[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

He takes it all straight on without flinching.  "I'm trying to help you, Ventus.  I'm using what you told me before and what I know of both Creshire and Unova to make the best informed decisions that I can.  I'd also rather not stumble around in the dark blindly, which is a sentiment the Scimitars probably share.  Swiftfire is a far better option for that second part than Starmie is in this case, but I'll recall her in a moment since everyone seems to want to be mostly blind.  And frankly, I don't feel comfortable giving the drive to you if you're going to lose control of yourself in such a tense situation."

He stares straight back at Ventus and whispers back to him.  "I'm scared and worried beyond belief right now, you know.  Partially because of the situation we're in now, but also because of YOU.  Get a hold of yourself, or we're not going to make it through this.  You can vent your frustrations later."

He backs away from Ventus and looks at Shiva.  "In case you've forgotten, I have Grid if we encounter water pokemon.  And in case you also forgot something else, Scimitars prefer using Psychic and Steel type pokemon according to Valder.
With that, he turns towards the tunnels and starts walking down the path with the skulls along with Kirlia, saying one more thing to those behind him.  "And by the way, Ventus, they're not Charizard skulls, so they're not likely to be historically significant."  And then he recalls Swiftfire, plunging everything into blackness again.

Ventus was silent for a moment, taking in everything that the young, inexperienced trainer said, before he just shook his head and let out a tired, tired sigh, and grabbed Shiva's hand once more to prevent her from taking off after Nathan. "Fine. You can choose to be reckless, to ignore my advice and to walk away without so much as acknowledging most of the main points of my arguement, to not return what rightfully belongs. As a rational, thinking being, that is your right, and I will respect it. However, I will not allow either myself, Shiva, nor Valder to follow after you in that case. If you wish to act on your own initiative first, rather than discuss it with the rest of us or, at the very least, warn us first so that we can prepare, by all means do so, but you will be doing it alone. I will not follow after a fool that does not fully listen to the advice of someone experienced in tense, dangerous, and potentially life threatening mission such as the one we are on, and I can't in good conscious allow the others in our group to do so instead. Be the fearless, stalwart Leader if that is the role you inspire to fill, but I will not follow after you. Call me stubborn, resentful, over emotional, heartless, and/or irrational, but I am willing to take the other the other way and leave you to your own device down here, if you choose not to work as a member of this group and think before you act. Its you choice, in the end, and I will not make it for you," the empath said in the flattest, coolest tone of voice imaginable. He will not abide by fools, especially when they have proved themselves to not be one otherwise.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

This time, it wasn't Ventus who was walking off from them. This time, there were no Deyo Flowers to reason it.
This time, it was Nathan who insisted to do his own thing rather than follow them.



... Well, FINE. It's not like this was a place to act as the Leader, it was not like Nathan hadn't forced this onto himself. However, it was something Shiva would have LEAST OF ALL expected from him. He was...a strong battler, but why was he so stubborn down here when he must - hopefully - know that they should stick together? WHY?

When Ventus held her back, it wasn't even important how he found her hand there in the darkness, he luckily was unable to see that she was actually close to tears. This...was not going as planned at all...

They should not have headed to the Base right away.
They should have taken their time.
Maybe, if they had, things would be different now.
Should...


However, being there with Ven and Valder now, she was starting to feel just a little more secure. Call it ironic, but it was the truth. She trusted thay THEY would work together as best as possible.

Sticking close to Ventus now and wrapping back her arm around one of his arms, even a little closer than before to both comfort him and herself over what the hell just happened, she didn't say a single word. But even if it was dark, Ven, being the empath that he was, would understand that gloom, despair and fear from her. But this was actually no place for such emotions, so she took as much effort as possible to not let them win.

Now that they were down here, they had to be strong. Even stronger when they were tackling things with one person less.

After some minutes of silence (well, hopefully silence), the only words she spoke out were: "He still...has that Burn Drive..."

[Lord Windos]

Ventus, feeling like his own heart was pumping cold, cold lead, silently enveloped into a gentle hug and attempted to soothe her own ailing feelings instead of his own. The first thing that needs to be addressed is something much more important to him right now: making the woman in his arms feel better.

'My friend Shiva wellbeing comes first and foremost, and then my own. I am quite used to experiencing negativity saturating my entire being, so I can tolerate feeling like a terrible, horrible friend and protector for now. I can endure my sorrows, but this dear friend of my can not alone,' the empath thought, patting her back and mummuring for her to let all her tears out, even if it leaves his sweater a damp mess.

He stayed with like this until she had calmed down enough to speak to him about the Burn Drive, and responded in the kindest, gentliest voice imaginable. "He can have it, if that is what he wishes. Its not worth as much in his hand rather than my own, so I doubt he can get into much trouble with it. Well, anymore than the havoc he causes himself. Stay calm, my friend. We can get thorough this Scimitar base together with Valder, with or without Nathan assistance if he choose to go alone. We are a team, now and forever..."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

It took a little, but soon enough things were better, Ven's emotional support surely helped. Good and calm enough to concentrate on what they are actually down here: These Water Scimitars. And possibly Silverfish.

