The Numel sniffs haughtily at Gigen's challenge, but it obliges. Sort of.
The tiny camel Pokemon angles its head upward and spits out a eruption of lava over the side of the cliff, splatters of the hot, red substance whistling through the air towards the Gigen.
Numel used Lava Plume!
Gigen takes 1 Special Defense Damage!
On the hill, the Bulbasaur skids to a stop, clearly not expecting to see yet another darn obstacle in its way so soon. A pair of vines whip angrily at its sides as it tries to focus on a target, and Elise's two servants step forward in a to intercede should an attack be forthcoming, their machetes drawn sometime in the confusion of battle.
Then a tiny yellow blur zips along the ground, leaping up and latching on to the Bulbasaur's bulb with adorably miniscule fangs.
Iktomi used Bug Bite!
Bulbasaur takes 1 Defense Damage!
It's Super Effective!
The Bulbasaur starts, fly-bitten, turning this way and that to try and figure out what the hell is going on on its back that's so dang painful. It looks far more confused than angry, at this point. And then Elise tries to cajole it, wondrous.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not even going to throw a Voltage in here, just gonna tag Bulbasaur's [Belligerent Bulbasaur 1] Trait. Mostly because I want to see what Rawk is planning (besides probably trying to wrangle some voltage out of me).
...and 1 Volt wagered by Rawk certainly does it. This Bulbasaur has Vine Whip, Bullet Seed, Snarl and access to [Crush 1] and [Sneak 1] Assists. Have fun!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zeal used Aerial Ace!
Charmander takes 1 Defense Damage!
The Charmander angrily snorts a tiny puff of ash at the sudden appearance of a swiftly attacking rival, which is even now ignoring it in order to look at something way over there! Unacceptable.
Taking in a deep breath, the Charmander unleashes a stream of fire up into the air towards Zeal. The Bug Type hovers cannily, ready to dodge, but the fire wasn't aimed at her, it was aimed around her. Writhing like a snake, the flames curls and coils around Zeal like something alive, trapping the Combee in a tightening prison of fire. Though the flames aren't quite close enough to singe her yet, the air is getting uncomfortably hot.
Charmander used Fire Spin!
Zeal takes 1 Special Defense Damage! Zeal is Trapped and cannot Shift!
It's Super Effective!
Tullius [Booksmart 1][Praetor 3] - Volt: 6 *Timaeus Orion
Tullius groans. So much for a peaceful solution. "Fine, Timaeus, let's see if we can't get these guys to cool down a bit."
Timaeus leaps into action, drawing his pristinely sharp scalchop and leveling it at the Charmander. He points at the lizard with his forepaw and then tilts the paw such that his little thumb is pointing downwards. He makes a quick dash up to the creature, moving rather quickly for its stubby legs, and then dashes past with a lightning-quick slash.
The Charmander, fixated on keeping its airborne opponent in their place, doesn't even notice Timaeus' attack until it's too late, the Oshawott having already darting past, leaving a light blue aura lingering in the path of its Water-charged blade.
Timaeus used Razor Shell!
Charmander takes 4 HP Damage!
It's Super Effective!
A brief expression of confusion passes over the Fire-Type's face and then, with little fanfare, it collapses to the ground, bright, ember-like motes rapidly forming in the air around its body.
Charmander is Downed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gonna throw an Ante of 1 on capturing this thing, if'n anybody wants it.
This is a good bulbasaur, someone should befriend it.
Elise & Zeal
Elise thrusts an empty palm backwards, signalling to the servants to stay safe and back. Moving forward towards the Numel her irritation is increased oncemore as the bulbasaur rudely and intentionally leaps in her way, blocking the best path down the hill.
Arching its back and glancing about briefly to make sure whatever that earlier menace was is gone, it fires a barrage of seeds at the camel pokemon.
Bulbasaur uses bullet seed on Numel.
Zeal is left to her own devices. Probably uses heal order since that's the only thing she can do in her current situation.
The Bulbasaur's hardened, pebble-shaped projectiles arc up over the cliff, pummeling the Numel.
Bulbasaur used Bullet Seed!
Numel takes 1 Defense and 1 HP Damage!
As the spent seeds ricochet off the Numb Pokemon's tough back, the Numel glares daggers at Timaeus, tiny feet stomping at the ground and smoke pouring from its nostrils. It doesn't seem to even be registering the Bulbasaur's punishing fusillade.
Tanaka strides towards the clifftop, surer and surer that he and his companions are messing up this whole situation. When the Bulbasaur continues being a huge jerk, the monk decides he's seen enough.
"Hey, hey! Everyone stop tryin' to beat the tar outta each other! We've gotten in the middle of something that isn't our business! And we're only making it worse by beating these guys up! Especially that Charmander. That was uncalled for."
Gigen stops acting sullen. The human's doing a friendship thing, and he'd be damned if he doesn't join in that business. The ghost lopes over to his pupil and walks with him.
The duo stop in front of Numel, arms crossed.
"Noble volcano-beast, I've acted rashly today and, well, I feel like a big heel. I apologize." Gigen nods in agreement. The human is a big heel. "I hope you can find it in you to forgive me." Tanaka holds out his hand. "Let's stop this silly scrap, eh?"
