[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Odyssey: Search For Cresselia (IC)

[GastlyGibus]

Diplomatic Channels
|Joshua "Watchman" Vensworth, Lynn "Guardia" Reed, Thomas Blake.|​

Joshua had nearly frozen in place upon hearing that he had been nominated to lead the diplomatic team. Him? Why him? He hadn't even processed the fact that Callimer had been made second-in-command. He would have congratulated the Dragonite, but he was far too busy dealing with his own irrational fears and questions. What if he messed up? What if he didn't know what to say? Did he even know what to say at all?

Once the meeting had been adjourned, the 'mon gathered each split up into their respective groups. Joshua didn't move, still going over things in his mind, only half paying attention to what was going on around him.

Thomas approached Joshua with a warm smile on his face. "Looks like you'll be taking over things from here," He stated. "I can't say I'm too surprised. Guardia is a good fighter and has a great mind for combat tactics, but I wouldn't say she's the greatest diplomat. As for me, I have a reputation as a good orator, but I still have a very... well, not the greatest reputation among all. It could affect us negatively if I were the one heading this. So, your title is Watchman, correct?"

Joshua almost failed to comprehend the Hypno's presence, still running dozens of questions through his head. He heard his title mentioned, and looked up to meet Thomas' gaze. "I.. uh, yes?" he shook his head once, clearing his throat and trying to regain his composure. "I-I mean, yes! Yes, that's me..."

Thomas raised an eyebrow at the Swadloon, gazing at him curiously. He then smiled again at him and nodded. "Well, if you didn't already know, my name is Thomas Blake. If there is any way I can assist you on this quest, I will," Thomas looked around and then back at Joshua. "It appears that Guardia has departed for the moment, but I expect she'll be back soon enough. What say you and I get started ahead of time?"

"Yes, I see... I suppose there's no harm in that," Joshua said, fidgeting slightly in his seat. Under normal circumstances, he would have questioned the presence of Thomas, given his actions prior to their situation. However, he was far too flustered and preoccupied, and any such doubts were presently away from his mind. "Well, I guess our first matter will be actually getting inside the place. I doubt the people of Tollen will welcome us with open arms. Have we actually figured that part out yet?"

Thomas nodded. "In a manner of speaking," He began to explain, clearing his throat. "As I've said before, I did have a few supporters here in Tollen before. I could ask them to try and get a message to some of the nobility in the palace, preferably either House Ellia or House Durania, as they hold a lot of sway and influence inside. Hopefully I could convince one of them to allow us entry into Tollen long enough to explain ourselves. I expect given their closed nature, this isn't a fullproof plan, and if they do allow us inside there's no telling if they will let us roam freely," Thomas shook his head and continued.

"Conversely, we could try other methods too. We can try to appeal to the Network Pokemon of SEC to simply allow us in despite them being under house arrest. I suspect this wouldn't sit well with the Tollenians, but if we talk fast and make a good case, we might be able to convince the right people to at least hear what we have to say. Along with that, there are a few other ways to go about it, utilizing my contacts and the Seekers still stationed there. Do you have any suggestions yourself?"

Joshua remained silent for a moment, thinking over the options that had been suggested. "Personally, I would go with the first options. If we can accomplish anything, I'd rather do it through legal channels, so to speak." He looked over the map, focusing on Tollen and the surrounding areas. "The people of Tollen are already unwilling to trust outsiders like ourselves. Barging in unannounced will only serve to cause further tension. I'd like to exhaust our other options before resorting to breaking in, so to speak." Joshua wrapped his cloak closer to himself, before continuing. "On that note, are there any noble families that would be more willing to consider our mission and offer their support? You mentioned House Ellia and Durania. Do we have any prior history with either of them?"

Thomas nodded in agreement. "That is sound thinking," He stated, then looked back at the map to continue his explanation. "House Ellia does have history, mostly with the Gold Tribe. Generally speaking, the nobility have always hated the Gold Tribe. You see, about one hundred and thirty years ago, both the Gold Tribe and the Tollenian Royal Knights were summoned to a tournament to combat. The prize for victory was an ominous power of mysterious origin. Many different theories were made about what it truly was, but the Tollenians entered the tournament to try and use the power to hopefully cure their King, who had fallen ill at the time due to a mysterious sickness," Thomas began pacing back and forth as he tried to recall the story of the time.

"From what I understand, a Gold Tribesman won the tournament, but the entire tournament ended up being a farce, a rouse for Darkrai to try and make his escape. Tollenian Royal Knights and the Gold Tribe fought side by side to try and repel Darkrai's forces. They were successful, but due to the nature of the attack, the two sides agreed to keep this bloody altercation a secret from the mass populace. As such, when the Tollen Knights returned to Tollen, they informed only the King. The King took the news well, and held the Gold Tribe in high regard, even as he passed from his illness. The nobility, including House Ellia, who were uninformed of the events of Tollen, blamed the Gold Tribe as enemies who took the prize of th tournament away from them, a chance to save their King. When Guardia came to Tollen to build Alliances 25 years ago, I heard the House Ellia was among one of the most vocal protesters. However... and perhaps this is due to my previous position and beliefs, House Ellia has always been quite friendly with me personally."

Joshua nodded at the information presented. "I'm sure you've already heard enough from the others regarding that. Actually, your presence here might be good for us. If Ellia is willing to trust you and your group, that might be a good way to get our foot in the door." He turned away from the map, looking towards the pacing Hypno. "What about Durania? Would they be willing to lend assistance?"

Thomas nodded. "I hope so. Perhaps it would lessen the blow of the Gold Tribe being present. I don't know which is more powerful, however. House Ellia's hatred for the Gold Tribe, or their relationship with me," He continued on, placing a hand to his chin. "House Durania is... much different. And quite hard to read. As the rumors fly, their one and only true love is themselves, and whatever serves them best is what they will do. For example, they, like all of the other nobles, said they despised the Gold Tribe when they learned of the tournament results, as all other noble houses did. However, when the Gold Tribe returned to Tollen, they were among the few other noble houses to side with the King in his decision to let them in. Many believe it is because they saw the profit in them."

Thomas shrugged. "I'm unsure if we can trust them to help, but it certainly would hurt to try either. They are said to be involved in all manner of... unsavory activities, some even illegal. They are also said to hold a substantial spy network, the largest in Tollen. I hope that won't interfere with the thief team..." Thomas pondered for another moment, then returned his attention to Joshua. "But if it's profit they seek, we can certainly approach them with that intent."

"I see," Joshua replied. If Thomas was to be believed, then Durania would be a valid second option if Ellia refused their request. "What is the public's opinion on Durania? If they were to support us, would the other houses follow their lead?"

"Most of the minor houses are strung up in alliances and minor relationships with the larger Houses," Thomas explained. "I highly doubt any one House can command the others to follow them, but if any would, it would be either Ellia or Durania. The third largest House, Jenoscent, could potentially have that affect as well, but not to the extent Ellia or Durania have. They have major pull in the capital. Ultimately however, it is whichever House the Queen supports that the others would follow without question."

"So whichever house we choose is only our means of getting inside. Is that what you're saying?" Joshua looked over the map again, murmuring to himself. "Ellia should be our first choice. Despite their objections to the Gold Tribe, I believe it would work better in our favor to try and align ourselves with the more proper house. Considering Durania, as you mentioned, engages in less savory activities, the nobility might believe that we simply bought them out to gain access to Tollen. That would hurt our reputation more than it already is. If Ellia is unwilling to listen... then Durania might be our only option. Now what's this about Jenoscent? Is there anything to gain from them?"

"Legally, the Houses might be the best bet of getting inside the capital. Although that isn't necessarily our only option. We could try appealing directly to the Queen, which may not necessarily work as she would likely not get any of the messages before they are intercepted. Conversely, we could try going through either the Royal Commander or the General of the standing army too. Both have high influence in Tollenian politics too," Thomas explained. He stopped his pacing and returned to the table as he listened to Joshua's explanation of choosing Ellia primarily.

"I see. That makes sense, so it's a sound strategy. As for Jenoscent, they are a House that dealt primarily with ambassadorial duties, and relationships with other countries. I have never gotten a good read on them because they were very private about their personal feelings about things. They never came out to support the Gold Tribe, nor go against them. Perhaps it was for political reasons, as they were trying to build relationships with other nations. In my dealings with them, I found them mostly sound folk, though I imagine now that the country has closed itself from the rest of the world, their position has lowered as a result, being that their main source of power has all but disappeared."

"We could try the military channels, but I believe the nobility might be better, at least as our first attempt. It might have more of an appeal to the royalty." He looked once more towards Thomas. "And assuming Ellia rejects us, this third house in Jenoscent might be worth a try. As I mentioned before, I believe Durania should be our last resort, only if we've exhausted our other methods."

"As for the military route," Joshua continued, "I remember in my studies that Tollen places a strong emphasis on military service. Now, I can only speak from my own observations, and Tollen may be different, but I've noticed that government and the military often butt heads. I wonder... if we went to the military, if they would see it as preparations for conflict? That might discourage them from lending aid. Tollen cut itself off effectively, I doubt they would want to be dragged into a conflict that, in their eyes, does not concern them. What do you think?"

"Hmm," Thomas thought on what the Joshua had said. "I think you may be right there. Besides, I have less information about the military of Tollen. Guardia would know more about that," He explained. Just as he mentioned her name, Guardia came through the hut doors, appearing a bit flustered, or frustrated. Thomas couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion on her. "Speaking of which. Good to see you again, Guardia. Everything alright?"

"Hmm?" Guardia looked up to see Joshua and Thomas standing around the map in the center of the room. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just had to check on something. You guys been planning?" She asked.

"We have," Joshua affirmed. The feeling of planning and thinking helped take his mind off the initial withdrawals he had regarding his assignment. At the moment, he had completely regained his composure. "We have a few ideas for the diplomatic route, some more ideal than others."

Thomas nodded in agreement, and explained further. "We've decided to take a route in through one of the noble Houses. Watchman believes Ellia might be our best bet, with Jenoscent as a secondary option, and Durania as a last resort. We also wonder what you know about their military leadership."

"Ellia, huh?" Guardi thought. "I wonder if they'll help us out. They kinda hate the Gold Tribe, if I'm remembering right," She said, before thinking back on the military leadership. "Well, as much as I'd like to help here, I don't know what else I can add. I'm not even sure if the same military 'mon are in power. I never met the Royal Commander, although I heard good things about him. As for Darrell, Captain of the Hellguards, not even sure if he's around anymore. If he is, he's probably out in the forests anyway, so we won't run into him. He's a good leader, I guess. But pretty abrasive and cold. As for the General of the standing army, I did meet her before. General Isabella, or Isa. Pretty kind woman. But sensible too. She seemed to like the Gold Tribe, so I'm wondering how she's taking all of this."

"There's only one way to find out," Joshua replied to Guardia. "But as I was telling Mr. Blake earlier, I believe our best interests might lie with the noble houses. If those channels do not provide us access, then our second option would be whatever contacts we have in the Tollen military."

Joshua turned towards Thomas. "So then. Do you think you can secure us an audience with House Ellia?"

Thomas nodded. "I'll try to make contact with either the Seekers or any of my supporters. One way or another, I'll get a message through to House Ellia. Would you like me to simultaneously try any other Houses or officials? Or simply go through to Ellia directly?" Thomas asked.

"I'd stick with Ellia for now, at least until we have an answer," Joshua stated. "If they deny, then we might be able to try the other options while we're still in the city."

"Very well," Thomas added with a nod. "I will go to the Network and try to relay the message. If you would excuse me, Watchman, Guardia." Thomas nodded to the two of them, and departed. Guardia nodded back, watching him depart and looked over to Joshua, offering him a smile.

"Good work, brother."

Joshua cracked an awkward, half-genuine smile, trying to play it off. "I-it was nothing... really... just simple planning. Really... anyone could have done it." He gave an obviously forced laugh, adjusting his jacket slightly.

Guardia crossed her arms and shook her head. "No, I think very few people would have been able to do it. You don't give yourself enough credit sometimes. I chose you to lead the diplomatic team because I knew you were the best choice, and you didn't disappoint so far. Just because we're Gold Tribe and what we do is expected of us, doesn't mean we don't have to have pride in our skills."

"Well, it's not really-" he paused mid-sentence, letting out a sigh. "... I suppose you're right. I appreciate your confidence." He looked around the room, seeing the others busy making plans of their own and preparing themselves for the mission ahead. "I guess all that's left is getting ready, isn't it?"

Guardia followed Joshua's eyes to the others across the room. "Pretty much," She answered. For now, we'll be waiting to see what Thomas says. But you should do whatever you need to right now to prepare. We'll be leaving not too long after the thieves tomorrow morning. Any supplies you need, you should pack up now."

"Agreed," Joshua replied, hopping off of his seat. "I'll see you all tomorrow, then." Joshua headed towards the upper levels of the hut, gathering whatever he thought would be needed and preparing himself mentally for the task.

 

[Greiger]

Giving inventions to thieves!? Nothing bad will come of that... >.>​

Alex hummed to himself as he waited by the pole, every so often twirling his cane, "It is good by the way." He remarked to Obsidian, "We just need the others to arrive. I'm sure Snype sent invitations via Ninjask."

"Well they better hurry, we're leaving by tomorrow morning." Obsidian commented.

Snype was quick to arrive, but he was followed by a small group of Ninjask. He had of course planned to establish a Ninjask network at Tollen. One of the Ninjask with him seemed to give off a different vibe though...Silent, experienced. The look on the Ninjask's face just screamed "ready". Like she could kill anything on command in a flash if necessary.

"Keheh, well I'm pretty much all prepared! Brought along a couple guests as well!" Snype said with a toothy grin.

Obsidian looked up at the Ninjask, "Uh... well hello there sir." He said. "I'm sure we'll get along well enough. Uh... Snype. Not meaning to be rude... but this is a stealth mission. Isn't bringing more mon along just more people that will stick out?" He asked warily.

Snype smirked. "You've clearly never seen a Ninjask in action. With their speed, they might as well be invisible! Plus we need a Ninjask network set up over there to help with communication. Don't worry I didn't bring along too much... They'll be helping with a couple other tasks other then delivering messages." Snype explained. The lead Ninjask seemed to twitch its eye a bit at Obsidian.

"Heh. Well damn, I think I like the sound of sir. Could get used to that kind of greeting." The Ninjask spoke out, giving off a more feminine voice than the others. The ninjask zipped up to Obsidian and gave him a firm pat on the head.

Obsidian blinked, "Oooooohhhh.... you're a girl!"

"Even I knew that." Alex muttered out. "It's so obvious when you look at her."

Obsidian huffed and crossed his arms, "Well I didn't! So there!"

The Ninjask quickly turned to Alex. "Ahh smart guy huh? I've never met anyone who could guess my gender on the first try. Most assume the network is full of males but we've spread out a couple females evenly." She said with chuckle, flying a little closer to Alex.

Alex nodded, "Of course. I know my species." He said with a charming smile.

"Now you're just kissing up." Obsidian huffed angrily.

She laughed again. "And I know my fibs! Heh heh. I'm interested in how you could tell my gender! We Ninjask don't exactly have any visible differences." she said, zipping closer and poking Alex on the nose.

Alex blinked, "Uh.... well... claw size." He said, his smile growing, "Females have smaller claws and males have bigger ones."

"Dumba**, she said there's no visible differences." Obsidian said as his own smile grew.

Alex huffed, "Well, I'm just saying what I know." He gripped his cane tighter, "That's all I can say, correct?"

"You callin my claws small? Cuz I can introduce you to them if ya want a closer look." She joked, holding them up to show their sharpness as well as the size.

"Keheh, that'll be all Able." Snype said to her. Able gave another snicker and moved back with the other two Ninjask. "Keheh, I think you'll all get along with her whenever she's not busy doing tasks for us. She's the best of the best within the Ninjask network, as well as the commander. We're in good hands. Keheh" Snype said.

Alex smirked, "Heh, I'll say we're in better hands with this." He pulled out from underneath his cloak a black stone. He tossed it up and down in his hand, "This baby will get us quite the mileage, let me tell you that."

The small head of a Ralts poked its way through the door. "What's all this ruckus? I've heard there was a ruckus, and thus have endeavoured to investigate the ruckus." Razathiel announced, waddling his way into the building. "Also, gadgets, I heard there were gadgets. Where are the gadgets? Are those the gadgets? Is that a gadget?" The Dreadmage hopped periodically around the room, scrutinising miscellaneous objects with his gaze.

Alex blinked in surprise and quickly intercepted the mage, "Hey now. What's the rush?" He asked. He crossed his arms, "Are you going with them to the city? Cause I thought you were heading else where." He tossed the stone up and down, "And there are gadgets to be brought out, but why are you here? I thought you hated everything ever."

"I thought I explained myself perfectly well." Raz stated. "Ruckus. Gadgets. And yes, I do hate them - though a good deal less than most other things, hence why to the untrained eye it may be perceived as a 'like'... So where are they? I assume they're here. Is that one?"

Alex paused and let the rock drop back to his hand as he closed it into a fist, "Yes it is." He said in a matter of fact tone, "But we'll be waiting for the others on the team to arrive before I show anything else off. So you have to be patient." He held up a finger, "Patience is a virtue after all."

"Pah! I don't need virtues! I'm evil! Egh." The Ralts shook his head. "I suppose I do like gadgets, however, it's not as if with all my power I'd be brought down by waiting." Razathiel returned his staff to his Magic room, then hopped up onto a table to sit down. "So, minion, I see you have yourself your own set of retainers."

Snype nodded. "Keheh, yup! Leading the charge and all of that. Keheh, to be honest, I'm kind of excited to be doing work in new territory! I thought for sure I'd be doing Gold Tribe stuff but doing what I do best ain't so bad!" Snype explained. The Ninjask behind him all nodded with Snype.

"Well, then," Raz said, looking at the Ninjask. "I suppose that makes you my minion-minions. Very well; for my first direct order, I'd like you all to, erm... continue doing as you are, as well as, erm... not dying. That second one is important, failure is punishable by death - at ease, now, sir, sir, madam; hmm, now that's too formal. What are the appropriate terms with which to address minions? Minion, answer me!"

The Ninjask looked at Snype with a confused expression. Snype just whispered "Just roll with it." Before turning back to Raz, though Able seemed to speak up before Snype had a chance to.

"Took a lucky guess or am I just louder than usual today?" Able said with a chuckle. "Snype you've been meeting all sorts of interesting characters out here. Hard to believe we were enemies a few days ago." She said.

Raz frowned at the Ninjask. "I can't for the life of me figure out why that would be a fitting title for a minion-minion. It doesn't even make sense, and I'm not going to run my mouth every time I feel like addressing one."

Able sighed. "Ohh smart alec huh? You could call us soldiers! I'm pretty high up in command where I work ya know. Seems like it'd be fitting for the group of Ninjask who saved all your sorry butts from Gold City." She bragged.

The Dreadmage raised an eyebrow, as he tended to do. "Is that so? I'm afraid, minion-minion, you'll find my posterior severely lacking in apologetic nature."

Able tilted her head. "Your po...why we talking about your butt suddenly?" Able asked confused. Snype chuckled a bit, getting a serious case of déja vu.

Raz shrugged. "You brought it up. Regardless, it was not saved by the likes of anyone back in Gold City - you saved citizens, thieves and goldies; not me."

"Heh. I like that ego of yours. Maybe one of these days this "minion" WILL save your butt. Weird things happen out there, especially against something like Darkrai."

"Oh, I'm not against the possibility - in fact, it would probably be your duty as a minion-minion. That is, in fact, 'minion-minion', and not 'minion' as you so carelessly said. Even so, I should hope that you pertain more focus on saving more vital areas such as the head and torso." The Ralts turned for a moment, not addressing anyone in particular. "I'm not sure if it's just my perception, but for some reason a remarkable number of people seem fascinated with people's behinds. It borders on ridiculous, to be honest, but to each their own..."

Able turned back to Snype. "Keheh, its a long story" Snype simply replied. The Ninjask just shrugged and zipped over to the turned Ralts and lightly poked his rear. "Heh, well I think I'll enjoy being around this crowd then if this is the kind of crazy conversations we have in the future!" The Ninjask said with a laugh.

Raz's eyebrow raised at the poke, and he stared piercingly at the culprit. "You are not permitted to touch me. Do so again at your peril." He turned to Snype. "Minion! Control your minion."

Able giggled a bit. "Hey first one's free!" She joked. Snype simply nodded to Raz.

Under the noise of the small Ninjask troop's wings, it had become very hard to hear the much lower buzz of a much larger bug approaching at a fairly impressive speed; Charlie had departed the meeting at the very first chance possible, spending the last few minutes in the skies above Ferrol to stretch out his wings. As he approached, the Scyther spun around in the air, digging his feet and his right claw into the ground and bringing himself to an almost instant stop in front of Snype. "I swear ta Arceus boss, I thought that meeting was never gonna end. Still, good news we get ta do our usual thing right?"

Snype turned around to Charlie, noticing him stop right in front of him. "Keheh, yeah. Figured it'd be the best way we could help out. Thing oughta flow pretty naturally for us and we can show the ropes to each of the newbies coming along. Keheh. Apprentice thieves~" Snype said.

"Heh, I wouldn't call 'em that when they turn up... give ya one ta five they ain't gonna like it." Charlie grinned. "Actually, that means you prob'ly should. Go for it!"

At that moment Kaveri and the last of the thief team showed up, coincidentally just before a Wigglytuff dressed in a white lab coat walked on out, "Hello everyone. I take it you are all heading into Tollen, correct?"

Alex nodded, "Yes we are ma'am."

She gave a brief nod, "Good, very good. I am Sasha and I'm one of the head researchers here at the fort. I have already been contacted by Hanso himself and basically, anything we have that is operational and safe we are to give you open access to. If you all will follow me I can go ahead and show you what items you can use while in Tollen. This way."

Sasha led the way into a door and past a few hallways where loud sounds echoed behind closed doors and where the open doors had massive amounts of paperwork with secretaries busily scrawling out more notes or filing. Soon they were led inside a room that looked more along like an amphitheater with chairs placed all around. As they sat down Sasha pointed over to a table, "We have some refreshments so if you need to eat feel free. The restrooms are down the hall, huge sign, can't miss them. Now, onto business."

Near the front of the room was a table with a cloth covering it. The Wigglytuff pulled it back to reveal three items on the table. "Now, these are the first items we were hopping to show off." She said eagerly. "I'll go through them one by one and if you have any questions feel free to ask. Now," She held up a gold bracelet that shined in the light, "This is one of our oldest inventions. The illusion bracelet. We have studied Zoroark for years and finally made a bracelet that can cast illusions similar to those they are able to make. It can only affect the wearer so when you put it on for the first minute or so nothing will happen. During that minute you think about what you want to look like and after a while the illusion will weave itself together."

She put the bracelet back down on the table, "Everything from scents, to shadows, to even feeling fur on your body will be mimicked. Now... this doesn't have a battery supply of its own, meaning it draws off of your energy every second you use it. Whenever you take it off your own energy can recharge all the while, but the main drawback is once the last of your energy is sucked away to power it, the bracelet will sense your low energy and cut off the illusion. This has usually led to users falling unconscious as their illusion fails. Which means if this fails in a public place all eyes will be on you. This is also a small, very very small chance, that when such an event happens the bracelet... might sort of... explode in a large fireball. If it's on your wrist... well, you can imagine the consequences."

She picked up the next one that appeared to be a black stone. "This is a bit different. This is our patented shadow stone. This stone has a battery of its own so it won't draw on your energy. It also means it can't be recharged unless you take it to a powering station. As long as the crystal is turned on any organic matter holding it will become invisible. Now, you can change the settings with a knob to determine how large of an effect it'll have. More drain on the battery will happen if say you set it so shadows aren't cast, or if your scent is also masked too. However you won't fall unconscious and if it runs out of power it doesn't explode, but you can't recharge it. Oh, and if you bump into things more and more... you can set off a negative balance that causes your cloak of invisibility to temporarily fade away."

She set it down and picked up another bracelet, "This is our memory warper. You wear it similar to an illusion bracelet but it has the powers of a Beheeyem contained in it. Whenever you activate it every mind around you will have the past five minutes of their memory rewritten so you aren't remembered. Like the illusion bracelet it runs off of the energy of the user meaning you can collapse with this one as well but it won't explode." She said cheerfully. "It takes more energy if there are more memories to rewrite, so be aware of that. Any questions so far?"

"Well, lemme tell ya..." The least technically-proficient bug around began. "This is some right fancy sh*t. One thing I gotta ask though.. sound? This stuff makes us all invdivisible and disguised and that right? But does it do anythin' about this?" Charlie buzzed his wings, picking up just enough air on them he'd lift a couple of feet off the ground.

Sasha nodded, "Well, our illusion bracelet can mask the sound, but can't mask if you rise up in the air. If you fly up, whatever form you choose for the illusion will also rise up into the air. For the shadow stone you can actually tune in a setting to silence any noises that come off of your body. So if you were to buzz your wings no one would hear."

Snype rubbed his chin. "Hmmm... kehe. These gadgets sound pretty darn useful! If I really have to use them then I guess they'll be handy to have around." Snype said rather confidently. Another part of his mind was thinking of how useful these would be for pranks! But one job at a time. Raz, on the other hand, was severely disappointed at the lack of gadgets with potential to kill things. Of course, the bracelet had potential to explode - but he figured that would end up doing little other than maiming the user. Maiming was alright, he supposed, but there were far more effective methods of bringing it about.

Sasha nodded yet again, "We do have one other gadget... but it's more complex. Follow me. Unlike the others it's not mobile. It's something we have to install with chairs and screens, but it's more permanent you can say. These gadgets we've shown need power to supply them, but this method doesn't." She once more led the way down another hall where they entered a room that held a large machine with two chairs attached to it. It was made of steel and had various monitors attached as well.

"A while ago Demas, one of our head researchers, found out about Penance's involvement with keeping Brynn alive. At first, it started as a way to give those who were dying a second chance at life. Simply take one mind from a body and push it into a body who's mind had died off. In essence, coma patients or others whose minds had been killed off though diseases or psychological trauma. Instead, we found something far different through testing. Our initial idea did work, but at the same time we found other applications." She cleared her throat, "Our machine is... something of an ethical quandary. The only reason I am showing you it here and now is because Hanso himself gave full access to you all."

"The way the machine works is that two mon sit down and we input some commands. The machine can do anything from showing another recipient memories one mon has, to even relaying another's thoughts and feelings in real time. That can be unethical use of the machine in of itself, though the other adaptation we have discovered is that it can take the minds of two beings, and in layman's terms, switch which body they are in. Which brings me to the stealth portion this has. If any of you are concerned that you might be recognized in Tollen, this machine can hide your true identity. You just have to find a mon willing to do it with you. If say a shadow stone runs out of power, or you have too low juice on an illusion bracelet to keep up an illusion this machine can help to still hide your identity. Though, only problem is that you'll have to adapt and the only way you could revert it is to come back here to the fort and go through the process again."

She cleared her throat, "Other than that, we have no other items to help in stealth. Judging by the parameters of the mission I have to assume that any weapons won't really help that much. It would more along draw in attention I would think. It is up to your group and probably whatever the leader of your team thinks. As I said, we have quite the supply.. which brings me to my next quandry. When we were evacuating Tollen... well, we did our best to keep inventory... but it is likely some gadgets might have been left there and that the forces over there MIGHT have access to them. The only SEC left are the porters, so I doubt they have been able to manufacture more... but it can be a concern to the mission I fear."

Snype crossed his arms. The whole machine made him feel uncomfortable. Swapping bodies? Transfering minds? SEC sure had been busy... "Interesting machine... you're free to install it, but I doubt we'll need to do something so drastic like that. I kinda like my body thank you very much. I'm too charming to give it up like that. Kehe" Snype said, pointing to himself.

She nodded, "In any case, here's Enzio. He has a list of the items we did have in Tollen. Enzio, if you would."

Enzio was a smaller than average Mankey. He had a pair of thick, round glasses and a clipboard. He nervously looked around at the Gold Tribe members and thieves present. His hands were pouring with sweat as he silently hoped he wouldn't accidentally mess up and say something he wasn't supposed to. "R-right," He mumbled. "Um... uh... um... uh... r-right," He fidgeted nervously, looking over the list again as he suddenly and quietly squeaked to Sasha. "W-what was I s-s-s-supposed to do again?"

She smiled and lightly patted his shoulder, "Just read off the list is all." She gave an apologetic smile to the group, "Sorry, he's new to this all. Just read it."

Enzio shakily looked down on the list, then back up at Sasha, then down at the list. He then fell over from fright.

Sasha sighed and picked up the list, "I'll say it then. Let's see... we have one shadow stone missing, at least two illusion bracelet are gone, and there's also some memory warpers. So please be aware of this." She sighed, "And they have their own scientists as well, so within a years time... I'm uncertain if they could make more or understand how they are made. I would ask that you all keep your wits about you, and if you do happen to get caught try to at least prevent more of our inventions from getting into their hands."

"Hrm... well, Besides memory swiping, I can handle pretty much whatever those other gadgets do. I mean comon. I'm a ghost after all. Stealth is in my nature. Keheh. I doubt I'll need to use these tools too often..." Snype suddenly thought about Abel's earlier threat. "...but I'll hang onto one of those memory wipers. Could make for a good escape sometime." Snype said.

Obsidian shrugged, "I think I got that all down too. Well, the shadow stones would be more useful I think. I mean, they'll make us invisible so if we have to go somewhere secret we can use those, and if we have to port out for any reason it'll be better to simply do it while we can't be seen."

Sasha nodded, "Excellent! Well, I'll have one of the other researchers gather some for you while I tend to Enzio here." She picked up the Mankey and lightly patted his back, "Manage the inventions well enough and you won't have to worry about them losing power anytime soon.

"Wait, so..." Raz had been repressing his disappointment for a while now, but could hold it in no longer. "You mean to tell me that's it? That's all? Just this bloody stealth stuff and nothing with murder potential? You thieves have fun with your illusory crap, this has been a bloody waste of time for me. F*ck it all. Pricks." The Ralts hopped from the table, kicked the door open and stormed off.

Sasha watched him leave and sighed, "Well I guess he won't want to see our more dangerous items then. His loss I suppose." She gave a weak shrug as she walked on out with Enzio.

"I gotta say guys, we have got some fancy, fancy sh*t to work with here. I mean, I said it once already but dammit, I'll say it again." Charlie cooed at the technology. "Don't like the memory wiper... hurts my pride too much. I mean, do the job right ya won't be spotted in the first place, right? But the rest of these toys look like a lotta fun ta play with." One device did give him quandry though... the mind-swapping hotseat. Although there was no doubting that taking a peek right into someone's mind would be an even more effective interrogation method than the threat of Scyther claws, something just seemed... up with it. Someone's mind was meant to be just that, private and theirs. Then he realised he was coming dangerously close to deep thought. "I get ta play with the invisibilly thing first!"

