The Shattered Era [T]

Caedmon Yeonart
Kanto Enclave
​
Caedmon's staring into the roof of the cave was interrupted as Maverick took the word and began speaking to the knights, which caused his attention to fall back on his superior.
"Today, we have scored a major victory for the Council! Starting this day the Mechanists will fear us even more! They now know that their precious cities are no longer a refuge. We will find all of them and uproot this disease from out cities!"

Just then, a Mankey cried out his rebellion. Caedmon let out a little huff, shaking his head faintly. They weren't in a position to bargain, and setting themselves against their captors would only result in something bad happening to them. Caedmon watched on as Maverick proceeded to lift up the Mankey and slit its throat. Caedmon didn't even flinch. It was something that had to be done, an example to be set for the remainder, to show that if you go against the rules, you are punished.

However, just then, the Minccino from earlier cried out, causing Caedmon to turn his head towards the Pokémon, though his expression continued lacking emotion. He pushed his paws against the ground and stood up, moving a little closer to the group, as Maverick turned around to face him, looking rather surprised at his right hand's decision. Caedmon was going to wait for Maverick to finish speaking before saying something himself. However…
"Promised? What did you promise Caedmon? That she would be safe? That she would be let go? You know protocol, we cannot let them live. Knights... keep one of them alive."

Caedmon's eyes widened slightly as the knights, as if having waited for ages for this moment, began attacking the helpless Pokémon, sitting in their clusters, screams and cries for help erupting from them. Maverick then moved over towards Ribibin, telling her to murder a child, no less. Standing still for a moment, as the gurgled cries of the dying and the despaired rang in his ears, Caedmon finally bared his teeth and yelled out, with a commanding tone in his voice.
"… STOP!"

The Knights that were currently attacking the mechanists stopped in their tracks. Caedmon usually didn't put this much emphasis on… well, anything he said. He was always rather mellow when not on a job, and when on one, he was simple, quick, quiet and efficient. This was different.

As the surviving Pokémon clung to each other, Caedmon took several, quick, striding steps towards Ribibin and Maverick, his expression reminding vaguely of a thundercloud in the horizon, the fury clearly visible, but held back, not unleashed yet. He made his way to the two in a matter of moments and moved in between the two, staring firmly into his superior's eyes, them both being just about the same height.

He took a few moments of silent, stern staring before parting his lips, slowly, almost growling out.
"… I know protocol perfectly well, Maverick, but I think you may have forgotten something much more important. We are to take prisoners when we can, not indulge in meaningless bloodshed. I promised them that if they did as they were told, no harm would come to them. For now. These Mechanists may very well be heathens… but they are civilians. They did not attack us, and so, we shall not attack them." He let his words sink in, his eyes narrowing slightly, his arms folded in front of his chest.
"If we begin attacking undefended civilians rather than capturing them, then we are no better than them. I –will not- allow you to murder."
 

Alice

Birch Enclave​

"Do we have any information on her?" A jagged voice. Maybe talking about her.

"No, she must be a Newborn." Thinking she ran from the Council? At least that was according to plan.

"Think she's a civilian?"

"Doubtful. No injuries, just exhausted. Either a veteran Knight, or really good at running and hiding."

"A Knight? Kanto just got attacked by a huge pack of 'em! You don't have even the /slightest/ inkling that she may be setting us up?!"

"There shouldn't be anyone stupid enough to go in an enclave alone as a hostile, especially not a Knight."

Mm...

"Hey, she's waking up!"

"Sooner than expected."

"Did you give her a strong dose?"

"No, I just figured she'd be out longer." Two Mechanists -- a Gardevoir and Electabuzz -- on either side of her when she opened her eyes, Alice could hear shots, bangs and metallic clashes nearby. The Gardevoir had a caring demeanor in his eyes, the Electabuzz somewhat more strict and cautious, the latter having given her the sleeping pellet and probably wary of her being a Knight.

"Where am I?"

"Hey there, Sunshine. I'm Geoffrey, my partner on your other side is Brice, and I'd like to be the first to say, 'Welcome to Birch.'" The Gardevoir turned and with a wave of his arm introduced Alice to the enclave. The clinic she was in had a view of the entire city with a giant glass wall. Looking through, the city was filled with lights and activity. It somehow managed to grow healthy vegetation underground, too. That was something amazing, to say the least, and the first sight she fully took in. Then there were the buildings. Similar to Kanto's, but it looked at least a little more natural with vines and other plants covering the monstrous metal.

Damn sure I'm not in Markus anymore.

Near the clinic was a training ground for the Declarum Forces, the Mechanist militia. They were sparring with each other, testing out armor and their manufactured weapons. Shoddy fighting style, she noticed, but the sheer power of the devices made up for some of that. Alice could teach them a few things, and probably would if she had a good enough reason to help mortal enemies of the Council. Actually, getting their trust enough to find out where their map was should've been enough, if not adding on the fact that she wanted to learn, too. Maybe her long-unanswered questions about the Mechanists would finally meet their resolutions.

Alice sat up and stepped off of the bed they placed her in, walking up to the window to get a little fuller view of the enclave's interior.

"This is the Birch Enclave? Where is it?"

"Why do you care?" the Electabuzz interrupted.

"Calm down, Brice," Geoffrey noted. "It's normal for someone to want to know their own location." He turned to the Absol. "We're arguably the most northwestern city currently known. We haven't exactly ventured any further, but we have a general idea of where we are thanks to our compasses." He paused, realizing she probably didn't know what a compass was. "Oh, sorry; a compass is basically something to find your direction. It's not like a map that can tell you where to go, it just tells you where you're facing so you know what's likely along your path. A map and compass together give better results."

"That sounds like it'd be useful, albeit vague."

"It certainly is, especially if someone gets lost."

"Those soldiers, are they new?" She looked toward the training ground.

"You're looking at the freshest batch of the front-line Declarum Forces here in Birch. Our technicians are busy getting even more in-depth with their equipment. Compare that to the soldiers out here, who know their weapons only well enough to use them right, if not just a bit more. Most of our technicians are capable of knowing the workings of more than just their devices, too...." and he continued on, talking about the different roles in the Declarum Forces before catching himself. "Sorry, I must be rambling right now."