Whipping off some last gloom, she gave him a thankful and heartfelt smile - which he cannot see, lol - before: "Fine... So be it then, I believe. With him walking down the one path I had in mind, what now? You and Valder want to head down the other path then? I'll leave the decision to you."


(In case, what has happenend to that rustling on that path, Iron? Still there? Gone? ...Increased?)

[Dragonstrike]

Nathan sends out Swiftfire again to reveal where he's currently standing.  He hadn't actually walked down the tunnel at all and had been listening.  "Yeah, I still have the key.  What, you thought I was going to leave you guys down here?  That's madness."  He looks...morose.  Kinda like at the start of the return trip to Wineberry...

"I don't need to know everything about the Unovan League to believe that they will repeat the same thing they did before if they find out where Genesect is again, Shiva.  It's an artificial pokemon that was designed to be one of the strongest creatures in existence.  They're going to want to lock it up or worse if they capture it, guaranteed.  Just look at what happened to Mewtwo.

"And I don't know why my decisions are so surprising to you, Ventus.  I assume you saw the statue move back into place back when you first tried opening the passage. (I double checked.  Yes, it moved back into place on its own the first time)  And if even just Creshire were to find out about Genesect's presence, the region would be a madhouse.  Wineberry is completely enamored just by the idea that it exists.  You'll never get to see it again if that happens, not in the same way as before, and that's assuming Creshire's League doesn't contact Unova's.  I'm not trying to use that or the rangers against, you, I'm trying to help you avoid that situation.  And that required immediate action to minimize the risk.  If we'd left the key upstairs or someone had stumbled upon the entrance while it was still open, we would have lost almost all opportunities to pursue this instantly.  I've been thinking about how we were going to do this since we gained the option to do it.  You know first hand how carefully I craft my strategies, so please trust that I know what I'm doing here.

"You can disagree with what I think, but I'm staying firm on the decisions and points I just made because I've spent anywhere from days to a full week thinking about them.  If you want the damn key so badly though, take it.  Not like it matters who has it if we're sticking together, and the only purpose it serves as far as we know is access to this facility."  He slides the Burn Drive Replica along the floor and over to the others from where he's standing, not really caring who picks it up.

"Now, are we going down this path, or not?  Time's a ticking, like you guys said."  He recalls Swiftfire once more, once again plunging the area into darkness.  Yeesh, she wasn't going to be happy with him if he kept doing that...better keep it to a minimum from now on...

[Lord Windos]

It took a little, but soon enough things were better, Ven's emotional support surely helped. Good and calm enough to concentrate on what they are actually down here: These Water Scimitars. And possibly Silverfish.

Whipping off some last gloom, she gave him a thankful and heartfelt smile - which he cannot see, lol - before: "Fine... So be it then, I believe. With him walking down the one path I had in mind, what now? You and Valder want to head down the other path then? I'll leave the decision to you."


(In case, what has happenend to that rustling on that path, Iron? Still there? Gone? ...Increased?)

"I honestly didn't care about which path we went down first, as we would have eventually explored this whole Kyurem damn to fully investigate and root out all these vile Scimitars. Since Nathan is choosing to behave....independently, though, let him go the path marked by the Skulls, while we go follow the path of Noise. Even if we are not all working together now and doing the worst possible thing in here, splitting up, at the very least it will make conducting this search and destroy mission of ours much more expedient. Valder, come with us now. I have $500 Poke with your name on it if you need anymore incentive, but I hope that is not the case," Ventus responded, just about to lead Shiva and the rest of the group down the other way...before Nathan interrupted them with another speech. The researcher listen very, very carefully once more, his mind racing as he reviewed everything Nate said and comparing it with his own knowledge of this entire big picture and all its finer details, before he slightly picked up the Burn Drive on the ground (Which was helped by Swiftfire's light, as reluctant as he was to acknowledge that fact), and walked forward to be in front of the young trainer once more, looking quite a bit weary himself from this whole meltdown between them.

"Your descisions surprise me not because of what I don't know or forgot about, but because you acted so boldly twice- once with the button and another time with Swiftfire- without telling us and discussing you designs. Even a warning would have sufficed, as that would show us at least you had the foresight to tell us so that we could prepare ourselves for the outcome, whatever it may be. You have these plans of yours, my friend, but they do us no good if you don't inform us about them. It not that I doubt your intelligence in formulating plans, or think you are totally ignorant in a situation like this, but your recent actions have proved remarkably uninsightful to the both of us," the empath says, before he launched into the next part of his speech before Nathan had that chance to speak out about it.