Kaveri had been sitting quietly to the side in the meanwhile, a cup of berry juice in one paw and a muffin in the other. "Billy's invisible? Well, no wonder he's nowhere to be found!" she said, her expression and tone completely denying that she was mocking Charlie's inability to say the word "invisibility". Which she totally was. She regarded each piece of technology with unveiled curiosity, her twin tails twitching eagerly as she took a sip of her juice.

 

[Turnip]

Congratulations Are In Order
Featuring Penance (and Brynn), Callimer, Razathiel, Abel and Kaveri​

"YO! MAN OF THE HOUR!" Down from a roof came Penance, though the roof was rather high and the duck had to hold onto a makeshift parachute to make his way down, "Greetings!" He said as he wore a large smile on his bill, "I have a gift... for you!" He said as he pointed right at the Dragonite, "How do you like music?" He asked as his smile kept on growing.

Cal hadn't had nearly enough time to get used to the fact that he was the Gold Tribe's new second-in-command before he had a mad duck drifting down towards him declaring gifts and asking about music. "Normally, but I can't really say I know whether to expect something I like from you or not..." He answered, raising an eyebrow at Penance. "I'm not going to be your new Scar, am I?"

Penance landed down and cut the parachute off, "Nonsense! There can only be one Scar!" He looked the Dragonite up and down, "Besides, we haven't even spent a night together with you were unconscious while I was up and doing things while you slept." He said cheerfully. "So then, here's the gift!" He reached behind his back and pulled out... a small flute. He raised it to his bill and began to play some very light notes. It was quite a delightful tune, that was until he lowered the flute and called up, "NOW SURGE!"

The Kadabra jumped on down as various instruments fell with him. Without wasting a beat Penance grabbed the drums, trumpets, flutes, and all other manner of instruments with his psychic powers as they cloistered around Cal... and played. It was loud, and at a very sped up tune as they clustered about, their music echoing out as Penance busied himself with two cymbals he banged together. "Some party huh!?" He shouted out, though with the deafening sound of the music it would be hard for Cal to hear. Surge himself banged on a little drum strapped to his chest.

"This is nice and all but I think there would be better times and places to do it!" Cal did his best to yell over the cacophony of psychically manipulated instruments. "I appreciate the congratulations but maybe something a bit quieter is in order!?"

"LOUDER!? OKAY!" The music ramped up as the Golduck seemed to put his heart and soul into banging his cymbals as loudly as he could.

"Will you cease that infernal racket!?" A loud but high-pitched voice shouted. "If you're going to be so incessantly loud, you could at least conceal how much of a f*cking amateur you are! Gigas' beard!"

"What?" Penance shouted, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" He sped up the tempo as Surge began to swat trying to keep up to the beat as he banged his Cymbals louder and louder, "SPEAK UP!" He crackled out. Surge couldn't keep up as he fell over, completely exhausted by that point.

"Okay Penance! This is getting annoying! I'd suggest you tone it down for the sake of your instruments!" Cal shouted over the noise.

Just then, Abel walked by the group of noisemakers and broke his fist through Surge's drum. He then grabbed hold of Penance's flute, snapping it in half with his knee, and forcefully took the cymbals, and threw them to the lake. He then examined the group in front of him silently. "Let's plan this expedition out, then," He stated coldly, not acknowledging breaking up any of the instruments or anything that had just occurred.

Penance groaned and looked down, "Aw... Abel... you took the fun away~, shouldn't we hear the music play~, for the good of suflay?"

Surge glanced up, "Suflay isn't a word!"

Penance huffed, "I had nothing okay!" He said as he flailed his arms and snapped his fingers. The remaining instruments dog piled Surge, "Get going Surge! You know where they go!"

A yellow arm came out of the pile to flash a thumbs up as the Kadabra shakily rose and grunted as he carried the instruments away, swaying a bit along the way. Penance beamed at Abel, "Hehe, cool cool cool." He said as he looked the Medicham up and down, "Goldies and Seeker, going together!" He clapped his hands together, "Just like Primeapes and Stunfisks! Good times, heh, good times."

He nodded a bit, "Hey, did I ever tell you guys of this one time in Cape? I mean we had this noose hanging right? And this was years and years back, but..." He paused a bit, "Hm... well, maybe it's best not to get into the details, but this puncher came at us and he lost his gold!" He burst into laughter, "Don't lose your gold while we're out, that would make it faaaaar harder and lonelier." He sniffled a bit.

As soon as Abel showed up Cal moved on to planning, trusting the Medicham to take care of the noise problem. "Abel I assume you've done your fair share of patrolling in the past, have you spent a decent amount of time around Beatruce's border with Tollen?"

"I've been there once before, yes," Abel answered, ignoring Penance's nonsensical talking to him.

"Have you ever crossed the border, or been to Tollen yourself?" Cal continued.

Abel nodded. "Before SEC and the Network, whenever we wanted to trade or deal with Beatruce, we had to pass through that way," He looked up, trying to find the best words to describe it. "It's odd. I've heard it described as the most defended place in the world, but also the most undefendable. The forests and jungles make it hard for enemies to reach through, but easy for them to get through the borders, if you can even call it that. But it works both ways. I hear every year, the borders change locations a bit, expanding or declining depending on the conditions. As long as the Hellguards are there though, others usually don't mess with them too much."

"Alright then, when we first go through the point on the edge of Beatruce you'll be our guide, I'll trust your judgement on getting to Tollen. We may have to take a detour here or there depending on what things are like out there, but I'll take any advice you have to offer."

"That sounds for the best," Abel replied with a nod. "From there, I'll give you the reigns as Guardia requested. Don't screw up."

Penance groaned as his left eye once more became the color of steel, "Sorry about that." He muttered, "I'll try to keep him on a leash." Brynn stated, "We haven't headed out to the wilderness while we were at Tollen, but I do know this, we have the back alleys and streets memorized. When we do get to the capital proper, if we do, then I can help to lead you all around. The other villages we can help too, we only visited a few, but we still have that information." He nodded at Abel, "If Guardia trusts you, then so do I. She knows how to pick good mon."

"Can't say the same about you," Abel replied to Brynn coldly.

"Oh, it's the sane persona. Wouldn't you know it." Raz noted, approaching now that the cacophony had ended. "As far as leashing goes, please do. Regardless, you lot can trust me enough to obliterate any unruly wilds and keep a decent eye out for any interesting information. Apart from that, I don't care all that much - Big Greenie seems to be competent enough."

Brynn nodded at Abel, "It's sad to say this... but I know we aren't good mon. Thank you for your honest opinion. Still, we know how to Teleport, but I need some opinions. The SEC network here can monitor anyone who teleports given the psychic energy feedback. We know there is that SEC outpost in the capital, but there wasn't one left in the villages. Still, it's been a few months and my concern that the SEC left there have been training the Tollen militia to set up a SEC-like group... well, it might mean if we do teleport around then they can track us. On the one hand, we can use it to backtrack, mostly in the fact that if we get to a specific area or village we can quickly make it back without having to wander amid the jungle. On the other hand, if we do that then we'll probably send out a signal if there is a SEC-like network already established."

Raz shrugged. "Screw it, then. We're the slow-approach team anyway."

"If you haven't been there, then it's not likely we'll be able to teleport. I might be able to project the image into your mind, but I have no wish for you to enter my mind. We'll go the long way. We have water 'mon stationed there to take us beyond the lake, so it shouldn't be too long before we get into Tollen. We'll be in our area around the same time the thief team is in the capital."

Brynn nodded, "Right. And our dragon here can fly and I'm there too. Still, you don't trust Penance and I, which is a given. Though I will say this, a deal if you will. I'll fight off Penance and maintain control. In return I do ask that at the least you maintain a neutral tone. We're going to be in a war zone and I've seen that when stress gets to mon they tend to lash out more. I don't want to end up stressed because of simple words, cause Penance to come out, and then cause s**t to hit the fan. It's only a request is all."

"I am keeping a neutral tone with you," Abel replied callously. His eyes flickered annoyingly over to the Golduck. "Using Cal to fly will be pointless. We'll use the water Pokemon stationed there so that we can sleep during the night and reach the Tollenian shore by morning. That wastes no time."

Brynn sighed, "Yet, you still have that venom in your tone. I suppose it's something you can't help, but in the long run it won't help us out much when we're depending on each other." She looked among the group, "When we head out there, we're going to be the only people we can trust. If we enter a village how do we not know that they will act in some malicious way toward us? If we constantly seethe around each other then that will cause an uncomfortable atmosphere for sure. Next we'll end up not voicing concerns or just speaking quickly to not avoid causing some sort of fight and then we'll end up worse off. It's imperative, here and now, we strike a truce. No getting on each other's nerves, no acting disgusted by each other, until this mission is over." She looked over at the three, "Can you all agree to that?"

Razathiel crossed his arms. "Hmph. I'm more than used to people acting maliciously towards me. Regardless," He looked up at the Golduck, an eyebrow raised. "Whether or not we are annoyed by one another is not really a choice we can make, er - Brynn, I seem to remember Brynn being the sane one - what I can promise is that I will strive to not let petty arguments supersede our prime objective." The Ralts uncrossed his arms and let out a small exasperated sigh. "And by the way, if you can suppress Penance, then Giratina's wings, could you do it more often?"

"The small one is right," Abel added. "I will do whatever I can to ensure that we succeed. My feelings for you are irrelevant, even if I do feel you are a useless excuse for life and don't deserve to exist."

"Well, you could stop using terms like 'small one' and 'useless excuse for life' if you're all that committed to your intent." Raz huffed. "Unless, of course, you see it appropriate for me to call you an obtuse, monotonous prick."

Brynn groaned, "That's the problem right there!"

"He started it." Raz murmured.

She looked right at Abel, "You are seething with anger, I can sense it coming off of you right now. You're holding it back very well, but at the same time if I can't trust you... if you just go and insult everyone around you and you cling to your hate like you are... then how can Raz and I trust you? At the very least, Raz understands. At least he's making an eff-fort." She said as she enunciated the word, "Cal, can you help me out here?" She asked the large Dragonite, "I just don't want to get to that point when we're too busy protecting our backs from each other that we aren't instead focused on the mission. And judging by how things are going right now, we'll get to that point soon enough."

"Brynn is right." Cal answered, he'd been silent longer than he usually would in such a situation, trying to gauge what he was working with as a group. "Abel, I know socializing isn't your thing, and you probably don't have much if any respect for anyone here. But it's not enough just to not physically act on your feelings about us, if you think so little of anyone here you'll have to also keep quiet about it unless it's necessary to voice a complaint. We can't afford to have too much friction here, especially if we hope to keep Penance quiet and Brynn in control. And Raz I expect better from you as well, if you want voice your opinions all you want about the other mon' we have to deal with after we leave - when they aren't around at least - but try not to vocalize your distaste too much while we travel."

The Dreadmage raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You expect better from me? Really?"

"Sometimes silent evil is the most evil." Cal replied with a smirk of his own.

A weight suddenly dropped onto Cal's back and four limbs wrapped around him as the head of a familiar Floatzel rested on his shoulder. "Silent's kinda boring, though, yeh know?"

Brynn chuckled at the scene, "You two remind me of... well Hanso and I. Don't worry, Cal is capable. He wouldn't have been chosen other wise."

Abel silently stared at Brynn, then to Cal as they made their explanations. Without changing his expression, he nodded then spoke. "Let me know when we'll be leaving, Sentinel," He stated coldly, then turned around and departed without another word.

Brynn glanced back at Abel leaving, then to Cal. "Cal... I'm worried here." He said softly, "Look, I know Abel is capable, that I won't deny. I've heard his stories... but right now I'm already seeing a lot of friction from him. Do you think it's a good idea for him to come along?"

Cal turned his head as much as he could to smile at Kaveri over his shoulder. "Nah, silent can be plenty fun, more opportunities for surprises when you actually do or say something. I was actually about to go looking for you after we were done planning what little we can plan for the trip." He turned back to Brynn and dipped his head. "I do think it's a good idea to bring Abel along, he wasn't made second-in-command of Beatruce's Gold Tribe for nothing. And besides, I think it's just hard for him. He just had to listen to a group of his allies all vote against going to his home anytime soon while he knows a plague is sweeping through it. We'll make do, and besides, our group may have to do more fighting than any of the others on our way to Tollen. More than anything else we need that extra power, I've seen him manage not to make too much fuss around Guardia. If he can take her word I'm confident he'll listen to me as well, even if he doesn't like it."

Brynn fell silent for a moment, "Perhaps... it is best if Penance and I depart." He said, "I already see that there is friction he's going to bring up against us. It would aid the group if simply we are not there. We truly have nothing to bring other than us knowing seekers, and that is of limited use for Tollen where only two seekers are. The odds of us running into any of them in the wilderness is very unlikely. If we're only going to cause strain on the group, it is better to simply stay out of it."

"Brynn there's really no need for all that. You and Penance both have plenty of knowledge to offer us in any case, and like I said we need all the power we can get in any case. Besides, if you stayed back and tried to go with a different group after Penance had made his decision he'd probably just go even crazier nagging you about it anyways. We need you, and there's no way of knowing just how much until we get there, don't worry about it too much."

Brynn smiled weakly, "Well, if that's the case, then I'll stay. Hopefully the whole trip won't be full of friction."

Kaveri meanwhile was still hanging out on Cal's back, listening in a silence that didn't really make sense since she had just finished calling silence boring. "G'luck with that, considering you're bringing along someone who causes a ruckus every time someone refers to his size," she snickered, thereby breaking her boring silence.

Raz frowned, giving nothing but an annoyed "Why?" in response.

"Now now Kav, you aren't exactly 'plus size' yourself. Anywho-" Cal reached over his shoulders and pulled Kaveri off of her back, holding her in front of him for a few seconds before hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her. "- I just want to say I could never have made it here without you, you're the best sister anyone could ever have and I love you." He swung her back and forth just a bit while he spoke, when he realized how long he'd been hugging his sister he set her back down and looked at her more sternly. "And you better stay safe on this mission, it won't do well for relations with Tollen if I have to rampage through the city in vengeance. It'd make us all look bad." He winked at the end, still feeling rather warm about the whole situation.

"Same goes to you, above-average-sized little brother of mine," Kaveri said, prodding Cal's stomach as she smirked up at him. "Besides the whole rampage of vengeance, dying on your first mission as second-in-command would just be sad, very sad."

"Excuse me while I repress the urge to release the contents of my stomach." Raz commented dryly.

Brynn chuckled, "We'll all do good, I know that much. In any case, if you want to gather some last minute items then I suppose now would be the time. I am hoping that we won't run into too much resistance, but if the forests are chaotic we could use that to our advantage."

"Who says they could stop me?" Cal smiled at Kaveri one last time before he set her down and squared his shoulders. "I've got a few things I can grab back at the inn but I'm pretty much ready to go. I'll find Abel after I gather my things and we can all meet up at the warp point in a bit."

"Everything I need is stored within my Magic Room." Raz elaborated. "As for resistance, I've yet to find a 'mon who can survive me, besides those I choose to keep alive."

Brynn nodded, "I have little to carry myself. Penance and I make do well enough on grass and in trees. Plus, there is the bonus of two minds. Even while I sleep Penance can sense if anyone comes close to us. If he sleeps, likewise I can do the same. You can leave all of the night watching to us."

Kaveri blinked about at the other three. "Right, well, I'll be leaving you lot to your preparations then. Cal, don't get any fatter. And Tiny, don't get any shorter." She waved then scampered quickly away to avoid any retaliation from the Ralts.

"Well there's no room for fat with all this muscle." Cal replied, jokingly flexing his left arm. "Alright, Brynn, Raz, I'll see you in a bit." It didn't seem like any of his compatriots would need much, if any time to prepare, so he launched into the air and flew the short distance to the inn to save time.

The Dreadmage let out a 'hmm' of indifference. The short jokes certainly were wearing on him. "I fear, Brynn, you'll have to share with me your secret for tolerating idiocy."

Brynn smiled weakly, "Well, I do have a technique. How about this, on the swim over I'll show you. It can be a lifesaver, I assure you."

Raz nodded, despite his suspicions that 'lifesaver' was some kind of nautical play-on-words. "Very well. Good day to you. Evil day, rather." With that, the Ralts turned and walked off to whatever the 'evil day' would bring.

 

[SV]

Raz and Guardia - Advice and the innocent

If he was honest, Razathiel wasn't sure how well he'd been adapting to being around other 'mon for extended periods of time. It was more hectic, that was for sure. Difficult, as well, what with the extreme influx in petty annoyances. Although, perhaps that was just how it seemed because he couldn't end those who poked at him. That was definitely a thing.

As for now, he was on lookout for the Gold Tribe's leader, Guardia. Seeing as his previous engagements with Penance's affiliates, the Weavile and the Gardevoir, had been a resounding failure, he figured that she was the one person he could trust with his concerns. That was an odd thing to do - trust had never been a major factor in Raz's life. Unless trusting that a swift Psychic blast would destroy a 'mon counted.

There was the Zangoose - with a quick hop and a poke on the shoulder, the Ralts gained her attention. "Hey, Gardener. I would speak with you." The mage chuckled slightly at his miniature revenge.


Guardia turned around, looking forward to find out who it was that tapped her on the shoulder. She didn't immediately see anyone, until she looked down and saw the familiar Ralts in front of her. "Oh, Razzmathyell," Guardia greeted the Dreadmage with a nod. "What's up?"

"Wow, bet that one took you a f*cking hour or two." He muttered. "Razathiel is the name. Above us is a mixture of gases and various particulates, followed eventually by space - that holds no relevance, however. Come; follow me, and be discreet about it."

"Yeah, OK," Guardia replied, a bit confused by what the Dreadmage was doing. She imagined he was going somewhere where they could talk more privately. In that case, she figured the topic was of some importance, so she followed behind the Ralts.

Raz turned around, but didn't move. Instead, he frowned, casting his gaze about Fort Ferrol. "Hmm," He muttered. "Boat is too visible. Buildings liable to be populated. I'll be honest, Gargoyle, I hadn't derived a location beforehand."

Guardia shook her head. "Well dang, this better be pretty damn important if you're willing to go all secretive about it," She stated. She then remembered the fairly private talk that had happened between herself and Watchman at the top of the Gold Tribe hut. "How about on the last level of the Gold Tribe hut? It should be secure enough."

The Dreadmage grimaced. "I'm not so confident in the hut's security, based on the nature of my concerns. You will understand why. Even so, the Fort itself is... suspect. Not in a way that is dangerous to any of us, but- agh, you'll soon understand why."

Guardia eyed the Ralts suspiciously, then shrugged her shoulders. She pointed to the far end of the fort, which connected to some a nearby forest which seemed to extend for quite a while. "Afraid of bug 'mon?" She asked the Ralts.

"Hmm, you could say that." Raz replied, turning to walk in the direction of the forest. "And remember, be discreet. And tell me if I'm being discreet enough, too; I'm never discreet, so I'm bloody clueless."

"You could say that again," Guardia replied with a smirk. She walked alongside Raz toward the forest, passing through the Fort as they did so. She spotted Wraith along the way, who gave her a respectful nod as he floated about, to which Guardia returned the nod.

"F*ck off." Raz said to the passing Dusknoir.

"Agitated mood, hmm?" Wraith questioned, he then shook his head and continued. "Not, probably not more than usual. You always seemed the type, although to be fair, you were only here for a few days, so it would be impossible to get a good idea of what type of Pokémon you truly are until I spent much more time with you. Perhaps you're simply acting as your normal self, then? And saying thus to get my attention away? Which makes me wonder now more than before, where exactly are you going? Perhaps to discuss more plans about where the group will be going? Hmm, but if I recall what I've been told, neither of you are actually in the same team as each othe-"

"Guardia, was there some kind of allowance for murder for me? Like, one or two a week? If so, please tell me. I could sure go for a murder right now. Tell me, Dusknoir, why is it that the words 'f*ck off' register nothing in your puny little excuse for a brain? In fact, don't answer that. Just f*ck off, if you please. And if you don't, I'll probably have to rend the fibre of your very soul from the fabric of the universe. And that would certainly be a shame - for you. And nobody else."

"Enough Raz. Wraith, go back to what you're doing, don't mind us," Guardia ordered the Dusknoir. Wraith shrugged his shoulders and floated away casually. The Zangoose proceeded again toward the forest and crept inside. "You sure have a mouth on you, don't ya?" She asked the Ralts, as she stopped at a fairly secluded area a bit of the way into the forest.

"It's true, most 'mon do. It allows speech and ingestion of nutrients." Razathiel replied with a small smirk, before composing himself, placing his back against a tree and folding his arms. "Penance." He said, the name in itself the answer to a multitude of questions.

"What did he do this time?" Guardia asked with a sigh, mirroring Raz's actions as she crossed her arm and leaned back on an opposite tree.

The Ralts laughed lightly, glad they were on the same page on the mad duck. "It isn't what he has done so much as what he will do - though by all means, it's hardly as though he has done nothing. I... you know him, right? I know that you've operated together in the past, but... hm, I..." Raz let out a disgusted sigh, uncrossing his arms. "I need help, alright? I can't deal with that bastard. Not with murder restrictions, at any rate."

"Heh, yeah he certainly is a loose canon, if I've ever seen one," Guardia said as she looked up into the dense tips of the trees and sighed once more. "About thirty years ago, we had to go through similar things. He was a lot more normal back then in the beginning, but about halfway through, an ambush we planned went awry. He ended up snapping and going pretty insane. We still needed him and his plans to push through, though. We also needed him not to be a distraction if it came to that. We knocked him out, and when he came to he was more calm," Guardia explained.

"We lied about the situation and he performed normally during the fight. Afterwards, things took a turn for the worst. I didn't realize how 'mon should treat honesty until after that moment," Guardia looked back down at the Ralts. "If it comes to him making a mess of things, try knocking him out. Maybe have Brynn take over. She's the other one living inside of him, and she's for the most part sensible. But I also wouldn't keep him cooped up the entire time either. He does bring some valuable plans and insight to things too, which you could need. Plus, I'd rather have him than Paradox any day."

Razathiel shook his head. "Hrm, I'm not so sure, though you're probably right. It's- egh, it's not so much how to deal with him in that regard as it is... well, how are you, erm... still... sane? Alive? Relatively devoid of murderous intent? Penance is an inescapable nuisance. Brynn has said that she will try to maintain control for the most part of the trip, but... hrmm. He's... intolerable. Now, does it make more sense why I'm asking how you 'deal' with him?"

Guardia shrugged her shoulders. "It's been thirty years for me, and I guess I didn't really deal with it as much as I adapted. He's always going to be like this and that's probably not going to change. The most you can do is just go with it, or else you'll keep yourself up nights wondering what the hell is his problem," Guardia added with a smirk. "To this day, I will never truly understand him, but as long as he's helping us against Darkrai, I'll manage. I know you probably haven't dealt with his kind before, so maybe this'll be good for you as a test of restriction for your... uh, desire to do serious harm."

"Wh- what? Adapt? HOW? If this is a test for me, I hope you're well aware of the likelihood that I will FAIL IT!"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to come along on the mission in the first place, aren't ya?" Guardia asked the Ralts. "Knock him out if ya have to. Avoid him. Ignore him. Do whatever you have to for now. But get used to him because eventually you're going to have to work with him, and he's not going anywhere."

Raz sighed, shaking his head. "Hmm, hmm, I suppose... I suppose you're right. I suppose avoidance certainly can work outside of battle as much as in. I'll have to try it; useful advice, Gregory, I might even be on the verge of forgiving you for punching me earlier."

"Who the hell is Gregory? It's Guardia," She huffed. "While we're on that subject, I hope you understand that I don't want you to go around killing or threatening anyone innocent," Guardia paused for a moment, and added. "You do know what innocent means... right?"

"Of course." Raz said. "Opposite of guilty. Non-committer of wrongdoings."

"And you do know what that means, right? That means villagers who don't know better. Our allies if there are any there. The others in the group. Not just anyone you think is innocent because it suits you."

Raz frowned. "Those people aren't necessarily innocent, Ganondorf, just because they're our allies or civilians. That's prejudice, you know. You're guilty of prejudice now."

Guardia rolled her eyes and then brought them to the Ralts angrily. "Ratshatsiel, if we go around assuming everyone is out to get us, the world would be a lot smaller. No offense," She added. "If they're not doing anything to undermine us, then they shouldn't have to suffer because we're there. Just... don't do anything rash unless you know for sure they're against us."

The Dreadmage winced at the mention of 'smaller', but quickly composed himself and sniffed, closing his eyes. "That's how I've been reacting this entire time. Everyone just happens to have been very undermine-y as of late."

Guardia shook her head, seeing that it was going to be very hard to explain to this Ralts the seemingly easy description of innocent. Maybe it wasn't so easy after all. "OK, how about just try not to kill anyone or anything unless the others are fighting it as well. How about that?"

Raz folded his arms again, but opened one eye. "I can do that. In return, you must promise not to punch any perfectly adjusted Raltses of, erm... indeterminate identity."

Guardia snorted, remembering the reason she punched the Ralts earlier in the first place. Seeing that this was about as clear as she was going to get with him, she nodded. "Alright, deal."

"Also apologise."

"...What?"

"You heard me."

"You're kidding," Guardia shook her head in disbelief. "You had that punch coming."

Raz shook his head as well. "Not kidding. Didn't deserve it."

"You tried to-" Guardia began to protest, but she could clearly see that the Ralts wasn't going to give up or acknowledge what he did. "Fine, but you better come through on your end."

"Still don't hear an apology..."

Guardia sighed. "I'm sorry," She murmured lowly.

"Good." Raz nodded. "Er, evil, rather. Or not. Maybe." He put his hands behind his back. "Very well, I'll try to, erm... contain myself. Despite my difficulty on the matter. Regardless, thanks, for the, erm... advice."

"Yeah, thanks for listening," Guardia replied. "I'll hold you to it."

"Hm, I have no doubt you will." The Ralts murmured, beginning to walk off before turning back shortly. "Oh, and also - not a word of this to anyone else, if you don't mind. Not, erm... egh, screw it. Toodles."

And on that note, the Eye of Dread waddled off.

 

[Greiger]

New and old thieves: Unite!​

Later in the day, the thieves grouped up at the SEC point to gather their various equipment to prepare for the next morning. Snype seemed to be sticking around and observing the equipment closely...

"Sooooooooo, as I was sayin', before I got so rudely interrupted..." Charlie said "...I can totally say 'indivisibility'!" Kaveri snorted, not bothering to hide her grin. "Also, top 'a the idea list, we gotta give these things a test run! I mean, to make sure they work and stuff... ya know... not 'cause it's gonna be fun as all hell or nothin'... I got the envisionilly stone, 'kay?"

"Kehe, you're free to test them out. I'd like to avoid using these in the field personally but I guess they'll be fun to play with while we wait for tommorow." Snype checked out the illusion bracelet curiously... just how effective could it be? "Hmm... kehe, hey Kav! Wanna give the illusion bracelet a shot?" Snype asked.

Kaveri raised a brow at Snype. "What, don't want your arm to catch fire?" she snickered, though she still reached for the bracelet and slipped it onto her wrist. Now... what - or who - did she want to look like... Ah, there was an idea! Fixing the image in her mind, she crossed her arms and waited. And waited. And waited some more. A minute could really feel like a long time when you were waiting for something. After what seemed like forever, her appearance shimmered and the form of an Infernape replaced it. A very specific Infernape at that, one with black flames and reddish fur. It took her a moment to notice the change, but when she did she glanced down at hands and whistled. "Nice."

"Well, ain't ya just so damn metal." a disembodied voice returned, although for a disembodied voice it at least sounded a lot like a very familiar Scyther. "I dunno.... kinda prefer that look for ya? Looks less... suspiciously off-colour."

Snype observed the Illusion bracelet and placed it on his arm. While he didn't wanna use this on the field, he couldn't deny how fun it would be to be somebody else! Snype couldn't even pull off that sort of thing by himself. Maybe it would be useful in that regard... Snype crossed his arms and tried to put a particular image in his head. After a good minute, Snype would take on the illusion of Guardia. "Keheh, hey look at that! Looks like I'm in charge of the Gold Tribe now huh?" Snype said, with Guardia's voice and everything.

"And don't forget one thing boss; Yer a total *****!" Charlie crowed.

Snype laughed at Charlie. "Had to test how effective it was transforming into the opposite gender. Kehe. It uh... feels kinda odd to be honest." Snype said.

"I'd watch what yeh say about Guardia when there's someone from the Gold Tribe sitting right next to you," Kaveri said coolly, narrowing her eyes slightly - an effect that looked many more times intimidating in Wildfire's form. Then she frowned and glanced about. "...Well, I think I'm next to you anyways," she added in a mutter.

"Well, maybe..." The little green bug re-appeared, directly behind Kaveri. "...maybe I'm right next to ya? Aside, 'pinions are 'pinions. Ya got mine and I got yours... wait, maybe not like that. Either way, I can't blame ya for not noticing that she assaulted a poor defenseless bug like me."

Kaveri shrugged. "You deserved it."

"Details. We're best buddies now, don't forget it!" Charlie grinned. "Two ways over, at that!"

Snype got a small chuckle. He could feel his energy slowly going down as the bracelet was being used. It was pretty high end stuff but a test run was a test run. He could just picture Guardia's reaction to see a double in front of her. "Heheh... so we have till tomorrow morning to fool around with this stuff..." Snype thought aloud, quickly developing some mischievous thoughts in his head.

"I know, right? But I mean, someone gives ya fancy sh*t like this and lets ya go nuts... puts ya on the spot, don't it?" Charlie shrugged. "I'd normally have about twenty nasty plans in my head, but now I'm just like.... f***************ck."

"Aren't you thieves supposed to be good at improvising?" Kaveri clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I'm disappointed, really. So yeh only know how to play when all eyes aren't on you?"

Snype chuckled at that. "Keheh, of course we're good at improvising. The first thing that pops up when I think invisibility is peeping on some gals if ya know what I mean. How's that for improvising?" Snype joked...somewhat, giving off a laugh.

Kaveri was about to give a suggestive booty shake, when she remembered whose form she was in and thought better of it, instead removing the illusion of Wildfire first before continuing with the motion. "Well, considering most of us seem to be naked already anyways...," she snickered.

Snype chuckled at the booty shake, giving a tiny blush again. "Keheh, well I guess that makes us all pretty darn shameless huh?" Snype said with a smirk.

"...Didn't we all talk this talk already? I mean, don't you guys get bored 'a sayin' the same stuff all the time?" Charlie intervened before the conversation could evolve any further. "So now we're all ourselves again, let's go find someone to screw with! Maybe we could f*ck with Guardia?"

Kaveri raised a brow. "I dunno how well that would pair off. Especially if there ended up being kids. Scary." Then she added with a chuckle, "Besides, I don't think you really want to get punched in the face again."

"Ya know, yer so f*ckin' funny ain't ya? Laugh a minute, you..." Charlie began as Snype checked out the invisibility stone, activating it and quickly vanishing in thin air and giving off an ominous snicker. He approached Charlie and gave his back a small poke. Charlie's response was simply to roll his eyes, unseen to the ghost, before giving his dry response. "Yeah. Yer all just f*ckin' hilarious."