"Do you ever join in battle?" Brice interrupted again when this was asked, managing to say what Geoffrey wanted to in stronger and prouder wording.

"Of course we do! You think we just sit back and wait for someone to get injured before helping like the Knights? No! Maverick Renos may have us overpowered, but they can't compare to us in the slightest when it comes to our prompt and dedicated field medics that are always at the ready to help the wounded get right back into the action!" He spent the next minute or so bragging about the Declarum Forces and the usefulness of all its members. Meanwhile, Alice was distracted by the soldiers outside. One by one, she was picking out problems in each one.

Terrible form. Next. Can't even handle their weapon. Next. Ribibin would slash his heart out in one swipe with that kind of defense. And it continued until Brice finished. You have claws, use them!

The Electabuzz took a big breath, since he was talking without pause. "So that answer your question?"

"Yes, thank you."

Geoffrey started again, walking up to the window next to Alice. "Marvelous place, isn't it? It's amazing what human technology can do when adapted. Say..."

"Hm?"

"Would you like a tour?"
 
Ribibin Triss

Ribibin hadn't even started walking towards the Riolu before Caedmon spoke up. She had just stared back into the Grovyle's eyes with a look as if she found his orders odd, but not as if she was about to refuse them. The Riolu boy had shut up at once when Maverick had given the order to the Weavile, but as the Knights around them started to slay the other mechanists, the two Knights that were holding the boy dropped him and stepped back to give Ribibin the chance to end his life without their intrusion. Sure, they had captured him, but she was their Knight-Commander - or acting a least - and Maverick had ordered her to.

"… STOP!"

The Lucario had never spoken up against a superior before, not that Ribibin knew of or could imagine, anyways. He never even spoke up. He was the calm, silent and dependable type. Maybe slightly mysterious - even though Ribibin had always shrugged at that as a trick to attract women or seem interesting. She didn't think it was attractive, anyways. And now... now he was staring into the Commander's eyes with a fury that Ribibin's eyes had lacked earlier.

"I –will not- allow you to murder."

"Rule number four," Ribibin then said, quietly, but completely audible to Maverick and Caedmon. The words came by themselves through her mouth. They were so deeply and thoroughly taught to her that she would be able to recite them unconscious. "Rule number four... A Knight must show compassion, bravery, honesty... empathy... chivalry, and mercy. To all. To all but their enemies."

She looked down on the Riolu boy and he looked back up at her. His eyes weren't panicking and frightened. They were mad and filled to the brim with tears of anger. But he shut up, thankfully. If he had said a single word at this point, Ribibin would simply have killed him. Spared the world of another male growing up to be a blight. But she didn't now. Instead, she turned to Maverick again.

"I've never reflected over the rules, not even once. I just took them for truths, like my mother before me." She proudly put her paw over her chest and closed her eyes for a second. "I'm sure there is reason behind them. And..."

Darn it! She was confused now. She had never before seen Caedmon and Maverick disagree like this. And she definitely wasn't used to being in the spot of a Knight-Commander. She was just a Knight, trained to follow orders! The ones who took initiatives on their own became Commanders. If their decisions were good ones.

"And I will follow orders, as should all Knights. But I'm not mindless. If one of my superiors heavily opposes another, there is something wrong that has to be sorted before we can proceed."

She glanced at her squad members to see if she had said something very strange or if it actually made sense somewhere. Chloe looked relieved; the Combusken and most others of the female Knights behind Triss had not stepped up to kill the captives yet. A warm feeling spread in Ribibin's heart. Could it be that women had an intuitive sense of compassion that males maybe couldn't understand? Except for perhaps Caedmon... Maybe she had viewed him in the wrong light before. What was right or wrong in this moment only depended on what Maverick would do next, though.​
 
Brenn
Birch Enclave

Brenn should her head a bit-she did not enjoy teleporting. It always left her dazed and confused, which she was right now. When she regained her composure, she looked about her. So this was what the Birch Enclave looked like. Brenn had only been in the Kanto enclave since she joined the Mechanists. Suddenly, the Crawdaunt remembered the ridiculous mask she still had on. She grabbed the oddly fitting mask from her face using her claw, snapping it off her face.

Damon tells the group to get cleaned up and do what she feels like, but Brenn really did not know where to start. She just recently began getting familiar with the Kanto Enclave, and now she needed to start all over again.

Brenn looked out into the streets of the Birch enclave with the look a deerling would give if it was caught in the light of the headlights. Brenn considered herself brave, but she did not enjoy being tossed in a whole new community to get lost in.

"Er.. Where do I begin?" She stammered, looking out into the Brich Enclave disgruntled.
 
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Maverick Renos
Kanto Enclave​

Maverick narrowed his eyes at Caedmon, "Like it is stated Caedmon, we do not show mercy to our enemies. No matter how weak they are." He looked at Ribibin and grabbed the Riolu from her. The little pokemon weakly struggled as Maverick gazed down at him, "Even you can't deny the hatred this one has for us. If we let but one live then they will do whatever they can to kill us.' He smirked, "You are a prime example of that Caedmon. You lived and now you live to kill any Mechanist you find. Surely you remember how they killed your family? It is the same here, they made a mistake... a mistake that I will not make with them."

He cast his glance once more down at the Riolu and held him out and drew back his leaf blade. There was only a piercing scream that turned silent. Maverick dropped the body. "Knights, as I said, kill all of them, but one. Make sure to check the bodies for a map." The Knights turned back to the civilians and tuned out their pleas as more attacks rained upon the group. Maverick looked at Caedmon, "I am in command here, not you. We will be having a talk about this later."

Maverick waited patiently as the one by one each civilian was killed until only a trembling Timburr was left. A Knight walked up to him and held out a device, "Sir, we found this on one of the Mechanists." Maverick grabbed, noticing it said the word 'map' on it. He looked it over, "So, they kept it in one of their contraptions, we'll learn soon enough how to read it. Grab the prisoner and take him out of here. Ludo, have your Knights destroy this area. I do not want a single building left standing. Once you are done with that, collapse this cave." Ludo bowed and began to direct his Knights into the city.

