Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 14, 2019 16:48:49 GMT
The Glowworm Caverns had been one of the many things about Arciel that drew her in.
Like so many places deep in the earth, it felt like humans understood so little about it compared to the surface world. In the ocean there were creatures that nobody had even seen at depths no man could ever survive. Underground there were miracles of nature and life, such as the mysterious moss that grew around--and only inside--the caverns outside of Pine Town. Not to mention the precious treasures, both literal and figurative, that laid down its winding tunnels and at the bottom of its deep, black rivers. Everything here was almost...alien, in a way. And Senara loved it from the bottom of her heart.
It was one of the few times she actually felt that way about anything, living or not.
"Magnifique..." she mumbled as her eyes adjusted to the dark, running her fingers over the moss so they shone in the same mysterious way. "Absolument incroyable..."
Senara was kitted out for traversing the caverns for at least a few days. Potions, berries, pokeballs in case she found something interesting, her explorer's kit in case that something was something mineral instead of animal...oh, and actual necessities for her. Food, water, bedroll, etc. She wasn't new to this sort of thing. Contrarily, she'd gone to university to study these places, to understand them, to learn how they existed and what lurked deep inside them. This was her habitat in a way--if she were a Pokemon, this had to be where she'd live. Baby Girl agreed, but then again, Sableye were actually from caves like this one, so she was somewhat biased. Adjusting the straps of the thick denim overalls she had on over her turtleneck, Senara made sure that the little Emolga sleeping in her front pocket wasn't uncomfortable before she proceeded. Joujou made for a pretty convenient battery for her mining helmet, but she needed her rest, too.
Baby Girl was at her side rather than riding in her coat; babies got priority to snuggles, and besides she was more comfortable in slick dark caverns than anywhere else.
Post by Shalin Nariya on Nov 14, 2019 17:18:50 GMT
Prance's hooves clacked against the dirt and gravel side road as her trainer rode eastward. Shalin found a wide cave mouth on the west side of the vast mountain range, her eyes lighting up. The main roads existed for a reason - they were the fastest way to get from point A to point B. She wasn't just traveling Arciel, though - she wanted to see every unusual and unique sight the region had to offer. Well, as many as she reasonably could. She stepped beyond the cave mouth, quickly seeing she would not fit atop Prance here. Typical. "Sorry, girl," she apologized, sliding off her Pokémon and recalling the Normal-type.
She dug through her spelunking supplies. Rations, check. Water, check. Bedroll, check. Lantern, check. Fuel, check. Lighter...wait, she forgot that! She paced for a few moments before a solution came to her. She released Caprice, who she would be mostly relying on for exploration anyway. She carefully set her lantern down. "Mind getting me a light here? Carefully." The Vulpix nodded, putting her head as close to the lantern's cone as possible before shooting a close-range Ember toward its center. All she needed to do was provide a spark, and the lantern oil would do the rest of the work.
At last, her first real adventure in Arciel was about to begin. Caprice tagging along in front of Shalin, the two navigated the first couple of turns, the cavern dimly lit by bio-luminescent moss. She set her lamp down to examining the moss, running her finger over it. To her surprise, she started shedding the same light as well! It was like one of those laser tag places Aravan told her about, where everything glowed in the dark.
As she made her next turn, she saw another human figure glowing not too far from her. "Oh!" she cried, Caprice trotting toward the unidentified person. "No, Caprice, get back here!"
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 14, 2019 18:20:36 GMT
"Qu'en penses-tu, bébé, est-ce trop risqué d'essayer de le manger?" Senara mused as she continued to walk along the cavern wall, fingers never leaving the moss as more and more of its "light" covered her hand, eventually coating the entirety of her palm in its bio-luminescence. Baby Girl sniffed at the moss, looked up at her trainer, and made as flat a "No" face as one can when your eyes are made of gemstones. Senara snickered at her expression. "Juste, juste. C'est pourquoi j'étudie les roches, pas les plantes."
