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The Shattered Era [T]

Greiger

A mad mind... hehe
2,016
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 32
  • Seen Oct 1, 2023
Maverick Renos
Location: Council Meeting Room​

The Council remained silent as Caedmon lay forth his argument. Then Joshua spoke, "Caedmon, perhaps you have forgotten all of the sins the Mechanists have performed over the years? The deaths? The kidnappings? The way they rebuke Arceus himself? They spit in the face of the Gods. Remember that Caedmon. Even if you were to spare all of them of what they justly deserve, what then? Bring them all here and placed in the prison? It can only hold so many Caedmon, where would we put the others, hmm? Stick them in a watch tower and tell them to be good little sinners and they can leave later?"

Urit smirked, "Or maybe he wanted to keep some in his house to let them kill him in his sleep!?"

There was some laughter among the council and even the normally stoic Eugene smirked, "Or perhaps he couldn't find a mate among the pokemon here and he thought a Mechanist would be easier to woo?" There was now loud laughter coming from the three. Fergo was the only one who showed no emotion as he raised his hand to quiet the other Council members. "Caedmon... these thoughts are... troubling to hear. You have been through your training and you know your responsibility as second in command. Perhaps we chose wrong in that decision..."

Fergo thinks for a minute before he nods, "Right. Caedmon, to prove your allegiance to the Knights we set a task before you. You are to head to the dungeons and interrogate the Mechanist prisoners. Find out where they are keeping Matthew as well as the knowledge in how to read their map. You will stay down there until you bring us that information. Fail in this and perhaps you will find yourself in a... less opportunistic situation."

Urit grinned, "You're just giving him what he wants. I'm sure the Mechanists will be more than happy to know that Caedmon is a sympathizer, he might even breed with one of them!" More laughter came forth as Fergo once again held up his hand.

"This is no matter for laughter Urit, Matthew is missing and here you spend time cracking jokes." The smile faded from the Council's faces as Fergo turned back to the Knights, "You all are dismissed."

Maverick and Famidus rose and walked out. Famidus was already heading downstairs as Maverick waited for Caedmon to come out. "The council laughed." He said slowly. He glared at the Lucario, "Get down to those cells now." He said with an edge in his voice as he headed downstairs.
 

Sir Bastian

Christina - Crossroads
1,621
Posts
12
Years
Caedmon Yeonart
Council Meeting Room​

Caedmon was quiet for a little while, awaiting the council's judgement, but already as Joshua spoke, his heart sank. From the tone he spoke in, he knew that this was not good. He had heard this way too many times when the council had spoken to others, and it was not a good sign.
As the council kept on, Urit even going as far as to mock him, Caedmon remained respectfully silent. He had been taught by one of the best, and he wasn't going to begin throwing a fit at petty name-calling. He respected his teacher too much to do so.

Then Fergo spoke up. "Caedmon... these thoughts are... troubling to hear. You have been through your training and you know your responsibility as second in command. Perhaps we chose wrong in that decision..."
Caedmon's paw tightened slightly around his knee, the one pressed to the floor seeming to tense a little up, almost unnoticeable. If anything could have hurt him and his pride in particular, it had been what Fergo had just said. Caedmon had trained all his life to become one of the best, to be able to defend the weak and act out justice on the wicked, ever since his parents had died, and here he was, being told that he was wrong in believing civilians should be spared.

He was then tasked with interrogating the Mechanist prisoners and even threatened with being demoted if he didn't get the information the council wanted. Urit then spoke up and mocked him again. Caedmon didn't even twitch. This time, the mocking had hit him, more than it had before, but he had trained himself in the arts of patience and management of his emotions well enough to be goaded into lashing out at a councilmember.

They were then dismissed and Caedmon rose, silently, bowing his head to the Council before turning, walking out of the room with a completely emotionless expression on his face, though his bodylanguage was slightly easier to read now. He took long strides and his muscles were tense. He seemed like he did, the moment before going into battle.

"The council laughed." Came a comment from his left. He turned his head and spotted Maverick standing next to him, sending him an angry look. "Get down to those cells, now."
"I will go clean and remove my armor first… sir." Caedmon's voice was as firm as ever, but there was a faint undertone of a growl in his voice. As Ribibin exited the room as well, Caedmon shot her a glance. It wasn't one of accusation, nor was it one of passion. He simply looked at her for a long while before turning, striding off and going down the stairs.

One of the guards that had been protecting the council during the attack moved towards him on his way out, to ask him some sort of question, but Caedmon waved him off, glaring ahead of himself. It was rare anyone had seen Caedmon this angry. Sure, he got emotional at times. When he was out having a drink, or talking about his passions, but it wasn't often anyone could get him to be angry.

After a stride through the darkened streets, he arrived at his apartment, cut out in stone like almost all the other houses. He slammed the door open and shut it behind him, just as violently. He then stood there, in his, for a knight-commander, rather humble living quarters. It had only a couple of rooms. A bedroom, with only a bed, a bedstand, and a stand for his armor, a bathroom, which had a washing trough for his armor and himself, with a drain going to the sewers, and a toilet, which was more or less just a hole in the ground with a removeable lid. This also went into the sewers.

Finally, there was his living room. It held a simple carpet of various colours, a window to the streets outside, what looked like another bed, but which was actually a couch, pushed against one wall, a small table, and a small cupboard, containing cutlery, plates and the like. In the corner of the living room, there was also a small kitchen. It only had a small oven, a desk for cutting the food in pieces, and a sink, which was to be filled with a jug of water that had to be refilled at one of the wells around town.

He simply stood there, staring into the wall in front of him for a few moments, staring at the smooth, stone wall. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few moments as he breathed heavily in and out, using a technique his master had taught him to control his emotions, and his anger in particular.
Afterwards, he moved into the bathroom and began peeling off his armor, placing it within the bathing trough. He then filled it with water from a rather large jug, picked up a sponge sitting on a small stand nearby and sat down with his legs crossed, scrubbing at the blood-stained armor pieces.