Maverick looked at the other Knights, "Let us depart back to Markus. The Council will be very pleased with our progress." The Knights cheered and surged out of the cave. Maverick cast a glance back at Caedmon before he departed as well.
 
Caedmon Yeonart
Kanto Enclave​

You are a prime example of that Caedmon. You lived and now you live to kill any Mechanist you find. Surely you remember how they killed your family? It is the same here, they made a mistake... a mistake that I will not make with them."

Caedmon bared his teeth and let out a snarl, lifting a hand from his folded arms to grab a hold of Maverick's armor, pulling him closer while staring him dead into his eyes, the faint growl from earlier now louder and more constant as his next words rumbled out with a threatening tone to them.
"Don't you dare use my family as an example. You have –no- idea what I have lost." He paused a little, then let his commander go, his fists clenched at his sides, his eyes glancing to the Riolu before looking back at Maverick, talking somewhat more calmly, although the growl was still present.

"I remember quite well what they did, thank you. I –also- recall that they spared the infant. They only killed the ones who fought back… and even if they –were- mechanists, they had more honor than you would ever understand."

As Maverick ordered the knights to attack again, right after having killed the infant Riolu, Caedmon's eyes flared up, his eyes turning their glowing blue and his breath increasing, as if ready to attack Maverick in the next moment. But then he spoke again.
"I am in command here, not you. We will be having a talk about this later."

Continuing to huff angrily, he narrowed his eyes, his ears twitching as the screams emitted in the background. He knew the chain of command. He knew the code, he had grown up with it. His eyes slowly turned back to their normal colour, his muscles easing a little up, leaning a little closer to Maverick to mutter out his reply, though loud enough for those nearby to hear it.
"… If you kill someone who can fight back, then he was simply not skilled enough, or unlucky, but it is still a battle to the death. If you kill someone unarmed, unwilling or unable to fight… then it is nothing but murder. I will speak with the council about this."

He let out a snort, turned around on the spot while only sending Ribibin a fleeting, neutral glance as if unsure what to think of her involvement in this, as he strode off towards the entrance of the cave.
As he got out of the cave, he stood for a moment, staring into the forest before tilting his head back, looking up at the sky only faintly showing through the cluttered trees, preventing anyone from above to see the entrance.

His eyes closed and a frown painted his lips, his ears drooping and his expression turning sad as he simply stood there, feeling the sun's sparse rays moving through the trees, hitting his arm and chest, a light breeze ruffling up his fur.
He stood there while hearing the other Pokémon approaching from behind, inside of the cave. He mumbled a faint prayer to those who had lost their lives, unable to defend themselves. He put on his neutral mask once more, pushing all of his emotions away as he usually did. For now, at least.

As the knights moved past him, he received a mixed batch of glances, some of contempt, some of curiosity, some of lost respect, and a very, very few that seemed to have agreed with his decision to stand up. He understood how they felt. He hated Mechanists exactly as much, or even more than most others, due to what he had lost, and how he had lost them. But still… his mentor had taught him this. He had grown up, knowing of the chivalry and the honor of the Knights. They weren't just killing machines, not just a weapon to point at the Mechanists.
They were… supposed, to be order. To be a protective wall against those who would wish civilians harm. This was… wrong.

He rolled his shoulders a little and followed along, his gaze fixed on a spot ahead of him, though staying a fair bit away from the other knights. It wouldn't be fair of him to make them uneasy by walking next to them. And right now, there were a lot of the Knights where he would like nothing more than to beat them senseless, for simply doing as Maverick said.
 
Ribibin Triss

Maverick pulled the Riolu away from the Knights and killed him. Just like that. A life that could have bloomed into anything, now gone. Lost. Ribibin shook her head and forced herself to look upon the body on the ground as the slaughter of the remaining mechanists came to a conclusion. Death. She was not unfamiliar with it; she had killed today. But no infants. It had been a long time since she had been... no, she had never killed an infant before. She had never had to. She had only ever met mechanists who fired back at her when she ran towards them. She had never had that problem before. Maverick had killed the Riolu boy in cold blod. Was that... right?

Caedmon was furious. Finally he showed his emotions. But when Maverick rounded up the Knights and started walking back up to the sunlight, the Lucario kept his distance and fell silent and calm again. At least on the outside. Ribibin led her squad up and tried to subtly stop them from staring at the man; she could tell they didn't hate him for what he had done and said, but they sure were surprised. Some even looked like they were in deep thought now.

As they came out into the sunlit forest again, Ribibin turned to her squad, making sure that Caedmon and most other squads didn't hear her.

"Enough of your doubting thoughts," she told them and earned a few frowns in return. She stared back at those who dared doing that. "We are Knights of Oran. We do what we must to protect our belief, our lands and our people. What Maverick said was true. No shame is on you for finding... him," she added to the Knights who had brought the Riolu boy to her. "Now, march and be proud women and men, for we did win today."

She didn't cheer the last bit on, she simply stated it, but some Knights did squeeze out a "Yes!" or "That's right!" or "For the Council!" Content with that, the Weavile started walking faster, after having made sure that a somewhat less tensed chattering had started among the Knights. She walked at the edge of the group, sighing. It sure was tiresome being looked up at and nothing she was used to. She wanted to crawl into her quarters back in Markus and be alone for a while, then go out and train for hours. Alone. She worked better alone. Without males all over the place. Cold blooded males like Maverick...

That was when she glimpsed the Lucario walking at some distance in front of her, even further from the group than she was. His armor was still dirtier than hers, even though she had stood so close to the Riolu that some of his blood probably had splashed up at her when... when it happened. Caedmon's dog-like features were so different from her own cat-like appearance. And his personality and everything was different from hers. But for some reason, she thought she understood him now. It didn't please her, as it made her confused; she'd rather wanted to be telling her squad true words but the truth was that she only told them that to calm them down. She was more confused than any of them. Sure, the last thought she had had when looking into the eyes of the Riolu had been that she would easily kill him if he made as much as a sound again. But Maverick's way of doing it was so different. Demonstrative. Demonstrating against Caedmon.