You can probably use [Willful Wisdom Seeker] on this pretty easy, if you are so inclined. Don't forget if you use a trait and bid no Voltage and still win, you don't have to pay anything!
Tullius [Booksmart 1][Praetor 3] - Volt: 6 *Timaeus Orion
"I was just following your le-" Tullius ceases reprimanding Tanaka's utter lack of planning when the Codex of Law once more takes its leave of his shoulder and opens of its own volition. "Aw, hell," Tullius groans as the now-familiar pain enters the front of his mind. He's about to say something else when the pain expands into a full-blown migraine, and Tullius collapses, the Codex whirling about over his body.
Tullius closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose hard, trying to draw the pain away, but he knows it won't make any difference. On his knees, his vision becomes dominated by a silver blur, starting in the peripheral and moving forward until he is completely blinded at the peak of the pain. The book's spinning comes to an abrupt halt at that moment, once again opened to a unique entry. This one happens to be on the manner of punishment to be dealt for the theft of bread, beer, or liquor. Again, those nearby feel a faint pull in the direction of the book as it draws in the spirit of the defeated Charmander. Several seconds later, the book falls to the ground, still open to the same page, and a curious marking appears in the background.
Timaeus, for his part, makes sure that nobody (not even the other humans, but especially not the Numel or Bulbasaur) approach Tullius, overly protective of his friend while the man is in such a weakened state. When Tullius blinks a few times as the sight returns to his eyes and climbs back to his feet, the Oshawott lifts the book carefully and hands it back to Tullius.
"Thanks, buddy," Tullius replies, still evidently not back together completely. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head a few times as he puts the book's strap back on his shoulder. "Okay, what'd I miss?"
Tullius expends one voltage and captures the Charmander!
Tullius [Booksmart 1][Praetor 3] - Volt: 5 *Timaeus Orion
Headache weakening but still present, Tullius barely hears the servant. "I'll be fine," he mumbles, holding a hand as if to suggest that the servant keep his distance. So distracted by his own predicament, he can't really pay too much attention to what anyone else is doing at the moment.
Spot Check Wager:
Just 1 Voltage this time to see if Tullius can see what the Bulbasaur's doing.
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Halos Nach TariffCan you blame me?I'm too famous.Registered Userregular
edited June 2012
Catarine[Noblewoman 3][Delicate Fencer 1] - Volt: Mitsuhide
Catarine gazes round at her companions, they certainly seem quick to leap into a fray, an admirable trait in some circumstances perhaps, the young noble prefers a more measured approach. 'Friends, this has the look of little more than a quarrel 'mongst pokémon does it not? Perhaps it would be best to leave them to it, no? Although I suppose it is rather too late now...' she calls out, before becoming somewhat distracted by the various spinning, book-y shenanigans happening beside her. 'Are you alright Praetor? Is, uh, is that book supposed to do that?'
Mitsuhide snaps his head momentarily towards Tullius before discerning this new commotion holds no threat to his ward and returning his gaze to the bulbasaur.
Which has vanished.
Silently berating his own foolishness Mitsuhide carefully scans the immediate area for signs of the creature.
Thowing up some Voltage to see if Mitsuhide can spot the errant bulbasaur:
Numel throws a foot into Tanaka's hand. Very civil.
"Woah, you're the first guy that's worked on." The monk rubs the back of his head. "Uh, anyway. Could you tell us why you where chasing that Bulbasaur?" Gigen gets ready to translate.
Tullius [Booksmart 1][Praetor 3] - Volt: 5 *Timaeus Orion
"'Supposed to' is such a loose term, Catarine. I'd like to see you, or anyone for that matter, dissuade it." Tullius runs a hand through his hair as the last vestige of headache fades. "It's a long story involving an exceedingly irate ghost. All that matters is that it's happened before, and it'll probably happen again. I'll live."
Wait of course I can use a dark/grass best bulbasaur with an antagonistic personality. Don't particularly mind someone else taking it if they don't got a guy yet.
Elise & Zeal
Elise discretely clenches a single gauntleted fist. Those two are going to get themselves killed if they keep playing hero... just what did her parents ask them to do on this "routine excursion"? Battle's over now, she can talk to them later.
[Disciplined] enough to not let her attention stray for long from the bulbasaur that was literally right in front of her just a few seconds ago, Elise glances around, wondering where he went off to.
All three Zealheads cry out at once, calling themselves to focused attention as they glow green, her minor wounds restored.
Wager
1 volt and tagging [Disciplined Dame] to stop its sneakening.
"Because it's annoying and breaks things," would be the rather terse answer the Numel is prepared to broadly demonstrate before getting all up in Gigen's business about where its buddy, Charmander, is at.
Getting knocked the hell out isn't exactly a rarity for the little lizard, but the Numel can usually sense that they're still "around" in a manner of speaking, and will be back on their feet in a week or so. That's no longer the case right now, and they suspect you lot got something to do with it.