He didn't say anything as he did this, and he tried his best not to think, but it was hard. The council had just confirmed his worst fear. That they had no quarrel with eliminating civilians, even if they were completely harmless. Almost, at least. The council had, in fact, proven to be worse than the Mechanists. At this thought, Caedmon bared his teeth and scrubbed particularly hard on one of his cuffs, a small growl emitting from him.
He hated to admit this. That the ones responsible for the murder of his parents, had become "better" than the council he fought for.

Sitting there, he continued scrubbing his armor, the trough filling with blood-stained water, but Caedmon kept going. Thinking. Contemplating. Waiting.
 

Meganium

[i]memento mori[/i]
17,226
Posts
13
Years

Peyton Mills - Birch Enclave

"ATTENTION, ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! THAT IS ALL."

An explosion was heard from afar, and that's what woke an oddly-colored Leavanny laying on the grass. She was looking at the clouds earlier...but she then fell asleep breathing the fresh air. She sat up, and turned to the left, then to the right, and then to the front of her. She wanted to know where that explosion came from. She then stood up, grabbed her leaf-shaped messenger bag, and places it right over her shoulder. It was a bit heavy, but for a strong Leavanny like her, she's used to holding a bunch of things that were inside.

"I should probably head over there. It's important." She told herself. Walking to the meeting wouldn't get her on time, instead...she had to run. She sliced the tall grass around her, running through the brush and bushes. She ran as fast as she could, tiredlessly. The location of the meeting was not far, thankfully.

A few minutes later, she made it out of the tall grass, and made it in front of the Convention Center. "I hope I am not too late." Peyton thought to herself. She walked up, opened the glass doors and walked inside. There were a few Pokemon forces already there. Not a whole lot, though. There was a Linoone, a Gallade, and a Kirlia, as well as others.

This was also Peyton's first meeting with the Declarum Forces. She wanted to get involved with them ever since her mentor, the mysterious Machop, had disappeared forever. She hopes to be proud for him. Hoping that the knowledge she learned from her research would definitely benefit her contributions to the Forces.

She slowly came up to the group. The Linoone was speaking about a mission probably. It felt interesting to Peyton. "Is this the meeting for the Declarum Forces? Sorry I am late."​
 

Frazzevous

Impulsive lil' kitty
230
Posts
11
Years
Cherry
From a forest near Birch Enclave to the enclave


*Twitch twitch*

Cherry's ear feathers went up and down twice -- they picked up something loud that came from the Birch enclave. She was in a forest that was nearby, looking for berries to eat as well as ones that could help with her stepfather's cold. He has been spending sleepless nights for the past few days, since he said something bad was going to happen someday; he wasn't a psychic or anything, but his senses seemed to be a bit more heightened than the rest of their specie... or maybe it was just because of how experienced he is. Either way, he didn't have to do what he did, as there were some other Pokemon that kept an eye over the enclaves. Sure, he may be a creature of the night, but lack of sleep is another thing, and... Cherry sighed. She has been in the forest for countless hours now, almost lost in the world of worry as she tried to figure out which berry would cure her stepfather, who was too stubborn to accept any aid from their medics. Maybe she should have taken a lesson or two from one of their nurses, but then, she was an Infiltrator, not a medic student... Yeah, I'm not a Pokemon that took the course of medicine... Rather, my real father made me train non-stop for stealth and everything else related to being a spy... And... wait.

If it weren't for the announcement, she would have probably spent all day and night there.

Cherry looked up. "Ah, shoot! The announcement... what was it about again?" she closed her eyes and tried to recall it; since she was preoccupied when she heard it, only a few words managed to stay in her mind: "Go to the convention center." The female Weavile's organs for seeing opened after the recollection. She then placed the berries she had into the bushes and made a mental reminder to come back for them later. Whoever called for the Forces sounded pretty bothered, and the only reason that Cherry could think of was that something bad did happen -- she just doesn't know what. First my stepfather and now, possibly the rest of the Mechanists, she thought, feeling quite disheartened, as she placed her hand-claws in front of her and focused some energy into them; soon, a light blue orb was formed and was quickly followed by a same-shaded beam that began to create a frozen path. She had to be careful not to let her Ice Beam touch any of the plants, but thanks to the spaciousness of the forest, she didn't have to worry so much about freezing anything. When she started to walk on it and move forward, the ice-made path from behind her immediately disappeared.

Thanks to that sort of transportation, Cherry arrived at the Birch enclave faster than she would have if she went there on foot. She managed to catch a glimpse of a Pokemon who just went inside. So I'm not the only one who was late. Then again, the other Pokemon came several seconds earlier, and that makes a difference. Breathing out, the Weavile with cherry-red eyes stopped using her Ice Beam then jumped onto the ground, and when she landed, the frozen path completely vanished. Better late than never, her mind uttered, but she was still rather afraid to go in: a part of her didn't want to hear the bad news, while the other half urged her to brace herself for the worse and get ready. Unsure of which among those two she should follow, Cherry chose to just lean on the wall beside the glass door and listen to what they would talk about. The playful side of her managed to kick in, though, and gave her the idea of making a dramatic entrance if ever they say something that would elicit such action. No, now's not the time to fool around. She semi-gently hit her head in disbelief, yet she honestly found the little scheme to be amusing. Knowing she'd probably end up doing it if she doesn't go inside, Cherry decided to enter the convention center.

"Forgive me for my lateness, um, Sirs and Madams." She always seems to speak rather formally when in the presence of the other Mechanists that she aren't close to, especially to those of the higher positions.
 
Last edited:
3,411
Posts
15
Years
  • Age 28
  • Seen Mar 16, 2024
-----------------

The gentle wind blew through the leaves of the trees, an eerie yet common feeling this forest beared. Its rustling sound, carried away throughout the forest, brought no fear upon the outsiders who were incapable of fully understanding it...

... On this land, I face a great dilemma...

A shadow ripped through the air, jumping from one tree branch to the other with incredible speed, always blending with the darkness.

... To punish those who killed my family...

The wind carried a message across the forest; two outsiders invaded the dark, unknown woods - unwarned.

... Or those responsible for their destruction?