" However, I can fully understand why you choose to close the entrance so soon now, as I honestly don't want Silverfish to fall into EITHER government's hands, and just want to set them free from the Scimitars if they have overpowered and captured them to use in their own nefarious ends. At the very least, I want to find out whether or not Silverfish has been involved with those wizards or their schemes, and take measures to ensure that all their efforts amount to naught. We are both share the same mind on this matter. I just wish you had phrased your words better, as to both me and Shiva it seemed like you were attacking me with them. I...apologize for lashing out at you for this misunderstanding, but that does not invalidate the meaning my words have towards you. I hope you keep what I said in mind before you carelessly bring up either Genesect of the Rangers up again, as neither of us need to fight over the Legendary's wellbeing or SHOULD, for that matter. Just...for now on, please just explain you plans to us first, and/or clarify the details/intent of your actions whenever possible, so that we are not constantly at each other's throats. *Sigh* For now, let's just try to stick together and not kill each other before the enemy gets the chance to..."

With that said, Ventus just grumbled to himself on how 'Nathan and I get into the most awful of fights....' , before he turned his attention toward Shiva and told her: "While I dislike Nathan's prior actions up until this point, we shouldn't abandon him now of all times. He may have acted foolishly and said some....hurtful things, he did so with our best intention at heart, even if it doesn't seem that way to us at first or perhaps even now. Let's give him another chance, and proceed along the Skull Path together for now. If he does something reckless that could potentially threaten the group again without prior warning, though, we will turn around and leave him to his own device. Alright?" he said, awaiting her response. When she hesitately agreed to their reason, he patted her on the head reassuringly in an attempt to calm her down, and then turned to Nate yet again and told them: "Alright, its settled. Let us ALL go down the path mark by Skulls, and hopefully make it through sound in body and mind...."

(@Dragonstrike and @Iron : Post edited A LOT. Just wanted to alert you!)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

.Alright... Nathan is all free to stay stubborn in his choices. He had his reasons, and the facts spoke for itself, but this didn't dimish the fact that Shiva was...disappointed by him. He proved himself to be a reasonable and responsible person, then why the hell did he acted like he knew things better?! He may have knowledge and skill in making plans for missions like these or an important battle, but that was no excuse to act as the blatant Leader and put them all and the mission into danger by his actions.

They were down here and in this together. They should damn well work together, then.

Plus, Shiva nevertheless felt personally offended by him seemingly knowing better of the Unovian League and what they will likely do with a Genesect if they found out there were one down here. Besides, who said that the League would get involved? What made him think that they and the Rangers will hear about things? She also felt like he was thinking too much into the future and Genesect itself instead of concentrating on the current situation and planning accordingly. He said he has planned out his strategy and what to down down here for days - almost a week - but that DOES NOT give him the right to act to his own will and leaving the others in the dark behind.

Speaking of the dark, it felt way more securely to not have Swiftfire out. Right, the Scimitars will likely not head down the corridors in all dark, but bringing out such a light source like a fierely horse was just too alerting and counterproductive. Least thing she wanted, Ventus already said it, was putting the inhabitants of this base on edge and allure harm and danger by that.

As soon as Ventus had finished his speech, Shiva only had a few words for Nathan. There was still an resentful undertone in her being, but she was all willing to grant him the second chance and not abandon him just now. "Fine... I hope now you understand and involve or at least warn us before you do something that affects all of us. Please stick close to us in the dark from now on."

Having him back and the matters cleared to a point where they can finally proceed was calming, indeed. However, Shiva herself felt somewhat more secure to stay close to Ven and Valder.

[Nylon]

"There might be a good way to choose which path to go" Valder said, not realizing he was talking out of the blue. "I could send Ghastly in advance, he can hide in the wall and/or stay in the shadows to see what's up ahead while being safe. And then. When he comes back we'll ask him simple yes or no questions to choose which way would be the better".

 Valder was cool on the outside, but on the inside, he was anxious and hopefull. He was definetely going to keep an eye out for any prisoners!

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

When Valder expressed his thoughts about sending his Ghastly ahead, Shiva only stared at him. Or rather into the direction his voice came from since it was rather dark here. It was a little scary how well he blended into the darkness, but luckily Valder was on their side.

"That's... actually a  great idea, Valder! Ghastly should have no problems with the dark and out of the risk of being noticed right away by someone who shouldn't know. Can you please keep him outside and send him down the path with these skulls, looking out for anything we should know of before we head down the path?"

[Iron]

Brilliant, Valder. 1XP to you and to Ghastly.

When Ghastly moves down the path, he's nothing but a pair of eyes in the darkness. When he fades into the wall, he's even less visible (though he can't see where he's going).

Soon enough, he's come back from the skullmarked path, and you can see his eyes darting about as he awaits your questions.

Shiva, to answer your question, you can still hear the rustling. It is incessant.