Snype chuckled. "Ya know what else is hillarious~?" Snype said as he moved his position. Soon after, Kaveri would feel a small sharp pinch on her rear.

Kaveri let out a yelp. "Ya little-!" Twirling her tails about behind her, she attempted to whack the invisible Sableye. Paybaaaaaack.

Snype didn't quite get out of the way at the time and ended up getting whacked and threw the Sableye off his footing. He'd make himself visible once more and start laughing again. "Kehehe! Comon you were kinda asking for it!"

"Ya know, I can leave you guys alone if yeh'd like..." Charlie shook his head. "Y'know, if yeh can't keep yerselves under control around polite company like me."

"Nah, we can wait til later," Kaveri replied with a wink in Snype's direction.

Snype grinned at that. "Keheh, yeah. We got all night ya know! There's a reason we aren't with the diplomatic group ya know," Snype added.

"If you guys stay up the night and wake up tomorrow blasted tired, I ain't draggin' ya through this, ya got me? Already bad enough ya got a girlfriend out here without ya rubbin' my face in it, boss." Charlie whined.

Snype patted Kaveri's back. "Keheh, ah I'm sure we'll be fine. I'm normally nocturnal anyways! Kehe." Snype replied.

"I think someone's jealous~!" Kaveri snickered. "What, the ladies don't like the claws?"

"I know, can't see past the instruments 'a murder ta get ta the winnin' personality beneath it, right?" Charlie shook his head. "It ain't in fer me today with the ladybugs, but it ain't gonna be forever, lemme warn ya."

"Why warn me?" Kav questioned, head tilted to the side. "Ya planning on hitting on me or something?"

"Hey boss, you'd better keep an eye on this one, looks like she's still checkin' out the market, if ya catch my drift." Charlie mentioned aside to Snype.

Snype raised a brow at what Charlie said, looking over to her. "Keheh, I sure hope she's not! Who could be a better date then the king of thieves right?" Snype said, placing an arm around Kav.

Kaveri placed a paw on Snype's head, since the height difference between them was a bit too great for her to place an arm around his shoulders, and stuck her tongue out at Charlie. "Sounded more to me like you were checkin' me out. Sorry though, bud, this market's closed~."

"Well... what a scene to stumble in on..." Obsidian said as he dropped his pack to the ground and looked around, "Well... I guess thieves act like... uh... this?" He asked. "Just go public with talking about all kinds of topics like that, sure. In any case." The Weavile opened his pack and pulled out a book, "I have a log book. Also I brought along a compass, a shard of glass, and a small canteen. Do you all know how to flash the morse code with light signals?" He asked as he looked about.

Snype looked over to Obsidian, taking his arm off of Kaveri. "Kehe, hey! We were just testing out the new tools over there. You'll be glad to hear they all work like a charm." Snype said as he watched the Weavile take out his own various tools. "Kehe, looks like you're pretty well prepared yourself. I already have my bag so I'm pretty set. Mostly food and all though. I happened to bring along a few gemstones so I'll survive a couple weeks... or sell them for spare cash. Ya never know when we'll need it." Snype said with a grin.

"But yeah morse code? I'm familiar with it. Though never really used it much with the Ninjask network and all. Still, it'll be handy incase we need to be absolutely silent, or if Tollen catches on about the Ninjask."

Kaveri nodded. "Yeah, I've had to use it a few times."

Obsidian shrugged, "I have to be prepared." He set the book back in his pack, "Mostly because of stupid Penance." He muttered under his breath as he set the pack on his back, "So... are we going to head out soon?" He asked. "I don't want to sound too urgent, but time is of the essence. Also I managed to already scale out a few plans we can fall back on in case things get rough. They aren't that hard, mostly consisting of behaviors, specific distraction and evasive maneuvers, as well as dealing with wayward encounters. Like I said, not that difficult."

"We'll be leaving early tomorrow. The forest team is already getting a head start due to the long trip they'll be taking. Gives us time to gather food, get some sleep, and form a proper strategy once we're there... we'll have to move fairly quick of course. Sneaking around isn't that easy in the daylight so if anything, we'll be camping out for a day or two before setting up base within the city. All while causing trouble of course. Keheh." Snype said, still very excited about the whole plan.

Obsidian blinked a bit, "Well... like I said I did have plans." He once more took his pack out and fished out his book, flipping it open to show Snype pages upon pages of what seemed to be very detailed plans, most of which had countermeasures upon countermeasures for every single thing that could go wrong. "Like this first plan, which is the simplest by the way. You see, I have the countermeasures for being caught or even having to kill set up. Now, for subsections one to twenty it lists general guidelines in the various settings we could be caught in, such as in a house, or the sewer, or in another place like a library. Subsections twenty to thirty list specific actions to take in case we end up separated. Of course, for subsections thirty to forty-two list off the more serious claims, but I'm sure as a king of thieves you already know how to deal with such things." Obsidian said cheerfully.

Snype just stared at the book of plans for a moment, feeling his head boggling. "Wow... you're quite the tactician aren't ya? Keheh. I'm glad you came along with us." Snype said. "Just a note for the future though. The thieves aren't killers. If we end up killing somebody then the whole Tollen military could be after us and ruin our whole plan. We're petty criminals, and darn good ones. Keheh." Snype explained.

"For the base of operations, I need to find some kind of underground connections within the city. Just like in Gold City and Beatruce, I'd like to set up an underground bar... a speakeasy if you will. We'll have direct contact with civilians who have the password to enter our establishment and hear all sorts of whispers. That'll be how we get most of our information. Kehe."

Obsidian blinked a bit, "Uh... but didn't you kill in the Silver War? How can you say thieves don't kill if during that time you guys... sort of did?"

Snype frowned at that. "Let me rephrase that. The thieves aren't killers. Not anymore anyways." He put bluntly.

"But... if you had to kill you could." Obsidian stated, "Or... is that right?"

"Well yeah, if someone has a knife to my throat then of course I'm going to fight back for instance. But we won't do it out of cold blood if we can avoid it. And if you're a good thief, there shouldn't be a conflict in the first place. Right?" Snype said.

Obsidian frowned, "Well... I suppose so. But we're not thieves here. We have different training. I know I do at least." He quickly put his book back in his pack and held it close to his chest, "If you don't like killing... uh, you really shouldn't look in my bag then."

Snype crossed his arms. "Well, you're thieves now. That comes with being in this group. I dunno what crazy stuff Penance teaches you over there, but the thieves have different methods of handling our jobs rather then mindlessly killing who we think will get in the way. Spilt blood brings attention to you. And for our task, we can't have that under any circumstance."

Obsidian frowned, "Well not mindlessly killing... just... you know, being prepared is all." He frowned and looked down at his bag, "So... you want me to get rid of my stuff then?"

"Uh... depends on what stuff you have in there..." Snype said, feeling like he was going to regret asking.

Obsidian put his bag to the ground and tipped it over. Out came his glass shard, canteen, and his compass... as well as nothing else really. Though there were shadows on the ground. The Weavile picked up the mass and held it up revealing it to be very very very thin pieces of white barbed string, "Mostly for cutting off air." Obsidian explained, "You see, you perch up somewhere and lower the string when it's tied up like a noose. Someone passes by and you pull up and you can break their neck or cut off their breathing. It mostly works with disconnecting the cervical vertebrae from each other. Though... I mean it's not enough to kill... mostly just disconnect the spine with a good pull and make it so any body part from the neck down can no longer move... so I guess it's good to have then right?"

Snype felt like he was going to puke something furious. What the heck was Penance teaching this kid...? Snype quickly decided it was better if he didn't think about that. "What the he-...um... I don't think we'll need that honestly. For the love of Arceus, that sounds worse then death if that's permanent."

Obsidian slowly nodded, "Yeah... it's very permanent. When the spinal column snaps only a miracle can actually pop the vertebrae back in." He replied, "And then comes the nerve damage, inability to eat and drink without aid, especially if the first vertebrae pops out. In that case you're only reduced to blinking and moving your eyes-"

"Stop it stop it stop it!" Snype quickly interrupted. Well there was his answer to what Penance was teaching him. The duck was trying to make this Weavile into the same psychotic madman! "I was considering it at first but no! We won't need it." Snype said.

"Oh... okay." Obsidian put the string off to the side, "Well... I'll promise I won't kill anyone." He said with a nod, "You're the boss after all."

"Y-yeah..." Snype said, looking like he was out of breath. "Ugh... I think I need a bucket..."

It sounded like something was falling, when the blinds of the window burst open and in popped up the tall form of Sylvio. The Delphox was wearing black goggles and a long white scarf around his neck; after him came Griff, squeezing through the small window. The wall next to it cracked and in a final effort, the Braviary pushed through, breaking the window and leaving a hole in its place. Sylvio put his goggles up and arched his eyebrows, staring comically at his bird. "What have I told you about windows?" he asked the bird, who seemed to ignore him, cleaning the feathers of his side from dust with his beak.

Sylvio turned back to the present people. "He and I are sorry... that he isn't sorry," he added quickly with laughter in his tricky smile. His grey eyes swept from Snype to Obsidian, both familiar faces. "I know both of you! Although I have yet to meet the lady. Sylvio is my name!" he told Kaveri happily. "King Snype, I have made my decision. If you are in lead of this group, then this one will have the most chances of success. I shall join you."

"I'm Jetstream," Kaveri said, then after a brief moment of thought added, "Though I suppose if I'm gonna be a thief, I shouldn't use my title. My name's Kaveri Vian."

Snype smiled at Sylvio. "Kehe, glad to hear it Sylvio. We have a pretty darn reliable group on our hands then!" Snype said. He looked up to the Braviary and chuckled at his entrance. "Keheh, hey! Love your style, but let's keep stealth in mind if we decide to break into somewhere eh?" Snype said to Griff.

The Braviary raised his head to stare at Snype calculatingly. "Stealth," Sylvio repeated, "he'll pretend to be a wild bird, soaring the skies and looking for prey!" The Delphox's curious eyes fell on the bracelets and Obdisian's tools. "Pretty things, what are they used for? Not for taking lives, I hope?" he said it with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Obsidian blinked and crossed his arms, "What if they are? In any case they aren't coming with us, so." He put his stuff back in his pack, "I'll just have to put them back." The Weavile walked on off, a little crestfallen, that was for sure.

"I reckon... Boss, maybe we should let the Weavile keep his toys?" Charlie mused. "I mean, hear me out on this, both of ya... None of us wanna see any bodies build up where they ain't needed an' all... me as much as the rest 'a ya... but he might not end up with a choice. So, why don't we just lay down some rules? Killin' is a last resort, right... absolute last and it's on ya own conscience, not ours and other thing, if ya do get a body found, you ain't nothin' ta do with us. We ain't gonna protect ya from killin' charges." It took a full second after Charlie had finished speaking before he realised he'd just accidentally made a pretty damn good attempt at undermining Snype's authority, but at least for now he was going to stick by it and see what happened.

Obsidian blinked as he whirled about with a smile, "Yeah! That sounds great!" He said as he nodded quickly, "It makes sense! Yeah, I'll just keep my stuff just in case! Thanks bug man!" He said as he held out a thumbs up. "So then, I'll take full responsibilities for death and anything else. It's the perfect solution!"

Snype crossed his arms. "...You know that if you do end up killing someone and get in trouble, Penance is going to be more than upset with me right?" Snype said. "If you seriously screw up that bad, then that's what we have the memory erasers for. Killing should never be the last resort in our job. I suppose it might be unavoidable if the diplomatic team screws up." Snype said with a sigh.

Obsidian shrugged, "I mean... it's just covering your bases. Snype, no plan ever goes right all the way through." He pointed out, "The best laid plans of Minccinos and Emolgas often go awry. When that happens what then? Do we just have no weapons on us and hope that they'll be nice? I... I have this feeling if we get caught there they won't let us go. We're spies, and if Darkrai is out and about and they are allied with him, then there is that to also consider. We need to have ways to not only work out of various problems, but also ways that will ensure we can protect the diplomatic team. If they head in and they are about to enter a room with fifty guardsmen that will slaughter them, wouldn't you want a way to protect them?"

"Frosty Bollocks kind of has a point. I mean, you're right about one thing boss; in our line 'a work, nothin' is worth gettin' blood spilt - but... this ain't our line 'a work any more." Charlie sighed. "I don't like it. Hell, I hate it. These claws ain't ever tasted enough blood to see some mon killed and I never want 'em to... But it might just happen here and if it does, we gotta deal with it." the Scyther shook his head.

"Tsk. Fine have it your way. But your consequences are gonna be my consequences Obsidian. I already have enough problems with that duck." Snype said bluntly. After all the work he did to get out of his mad killer psyche, he was going to get back into it? He didn't like it... Snype wanted to do his best to avoid that kind of scenario.

Obsidian blinked, "Oh..." He burst into laughter, "You think... oh no no no." He quickly shook his head as he held up his hands, "I don't kill like THAT. It's only when necessary. I'm a good killer, Snype, but also it's only when it needs to happen. I understand that well enough. I'm not going to slaughter everyone, but it's better to have something that is stealthy. At the very least if we do have to kill someone, it doesn't leave traces. With claw strikes or certain attacks it leaves traces. With wires and other methods there are no traces. So in the end, all they know is someone was choked with something very thin. At the same time we can't be leaving hundreds of corpses lying around, that ruins the stealth. A good thief is never seen or even suspected to be around, right?"

Snype smiled at Obsidian. "Well that a bit more relieving. Glad you're at least easier to work with. That duck almost ruined my last plan. Keheh. We'd be walking in more blind then!" Snype said.

"Good ta see we're all on the same page and I'm the master of compromise here. Although, ya make another comment about my claw strikes, ya might experience 'em... " Charlie gave a joking half-smile to Obsidian.

Snype took the Illusion ring and placed it in his bag, along with the other tools. "Bring what you want. But whatever you do. Do NOT kill. If any blood ends up being spilt and endangers the thieves' whole operation then you're on your own. Period. You can go run to the forest group for all I care." Snype said with a frustrated tone.

Obsidian shrugged, "That won't happen, I assure you. But sure. I'm good with getting out of a situation." He said, "But I'll prove myself, don't you worry, boss!"

"Yeah. I'm sure ya will. Keheh. To be honest I already like you ten times better then Penance. Take that as you will." Snype said with a chuckle. "I'll be back in a bit. I gotta chat with someone real quick. Try not to blow any of this stuff up." Snype said as he headed toward the door.

 

[Megaman765]

Snype and Guardia: Old Ties
​

Snype placed his illusion bracelet on, looking to pull a prank on a good old friend before heading out. Just a fun way to say goodbye and all! First he'd have to find Guardia of course. Wasting energy on the bracelet wouldn't be too smart. Snype used Shadow Sneak to fade his figure into the shadows and sneak around, aiming to find Guardia's location.

Guardia had been hunched over a pile of papers, going over everything she could about Tollen before it would be time to move on. The talks with the diplomatic team proved eventful and informative, but it only provided more questions with every few answers. No matter what way it was put, they would be walking into Tollen without the full story. They were going in blind. She sighed and flipped the page of notes around to the other side.

Snype smirked. Quickly finding spot to hide he used his bracelet and focused on the image of Guardia to become an exact illusion of her. Voice and everything. Snype would peek from behind Guardia and began to talk. "Busy work day huh? You all prepped up for the trip?" Snype said, with Guadia's voice of course. He would have all of her features, even the signature scar.

Guardia turned around at the sound of the voice, which sounded quite similar. As she did, she visibly leaped into the air and let out a yell of surprise. "What the hell?!" She screamed, backing up away from the illusion of herself and raising her claws. "Who the hell are you?!"

Snype smirked, trying not to burst out laughing. It would be out of character for Guardia after all! "Hmhm, you look like you've seen a ghost! Don't you know? I'm Guardia! Or... are you Guardia? Would you look at that! We're twins." Snype said, trying to hold back a snicker as best as he could.

Guardia cocked an eyebrow, not understanding what the clone of hers was saying. Was she imagining all of this? Was it an illusion? She only knew one 'mon off the top of her mind that was capable of making such illusions. She braced her claws, and jumped forward. "Darkrai!" She yelled, trying to slash the other her in half.

Snype's eyes glimmered and stepped back. Yikes! He expected her to think Zoroark not Darkrai! Ohhh this was going to be awkward! "Woah woah woah! Not even close there!...Kehe...heheh..." Snype said, quickly giving away his whole position. "Geez! Not the reaction I was expecting Guardia!" Snype said, holding his own claws up while keeping his illusion up.

Guardia looked over to the side to see Snype emerge and groaned, lowering her claws. "Damn it, Snype! What the hell?! I coulda slashed... damn it! What do you want?"

"Just thought I'd show you some of SEC's new toys before heading off. I hear word that some of the folks in Tollen have access to the same technology. I figured it'd be safe for you to experience it first hand before walking in there blindly. Keheh" Snype said, using his bracelet once more. "This bracelet here is designed after Zoroark's illusion ability. Ya just picture the image in your head and presto!" Snype said, taking the form of Guardia once again. "A great tool for stealth and a wonderful little toy for a fun prank! Heheheh..." Snype paused when he heard his female voice laughing. "Oh my god is THAT what you sound like when you laugh? It's cute... kehe" Snype joked.

"Always with your secondary motivations," Guardia responded with a shaking of her head as she further listened to him explain the technology from SEC. Her face then crunched up and she yelled again. "That's not... I don't laugh like that! That's just you laughing like me in a female voice! Get over yourself!" She exclaimed.

"Keheh, It still sounds adorable...maybe you should demonstrate a proper Guardia laugh sometime?" He teased once more before transforming back into his regular self. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small stone next. "Keheh, well that's not all we have available to us. This stone here also has the ability to make our group invisible! Well.. one person at a time anyways." As Snype explained the next device, his figure would begin to fade away, making him completely invisible. "I don't know how many of these devices they got over in Tollen, but it'd be best to watch your back. Ya never know when something will sneak up on ya~" Snype said as he poked Guardia's back with his sharp claws.

Guardia shook her head. "Maybe when we're not fighting for the survival of everything, I might," She replied. She listened as he explained the other devices that were possibly in Tollen. "Right, we'll keep a close eye. Any other devices or things we should know about?"

"Yup! This is the most important one. I'm yet to test it because I have my own principles to hold onto, but the third device is a memory wiper. To be more exact, it'll wipe out any memory from the past five minutes." Snype explained. "Keheh, that's really the biggest thing to worry about. While we're going around doing usual thief things, I'll be avoiding the use of any of these gadgets. So if we butt heads against eachother, it oughta be a fair enough fight to run out us pesky thieves. Kehe" Snype said with a grin.

"Memory wiper, huh?" Guardia inquired. "SEC sure has been busy. And you're saying 'mon in Tollen might have these things too? Damn," She cursed. "As if going in blind wasn't enough, now we have to expect this as well?"

"Keh. Yeah. It's not really guarenteed if they have this stuff, but I'd keep an eye, ear, and perhaps a nose open. Invisibility is one thing, but if you can catch their scent, I'm sure you'd be able to spot em. As for the illusion, if its anything like a Zoroark, a good punch to the face oughta get em out of their disguise. Ya know, like you almost did to me." Snype said with a chuckle. "Kehe, would have ended up with a scar as big as yours if I didn't have Detect prepared there!"

Guardia nodded, and sighed. "I really hope they won't. Actually, I'd rather really hope they aren't our enemies and they're just being super paranoid or something. Or maybe are just fighting among themselves or whatever. I just really hope Darkrai hasn't already gotten to them," She stated. Without realizing it, she touched her scar along the face and neck, and smirked. "Hey, you might get your chance when we go to Karn. Say the wrong thing to the Emperor and he'll give you one to match mine."

"Ha, we'll be scar buddies then! Except if I ever got a scar there, then I'd lose an eye. Keheh. though an eyepatch would be a nice new look for me!" Snype laughed out. "So what's going on at your side anyways? Anything interesting our team should know?"

"Eyepatch might suit ya," Guardia answered with a smirk. "But then you'd probably have to go pirate instead of thief, which means I won't see your ugly face anymore," She then shrugged, and answered his second question. "Well, the diplomatic team is going through one of the noble houses to get into the capital and the palace. Watchman's going with House Ellia. They're not... the biggest fans of the Gold Tribe but Thomas has some relationship with them so we're going to use that. We're waiting for a response from the Network to see if they'll take audience."

Snype rubbed his chin. Well that was awfully ominous. "Hmm... well at least things are going somewhat smoothly for you. The thieves have everything pretty much good to go at the very least. Hmm... if I run into ya I'm gonna have to act like a total stranger... keheh. Got a good nickname for me other then midget? Guess I'll improvise if we bump into your group!" Snype said playfully.

Guardia nodded, agreeing with the logic. It would be best if the two didn't recognize each other if they did happen to bump heads. "I'll think of some good ones along the way, shorty," She replied with a smirk.

"Kehe, shorty oughta be good! But I'm counting on ya to mix in some variety!" Snype said, giving her belly a small poke. "You were a thief once and all! You gotta have a bit of that thief creativity somewhere in that clever head of yours!"

Guardia brushed Snype's hand away from her stomach, shooing him away like he were a pest or a fly. "Heh, I can probably come up with some others if I have to. Shorty might be reserved for Racksmathspeehell anyways," She replied. "Maybe something more like bug-eyes or something, but then everyone says that!"

"Ohhhh! Getting good there! Hmm... maybe I could act like the dashing rogue who keeps flirting with the big hero! Keheh. I'm sure that'd be pretty dang annoying! Ohh! I could make some jabs about your scar perhaps!" Snype continued.

"So basically exactly what you've been doing this entire time, only pretend like it would be the first time I'm hearing it?" She asked jokingly.

Snype laughed a bit at that. "Hahah, w-what? Flirting with you? Or just being a little creep?" Snype said with an innocent grin. He'd feel a tiny sweat drop fall behind his head.

Guardia shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe a bit of both. But mostly you being a little creep."

Snype rubbed his head. "Keheh, I'd say mostly being a creep really! Comon Guardia! I figured you'd be used to it after all these years! Even back in the old days ya know? Kehe" Snype said, definitely hinting at something there.

"The old days," Guardia repeated, thinking back to her times she hung out with the thieves in her youth. At that time, it was unheard of for a Gold Tribe member to have ties with them. They were always at each others throats before. "You're a bit different than you were then, if I remember. Even after when you joined the Silver Tribe, I wasn't too surprised. Now... well, I gotta ask Snype. What's changed?"

Snype crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "Ya know... hard to say. I've lost count of how many changes I've gone through. From an innocent thief, to a psychotic madman, and to the King of thieves. I'm surprised I've lived through all of it. Most of the other Silver Tribe members were either killed off, died of old age, or possibly in hiding. Keheh..." Snype said, his tone getting a bit more serious. "Heh. You know after that whole episode of mine with the Silver Tribe, I kinda forgot about my younger days with the thieves. Guess I shut it all out of my mind after I totally lost it."

Guardia nodded. "Kinda hard to remember those good times when so many bad ones happened right after. Whenever I think back, it's hard to relive my stint with them without thinking about my fa-.... the war."

Snype caught that last bit, but really could only assume what she was going to say. He decided not to press too hard on it incase it were a sensitive topic. "Tsk. You think you got it bad. I don't even remember my folks. Their name, face, or anything like that. Guess I'm kind of a messed up guy like that huh?" Snype said with a small chuckle, attempting to keep that positive mood of his.

Seeing the mood shift a bit, Guardia played along with Snype to try and brighten it back up again. "No kidding," She teased in agreement. "But I knew that for a long time. Are you guys ready to go yet, by the way?"

"Yeah pretty much all set up. Keheh. We might do a small bit of planning here and there but we'll end up improvising either way I'm sure of it." Snype said with a grin. "Kehehe, guess the least your group could do is look nice for the trip right? That oughta get ya some points for diplomacy! Just a thought. Kehe"

Guardia scoffed at Snype, rolling her eyes. "Look nice, play nice. Be presentable. Not really my thing. I prefer to go with one of the other groups personally, but I guess being leader means being stuck with doing things you don't want to sometimes. You would know."

"Kehehe, no kidding... starting off as the King of Thieves was pretty darn rough myself. Keheh. I wasn't exactly big on being responsible. A bit of good advise here and there seemed to help out though. Some therapy can take you a long way. Kehe." Snype said.

"So therapy's what made you not as big of a jerk and a bit less creepy, then?" Guardia joked. "Well, you're doing a pretty good job so far, I have to say. As far as thieves go at least."

"Keheh, aw thanks. Guess that's good to hear from the Gold Tribe leader eh? You aren't doing too bad of a job yourself. At the very least your working hard to keep the Gold Tribe's ideals how they should be." Snype said with a smille. Snype actually was quite fond of Guardia. Maybe it was her previous relationship with the thieves or some kind of vibe like that. Snype wasn't quite sure.

"Well, thanks, I guess," Guardia said with a hint of curiosity and doubt. "Coming from you, I'm not sure if you're screwing with me or actually trying to give a compliment."

"Kehe, naw I mean it. I doubt the previous kings had this much fun with the Gold Tribe back there. Alot more hostile I'm sure... heh. I got the sense to have a bit of respect for ya though." Snype replied.

"Roswell was OK, but even he had his ups and downs, especially when it came to the Gold Tribe," Guardia answered back. She allowed a small smirk to reappear on her face. "Alright, I'll take the compliment then. I guess I'll keep doing my best as leader, and you keep being the 'good' King of Thieves you are, and we'll try not to disappoint each other."

"Keheh! Great! I'm looking forward to butting heads again down at Tollen! If we get into a fight then I hope your ready! Thieves don't fight fair ya know!" Snype said with a glimmer in his eye.

"Oh I know, like that dirty trick you pulled in Gold City," Guardia replied with the smirk still on her face. "Or what you just did to me with that illusion thing. But if you think you can take me down, you're full of it!"

"Keheh, oh I can definitely try! I've gotten better the past couple years ya know. Keheh. Don't be afraid to fight a little dirty yourself ya know! If I'm to rough on ya, don't be afraid to like, kick me in the nads or anything. I'll understand." Snype teased.

"It's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing that entire time either," Guardia replied. "I'm not too worried about you being rough on me. You should be more worried of me being to rough on you. But don't worry, if I get the chance, I'll kick ya there with pleasure."

Snype leaned forward a bit. "Heh! I'd like to see ya try! I doubt you'd be able to lay a finger on this ghost either way!" Snype said, getting competative now!

"Wanna bet on that?" Guardia said in a half threatening, half joking way.

"Ha! I'd like to see ya try~" Snype said with a smirk. He actually wouldn't have minded a bit of sparring right here and now! Even if they were joking around.

Guardia was more than eager to do some sparring right then and there with Snype, but her eyes flickered quickly over to the notes on Tollen, and she sighed deeply. "Maybe another time, hot shot. I still have some work to do. Heh, maybe over in Tollen actually. Then I can kick your a$$."

Snype smirked, sticking his tongue out. "Kehe, aw that's a shame! I spose I have a bit of stuff to take care of too. Hmmm... You know what? I think I'll give myself an even bigger challange than simply winning at a duel! Just to spice things up. And I'm putting a deadline on it! Keheh."

"Oh really? What's that?" Guardia inquired curiously.

"Snype leaned up closer, looking up at Guardia. "Before we finish off Darkrai, I'm gonna find a way to make you laugh! I've never once heard you bust out and laughing for a whole minute! A few chuckles here and there but never a laugh! Keheh." Snype said with that big toothy grin of his.

Guardia shook her head in disbelief. "Really? That's what you're going for? Man... I don't know if you're serious sometimes or just screwing with me. But if you're for real, good luck. You'll have a better chance makin' Abel smile," She joked. Guardia looked down at the papers again and sighed. "I guess I gotta get going."

"Keheh. Yeah same here. I'm serious though! I'll succeed before we finish this war! Kehe. Though in the mean time... be safe over there will ya?" Snype said, patting her arm lightly. "I just have a bad feeling about this place. Guess that's why I voted to go there. Keheh..."

"Heh, yeah I'll be careful. You do the same, bug-eyes."

"Keheh, hope you're right, cuz your doing a pretty crappy job so far~" Snype said. While patting her arm, he took that chance to swiftly undo her belt and make it fall off of her. "Keheh! See ya at Tollen!" Snype said before swiftly making his escape!

The belt unbuckled and fell, with Guardia barely catching it as it went to her knees. "Wha? Hey!" She cursed under her breath. "Sneaky bastard!" She yelled after him. She shook her head and then couldn't help but grin, redoing her belt and proceeding the other direction.

As Snype headed off to make his escape, he began to snicker wildly, making his way back to the SEC point. He'd eventually slow down a bit and look back. "Keheh, this is going to be a heck of an entertaining mission~ Almost feels like nothings changed." He said to himself. He'd feel a warm feeling across his face. "Crap... am I blushing? Keheh...I hope I'm not falling for her or anything. Some King of Thieves I'd be..." Snype thought to himself, though wondering what might have been on Guardia's mind. He figured that she was annoyed to death by him by now. Still, that wasn't going to stop him from bugging her every so often!

 

[GastlyGibus]

We just got a letter. Wonder who it's from?
|Joshua "Watchman" Vensworth, Thomas Blake, Lynn "Guardia" Reed.|
​

Thomas had called up the diplomatic team into the Gold Tribe hut. Apparently, he had received a response back from House Ellia. Guardia made her way there, seeing Thomas already seated in the center table and awaiting the others. As she walked in, she gave the Hypno a nod of her head. "Good news?"

"Ah, Guardia!" Thomas greeted the Gold Tribe leader. He shrugged his shoulders. "In a manner of speaking. I'll explain when everyone gets here."

Joshua shuffled quickly over to where Thomas and Guardia were seated. He hopped up onto one of the chairs, his face just barely over the edge of the table. "I'm here. Anything to report?"

"I've got news," Thomas explained, reading over the pieces of paper in his hands. "I'm not sure if it could be considered good, necessarily..." He re-read them once more to confirm their contents. "Good news: House Ellia has agreed to meet with us. Although they were specific in suggesting that we may be closely monitored upon arrival and they will not allow us before the Queen for security reasons."

He then turned the page, to another piece of paper in his hands. "I received another message during that time. It was a simple message: 'Trust no one.' Thomas read, then looked up at Guardia and Joshua. "The message is signed by the letter 'I', which could mean any number of things."

"Would any of those things happen to be beneficial?" Joshua asked inquisitively. "Where did you receive this letter from? And who gave it to you?"

"The message was passed through the Network, so I couldn't say for sure who it was from," Thomas explained. He held up the first message he had received. "The message from House Ellia is from Morraw Ellia, a good friend of mine who seems to still speak for the house in many of their affairs. This could be useful as I can try to use my pull with him to work something out. As for the other letter..." Thomas held up the second later, looked over before gazing at Joshua and Guardia and simply shrugging.