The figure raced along the wind, until it settled down on a branch - the two Kecleon brothers carrying heavy backpacks were walking beneath, following the sand path. Their stalker from above, a well-armed Zangoose named Skidred remained silent, motionless the moment he let the wind surpass him; he had now perked up his ears, staring down at the outsiders from his throne as they continued their pace.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course I'm ready! This is gonna be the biggest operation of our careeers!"

".. Come to think of it though, I didn't think stealing from the refugees would be so easy. There's gotta be a catch!"

A slight noise was heard from above as the Zangoose jumped onto another branch with ease; the conversation between the brothers had caught his attention. The Kecleons, timid by nature, looked upwards into the darkness. The dense leaves of the trees were preventing most of the sunlight to pass through, resulting in the forest being a very cold and unwelcoming place, even during the day.

"Did I just hear something?"

".. Let's just continue!"

Skidred dropped from the branch, landing in front of them with a soft sound. He swung his hatchet right on his hand, producing a menacing sound as the blade cut through the air. The Kecleons stared at him with more curiosity than fear.

"You don't belong here, thieves."

He was pointing at them with his left paw, extending one claw. One of the Kecleons begun laughing at him, his laugh echoing in the whole forest. Skidred maintained his stone expression.

".. That's rich, random tree person! We go wherever we want!"

Both Kecleons bursted into laughter, lowering their guard - Skidred had already charged at them with his hatchet risen in the air. He was very fast and the Kecleons were caught off guard; however, they managed to back off just in time to avoid his swing. They drew their own knives, threw their backpacks on the ground and stared at the Zangoose who had now stopped in place.

"Big mistake"

They both charged at Skidred who was more than ready. During the first blows, he concentrated on his defense, setting his muscles into the rhythm of their swings, avoiding them fluently. Swift attacks wouldn't work on Skidred who had been trained years with the wild Linoones of the forest.
After some time, the attacks got slower but more intense. When one of the Kecleons tried to stab him on his left rib, the Zangoose grabbed his entire arm and threw him on the ground spectacularly; he pounced on his opponent, sticking his claws on his neck with a nasty sound, the other Kecleon screaming in anger as saw his brother choking in his own blood.

Skidred got up with his left paw covered in blood, still wielding his axe with his right arm. He stared at his opponent who was eyeballing him now. The tension in the air bursted into another clash of one sided strikes; the Kecleon went on a rampage Skidred made sure to avoid.
The thief's dagger slipped past the Zangoose's defenses, slashing towards his neck. Skidred avoided it, the thief tried stabbing him on his side, he tumbled to the left and let the Kecleon charge at him. But Skidred suddenly charged at him with incredible speed; it was something his opponent did not expect. Skidred stuck his light axe on the Kecleon's ribs

The green Pokemon flinched, turning red in the face of his own blood. Now weakened, he tried hitting the Zangoose with his dagger one final time; Skidred slashed his arm, making him flinch and back off, then landed his hatchet onto chest, throwing him on the ground.
The feline speedster stared at his dying opponent on the ground quietly. He slid his hatchet in the special slot on his belt.

"I'm not a man of last words."

Skidred said in a plain tone while walking past the Kecleon towards the backpacks that were thrown in the ground. The gentle wind blew again, waving the Zangoose's cape, carrying fallen leaves around.

... Part of me wants the Mechanists to pay for bringing technology and eventually destruction upon the camp...

With the same serious expression all along, the Zangoose ripped the backpacks open with his claws, various gadgets and mechanisms spilling out; batteries, gears, wires. All useless to Skidred who walked away - he looked upwards, sticking his claws on a tree, starting to climb swiftly, blending with the darkness once again.

... Part of me wants to see every one of the Knights laying dead on the ground.
 

Greiger

A mad mind... hehe
2,016
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 32
  • Seen Oct 1, 2023
Maverick Renos
Location: Markus​

Maverick was pacing in his room as he looked at the 'map' that they had taken from those evil beings and let out a cry and threw papers and other things that were on his desk aside. Matthew was gone... if he had been here he could have protected the Council... this was his fault. Maverick closed his eyes tight and forced himself to stand up and he walked out of his room and found a Knight. "You! Have you seen Caedmon?" The Servine shook his head, "No sir, I have not... although..." The Servine smirked, "I don't think I would be out if I was him, all of those rumors probably forced him into his house. Is it true that he wants to mate with one? I heard that that's his life goal!"

Maverick grunted and just walked past the now snickering Servine as he walked out of the Chambers and into the city streets. He passed by other Knights that bowed respectfully to him and as he neared Caedmon's house he could see some Knights standing outside sending in mocking calls. As soon as Maverick appeared the Knights scattered as the Grovyle walked up and knocked on Caedmon's door. "You better get to that cell within the hour or I will personally find another to take your place!" He shouted inside. "Get a move on Caedmon!" He turned and walked away, but stopped and pointed at one of the Knights still at the scene. "Find the rest of the Knight-Commanders as well as Ribibin and make sure they come back to the Chambers, more specifically on the first floor in the lobby. I need to discuss some things with them." The Ursaring nodded and ran off as Maverick walked down the street back toward the Chambers. Perhaps, it was just the right time to choose a new second hand man.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damon Malruth
Location: Birch Enclave​

Damon smiled as the Declarum Forces formed up once more. He spied a very anxious Crawdunt in the crowd and then a Leavanny came up to him, "Is this the meeting for the Declarum Forces? Sorry I am late." Damon smiled weakly, "Nonsense. You're just in time. We are heading to the Kanto Enclave. Just follow the lead of everyone else." He said.

Another pokemon came up to him, this one a Weavile. "Forgive me for my lateness, um, Sirs and Madams." Damon just sighed at this point, "Alright, everyone get together. Let's go over the plain." The group fell silent as Damon stood up on his hind legs, "Right! We're going in there with only one mission, find survivors and get them out! Do not fight the Knights unless you must! They can easily kill us and while we are prepared and have a better fighting chance we still need to be cautious! We don't know how bad it looks in there, but we cannot afford to have anyone passing out due to gore. If you can't take the heat, leave! Other than that we will start heading out! Any objections?" He asked as he looked around.
 