The sound of running water was getting closer as they approached the first of the cave's many underground rivers, so she reached into the left pocket of her overalls to feel for Crepe's pokeball. She didn't plan on going by the water right now, but if there was any interesting things in there she should have him on hand. It was at that moment that she heard another voice echoing down the cavern and she stopped short of a full step.
It was a public cavern, of course. Anyone was allowed to come in here and do as they wished. But she had hoped to have this chance to herself without any bumbling trainer or, worse, tourist coming along and spoiling the experience. When tiny soft footsteps reached just into her space she glanced down to find--
Holy Hell this Vulpix is almost as big as my Snorlax.
Senara took a surprised step back, while Baby Girl stepped up and started to chatter at the clearly-not-wild Vulpix in a casual manner. Senara glanced up again to look for the trainer this beast had come from--and beast it was, with that size. It was enormous.
When she found she couldn't quite see them clear enough she clicked the small light on her mining helmet, trying to aim it out of somebody's face should they be standing there. They were only slightly taller than she was. Damn her height.
"Hello? Is this," she glanced down (though not very far) again at the Vulpix, "Very large Pokemon yours?" Baby Girl appeared to be introducing herself in their own language, which was fine. She was always more sociable in her environment. "She's impressive."
Shalin Nariya WC: 374 Caprice is as big as Polochon! ...which isn't saying very much.
Only a few seconds after the question was asked, a strange rumbling reverberated throughout the caverns. The scritch scratch of something moving across the stone flooring none too smoothly followed right after. In the darkness only illuminated by the glow of moss, however, it's hard to determine where it's coming from. Better be on your toes.
Post by Shalin Nariya on Nov 15, 2019 23:36:58 GMT
"That's Caprice for you," Shalin smiled, her Vulpix now glowing in the darkness that was the winding caverns. Turning her lantern back toward her backpack, she pulled out a Fire Stone. "If this cavern is open enough, she might get even bigger," she smiled, Caprice reaching for the red and orange rock in her hand. "Not yet," she pointed toward the Fire-type with her off hand. "You don't want to grow so big to whack your head on the ceiling, would you?" She pocketed the Stone. "Shalin Nariya, wildest rider this side of--"
A somewhat loud rumble echoed from the tunnels beyond, Caprice's fur immediately standing on end, her mouth frothing with embers. "I'm going ahead," she affirmed, picking her lantern back up and pointing it ahead. As deftly as she tried to walk, every step from both her and her Vulpix echoed loudly. Whatever this thing was, there would be no surprising it. Hopefully, it didn't surprise her.
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 16, 2019 13:36:16 GMT
The woman grew closer until Senara could clearly see her, when she offered her a polite smile. Ah. Not a trainer then; from the amount of supplies on her back she was well prepared for exploring the caverns. Thank God, the last thing she wanted around here was some idiot with no experience trying to make his way through with a few berries and a dream. And her Vulpix, Caprice...wait, that was a Kalosian word, or at least in origin. "Parlez-vous le Kalosian?" She mused while the woman pulled something from her bag.
Senara's eye glittered in the darkness. That was a Fire Stone! How lovely! While not the most uncommon of treasures it was certainly something of notice. But Shalin here had her heart set on using in on this Vulpix. Feh, she wouldn't be likely to sell it...
But since when was that an issue for me?
The sound of rumbling and skittering only turned her head for a moment, the light of her miner's helmet illuminating where the moss' faint glow only slightly reflected off. What kind of creatures were moving about in the dark? I've had my fill of Zubat for several lifetimes.She decided to continue along with the woman in front, Baby GIrl still keeping pace with the Vulpix. Goodness, wasn't she being sociable. Maybe because she'd seen the stone as well...what a greedy little thief. "Senara Spargo, mineralogist with a M1 in evolutionary stones. Pleasure to meet you." The introductions had been cut short for a moment but she wasn't going to resist the chance to brag. if only a little, to an explorer.
Post by Shalin Nariya on Nov 16, 2019 22:54:25 GMT
"...What did you say?" Shalin looked confused when Senara seemingly asked her a question. Kalosian? She had only heard of Kalos by study. She'd seen a few pictures, and they were all breathtaking. She considered going there instead of Arciel for her journey, deciding against it when she found out the region had its own language. There is a certain age where learning a new language would be easy, and she knew she was well past it.