The servant half-heartedly approaching Tullius is more than happy to continue keeping his distance, though, in deference to the praetor getting a hold of himself and the situation cooling down a bit, is now holding his machete in a slightly less offensive manner. The other appears to be keeping protectively close to Elise, probably due to Zeal being elsewhere. Probably.
~~~~~~~~~
7 beats all the other perception checks, I think. Rawk gets a Volt for his troubles.
~~~~~~~~~
Just as things look to be settling down, the loud roar of grinding stone fills the air once more and the ground beneath everyone's feet gives a mighty shudder, nearly knocking people off their feet. A few sharp pings ring out as glassy pieces of jagged stone zip through the air and ricochet off armor plates and smack painfully into clothed limbs. The servant nearest Tullius gasps as a fast-moving shard hits him at just the right angle and he nearly collapses, dropping his machete and grasping at his left forearm in pain.
Mitsuhide and Elise, already looking for the errant Bulbasaur, are the first to notice the dense cloud of smoke pouring from the top of the gravelly hill. They have just enough time to call out a warning and shield their eyes before the choking cloud of blinding ash and cinders rolls over the party, thrusting them into pitch blackness and miserable heat.
On top of the cliff, Tanaka, Timaeus, Zeal, and the Numel watch as the rapidly expanding cloud fills the depression below them, completely obscuring their allies. A gust of hot wind whips at their bodies, originating from the top of the hill, and a few vestiges of the fog-like smoke are pushed up over the edge of the cliff, giving them a few inches of fiercely hot, impenetrable smog swirling about their feet.
A squat, greyish black dot darts out the far edge of the cloud, kicking up dust and trailing smoke, before disappearing into the southern treeline.
Tullius [Booksmart 1][Praetor 3] - Volt: 5 *Timaeus Orion
Timaeus communicates the Numel's consternation to Tullius, who responds by flipping open his book.
"Your pal is right in here," Tullius said apologetically. "Here, I'll show you." He holds up the page of the book with the image of the Charmander tail on it, allowing the Numel a look before he presses his hand upon the page. The familiar flash of light and head pain precludes the reappearance of the Charmander at Tullius's feet.
"There we go," Tullius winces. The pain of summoning is none too pleasant, especially immediately after the head trauma induced by capture. "He'll be okay."
Timaeus, for his part, sheathes scalchop and approaches the Charmander carefully, chirping an apology in his curious otter-speak.
"Three words? Sounds like... is it it's? Awesome. Mike? Strike? Like? Like. You?" Gigen nods with fervor. "Yes! Well, I guess if you've got a low tolerance to that sort of thing that's a good enough reason." Gigen gives Tanaka the rest of the scoop.
"Uh, Charmander? He's... around here somewh- woah. Dust." Tanaka shields his face as the wind whips around him. "Dang. I'm gonna go see what the heck that was. Comin' Gi?" He is.
Tanaka and Gigen plunge into the black cloud below, the darkness within so absolute that even the supernaturally night-visioned Sableye has difficulty seeing through the oily murk.
The decision to cover your mouths up continues to have been a wise one, as even under the dampened cloth enough of the miasma is getting through to make breathing a chore.
In the cloud, over the sound of swirling dust and grinding stone, the wounded servant's voice swears a blue streak, cursing his luck. Elise feels someone bump into her from the side, and then an unseen hand grasping her shoulder plate to steady her.
"Sorry, m'lady. Gonna go get Canis and pull him out of this before he hurts himself. Can you and the rest find your way out okay?" the other servant asks, his voice muffled by his cloth mask and the oppressive smoke.
Tullius [Booksmart 1][Praetor 3] - Volt: 5 *Timaeus Orion
Pondering the smoke, Tullius attempts to determine the best way of clearing it. "Don't think your little water show is gonna make much of a dent on that one," Tullius addressed Timaeus ruefully.
His eye catches sight of the Combee... the Combee that has wings. "Hey, Zeal? You think you've got the power to clear away some of that smoke?" He tries to remain calm, but he knows that volcanic smoke is often filled with dangerous chemicals... or at least, one of his teachers said something to that end. But Zeal might panic if he said anything, so he remains silent.
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Halos Nach TariffCan you blame me?I'm too famous.Registered Userregular
Catarine [Noblewoman 3][Delicate Fencer 1] - Volt: 8 *Timaeus
Coughing and spluttering, eyes streaming tears under the cloud of acrid smog Catarine struggles to orientate herself. Can't see a damnable thing in here, and the sudden wave of heat is most intolerable. A sudden touch to her elbow has her looking up into the face of her guardian, Mitsuhide had begun to move to support Catarine as soon as he spied the toxic smoke. He cautions the young woman not to breath in and ushers her towards the sound of shouting from outside the cloud.
The pair burst from the fog a few metres from the shouting Tanaka, Catarine collapses to her knees, trying to catch her breath in the blessedly clean(er) air. She straightens up, wipes some of the more egregious soot from her face and peers into the dark cloudbank, '*Ahem* Thanks for that Mituhide, Tanaka,' inclining her head slightly towards the monk in an attempt to retain some dignity after all that wheezing, 'did anyone else get out? We should probably keep making noise to give them a direction to follow or something.'