Meganium

[i]memento mori[/i]
17,226
Posts
13
Years

Peyton Mills - Birch Enclave

"Nonsense. You're just in time. We are heading to the Kanto Enclave. Just follow the lead of everyone else."  The Linoone, named Damon politely responded. There was a short sigh of relief for Peyton as she entered. It was a good sign, and a good first arrival for her. She hoped for whatever comes to her in her way. "Thank you, sir. I will mention that this is my first time arriving to one of your meetings, so forgive for spreading the noobness."

As more Pokemon Declarum Forces arrived, including a female Weavile, also arrived. She was also on time, same as Peyton. Damon immediately started the meeting. "Alright, everyone get together. Let's go over the plain." As the group got together, including Peyton...curious to know what might happen next, the Linoone stood up. "Right! We're going in there with only one mission, find survivors and get them out! Do not fight the Knights unless you must!"

"Okay! Got it, sir!" Peyton said, max-prepared.

Damon finished: "They can easily kill us and while we are prepared and have a better fighting chance we still need to be cautious! We don't know how bad it looks in there, but we cannot afford to have anyone passing out due to gore. If you can't take the heat, leave! Other than that we will start heading out! Any objections?"

Peyton remained quiet throughout the speech, but she had to add another thing. "I'll be around if anyone needed to be healed. I am well equipped with material to create as many medicines as I can." She felt a bit intimidated by the other forces in the group, then looked away. Peyton did not make any objections whatsoever. She was ready for anything. She held her shock gun inside her purse, with her claw touching the trigger. She was alert and ready to face the knights. Hoping to obtain the revenge long overdue....

 

Frazzevous

Impulsive lil' kitty
230
Posts
11
Years
Cherry
Birch Enclave

The fact that the Linoone sighed made the Weavile think if he was disappointed because she was late. He probably was but decided not to make a big deal out of it. Just like how a leader should. A small smile appeared on her face, but whether it was because she looks up to Damon for being an excellent ruler or she was spared from being scolded, only she would know.

The curved sides of her lips began to return to being straight as soon as the Linoone started to tell them the plan. Cherry merely shook her head in annoyance as well as worry after she heard what their leader said. So everything came to this. She was partially blaming herself for being unable to protect the ones that were attacked, but she knew that now isn't the time to mourn over their losses; she will, however, pray for the peace of their souls when she gets the chance to do so. She was ready to fight for them and for the rest of her allies, with her motivation being the hope -- inside her heart -- to settle everything once and for all... then maybe she'd finally reunite with her parents, assuming they're still alive. No... not now. Of course, the Weavile needed to follow the order of Damon, so she'd either have to talk her way out of things or wait for the moment wherein only the clashing of claws or whatever weapons would be able to serve as a means of communication. Then again, their current mission was to simply rescue survivors, thus it's probably best if she avoids eye detection for now and save whoever she can.

There were no objections in her head, so Cherry remained quiet even after the question was raised.

"I'll be around if anyone needed to be healed. I am well equipped with material to create as many medicines as I can."

The voice of a different Pokemon got her attention and the Mechanists' Infiltrator turned her head to the direction from where she heard it. It turned out that the Leavanny who spoke was just a few seats from her... not that she was sitting on one, but that's how she measured the distance. Cherry, this time, nodded to herself, thankful for having medics -- they sure would help a lot. She wondered if there would still be anyone who'd utter a suggestion, objection, or anything that they have to say. Somehow curious, she waited to see how this meeting would end. Hopefully, though, they wouldn't take long -- they needed to proceed to the search as soon as possible.
 

TornZero

Resident Yuri-ism Cult Leader
1,137
Posts
13
Years

Alice

Birch Enclave


As the Declarum Forces all shuffled into the convention center, Geoff and Alice were nearly lost in the commotion, quickly becoming another pair of miscellaneous soldiers. The latter actually recognized a few faces from former Knights. So many Pokémon had left the Council's influence; they couldn't all be in the wrong, could they? The Council always marked them for death as soon as they were considered fugitives, declaring that they defy Arceus' guidance.

One of those Pokémon was the Crawdaunt she noticed earlier once she got a closer look: none other than Brenn Turow, probably the only Mechanist she wouldn't attack and a Knight who wouldn't have a bad reason for running away. She wouldn't have doubted if it was just to get some more respect as a woman. It was definitely true that neither of them had any back in Swine, and it was worse when they became full-fledged Knights of the Oran. Chances are her hatred developed further after she became a Mechanist, and understandably so. Alice was quickly accepted as an ally and an equal by a random Pokémon, where it took her years of back-breaking work and sacrifice to get even the chance of equality in the Council cities. (And even then she's still given much less consideration in comparison to her fellow commanders, unless they were picking out someone to blame.)

Alice wanted to run up to Brenn and talk to her, but she couldn't. What if she recognized her? Actually, what if anyone recognized her? It's not like she went to expert lengths to disguise herself, she just dirtied up a bit to mask her cleanliness and hid her greaves. She couldn't afford to make herself stand out in a mass of Mechanists.

"Right! We're going in there with only one mission, find survivors and get them out! Do not fight the Knights unless you must!" Damon, Geoff noted, was the leader of the Declarum Forces. He was practically drooling an atmosphere of strength at the moment; he had purpose in his words and he knew what he was doing, why he was standing up there. It was admirable, something Alice would normally only see in Maverick. Maybe even Caedmon if the situation arose.

When the Linoone up front finished, a Leavanny near him offered her medical services. Geoff joined her and offered his own assistance, having come from Kanto just a short while ago. He asked Damon a question before they all headed out.

"How many can we assume are still there?" He was referring to both the amount of survivors and Knights alike. If they got what they wanted then why would they stay? and if their intention was a massacre would there be a chance of even one survivor? If there was, why would they stay? The Knights know about the enclave, it's a death sentence for anyone to stick around. These questions and more were all wrapped into that one vague inquiry from the Gardevoir to the commander of the Forces, hoping at least one could be just guessed, if not given an accurate answer.​
 

Sir Bastian

Christina - Crossroads
1,621
Posts
12
Years
Caedmon Yeonart
Markus City
The blood had slowly seeped off of his armor and fallen into the drain below, where it was lead into the sewers below the city. The remainder of the blood had either stuck in the sponge Caedmon was holding, or the fur of his hands. It was a mindless task, and right now, that was exactly what he needed; He had been taught by his master that should your feelings threaten to erupt, the best you could do was to empty your mind. And doing something that required no thought what so ever, was the best way to do this.