Shaking her head, she continued leading Senara and the Pokémon deeper into the tunnels. "Great to meet you, too." A geologist, huh? They'd get along quickly. While not having identical interests, the fields were close enough. Her voice grew progressively quieter as the party traveled deeper. "I'm not actually native to Arciel. My homeland is Johto, but I'm rarely home. Feels like I've set foot on every square mile of that place already. My travels have taken me to Hoenn, and now Arciel." She seemed less interested in the conversation and more keeping her eyes peeled for danger. While spelunking was fine, this cramped environment was not what her team was designed to fight in.
As you walk through the tunnel, it becomes steeper and steeper in the downward direction. With sturdy enough shoes, you can probably make it without slipping and sliding, but gripping the wall wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Once the ground starts leveling off again, however, you find yourself in a larger chamber wherein four Nosepass seem to be standing at angles with one another and walking slowly in a strange pattern. The sound of scraping on the ground was most definitely from them, but what exactly are they doing?
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 17, 2019 16:54:46 GMT
"Ah, it was nothing. I asked if you spoke Kalosian, since your Vulpix is named Caprice," Senara shrugged one shoulder, mildly disappointed that the woman didn't speak her native language if only for simplicity's sake. She wasn't bad at Galarian--or whatever those around here called it--but it was always easier for her to speak what she'd spoken all her life. She had to wonder, though, what led her to picking that name for her Vulpix.
Senara reached up to turn off her mining helmet's light, since the moss and Shalin's lantern provided more than enough illumination for them without her using the batteries up. The path was growing steadily steeper as well. Luckily her boots had good traction specifically for these sorts of things. Baby Girl paused to let her trainer catch up, then climbed up the woman to perch on her shoulder for a better vantage point. "Johto and Hoenn; that sounds lovely." She spoke quickly to not cover the sounds still coming from down the tunnel. Curious that there would be so much movement in a still-relatively shallow part of the caves...she expected less until they were much deeper in. Lucky.
The earth beneath them stopped its slope in time for her eye to better adjust to the low-lighting, and before them stood a pack of...Nosepass? What in the world? Nosepass were Pokemon that barely moved about when people were near, what were they doing walking around? She went absolutely silent, crouching lower to the ground to help quiet her steps. Whatever it was it was absolutely a most interesting sight. Would that she had taken out her notepad before descending...she'd just have to memorize as much as she could to document when she could move freely again.
"......Nosepass' magnetic nose helps them pull up metal," she whispered so softly that no echo came from her, "What do you suppose they're doing? Looking for Durants?"
Post by Shalin Nariya on Nov 17, 2019 23:26:13 GMT
"No, I don't speak Kalosian. I've seen pictures of some landmarks there, but that's about it," Shalin quietly answered as to not disturb the wilds. "Some of the Pokémon native to Kalos, like Pyroar, would be really cool to have." She observed the Nosepass that appeared to be circling something she couldn't identify from this distance. "Nosepass are native to Hoenn. Their noses are magnetic, so they're good at finding buried metals. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of buried cache in the center of where they're walking."
Having the high ground helped, but Shalin could not shine her lantern directly on the Pokémon if she wanted to observe them undetected. She narrowed the light cone on it and turned it to one side. "I'm getting closer, Caprice, you stay back. If anything happens to me, don't be afraid to come get me." She walked down the slope to the level the Nosepass were on, stepping as lightly as possible.
Grind, grind grind— The rock Pokemon continued to move slowly against the rock below them. They didn’t seem to react as Shalin drew in closer, though. What she would see, though, was that there appeared to be dug-in markings on the ground within the circle the four of them made. Had the markings also been carved by the motions of the Nosepass or was this something else? Hard to say.