She proceeds to holler into the fog, shouting at anyone trapped in there to try and follow the sound of her voice.
"Are you- we're still in the smoke, miss." Tanaka turns his head to Mitsuhide. "You should probably get her outta here. Quick. And do you know where the others are?"
"It looks like you were too Slow to catch him. Better luck next time, tiny terror." Iktomi hisses a reply then returns to Makai's head gloomily. When the wave of smog decends Makai is ready for it however, he pulls down his hood to protect his eyes. Whatever covered the area with smog then fired rocks is likely the source of these spots. "Time to redeem yourself little buddy. Stop that Jerk!" With that the Voltik sneaks after the mystery Pokemon and tries to catch it in her net.
Iktomi tries to get in front of this thing and slow/stop it with an ElectroWeb
WAGER
Edit: I am illiterate. Post edited, now with less collective psychic autism. What is "theory of mind"?
Elise & Zeal
"Absolutely." she pauses. "Give me your pack, I shouldn't have trouble getting it out even in this fog."
Zeal buzzes irritatedly at Tulius. Bees hate smoke. Gonna take more than that to persuade Zeal to take a go at gaseous death, bucko.
The best part about this is that I wrote Zeal's reaction after skimming over Terr's request, and only noticed his hidden worries about the smoke after.
@NeoToma, I'm not sure what your target is here. If it's bulbasaur (the squat, greyish black guy) who jogged off into the forest then that's a tough call because it passed its Sneak wager and no one should really know what happened to it. I only included the description of it fleeing because I somehow thought that would be less confusing then just having it disappear from the narrative entirely (I am an idiot, clearly).
If, however, you want a new, unannounced "Mystery Pokemon" target to appear/be revealed in the cloud, then that's cool. I just want to make sure I know what your intent is here before I go tossing voltage out.
~Malachite Scar~
Tullius releases the Charmander, and the small Lizard Pokemon wobbles a bit before falling backwards to sit on the ground, its tail-flame burning low and dim. It's conscious, yes, but still utterly exhausted from the Oshawott's attack.
The Numel snorts begrudgingly, its concerns about its friend's disappearance temporarily allayed. Timaeus' follow-up apology accomplishes little. The Numel couldn't care less about what the otter has to say and the Charmander is far too confused and punch-drunk to grasp what the gist of what Timaeus is trying to communicate. On the plus side, neither are looking like they're going to get aggressive, so there's that.
Inside the cloud, the sound of Catarine shouting out directions toward the clear air can be easily heard. "Well that makes things easier," the unharmed servant says, blindly guiding his backpack into Elise's arms. "I'll be right behind you after I fetch Canis. Off you go, M'Lady, and watch your step."
~Arenas~
In the Smoke Creatures: Elise, Makai & Iktomi, Tanaka & Gigen, Servants
Features: Smoke (Gust), Lava Pools (Soak), Cairn (Crush)
Not In the Smoke Creatures: Tullius & Timaeus, Charmander, Numel, Zeal, Catarine & Mitsuhide
Features: Smoke (Gust), Cairn (Crush)
"I'll see you when you escape this smoke. Take care."
Stumbling through the darkness burdened by armor and pack, Elise attempts to make her way out of the fog, heading towards the voices of the others talking while trying to remember what the path was like.
Zeal continues to be a useless pokemon without the [Gust] assist unless persuaded otherwise. She hovers in the air, looking at the cloud of smoke.
Rawkking Goodguy on
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Halos Nach TariffCan you blame me?I'm too famous.Registered Userregular
Oh bollocks, I messed that up huh.
Reading comprehension: 1 Halos: 0
Was getting mixed up between who was in the smoke and who wasn't. Seen as Marsh has kindly put me out of the smoke anyway imma just pretend Catarine got a lung-full of smoke and got all light headed and confused or something...
No worries, everyone is failing reading comprehension this week, it seems.
Personally, going to try and be a bit more careful with my GM posts. When I try and get all fancy and wordy and omnipotent third person I think they get less easy for you guys to parse.
Well, I'm not really down for introducing yet another enemy unless you really want one. So... call it 4 Voltage.
...And looks like that's versus a 3! Close one there, but at least @NeoToma gets a voltage in recompense for me stomping on his potential fun. Now everyone but Terr and Rawk out-voltage me, scary stuff!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Malachite Scar~
Unnerved by the omnipresent heat and cloying dark, the Fire-Weak Iktomi isn't nearly persuaded by Makai's call to arms and the thrill of the chase. Doesn't he know there's lava pools somewhere in this murk?
[Electrify] If the Joltik is unwilling to risk its own limbs tracking down targets of dubious existence, it can at least offer Makai a consolation prize. Using its electrical adeptness, Iktomi can faintly sense the tasty static fields of their companions despite the darkness. It appears most of the others have already left, however, as there are only two pairs of signatures remaining nearby.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Near Catarine and Mitsuhide, Elise stumbles out of the smoke clanking and sweating, her armor streaked with soot and a bloody handprint smeared on her right shoulder.
Back inside the cloud, Tanaka and Gigen hear dragging footsteps and rough coughing approaching them before the pair of servants nearly collide with the duo.