Joshua looked at the second letter uneasily, grimacing at the vague nature of it's message. "Well, I suppose we'll have to find out. What does the first message say?"

Thomas nodded, handing the message over to Joshua. Joshua took the letter, reading it over.

"Given our relationship, I will grant your audience if only as a courtesy. Understand that we allow very few outsiders within our borders. You will not speak to anyone else within the palace. You will not publicize your invitation within the capital. You will be escorted by our knights and follow our directions. For security measures, you will not be allowed to be presented before Her Highness, Queen Aleena of Tollen."

-Morraw of House Ellia

Joshua raised an eyebrow as he finished, folding up the letter and handing it back to Thomas. "Ellia doesn't beat around the bush, do they?" The Swadloon shifted slightly in his seat, feeling nervous at the curt tone of the message. "But, at least we managed to secure an audience, if only as 'a courtesy.' I suppose you'll be doing the talking once we get inside? These people know you the best, after all."

"I've often respected the man for his straightforwardness, if only to me," Thomas replied with a smirk. He took the letter and handed it off to Guardia to also read. "He's quite the politician in many other cases. As for who is speaking, I would suggest we all contribute, primarily because having myself talk with a few silent Gold Tribe beside me might seem like some intimidation tactic," He explained. "I can assist in whatever way I can, but I feel since Guardia made you take the head here, you should also speak for us."

Joshua gulped at the proposition, but managed to collect himself. He looked over at Guardia, remembering her words from their last meeting. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and opened them again, turning towards Thomas. "Very well... I'll try to make our case as plainly and succinctly as I can."

"That's all we're asking for," Guardia chimed in, a smile on her face as she did so. Thomas nodded as well.

"We're there for two objectives," Thomas explained. "Finding Cresselia is one. If they would know anything about any of that, it could be helpful. However, Tollen also has a sizable army, as well as skillful Royal Knights and Border Guards, something that could be crucial for Gold City and Valkaria. If we can secure even one of these, we would be one large step closer to victory."

Joshua nodded in understanding. "Right. Cresselia first, then armies. Is there anything else important we should know before heading out?"

Thomas put a finger to his chin and thought for a moment, recounting everything that was said. "Let's see, the houses, the military officials, the Queen... I think we've covered all the bases as best we can. The rest we'll find out when we get there, I suppose."

"One thing," Guardia interjected. A smile appeared on her face. "Pack lightly. It's hot there."

 

[Turnip]

A Stop-Off In Beatruce
Featuring Abel, Brynn, Callimer and Razathiel​

It was deep into the night, and the team designated to head to Tollen through the forests were prepped and ready to go. Abel gathered around the Network, prepared to be sent off to Dorumund, the outpost on the very edge of Beatruce. He had contacted the outpost there ahead of time to expect their arrival, and prepare a set of water Pokemon for them to travel on across the river. If there were no problems, they could be across the lake and into Tollen by sunrise, around the same time the other two teams would be in their sections of Tollen.

Abel looked across the others, and spoke. "Right, everyone ready to go?"

Brynn nodded, "We are at least. Hopefully this trip across can go rather quick. We'll only need three water types given that I can submerge myself rather easily. Do we have any specific spot we'll land on, or is it simply seeing which areas are clear and depositing ourselves there?"

"More like two." Cal corrected Brynn with a chuckle, not only can I fly, but don't forget I used to be a sea serpent. I'm still part sea serpent."

Abel turned to the Golduck and replied. "I'm taking you through the path we of Beatruce would usually go through," He explained. "Once we're in Tollen however, I'll leave it to you guys to decide where we'll go."

Cal nodded at Abel's brief explanation of how their journey would start. "Right, we'll follow your lead as long as we're in familiar territory for you. Be aware however that the odds don't seem very good that we'll be able to take anything resembling a straight line to Tollen. Any number of things might divert our course, and if Penance's contact was to be trusted in the least the outskirts of the city and the borders could very well be the most chaotic places to be. We still don't know if Darkrai has anything to do with Tollen's silence either, our group is probably the one most likely to have to fight, one way or another. It might even be Tollen's forces we have to bulldoze through if they may have become hostile anytime soon."

"That's the thing though." Brynn stated, "If we do meet hostile forces under Darkrai's control they won't kill us. Far from it, they'll want us alive. I remember during the Silver War the main way Darkrai drew power was from chaos. Fear in essence. They'll lock us up and try to do things that causes our fear to soar so we will power up Darkrai with more chaos. If anything, the villagers are probably being held against their will and constantly terrorized. Remember also this, the large army Darkrai took to Valkaria. If there were any mon from Tollen in it, then that means there are less enemies to deal with."

"And this is why I suggested going somewhere else first, but there you go." Raz murmured, the Ralts once again kitted out in his full regalia. "Regardless, we'll be going in from the outside. If we're going to be screwed over, we'll probably have a far easier time of it than the other groups - but aside from that, it doesn't immediately seem that Darkrai has ultimate control over the place, if the message from Penance's cohort can be trusted. Sharp eyes would be useful, if Paradox doesn't feel like being a lazy bastard."

"I guess we'll see for sure what's going on when we get there," Abel stated with a shrug. He turned to the Psychic network, and nodded his head. The lead psychic, a Grumpig, nodded back.

"Making contact with the Dorumund Network point," The psychic stated. The Psychics around the Network machine in Fort Ferrol all closed their eyes. The machine in the center began emitting a bright blue light just as the one in Gold City had. It flickered on and off a few times. Then, the psychics all opened their eyes again, and the machine shone the bright light permanently. "Network link established. Next stop, Dorumund."

A moment later, the area around the forest team distorted, and they disappeared from Fort Ferrol. Abel opened his eyes a moment later to see himself standing nearby the familiar sight of a wide river. The river had many names, the Beatrucians calling it 'End's River', mostly because they initially assumed that because it was so wide and one couldn't see the other side of it from their side, it was actually the ocean. The name evolved from that preconception.

To his left were the psychics around their own Network machine, and directly to his left were Pokemon holding up their hands and bracing their claws as they eyed the group. The mon wore bands across their shoulders or wrist, with an insignia on them. Abel could tell immediately that these mon were Beatrucian. There used to be 15 different bands, representing the 15 districts of Beatruce. A Pokemon could be identified on where they hailed from by the band insignia they wore. A 16th band came into circulation when the Gold Tribe was established in Beatruce.

"Identify yourselves," A Mienfoo with his hands to the group's faces said intimidatingly.

"Abel 'Atrox' Onderon, Kurasee District, Second-in-Command, Beatrucian Gold Tribe," Abel stated to the guard. "Here with the group specified earlier." The guard instantly lowered his guard, as did the other dozen around them.

"Atrox, forever endure," The Mienfoo declared in the customary Beatrucian greeting, which involved enclosing your hand in a ball, then tapping your hand onto first your forehead, and then your chest.

"Forever endure," Abel replied back, repeating the Mienfoo's actions. He looked around the riverbank, at the outpost established there. Durumund was an outpost built to protect Beatruce from a strike against from the river. It's stretched out wide, with defenses and barricades of wood and stone spread out over a wide area. It is usually well-manned, but never to the degree Abel saw now. "Tightened security around here," He commented.

"Just followin' orders, sir," The Mienfoo replied. "Brass didn't like the reports comin' in from Tollen. Here, I'll take you to the Water mon we got set up to take you across, follow me," He stated, as he directed them to the river.

"Interesting..." Brynn murmured as she followed along, "I've never really been in Beatruce before. Well... mostly because of the other guy with me. I imagine he's the bigger threat." He turned his head away as he just stared out at the river, "I know he's going to be up and trying to see something through our eyes, he always does. So... reports huh?" He asked the Mienfoo, "That doesn't sound good in the slightest."

Cal stole glances around them whenever he could while they walked, growing ever more curious as to just what they were walking into. "Yes, what type of reports have you been getting? Any information on the situation in Tollen could be a lot of help."

"I'm just a grunt, sirs," The Mienfoo explained to Cal and Brynn. "But we did send scouts across a few times. Didn't go too well from what I heard. Ours came back beaten and bloodied up. The forest borders were always kinda rough I hear, but now it's worse than ever. If it ain't a warzone, it will be soon enough."

Brynn sighed, "Well, Darkrai is out... if he has something to do with this then it could be that Tollen might be a source of some of his power." He paused for a moment, "Well, did the scouts say who did attack them? Was it only guards or also civilians?"

"The recent epidemic here is hardly helping matters on the Darkrai front." The Dreadmage noted.

Brynn nodded, "That is true... but involuntary chaos is weaker than voluntary chaos. If Tollen is engaging in chaos of their own free will and not having it pushed on them, then that will generate more power to Darkrai in the long run."

"Naturally." Raz agreed.

"Couldn't say, wasn't there myself. Probably above my paygrade, sir," He replied to the question. He then cocked an eyebrow and continued. "You guys keep mentioning Darkrai," The Beatrucian scout said. "I heard Valkaria got attacked or something, but did I miss something?"

Brynn looked over at Abel, "Uh... Abel... may we have a chat?" He smiled weakly at the Mienfoo, "Sorry about this, it'll only take a minute." The Golduck pointed off to the side as he walked on over, "You didn't tell them about Darkrai!?" He hissed in a low whisper, "It was at least a day! The seekers have already been told and are actually setting up precautions and they don't know here!?"

"I informed the Senators and the Gold Tribe leader here," Abel replied. "Them having not informed the larger public yet could mean any number of things, including that they don't believe us, or that they want more information first. Or they simply didn't want to cause a panic."

Brynn rubbed at his forehead, "Okay... I have to share something right now. It's vital cause... it could cause a storm later on!" He leaned in as his voice fell even lower as he quickly whispered into the Medicham's ear. He pulled away, "You see?" He muttered, "We were banking on them knowing. Do we change plans or what, cause once we step into Tollen we won't have communications."

"Do what you want, I don't care," Abel declared, walking away from Brynn and back to the others to prepare to set off on the Water Pokemon.

Brynn groaned loudly and began to run back to the psychics, "I'll catch up to you all! Change of plans!" He shouted back to the group as he ran off.

"Hold on! What - Ergh..." Brynn was already gone, Cal shook his head and kept walking. There was no accounting for that duck no matter who was in charge, but he had no intention of just letting it go.

"Not sure what that was all about." Raz murmured, arching an eyebrow at the Golduck leaving. He turned and twirled his staff. "Come on, Callimer. We'll get it out of her later, providing we all haven't died of mystery-death-disease-plague-pandemic by the time she returns. Actually, heheh, I'm feeling queasy. You'll probably pick it up from me. Good luck. Evil luck, rather."

The group reached the shore after following the Mienfoo guard again. "Well, here they are," The guard said, pointing to the Water mon in front of them. Among them included two Lapras, a Milotic, and a pair of Wailmer. "With the four of you, I think you can fit on two of them. Tap them on the back when you're on the other side to send them back here. Otherwise, you should be in Tollen by the morning."

"I'M BACK!" Out from the water splashed out a Golduck who quickly scrambled onto the shore, coughing a bit, "Man... got here faster than I thought!" He chuckled. He looked around at the others and back at the water types, "Ah, wilds. Nice. So... which ones are we choosing?"

Razathiel nearly chuckled. "Hm, wilds. I suppose that makes the situation a little less awkward. Regardless, I don't rightly care which we choose - though I hear Lapras are particularly reliable."

"I doubt anything short of a Lapras can carry me for very long, so my choice is obvious... in fact I'll probably take up a whole Lapras' back by myself, but I can fly every once in a while so it's no big deal either way." Cal shrugged, he didn't want to make another pokémon carry his weight for too long.

"Best hold off on the flying," Abel commented, walking up to one of the Wailmer and tossing his belongings onto its back. "We might need our energy in Tollen, judging by what the guard was saying, so best sleep now while you have the chance. That's what I'm gonna do, at least. We can take turns keeping guard."

Brynn thought for a moment, then turned to the Mienfoo, "Uh... question. I know this might seem silly... but have any Wailords managed to disappear in the past... oh... few days or so? Maybe the past few weeks?"

"Mhmm, perhaps we should scan for fingerprints, get some witness statements," Raz muttered, "Reports suggest the felon had arms, a torso, and was the Lord of Nightmares. I want our best detectives on the case, DNA evidence from the crime scene, and a latte." The Ralts stopped his torrent of sarcasm, laughing slightly; this was what happened when he got bored. Why where the Wailord came from was important, he didn't know - though maybe Brynn was just curious.

The Mienfoo gazed at the Golduck and shook his head. "Not that I could tell ya," He replied. "We don't monitor all the water mon in the river, though, and there have been some that appeared around here before. But End's River goes far north and far south so I can't say for sure either way."

Abel set up his belongings on top of the Wailmer, prepared to sail off. Before he did, he looked down at the guard and also asked him a question. "By the way, any news from the Gold Tribe?"

The Mienfoo turned over to Abel and shrugged. "Only rumors. Last I heard, Prime and Anzu were headed north of the Great Vantage. Deep in the contagion."

Abel stared silently at the Mienfoo. It was difficult to discern what it was he was actually thinking about, mostly because his stonewall expression remained relatively the same no matter what mood he appeared to be in. However, it was apparent he was deep in thought. "Understood," He eventually stated, breaking his gaze and sitting down to relax on the Wailmer. He looked over the others. "Ready to leave when you are."

Brynn stared at Raz as he too climbed onto a Wailmer, "Sure, go ahead and mock me." He said as he sat on down, "We should get moving now. Sooner we depart the sooner we'll arrive and be done with this part."

Razathiel hopped down onto the Lapras, eyeing it somewhat suspiciously before declaring it safe. "Don't be so resentful, Brynn." He said, tentatively poking the Transport Pokémon's shell rather than looking at the Golduck he was addressing. "I meant nothing; my words hardly fall under the jurisdiction of 'mocking'. Believe me, you'd know if they did."

Cal could only sit down so long without his legs and wings starting to ache, but he'd get what rest he could while they crossed the water. If he got too antsy he'd just fly around for a bit before landing back on the Lapras to relax. He climbed onto the back of the larger lapras and leaned his back against the back of its neck. "Let's be on our way then, we've got a longer journey ahead of us than the rest."

Brynn nodded as he patted the Wailmer, "Hopefully it won't be so long." He said as the water type began to move forward, "Heh, never ridden on another water type before."

"Treat 'em gently and they'll do the same to you," Abel chimed in from his own Wailmer. A few of the Beatrucian guards tapped the water mon on their behinds, and the Pokemon began to travel forward across the lake. They were going at a steady speed, though not bursting forward as to probably not attract too much unwanted attention.

As they drifted across the water Cal opened one eye and peeked over at Brynn. "So, now that I've got you where I want you, what exactly did you run off for? I won't be left in the dark on my first mission as - err, in my new position."

Brynn shrugged, "It was just something I had to change. Penance did get some things set up since we aren't sure how long we'll be gone and in Tollen. Best to lay down some general orders for the Seekers to follow in the meantime, especially if we end up not coming back out of Tollen. Well... we did have something planned up, but the recent news for Beautruce had us double think that. It would be a big waste of time on top of not getting anything done, so I had to send off some new orders instead. We're going to get answers for this plague, and frankly Anatellia is probably the ones to know the most information about it. If it's related to Darkrai, then it's probable he's done this stunt in the past, meaning there will not only be books written about it, but also information pertaining to how to delay its spread or even how to make vaccines."

"Well it's good to be prepared, a little warning next time would be nice though." Without another word Cal closed his eye again and nestled his back against the Lapras' neck.

Razathiel raised an eyebrow at Brynn. "So... what exactly was it you were whispering to Mr. Medicham?"

"The Golduck wanted to bring in more Seekers into the plague area of Beatruce to access the situation and see if Darkrai is behind it. I responded saying I don't care, and to do whatever you like. I'm not in charge of Beatruce so I don't speak for them," Abel replied harshly. He laid down on the Wailmer's back, and also rested his eyes. "Get some sleep. You'll need it."

The Dreadmage snorted. "Sleep is like Chesto berries for people with too little on their minds." He couldn't trace the venom in Abel's tone, but then in the Ralts' experience he'd been like that with everyone - a good excuse to ignore it. Raz turned and sat on the Lapras' back, pulling a small tome from his Magic Room before settling into something which could be called comfort.

Brynn was silent for a bit before he spoke up, "Very well, if you all wish to sleep then sure." He closed his eyes and hunched over as he crossed his legs and closed his eyes, "Rest we shall."

 

[Ray Maverick]

Sylvio & Joshua
​

Across the river and two miles outside the town, there was a vastness of grassy fields and the infrequent band of trees that were swaying with the wind. The morning sun was rising from the mountains of the east, bringing Sylvio a welcome warmth and energy after the pre-dawn chill. He'd woken his student early, before sunrise, habit of his old schedule of lesson before sunrise and after sunset. Word travelled fast that Joshua had been elected leader of the team of diplomats, and Sylvio was very pleased to hear this - although he was careful not to show it.

There were two reasons they were at this place, embracing the openness of the fields at such an hour. The first one was privacy; as they were due to separate very soon, this could be their last lesson in a long time, and he wished to give Joshua a gift. The second reason was, Griff was hungry. "Go on, then, dear," Sylvio told the Braviary, who kicked himself off the ground and took to the sky. "Follow him," he suggested to his leafy student at his side, "he will share when he catches something."

They walked through the grassy field, Sylvio occasionally glancing at the sky to keep track of his bird's progress. "I should congratulate you for your election as the leader of the diplomats," the Delphox said, barely squinting against the sunlight. "Perhaps I have taught you well."

Joshua shuffled along beside the Delphox. His overly-modest nature began to take hold as he was congratulated. The Swadloon was terrible at taking compliments. "I, uh... yeah. I guess you did... heh." He glanced up towards the braviary flying ahead of them, thinking of the group's last meeting. "Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure why Guardia chose me, specifically... Mr. Blake would have been better for it, in my opinion."

Sylvio let out wild laughter which ended abruptly with a "I think not!" He paused for a second and shook his head. "Mr. Blake's potential is erratic at this moment of time, and Guardia is most wary of her allies, especially those responsible for the success of... this sort of operation," he said, his voice rather sibilant, a sly smile across his snout. "But well done," he shouted merrily, patting the Swadloon on the back with his stick. "It is certainly an honor. How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure whether to feel honored or terrified," Joshua replied anxiously. "I mean, a mission of this magnitude... there's almost no room for error. What if I screw up and saw the wrong thing? What if I botch the whole mission with one slip of the tongue? Tollen already distrusts us... I... I just don't want to mess up."

Sylvio nodded to show his understanding, although it did not look as if he shared Joshua's worries at all. "Remember what I have said about fear and care. Fear will prevent you to take care. If you take care, though, there will be no cause for fear." Sylvio's eyes darted from the sky to the ground; Griff dove to reach for his prey, a lonely Gogoat headed for the hills. They watched from afar as the eagle Pokemon tore through it with its talons and lifted it right off. Sylvio raised his claw, sending a small flare up the sky to quickly signify their location; Griff was back in a matter of seconds, carrying the dying Gogoat. The Delphox reached for the inner pocket of his dark cloak for a dagger, intent on giving the captured prey a quick death.

They'd started a small fire from some wood Griff went to fetch. Griff tore entire chunks of the roasted carcass and carried them off to the side to gobble them whole. Sylvio lifted his own cut with his powers, tearing it apart slowly. A napkin and a water pouch floated close to his mouth for future use. Joshua held his own piece, chewing quietly and enjoying the morning sun. He kept close to the fire, relishing the heat it provided despite the warmer weather.

The Delphox looked at the Swadloon skeptically, with his tricky smile never far from his lips. He turned to the vast field in front of him, inhaling. He was about to do something unusual for him: recite a tale from his own past. "I did not overcome my fears till after the twentieth mark of age. You see, I had accepted to go on a mission for the sake of one of my friends. That mission brought me to the Temple of Balance in the lands contested between Karn and Anatellia, and while I was there, I met my sister... not my blood sister, my sister-in-law, a Karnian maiden of war who had taken over the band of warriors my adoptive father commanded before he died, by treachery, rather than bravery. She had turned them against me. Last time I had seen her, almost a decade past, I was forced to flee. But then..." he tilted his head to Joshua, half-smiling. "I had no idea what her business was in the Temple of Balance. That was none of my concern. But I had taken care of myself - I was an able duelist, a stellar graduate of the famed College of War - not the fearful Pokemon I had been, last time my sister had seen me. I challenged her to a duel."

Griff seemed to be listening to the story, staring dully at Sylvio with a piece of carcass still waiting to be eaten in front of his feet. The bird was there when these events took place. "She was overconfident. Underestimated me, thought I would remain the same, forever. But my fear had been replaced with care, and with a little touch of deceit, she proved to be far less adequate than she should have been. After it was over, I took care that the warriors loyal to her would not turn against me and I replaced her entirely, returning to Karn to sleep in her bed." He let out a hearty laugh, raising his head to the sky. The water pouch hanging around tilted, pouring into his mouth content that proved to be wine instead of water, and the napkin wiped his snout gently and caught on fire immediately after, reduced to ashes, as Sylvio turned to look at Joshua with a sharp smile. "You should not fear. You should be cautious!" He paused, taking a breath. "The task you are undertaking is truly challenging, and while I have faith in your competence, its completion will be hazardous, regardless of your team's or your own skills. I want you to use this," he said, producing two shards out of his Magic Room and handing one to Joshua. "A long time ago, these were a single hand-mirror imbued with psychic power. Look at it, what do you see?"

Sylvio held his own shard against his face as Joshua looked into his. Joshua was seeing Sylvio through the shard. The Swadloon stared curiously, intrigued by the magical device.

This will bypass the Network points influence, though not completely, Sylvio spoke to the Swadloon's mind. We will communicate through the shards, mhm? Should you need help with your endeavors... I will be there!

Joshua continued to look through the mirror in wonder, inspecting every angle of it in his hands. He nodded at Sylvio's explanation, tucking the small mirror away inside his coat. "Thanks... for the mirror and the advice." He looked up at Sylvio, giving a friendly smile. "So... before we separate into our different groups, do you know anything about Tollen?"

"I have not been to the country myself, but I know they are rather uptight."

Joshua shrugged. "That's about the extent of my knowledge as well. It's a bit worrying that they have decided to close off their borders... though I can't help but feel that it is related to our current predicament."

Sylvio shrugged, rather indifferently, observing his bird. "We would not know."

As Joshua ate, he looked towards Griff. He always felt nervous around the flying-type, especially when it was eating. He decided to ignore the bird for now, turning his attention to Sylvio. "So, you're going with the thieves then, huh?"

"Indeed. A group with the King of Thieves promises in it great adventure."

Joshua looked at Sylvio quizzically. "I feel like there's more to it than that."

Sylvio arched his eyebrows in the comical expression of the wizard. "There is nothing more to it but the need to survive. Snype is a strange mind, a mind likely to wander far from our mission, thus jeopardizing it. I will keep him in check."

 

[SV]

Obsidian, Sylvio, Snype, and Charlie with a side of Kaveri and Zai - Thief Team Meeting

It was later that night when they had gathered once more. Obsidian was the de facto leader of the Seekers given that Penance had already gone off and so there was one room that had a map of the capital placed in it along with various items he had written up for the agenda. He had waited for everyone to arrive before he had closed the door and coughed lightly, "Greetings everyone for our first thief meeting. So... we're going into a sort of unknown territory, but given this is Snype's field and he's the leader, I'll let him speak first."

Sylvio leaned on his elbow, watching the Sableye and fiddling with a pen idly. He seemed confident Snype would pull through.

"Right. Like I've mentioned before. Our main means of making this plan work is plenty of skill at improvisation. Whichever plans we develop could easily turn out useless. However, the first thing we need to focus on is establishing a base and possibly a camp before moving further into the city to gather information. I'll also need to establish underground contacts from within. Right now those are our main goals that are bound to lead us toward plenty of juicy info for the others. Keheh." Snype said with a snicker.

Obsidian looked down at his pad, "What I'm mainly concerned about is when we get there." He said, "I'm not sure about you all, but when we port what will be faced with? Obviously the psychics and the network machine will be there... but it's like in Gold City. We moved one network point, surely they could have done the same here. We might not end up in the SEC building, but instead in a underground bunker which is pitch black. So... what do we do then? There is also the matter of guards. What if right when we port one comes rushing to the machine? How do we avoid leaving evidence behind of us actually arriving?"

"Kehe, well if we end up in an underground bunker then we have our base eh?" Snype joked. "We could always use those invisibility stones to slip through unnoticed."

Sylvio rubbed his forehead and exhaled, a sly smile on his snout. "Snype, this is very important and - I assure you - relevant. How... hard did you party in Gold City?" he turned to look at him with a priceless expression that was nearing facetiousness. "Did you and the rest of the thieves indulge in the trade while everyone was busy?"

Snype turned over to Sylvio, leaning back a bit. "Keheh, well of course! What kinda thieves would we be if we didn't pick a couple pockets here and there! Pretty much gonna end up doing the same thing once we establish our presence in Tollen so hope you're all good at that sorta thing! If not, I can give a few lessons I suppose."

Sylvio nodded patiently. "No lessons required for the time being." The Delphox leaned back on his chair looked at everyone, examining their faces. "No matter what we encounter on the other side, friendly or hostile troops, it is for the best that we do not at once engage them in any situation. In order to proceed into the link unnoticed, we will have to create a diversion that will precede our arrival through the link." He turned to Snype again, this time with a quite serious look. "What I must know is, did you steal any... fireworks? You know how much they're worth."

"Keheh, well they go for a pretty penny. Yeah we may have stolen a couple of them. Can't pass on that kinda market. You saying we should use those for a distraction? A lot of profit I'd be losing but guess that shouldn't be a big problem for this scenario. Keheh" Snype said.

"Well, that makes one 'a us." Charlie shook his head. "I was more interested in gettin' my claws on stuff I didn't need ta be sellin' ta get it spent. Whaddya even want fireworks for though? We ain't blowin' nobody up, that ain't what we like ta call subtle or moral."

"Well, if there's any kinda of guards or anything we need to get by, they could serve as a nice distraction ya know? Civilians tend to go googly eyed at some good fireworks!" Snype said.

Obsidian jotted down those notes as he too thought, "So... we get the fireworks up and running and maybe we come in with shadow stones too? With the explosions going on I doubt anyone will be paying attention to the psychics, especially if we come in with invisibility."

"Pretty much. Kehe. Depends on the situation. Like I said, don't think too much. We're improvising a majority of the time. But this will get us through one of the toughest parts at least." Snype said.

Obsidian frowned a bit, "I'm not good... so much at that. But I'll be interested in learning how to do it!" He said as he formed a smile, "Most of the time it's just planning for everything."

"Keheh. You do that kinda thing enough, and it just turns into paranoia. Not a healthy thing to have if you ask me. It leads to assumptions, distrust, and sometimes worse." Snype replied.

Sylvio crossed his feet on the chair, twisting the pain on two claws of his hand as he looked at each one of them. "Allow me to place our entire plan, as to relieve confusion. We set up fireworks outside our own link and ready our invisibility stones. Once the psychics of our link are informed of our plan, we set off the fireworks and they make sure they are all teleported to our destination. Judging by the similar likeness of all the Network buildings I have been in, I believe the one in Tollen does not differ much. So, after our fireworks are off, we use the stones and teleport there. The distortion of the link will not be noticed by anyone, and we are to escape from the window in the confusion, without anyone having seen us. All I need is my own invisibility gadget," he said.

Obsidian quickly jotted down more notes as he nodded, "But what about the psychics? I mean, I have no idea where our seeker allies could be. After a while should we head back in and see if we can chat with them? Or would it be wiser to just search the city?"

"Given we just blew up some fireworks, I'd say they'll be on some kinda alert... Best let 'em simmer off for a while before we waltz back over there." Charlie added. "Gettin' us an alibi if they wanna know where we were when sh*t started goin' bang wouldn't hurt."

Obsidian nodded as he finished writing, "Good idea Sylvio. So any other things you can think up of?" He asked, "I mean... we don't have a lot, but I guess that's good in some ways right?"

"It suffices for an entry plan," Sylvio stated confidently. "All we need is the fireworks."

"We should have some in supply then. Keheh. I'm pretty positive our thieves snatched a few while they were in town. I can get our Ninjask to deliver a few packs right here." Snype said.

Obsidian nodded as he put his pad away, "Okay, so we're get some fireworks and we'll be good to go, right?" He asked as he looked about. "anyone else anything to add?"

Charlie looked around at all of the mon around - none of whom immediately looking like saying anything. "Think that's it. We can't plan too much anyway, right? I mean, we're runnin' on a load 'a guesswork as is an' we don't need ta be throwin' more in there."

"Right. The fireworks are as far as our plans go. After that, we make it up on the spot. " Snype said as the Ninjask flew out to grab the fireworks. Preparations were just about complete.

 

[Plumbum]

'Port-A-Thief!​

Featuring the Entire Thief Team!
Obsidian idly waited by the Network point as darkness still shrouded the landscape. It was early in the morning and he was hoping that the others could soon arrive so they could move on already. He idly rubbed his claws against each other, every so often glancing down and kicking a rock to the side as he whistled a soft tune under his breath. He had already taken out his violin and placed in the Seeker hut, just for good measure. There was no telling what they would find on the other side and he hoped that it wouldn't take too long. He didn't think they would spend a week there, but just in case such a scenario did pop up he had already packed some food and a canteen. Just in case of course.

Given the rather covert operations to be undertaken Alex had chosen to decline and there was no doubt in Obsidian's mind that the Gardevoir was still sound asleep, probably on some plush bed in the SEC's place. He let his toes claws wiggle against the ground and tightened his grip on his bag a bit more.

"So then, feeling confident?" The hooded mon was standing there as well, waiting to see Obsidian off.

"Yeah." The Weavile said, "But I'm confident that this will be a good success!"

"Confidence is good, just don't be too overconfident. It leads many to their downfalls."

"I know that. So, you'll look after things here?"

The hooded mon tilted his head, "Don't I always?"

He shrugged, "I guess. Just, you know, keep things nice and tidy." He smiled, "It's going to be a good day, I just know it."

"I assume you are all ready to go then?" The head Grumpig Psychic asked the rest of the group. Seeing that they were all gathered and apparently ready to proceed, the Grumpig closed his eyes and connected into the Network. "Setting up the Network link now. We'll send the fireworks first, and the the rest of you right after. Get ready," The Psychic closed their eyes and concentrated. The bright blue light flickered on the machine, and a moment later, the Psychic spoke up. "Network link established," The Psychic stated. Another few seconds passed, and the fireworks disappeared. A few moments passed again, and the Psychic chimed again. "Sending you now. Careful, it's a bit turbulent on the other side now."

The blue light shone brightly on the Network machine, and the thief team disappeared from Fort Ferrol. They traveled a great distance and reappeared in a room surrounded by smoke, the residual affects of the fireworks that have been going off, and were still going off as the team arrived. The room seemed to be made out of a marble-like brick material, though much more than that couldn't be discerned by the smoke. There were raised voices, as the guards inside the room, what appeared to be half a dozen or so, were arguing with the Psychics and each other about where the fireworks came from.

