* of relief. 

'Good, good. Red Steam Beast Machines are destroyed. Everyone fine.....mostly. Need to check on Cosh, though, just in case. Shiva can look after her Primal Glaceon herself, and Heart can get Gustav to heal Quetzal soon, so will not worry about them......now.'

He proceeded to do just that - After first healing his/Shiva's Burns and asking "You okay now, Shiva?", of course - motioning for his 'little' girl to bring him closer to the side of the now bisected isle his powerful punching partner was on before he gently and carefully let himself down onto it. Delaying only briefly to give Angie a thankful pat and smile of his own for helping keeping him/Shiva safe (to which she returned with a pleased *SSSSzzzzz!* , as she was always glad and willing to help her papa!), he marched on over to them and place a hand on their shoulder, looking at them with unvarnished concern.

"Cosh? You okay? Fell from great height and landed hard...."

*Briefly gives them a pointed look that displayed what he thought of THAT, before it melted back into concern*

".....So am worried you.....hurt yourself or broke something. Did you?"

It should be noted that Terra is still cradling Arete with one arm across his chest while he was doing this, gently as they could. How Cosh/the living wish come true react to this, I leave to you Iron. Also, he goes and retrieves his Pokeball too, at some point before moving on with the rest of the group!

As for where everyone was flying/FLYing to next, Terra would ask Cosh and Nathan where they think they should head to next. He himself is interested in investigating that red tube drinking up the waterfall , as well as the the metallic stuff surrounding it + the islands in general (And would say as much), but he doesn't want to do so unless they agree it's a good idea and/or give him the go ahead. Charging forward in any part of unknown and hostile territory without ample consideration and/or backup first was a rather bad idea, as was typically the case, but especially so here in the Skull Ruins.