"Hey fella, want to grab his other arm over your shoulder?" the non-coughing one requests in a muffled voice. "He's got some smoke in him I think, needs a hand out" he continues, talking over the other's choking protests that he's fine.
~Arenas~
In the Smoke Creatures: Makai & Iktomi, Tanaka & Gigen, Servants
Features: Smoke (Gust), Lava Pools (Soak), Cairn (Crush)
Not In the Smoke Creatures: Tullius & Timaeus, Charmander, Numel, Zeal, Catarine & Mitsuhide
Features: Smoke (Gust), Cairn (Crush)
Makai[Ninja 3] [Traveling Puppeteer 1] : 7
"Not to keen on that? I understand." Taking Iktomi's lead Maki decides it's probably best to get out of this dangerous uncomfortable hellhole.
He carefully makes his way to the two signatures and out of the smog.
Did you just misspell your own character's name? Ha!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Malachite Scar~
Despite the man's weak objections, Tanaka manages to get a hold on the servant's arm and he and the other fellow frogmarch the man along, retracing the monk and Sableye's path to (comparatively) clean, cool air.
The emerge some feet away from Elise and Catarine, covered in black dust and coughing. The wounded servant, still held between the two,Canis, looks ashen pale in complexion and the sleeve of his left forearm is torn and soaked with blood, but his expression is clear and conscious, if a bit unhappy. The other servant appears to have suffered a minor injury of his own, his blond bangs matted with blood that has dripped down into his eyes, smeared into a grisly looking mess by wiping hands.
Directed to safety by the prompts of his guiding Joltik, Makai steps out of the smog a few moments later, wisps of smoke clinging to his clothing.
"Oh, jeez. Let's set you down here. Let me take look at that." When the man's on the ground, Tanaka tears off Canis' tattered sleeve. He takes a good long look at the wound.
The servant takes a seat on the rocky ground, still coughing like he has a throat full of gravel and tar, but otherwise sits tight and quiet while Tanaka takes a look at what he's dealing with here.
[Martial Monk] The cut itself is a moderately deep, ragged slice on the outside of the poor fellow's forearm. From the looks of the sleeve he hasn't shed too much blood, and the wound has already clotted up enough to stop most of the bleeding, though it might've been helped along in that by the copious amounts of dry dust encrusted to the arm. Tanaka is fairly certain he needs to clean it up good with soap and water and then bandage it. Maybe also give him some stitches? He's pretty sure cuts get better with stitches over them.
"Ye Legends that was foul," the other servant notes, pulling a skin of water from his belt and taking a sip to swish around in his mouth before spitting it on the ground. He touches his bloodied forelock gingerly, grimacing. "Must've caught a rock, damn."
Posts
The Numel sniffs haughtily at Gigen's challenge, but it obliges. Sort of.
The tiny camel Pokemon angles its head upward and spits out a eruption of lava over the side of the cliff, splatters of the hot, red substance whistling through the air towards the Gigen.
Numel used Lava Plume!
Gigen takes 1 Special Defense Damage!
On the hill, the Bulbasaur skids to a stop, clearly not expecting to see yet another darn obstacle in its way so soon. A pair of vines whip angrily at its sides as it tries to focus on a target, and Elise's two servants step forward in a to intercede should an attack be forthcoming, their machetes drawn sometime in the confusion of battle.
Then a tiny yellow blur zips along the ground, leaping up and latching on to the Bulbasaur's bulb with adorably miniscule fangs.
Iktomi used Bug Bite!
Bulbasaur takes 1 Defense Damage!
It's Super Effective!
The Bulbasaur starts, fly-bitten, turning this way and that to try and figure out what the hell is going on on its back that's so dang painful. It looks far more confused than angry, at this point. And then Elise tries to cajole it, wondrous.
I'm not even going to throw a Voltage in here, just gonna tag Bulbasaur's [Belligerent Bulbasaur 1] Trait. Mostly because I want to see what Rawk is planning (besides probably trying to wrangle some voltage out of me).
...and 1 Volt wagered by Rawk certainly does it. This Bulbasaur has Vine Whip, Bullet Seed, Snarl and access to [Crush 1] and [Sneak 1] Assists. Have fun!
Zeal used Aerial Ace!
Charmander takes 1 Defense Damage!
The Charmander angrily snorts a tiny puff of ash at the sudden appearance of a swiftly attacking rival, which is even now ignoring it in order to look at something way over there! Unacceptable.
Taking in a deep breath, the Charmander unleashes a stream of fire up into the air towards Zeal. The Bug Type hovers cannily, ready to dodge, but the fire wasn't aimed at her, it was aimed around her. Writhing like a snake, the flames curls and coils around Zeal like something alive, trapping the Combee in a tightening prison of fire. Though the flames aren't quite close enough to singe her yet, the air is getting uncomfortably hot.
Charmander used Fire Spin!
Zeal takes 1 Special Defense Damage! Zeal is Trapped and cannot Shift!
It's Super Effective!
~Arenas~
Tiny Hillock
Creatures: Bulbasaur, Catarine & Mitsuhide, Elise, Makai & Iktomi(?)