"It could have come from town! Maybe one of the children playing a joke!" One voice was heard saying.

"I saw something happen before it appeared! I know I did!?"

"Jeremy, how could that happen? Our buffer is here, there's no way they could have gotten something through there! It's kids playin' around!"

"I don't care who it was, just get this smoke outta here!" Another, raspier voice was heard saying. The image of a Croagunk was seen vaguely through the smoke as the origin of the voice. There were a few openings inside the building which allowed for passage from the building into town.

Sylvio chuckled rather audibly as he materialized into the room; he gave a quick glance around for his allies, to make sure he would not lose them in the smoke. Griff had appeared next to him and Sylvio mounted and spurred him towards the window. Somebody was going to see a big shadow flying out, but they wouldn't see much else.

One of the first things that Obsidian decided to do was run out of one of the openings, though instead of going far he placed his back against the wall and peered into the room a bit. If they needed to ever come back to the teleporters he would have to know not only what the interior of the room looked like, but also figure out how many guards were there and where they were usually stationed. It was small information, but it would prove vital if they ever had to make a quick escape. He made sure to crank his Shadow Stone setting all the way to max to make sure even his shadow couldn't be seen. Though at this point he could only see a few dozen shapes. He squinted his eyes, and tried to see through the smoke, but he would have to wait for that.

There was no telling how many guards there were and how many psychics there were too. He backed up a bit as this time he glanced about the outside of the building. It was still hard to tell but he backed a bit more, peering into the room still. There were some ways in... but the smoke was too slow to dissipate. He stayed in position, still peering as he waited to feel the others going by. Hopefully there weren't too many guards outside now.

Snype had a similar idea to Obsidian. He was pretty darn sure he'd get out fine, but things could be different for the new thieves. The Ninjask were already quick to follow behind Snype If this distraction were to work, then the security outside wouldn't be as heavy which would make for an easy enough escape to find a spot out in the woods to set up camp. But they had to avoid leaving traces as well. Easy enough for Snype, being a ghost and all.

Snype was able to see through the smoke rather effectively thanks to his vision. He'd be able to spot any nearby guards incase any were close. He signaled to the rest of the Pokemon to "hurry up". The group would have to keep quiet until they were all in the clear.

"Out," Sylvio said in a calm, yet urgent tone, speaking to his bird more than anyone else. Griff ran using his feet and hopped on the edge of the window, then he leaped; mid-air, he spread his wings wide and took flight. Sylvio looked upon the city unfolding in front of him with a joyous smile that reached his grey eyes; Tollen! Even the air was different here! Sylvio had never been in this country before. He never wanted to, but it seemed like fate led him here.

(Ignore the human statues, though. Those aren't there.)

Pokemon who have traveled have said that Tollen's capital of Argime is one of the hardest places in the world to reach. However, once you have reached it, it was worth the trip. Argime was built on a hill deep within the jungles of Tollen, surrounded by the dense forests. It expanded from its original hilltop to the surrounding hills and forest, and continued on for many kilometers in each direction, making it one of the largest cities in the world. Argime was built with the traditional brown sandstone and stone found within the country. However, to make it appear more appealing, the entire city had thin sheets of Alabaster stone placed over them to give the appearance of a city made entirely of marble. This gives the mask of beauty while maintaining the internal integrity of the hard stone. Some have learned the hard way that Argime isn't a city that can easily be taken, as many have taunted the city's majesty and laid siege, only later to discover how sturdy it really is. Though it has no real walls to boast about, Argime's position in the forest and on higher ground allows for significant defenses, while patrols and outposts around the city provide additional defense. The palace of Argime is located on the top of the hill, as are most of the noble Houses of Tollen. It has been a place of significant culture and pride, thriving with both warriors and scholars alike, but also in the arts.

When Sylvio was done taking in the view of the city, he stirred Griff so he would land on the short hill besides the Network Point; alleyways were near, perfect for their escape. He looked up to the building with the smoking windows, gesturing at the others to follow him between the sandstone houses. "Stick to the walls," he said, "our arrival might have not gone unnoticed." He looked hard at each of them with iron in his gaze; his eyes fell onto Snype. "Snype. I have a place we can settle until you manage to found your base. The sole problem is, I have no idea where on this sandy city it is, so I will have to find out." He turned his back to everyone; a piece of paper and his pen appeared out of nowhere and he grabbed both, putting the paper against the wall and writing a few notes that made no sense. When he was finished, the Delphox folded the paper multiple times so it was thick and hard and handed it to Griff, who held it firmly between his strong beak. "Go!" he told him, "find our friends!" And the bird flew away, seemingly knowing what he was doing.

With that the Delphox sat cross-legged on the ground, putting his back against the wall and producing his pipe. After he lit it with the fire, he looked up at the others. "We wait," he reminded them.

Obsidian managed to make his way out as he followed Sylvio while deactivating his shadow stone, "That I can do. Should we set up a watch?" He asked. "I mean... wait what are you doing?" He asked as Sylvio lit up, "A pipe? Are you serious? They'll see the smoke surely! I mean, I don't know how closely monitored the city is but we have to be careful of anything we do!"

"Be calm," Sylvio said nonchalantly, "I heard no fuss as we were leaving. They are not after us. The diversion was successful!"

Obsidian frowned, "Confident... I have to be confident." He muttered to himself as he sat next to Sylvio, "I'm sorry... I guess I'm just used to... well the best way to describe this is as nice you know?" He smiled, "I've never been off on my own before. Have you been here before Sylvio? I mean... you sent off your bird. Will he be okay?"

"He will be alright," Sylvio assured him, "he has great instincts. Even though it his - and mine, as well - first time here, he would spot my friend just about anywhere," he said.

"Keheh. Five seconds into the city and already have connections eh? Things are looking up already." Snype said with a chuckle. "I'd be careful with the city though. If our arrival was indeed noticed, they'll be investigating the city and possibly other SEC points for any kind of traces or clues. So don't get too comfortable just yet. Still... this city is a thieves haven. Kehe. I can't wait to get to work."

Obsidian smiled a bit, "Well, he sounds like a very good bird." He said, "I guess now... we just wait."

Kaveri sighed as she leaned against a wall a deactivated her shadow stone. Waiting, eh? She wasn't really the best with waiting. Too much sitting around doing nothing when there was so much fun to be had. Looked like her eagerness would have to be put on the backburner, at least for the moment. This didn't stop the twitching of her tails, though nor her gaze from flashing about and taking in all the new sights and sounds around her- well, sights more than sounds.

Obsidian gave a curt nod as he readied his stone again, "Well, while we are waiting, Snype I'm going to head back to let the psychics know that Tollen is safe for now and that we're in. I'm a dark type too so no psychics should be able to sense me."

"Alright well be quick about it. We need to get started as soon as possible." Snype advised, tugging his small hood over his head.

The Weavile nodded and once more activated his stone as he crept back to the network point, this time a bit more careful as he stepped inside, making sure he didn't accidentally bump into any guards. He could spy only six psychics inside and six guards as well. There was one Croagunk standing around with an angry look on his face, probably the same Croagunk that he had seen in the smoke. There was also a Houndoom, a Kadabra, a Liepard, a Nuzleaf and a Mukrow likewise guarding the psychics.

The Kadabra however seemed to be the one most on edge, constantly shifting his eyes to view the psychics behind him. And the network psychics... man, did they look beyond exhausted. A Meowstic had her head hanging down as an Alakazam sat crossed legged, doing his best probably to meditate. The other four were all huddled up, simply remaining quiet as Obsidian managed to walk on up, deciding to make his way to the Alakazam.

He whispered as softly as he could into the psychic's ear, "Is that Kadabra sensing for anyone?" He asked softly, "I am a dark type, but just in case one of our party comes back who isn't a dark type."

The Alakazam tried to act as casually as possible. He turned around to face away from the guards as he pretended to stretch his arms above his head. As he did this, he whispered very lowly. "He's their buffer. He's also connected to the Network, preventing us from leaving and sending and receiving messages. It takes a lot of concentration to butt him out temporarily. All clear?"

"Yes." Obsidian whispered back, "Don't worry, we'll get you guys out of here. We'll find a way to take him out." He said softly, "You have friends here now, just remain calm and we'll all get out of this place, you have my word." Obsidian glanced more at the Kadabra as he took in all the details he needed to. It would be a... shame if the Kadabra found some claws in his back later on, wouldn't it?

He made his way back out as he found the alley once more and turned off his stone as he set his pack down, "There are six psychic, six guards. One of which is a Kadabra. He's some sort of buffer to the psychics, preventing them from leaving or sending and receiving messages. They had to take quite the effort to send out those messages we received. Snype, if you don't mind I'm going to head out. If I can get into places with building plans or such then we could get a heads up on where we can find our base." As he spoke he pulled out a pair of beige shorts and a beige shirt as he quickly put on the clothes.

"Gotcha. That'd be a big help. Just be careful out there on your own." Snype said before reaching into his own bag. Watching Obsidan gave him an important reminder. "Also, before moving into town, make sure you all get dressed if you haven't already. Dunno why, but the Pokemon there tend to wear various clothing. Brown, Biege, or Emerald." Snype said as he pulled out a small pair of pants for him to wear and started tugging them on. His cloak would probably be enough but better safe then sorry. He'd blend right in for all he knew! "Keheh, I'd say gonna take some getting used to moving around in these. Ugh." Snype muttered.

"Wouldn't it be a better idea if ya said that 'fore we came out here boss?" Charlie shook his head. "Like I brought clothes. They're for the classy-types."

 

[Greiger]

Floundering Failings​

As soon as Obsidian had his duds on he made sure to wipe any dirt off of them before he shouldered his lighter pack once more and began to make his way out into the streets. A few mon walked the streets and the Weavile could see that several guards were walking along the streets. Many of the mon were well dressed in their respective clothes, and that unfortunately made him stick out even more. He just had to act the part. He had to be confident. He WAS a mon from Tollen and he shouldn't feel weak kneed for being in the place he grew up in!

He straightened his posture a bit more as he kept his eyes forward, not glancing about wildly like some sort of tourist. Okay... if he wanted building plans where would he go? Well... the builders who made it would know where it was, right? Only problem was that. He knew where the libraries were given that Penance would drag him to them, but this was quite a puzzle. Last time they were here he knew that Penance had chatted with the guards before, asking sometimes for directions with reluctance. He could try the same thing now!

He made his way past some mon as he walked up to a guard with a emerald uniform on, "Hello sir, I was wondering if you could point me to where the construction buildings are. I forgot the name of the store itself, but if you could direct me to that area I would be grateful. I'm already late to a meeting."

"Construction buildings?" The Sawk guard clad in shiny emerald armor repeated as he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What in the savior's name are you babbling about, boy? Tell me what region of Argime it's in," He demanded.

Obsidian chuckled a bit, "Uh, sorry sir. I mean where construction for new buildings take place. I'm supposed to help look over some building plans and I thought I could find the place on my own, unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case."

The guard cocked an eyebrow and stared intently at the Weavile, before a smiled crept onto the guard's face. He began to chuckle loudly. "Oh boy, you're a villager, aren't ya? And here I was thinking all you lowlifes were stuck in your mudhuts all day and night because you didn't want to visit. Or have the right. House Durania putting you to work, I see."

Obsidian paled, then shakily asked, "Is it so obvious? I got some pointers... uh... do I look that out of place?" Oh f**k had that been lucky! Obsidian couldn't help but feel immense relief at the guard guessing incorrectly, "And if you work hard and show perseverance then you can reach some heights." Obsidian said with a weak smile, "You could say I worked my whole life to gain this privilege."

The guard laughed again loudly. "Quit your lying, you mudhutter. You snuck into the city and you know it. If I had half a mind, I'd report you right now. And I didn't hear a sir there, idiot!" He roared angrily, going for a punch to the Weavile's stomach.

As the punch came Obsidian suddenly turned to the side, managing to step back to get behind the guard as he gripped onto his shadow stone that he had placed in the pocket in his shorts. In an instant the Weavile had disappeared and he quickly backed away, making it to an alley as he cursed inside his head. Well, that was one avenue out of the way. Apparently the mon around Tollen either didn't have any means of constructing new buildings or had no idea what the word construction meant. That would make his job far harder, and now he had to be careful to show himself. He still had a charge in the stone but he did have an illusion bracelet as well just in case.

He made his way along the alley and out the other way, doing his very best to glide among the crowd until he got to the side of a building. He suddenly stopped as he saw a passage of stairs that led down. Well... at this rate he wasn't going to find any building plans lately, so he could go ahead and check out the sewers to see if they could be of use to him. Although there had been no sewer gate in place all he had accomplished down there was just finding out there were sewers. Joy. Maybe... no, he couldn't go there yet. He was capable, he knew he was! He just had to find something that clicked. What was something he could bring back at least? Maybe... maybe something was going on with the psychics? He knew where they were after all! Yeah, he could see if the guard changed or something happened there and he could bring back that information! It was a piece of cake!

Still, as he made his way out of the sewer he began to doubt this plan.What would going back to the psychics help with? Nothing really. They were still there, and he doubted there would be some opening that would allow him to chat with them longer. He found himself stopping as he placed his back against the wall and began to think. Maybe... the psychics weren't the best bet. Penance always said to gain information however you could, so maybe he had to be more subtle. Still... he was feeling more conscientious now and if he somehow failed at that he would just put the group at jeopardy. He sighed and began to make his way back to the gathering point. Better to have someone watch his back instead of getting captured, right?

 

[SV]

Abel, Brynn, Callimer, and Raz - The Forests of Tollen

Abel awoke from a strong stench in the air. He opened his eyes to see a fairly deep fog surrounding him. He looked to his left and right to see the others still fairly closeby on their own Water Pokemon, but nothing much immediately beyond that. Upon further examination of the fog, he could tell there was an additional mixture of smoke along with the fog, which was probably the reason for the strong smell. Abel squinted his eyes forward, and caught sight of something.

"Land!" Abel yelled to the others, seeing the vast trees of the jungles and forest of Tollen. As they passed further through the fog, Abel and the others would get a better view of the shore, which seemed to immediately begin as a thick, vast forest extended as far as the eye could see. The trees were spread along the very coast and up to the hills which were nearby. That was what Tollen was: one massive jungle.

As the Pokemon made it to the shore, Abel grabbed his belongings and hopped off. He patted the Water 'mon on its back, the signal for it to return to the other side of End's River. He observed his surroundings, taking in the eerily empty shores. There were a few small structures, looking like clay and wood bungalows or huts across the shore at various points. However, they appeared to be damaged with burn marks and broken parts. There also appeared to be no one present. He looked up into the sky, trying to read what time it was, but the mist, fog and smoke blocked out the sun. However, if he were to guess from the previous times he made the trip, it was fairly early in the morning.

"This shore used to be packed with scouts and guards," Abel stated, pointing to the few 'monmade structures he noted before. "I can't tell what happened to them, exactly, but it can't be good."

Brynn awoke from his own trance as he looked about and hopped off, also giving the water type a pat. "Hm... I can see that as well. It might have been that this was set up earlier when Tollen was first clearing outsiders from their land." He commented. "It looks like either a fire type came and burned this down, or someone else set fire to it." He looked around on the ground, "Hm... I see no blood stains here. Who here is a good tracker? See if you can find any remnants of paw prints. If there are still tracks it could mean that this took place only a little while ago. Also, see if you can find any broken branches on the ground. It will be an indicator as to how large a force came in. But since I'm no tracker I'll be doing something far more practical."

The Golduck went to the huts and peered inside of them, "Hopefully I can find at least a scrap of parchment that survived that can tell of a date. If not then we'll have to move on soon. If anyone finds any paw prints make a note of it. That could be one potential direction we travel in. Hm..." He walked out of the tent and frowned, "Well... anything important is gone, let me tell you that. Clothes however are still here. If we need to disguise ourselves then that'll be the way to do it. Also some odds and ends here, though..." He reached in and picked out a book, "It's said a mind can be figured out from a good book." He began to flip through it, "Might give a little bit of a clue at the least as to what Tollen's recommended literature is now a days."

The moment he was off his Lapras Cal patted the wild's neck and began looking at all the footprints scattered about the area before Brynn even suggested it. He had quite a bit of experience with tracking, he and Kaveri both did, it was a tracking mission that he evolved during. It was hard to make out much though, everything was so jumbled. "Raz, if you could please see if there's any residual psychic or magic energy about, or anything else you might be able to pick up with your abilities."

Raz made the final hop off of the Lapras - it'd taken a while for him to climb down, seeing as he hadn't bothered to use his psychic abilities to levitate down. "What? Oh, right. Give me a minute." He turned to the Lapras and gave it a quick tap with his staff before turning back. "Off you go. Ugh... bloody hell, it's hot here. What do you want from me, again?"

"In summation, do some sort of arcane detective things. Anything you know psychic, magic, or otherwise for finding things a regular 'mon might not be able to."

"Divination? Egh, not my speciality, but I can do it. Just gimme a- agh, f*ck this." Raz lifted his cloak off and threw it in his Magic Room in one swift movement. "Heat pisses me off. There's a reason why my Hidden Power is devastating. F*cking... insects, people smell, ceaseless discomfort- alright, let's see here. Magic things." Razathiel stopped muttering, frowning slightly in concentration before answering. "Meaningless signatures all around the place, weak ones. Gets a bit stronger over there - looks like a trail of footprints to me. The trail leads on for a while afterwards... f*cking hell, why did we come to Tollen, again? I need a thing." The Ralts opened his Magic Room again and began rummaging around for a moment.

"You know, I can help too." Brynn said as she came over with a book in hand, "So how about this? I was a Gardevoir once, detecting life was my specialty. You give me the range and I'll put my specialty into play. With Penance aiding me too we'll get even more range. I can sense how many people are around us, how large groups are, if they are ill or close to death or healthy. Raz," He held down his hand, "Hold hands with me please so we get the strongest connection. Push out the connection and I'll see what I can find."

"Do you mind? I'm looking for a- f*ck it, be quick about it, will you?"

Brynn smiled and closed his eyes as he held out his other hand. Raz soon felt two other presences linking up with him and heard the crackle of mad laughter, Hehehe, well hey there short stuff! So helping us out? Coolio!

'Coolio' isn't the word I'd choose, what with it being Heatran's stomach out here. Raz murmured, suppressing his anger.

Quiet now Penance. Let's see... The three minds reached out further and Brynn spoke up, "I... I feel life to the north and south. Large amounts. Wait... ARGH!" In that moment she felt an intense amount of pain. It was as if needles were pricking her all over as she felt one life after another being snuffed out. Penance likewise recoiled in pain in his mind and before any more harm could be done he forcibly pulled the three minds out of there. Brynn fell onto his knees as he gasped out, sweating profusely as he shook for a while before opening his bill and releasing some of his dinner out onto the ground. Raz recoiled from the severed connection, eyeing the Golduck speculatively before turning back to his Magic Room without a word. After a short while, he pulled out a pot of Rawst berries.

"That was... hmm, something's happening over there. We'd best get moving." The Dreadmage popped one of the berries into his mouth and started chewing.

"Moving where, exactly?" Abel inquired. He glanced over at Brynn on the floor for a moment before looking to the rest of the group, ignoring her condition. "Are we going North? South?"

Raz smirked. "Depends. Feel like killing some killers?"

"We may as well find out what happened at least." Cal added in. "We're not just here for Valkaria's sake after all, we have a duty to do whatever we can to weaken Darkrai during our journey." He grabbed Brynn's hand and pulled him up. "Raz, please lead the way until Brynn is feeling a bit better, if you would."

Brynn rubbed at his eyes as he nodded weakly, "S-Sorry... h-haven't felt s-so much death..." He managed to croak out. He wrapped his arms tightly against his chest as he shivered a bit, "It... it was so quick. If we go either way... we're expecting a massacre. North... North was the fastest rate of life being lost, so if we go North... I don't know." He rubbed at his eyes a bit more, "All I know is that there was a lot of fear and death. I think the reason we only feel life at those two points are because... well... everyone else in the forest was wiped out."

"Or they left," Abel commented, examining the tracks leading away from the area.

Raz sighed and shook his head, reopening his Magic Room. "F*cking overemotional cretin, no bloody focus on the matter at- egh." He turned back, brandishing a Persim berry and waddling over to Brynn. "Bloody take it, then, you sodding prick."

Brynn turned away, "Just lead the way you little bastard."

"Let's go North, Raz, I'll let you handle the specifics for now."

The Ralts frowned at Brynn quizzically, then turned and headed North. "Very well then... follow me."

---

The path North began fairly quietly. There were more tracks among the trees which could be seen going deeper into the woods. Occasionally, the path that Raz led them along would lead them up a hill. At one point, when the path was only marginally clear of trees, Abel caught sight of smoke in the far distance. Beyond that, the first leg was a bit quiet. As they traveled further into the jungle, the temperature began to rise. The air around became humid and sweat poured off the mon. Then the signs began.

It started off with a few broken branches here and there, some burnt up wood. There were bite marks and hints of blood around too. As time went on, charred wood and broken trees weren't the only things present. In the far distance, sounds could be heard, though it was unclear what they were. The smell of smoke was also strong in the air. As Abel leaped from a tree branch to another one, a piece of cloth caught his eye on the bottom of the hill. He squinted his eyes and noticed what it was.

"Body here," He announced, traveling down to the fallen Pokemon. It was a Minccino. He had a brown cloak over his body. Abel turned him over to his front. The decay had already begun to set in, so he must have been dead for a while now. Underneath the brown cloak, the Minccino wore a piece of bronze armor. "He's been dead for a while. I'd say a few days maybe. Tollen soldier. Probably a member of the Guardians of the Borders, judging by his armor... couldn't have been more than 16 or 17."

Brynn slowly made his way over and looked over, "Well... if the border guards are dying... then who's killing them?" He asked softly. He had managed to take a brown cloak from one of the huts and was wearing around his neck. He scanned over the body once more, "Well, Tollen doesn't have control over this situation. We should probably move on. No use crying over those who have already been cried over, right?"

Raz waddled over, glancing at the corpse with a blank expression. "You know, Brynn, if you don't need the berry then someone else can eat the berry."

Brynn sighed, "I don't need it. Thanks though." He said softly. Raz said nothing, quietly resenting the Golduck's decision. Nobody else needed the berry.

"Whatever is going on is serious, it's a good thing we were sent in this way. We're some of the group's heaviest hitters, and that may be needed out here." Cal only looked at the corpse a moment before looking back towards the path they'd been taking. "Are we almost there?"

"Hmph, 'there' had rather a large berth to it." Raz murmured. "I'd say we're getting close."

"Alright everybody, from here we're going to have move forward a bit more slowly. Now that we're not too far off it's time for caution, we don't want to walk into anything we aren't ready for, and discretion is the better part of valor."

Brynn raised a hand, "How do we know who is ally and who is enemy?" He asked, "Yes the border guard is being killed off, but how do we know that the citizens aren't simply striking out against the border guards now? Perhaps the guards have been killing them and now they are simply fighting for their lives? On top of that, if we meet two groups fighting how do we know which to ally with?"

Abel shrugged, and began standing up. However, he suddenly stopped himself when he thought he heard something nearby. It was faint, but it appeared to be the rustling of some leaves. He looked over at the others. "Hey, come look at what this guard has on his armor," Abel motioned to the others, beckoning them close by around the body.

Brynn heard the noise as well as he came over, "What did you find?" He asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm, "Something like a map? We'll need one of those."

Cal stepped to the new cadaver of the hour, being careful to avoid covering any footprints, and peered down at it. "We certainly will, and to your earlier question Brynn, it's actually fairly simple. First we try for at least one second to talk and ask what's going on, if we don't get an answer the first group to attack us are the enemy until we know better. Walking into a situation as blind as Zubats like we are, it's the best we can do."

Brynn closed his eyes as a voice entered the gathered mon's heads, Alright, everyone let's talk here for now. Inside voices. I'm sensing... five mon around us right now. I know their positions, so it's up to you Cal. You're the leader. Do we attack or stand our ground?

"We don't know who they are, but I'll follow your lead, Sentinel," Abel relayed through the psychic connection in their heads.

A fireball exploded to the right of the group. Then another to the left, others to the front and back, an arena of flame erupting into existence all around, some of the foliage beginning to smoulder as Razathiel, the Dreadmage, laughed maniacally.

"Face me, if you dare! Nobody has survived ambushing me yet, and I would like to see you try!" He addressed his allies quickly. "Sorry this wasn't what you had in mind, but f*ck what you had in mind. I chose this group because I don't do 'covert'."

The flames sparked the hiding Pokemon to emerge and attack. There was a Poochyena and Galvantula from the left side of the group, a Pancham and a Quilava from the right, and directly in front was an older-looking Vileplume. All of the mon seemed to be wearing the same cloak and armor as the dead Minccino on the ground. They screamed as they charged, with the Pancham and Poochyena bearing physical attacks on the group, while the Quilava used an Ember and the Galvantula used Thundershock. The Vileplume attacked with a Razorleaf, who could be heard screaming. "For the Queen!"

Brynn narrowed his eyes as the attacks came, but being a bearer of two minds had its advantages. In the second that the attacks were about to hit the Golduck disappeared, a small teleport helping him to get out of the way of any attacks and instead appear behind their attackers. Already Penance and Brynn were focusing on the next thing to do. Separate.

Given that the four other mon had already charged forward Brynn wasted no time in grabbing the Vileplum by the back petal, "Enough." He hissed, "Who are you and why do you attack? We will either get answers by discussion or by force."

"Queensmen?" Raz raised an eyebrow. "F*ck off - I expected better of you." The mage aimed a concussive blast of psychic energy near his feet, launching himself into the air over the ember and halting the Pancham's advance. As he landed, he sidestepped. The ground was still a bit hot. "Ambushes are hardly a noble move now, are they?"

Abel's arm connected with the Poochyena's snout as it tried to bite him. He was able to repel the mon fairly easily, and looked to see the others stave off the attackers without too much effort as well. He looked around, and noticed most of them were fairly average fighters, none of which had the ferocity of a true warrior. That was, except for the Vileplume, who easily broke through the Golduck's grasp and prepared to strike at the Golduck, before suddenly stopping when he heard him speak.

"You're not Morrian," The Vileplume commented. He turned to his companions. "Hellguards, stand down!" He yelled loudly. The others stop, though the Galvantula who was preparing another electric strike nervously looked at the Vileplume and then the group.

"A-are you kidding, sir? I don't wanna get skinned alive, n-no way! W-w-we got them surrounded now, what are you d-doing?!" The Galvantula asked of the Vileplume, who seemed to be running the show. The Vileplume turned back over to the Galvantula, moving away from Brynn and storming to him. He slammed his face into the dirt with his palm.

"I said, STAND THE F*CK DOWN!" The Vileplume roared. The others were quick to comply.

Raz leaned on his staff lazily. "Well, I was going to call him a whiny prick, but I suppose that works too..."

Brynn sighed in relief, "Uh... thank you for that." He said, "We are not these... uh... Morrian that you speak of. Just to clear up matters uh... maybe not the best thing to let down, but we just arrived here in Tollen... yeah. I know your borders are down, but we had to come in."

The Vileplume looked from his men over to the small Ralts, to the other members of the group. "Who are you, then?" The Vileplume demanded. "Friend or foe?"

"I am Razathiel, The Dreadmage!" The Ralts announced gladly. "Greatest evil wizard of Valkaria and beyond! And these are-! Egh, they can tell you who they are. I can't be-"

"We aren't your enemies." Cal cut off before Raz could make them look any worse. "If we seemed hostile it's because we've been wary of ambushes for some time now. We're on a mission and we need to make our way to Tollen proper, but it's also important we find out what's going on out here. It certainly seems to be a dangerous situation, what can you tell us about all this mess? We might be of help."

"Let's see..." Brynn held out his hands as his eyes flashed, "I'll be sensing for any life that comes by. We could do well without another ambush and interrupting this meeting of ours."

The Vileplume let out a deep, satisfying sigh, and collapsed onto a nearby rock. "Take a breather, fellas," He ordered the other members of his group. The others fell down in similar fashion. They seemed as if they hadn't slept in days. The Galvantula was a bit reluctant.

"A-are you sure that's a good idea, sir? What if the-"

"They're not Morrian," The Vileplume interjected. "If they were, you'd already be dead," The Vileplume reached into his cloak and pulled out what appeared to be a canister attached to his belt. He opened it up and took a deep drink, sighing deeply again. "In three days, my company went from 56 members to 6," He stated somberly. "And that's all because of the Morrians."

Cal's brow furrowed as the Vileplume sat down, and he stepped a bit closer. "So, it sounds like these 'Morrians' are the ones giving you all the trouble. Don't keep us in the dark, if it's really as bad as you say then more good 'mon could be dying while we sit here."

Brynn nodded, "That much is true. We have heard, at least from Beatruce, that there are attacks being orchestrated in the forests. We believe all of this chaos might actually coincide with something else... but first explain what's been happening if you will."

"You're from Beatruce, eh?" The Vileplume smirked. "That might be the first bit'a good news I've heard all week. Well, let me tell you something: there's no attacks going on here. It's war. If it's not Morrians here, it's warriors from Pentos in the West and Northwest. And then the bandit clans in the south all decided at once to abandon their feuds, band together and launch an assault on us. Tollen is at war on every f*cking side," He spat. "Normally we can hold off these types of things but..." The Vileplume trailed off, staring at the rest of his mon, and shook his head.

"I dunno the full story," He explained. "I'm only lieutenant of this company. If you want the full story, and if you really wanna help, come with us to base camp. Talk to the Commander of the Hellguards, Darrell. Or you can go to 'Tollen proper', as you said. If there even is one anymore. Just decide quickly. We have to move again."

Brynn frowned a bit, "Uh... the Tollen capital is still there. We came in through this way because we actually received a small message from Tollen, but not from the leaders. It said the capital was in a state of peace... but that outside of the capital everything was in chaos. Why has Tollen sent no message for help? Even though many SEC members were forcibly removed from Tollen there is still that access point you all have. Kept forcibly against their will of course, but still in service."

"Question:" Raz said. "Would combating the Morrian threat be an excuse for me to kill people?"

The Vileplume shook his head and glared at the Golduck. "Is the capital really still there? I'm not even sure anymore," He stated, before looking over at the Ralts. "If you come with us, you can kill as many of the f*cking bastards as you want."

"We should help these people." Raz confirmed.

Cal pulled Brynn aside before answering to whisper into his ear. "Hey, one of the first rules of a mission like this is get as much information as possible, and give as little as possible. Don't tell anyone about the messages or our plans beyond what they need to know." After pulling away from Brynn a bit he cleared his throat and offered a hand to the Vileplume, he figured getting up when you're exhausted with a head that big must not be easy. "We don't need to rush on to the capital, especially not if it would mean leaving behind pokémon in trouble and a good opportunity for more information. Lead the way to your base camp. I'm Callimer Vian, also known as the 'Emerald Sentinel' seco - er I'm in charge of this mission."