Just as he had finished cleaning his chestplate, he heard Maverick's voice sounding from outside. For about twenty minutes now, he had heard but not paid any mind to, a bunch of Knights calling him names and mocking him openly. He had completely ignored them, simply grieved over the state of which this city found itself nowadays. But as Maverick's voice sounded, Caedmon paused and listened in.
"You better get to that cell within the hour or I will personally find another to take your place! Get a move on Caedmon!"

Caedmon's eyes lowered to the sponge in his hand, his ears twitching as he listened for more, but none came. He closed his eyes, breathing out heavily before squeezing the sponge, causing blood to flow across his hand and into the trough below. He stood up and began putting on the armor as well, before washing his hands in the same trough. The way the empire's houses were decorated was incredibly sparse and Spartan, but most had grown accustomed to the very bare way of living. Caedmon being one of them.

While he was fitting the armor onto himself, he had decided to go, without waiting even further. The fact that she had not arrived yet, made it clear that she would rather not be caught in such a compromising meeting, and Caedmon understood her reasons. Even if he somewhere within himself, that he did not acknowledge, wished that she had arrived. He didn't have much time any longer.

He stepped out into the hall and took a faint look inside of his living room. Even for a knight's room, it was incredibly sparse, and he only really seemed to notice how empty it seemed now. He then shook his head, lifting a hand to grasp the gem hanging in a chain around his neck before stepping outside and walking down the steps, onto the street.

As the door was opened, the Pokémon who were calling names immediately stopped. Caedmon narrowed his eyes at all of them before speaking. His voice was a low, glutteral and threatening growl.
"… Get back to your posts. –Now-."
It didn't take long for the knight's to scurry off, away from the commander. Caedmon's features softened up, and he let out a huff before striding towards the council's building once more. He had a plan, and it was time to put it into action. He had had enough.

Arriving at the building, he swiftly made his way down the stairs off to the left within the lobby, which led to the dungeons, where the prisons were kept. A Flaaffy was standing guard outside of the door leading to the cells, and he quickly got to saluting Caedmon as he approached, despite his expression turning into a rather amused one.

Caedmon waved this off internally and stopped in front of the knight. "I am here to interrogate our prisoner. The Timburr."

The knight nodded and gestured at the door behind him. "Down the hall, third cell on the right. And… have fun with her." He said with a snicker, though quickly assuming his position once again.
Caedmon snorted quietly and pushed open the door, not wanting to have his plans ruined by a fit of anger at a moron. He closed the door behind him as he walked down the barely-lit, stone hallway until he reached the third cell. All cells had only one door, which was a heavy, wooden one. He unlocked it with a key he had gotten from the guard as he pushed open said door and entered.

Within, sat the Timburr on the wooden cot at the corner to the right, hugging her knees. She didn't notice Caedmon until he closed the door behind him, which caused her to startle, and immediately, upon seeing her, pressed herself against the wall behind her.

"P-please! I don't know anything! Don't hurt me, I beg you! I just want to go home!"

Caedmon lifted a paw to stop her pleading, which it did. He stepped closer, folding his paws on his back as he looked down at her, the only light source being a small lantern with a flame within it, hanging from the ceiling. Caedmon's eyes were completely void of emotion, and so was his voice, when he spoke.
"… Where is the mechanist's leader located?"

The Timburr, shaking all over shook her head again, whimpering out faintly, staring up at Caedmon with widened, fearful eyes. "I told you, I-I don't know! H-He's in one of the other enclaves!"

"I have to meet him. If you can show me the way to him, I will set you free." Caedmon continued standing and speaking very formally, as if asking someone if they wanted more tea.

Her eyes began tearing up as she quickly shook her head once more. "I-I would if I could, but I… I don't know where he is! Please, listen to me…" Caedmon's brows furrowed and he let out a faint sigh. He was only used to being friendly towards other knights. This was different.

"Listen. I know you are scared, but you have to listen to me. I am not going to lead anyone to your leader, I am not going to kill him. It will only be you and I, without anyone else knowing. And you will be free."
The Pokémon in front of him blinked her teary eyes in confusion while looking up at him, her heart pounding away in her chest, her expression becoming a little more determined now.

"A-and how do I know I can trust you…? You knights… you knights are all the same! You promise and promise, and you only keep them if you they're in your own interests! Like back at the enclave when you promised my f-friends and family they'd go free!"

Caedmon bared his teeth in a snarl, lifting a paw to slam it into the cot in front of the Timburr, leaning over to stared her down, fury painted across his features. The sudden movement and… well, Caedmon being Caedmon, caused the female to shriek out in fear, covering her head with her arms. Caedmon then spoke, or rather, yelled out.

"What happened back there was –not- my fault! You were there! You saw the other knights slaughtering your friends! You saw me stand up against something so despicable and lowly as murdering civilians, and you claim that I have no honor?!"

Breathing heavily, Caedmon glared down at the Pokémon, shaking in fear. After a few moments, he seemed to calm down, standing up straight once more. The Timburr slowly eased up, staring up at Caedmon, breathing quickly, although something seemed to have changed in her gaze up at him. After a long while of silence, she spoke, quietly.

"… They would… send a team to check on the r-ruins… find s-survivors…"

Caedmon stood still for a few moments, before nodding his head, decided with himself that that was all of the information he needed to, eventually if anything, find the leader of the Mechanists. "Very well. I am going to take you with me, but if you try to run, I will not answer for the consequences. So stay close to me."
The Timburr nodded her head quickly, but didn't get up until Caedmon had turned, walked back and opened the door, after which she walked directly in front of him.

As they got to the door into the hallway, the guard stepped in front of them, the Timburr moving over to the side, cowering away from them both.
"Hold it! Where are you taking the prisoner, commander? I haven't heard anything about a prisoner transferral."