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 18, 2019 12:32:49 GMT
Well, a nose good for finding treasures would suit her work just fine; if only that nose wasn't attached to such a strange looking Pokemon. Its typing wasn't too interesting to her either. So without an interest in catching one, Senara could focus on other things, such as their intent and natures. Since they weren't moving too quickly from their place watching them she pulled out her phone from besides her little Emolga-battery-pack and turned the camera on, careful to avoid flashing the screen in the Nosepass' direction, and began typing in notes on their behavior. Shalin went ahead, but she didn't move.
"Petite fille, rapproche-toi un peu, puisque tu es plus petite. Pouvez-vous voir ce qu'il y a dans le cercle qu'ils creusent?" She whispered, and Baby Girl on her shoulder nodded and leaped quietly from her perch. Tiny purple feet didn't make even a tapping sound as it made its way closer to the Nosepass, wide diamond eyes observant in the darkness.
Since she was staying behind with the large Vulpix, she smiled just slightly at her.
Cutie. I should find a cute Fire type like this one for myself someday.
Shalin Nariya WC: 197 Senara is the sort to let nature do its thing for hours while taking notes. =w=;;
The cave was quiet enough that if the Nosepass cared about Shalin observing their activity, whatever it was, they didn't show it. She took a few steps back, shined her light in Senara's direction, and waved both her fellow traveler and her Pokémon up. Caprice was quick to follow. Even her light footsteps were clearly audible in the cavern as she joined her trainer.
Taking care not to shine her lantern directly on any of the Nosepass, Shalin brought the dim portion of her light cone over the markings the Nosepass were making in an effort to study them. That was when another marking in the center of them caught her eye. She slowly brought the beam over the center to investigate, ready to flee if the wilds looked to threaten her.
{WC: 133} {PC: 5}
Last Edit: Nov 21, 2019 0:19:10 GMT by Shalin Nariya
As Shalin moved over to investigate the marking in the center, she would quickly find it was not the Nosepass she should be afraid of. The ground immediately underfoot gave way, and catching the ledge was the only way to keep from falling into the absolute depths of darkness below. The Nosepass let out a strange ethereal noise all together and fled away from the pit.
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 22, 2019 18:41:12 GMT
FUCKING--
Senara was on her feet before she even thought about it, moving backwards away from the pit as it suddenly occurred. Baby Girl shrieked in surprised and managed to leap a good several feet away from the ledge, but the other girl...ooh, this was not going to be a pretty sight if she fell. On one hand, it would mean her stones would be available for the taking, as well as any Pokemon she had on her--it wouldn't do to leave the poor things to mourn alone. Yet as quickly as that thought had come to Senara it just as soon left her.
Nope. Reporting a death is going to take out too much time from this venture.
She pulled out a teal-gem-decorated pokeball and a length of rope and tossed the ball up into the air. "Polochon, you're our anchor! Stand here and don't move!" From the burst of light formed a very small, but no less dense, Snorlax, who blinked twice as he took in the scene around him. He didn't have long before a lasso went around his arm and was tied tight, while Senara tossed the other end towards Shalin. There was no way to tell if the rest of the ground was stable, so the safest thing to do was to stay on the edge and help from afar. The end of the rope went over the side of the chasm well in arm's reach of Shalin, and with a Snorlax on the other end as a counter-weight, it would be more than safe to hold onto and crawl back towards...or, if it was safe to, to descend.
Baby Girl was thankfully light enough to scuttle back towards her trainer without half as much fear as the human did, scampering up Senara's side to clutch her shoulders.
"Mon pauvre petit chéri, ça va? Shalin, grab the rope, just in case more gives out!"
Shalin Nariya WC: 325 This is twice now that Senara has opted to help people because them dying is annoying.
Once the ground cracked beneath her, Shalin immediately turned back toward Senara and Caprice. The bodies of the Nosepass were hard as rock and metal and would easily be able to survive a distant fall. Shalin, made of flesh and bone, was not so lucky. If she took a spill down that pit, she was history if nothing broke her fall. She ran toward Senara, but the collapse was outpacing her, and fast.
GrxiSTiap_
Seeing she wasn't going to make it to the rope before the ground completely fell from beneath her, she let out a loud cry before leaping to the rope that Senara's Pokémon was holding. Her trajectory true, she was able to grab onto the rope and start climbing up. She managed to climb up most of the way before her hand briefly slipped. "My hands are burning! Can you get me up the rest of the way?" Shalin asked Senara and her Pokémon.