The Vileplume accepted the hand and picked himself off of the rock. The other Guardians of the Borders reluctantly rose as well. "Alright then. Name's Trace by the way. Lieutenant Trace. Commander's set up in Trantea Outpost. We lost Hellbase a week ago, so Trantea's our new HQ on the Morrian side of things. It's about a few hours away."

"Wait a minute," Abel interjected. "You lost Hellbase?" He asked in a surprised tone, one of his first breaks of his stonewall character.

"Tactical retreat," Trace answered. "Commander had us retreat to protect a set of villages under simultaneous attack in the rear. If we lost them, we would have been flanked, and probably had to do our last stand in Hellbase, never to get out. Given you know our history apparently, Medicham, you know that was a hard decision to make."

Abel turned over to the others and spoke to them. "Hellbase is legendary even in Beatruce. Ever since it was built, they've never lost it. Ever."

Brynn frowned, "Well, the more reason to quickly head to Trantea, correct? My name is Brynn by the way."

The Vileplume nodded at Brynn. "I hope you guys can pack as strong a punch as Razathiel, then. You're gonna need it."

 

[Megaman765]

Obsidian and Charlie had both split from the group to check out the palace a bit more. Snype wasn't comfortable letting the Weavile go on his own so having a more professional thief keep watch of him seemed like the smart thing to do. Then again. Charlie seemed to give himself the order rather then wait for Snypes word. Either he had the same idea as Snype or he was challenging authority. Snype would have followed suit, but he had other plans to worry about. He'd confront Charlie about it later. Snype adjusted the tiny belt on his pants and looked back at the rest of the group. "Alright if everyone is dressed then we should start hanging around town. Try not to cause trouble right now. The whole incident in the network point will probably get the citizens suspicious very quickly. Keep your head down low." Snype said as he started to observe the upcoming pathway. He needed a good look at the town first. And he needed to hink of where any underground organizations would be in this city if there were any. Though there was one problem he totally forgot about.


"Keheh... I just realized, I'm going to be easily recognized as the King of Thieves here. That could be a problem in town... hmmm..." Snype eyed his illusion bracelet. As much as he didn't want to use it, it may end up being necessary, unless there was another way to improv through this mess. "Then again... I guess I DO look like any other Sableye right? Shouldn't be a problem. Kehe" Snype added.

 

[SV]

Joshua, Annabelle, Guardia and Thomas - Diplomacy at Work - Argime, Tollen

Guardia and Thomas stood in front of the Network point in Fort Ferrol. Guardia paced back and forth somewhat impatiently while Thomas struggled to stand still, giving glances to the Psychics around the Network as they awaited the thieves' signal that everything was alright so that they could pass through. Because the thief team was going in so noisily, Thomas said he would wait a bit, then send a message through first to let the other Psychics, and thereby House Ellia, know they would be proceeding forward. At the moment, all Guardia did was hope that the thief team were still in one piece.

Suddenly, one of the Psychics opened their eyes. Guardia instantly stopped her pace and Thomas looked over at the psychic. The psychic, a Grumpig, nodded his head. "Thieves are giving the all clear. You'll be met by guards on the other side. They'll escort you to the palace," The Psychic said.

Joshua nervously stepped forward towards the psychics. He was incredibly anxious and nervous, but he didn't show it. He kept his face stoic, nodding once towards the Grumpig. "Thank you. We're ready whenever you are." He turned back towards Thomas and Guardia, waiting for their approval.

"Me as well," Annabelle added before standing next to Joshua.

Guardia approached forward and nodded her head, and Thomas looked between everyone and then back to the Psychic. "Looks like we are all set to depart," He declared. The Grumpig nodded his head again, and closed his eyes.

"Connecting to the Tollen Network Point," The Psychic stated. The Network machine glowed the same way it had done as it prepared to activate. The Psychics focused intently as they powered the machine and reached their minds far into the world. A few moments later, the Network machine flickered on and the Psychic spoke. "Network connection to Tollen established. Good luck, everyone." A moment later, the four of them vanished.

They appeared in an unfamiliar surrounding, a building of moderate height made from a marble-colored brick material as it appeared. Directly next to them were the Psychics of Tollen. Guardia saw their expressions to see them in a state of exhaustion and... maybe relief? She wasn't sure. The strange thing was, there appeared to be less of them than were usually stationed at a Network point, only 6 of them, when the usual number was closer to 10-15. Right beside them were guards. They wore a combination outfit of emerald and brown colors, the two standard colors of Tollen. From what Guardia remembered about Tollen, the dual colors displayed on their armor indicated that they were in the standard military. When your service in the military was completed, if you were chosen or volunteered to remain in the military, you would have to choose one of the two colors, and from there, walk the path of that life. The emerald color represented the Royal Knights of Tollen, and the brown color represented the Guardians of the Borders.

The guard closest to them, a somewhat angry-looking Croagunk, walked up to the four. He and the other guards held beige and brown cloaks in their hands that he handed to them. "Thomas, Joshua, Lyn, Anna," The guard began to say as he listed off their names from memory. "You will put these on and accompany us through the city toward the palace. I understand there are Gold Tribe members among you, and we have been instructed that you will keep your emblems hidden within these cloaks and not on display. You will not bring attention to yourselves as you walk through Argime and you will not converse with any of the citizens of Tollen even if they speak first to you. You will follow any other directions we have as we conduct you through the city. Are my directions understood, sirs and madams?"

"Perfectly," Joshua stated, taking his cloak. It was difficult to put it on over his current leaf cloak, but he managed. He tucked his Gold Tribe emblem away into his pocket, then turned towards the others. "So... I assume I'm taking point, then?"

"Absolutely," Annabelle answered, getting on the cloak with a little difficulty due to her wool. Having the extra layer was strange to her since things like shirts and pants weren't exactly something she needed with all of the wool. It actually felt a little tight on her, but Anna concluded that it wouldn't be all that bad. "Lead the way," she answered Josh.

Guardia nodded as well, taking one of the beige cloaks from the guard and putting it on. She expected there to be pretty heavy restrictions, so she didn't mind playing along for now, although she had a feeling they might be seeing a lot of those here. She looked over at Joshua and nodded. "We'll be right behind you," She stated. The guard, finding everyone had put on the cloaks, nodded his head and proceeded toward the exit of the building. The building had no actual doors, just a passageway the led to the outside.

Before heading outside, one of the psychics, an exhausted Meowstic, discreetly grabbed Joshua and brought him close to her ear. "They're holding half of us hostage, I don't know where. Find them please, my brother..." She suddenly jerked herself away when one of the guards looked back. She rejoined the other Psychics, and watched the diplomat group pass through the archway to the outside of the city. Joshua looked back at the Meowstic momentarily, in partial confusion. He nodded once, but quickly turned back and headed out.

Pokemon who have traveled have said that Tollen's capital of Argime is one of the hardest places in the world to reach. However, once you had reached it, it was worth the trip. Argime was built on a hill deep within the jungles of Tollen, surrounded by the dense forests. It expanded from its original hilltop to the surrounding hills and forest, and continued on for many kilometers in each direction, making it one of the largest cities in the world. Argime was built with the traditional brown sandstone and stone found within the country. However, to make it appear more appealing, the entire city had thin sheets of Alabaster stone placed over them to give the appearance of a city made entirely of marble. This gave the mask of beauty while maintaining the internal integrity of the hard stone. Some have learned the hard way that Argime isn't a city that can easily be taken, as many have taunted the city's majesty and laid siege, only later to discover how sturdy it really is. Though it has no real walls to boast about, Argime's position in the forest and on higher ground allows for significant defenses, while patrols and outposts around the city provide an additional protection. The palace of Argime was located on the top of the hill, as were most of the noble Houses of Tollen. It has been a place of significant culture and pride, thriving with both warriors and scholars alike, but also in the arts.

Joshua couldn't help his wandering eyes, taking in the sights that laid before him. He had read many stories about Tollen, and seen a few illustrations, but he had never the opportunity to visit in person. The decadence of the architecture and the attention to detail were astounding. Truly a shame that the Tollenian people had closed off their doors, Joshua thought. Such a city could provide so much for pokemon outside, had they the intention. The Swadloon tried to keep his focus on their escort, though occasionally the grand decorations and art distracted him.

The guards led the group up the hill and deeper into the capital of Tollen. It appeared to Guardia that the further they ventured up, the more regally the mon dressed. She noticed a strong hint of emerald colors in their dress, although a few also had beige. Brown was less common, only being on a few guard's uniforms. Even then, it was usually cut down the middle between brown and emerald. Guardia also noticed, as she had in her previous visit to Tollen, that everyone was dressed in clothing. She expected that was the reason they were also given cloaks. It made her wonder if House Ellia was purposefully masking their status as foreigners. She really wished she knew what was going on.

A few of the citizens gave the group disapproving looks, but nothing too much beyond that. As they reached the summit, Guardia could see a few larger buildings around. There was a large courtyard, called the Royal Courtyard of Tollen. It sported a vast garden and intricate water fountain design made of the finest materials. On either side of the courtyard were large, marble mansions with different symbols etched onto the front, the sigils of the noble houses. These multiple mansions continued on for a while down the path of the courtyard, getting larger the further they traveled. She noticed the area was filled with guards, though she figured many of them were actually Royal Knights judging by their pure emerald armor.

In front of them, she noticed an even larger building, more beautiful and majestic than any of the others. It towered over the mansions with purposeful superiority, even from it's distance. That was the Royal Palace of Tollen, where Queen Aleena resided. The guards suddenly made a turn and traveled to the right of the mansions, approaching one with the sigil of an emerald Skarmory embedded on the front. Multiple Royal Knights guarded the home, and as the group approached, they stood on alert.

"State your business," A Roserade clad in emerald armor demanded. The Croagunk approached the knight and handed him a sealed letter with the same symbol of the Skarmory stamped on it. The Croagunk bowed his head as he extended his hand with the letter. The Roserade snatched the letter, read it, and nodded. "We'll handle security from here. Return to your posts."

"Yes, sire," The Croagunk replied respectfully. The guards proceeded down the path to the Network point, while the knights turned their attention to the group.

"Follow us inside. Don't touch anything," The Knight commanded. He proceeded up to the large doorway in front of the mansion. The door was made of a thick, sturdy stone, but painted and coated with alabaster. It had intricate designs marked into it to appear even more magnificent. With the help of two other knights, they forced these large doors apart which displayed the enormous greeting room of House Ellia. The hall extended for quite some distance, with marble pillars displayed on each side leading up to an unoccupied throne. The walls were littered with lavish paintings and sculptures, as well as intricate designs carved in along the walls and ceiling. It almost appeared as if this were the palace itself rather than a noble house.

"Lord Marrow of House Ellia is currently unavailable but will be with you shortly,"The Roserade Knight stated. He whispered something to a few of the other knights, before turning back to the group. "Wait here," He stated, before he proceeded back outside. The others waited and watched the group carefully.

Joshua nodded at the instructions, remaining silent. He fidgeted around in the garments that had been given to him. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but he had to admit, it definitely made him feel regal. He silently hoped he could keep them after all was said and done. He cleared his throat and straightened his body in an effort to look dignified for this 'Lord Marrow' fellow. An intimidating name for a noble, Joshua thought. He gave a quick glance to his comrades behind him, gauging their readiness. Thomas seemed in a sound state, smiling politely to the knights who were watching them, who only returned his gaze with menacing ones. Despite this, he continued to smile courteously. Guardia was a bit more relaxed, perhaps more than she should have been. She leaned on one of the columns with a slight look of impatience. This wasn't exactly her type of place. Annabelle's eyes examined each piece of architecture and artistry thoroughly, probably to make the memory last longer and be all the more vivid. As to her composure she wasn't exactly tense, but not relaxed either, often looking quickly away from the menacing guards to the ground and them back at the scenery.

The group didn't wait for much longer. Soon, one of the doors to the side of the room flew open. From it walked a Slowking who wore a long teal cloak embroiled with the finest emeralds and other jewels. He also wore additional jewelry in his headpiece. The main ruby piece was replaced with an emerald one. Along the back of his cloak was the insignia of the noble house of Ellia. The Slowking was followed by two additional knights, an Arcanine armed to the teeth in shining emerald armor, and a Shiftry with similar armor. The Arcanine looked especially enraged, as if one false move could set it off.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Marrow!" Thomas exclaimed politely as he bowed his head in respect.

"Save the pleasantries, Thomas," The Slowking hissed. He glared around at the group, then back at him. "I have allowed you before me as a courtesy and will allow you to speak your mind, but know of the perils involved with bringing you into Argime. Now then, which among you are Gold Tribe?"

Joshua looked at his comrades nervously. The lord was clearly in a sour mood, despite his and Thomas' past relations. He shivered slightly, but quickly shook the anxiety from his mind. He would need to keep himself calm for this. The Swadloon took in a deep breath, then exhaled, looking the Slowking in the eyes. "That would be me, your highness," he replied with a bow of respect. He gestured to Guardia behind him. "Herself and I, to be precise."

The Slowking stared down at the Swadloon and cocked an eyebrow. "There is only one Highness in Argime, Gold Tribe, and she sits in the marble chamber, upon the Throne of Rectitude, long may she reign," He stated hurriedly. His eyes wandered to the openings of his home to the outside, ever alert. His eyes then set from Joshua to Anna. "You may address me as 'my lord'. And this one? What are you apart of?"

"Annabelle Serta, my lord," Anna gave a respectful bow, "Level 9 member of the Sharp-Eye Corporation."

"I should have figured they would have one of you here," Lord Marrow commented, his eyes shifting again to Guardia. "Aren't you a familiar sight. You were the first one to come around many years ago and poison the mind of our King, were you not? I recall that day. Well, come on then. Speak whatever nonsense you've come to spew."

Guardia silently stared back at the Slowking, taking an immediate, rejuvenated dislike for the mon. She clenched her jaw, but remained composed as she awaited Joshua to answer him. She did recall meeting the mon before. He seemed to have grown even less pleasant as time went on, it seemed. For now, she would let Joshua and Anna do the talking.

Joshua straightened himself, clutching his coat tight to his form and clearing his throat. "Well, my lord, for both our sakes, I'll skip the flowery speech and be blunt; Darkrai has returned, and it's going to take more than just the Gold Tribe to stop him." He looked at Marrow, trying to keep a stoic expression and hide his ever-present anxiety. "We need Cresselia, and if you have any information as to her whereabouts, it would be greatly beneficial. Not only for us, but for Tollen as well, and the entire realm as a whole."

"For savior's sake, this again?" Lord Marrow rolled his eyes impatiently, pointing at Guardia. "This one came before us years ago preaching the return of Darkrai. King Sofon, peace be upon him, vouched for you and look what happened to him? Just like King Reylas many years before him. Do you have any proof to back up these claims?"

Joshua gulped nervously, casting a worried glance at his companions. He didn't need to speak; his expression said it all.

What am I supposed to say now?!

"That would be us," Annabelle answered. "I mean no disrespect by speaking in place of Joshua, my lord, but we are all we have to offer. If we had enough time to prepare before our hasty departure then we surely would have brought something more concrete like the rubble in Gold City, one of our many fallen comrades, or one of the even more numerous Sentinels that attacked us." Like a flash thoughts of the battle went through Anna's mind. Were they still fighting? Was everyone evacuated?And what about Hanso's condition? "Valkaria has been respectful of the silence between our two countries and continues to be so. We wouldn't come here for reasons other than that of great importance."

Joshua let out a small sigh of relief, feeling more confident now that he wasn't the only one presenting their case. "My compatriot speaks the truth. Valkaria is now under siege even as we speak. We don't know how much longer we can hold out." Joshua bowed slightly towards Marrow in respect. "We've come to you to humbly ask for any assistance you can provide, my lord."

The Slowking glared at the Mareep, and then at the Swadloon. His eyes then shifted to Thomas, who gave the Slowking a nod of his head, the signal that everything they had just said was the truth. "I have not known Thomas to be a liar, and I've always known his... feelings for the Gold Tribe. If he is truly here along with you, I am inclined to believed that Valkaria is indeed under siege. However, there is no proof whatsoever that Darkrai is the one who is behind the siege. Have you not thought of the possibility that it could simply be one of your neighbors? Karn, for example? They have attacked you before, have they not?"

Marrow shook his head and turned around, placing his hands behind his back as he looked over one of the many paintings in the large hallway where they stood. "Your situation may be dire, but I will not relinquish my own private forces for a foreign entity. As for our knights or soldiers, it would take the authority of either the Royal Commander, the General of the Standing Army, or the Queen to grant you the aid you seek. And given our current relationship with Valkaria, that seems unlikely. Besides, we have our own troubles to look to. Our nation has been through much in the last few months."

Joshua nodded at the Slowking, his expression turning less stoic, and more humble. "I wish I had more proof to offer you, my lord, but I'm afraid all we have is our word. Valkaria was... attacked from the inside. One of our own generals clearly stated his allegiance to Darkrai, and betrayed us. It's not just the Sentinels anymore."

Joshua began pacing slightly, formulating his reply carefully. "I understand our relationship is under strains, and I realize that asking for the assistance of Tollen's forces is to request a large leap of faith of your part. While I would like to persuade you to lend your aid, the siege of Valkaria is secondary. While support would certainly be appreciated, it was not our main reason for coming here." Joshua stopped, looking towards the Slowking with a stern gaze. "Our primary objective is to find Cresselia. If you are unwilling to lend your troops, then that is your prerogative. However, if you, or anyone in your city, possess any information - any shred of evidence - as to her location, we would be most indebted to you, should you provide it."

Lord Marrow turned and glared at the Swadloon. He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Spoken well for one of the Gold. That surprises me. I thought your kind to be one of mindless oafs who know nothing but how to kill," Marrow sighed deeply, shaking his head. "I cannot give you what you seek, boy. Not as it stands now. But... I will give you an opportunity to change that. I will speak to the palace today. If they will hear me, you will stand before the nobility and military hierarchy and speak your mind. Maybe one of them will listen. Doubtful, I think," He explained. "If they will not hear me, however, I may face quite a penalty for bringing foreigners into the country. Any lesser noble might be thrown into prison. If it weren't for my status in Ellia and Argime, that might be the same. So understand the risks I am going through to allow you to be in here. Today, you will remain here under watch as my... guests. However, one false step, one outburst of any kind, and back out through the Network you shall go, and never shall you return. Is that clear?"

Joshua bowed again in gratitude, before straightening himself again. "Perfectly, my lord. We appreciate the risk you are taking for us." He wanted to ask further questions of the lord, but he stayed his voice. They were already risking much by simply being here; any further prodding on unrelated matters would not be the wisest choice, he felt. "If there is anything else that is required of us, we will do our best to meet those standards."

"Stay out of sight, do not leave the mansion, and do not speak with any of the servants, maids or cooks extensively," Marrow declared. "I know Arron's got his pockets filled with his eyes all across the city, and if he catches a whiff of this... well, it might be the guillotine for us all."

"We understand," Thomas chimed in. He bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you again, Lord Marrow."

"I suppose they were lucky you were here, Thomas," Marrow explained. "I would probably not have done it otherwise, even with their courteous manner," He said, pointing to Anna and Joshua. "I shall be back later." The Slowking then turned, and left the room.

As Marrow left, the Swadloon gave one final bow before turning towards his companions. "Well... I suppose that could have gone better. Do you think the nobility of the palace will be willing to hear us?"

"It went much better than I anticipated," Thomas said with a smile. "If we present this to all of the military leaders and nobility at once, surely at least one of them would be willing to hear us out, right? I think you did splendidly, given the situation."

"I'm just glad I didn't say anything," Guardia chimed in with a smirk. "I probably would have snapped the guys neck if I did."

"Hmm... Arron," Thomas commented on the name mentioned by Marrow earlier. "Probably meaning Arron Durania, the head of the House of Durania. I wonder how they will factor into all of this."

Joshua shrugged, his expression finally returning to normalcy now that their appeal was done with. He sighed once again in relief, lightly wiping his brow. "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we'll be finding that out today, or anything else, for that matter. We should probably make ourselves comfortable here, since we're essentially under house arrest, it seems."

 

[Megaman765]

The Lower District of Tollen- Snype
​

Snype and his group would start to make their way right into town. If he was going to find connections, then the shadier parts of town would seem to be the best place to check out. He would have to improvise along the way however by observing townsfolk, seeing who worked under the queen, and making sure not to strike conversation with the wrong Pokemon. One small slip up would give them away and Snype was going to take a wild guess that the guards were going to be very cautious after the incident at the network point.

The best Snype could do was keep to the lower parts of town to avoid looking too suspicious. He could easily be seen as the king of thieves by those who had outside knowledge. He'd just have to change up his personality a bit if he were called out on it, as well as adjust to the Tollen lifestyle if necessary. He'd remain silent while heading down the hill toward the lower region of Tollen.

The further down Snype would go, the more he noticed a few things change. Pokemon wore less emerald or green outfits, and more beige. He would also occasionally notice more brown outfits around too. These Pokemon typically seemed to be quadrupedal and appeared more poor. Any guards around wore armor of half emerald and half brown, unlike many of the other guards in the upper cities that wore a pure emerald armor. There was still the occasional emerald-armored knight around too.

There was a some sort of security checkpoint up ahead. A group of guards, perhaps four or five, were standing at the edges of it, talking to each other while giving occasional glances to the Pokemon that passed by. They seemed to be in deep discussion.

"I'm telling you if they actually cared enough to do something, that damn rat would have been strung up a long time ago," A male Herdier guard was telling the others. A female Breloom guard scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"What are you saying, that the knights and nobles aren't doing their job?" The Breloom shot back.

"Oh, they're doing it, just not here in the lower districts," The Herdier shot back. "Lordlings don't care about no damn thieves here. Unless it was in the upper levels. Lordlings don't care about the lower levels at all."

"Oh yeah?" The Breloom continued. "What about the savior then? Huh? How do you explain that?"

"I-tha-well, he doesn't count! Everyone else are the damn fools!"

"Uh-huh," The Breloom rolled her eyes again, staring around at the mon who were passing by.

Snype managed to eavedrop on the conversation whilest keeping a good distance. Civilians seemed to be passing by no problem and he hadn't noticed any form of identification other then their clothing, but just waltzing on in would be fairly risky. If these guards were correct though, then the guards in the lower district would be no problem. It almost sounded rather boring... something that Snype would have to fix! Nonetheless, it was a good place to start forming a base. He just needed insight on life in the lower districts. "Use your invisibility stones to slip through with the crowd. Try not to bump into anyone either. One your in, you should be alright. I'll slip in with Shadow Sneak. We'll split up and investigate around town. For my own safety, don't address me as Snype. Aden should make a good fake name. Keheh." Snype said as his form faded into the shadows.

While in his shadow form, he'd stick close to other Pokemon's shadows to blend on in and make his way through the gate. Once on the other side and out of the view of the guards, he'd slip into a small ally and emerge back into his physical form.

"Alright...first things first. I'm kinda interested in just how incompetent these guards really are. Maybe we'll spot some activity in town. Keheh. Keep low, but if ya gotta get yourself in some trouble feel free. Its probably expected down here." Snype said as he made his way deeper in town.

On the other side of the security outpost, a bit further down, a guard seemed to be arguing with one of the townsfolk. The guard appeared to be a young, looking Marill, while the townsfolk he was shouting out resided on a second level of a home of some sort. He was a somewhat older-looking Raticate. "You know the rules, no dumping waste into the city streets!" The guard shouted above.

"Everybody does it, guard," The Raticate replied with a hint of annoyance, but relatively cool head.

"Just because someone else is doing it doesn't make it anymore illegal!" The young guard shouted back. "You are free to roam to the edge of town, and dump any waste into the designated spots. Keep our city clean!"

The Raticate stood on his hind legs and leaned over the railing, pointing to its brown clothing. "See this here? This is brown-colored, boy. If I go to the edge of town, passed the last outposts in town, they won't let me back in anymore because of that. Actually, I don't think they let anyone in or out anymore, not since they put Royal Knights at the exits anyways! And even if they didn't, I'm getting old, and going all the way out there and back isn't good for my knees. It's much easier to do this, like everyone else does."

"That's preposterous! Get done here and clean this me-" Before the guard could finish his thought, from a nearby neighbor's home, the process of dumping trash was repeated, with a bit of the slosh pouring on the Marill. A few of the surrounding villagers laughed, and the Raticate above smirked.

"Listen boy, you're new here, but that's just the way things are done. You'll get used to it," The Raticate explained. The young guard was fuming. He looked around at the laughing faces, and grabbed one of the young children nearby.

"Don't you dare laugh at me! I'm a guard of Argime, and I could kill every last one of you if I wanted to!" He hissed between his teeth. A young Sandshrew was being grabbed between his arms, and the Marill was preparing to apparently drown the young child. "This is what happens when you don't listen!"

"Hey now! Calm down!" The Raticate above tried to calm the guard. "Don't do anything you'll regret, it's just a kid for cryin' out loud!"

"Well you shouldn't have laughed at me! Time to pay the price!" The Marill yelled back, and he prepared a water attack on the Sandshrew. A few mon around screamed.

So much for not doing their job. At least, in the sense that Snype figured. He'd have to plot something up fast to help this kid out. Maybe a good scare would work! The Marill just screamed "lack of self esteem" after all. Snype pulled his hood over his head to somewhat conceal his face, besides the glowing gem eyes underneath. It'd be a terrifying presence up close. He'd use Shadow Sneak to fade back into the shadows and approach the Marill right up in his face. He'd prepare Detect as soon as he did.

The Marill was about to release his attack, when he suddenly noticed the presence of the... thing, whatever it was, that had just tried to attacked him. He yelped and backed up, releasing the young Sandshrew in the process. The other villagers around used this opportunity to grab hold of the young mon and a few of the others kicked and punched the guard until he went running away. The villagers watched him run away and began jeering him while cheering Snype.

One of the nearby villagers, a Houndour, turned and patted the hooded Sableye on the back. "Nice going there, friend. Savior's blessin's on ya!"

Snype turned slightly to the Houndour with a small grin. He was about to do his trademark laugh but quickly thought better of it. "Heh. Was napping on the streets and all the commotion woke me up. Figured I'd give that chump a good scare." Snype simply said. He made a mental note to figure out who this "Savior" was. Sticking around a little longer wouldn't hurt, especially among villagers. He was the hero of the day after all. That had some serious advantages!

"Well, good work with that!" The Houdour said with a grin. "You from around this district then? Can't say I've seen you before."

"Yeah I'm from around here, but you know us ghost types. We tend to keep to ourselves and not get out much ya know? A bit of a bad habit of mine." Snype explained. Not much need to keep his typing a secret. What other type would have pulled off that kind of stunt? He just tried to come off as a rather lazy type of ghost. Playing it cool.

"Ha!" The Houndour laughed. "You ghosts are all the same. My buddy from the slums in Tanos was exactly the same. Which really begs the questions on why you interfered in the first place," The Houndour shrugged. Meanwhile, the Raticate above had another Pokemon, a Raichu beside him, whispering something in his ear. "Well, I'm not complainin'. Names Rett by the way."

Snype glanced up at the Raticate a moment. Whispering could either mean a really good thing, or a bad thing. Though considering Snype saved his butt he figured it was option A. But Snype realized he couldn't go around saying that he was Snype, the King of Thieves. "A pleasure Rett. The name's Aden. Dunno, guess I got a soft spot for kids. That and I didn't appreciate all the noise waking me up from my nap. Didn't think they hired little kids as guards." He joked.

"Same, Aden," The Houndour added with a grin. "Yeah, well he was noble-born. It was written all over his face. Probably gonna buy his way into the Royal Knights like all the others too. Damn cowards." He snarled.

The system definitely had some corruption within it. That whole scene confirmed it. Could mean trouble for the diplomatic team, whatever they were doing at this point. But one step at a time. Making friends with the lower district was a good movement forward so far, at least for information. "Tsk. Not exactly honorable. Bet he's running off to some guards to come and look for me or somethin. If that's the case then I oughta lay low."

"Not if I can help it," The Raticate from above said to the two down below. "You said your name was Aden, right? Thanks for saving the kid. Lemme pay you back. Meet me at the Pit. I'm the owner there. Good place to lay low. They won't find ya there. I'll be there in a bit."

"Oh shoot, Roran's gonna help ya," Rett exclaimed. "You'll be fine! He used to be a Royal Knight, ya know, before he retired. Back when it meant something. Mind if I come with ya? I'll buy you a drink."

Snype was never one to reject a drink... and the houndoom would at least be able to lead him right to wherever "The Pit" was. "Sure. Lead the way. You're probably a bit faster then I am anyway." Snype said. A retired royal guard. Owning what he assumed to be a Bar? That sounded all kinds of suspicious! Perhaps somebody else beat him to the punch.

Snype was led by Rett further down the streets on Argime. The lower levels were nothing like the shining city higher up the hill. The streets were still made of what appeared to be the same brown sandstone, but the Alabaster coated over had long since been ripped and chipped off. Buildings were more worn, but still quite sturdy. There was less of a presence of guards in these parts of the city, only whenever there were checkpoints. One thing that was noticeable was there in some cases, there were a few places that looked abandoned, or unoccupied, perhaps for a few months now. There were also a lot more younger children in many cases than there were adults. Some buildings were broken apart or wrecked, while others seem to be barely standing.

"This whole place is one damn stinking reminder, but damn if I don't thank the Queen and savior. Remember how it was before?" He asked, turning another corner to see a rowdy-looking building filled with different mon. It seemed like a miniature fortress which had been re-purposed into a bar/inn. "Well, one thing to wash it all down! Thank savior for the Pit, huh?"

"I'll say. I can never turn down a good drink. Bars like these are always a good escape from it all." Snype said with a grin. He had realized his hood was still up. He hadn't yet revealed what kinda species he was. The pointy ears would likely give it away though so he just casually pulled down his hood. "Ah there we go. Can finally take that off now that we're in here. So how about those drinks?" Snype asked.

Rett looked Snype once over after revealing his species, and nodded as he proceeded inside with him. The interior of the bar was even more rowdier than it seemed on the outside. Mon were drinking and roaring with laughter. A fight was in progress at the far side, the reason for which was unknown to many. But they didn't care, as many ushered them on. The bartender, a Machoke, was roaring along with the rest of them as he gave the patrons drinks. Rett sat down on a stool designed for quadrupedal mon and yelled at the bartender.

"Max! Gimme a Cheri shot. And give my pal Aden here whatever he wants!" Rett exclaimed.

"Whattall it be, friend?" The bartender asked Snype.

Snype hopped onto a taller stool since he could barely reach the counter on his own. "Hmm... Pinap for me." Snype said with a chuckle. The Machamp nodded and proceeded to the back of the bar, crushing up some berries and mixing them in with other liquids, before pouring them into mug to be handed about. There were many different types of mugs across the table, ones that were tailored to fit the quadrupedal mon especially, who seemed to be the most present at the bar.