She decided to try and be her old self, and walked up behind her superior officer. "Hey," she said with her cheerful and confident voice. "You should get that armor cleaned quickly when you get home, commander. The longer it goes without cleaning, the longer time the blood will leave a stench, you know."

She gave him a weak smile and hoped that he would understand that she wanted to cheer him up rather than tease him.

"Me and the rest of the Knights will love coming home after such an eventful day," she then added. "I don't think we lost a single woman... or man. Did we?"
​
 
Caedmon Yeonart
A forest… somewhere​

As the group of knights continued walking through the forest, Caedmon made sure to stay a good deal away from the other knights, knowing that most would either be confused or plain old dislike him for what he had chosen to say down there. None the less, he didn't regret saying it, and he was going to say it once again, when they reached the city.

Caedmon noticed his paws were clenched and his muscles were rather tense and he forced himself to breathe out heavily, trying to relax. What he had witnessed had been nothing but murder. At least when fighting the mechanist forces, they had chosen to fight the knights. They knew what they got themselves into, and they –could- defend themselves. Those Pokémon back there… were like twigs, sitting in the sand as a tsunami washed over them. Thinking about it made Caedmon's blood boil, his eyes starting to flare up with their flame-like blue hue.

"Hey. You should get that armor cleaned quickly when you get home, commander. The longer it goes without cleaning, the longer time the blood will leave a stench, you know."

The comment came so suddenly, completely out of the blue that Caedmon, for once, was startled. He turned his head, blinking in surprise a few times, though he kept walking. He looked to Ribibin as she smiled up at him, faintly even. He stayed quiet for a while, simply looking down at her thoughtfully and somewhat curiously. He hadn't been sure what to make of her during his little anger fit with Maverick, but no matter her stance, she seemed to be trying to cheer him up.

He looked down himself, noticing how dirty his armor had actually become, a little smile spreading on his lips. "Hmh. I suppose I –have- gotten it a bit messier than usually. I'll have to do it after meeting up with the council."
He walked on for a little bit, actually rather happy that Ribibin of all the Pokémon there, had come to speak with him. She had always seemed like a sensible woman to him, and her presence soothed him, to a degree.

"Me and the rest of the Knights will love coming home after such an eventful day. I don't think we lost a single woman… or man. Did we?"

Caedmon shook his head, lifting a paw as he began dusting off some loose flakes of dirt or blood off of his armor while replying. "No, we didn't. We had some injured, but our medics are taking care of them. It… will be good to come home. Once I have spoken to the council… I think I will clean my armor, get me some food and sit down somewhere nice and quiet… contemplate a bit. Relax."

He paused, glancing towards Ribibin again, his expression less rigid than when they had been going in. All in all, he seemed a lot more relaxed, now that the job had been finished, even if there was a hint of something that might be interpreted as sadness in the way he looked at her. Though it was hard to tell.
"Tell me, Triss… why do you do this?" To answer her questioning gaze, he lifted his right paw, moving it across the wandering knights to their right, though still looking at her. "Why do you fight? What's your purpose, what drives you? I find that an existence where you do something simply to –do- it… is a very hollow experience. So tell me… what do you believe in?"

He looked more curious than anything else, and it didn't seem like he was testing her or anything like it, even if his tone was still a little half-rigid and wary. As they were walking, a breeze blew down over them, Caedmon's ears twitching a little in response to this, his tail slowly moving back and forth behind him, as if carried by the breeze.
 
Maverick Renos
Location: Markus​

Maverick walked through the forest. Before, Caedmon would be right next to him, now his second in command was right behind him. Maverick had hid it well. He was furious with Caedmon's attempt to fight against his authority. He had been given this position by the Council themselves and he would be damned if Caedmon would try to fight the Council's orders. Yes, he would definitely talk to the Council about this. Caedmon might think he was in the right, but Maverick knew better. For the most part he was silent as he walked with the other Knights through the forest. Most of them were looking at him with new found respect while others seemed to be a tad bit confused on what had just happened and he could feel a bit glaring daggers into his back. He didn't care, he just needed to get to Markus and see what needed to be done next.

The Knights finally emerged from the trees and headed toward the city. It was approaching nightfall by the time they could see the city gates, and already Maverick could see something was wrong. There were more Knights at the gate than ever before and the gates were shut tight. He led the group up there, "Knight! What is going on?" The Sawk frowned, "Sir.... there has been a disaster. The Mechanists showed up and attacked the Council! Almost killed them all, but in the end they... they..."

Maverick grabbed the Sawk's shoulders, "Spit it out!"

"...They captured Matthew Sir!"

Maverick felt his body go numb for a brief second and a growl escaped his throat. "OPEN THESE GATES! KNIGHTS, DOUBLE TIME TO THE CHAMBERS! CAEDMON AND KNIGHT-COMMANDERS WITH ME! THAT MEANS YOU TOO RIBIBIN!" Once the gates were open a fraction Maverick bounded in. Most of the streets were clear, even though it wasn't curfew yet and Maverick finally reached the Chambers and bounded up the stairs. By the time he got up to the correct floor he was covered in sweat. There were now more Knight patrolling the hallway. He bounded past them and into the Council's meeting room. The rest of the Council were seated in their chairs, silent. Maverick came in and knelt before them as he waited to hear their proclamation. Famidus was there after him, kneeling as well.


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damon Malruth
Location: Birch Enclave​

Damon was silent as the news struck him. He had already dropped off Matthew at the hospital and once he was done with that he had been informed that Riley wanted to see him. The Tyrogue had waited for him to be seated before he had laid on him in one fell swoop about what had happened at Kanto. Damon just listened and finally spoke, "We need to get a team over there. Find survivors."

Riley just nodded, "I'll send out a message by the megaphones. Just make sure you get them there quick."

Damon weakly nodded his head and sluggishly walked out of the room. Urta was just outside, "Well, what did he say?"

Damon just sighed, "We're having another meeting at the convention center. Come on." He made his way to the center as the megaphones that were placed throughout the city turned on, "ATTENTION, ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! THAT IS ALL."
 