Features: Cairn (Crush)
Cliff Base
Creatures: Tullius, Tanaka
Features: None
Lava Pools
Creatures: Gigen
Features: Lava (Soak)
Cliff Top
Creatures: Charmander, Numel, Timaeus, Zeal
Features: Smoke (Gust), Cairn (Crush)
*Timaeus
Orion
Tullius groans. So much for a peaceful solution. "Fine, Timaeus, let's see if we can't get these guys to cool down a bit."
Timaeus leaps into action, drawing his pristinely sharp scalchop and leveling it at the Charmander. He points at the lizard with his forepaw and then tilts the paw such that his little thumb is pointing downwards. He makes a quick dash up to the creature, moving rather quickly for its stubby legs, and then dashes past with a lightning-quick slash.
Timaeus used Razor Shell on Charmander!
The Charmander, fixated on keeping its airborne opponent in their place, doesn't even notice Timaeus' attack until it's too late, the Oshawott having already darting past, leaving a light blue aura lingering in the path of its Water-charged blade.
Timaeus used Razor Shell!
Charmander takes 4 HP Damage!
It's Super Effective!
A brief expression of confusion passes over the Fire-Type's face and then, with little fanfare, it collapses to the ground, bright, ember-like motes rapidly forming in the air around its body.
Charmander is Downed!
Gonna throw an Ante of 1 on capturing this thing, if'n anybody wants it.
Elise & Zeal
Elise thrusts an empty palm backwards, signalling to the servants to stay safe and back. Moving forward towards the Numel her irritation is increased oncemore as the bulbasaur rudely and intentionally leaps in her way, blocking the best path down the hill.
Arching its back and glancing about briefly to make sure whatever that earlier menace was is gone, it fires a barrage of seeds at the camel pokemon.
Bulbasaur uses bullet seed on Numel.
Zeal is left to her own devices. Probably uses heal order since that's the only thing she can do in her current situation.
And I don't want a fire-type.
Plus I already got this rad houndour
The Bulbasaur's hardened, pebble-shaped projectiles arc up over the cliff, pummeling the Numel.
Bulbasaur used Bullet Seed!
Numel takes 1 Defense and 1 HP Damage!
As the spent seeds ricochet off the Numb Pokemon's tough back, the Numel glares daggers at Timaeus, tiny feet stomping at the ground and smoke pouring from its nostrils. It doesn't seem to even be registering the Bulbasaur's punishing fusillade.
Numel used Amnesia!
Numel Refreshed itself!
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 7
Tanaka strides towards the clifftop, surer and surer that he and his companions are messing up this whole situation. When the Bulbasaur continues being a huge jerk, the monk decides he's seen enough.
"Hey, hey! Everyone stop tryin' to beat the tar outta each other! We've gotten in the middle of something that isn't our business! And we're only making it worse by beating these guys up! Especially that Charmander. That was uncalled for."
Gigen stops acting sullen. The human's doing a friendship thing, and he'd be damned if he doesn't join in that business. The ghost lopes over to his pupil and walks with him.
The duo stop in front of Numel, arms crossed.
"Noble volcano-beast, I've acted rashly today and, well, I feel like a big heel. I apologize." Gigen nods in agreement. The human is a big heel. "I hope you can find it in you to forgive me." Tanaka holds out his hand. "Let's stop this silly scrap, eh?"
Steam
You can probably use [Willful Wisdom Seeker] on this pretty easy, if you are so inclined. Don't forget if you use a trait and bid no Voltage and still win, you don't have to pay anything!
Steam
*Timaeus
Orion
"I was just following your le-" Tullius ceases reprimanding Tanaka's utter lack of planning when the Codex of Law once more takes its leave of his shoulder and opens of its own volition. "Aw, hell," Tullius groans as the now-familiar pain enters the front of his mind. He's about to say something else when the pain expands into a full-blown migraine, and Tullius collapses, the Codex whirling about over his body.
Tullius closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose hard, trying to draw the pain away, but he knows it won't make any difference. On his knees, his vision becomes dominated by a silver blur, starting in the peripheral and moving forward until he is completely blinded at the peak of the pain. The book's spinning comes to an abrupt halt at that moment, once again opened to a unique entry. This one happens to be on the manner of punishment to be dealt for the theft of bread, beer, or liquor. Again, those nearby feel a faint pull in the direction of the book as it draws in the spirit of the defeated Charmander. Several seconds later, the book falls to the ground, still open to the same page, and a curious marking appears in the background.
Timaeus, for his part, makes sure that nobody (not even the other humans, but especially not the Numel or Bulbasaur) approach Tullius, overly protective of his friend while the man is in such a weakened state. When Tullius blinks a few times as the sight returns to his eyes and climbs back to his feet, the Oshawott lifts the book carefully and hands it back to Tullius.
"Thanks, buddy," Tullius replies, still evidently not back together completely. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head a few times as he puts the book's strap back on his shoulder. "Okay, what'd I miss?"
Tullius expends one voltage and captures the Charmander!
Charmander was caught!