"Here's to you, Aden! For an act of kindness that'll be repaid twice over!" He rose his mug, which appeared more as a bowl for the Houndour. "Cheers!"

Snype held his mug up and quickly started to swig down his drink, pausing a bit halfway to gather his bearings. "Phew! Forgot how strong those berries were! Heheh. Guess we'll be occupied till Roran comes around eh?" Snype said as he looked around the bar, drink in hand.

"Ha! Ya got that right, friend," The Houndoom said, licking the drink through his bowl. "So what do you do?"

"Heh, oh not much. Live on the streets, try to make a decent living. Admitingly I've gotten involved in a bit of thievery here and there. Mostly on guards. Hey a guys gotta make a living somehow right?" Snype said as he took another sip of his drink.

The Houndour coughed a bit of his drink out as he looked around and then back at the Sableye. "You mean... are you a member of the Brotherhood?" He whispered.

Snype tilted his head. Now he was getting somewhere! "The...brotherhood? No not exactly... ya know. Ghosts keeping to ourselves and all... heh. You'd think I'd be noticed by now eh?" Snype whispered back.

"Well, maybe you already were..." The Houndour began, his voice trailing off as he noticed the older Raticate make his way into the bar. As soon as he did, the bartender and many of the other patrons around turned and cheered.

"Roran!" The bartender managed to roar out through the cheering.

"Oi!" Roran shouted back to them all. "Having a good time, then? Keep yer feet off the table boy, or I'll break 'em!" He shouted to one of the patrons, which was followed by laughing from the others. He navigated the room and proceeded up to Snype and Rett. He sat on the opposite side of Snype, and pointing a claw up, which was an apparent signal for the Machamp to pour him a drink. It was poured into a similar bowl as the Houndour's. "A drink to you, ghost," He said, as he buried his face in the alcohol.

"Likewise. You have a pretty sweet establishment here Roran. Dare I say, I'm kinda envious. Good drinks, a bustling crowd. All ya need is some cute girls and you're set for life!" Snype said with a laugh.

"Don't speak too soon, we got a few of those around too," Roran gruffed, pointing to the set of ladies venturing around the bar, talking with some of the male mon. "I know how to run things here. And I usually keep an eye out for interesting things and important faces. Surprisingly, I don't think I've ever seen yours. Why's that?"

Snype gave off a small smirk. "Perceptive. Sounds proper for someone like yourself. Eyes around the city, an establishment for folks to gather and gain information. Sound pretty familiar actually. I'd say the reason ya haven't seen me is because I'm not that interesting of a guy. Of course... I'd be lying to your face if I did that." Snype said, whispering to him at the end.

"Indeed," Roran gruffed. His eyes narrowed at the Sableye as he buried his face into the bowl again. As he lifted up, he exhaled as the alcohol poured down his throat. "You seem like a pretty stand-up mon. Someone who knows a thing or two about... things. You lookin' for work? Cause I might have some for ya."

Snype grinned. "Work sounds pretty good. What kinda work are we talkin here? Heheh. And of course, whats in it for me?" Snype asked.

"Shipment's passing through town here," He explained. "I've got a group of fellas who're gonna uh...pick it up. The pay's the shipment. Food, clothes, maybe some gold and jewelry too. If you want I could bring an extra hand or two along. If you've got a friend or two, you can take them as well. If ya got the stomach for it."

"Hmmm... sounds fair enough. I've got a little talent for "picking stuff up". Snype said with a smirk. "Lucky for you I might have a couple buddies that can help out. I can already tell you're alot more then just some bar owner." Snype said. This whole situation was getting more familiar. This is the kind of establishment Snype would have set up! Maybe someone DID beat him to the punch.

"Good, good," Roran said as he finished up his bowl. "Talk to Max, he'll fill you in on the details and the meeting spot. We'll go from there. And I guess you're right about that. I'm not just a bar owner," Roran explained. He looked at Snype and grinned. "I'm a bar owner and an innkeeper!" He yelled, before leaving the counter and heading off through the crowd.

Snype could tell he was keeping some secrets. Fair enough since Snype was keeping plenty of secrets of his own. This whole job was probobly a way to test eachother's trust. That's how Snype saw it anyways. "So, gonna guess you also do more then serve drinks eh?" Snype asked Max.

"Ya pick up multiple jobs sometimes," Max explained as he crushed some more berries with his fist. "Everybody does a bit of everythin' sometimes. I'll find ya when my shift is over and we'll talk it out. In the meantime, have some fun! Drinks are on Rett for you I guess, haha!"

"Hmm, wait what?" Rett brought his snout out of the bowl and looked at Max. "I only said I'd buy him one drink! I don't have that kinda money, you big log!"

Snype simply snickered. He hadn't considered that Tollen might use a different type of currency. This job would at least net him some cash. Either that or he could sell off some of his own gems, even though he'd prefer to eat them. "Haha! Guess I'll make myself at home here! I have a feeling I'm gonna like it here!" Snype said, glancing around the bar, and a few of the ladies wandering around. "So what do you do for fun here? Besides drink of course. Heheh."

"What, do ya not visit the Pit a lot of somethin'?" Rett asked with a laugh.

"Heheh, Just asking! I can think of plenty of ways to have fun here myself! Just wondering what shenanigans you've gotten yourself into!" He asked.

"Well, lemme see. I'm a builder with the Durania guys, we're renovating in the upper levels mostly. I don't get why they do it there, they don't need it! It looks all shiny anyways. It's here where they need it," Rett ranted angrily. "I hang around here a lot, takin' part in all the niceties... drinks, ladies, games, if ya know what I mean. Oh! And not dyin'. Been doing a lot of that lately, especially after the last few months. Thank the damn savior, eh? To the savior!" He yelled, raising his bowl with his teeth.

"TO THE SAVIOR!" The rest of the bar roared as well, erupting at once and raising their own glasses as they drank.

Snype continued to roll with it, still not sure who this Savior was exactly. He'd have to figure it out soon before it bit him in the ass later. "Heheh, sounds like me! Ya know, besides the builder part. I think you and I will get along juuussstt fine!"

"I think yer right Aden! Hey, get the ghost another round on me!" Rett yelled at Max.

"I thought you didn't have enough for that many!" Max shot back.

"Who gives a damn? You always have some for a friend!"

Snype was already feeling the effects of the last drink. Nonetheless, he chugged it right down. A proper sacrifice to fit in with the crowd! This would lead him to good information one way or another! This was the kinda stuff he always did anyways.

 

[SV]

Snype, Rett, and Max - The Pit, Argime

Snype had to find something to do while he waited. May as well make the most of it! Snype took another sip from his drink, already feeling himself get a little light headed. "Ooof... heheh. So... heh... we got drinks. How bout we move on to ladies and games? Gotta kill the time somehow!" Snype said. While this was a wonderful excuse for him to fool around, it'd help him learn a bit more about how they do things in Tollen.

"Yeah, come on!" Rett exclaimed, picking up his bowl with his teeth and moving over to the other side of the bar, where an apparent game was being played by some of the patrons. A Combusken and a Nidorino raced off each other on opposite sides of the table. In front of them was three cups will with liquid. One cup was brown, one was green, and the third was half and half. "Ever play guard roulette?" Rett asked Snype.

Snype shook his head. "That's new to me. Or its been awhile. Hehe. Throw the rules over to me!" He asked.

"The game's simply," Rett began explaining, navigating closer into the circle to show Snype. "You've got three cups, representin' the soldier, the Hellguard, and the Royal Knight. A ball is place in one of the three cups randomly. Then they take turns choosing which one has the ball in it. If you guess wrong, you have to drink from that cup! Here's the kicker: Two of the three cups have berry beer in it. Relatively tasty and goes down easy. One of the three, however, has brownbottom liquor in it, the strongest stuff in Tollen! That'll not ya on yer ass in seconds! If you choose the one with the ball, the other player drinks all three at once. So you lose two ways, choosin' the ball, or knockin' out. Oh, he's going for it!" Rett commented, as the Combusken picked the Nidorino's brown mug. The Nidorino lifted the mug and shook it around, signifying no ball in it. Everyone around cheered, and the Combusken picked up his brown mug and drank the contents in one go.

He slammed the cup down to everyone's cheers. He was grinning widely. Suddenly, his grin turned sour, and he fell backwards into the arms of a few of the other mon. "Ha! Looks like he got the brownbottom! He loses, and Maite wins!" A Sandile exclaimed. The Nidorino lifted his arms up in victory, and the patrons around cheered again. "Who wants next?" The Sandile asked the crowd.

Rett turned to Snype. "You should give it a go, Aden!"

Snype smirked, immediately interested in the risk factor! Snype had an eye for tricks in these sorts of games. He wasn't the king of thieves for nothing! "Heh. Sure! I'll take a shot at this... no pun intended." Snype said as he approached the circle, probably way tinier then most of the other Pokemon.

"I'll take on your challenge!" Snype called out as he approached the table.

A few of the mon laughed as he approached. "Tiny's taking you on, Maite! Hope you can handle it!"

"Think he can fit in one of the cups? We should try that after!" One of the other patrons said. Maite stared at the Sableye, then grinned.

"Get the balls!" The room erupted and the balls were placed in front of the two participants. The Sandile walked in front.

"Alright, turn around and put your ball into one of the three mugs, boys!" He said. The Nidorino grabbed his three and turned around.

Snype sat there and waited for the Nidorina to place the ball into one of the cups. He of course was being very observant to make sure no foul play was taking place. He had an eye for this sort of thing. He was looking forward to beating these chumps at their own game!

The Nidorino turned around and placed the three bowls back on the table. "Maite, since you're the champ, you can pick who goes first!" The Sandile said. "Maite?"

"Tiny goes first," The Nidorino declared.

"Heh! Good! Let's see what we got here..." Snype said. Rather then choosing a random cup, he would begin to observe each one carefully for any kind of signs that could lead him to the right choice. Mostly the level of liquid in each drink. Whichever one had the ball in it would be higher up then the rest.

The drinks seemed to be relatively at the same level, though one did seem slightly higher than the rest, the green mug. However, the designs of each cup were somewhat different, meaning that it was impossible to tell with certainty which one was really higher. The different designs did make it difficult. They managed to think that far ahead at least so it wouldn't be so simple. Instead he paid attention to the design of each cup to look for anything useful. Snype would notice still that the top for each one could indicate whether something was placed in. The water was pretty still with the brown one, while the half and half, and the emerald one seemed a bit more disturbed, indicating something might have been put inside.

Snype caught notice of the disrupted water. The brown one obviously wasn't the right one. That left either the half and half, or the emerald one. Making both of them disrupted could have just been a means to throw others off. The Emerald one of course was more elevated so that would naturally make that the right choice. Unless the designs were effecting the level of water. He observed the two remaining glasses once more.

"Quit the hold up!" The Nidorino yelled. There were no more distinctions to tell for sure which one had the ball and which didn't. "Pick one already!"

"Yeah yeah. A little too much drinks. Heh." Snype decided to go for the green mug. The raised water was the closest thing to a hint he had. He shook the mug and hoped it might have the ball in it. As he shook the mug, the sound of an object hitting the sides could be heard. The Nidorino's face crunched up in a scowl.

"Aww, cmon, first try?!" Maite exclaimed unhappily. "Damn it..." The other patrons cheered.

"Ha! Tiny got it on the first time! Not bad!" One of them commented.

"Cmon Maite, ya know what ya gotta do!" Another roared. The Nidorino sighed, and quickly drank up the green cup.

"Berry beer, that one," Maite said, as he raised the second bowl of the brown, and drank it as well. "That one too, which means..." He looked at the last one, raising it up, and drinking it fully. His face crunched up in what could be described as an overwhelming sensation straight to his brain. He began to bounce around dizzily across the room. The others laughed.

"Ha! Tiny got him! Nice work there!" The Sandile cheered.

"His name's Aden!" Rett chirped in. Everyone else around rose their mugs and cheered to him. "ADEN!"

Snype gave a bit of a smirk at the cheers. "Heheh, just a bit of perception there. I won't reveal how I figured it out... But if ya want, I know of plenty of good ways to really fool other challengers! If anyone wants to challenge me." Snype said with a chuckle. He could get used to this place!

"Aww hell, I dun wanna go up against him, he's using... I dunno what but I'll lose!" A Rattata said.

"What? Think I'm gonna cheat? I got nothin in my pockets! I can get rid of it all if it helps. Haha" Snype joked to the Rattata.

"I ain't risking that anyways! Never won any of these! I have the worst luck ever," The Rattata answered back.

"I wanna try, he can't outdrink me! I won three times in a row before!" A Venonat patron chimed in.

"Yeah yeah, back up!" Max the bartender roared, pushing through the ground. "I got business with the Sableye, outta my way!" He yelled, grabbing Snype and pulling him through the crowd.

"Alright, we need two more to fill in, who wants next?!" The Sandile asked the group, as Max dragged Snype away to the side of the room.

"Shifts over, so we can go over the stuff," The Machoke bartender remarked. "You sober enough?"

"Aw just when I was gonna show off. Heheh. I wouldn't be sober if I had lost that! Thankfully I'm a very perceptive Sableye. Anyways, onto business. Whatcha got?" Snype asked

Max looked around to his left and right to see if anyone else was listening. He then leaned in towards Snype, and gestured him to do the same. "So as you know, ever since the Reckoning ended, they have Royal Knights guardin' every entrance and exit in Argime. Those sissy knights are always askin' for extra supplies and things since they aren't allowed to leave their posts," Max explained with a grin. "I just so happen to know of one shipment that'll be comin' through our parta town today. I say, why do the knights get all those niceties while the people in the lower slums have it hard? We should... erm... help ourselves to those supplies. And hand them over to those who really need it. Am I right?"

"So basically a little bit of a Robin Hood scenario eh? Sure sounds easy enough. Just gotta know where they'll be and plot up how to easily ambush them or spook them out of their shipment. Maybe we could make some kinda trap to take the whole thing in one quick swoop?" Snype said.

Max held up his hand. "Now hold on now, save yer plans for the actual group. I'm just the messenger. Checking to see if yer interested. Not surprisingly, not everyone's up for our line of work. I had a feeling from the moment I saw ya that you were, though," Max looked around again and leaned in some more. "Yer from around here so I'm guessin' ya know the area. Meet the others at just south of the ol' Raegal Center, that ancient library thing no one goes in anymore. They'll meet ya there. If ya wanna bring anyone you can trust along, go for it. Otherwise, we'll find ya there."

Snype unfortunately didn't know the area at all. Seemed like he'd be on his own finding this place. At least Ancient Library was a good enough hint for him to figure out with. "Sure thing. I'll probably have a couple extra buddies to bring along. We'll get that shipment for sure."

"Sounds good to me," Max said, as he placed a set of mugs in front of them. "Here, have another on the house!" He raised one, and made a final toast. "To yer success on the job, Aden."

Snype chuckled as he took the drink. "I'd swear your tryin to get me drunk before the big mission! I feel like I'll have to repay ya one of these days" Snype said as he took another swig, spacing out a moment. "Ohhhh... heheh... might need a moment" He added with a snicker, feeling the alcohol's effects. It'd surely wear off by the time he got there.

"Quit yer complainin'," Max began as he downed his own drink and rolled his eyes. "By the time you have to go to the mission you'll sober up. For now, go enjoy yerself, talk with some of the ladies if ya like, or play some more games. I wouldn't mind takin' you on in some things as well. You beat Maite at guard roulette, and on your first go too!"

"Heheh... oh that? Wasn't too hard. The liquid disruption made it pretty easy to figure it out. That and the level... the level of the drink. Gave me plenty of ideas for some tricks. A little tip for ya next time. Soo... ladies eh?" Snype said.

"Liquid what?" Max questioned with an eyebrow raised. "Yer pretty mouthy for a brownborn, ain't ya?" He shrugged, and whistled at a few of the female patrons. A pair of Roselia came over. "Aden, say hello to Jasmine and Rose." The two Roselia walked over to Snype, giggling.

Snype looked over to the two with a grin, already rather pleased. "Why hello there~ Lovely names. A pleasure to meet cha. Heheh." Snype said with a nod, shaking off his last drink a bit. Five drinks would do that to a Sableye. If he weren't the king of thieves then he'd be knocked cold by now.

The Roselia girls giggled again as they sat beside Snype. Max grinned. "They'll take care of ya while yer here. Ya need anything else, drop my or Roran's name to any of the lads here, they'll set you right. Later in the day, dun forget to meet up with the others at the spot."

"Gotcha. I'd never forget a good job like this." Snype said before turning his attention to the two girls, placing his arms over each of their shoulders. "Soo... I got lotsa time to kill. Lets make the most of it hm? Heheh." Snype said with the smirk.

"Oh?" Jasmine questioned the Sableye. "What did you have in mind, Aden?" She asked with a giggle.

"Well I do got a big job coming up. I'm sure we can find plenty to do before then. I'm sure you ladies know plenty of ways to have fun and kill time." Snype said with a smirk. The ladies exchanged glances and giggled again.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Sylvio

"There they go, taken off to the sunset, leaving poor Sylvio alone," the Delphox murmured. He fondled his face with his palm, sighing and shaking his head.

He floated on top of a roof, startling a flock of Pidgeys who were sitting peacefully nearby. "I haven't had my lunch yet," he shouted to them and laughed at their panicked cries. The flock, once safely away, faced him; they all started chirping angrily. They didn't notice Griff, who dove from the sky and was upon them in a second. Some got away, the rest were massacred.

"Ooh," Sylvio said, smirking slightly at the sight. Griff brought him a snack! "Good Griff," the Delphox said, roasting what was once the Pidgey as he mounted his pet. "Any luck finding out friends?"

The Braviary nodded and looked around. "We'll find them later," Sylvio said. "Take me to the bathhouse."

***
​

Close to their location was a bathhouse, placed strategically close to the Network Point. Sylvio himself hadn't ever been here, but Griff had, when he was younger, so he knew his way around the city - when he didn't get lost trying to figure his way through the innovations.

The bathhhouse was grand. Built entirely by a light-turquoise colored marble, it had arches and thick pillars on the entrance and a cylinder-shaped roof. On the steps outside, a Gastrodon was waiting for them; Sylvio jumped off his bird, landing effortlessly, and the bird went up to the Gastrodon, ruffling his wings. By way of greeting, Gastrodon and Braviary touched slimy forehead with tough beak. "Griff, my dear friend!" The elderly Gastrodon laughed lightly, "it is good to see you. And you as well, Messere Sylvio."
​

"Likewise, Errol," the Delphox replied. "I would shake your hand, if you had any." They both shared a light laugh.

"I am not one for questions, messere, but pardon my natural curiosity; for whatever reason have you travelled so far?"

"It is a long story, Errol, that I would rather discuss over the firehouse, trying out the special treats of a place as foreign as this."

The Gastrodon nodded gracefully, discreetly.

When Sylvio served the cult of the Reverse Kings in Anatellia, he had met Errol on a mission in the coastal grounds. Now, what Errol, originally a Tollenian, was doing in Anatellia, was a question even Sylvio didn't know the answer to, but he could make assumptions. Errol had seemed like the kind of man - and was certainly of the right species - to have been searching for his ideal mate, and to find her, or him, he had swum all around the entire continent to visit the eastern, colder waters, where the Gastrodon were of a different variety, colorful in appearance and friskier in nature.

Errol had been a spectator in the duel between Sylvio and his sister, Pietra, when they were on their mission in the Temple of Balance; Sylvio had taught him to be modest and quiet regarding that matter, so the story did not spread. After the duel, they had helped each other in their mutual decision to leave Anatellia behind, take a "spiritual hiatus" from the Reverse Kings and go their separate ways, but they had kept in touch through a SEC courier mission that carried their letters across Network Points.

The Delphox was staring at the marble building the Gastrodon called Molly's Spa. Sylvio wore a cheerful tone. "Is this the facility? I had always thought it bigger," he chided him playfully.

"There is more to everything than meets the eye, messere."

"Mhm, of course. I see you have reaped well from my letters, and now I'll be forced to endure you repeating my wisdom," he joked, still staring at the building. "Do you have security?"

"It would not do to not have security," the old Gastrodon assured him. "The Brotherhood has taken an... interest in the social class most of our costumers belong to."

"The Brotherhood?" Sylvio said, smirking his brows and rubbing his chin, like he did every time the gears of his mind were working. "I see... then I suggest you put Griff in charge of security," Sylvio said. "He simply cannot fit through those pillars, so he will have to stay outside."

The Gastrodon nodded. "That is a good idea."

"Griff, stay," Sylvio whispered emphatically to the Braviary, who blinked in boredom.

"Let us talk inside, messere," Errol suggested.

"We talk inside," Sylvio agreed and petted his bird goodbye.

The Gastrodon and the Braviary touched forehead and beak and the bird let out a cry.

The two Pokemon walked across a beautiful mosaic floor, entering the hall of the elegant bathhouse. The mosaic and marble ended in the far end, replaced by a sturdy grey rock; the entire bathhouse was built into the rock, in fact. There was an entrance that led in a cave-like tunnel, and Sylvio knew, it led to the hot tubs.

They went up to the counter and the Goodra girl there greeted them happily.

"I will be in my office with Messere Sylvio, dear," the elderly Gastrodon said and sluggishly moved to the nearest door.

The Goodra gave Sylvio the watchful eye, which Sylvio noticed and stopped in his tracks. He let the elderly Errol move away as he stared intently at the girl behind the counter. She had big, vulnerable purple eyes. "Hello," he greeted her warmly.

"Hi," she said, quite disinterested. She noticed he was staring, and she stared back. Sylvio slightly tilted his head and his ear twitched as he channeled his psychic energy; his eyes flashed, throwing sparks. The Hypnosis took effect. His voice landed firm, and clear.

"I was never here," he said emphatically. "There is a bird outside, a Braviary. He is your childhood friend. You tell him all your secrets, you tell him who does what, who goes in, and who goes out."

The Goodra slowly shook her head in trance and Sylvio smiled at her. She slowly turned her head away; Sylvio ceased to exist.

In Errol's office, the seats were low and made of white marble. Sylvio sat with his feet on the seat, cross-legged. "How do you fare then?"

"We fare decently. Molly's Spa has been increasingly popular in the noble class and our income has doubled in only two years."

"Splendid," Sylvio said, braiding his claws in deep thought. "I have to warn you, I do not come alone to the city. We are looking for a place to stay... to hide, would be a better word."

The Gastrodon was discreet and respectful. "First, I wish to clarify that I would be happy to provide shelter. But with all due respect, messere, this is a busy establishment. Costumers go in and out, and there is absolutely no room for you; even if there was, you would never enjoy privacy."

Sylvio nodded thoughtfully, scratching his chin. He took a breath, staring at the floor, then back to Errol, twisting his mouth in a strange way. "I understand. And what have you done to expand the establishment?"

Errol was quiet for a moment. "Nothing, sir. I am not allowed to expand in any direction, according to the Mutual Agreement of Argime Spas."

The Delphox laughed. "Business, eh? What can anyone say to business? Wonderful. Allow me to make an offer, in that case. I shall expand your establishment; however, my allies and I will stay in the new, private area, which no one will intrude - not even your staff - for a short time. When we are gone, you are free to use that area as you see fit."

Errol seemed unsettled. "But, messere. Messere Sylvio, that is against the law. Other business owners will trample me for this."

Sylvio laughed again and stood up. "Not if you're not the one to blame."

Sylvio stepped out of the office and snapped his claws; the Magic Room spread in the entire hall. Every golden coin the bathhouse had collected that day flew towards the magician. The Goodra looked at it dreamily. "What in the name of Arceus?" she muttered.

"Ignore it," Sylvio commanded her, and she turned her head, as if she hadn't just seen the day's profits flying off.

The Gastrodon followed Sylvio outside the office, looking at him anxiously. "Messere, what are you doing...?"

"Expanding your business," Sylvio answered. He had a very mischievous smile across his snout. "Also, I apologize in advance, but you will have to ask your clients to leave immediately."

Mystical fire popped out of nowhere, circling the gold floating in front of Sylvio in long serpent fumes, until it engulfed the precious metal. Sylvio walked outside Molly's Spa with the ball of fire following him; he took the steps down, and when he felt the gold had become molten in his psychic grip, the fire was put out, revealing the small blob of quickly solidifying gold.

"I found gold!" he yelled to those who were watching him curiously. "I found gold inside the rock of Molly's Spa!"

Those gathered in the small square looked at each other, whispering. The words gold and Molly's Spa were rampant. They travelled from mouth to mouth. Griff nearby started cawing, making that strange sound which meant laughter. Sylvio began running down the street like a maniac, his arms in the air, the gold following him around. "I FOUND GOLD! Praise be to Arceus, I am rich! Bless the rock of Molly's Spa!" his voice was psychically enchanted so the message was carried through at least a couple of blocks away from him. "That golden fool," someone shouted, "he found gold!" Crowds begun gathering in front of the square of Molly's Spa. People started barging into the spa, not to have a hot, relaxing bath, but to dig for their fortune. A panicked Goodra was trying to hold off the crowd, thinking they were customers, and the actual costumers joined the treasure hunt while Sylvio floated gently above the square, laughing his heart out.

 

[Turnip]

Forest Team - Tollen Pt. 2: Electric Boogaloo
Featuring Abel, Brynn, Callimer and Razathiel​

The group continued through the forests of Tollen. The further they travel, the more dire the situation seemed. As time went by, the sight of rotting corpses of mon from both sides littered the path. Abel had heard of the Morrians before, though he had never seen them or conversed with any. From what the rumors told, they were barbaric warriors, who strived on a civilization of sacrifices, slavery, and defined hierarchy. From what he could see of the dead bodies, they wore face and body paint of different colors, and unlike their Tollenian neighbors, no clothing. At least it would be easy to differentiate the two sides.

The smell of smoke became more prominent the further they went in. Fire could even be seen at some parts of the forest, though the density of the trees prevented it from spreading too far. Along the way, the group ran into a few pockets of other Hellguards, most of whom were in bad shape and also retreating back to Trantrea. A few things Abel noticed about the condition of the Hellguards were their grasp of the situation and their experience. When he came to the borders of Tollen before on his previous trips, the Hellguards who would greet him were truly deserving of the name. They looked like veteran fighters, who have seen the edge of oblivion and made it back to this world to serve as watchful sentries. They were some of the toughest sons of b*tches he had ever laid eyes on. There were a few among them he had seen thus far that also held the title, the Vileplume Trace being one of them perhaps, but many of the others seemed quite raw. They were recruits, probably in their first or second years in the wild. They weren't prepared for this.

Eventually, the group made it to a small hill with a clearing, allowing for vision across the forest. Smoke fumed out from every direction, though nowhere quite as prominently as to the north. It was an absolute mess, trees being knocked over, or burning up. All manner of attacks were being flung through the dense trees. "Oh no," The Poochyena guard sobbed as he gestured to a particular part of the forest quite close by. "Trantrea!" He exclaimed.

"The Morrians are makin' another push," Vileplume cursed. "There's no way we're losing Trantrea. Double time it to the base!" He ordered, causing the others to jump into action and shoot down the hill. Abel ran with them, seeing the need for haste. He ran through the forest with the others until the sight of Trantrea was in front of them. It was a rather large brown castle structure spread across the top of the hillside. Made entirely of the popular and study brown stone of Tollen, it seemed like a fortress built to withstand many sieges. However, parts of it were breaking apart and the left quadrant seemed to be in smoke. Many Pokemon were proceeding up the hill in an attempt to sack the base. They favored black, purple and red paint across their faces and bodies. They let out screeches and roars that would chill mon to the bone. They seemed on the verge of being wild.

"Anymon who doesn't kill ten of these bastards before they die is skipping dinner in hell!" Trace roared. "For Tollen!"

Brynn looked on as he heard the other voice in his head, "Penance..." He muttered, "For a bit. Okay? Just for a bit."

Razathiel stuck an arm into his Magic Room, giggling with glee. "You silly Hellguards, it's not my birthday for months!" Out of the portal he pulled a pitch-black wizard hat, complete with brim and pointy tip. Seemed like today was turning out to be a pretty good - or, erm, evil - day. "And even if it was, you didn't need to organise such a wonderful surprise party for me. At any rate, you better not be expecting flowers and a fancy dinner."

Brynn meanwhile bowed his head, and a moment later it snapped up. A very maddening grin was spread across his bill as he burst into laughter, "Well well, quite the party! I should have bought more hats! Punch is good too!" Penance said cheerfully. "Oooh, that's a party hat!" He said as he pointed down at Raz's hat. "Now, you brought the punch yes or do I have to do everything?"

"Considering Abel is Fighting type, I'd say he's the one bringing the punch." Raz chuckled, smirking a little. It worried him slightly that Penance was back on the scene, but he'd be damned if he let the duck ruin his good - er, evil - mood. "I'm sure Callimer and I can provide some fireworks, at any rate."

Penance burst into laughter as he fell onto his back, his legs kicking about in the air as he chuckled out, "Oh you're a ball of fun!" He said gleefully, "But fireworks are too much. Sheesh, and I thought you were the party manager." He laid flat against the ground, "Obviously you and greenie are given too much credit."

"Fireworks are 'too much'? Really, Penance, you forget yourself; I wasn't sure you even had a concept of 'too much' - at any rate, unless you can come up with some kind of party-themed metaphor for all these Morrian bastards, I think we all better get to murdering pretty damn soon."

"Then let's pop the party favors gentlemen! Who are we to keep our hosts waiting?" Cal flew over the heads of his allies, what little light there was glimmering emerald signals of death off of Cal's scales for their enemies. He blasted ahead of the Hellguards so he could get his first attack off before they clashed and avoid friendly fire. He soared over the mob of Morrians and took on a dark blue aura that writhed like flames, and lights opened up in the sky around him, raining down a shower of black and blue Draco Meteors on the Morrians. Each meteor exploded when it hit the ground, usually leaving nothing in it's wake, or a charred corpse, and knocking over multiple other 'mon around them.

At the same time Penance glanced over at the crowds that were forming and disappeared, reappearing in front as he sang out in a rushed tone, "Oh.... happy happy birthday! We celebrate for you! Happy happy birthday, now have a gift or two!" At that the Golduck pushed out his hands as a powerful psychic pulse shot out that sent the barbaric warriors flying out and hitting into their comrades behind them.

Raz twirled his staff once in hand, walking into battle. "Told you there'd be fireworks." He said, smirking at the Dragonite's display. The first Morrian to approach him, a Raticate, was launched into the air and Psyshocked beyond recognition. As a Hitmonlee rushed towards him and jumped, the mage caught the fighter in a Psychic grasp with barely a glance, sending the Hi-Jump-Kick at an unfortunate Lairon nearby. "There, you can have that."