Brenn was wandering the streets of the Birch enclave without any real sense of direction. She eyed the different buildings; the Declarum were better then the Empire any day, but they sure did have confusing city lay-outs. Brenn wandered aimlessly down the streets, studying the passers by. These people were a lot less disciplined then the people she had used to live with. Kids chattered and ran across the street, people smiled and spoke freely to one another. Where she came from, kids like these would quickly get punished for acting so foolishly. The liveliness of the streets perked up Brenn's mood a bit; they've successfully completed their mission. Maybe it was time she relaxed? Her muscles were really stiff and.. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loudspeaker.

"ATTENTION, ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! THAT IS ALL." Came the blaring sound. Brenn rolled her eyes before heading in the direction of the sound. The Crawdaunt didn't know exactly where she was or where she was headed, but she could follow the general direction of the sound.
 
Ribibin Triss

"Tell me, Triss… why do you do this?"

Triss looked questioningly up at him. What? Walk up and talk to him?

He lifted his right paw, moving it across the wandering knights to their right as if to show what he meant, though still looking at her. "Why do you fight? What's your purpose, what drives you? I find that an existence where you do something simply to –do- it… is a very hollow experience. So tell me… what do you believe in?"

The Weavile looked down on her feet as they walked. They were side by side now, some ways away from the line of soldiers marching onward through the grass and vegetation. Towards home. Happy that they had lived to see another day. Constantly facing death and danger. Living to fight. Fight for what was... right?

"My mother was a Knight of Oran. She believed in them and fought for the reasons the Council told her to fight for. I share her beliefs. Our beliefs."

She still didn't look up at Caedmon; to say at this moment that she shared the beliefs of the Council - and by extension Maverick - could be a bit inappropriate. But it was true, on the whole. An almost inaudible sigh escaped her lips before she finally glanced up at the Lucario again. He was a good man. Maybe he wouldn't think she was weird if she told him her real reasons.

"That's not all I fight for, though. Not all I live for. I'm... I'm a woman. I know our traditions," her face went a bit strained here, thinking about her mother's fate, "too well. But I can't believe that women are worth less than men. Some things I've seen even point towards the opposite. I... don't like... the way some men think and treat women. I really don't... like it."

She stopped there. She might have said too much already. A bit worriedly, she looked away from Caedmon. But he wouldn't hate her for it. She hadn't said that she hated him, after all. Only some men. Not him.

"I want life to be more fair. But I still concur with the way we live our lives under the reign of the Council! I don't complain... other than about that."



((OOC: since Greiger wrote about the Knights not reaching Markus until the evening / nightfall, I won't post about that yet. I'll just wait for Caedmon's replies :3 maybe Sir Bastian can write about reaching the city if he feels they have conversed enough. Or we can continue for a few more posts~))
​
 
(( I concur! ))

Caedmon Yeonart
A Forest​

As they continued walking along the undergrowth, Caedmon kept a close eye on Ribibin after asking his question. More out of some kind of curiosity of hearing her answer, rather than expecting an attack or the like. All in all, he was both relaxed… and tense at the same time, but he didn't seem to notice the latter.

"My mother was a Knight of Oran. She believed in them and fought for the reasons the Council told her to fight for. I share her beliefs. Our beliefs."

He nodded his head faintly and lifted his gaze, looking ahead once more, ducking down to avoid a particularly low-hanging branch. He had expected her to say this. He expected every knight to say this, or some kind of version of it at least. He would have been disappointed if not.
He did, however, sense that there was something else on her mind. The entire way of not looking up at him, coupled with a somewhat audible sigh escaping her lips made his ears twitch a little, but he stayed quiet. He wasn't going to press someone to tell him something she wouldn't want to.

"That's not all I fight for, though. Not all I live for. I'm... I'm a woman. I know our traditions… too well. But I can't believe that women are worth less than men. Some things I've seen even point towards the opposite. I... don't like... the way some men think and treat women. I really don't... like it."

A faint smile touched his lips at this, glancing down at the Weavile to meet her gaze before looking ahead again, lifting a paw to scratch one of his ears idly as they walked through a small clearing. They were far enough away from the other knights for them to hear anything at all. Not that Caedmon was worried about that.

Ribibin, after seeing him look forwards again, quickly added; "I want life to be more fair. But I still concur with the way we live our lives under the reign of the Council! I don't complain... other than about that."

"You do not have to make excuses around me, Triss. I know fully well what position you're in. I have met a lot of others who had the same view of things as you do. Personally…" he glanced a little upwards, pausing for a moment while thinking about what he wanted to say. "… I do not see much point in females having the same jobs as males in our society, but I suppose that is simply how I have been brought up. However." He added, looking down to her again, the smile having faded, to give way for a slightly more serious expression.

"That does not mean I think little of females. One gender could not exist without the other. And to add to that… when a female becomes a knight, they simply stop being a female. They become a knight, with the purpose of serving the council, and the land's people. Once you are a knight… things such as gender mean nothing. To me, at least."

He rolled his head a little, looking down himself to study his dirtied armor closer, frowning slightly at the mess he had made of it. He continued speaking. "I am glad you do not simply follow the orders of the council like a blind Mareep being led by a leash. There is a very fine balance in between being a slave, and a rebel. That path is very hard to find, especially for knights… but I do believe I have attained that."
Pausing for another moment, he reached out to pick a wild berry off of a bush, looking it over while lifting his other paw to wipe it a little.

"You cannot simply do as you're told, but at the same time, it would mean you rebelled, if you went against orders. You have to have your own reasons for doing what you are told to do. And when your own reasons go against your orders…" He smiled a knowing, yet slightly guilty smile, looking to her again. "… Well, you were there."

Taking a bite of the berry, he chewed happily on it for a little while before continuing again. "It's important to know what you fight for, and why you do it. It's not enough to simply borrow someone else's viewpoint." He took another bite, head tilting back to look up into the sky, which was starting to colour a faint orange by now. Staring upwards, he spoke again, slightly quieter now.
"… I have not seen something like what happened today happen before, Triss. But I would have spoken up, if it had, even when I was little. We… are the knights of the Oran. We are the council's tool, but we are also the protectors of the weak, here to make those who cannot fight, safe. What happened today… was against what it means to be a knight." He wrinkled his snout slightly, still looking upwards. It looked like he was frowning, but… there was something other than displeasure in his look. Perhaps sadness?