Catching the rope, Shalin was able to save herself from falling into the depths below. With some strength, Senara could probably get her back up. The Nosepass, however, were fleeing each down a different pathway now. Should either of them follow these strange Pokemon? Or perhaps look down into the depths of this new hole?
Part one of this impromptu rescue plan was successful--Shalin caught the length of rope and didn't plummet however far down she could have into the chasm below. But she had not made it far enough to avoid dropping off and hurting herself in the process. Senara bit the inside of her mouth. Pull her up...Senara wasn't strong, and never had been. It was one of her biggest weaknesses. But somebody might die if she didn't at least try. "Polochon, hold the rope as I pull more in to hand to you. Don't let it slip."
Grabbing onto the rope, taunt with the weight of another person on the other end of it, she began to pull as much as she could while her Snorlax kept his claws around what she managed to reel in. At least her hands were already plenty rough from working in the mines so the burn wasn't as painful as it could have been. Just...keep...pulling...!
cjWd|wylp_
Alas, as much as she tried, she wasn't getting farther than a few centimeters at a time. Dammit this is why she let her Pokemon do the heavy lifting! She wasn't made for it! How did she tell somebody she was unable to pull them up because she was a noodle?
...lie. Definitely lie.
"It's stuck on some of the debris near the cracks, dammit....can you see the bottom? It might be easier to lower you down so you're not hanging and then get the rope secured, so you can climb out yourself?" Senara swallowed, trying now to look for a place to tie the rope asides from her Snorlax that looked like it, too, wasn't going to snap. "Honestly I'm tempted to come down with you...if this level is unstable, I don't want to be on it."
Post by Shalin Nariya on Nov 27, 2019 18:30:32 GMT
Shalin's heart jumped as she felt the rope stop. She could hold tight for a while, though - she had done this before when she scaled Mount Blackthorn during ver adventures back home. This time, she was in a lot more peril as she had no flying Pokémon as an insurance policy in case of a fall. "I still can't see the bottom!" she shouted back to Senara. "If I had a big flying Pokémon, this would be way easier." Her litheness came in handy in such situations. "The rope looks solid from here. If you can secure the rope to something solid, I should be able to climb up."
|3op6WnCp_
As she said that, Shalin's arms started to give, the rope shaking along with her weakening muscles, and all of her Pokémon were too small to help. If anything, she'd be endangering them more so than they already were. "Maybe not!" she shouted again, her fists turning red and white. "Hurry!"
{WC: 164} {PC: 7} Shalin will fall on a second failed Strength check.
Post by Senara Spargo on Nov 28, 2019 12:54:16 GMT
Senara hissed as the rope jerked in her hands, Shalin moving on the other end doing no favors to the situation. She looked around for something sturdy enough to tie it to. A few stalagmites here and there but if the floor was unstable then were they as well? She could leave it around Polochon but then he'd be either left alone up here or have to step closer to the hole himself to lower her to the ground, and if it couldn't support a hundred-something pound human there was no way a five-hundred pound Snorlax was going to make it to the ledge unharmed. She begrudgingly looped the rope around the stalagmite and began to slowly feed more of it through, lowering Shalin closer and closer to where, hopefully, the bottom of the chasm was. If she could at least get her close enough that dropping wouldn't kill her, then this would be worth it. If that wasn't possible, well...
Well there really wasn't much she could do in this situation, was there?
Unless...
He's not able to fly, but he can probably help...?
She tied off the now nearly fully depleted rope and recalled Polochon to her pokeball, and in his place withdrew one decorated in deep blue stones. "Crepe, go down there and act as a slide, just in case this doesn't work!" The beam of white light dispersed into the shape of an absolutely enormous Mantine, who, in a state of alarm over his usual state of awkwardness, flew over to the ledge and managed to gently drop down with the use of his wing-like fins, positioning one upwards in case Shalin fell to slow her descent.
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