Abel ran forward through the trees. He pushed off a branch and jumped through the air to get a bit more distance, before he collided into a Miltank. He pushed a palm backwards, and forced it straight at the mon's stomach, certainly causing some internal damage while also flinging it at a Pikachu and Cyndaquil who were also making their way up. From the vantage along the hill, he could see that the Morrians were attacking in force, more than he originally saw when they first arrived on the scene. Figuring it would be safer to strike from the fortress, Abel plunged a powerful Psychic across a couple of Pokemon heading up the hill, then backed away, slowly edging closer to the fortress in the process. From above, he could see the Hellguards launching long-ranged attacks at incoming Morrians, while anyone else left on the outside were desperate to retreat back to Trantrea.

Penance once more ported off to the side as he put his hands together and began to build a large Water Bomb in his hands, "Hey! Greenie! Keep them off me while I do this!" He shouted up to Cal, "Bigger means more damage and more payoff! Get the checkbook and crunch those numbers!"

After hearing Penance's proposal Cal's fingers extended and formed glowing claws, and afterwards he rocketed through the morrians, blood spraying and bodies falling in his wake. The Aerial Ace carried him to the Golduck rather quickly and did an admirable amount of damage along the way. "I think I can manage something like that, but this doesn't make me your accountant. And good news Raz! You don't even have to protect Penance! Just cause as much damage as possible and they won't have time for a duck dinner!"

"Just cause as much damage as possible?" Raz raised an eyebrow quizzically at the Emerald Sentinel. "I said already it isn't my birthday, you know." He jumped over to better position himself. "If you're doing what I think you're doing, Penance, I'll follow up with a Thunderbolt. Now, I'm not quite Shuckle, but I like to think I have a decent amount of damage potential."

A group of Heatmor began making their way up the hill of the forest, burning everything in their path with a combined Flamethrower. Any remaining Hellguards around were being burned to a crisp, while the forest also began to set on fire. A group of larger Pokemon proceeded to the sides and front of the Heatmor group to block its way to the front. It included three Machamp, Snorlax, two Rhyperior, a Hariyama, four Onix, and many more. Abel leaped to the fortress, climbing the outside of the wall, which he found to be a lot easier than it appeared. The gritty sandstone material made it relatively easy to get a grip, but the angle made it difficult to maneuver too. He reached a ledge, noticing Callimer and Raz protecting Penance who was apparently preparing for something. He decided to also lend his aid from his spot, shooting out a Psychic to whomever was on approach, while also building up his energy with a Calm Mind to make it stronger. He noticed many of the Hellguards targeting the group of Heatmor at the command of a Feraligatr at the edge of the fort.

Penance grinned as he held his hands up high into the sky, his steadily growing ball of water expanding ever so slowly as more and more energy was pumped into it. He had been practicing for a day like this. He had many plans, and one such outcome he had thought of would be when countless Sentinels would surround him. This was what he had spent a few days every year doing. He would head out to the shoreline and simply practice his technique on making the largest water bomb he could. Now... it was time to show... ART!

Brynn was the first to send out all of her energy into the ball as it expanded more and more, the water taking on a very purple hue as it grew and grew. Soon Penance felt Brynn's mind pull back and now it was his turn. He looked up at his ball as he too began to pour more power into its form. It grew larger and larger as its shadow began to expand out, creeping out and covering some of the forest as some of the various battlers paused to stare on.

"Heh, Raz!" He shouted out, "You want destruction! Direct it!"

The ball was no longer in Penance's hands, oh no. It was hovering in the sky above him, the massive ball of psychic energy contained in its watery prison floated silently before Penance shouted out and threw his arms forward. The ball slowly began to float on toward the hill where the most soldiers occupied. As the ball flew Penance's knees shook before his eyes closed and he fell onto the grass. Without a driver the ball was starting to fly lower to the ground as it began to slowly swerve off course.

"I keep telling people it isn't my birthday!" Raz shouted - annoyance mostly overshadowed by his giddiness at the destruction soon to unfold. "Right! Tollenians, clear the bloody way! I'm evil, but you're not my targets, so f*ck off or be obliterated!" The Dreadmage took a Psychic hold of the water bomb, deftly gauging its maneuverability. It was an interesting construct - probably difficult to control without popping, for anyone of lesser Psychic ability. Raz could control entire orchestras, though, so he wasn't about to be beaten by some great big ball.

The rest of the Hellguards outside of Trantrea looked up at the enormous water ball in awe, before quickly attempting to retreat back to safety inside the fortress. The Morrians who saw the ball began to back away and head down the hill, while others continued forward in an attempt to make it to the fortress. The team of Heatmor burst apart with half still moving forward while the other half ran for their lives. With the water bomb nearing ideal position, Raz let it drop, pushing the top slightly to create some forward spin. As the ball dropped, time seemed to slow. Then, as the bomb detonated, time seemed to explode - along with everything else.

A shock-wave of psychic energy tore through the bomb's structure, flinging water and concussive blasts of force outwards from the blast zone. Trying to suppress his awe for the moment, Razathiel focused, flinging his staff forwards and sending a bolt of lightning from the tip, into the heart of the fountain of scalding water. Electricity surged through the waves, dancing amongst the psychic energies in a symphony of beautiful destruction before latching on to the poor souls caught in the explosion's radius.

The water blast flowed down the hill, wiping out any Pokemon in its path. The Morrians retreating were whirled away in the impressive attack, and in case any of them had managed to survive, the extra shockwave inputted into the blast ensured few survived. The remaining Morrians who were far enough from the water bomb headed deeping into the forest out of sight.

"F*ckin' hell," One of the Hellguards commented on the blast. "How the hell did they do that?"

"Sh*t, they're on our side, right?" Another one asked.

"They're with us," Trace said. "Help from Beatruce. Oi!" He yelled down to the four of them. "Get up in here! They're gone for now but they'll be back! You, pick up the Golduck over there!" He exclaimed, barking orders to a nearby Hellguard, who went outside to retrieve the mon. Raz took his opportunity to laugh maniacally at the destruction dealt, receiving a few worried glances from some of the Hellguards.

Cal stood just a few feet from the unconscious Penance, surrounded by a few small piles of Morrian bodies with various fist-sized holes and various other wounds on them. When one of the hellguards approached Penance Cal stood in his path and shook his head before lifting the mad duck and slinging him over his shoulder. "I'll handle him."

"Ow..." Penance murmured as he was slung over, "Be careful there Green."

Trace observed him, then the surrounding area, and shook his head. "They always come back," He muttered under his breath.

Once the whole procession was on it's way back towards the fortress Cal made a stop at Raz on his way to Trace. "If you want you can have my other shoulder, I can understand why it would be annoying not being able to see past all these shambling half-dead recruits, and no I'm not teasing you, that's a genuine offer." Without waiting for an answer he continued on to the Vileplume who seemed to still be in charge for the moment. Razathiel frowned, but didn't say anything for the time being. "So, I think it's time you started telling us in more detail what's going on here. Also, before you even consider it, there's no point in waiting for the Golduck to wake up, in fact, I'd much rather get the talking done before that."

"I AM awake. Just not moving." He muttered, "Far too hard. Someone get me a party hat."

Trace nodded, turning around and proceeding through the fort and motioning the others to follow. Abel also joined up with them and followed behind Trace. They navigated through the fort to the other side, all the while Abel was observing the condition of the other border guardians. They looked like they'd been through hell. Most had some type of injury across their bodies. They didn't seem like they had any decent food or showers in weeks. Many were covering up the bodies of the dead, and many others seemed genuinely afraid. Some gazed ominously at nothing in particular, as if any joy had permanently left their bodies.

Trace stopped in front of a Feraligatr. The Feraligatr wore similar brown armor as the other Hellguards, but also had an insignia of a crown on the front of his, as well as the same insignia on the back of his cloak. Trace saluted him. "Commander, these are the ones who helped in the attack.

The Feraligatr turned to the four of them, staring first at Cal and the unconscious Penance, before his eyes set on Abel, and then Raz. "Thanks for the hand. Name's Darrell. I'm the Commander of the Hellguards here, and anywhere else."

"I'm Callimer Vian, from the Valkarian Gold Tribe, we've been investigating the state of the borders and the outlying territory on our way to the capital and happened upon Trace here and some of your warriors. We're very curious as to what's been going on, thanks to Tollen's silence lately we're sadly uninformed as to this whole mess." Cal dipped his head to the Feraligatr, and made sure to tip his shoulder to show the badge when he mentioned being from the gold tribe. He thought about introducing the rest of their group, but thought it might not be best to let it slip they weren't all normally comrades.

"Valkaria, huh? Thought you might be from Beatruce," Darrell commented.

"I am," Abel jumped in. "Abel 'Atrox' Onderon, Beatrucian Gold Tribe."

"Beatruce and Valkaria, huh? What about the rest of ya?" Darrell asked. "Also Gold Tribe from some other country?"

"Penance reporting!" The duck answered from Cal's shoulder, "Oh wait, do you want it written or oral cause honestly I have no pencils on me." He chuckled a bit, "Seeking, seeked, and sought all the way."

"Razathiel, the Dreadmage," Raz introduced himself, well aware - but uncaring - of any possible negative reactions to his identity. "Quite possibly the greatest evil wizard of Valkaria and beyond, scourge of niceties and paragon of evil."

"- And he is on our side." Cal cut in.

"-Frankly, it's something of an insult that you suspect me of Gold Club membership, but I'll let it slide because I'm too busy thinking about evil things."

Darrell cocked an eyebrow then shrugged. "Quite frankly, I don't give a damn who the hell you guys are. If you're not killing my men, that's a fine sight to me," Darrell turned over to the side of the fortress, leaning on it as he looked out across the forest. He sighed deeply. "This place used to be untouchable. No one ever got through to Trantrea because they were too busy trying to take Hellbase. You're asking what happened? War happened. Morrians here, Pentossars to the west, the bandit clans to the south. They decided all at once to strike, and strike hard."

"Maybe if I had enough mon, we could do something, but look around you. This is our main base in this area."

Penance soon burst into laughter, "Oh, yes yes. A million miles away!" He chuckled, "Of course close the borders. Close them all, close them all! Do not care what others say while Darkrai is away~ Then comes the pie in the face~" He sang out. "Hehehe, seems CHAOS is in the air. Despicable. Really truly despicable."

Darrell cocked an eyebrow at Penance and then pointed at him. "I think your friend is broken. Probably took one too many blows to the head. Shut him up, will ya? I don't want my men losing anymore morale with him spouting his nonsense."

"Agreed, why don't you take a little nap Penance?"

Penance cocked his head, then lowered it, "Can we go to another room?" He asked as his eyes shifted, his left one gaining it's silver hue again, "Sorry about that Cal." He said, "Don't worry, he's asleep for now."

"I think that's a good idea, Commander, please take us to either your war room or your counsel room, if they aren't the same thing. I also request that you keep anyone who can't be absolutely trusted and has no useful information out."

Darrell sighed again. "Trace, handle things out here. If there's any sign of anything, call me," He ordered. Trace nodded and saluted Darrell. Darrell motioned for the others to follow them as they proceeded along the wall of Trantrea. Pokemon saluted him as he passed, the ones that were able to, at least. Others simply nodded or grunted when he passed by as their injuries didn't allow for a salute. There were others as well who simply laid there, sobbing as they wished to be anywhere but where they were now. Abel had never seen a more pathetic sight, but given how long they must have been here, he could see how some of them could break down to that point.

They entered into the fortress from the far side, which had significant damage on it. There were a few other Hellguards inside of the room, but Darrell quickly ordered them to leave, and they did. "You saved my men so I'll give you a few minutes. But make it quick. I don't have the luxury of sitting around chatting at a time like this."

"Well there's not really much for me to say." Cal began. "We're willing to help you, but we're woefully in the dark as to the situation around here, besides the now-obvious fact that there's a war. We need any details you can offer beyond 'we're fighting' out here and anything you may know on the state of affairs in the capital. We'll need to make our way there at some point after we're done here and any warning ahead of time may save lives and time."

Brynn nodded his head as well, "Yes, your... higher ups gave quite a... well, generalized reason as to why the borders were closed. If you can shed some light... I mean, did we ever insult you in any ways?"

"I couldn't tell you the 'state of affairs' in the capital," Darrell began. "I haven't been there myself in months. If I were to leave here, everyone would be dead. That's not me bragging, that's the truth. A year ago, Hellbase was manned by ten thousand Guardians of the Border. When it fell a while ago, I retreated with just under nine hundred mon. Nine Hundred," Darrell hunched over a table with the map of Tollen spread out across it. Different markers and points were displayed all across the map. "This was for several reasons. The bandits of the south and the Pentossars attacking at the same time caused me to have to spread my men thin in order to protect every border. But that's not the main reason."

He looked up at the group and continued. "We have a saying among the Hellguards. If the capital sends us five mon, two will be criminals, two will be cowards, and one will be a Hellguard. It's expected. Hardly anyone chooses to be a Hellguard. You're sent here if you were a crappy soldier or a criminal. Most of the time, we can shape them up into fighting form. Sure we have the occasional deserters, but they usually don't get far. How can you when you really have nowhere to go? They understood what they had to do, so they shape up. Now, instead of the usual screwed up scenario of the Hellguards, put in three different armies attacking us at once. The new guys break, the veterans slowly start to die off. What's worse was that as the months passed, more and more of the newer recruits were vastly inept to fight, as if they just sent us the worst trash imaginable. Then I noticed that Argime began to send fewer recruits altogether. Each new batch had less and less. Communication began to falter too as the months passed. Now... I haven't heard sh*t from them in weeks. I haven't had a new recruit sent on any front in over a month."

It didn't matter who they spoke to or what they were told, it seemed like everything boiled down to two big details for Tollen: It's bad, and it's quiet, which is even worse. "We know the capital is still there at least, we've had confirmation of that if nothing else. But we can't let all this fighting keep going on. However, we don't have time for a war, and even if we did, war is the worst thing we could do, there's nothing more chaotic. We need to end this conflict and we need to do it in as few steps as possible." He tapped a claw to his chin, trying to decide if a strike right at the leaders of the enemy factions might be necessary.

Brynn frowned, "Yes, we did get a message from Tollen. I'm not sure if you remember, but when every outsider was pushed out one psychic network was forcibly detained before it could leave. We have no idea why they were detained, but be thankful for that. The message itself was from an anonymous party that said outside of Tollen proper, well, it was a bit more messy. It's actually why we came here today, because it sounded like you all needed some help. I imagine if we had been a bit late... well... let's not think of that now. In any case, there is someone in Tollen who can't necessarily help you guys, but at least knew we would come and help, so there is that."

"I'm not worried about the capital being there or not. I'm worried about the capital abandoning us," He shot back, shaking his head in disbelief. "This entire thing started when the Queen took over. Then we heard weird things from the new recruits about what was going on in the capital. After that, things calmed down for them, and went to hell for us," He explained. He then looked over at the large green Dragonite. "You wanna try to end this war? Be my damn guest. Maybe the Morrians will listen to some Valkarians. Invite them over to have a peace conference. Maybe the Pentosarrs will listen to your words more instead of their God's telling them to kill us all. Maybe you can go get chummy with the bandits. Go and f*ckin' try. Or you can help us hold on for a long as we can. But if you're moving on, tell me so I can stop wasting my time with you lot. I've got people depending on me."

Cal's face turned grim at the Feraligatr's sarcasm and he looked him in the eye. "Actually I was considering more along the lines of annihilating their leadership altogether. Because we aren't just here for our country, we're here for the whole world" He emphasized each word with a poke to Darrel's chest. "And speaking of homes, mine is facing something much more dangerous than even your three-pronged barbarian assault and I can't be there myself to defend it right now. Instead I'm here to save your asses so how about you either open your narrow little mind up a bit and help me figure out a plan to end this quickly or thank us for the sorely-needed help and let us be on our way. Because every moment we're here 'holding out' the armies you face here are just making more progress and the problem MY HOME is dealing with is fed by our fighting!"

The Dragonite took a deep breath after his short-lived tirade and crossed his arms. Deciding to collect his thoughts instead of continuing being overly hostile, he hoped if the Feraligatr had nothing to say someone else might be able to think up an alternate idea. Cal would rather not go on a mission to possible assassinate the leaders of three different armies.

Brynn put a hand onto Cal's shoulder, "Our leader speaks the truth. We are here to find ways to support our homeland." He looked over at the Feraligatr, "You spoke of odd things happening in Tollen... would any of those things be able to explain why they no longer send troops?"

Darrell was silent throughout Cal's tirade. He observed the two as they spoke, then muttered to himself. "So that's why you're here," He spoke a bit louder to the rest of them now. "I didn't know your home was also under attack. You have my sympathies. But... I'm afraid that's all you're getting. We're in no position to send support to you as it is," He scoffed. "Attacking their leadership. I mean, it might be possible, if I can round up enough mon willing to go along, but it'll be incredibly risky..." He contemplated to himself as he thought on the plan, then looked at Brynn.

"I can't see how," He replied. "Weird reports of some mon going crazy and a few deaths too. I'm not really sure on the details because the capital covered it up pretty well. All we heard was whatever bits we got from the new recruits from Argime. You'd be better off asking one of them. I don't really care about it anymore."

"Yeah... I'll be off for now. I'll go ask around." As he left he shot Cal a look, a look that said that he REALLY didn't want Sentinels involved with this now.

Cal nodded at Brynn as he made his way out and turned to the Medicham still standing silently nearby. "You've been awfully quiet for a while now Abel, what's your take on all this?"

Abel shrugged his shoulders. "We came in here not knowing what the hell we're getting into, but seems to me there's been a disconnect between the capital and the outside city which happened around the time the old King died and Queen Aleena took over. But whatever is going on in the capital doesn't seem to matter now. I think if we don't help these mon, or find help for them fast, then eventually everything will collapse. You?" He asked the Ralts beside him.

The Dreadmage glanced up. "Hmm? Oh, I don't care. I'm evil." He waved a hand dismissively, returning his eyes to his staff. "Busy thinking about evil things. Don't mind me, just being evil."

Another hellguard suddenly made his way to the inside of the chamber where the others stood. It was a weary-looking Tailow, carrying a message in his claws. He flew over to Darrell and handed him the letter. Darrell opened it up and scanned the note. His eyes began to grow wide. "One of our villages nearby, Neirotta, is under siege in force. Damn it!" He cursed, turning back to the weary Tailow. "Are there any other patrols nearby that could assist?"

The Tailow shook his head. "Your base is the closest, sir," He answered.

"And you're sure what's here is accurate?" Darrell asked again, to which the Tailow nodded.

"One hundred percent, sir. There's a noble there from Argime. I don't know what he's doing out here, but it's the first contact with the capital we could have in a month!"

"Then we'll have t-" A Darrell prepared to give orders, the bells at the top of the fortress began to ring again. "F*ck! Why now?!" He cursed, just as a Ledian flew into the room.

"Sir, Morrians are back! Hundreds o' them! Maybe a thousand!" The Hellguard cried.

Darrell slammed a fist onto the table, breathing heavily in anger. He then looked over to Cal, Abel and Raz. "If you're really here to help, then help us. We'll need the manpower here against the Morrians but... this might also be one of the few chances to see someone from the capital outside of here. We need that noble alive! I'll leave it up to you to decide. If you decide to go save the noble in Neirotta, he'll guide you there," Darrell explained, pointing to the Tailow. "If you stay here and fight with us, then let's go now!"

"I'm killing people either way." Raz murmured, not glancing up from his staff. "Someone else make the decision, doesn't matter to me. Still not my birthday, though, if you were wondering."

"I can't risk making an uninformed decision on something like this, whatever we do, 'mon are going to die today." Cal looked left and right, then bounced on his feet a bit. "Commander, marshall your men and put up your best defense! I have to see what your men have told my compatriot, you'll know soon enough what we decide. If there's one thing I'm sure about it's that every member of this team knows how to make an entrance." He wasted no more time then necessary to get the message across before running down the halls in the direction Brynn had gone. After only ten seconds of running he remembered the psychic link and wondered if it had weakened at all when Penance fell unconscious earlier. but he tried anyways.

Brynn! I don't know if you can hear me through all this mumbo jumbo, but the Tollenians are under attack again! I need whatever you've got and we've got to make up our minds now!

 

[Greiger]

A Talk Among Old Colleagues​

Brynn quickly made his way along, having to stop though as his weariness caught up to him and he had to quickly sit down. A soldier passed along and he rose up, "Excuse me soldier. Do you know where the most recent recruits are from the city?" He asked, "I must speak with them."

The hellguard, a Bulbasaur, looked around across the fortress and shook his head. "I don't remember the last time we got new recruits."

Brynn frowned, "Uh... the most recent then? Well, those who had been in the city for the past four months or such? This is vital."

The Bulbasaur's face contorted into an angry expression. "I don't damn know, go ask someone else! I'm too busy tryin' not to die to worry about who's who!"

Brynn stared on and then kneeled down, "I'm the guy that made that big water ball. Don't worry, I'm going to do my best to make sure no one else dies." He stood back up and began to head out down the hallways and then he stopped in mid step. He looked about and then approached another soldier, "Excuse me sir, do you know of any who were recently in the city proper?"

This soldier was a Meowth, who was curled up in a ball. His eyes were set on a small pebble in front of him, hardly blinking to the point where tears were streaming down his eyes. "City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper. City proper...."

Brynn frowned and kneeled down to him, "Try to stay strong." He whispered softly. He rose back up and looked about. Most of these poor souls had horrifying visions. If he had more power he could try and enter into some minds to simply block some memories. He shook his head and approached another leaning against a wall, "Excuse me, do you know of anyone who recently came from the city?"

This hellguard, a Ledian, turned to the Golduck and opened his eyes wide. "Penance?"

Brynn stared back, "Yes." He said, "Well... Brynn at the current moment." He explained, "Sorry but I'm not as knowledgeable as Penance is... but were you a Seeker?"

"Oh, wow, it's really you! I... uh, think," He exclaimed excitedly. "Yeah. Well, I tried to be. Seekers got kicked out before I completed my initiation. Name's Jerut."

Brynn nodded, "Let's sit over here." He said as he pointed to a few chairs, "I'm here now... but I have questions if you don't mind." He said as he sat, "I must say... things are getting chaotic. Not only here but in Valkaria. I am here to stem the chaos. Have you been in the city recently?"

"I know. I'm surprised I survived this long, to be honest," He said with a sigh. "You're saying this is going on even outside of Tollen?" He asked. He leaned in closer to the Golduck. "Do you think this is... uh, well, you know... him?"

Brynn sighed, "I do." He said softly, "I saw him... yet again. But know this." He put his hands on the Ledian's shoulders, "We have been preparing this. Thirty years in the making. We are keeping him at bay. The only location not protected is Tollen. I must ask this now... what has been going on? Since we were cut out we barely heard anything. I want you to start at the top. I have heard weird rumors have quelled around in the capital. That... mon went crazy. Do you know much about that?"

"Wow... sh*t," Jerut cursed. "I can't believe it. I mean, I always kinda believed. That was one of the reasons I signed up, but I never actually thought it was gonna happen. Not in my lifetime... damn," He sighed again. "Crazy? Yeah I heard of something like that, but I got shipped out just as it started. I don't really know what happened, just that some mon died."

Brynn sighed, "Crazy... do you know who the perpetrators were?"

"P-perpetrators? You mean you think someone was behind that?" Jerut asked. "I didn't think it had anything to do with... oh hell, is this all because of him too? The Morrians?"

Brynn sighed, "I can't rule that out unless I see more evidence. He is here now, and Tollen coincidentally closed their borders the year before he appeared and at that same time crazy mon appeared. I was in Valkaria... one of our own generals turned on us. He didn't spend time corrupting... he simply chatted with mon in their dreams and got them to join him. A large... following of his appeared outside of Gold City. That is why I am here now." He looked about and whispered, "I set two Seekers in the city, they smuggled a message out you needing help." He pulled back and sighed, "I want to know some things. Why were the borders closed? Why were the psychics held in there? And finally... " He sighed, "If there are any... of his followers there. Tollen is shut off, and right now the source of a large dose of chaos."

"I-I-I really can't... man I don't know.... this is all..." Jerut sighed deeply. "I'll try to help ya, but I don't know much. I don't know what you mean by Psychics, but they closed up all those fancy teleporter things around, which was really hard cause we couldn't travel between places easily anymore. That was around the same time that they ordered the borders to be patrolled more harshly and not to let anyone in or out. I did hear one thing: the orders came straight from the new Queen, so everyone had to obey."

Brynn frowned, "That's not entirely true. One SEC point remained, under house arrest. We contacted with the Tollen government a bit through them and that's how we go the message out. Hm... do you know of any other former Seekers here? Any of those who would have been in the city also?"

Jerut shrugged. "I guess you knew a bit more than I did about the teleporters. I thought they were all gone," He then nodded, and looked around. "Yeah, there's a few more of us around, I think. I knew about a dozen or so of us back in Hellbase, and I think Andrea is still around here somewhere... they really went for us when they kicked the Seekers out. Even Tollenian Seekers were kicked out, I hear. And most of the others got sent here, or to some other point on the borders... we've been dyin' out, Penance."

Brynn wore a reassuring smile on his face, "You heard about that giant water ball out there? Let's say... we'll give them a fight now that I'm here." He chuckled a bit, "Well, it seems that they have targeted us... most likely cause we would have told on what was happening." He looked about, "Think they'll be pissed if I send out a call to gather?" He asked with a smirk, "For now, we should find everyone and gather them. I have a feeling everyone that heard the teaching has a good feeling as to what's going on."

Jerut gave Brynn a weak smile. "I hope so... I haven't seen another Seekers besides Andrea in weeks now. Not since... well, I don't wanna get into it," He said as he hung his head lowly. "Try finding Andrea, maybe she might know more. She was shipped out much later than I was."

Brynn nodded and then cupped his hands around his bill as he shouted out, "HEY! ANYONE KNOW WHERE ANDREA IS!?" He thought for a moment more, "And also... any former Seekers out around here?"

"Quit your shoutin', you stupid duck!" One of the hellguards roared back at him.

"Hey, he's the guy who just saved our as*es with that giant water thing!" Another yelled back at the first one.

"He's still shouting! I'm tryina rest! What the hell is a Seeker anyways?" The first one asked again.

"It's those crazy people back in town that believe Darkrai is gonna come and kill us all, remember?" A female hellguard joked, causing a bit of laughter from some of the others.

"I don't remember them. Waita minute, they came around the same time as those Gold Team guys, right?" The first hellguard asked again.

"Yeah, exactly! Hey, is Andrea still alive? Andrea!?" The female Hellguard began shouting around. A few of the others joined her, when finally someone answered.

"I'm here, what's the fuss about?" A Gothorita asked from a bit further to the right of the fortress, and down one level.

Your time Penance, get off your ass.

The silver glow faded as the duck's smile widened, "Hehehe, well well a bit of order is necessary of course." He said as he went over and looked down, "Yo! ANNIE! Right here! Personal meeting setting up now, hope you brought the doughnuts!"

Andrea furrowed her brows at the Golduck and crossed her arms. "I thought you were long dead."

Penance leaned on the rail, "A lie." He said flatly. "You KNOW how much I detest lies. That's one more against the leadership." He sat on the rail with a frown, "Not sure if you heard, we were all kicked out. Everyone foreign that is. Trust me, if I had kicked a bucket around it would have reverberated." His grin grew, "So how about we dive down into the darkness and see if some light is down there? Cause frankly I'm interested in how much light IS there."

Andrea scoffed. "I dunno, maybe it would have been better if you did die. Everything just went crazy right as soon as you and all those other foreign things arrived," She said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry to say that, but... well I used to believe once. After being sent here?" She shook her head.

Penance sighed and jumped off the railing, landing down below on a table that gave way, "Oof. Of course it's off center." He muttered as he stood up and wiped the dust off of his body, "You hear the news in Valkaria? Heh, things blowing up there too." He walked up to her and spoke lowly, "Perhaps it's best if we speak in a room? He's back."

"I've got guard duty, I'm not leaving here now," Andrea responded coldly. "If you've got something to say, just say it here," She walked over and sat in the chair which Jerut sat in previously. She silently waited for Penance to speak.

Penance sat down and frowned. He looked down, then back up, "If I could have stopped this, I would have." He said softly. He clapsed his hands together, "I underestimated him. Heh... really that was my fault." He crossed his arms and sighed, "He came back. Army at his side. No ancients... just a lot of volunteers. I... I always thought he would corrupt you know? He had to at the beginning. He had to indoctrinate to get those poor souls to follow him and obey him." He closed his eyes and let out a stressed breath, "S*it is happening, but we are prepared for it everywhere... but here."

He opened his eyes and gave a weak smile, "All I knew was that we were pushed out for some reason. Was never sure why and that bothered me so much. And now I hear about how every Seeker was pushed out of the city to die out here, how 'crazy mon' randomly appeared in the city after we left. How this all happened after the queen went up to her throne." He fell silent, "Your trust is broken in me. I see that now. Unfortunately... whether you believe or not doesn't matter, cause even if you swear he doesn't exist... he does. He came back. He is attacking Valkaria. He's drawing power from here too no doubt, probably for as long as you all have been out here. Wonder why those three attacked at the same time? Cause it's like I say, order and chaos coexist. He is chaos, but he still has a bit of order enough to lay down commands to those he has appeared to."

He shook his head, "I always thought he would go a different route..."

Andrea stared silently at the Golduck while he made his speech. Her eyes were filled with a level of scorn in the beginning, but she softened them slightly as she heard him speak. For a while longer, she remained silent, before looking out in the forest and speaking. "... The Reckoning. That was why all the foreigners were kicked out," She stated. "I didn't know exactly when it happened or what began it before, but now that I think about it, now that you mention the Queen, it was around the same time as when she came to the throne. You heard about Pokemon going crazy? And Pokemon dying? Well, I heard they didn't know what happened at first, but then some found out, and that's when the exodus of foreigners started. And the borders were closed. Not to keep them out of our business or anything. But to protect the world from what we thought was our end. I don't know what it was. An affliction. A plague. Before I left, they called it the Reckoning."

Penance thought for a moment on her words... then he started chuckling. Then... he burst into laughter, "Oh.. oh..." He went on for a bit and then he stopped. "That's happening again..." He shook his head as he looked at her, a sad expression on his face, "Beatruce at this moment also faces a plague." He closed his eyes and then slammed his hand angrily against the table, "I always... I thought he would send troops. Instead he sends disease." He muttered angrily.

He stood up and walked to the railing and then lowered his head, "Me and my genius oversight. Never thought of disease." He muttered sadly to himself, "What were the symptoms of this plague? Who was infected?"

"Well... " As Andrea began her explanation, she suddenly heard the sound of the bells over head. She leaped out of her chair, walking over to the railing at the end of the fortress, and opened her eyes wide. "Damn it, Morrians! Jerut, go tell the Commander, it's a big force! They'll be here in within an hour or two!"

Jerut nodded and proceeded inside. The Hellguards all began to go around in formations across the fortress at the orders of Lieutenant Trace. Once more, they'd be in a fight for their life. "Talk later!" Andrea yelled to Penance, as she made her way to her post.

Penance watched her go, then drew his legs up as he took in a deep breath. Brynn, we need to rest. That Water Bomb gave us out too much.

Just what I was thinking. We rest then offer our help.