Level: 5
Species: Charmander
Type: Fire/Normal
=============
Loyalty: Neutral
Demeanor: Jolly
Need: Games and Playtime
Quirk: Teasing
=============
Weak: Ground, Rock, Water
Resist: Bug, Ghost, Grass, Ice, Steel
=============
Moves: Fire Spin, Charm
Assists: [ Sprint 1 ]
=============
HP - 4 At - 1 Df - 2
Sp - 3 SA - 3 SD - 2
=============
One of the servants edges forward carefully. It doesn't seem like he wants to get too close, even if Timaeus wasn't in one of his protective moods.
"Are you okay, priest-guy?"
Meanwhile, the Bulbasaur begins inching away in the confusion of all this hubbub and hullabaloo.
Wagering that nobody makes their spot check on Bulbasaur.
*Timaeus
Orion
Headache weakening but still present, Tullius barely hears the servant. "I'll be fine," he mumbles, holding a hand as if to suggest that the servant keep his distance. So distracted by his own predicament, he can't really pay too much attention to what anyone else is doing at the moment.
Spot Check Wager:
Mitsuhide
Catarine gazes round at her companions, they certainly seem quick to leap into a fray, an admirable trait in some circumstances perhaps, the young noble prefers a more measured approach. 'Friends, this has the look of little more than a quarrel 'mongst pokémon does it not? Perhaps it would be best to leave them to it, no? Although I suppose it is rather too late now...' she calls out, before becoming somewhat distracted by the various spinning, book-y shenanigans happening beside her. 'Are you alright Praetor? Is, uh, is that book supposed to do that?'
Mitsuhide snaps his head momentarily towards Tullius before discerning this new commotion holds no threat to his ward and returning his gaze to the bulbasaur.
Which has vanished.
Silently berating his own foolishness Mitsuhide carefully scans the immediate area for signs of the creature.
Thowing up some Voltage to see if Mitsuhide can spot the errant bulbasaur:
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 6
Numel throws a foot into Tanaka's hand. Very civil.
"Woah, you're the first guy that's worked on." The monk rubs the back of his head. "Uh, anyway. Could you tell us why you where chasing that Bulbasaur?" Gigen gets ready to translate.
Steam
*Timaeus
Orion
"'Supposed to' is such a loose term, Catarine. I'd like to see you, or anyone for that matter, dissuade it." Tullius runs a hand through his hair as the last vestige of headache fades. "It's a long story involving an exceedingly irate ghost. All that matters is that it's happened before, and it'll probably happen again. I'll live."
Elise & Zeal
Elise discretely clenches a single gauntleted fist. Those two are going to get themselves killed if they keep playing hero... just what did her parents ask them to do on this "routine excursion"? Battle's over now, she can talk to them later.
[Disciplined] enough to not let her attention stray for long from the bulbasaur that was literally right in front of her just a few seconds ago, Elise glances around, wondering where he went off to.
All three Zealheads cry out at once, calling themselves to focused attention as they glow green, her minor wounds restored.
Wager
"Because it's annoying and breaks things," would be the rather terse answer the Numel is prepared to broadly demonstrate before getting all up in Gigen's business about where its buddy, Charmander, is at.
Getting knocked the hell out isn't exactly a rarity for the little lizard, but the Numel can usually sense that they're still "around" in a manner of speaking, and will be back on their feet in a week or so. That's no longer the case right now, and they suspect you lot got something to do with it.
The servant half-heartedly approaching Tullius is more than happy to continue keeping his distance, though, in deference to the praetor getting a hold of himself and the situation cooling down a bit, is now holding his machete in a slightly less offensive manner. The other appears to be keeping protectively close to Elise, probably due to Zeal being elsewhere. Probably.
7 beats all the other perception checks, I think. Rawk gets a Volt for his troubles.
Just as things look to be settling down, the loud roar of grinding stone fills the air once more and the ground beneath everyone's feet gives a mighty shudder, nearly knocking people off their feet. A few sharp pings ring out as glassy pieces of jagged stone zip through the air and ricochet off armor plates and smack painfully into clothed limbs. The servant nearest Tullius gasps as a fast-moving shard hits him at just the right angle and he nearly collapses, dropping his machete and grasping at his left forearm in pain.
Mitsuhide and Elise, already looking for the errant Bulbasaur, are the first to notice the dense cloud of smoke pouring from the top of the gravelly hill. They have just enough time to call out a warning and shield their eyes before the choking cloud of blinding ash and cinders rolls over the party, thrusting them into pitch blackness and miserable heat.
On top of the cliff, Tanaka, Timaeus, Zeal, and the Numel watch as the rapidly expanding cloud fills the depression below them, completely obscuring their allies. A gust of hot wind whips at their bodies, originating from the top of the hill, and a few vestiges of the fog-like smoke are pushed up over the edge of the cliff, giving them a few inches of fiercely hot, impenetrable smog swirling about their feet.
A squat, greyish black dot darts out the far edge of the cloud, kicking up dust and trailing smoke, before disappearing into the southern treeline.
*Timaeus
Orion
Timaeus communicates the Numel's consternation to Tullius, who responds by flipping open his book.