"I know the code. But there is more to being a knight than the code. I have learned from the best, and he has taught me what it truly means to be a knight. And I will not back down from that."
 
-----

Alice

Birch Enclave​

"Geoff, you're going to lead a chick who just got here around the entire place like the risk of the Knights coming here is nothing to worry about?"

"Yes, if she's up for it. I've already told you: no one -- especially not a Knight -- would be stupid enough to come to an Enclave alone in hostility."

"Fine! Do what you want! Don't blame me if she slashes you in the back when you're showing her a dark alley!" Brice stormed out of the clinic, almost literally considering sparks were flying from his body. Geoffrey turned back to the Absol, bowing his head in slight shame.

"I apologize for my partner's attitude. A Council spy killed his mother in cold blood while he was at lessons. Poor gal didn't do a thing, but he just... slaughtered her. Body ripped apart, and all that."

"My condolences," she answered, for once speaking truthfully about her sympathy for a Mechanist, and pondering about the Council even more so now than ever before. Killing someone that attacks you is one thing, but a civilian that doesn't even want to fight? Heartless. "But I would enjoy seeing what the enclave has to offer."

Walking around Birch, Alice noticed how large it really was. Sure, the clinic had a view of the entire city, but when you get to actually seeing the buildings and streetways it's almost dauntingly enormous. It was certainly bigger than Tanyun, if they could be compared. Metal and foliage encompassed the area, even acting as support beams for the underground town, probably because the surface above it could fall.

All the buildings were made of metal, too. It was obviously more malleable than stone, as many of the homes looked stylishly disconfigured to suit their owners' tastes; they all seemed to blend perfectly together in spite of multiple different designs. Some of them had vines and flowers abound, some were covered in dirt for a more earthy look, and some were even painted. Did they have Smeargle doing that on request? Their MediMart, a place for basic medical supplies anyone could use as Geoffrey said, had its "MediMart" blue-painted banner glowing fluorescently. Alice was told that the paint was spread over lights that the Mart's resident Lanturn charges on a daily basis, and it goes out at night to signify the shop's closing time.

There was an inn for traveling Mechanists as well, emphasizing hospitality pretty strongly according to its Blissey owner. The beds looked comfortable, they had a full selection of fresh food, and the employees enjoyed their job. The pride of the city, however, wasn't in the hotel, the clinic, the buildings, or even the training ground.

It was the convention center. At least a couple thousand square feet large, with little more than the front doors being revealed from the front, this thing probably was probably carved straight into the stone and dirt. reaching to the ocean. The inside was probably able to hold an entire enclave in itself, which may be a good thing in time of disaster.

"Most of our general business is conducted here, since it's the only building big enough to accommodate all of the Declarum Forces. The other enclaves have their own for enclave-specific issues, but none as big as this."

"ATTENTION, ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! THAT IS ALL." Alice winced at the sudden booming around the city.

"And those are the megaphones that were set up so the entire enclave can receive any urgent news." Everything seemed to have a useful purpose, even speakers. "Anyways, since we're around the building and I won't have time to bring you back to the clinic, would you be so willing as to come inside? Making it to the Kanto Enclave unscathed could easily make you a reliable soldier for the Declarum Forces if you ever decide to join us." On the way in, Alice noticed an armored Crawdaunt outside, and an awfully familiar one at that.

"GEOFF, YOU IDIOT!" Brice shouted across the road. "YOU'RE BRINGIN' THAT NEWBIE TO A DF MEETING?!" When he caught up, Geoff answered him.

"Yes, that was the idea. I can't very well bring her back to the clinic and return in time, it's nearly halfway across the enclave."

"AUGH. I hate you." Without any more arguing, knowing Geoff to be a punctual person, Brice stomped into the convention center, his partner and Alice trailing behind.

Ken Bala

Birch Enclave​

"ATTENTION, ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! ALL DECLARUM FORCES ARE TO GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER! THAT IS ALL." Well, that didn't give Ken much time to relax. Granted, that little time was spent sleeping and refilling his pellet supply, but still.
 
Ribibin Triss

"You do not have to make excuses around me, Triss. I know fully well what position you're in. I have met a lot of others who had the same view of things as you do. Personally…" he glanced a little upwards, pausing for a moment while thinking about what he wanted to say. Ribibin eagerly anticipated the next words but was a bit surprised when she heard them.

"… I do not see much point in females having the same jobs as males in our society, but I suppose that is simply how I have been brought up. However." He added before she could say something emotional that her better senses knew she would regret later. "That does not mean I think little of females. One gender could not exist without the other. And to add to that… when a female becomes a knight, they simply stop being a female. They become a knight, with the purpose of serving the council, and the land's people. Once you are a knight… things such as gender mean nothing. To me, at least."

Triss looked up at Caedmon, trying to not reveal her thoughts. She didn't know what to say now. "I never... thought about it that way." Knights had no genders? Oh, but they did. Alice was the only highly ranked woman. Genders did exist. But Triss wasn't going to argue with Caedmon now.

As the Lucario continued talking about the fine line between being a slave and being a rebel, Ribibin listened. She walked closer to him than she usually walked, even with friends. She didn't even notice it. The Lucario spoke calmly and wisely. He seemed so inverted and somewhat without a real personality at times, but she now saw that it was wrong. He had a lot of history, a lot of reasons for doing what he did and being who he was. At least one really good reason, he must have. She had heard what Maverick had said about his past, during the massacre in the mechanist enclave. His parents...

But he said that females couldn't have the same jobs as males. What did he mean by that? Ribibin could do anything she wanted. Any female could, at least just as well as males. Her feminist mind wouldn't accept anyone saying these things, even though some part of her deep inside had an idea of that men and their bigger physical strength and competitive minds probably were better at some things, while women were better at others. That was something she was never going to accept. And it was... beside the point right now anyways.

"I know the code. But there is more to being a knight than the code. I have learned from the best, and he has taught me what it truly means to be a knight. And I will not back down from that," Caedmon finished.