"Of course you have not, they would not go around, shouting that information to any and all who would care to listen, would they?" Caedmon replied, folding his arms across his chest. The Flaaffy still seemed suspicious, but slowly began smirking.
"Oh, I get it now. You're taking her home with you! So the rumors –are- true! Hah, wait until the others hear this! Still, I can't let you go. Not until I've asked the captain and had the transferral confirm-"

He didn't get to say anymore as Caedmon had closed the two meters in between them in a single step and thrust his fist against the Knight's throat, leaving him to stagger backwards, wheezing for air, trying to call for help, with no sound escaping him. Caedmon then swiftly made it around the knight and wrapped his arm around his neck, tightening, to cut off his air supply. After a brief struggle, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell unconscious, at which point Caedmon let go and dragged him inside of the hallway of the cells, closing the door behind him. He gestured to the wide-eyed Timburr to follow him, who seemed just a bit more eager to follow him now.

He led her up one set of stairs and down another, and after about ten minutes of walking, they got to a very small room, with a grate in the floor. Caedmon removed it, cringed at the horrid stench coming from the hole before motioning for the Timburr to get down there, before moving into it himself, covering the hole with the grate afterwards.

They had made it into the sewers beneath the city, and Caedmon quickly directed her to walking down, through the tunnel carved out by several ground Pokémon back in the day. Caedmon now seemed to ignore the stench entirely, the Timburr holding her nose and nearly throwing up as they walked through the filthy water.

After about fifteen minutes of swift walking, they had made it to an opening, where the tunnel led into a large lake. They crawled out onto the grass, where Caedmon led them both quickly clean themselves off in the cleaner part of the lake, before he went off in a brisk walk towards the broken Enclave, the moon now risen slightly above the horizon.

The Timburr, after a short while of walking, spoke out. "… I'm Emma. E-Emma Nyte." Caedmon nodded, without looking over his shoulder at her. "… I take it you know my name from my reputation, so there's no point in saying it." His mind was a mess, and he didn't want to converse with anyone right now. He wanted answers… and he wasn't going to get them from any Knight, or the council.
 

Greiger

A mad mind... hehe
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Damon Malruth
Birch Enclave​

As Damon looked over the gathered soldiers he saw most of them had on brave faces, but some were looking scared as well. This time... he wasn't letting them run away. They would find the survivors and rescue them. They might lose a few men, but that was a risk they were planning to take. If the Knights were still there... then they would plow on through. Damon took a last look through the Knights when a question was called out. Damon sighed, "We have to assume the worst case scenario. That there are many knights there... along with a Knight-Commander." There were some murmurs in the crowd. Damon couldn't blame them. Knight-Commanders were feared and while each and every one wasn't known and their names weren't memorized you could always tell on the field who the commander was. He was usually the one in front shouting out orders and charging headfirst into their ranks. The problem was.... they were really good. REALLY good. Damon couldn't count how many tales he heard of where a whole battalion of D.F. went after a Knight-Commander, only to be taken down by his power. They were dangerous, and they would have to be careful going there.

Damon looked around and nodded, "Alright, Declarum Forces, gather together. What happens from here on out is strictly professional. No jokes, no laughter, no goofing off. Let's go."

There was a bright white light as the group huddled together and were teleported away.

Outside Kanto Enclave​

The air was quiet. Usually there would be sounds of the D.F. gathered around the enclave, a tree branch breaking, grass being stepped on. None of that happened here. Damon looked down at the grass and noticed there were some red streaks in it. Helpless pokemon that had been running away... only to be cut in the back. Damon turned to the group, "Right. We need to head in there quietly. No telling if there is a ambush set up. Get all of your gear ready now." He said. The group began to move quietly as weapons were checked and medics prioritized their medicines. Damon glanced at the entrance. This was it. Get in, get out, and grab the survivors. Nothing to it. Urta placed hand on his shoulder and Damon nodded. He turned to his group, "Ready to move out?" He asked in a deeper, more commanding voice.
 

Meganium

[i]memento mori[/i]
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Peyton Mills - Birch Enclave; Kanto Enclave

Peyton was pretty much ready for anything. As the Linoone leader, Damon was continuing his presentation, she noticed a few members were showing signs of fear. What are they afraid of? The Knights? Death? Death Shmeth. Peyton rolled her eyes as her eyes closed for a second, and sighed quietly. Some of the members seemed to gain trust because of her medic skills, as she announced before.

"Alright, Declarum Forces, gather together." Damon announced. Peyton grabbed her bag and sat up. She followed the members as they gathered towards Damon. "What happens from here on out is strictly professional. No jokes, no laughter, no goofing off. Let's go."

"Okay then." softly replied Peyton. And she definitely agreed. It was no mankey business. Peyton wasn't aware of what's going on as the group huddled. A bright white light glared around the group. It felt like Peyton was going blind. For a few seconds, the light faded. It was a much different scenario now. She and the group are no longer at the convention center, nor at the Birch Enclave. "What is this place?" she thought to herself.

Apparently this is the Kanto Enclave. Peyton thought of that on top of her head. It was quiet. Too quiet. Peyton noticed footsteps on the ground. Who were they from? Someone, or some group was here.

As Damon announced the group to get ready, Peyton held on to her bag as tight as possible. "I'm ready to go, commander!" shouted Peyton with excitement.​
 

TornZero

Resident Yuri-ism Cult Leader
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Alice

Birch Enclave to Kanto


They were all engulfed in a blinding light for just a moment, and in the next they were outside the Enclave Alice just came in from. All the soldiers of the Declarum Forces were prepping themselves for the worst: a Knight-Commander.

"Hey, you." Alice immediately stood straight again, looking to where the call came from. A Gallade with metal covering his limbs was behind her, looking her over. "Where's your weaponry? Or armor?" The Absol took a second to remember the fact that she'd left her Knight armor in the hollow of a tree around here. If it wasn't for Ribibin taking the branded piece back with her, it'd be serious trouble should anyone find it.

"She's a Newborn," Geoff answered, which solicited a half-hearted groan. "Practically just arrived, but I was giving her a tour of the Birch Enclave when the alarm sounded."