"You are wise. It's good that we have a commander like you," Ribibin said, without much emotion. It sounded like a simple statement. She didn't want to imply that she didn't think Maverick was good; the Grovyle seemed very wise as well. In other ways. She actually didn't know what more to say now. They just walked on in silence back to Markus.​
 
"You are wise. It's good that we have a commander like you." Ribibin replied to Caedmon's long train of thought. She didn't, however, sound all that convincing when she had said it. Caedmon didn't mind, however. She was right in the fact that life within the cities was very unfair for the women, which was why he did everything in his power to make everyone equals, as soon as they became knights. It had proven… fairly fruitless thus far, however. He –was- only one person.

He walked along silently for a while, finishing off the berry, licking his paw clean afterwards. As the city began sprouting in the horizon, Caedmon glanced down at Triss again, suddenly looking very thoughtful. He then slowly spoke, looking ahead of himself again.
"… I realize that life can be very unfair, on females especially. I… hrm." He lifted a paw, scratching his chin a little, his mind registering a large amount of figures moving about at the gates.

"I once had a friend. She was in the same squad as me, and she was, by every measure of it, better than me at the time. I was rather young, but we got along perfectly. She had the same views of females as you and Alice most likely have. I will not say you have a certain point of view, I am only guessing. But whenever we had a spare moment, she would try to make me understand. Try to teach me how a female could do exactly the same as a man, and why we should all be equal."

A faint smile spread on his lips, memories starting to flood back to him, making his gaze lift slightly towards the darkening sky. "I never quite understood it. But she kept trying. I think I may have started to see… at least a hint of the reasoning behind it, eventually." He sighed faintly, his ears laying slightly back on the top of his head as a faint frown spreads on his lips. "Of course, this only lasted until-"

He broke himself off, his ears twitching and his head snapping back to stare ahead of him. His ears had picked up one of the guards saying something to Maverick. He hadn't quite heard it, but somewhere inside of him, he had understood that this was bad, bad news.
"OPEN THESE GATES! KNIGHTS, DOUBLE TIME TO THE CHAMBERS! CAEDMON AND KNIGHT-COMMANDERS WITH ME! THAT MEANS YOU TOO RIBIBIN!"

Caedmon gave a glance to Ribibin, his emotional expression completely disappeared to make way for the serious, determined mask he always wore in battle. As Maverick stormed in through the gates, Caedmon dashed forwards as well, following right behind him.

After just a few moments of running through the empty, almost dark streets, they ran inside of the council's office. Caedmon lept up the stairs three at a time until they reached the council's chamber. He swiftly moved up next to Maverick and knelt down, resting a paw on his risen knee, the other on the ground. Of the quick look into the room, he noticed that Matthew wasn't there. Perhaps that was what the knight had been saying. He had focused too much on Ribibin, and it had left him exposed. It annoyed him, and he promised himself that he would not be so careless another time.
 
Ribibin Triss

"Of course, this only lasted until-" Caedmon broke himself off and Ribibin raised an eyebrow. Then she heard Maverick's voice from the front.

"OPEN THESE GATES! KNIGHTS, DOUBLE TIME TO THE CHAMBERS! CAEDMON AND KNIGHT-COMMANDERS WITH ME! THAT MEANS YOU TOO RIBIBIN!"

Oh no, she thought as Caedmon threw her a serious glance and dashed away. She followed him immediately, having only a little trouble keeping up with the well trained Lucario as they reached the Council building and ran up the stairs. Caedmon leaped up the stairs three at a time, something Ribibin only managed to do for the first half or so. It wasn't that she wasn't as well trained as he was! It was because... she was a... No, now was not the time to think such stupid thoughts.

She saw the Commander and the Knight-Commanders kneeling before the council and suddenly got an urge to stand up. Just because she could. But she couldn't, of course. The traditions were too deeply etched into her and that was a good thing. Traditions made their society run smoothly. She knelt down just beside the Lucario. His dirty armor gave off a slight stench of dried blood already, but Ribibin didn't even frown.

She didn't glance up at the council and didn't notice Matthew's absence. Her only thought at the moment was that she wasn't sure how to behave. Really; she was a slightly barbaric - yet stylish - Knight, not a real Knight-Commander. Wouldn't they even be surprised to see her here? They would ask about Alice... She felt the piece of armor that she still carried underneath her own.



((OOC: new page dance~))
​
 
Maverick Renos
Location: Council Meeting Room​

The Council looked at the assembled Knights. Fergo frowned, "Maverick, where is Ludo and Alice?" Maverick looked up at the Gengar, "Sir, Ludo is currently back at the enclave cleaning up the trash and will collapse the cave we found it in. Alice... is currently on a mission. Ribibin has been temporarily charged with her position until she returns."

Fergo stared at the Weavile and nodded, "Very well. What did you find in the enclave?"

Maverick held out the disc, "We believe that this is their map. We do not know how to read it but we have taken two prisoners from the enclave, a Nuzleaf who is a part of their army and a Timburr who was a civilian there. My Knights are already transporting them to the prison to start the interrogations."

Fergo nodded wearily, "Very good Maverick."

There was some silence before the Gengar spoke again, "As you have noticed, Matthew is not among us. A group of Mechanist forces managed to teleport into the area and stormed our office. They attempted to slaughter us in cold blood and when that plan did not work out they instead used their technology to disable us and left with Matthew. I highly fear that they are torturing him into revealing the secrets of our city."

Joshua sighed, "Indeed, he is young. He will be broken easily unless your Knights are able to find the place they have taken him to and free him from his imprisonment."

Fergo nodded, "That is your new task Knights to find his whereabouts and slay any Mechanists that get in your way."

Maverick nodded, "Sir, we do not have any leads though. Did something get dropped during the attack?"

Urit nodded, "Yeah it did! Or should we say, someone?"

"While the Mechanists attacked two of their own fell in battle. One of them is dead, the other was knocked unconscious and thought to be dead. We currently have him in the interrogation room, but I find it will be better if one who has gone to the enclaves and understands their layouts will interrogate him. Now, did anything significant happen during your judgement on the enclaves?" Fergo asked.