"Great." He looked at Geoff and asked him about his movepool.

"Yes, I can. I wouldn't be much of a medic if I couldn't stop an attack."

"Just make sure she stays out of trouble. I'll fit her for a set when we get back." And he was gone as quickly as he'd appeared, blending in with the mass of soldiers to get his own preparations taken care of. Geoff looked at Alice and chuckled.

"Stay close to me. Soon enough you'll have a personalized set of armor and weaponry, courtesy of the young Gallade you just met." Geoff was older than him? Maybe it was the Gallade's armor, or Geoff's cleanliness, but the latter looked much younger than his counterpart.

"Ready to move out?" Damon asked. Geoff, like many of the others, gave their leader a rousing, "Yes, sir!"​
 
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James 'Skidred' Kenway
Nearing Kanto Enclave

The cold grass was drenching his feet, the refreshing breeze was dancing on his face. The Zangoose was walking in the mist the eternal forest around Kanto Enclave, examining the sun rays that passed through the leaves, illuminating the ground; however, he felt empty inside, despite him being in the enviroment he grew up. He wanted something different to happen, something to keep him interested, apart from the usual ripping-apart.

Skidred suddenly perked up his pointy ears and stared towards the Kanto Enclave, a little further away from where he was right now. He heard Pokemon, many of them, moving together as a group. With his mind in distress - he didn't like company - he sprinted on a fallen tree log, then jumped onto the nearest branch, pulling himself up, jumping on the next branch right after. He reached the small clearing with the Enclave's entrance, to see a group of strange Pokemon; he sat in an owling position atop a tree, examining them closely. Those Pokemon seemed like mechanists, carrying bags and other technological objects with them. Doubts were raised - mechanists or not, what were they doing in this enclave?

He ticked a leaf off the black fur that was hanging on his left shoulder, patted the pistol on his belt while eyeballing the group. He then unsheathed his hatchet and took a leap down the eight feet tree, tumbling to the ground and standing silently at a close but safe distance, with his hatchet hanging down his right hand, almost touching the ground.

'What's going on in here?'

Skidred said in his nicest voice (which still sounded rough) while staring the Linoone in front, who appeared to be the leader.
 

Greiger

A mad mind... hehe
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Damon Malruth
Kanto Enclave​

Damon looked over everyone, "Okay everyone, gather-"

'What's going on in here?'

Damon blinked and looked to see a Zangoose approach. Damon saw the pistol he had and smiled brightly, "Ah! Good day citizen! You have no need to fear! The Declarum Forces are here to protect the enclave! Now, is there anyone still inside?" He asked.

Urta just grunted, "Damon, he wouldn't know. We need to head in there and find those survivors, now!"

The Linoone nodded, "Sorry about that sir, but we've got work to do then." He turned to the group, "Alright, everyone head in. We're going to make them pay for taking our enclave!" He shouted as the crowd cheered. He made his way into the tunnel, the group following after him. Some looked fearful and other looked brave as they finally made it to the main cavern. Damon barely got two steps in before Knights poured out from the buildings. Damon could see a sentry on a roof and gritted his teeth. "D.F.! Give them what they deserve!" He shouted as he threw some sleeping pellets at the approaching knights.
 

Meganium

[i]memento mori[/i]
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Peyton Mills - Kanto Enclave

"What's going on in here?"

Peyton wasn't paying much attention as a voice was heard. She looked up, startled, and alert. She looked around, left and right, to see where that voice came from. It was a Zangoose, approaching the group with a pistol in his hand. Peyton was about to pull her shock gun out, but she need answers first.

"Ah! Good day citizen! You have no need to fear! The Declarum Forces are here to protect the enclave! Now, is there anyone still inside?" Damon greeted and asked. "Sorry about that sir, but we've got work to do then." He told the Zangoose, and then he turned back to the group.

As Peyton listened to Damon, her shock gun remains in her right hand.

"Alright, everyone head in. We're going to make them pay for taking our enclave!" As Peyton cheered alonside the crowd, Damon points to a dark tunnel inside. The group, including Peyton followed. It was a bit dark for Peyton to see, but with help of her vision, she was able to see where others were going.

Then, suddenly, Peyton's alertness fell once again. The group made it to the main cavern but something wasn't right...Peyton couldn't even feel it.

"D.F.! Give them what they deserve!"  shouted Damon.

"...deserve....what?" Peyton murmured.

Suddently, a mob of Knights swarmed around the Forces. Leaving Peyton scrambled, not prepared as she would have before. She startled, about to drop her leaf bag filled with medical supplies. As Damon threw sleeping pellets at the mobbing knights, Peyton takes out and loads her shock gun, and tries to maintain a perfect aim at one of the knights. There were so many, that Peyton doesn't know who to shoot first. "I'm not afraid of you, Knights." she whispered, as struggles to decide who to shoot first.
 
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Greiger

A mad mind... hehe
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Damon Malruth
Kanto Enclave
There were bullets in the air as the various members of the Declarum Forces shot at the Knights. In the first few rounds some Knights had been hit and fell down onto the ground. Others quickly adapted and hid behind the building and used their own long range attacks to hit the small military force. "Crud, spread out!" Damon called out as he lept to the side as a powerful Surf went past him and slammed into some of the other pokemon. He threw another sleeping pellet at some Knights and dashed off to the side to see if he could find a weak point somewhere within their defenses. Of course... them being Knights and all, he wasn't able to find one and all the while they sent attack after attack at him. He quickly hid behind some of the natural rock and quickly stood up and gestured at Urta before he had to duck behind cover once more.

The Blaziken grunted from her cover, "Right, everyone, split up. Hit them from both sides and don't let up!" She looked around before she shot out some more bullets and ran right out in the open, shooting as she went. The D.F. quickly separated as more bullets flew and attacks from the Knights were thrown and hit into some pokemon, causing those hit to fall down onto the ground. Urta led her group to a rock formation and looked at them. "We're going to distract them long enough for some of you to get to a building. Get in and neutralize them, got it?"

Several pokemon nodded as Urta turned to Peyton. "Medic, help me out with some covering fire. Everyone else who wants to go, head for the building once we fire. Ready.... go!" She lept up and fired off at the Knights who quickly took shelter as many of the D.F. ran as fast as they could toward the building that was pointed out and poured into the doorway. Inside were two Knights that were already ready for battle as they ran at the group.
 

Sir Bastian

Christina - Crossroads
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Caedmon Yeonart
Kanto Enclave​

It was completely pitch-black as Caedmon and the Timburr he was walking next to, were nearing the enclave once more. The smaller Pokémon looked a little anxious, but made sure to keep himself close to Caedmon, most likely from fear of what he would do to him, should he try to escape.

Caedmon was mentally preparing himself for what he may find when he arrived. He was ready to wait days for the Mechanists to arrive, and he had the patience for it. He did know that some Knights were left behind to deal with the remainder of the forces there. It wasn't a lot, but they were enough to deal with a considerable amount of the Mechanists.

As they neared the hole into the city, Caedmon's ears twitched and he narrowed his eyes slightly, lifting a paw for the Timburr to stop, which it did. He looked up at Caedmon with a confused expression while Caedmon looked ahead of him, ears twitching as he strained himself to hear the sounds of fighting and yelling coming from the Enclave.

He grit his teeth and lowered himself down to pick up the Timburr, who squeaked out, halfly in fear and halfly, simply in surprise. Caedmon dashed forwards with the smaller Pokémon held up against him, ducking under and dashing to the sides of trees and their branches. He eventually reached the Enclave's hole, and it was evident that a battle was taking place. He moved over to the side of the hole and began sliding down, making sure to keep himself in the darkness and remain hidden, for now at least.

He lowered the Timburr down as he reached one of the houses and hid behind it, looking down at it.

"I want you to stay here, until I signal for you to come out."
The Timburr nodded meekly, sitting himself against the wall. Caedmon stood up and nodded, and without hesitation, strode over to the corner of the house, where he snuck around it and moved along the wall, until the battle was clear in front of him. Several of the Mechanists and Knights had slipped their way into the houses to the sides, but there were still considerable numbers in the middle of the street.

Caedmon went over his options in his head, frowning a little at the rather blatant approach to this, he would have to take. He took a deep breath to steady himself, as he had done so many times before, before calling out at the top of his lungs.

"Knights, fall back! The Enclave has fallen and their spirits are broken! Fall back to Markus!"

At first, only a few of the knights seemed to peer backwards. Unable to see him, since he was half-hiding in the shadows, and confused at the order. He growled out lowly before barking out once more.

"I said FALL BACK! Order from the council! Do not lose anymore knights to hold something useless! FALL BACK, and report to Swine!"

This seemed to get their attention, and the knights in the middle of the street managed to break off from their fighting and dashed backwards, away from the Mechanists and towards the entrance to the dark forest outside. There were still some knights within the houses around them, but the Mechanists could deal with them. First thing's first.

As the knights in the middle of the street had disappeared, and some of the Mechanists, somewhat surprised, had ran into some of the houses to help their friends, Caedmon stepped out into the street, his eyes fixed on two individuals who were still present in the middle of the street. A Blaziken, and a Leavanny.

Caedmon stepped slightly closer, but stopped away from melee-distance, his back rigid and his arms along his sides as he glanced between the two with the ever-expressionless, metaphorical, mask on his face.

"I wish to see your leader, Mechanists."
 

Meganium

[i]memento mori[/i]
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Peyton Mills - Birch Enclave

In an instant the whole area became a total ambush. Peyton went ahead and shot a few knights down from afar. Missing a few shots here and there, she was able to follow a Blaziken to safety, hiding behind a formed rock.
My goodness...it's awful out there. Peyton thought, as she tried to catch her breath. She hesitated by checking her supplies, and places her gun back inside.

The Blaziken turned to Peyton as she quickly organized herself for preparation once again. "Medic, help me out with some covering fire. Everyone else who wants to go, head for the building once we fire. Ready.... go!"

Peyton's heart sank as the Blaziken leader decided have her fire at the Knights. This was more than what she just killed. "Got it, sir Blaziken." she responded. Taking out her shock gun, she filled in a few pellets inside the gun and pulls the trigger...multiple times. Sweat starts to fall from her face, but she doesn't have time to wipe, she had to cover fire for the Mechanists. "Come at me, Knights!" She yelled. While the Leavanny was waiting for more knights to appear, a Lucario slowly stepped in and walked towards her and the Blaziken. Either their cover was blown or he knew that they're hiding. Peyton drew down her gun, as she saw the Lucario approach by. Her heart starts to beat rapidly.

"I wish to see your leader, Mechanists." he said.

"I wish to know who you are, first." Peyton blurted out, pulling out her gun, standing up and in front of the stone. "I won't let you unless you tell me."

Her eyes glued to the Lucario, standing...waiting and demanding for just an answer.​
 

TornZero

Resident Yuri-ism Cult Leader
1,137
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Alice

Kanto Enclave


"Stay close," Geoff told her, rushing behind a house with Alice on Urta's command as the Mechanists began to fire on the Knights. "You don't have any armor, so you're at a disadvantage." The Absol was about to point out that Geoff was wearing none either, but flaps of metal were rolling out along his arms and legs when she opened her mouth.

They looked to the commanders, who were taking command of a regimen of front-liners. They charged in towards a single building, a few of them falling before they could reach it from Knight attacks. Alice sniffed the air for a moment while she watched Geoff providing cover with Magical Leaf -- versatile move, apparently, given that the Knights only seem to know how to shoot that attack at people. Something was off.

"Oh Arceus, no," she muttered. One of two scents that were completely unmistakable. The Knight stopped ahead of Urta and a Leavanny she had at her side.

"I wish to see your leader, Mechanists." Second Commander Caedmon, for some reason, had a young Timburr accompanying him, and barked out that he wanted to see Malruth.

"What's one of the Head Commanders doing here?" Geoff asked. Then started a short interrogation session, courtesy of the Leavanny beside Urta. However, the first question was... under-educated, if that was the right phrase. Who DIDN'T know Caedmon Yeonart?​
 
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