Maverick looked for a brief second at Caedmon and shook his head, "Nothing I find significant sir. Although my second in command may something if he wishes."

The Council looked at Caedmon, "Well, did something significant happen Caedmon?" Fergo asked.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damon Malruth
Location: Birch Enclave​

Damon sighed as he watched the D.F. gather into the center, finding seats at the tables that had hastily been arranged. This time there was no food and no friendly banter. Most knew that this meeting had been called for one reason. Once the room filled up Damon walked up to the podium and looked around. He took in a deep breath. "Just a few minutes ago... we were alerted that there was an attack at the Kanto Enclave." There were some murmurs among the soldiers but Damon kept going. "A group of Knights managed to find it and proceeded to kill all inside. One of the few survivors that managed to avoid detection barely gave us a warning a few minutes ago before the signal was cut off."

He let that sink in before continuing. "It's highly likely that the enclave is wiped out, but there is still a chance that there are still some survivors hidden in safe room. Our mission is to head out and locate them. We will teleport into the city and do our best to find them. There is a chance that there are still some Knights wandering the area. If we must then we will engage in battle with them. Everyone, suit up and be prepared to leave in ten minutes. We are not waiting for any stragglers."

Damon walked away from the mic as the room burst into action as the soldiers headed out. Urta frowned, "So, now the true war starts huh?"

Damon sighed, "Years of hiding and now it's all coming apart. Yeah, the war really does start."
 
Caedmon Yeonart
Council Meeting Room​

Caedmon remained quiet as Maverick and the council conversed, thoughts filling up his mind. He had promised himself to remain focused and not let his mind wander as it had earlier, and he was doing so, even if he wanted to go into details with the information presented to him right now; Matthew was taken captive and the Mechanists had left one of theirs behind.

He couldn't help but feel the council's eyes resting on him and the others, but he kept his position calmly, even if he was going to be waiting for hours like this, kneeling on the floor. He had gone through training like that before, and he had learned to accept patience.
"That is your new task Knights to find his whereabouts and slay any Mechanists that get in your way." Fergo said.

Caedmon huffed quietly. Without any information extracted from the new prisoner, that would be a very tough job. Not to mention that he was probably trained to withstand any kind of torture they could provide. Caedmon had never been happy about torture, but as with much else in his life, it had been a necessary evil.

The council then asked Maverick if anything significant had happened, to which Caedmon dared to turn his head slightly and glance at Maverick, who looked back at him and shook his head.
"Nothing I find significant sir. Although my second in command may something if he wishes."

Caedmon's eyes narrowed, and when the council asked him, he lifted his head, but remained in his kneeling position, his expression firm, his brows furrowed, looking all in all, very serious.

"Yes, something significant happened, sir. We had wiped out the majority of the Mechanists and were in the process of rounding up prisoners. Once we had collected them all, we took them to the town square. Considering they were civilians and had nothing to do with the fighting, I felt it was necessary to bring them here and imprison them and perhaps try to reform them, or extract information out of them. Maverick thought otherwise."

He took a moment while his paw clenched slightly around his knee, loosening up a moment later, meeting the council's eyes with his own, pierching, light-blue ones.
"Maverick felt the need to only keep one of the Mechanists alive, and he ordered them all killed. I spoke up, and he proceeded to murder them all. I was brought up with the code, and I know it from beginning to end. However, these were not our foes. These were civilians. Bystanders. And I feel that what Maverick did, was wrong. We, as knights, are supposed to protect the weak and bring order to chaos. Not sow needless destruction across the land, where it can be avoided."

Finishing his little speech, he lowered his head respectfully again, not even glancing towards Maverick. He had spoken out his heart, and he was sure that the council would see reason with what he had said. However, there was a small, nagging suspicion at the very back of his head. Something gnawing at his subconscious and providing a foreboding feeling. He chose to ignore it, however.
"That is all."
 
Ribibin Triss

Ribibin kept her head low and listened to what Maverick said. When he mentioned Alice's "mission", Ribibin twitched a little. Did he know what she had done? She sounded to Ribibin like she hadn't told anyone but her. Maybe Maverick had been the one to give her the mission from the start? Or maybe... maybe Maverick only said that to avoid saying the truth. Maybe she would inquire the Commander about it later. The Council seemed to accept that Triss was the stand-in Knight-Commander and that made her both relieved and even more nervous. She hadn't expected this to be a long-term position.

Then Caedmon spoke up. He told the Council what happened in the enclave. Ribibin didn't look up at him even once. She kept kneeling in front of the might people she had always obeyed, and even if some small part of her wanted to help Caedmon... just maybe throw in that she could understand where he was coming from... but no. She wasn't even sure what she thought, and it wasn't worth risking her own neck for him. Or was it? Ah, conflicting thoughts. She really wasn't Knight-Commander material for real...
​
 
Brenn, much to her surprise, managed to stumble into the meeting in time. Next time she is in the Birch enclave, she will have to ask for a map. When Brenn walked into the meeting however, there seemed to be an air of unease. Judging by that and the severity of the loudspeaker's voice, Brenn could sense that bad news was ahead. Chairs were set out for everyone to sit at, but Brenn chose to stand in the back of the room. She felt more comfortable in places where she could overlook everything, even if the people she were overlooking were her allies.

Damon entered the center of the room, prepared to deliver the news. Brenn wasn't aware of what the news could be, but Damon did not look at ease. The Linoone hesitated for a brief moment before relaying the news. Brenn's anger suddenly peaked; her claws snapped shut and a small snarl escaped her lips. The knights; the honor-less brutes that they are; had seized the Kanto Enclave and slain most of it's denizens. Sometimes Brenn questioned whether or not leaving the knights was a good idea. Whether or not leaving the knights was worth the risk. But after hearing tale after tale of their brutality towards those who have different ideals, this cemented Brenn's resolve.

She would never bring herself to forgive them for what they've done to their citizens and those outside of their jurisdiction. Brenn decided she will do anything in her power to take down the knights and assist in changing the world for the better. As soon as Damon told the knights to get ready she immediately left to clean off her shell. She was back within two minutes, impatiently tapping her shell covered foot waiting for the others to arrive.
 
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