"Your pal is right in here," Tullius said apologetically. "Here, I'll show you." He holds up the page of the book with the image of the Charmander tail on it, allowing the Numel a look before he presses his hand upon the page. The familiar flash of light and head pain precludes the reappearance of the Charmander at Tullius's feet.
"There we go," Tullius winces. The pain of summoning is none too pleasant, especially immediately after the head trauma induced by capture. "He'll be okay."
Timaeus, for his part, sheathes scalchop and approaches the Charmander carefully, chirping an apology in his curious otter-speak.
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 7
"Three words? Sounds like... is it it's? Awesome. Mike? Strike? Like? Like. You?" Gigen nods with fervor. "Yes! Well, I guess if you've got a low tolerance to that sort of thing that's a good enough reason." Gigen gives Tanaka the rest of the scoop.
"Uh, Charmander? He's... around here somewh- woah. Dust." Tanaka shields his face as the wind whips around him. "Dang. I'm gonna go see what the heck that was. Comin' Gi?" He is.
The two run down the cliff, into the cloud.
Steam
Tanaka and Gigen plunge into the black cloud below, the darkness within so absolute that even the supernaturally night-visioned Sableye has difficulty seeing through the oily murk.
The decision to cover your mouths up continues to have been a wise one, as even under the dampened cloth enough of the miasma is getting through to make breathing a chore.
In the cloud, over the sound of swirling dust and grinding stone, the wounded servant's voice swears a blue streak, cursing his luck. Elise feels someone bump into her from the side, and then an unseen hand grasping her shoulder plate to steady her.
"Sorry, m'lady. Gonna go get Canis and pull him out of this before he hurts himself. Can you and the rest find your way out okay?" the other servant asks, his voice muffled by his cloth mask and the oppressive smoke.
~Arenas~
In the Smoke
Creatures: Catarine & Mitsuhide, Elise, Makai & Iktomi, Tanaka & Gigen, Servants
Features: Smoke (Gust), Lava Pools (Soak), Cairn (Crush)
Not In the Smoke
Creatures: Tullius & Timaeus, Charmander, Numel, Zeal
Features: Smoke (Gust), Cairn (Crush)
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 7
Tanaka shouts into the darkness. "Is everyone alright down here? Do you need help?"
Steam
*Timaeus
Orion
Pondering the smoke, Tullius attempts to determine the best way of clearing it. "Don't think your little water show is gonna make much of a dent on that one," Tullius addressed Timaeus ruefully.
His eye catches sight of the Combee... the Combee that has wings. "Hey, Zeal? You think you've got the power to clear away some of that smoke?" He tries to remain calm, but he knows that volcanic smoke is often filled with dangerous chemicals... or at least, one of his teachers said something to that end. But Zeal might panic if he said anything, so he remains silent.
*Timaeus
Coughing and spluttering, eyes streaming tears under the cloud of acrid smog Catarine struggles to orientate herself. Can't see a damnable thing in here, and the sudden wave of heat is most intolerable. A sudden touch to her elbow has her looking up into the face of her guardian, Mitsuhide had begun to move to support Catarine as soon as he spied the toxic smoke. He cautions the young woman not to breath in and ushers her towards the sound of shouting from outside the cloud.
The pair burst from the fog a few metres from the shouting Tanaka, Catarine collapses to her knees, trying to catch her breath in the blessedly clean(er) air. She straightens up, wipes some of the more egregious soot from her face and peers into the dark cloudbank, '*Ahem* Thanks for that Mituhide, Tanaka,' inclining her head slightly towards the monk in an attempt to retain some dignity after all that wheezing, 'did anyone else get out? We should probably keep making noise to give them a direction to follow or something.'
She proceeds to holler into the fog, shouting at anyone trapped in there to try and follow the sound of her voice.
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 7
"Are you- we're still in the smoke, miss." Tanaka turns his head to Mitsuhide. "You should probably get her outta here. Quick. And do you know where the others are?"
Steam
"It looks like you were too Slow to catch him. Better luck next time, tiny terror." Iktomi hisses a reply then returns to Makai's head gloomily. When the wave of smog decends Makai is ready for it however, he pulls down his hood to protect his eyes. Whatever covered the area with smog then fired rocks is likely the source of these spots. "Time to redeem yourself little buddy. Stop that Jerk!" With that the Voltik sneaks after the mystery Pokemon and tries to catch it in her net.
Iktomi tries to get in front of this thing and slow/stop it with an ElectroWeb
WAGER
Elise & Zeal
"Absolutely." she pauses. "Give me your pack, I shouldn't have trouble getting it out even in this fog."
Zeal buzzes irritatedly at Tulius. Bees hate smoke. Gonna take more than that to persuade Zeal to take a go at gaseous death, bucko.
The best part about this is that I wrote Zeal's reaction after skimming over Terr's request, and only noticed his hidden worries about the smoke after.
Nope. You can try and make a separate wager to make things easier on the person you want to assist though.
Well, that explains a lot.
If, however, you want a new, unannounced "Mystery Pokemon" target to appear/be revealed in the cloud, then that's cool. I just want to make sure I know what your intent is here before I go tossing voltage out.
~Malachite Scar~
Tullius releases the Charmander, and the small Lizard Pokemon wobbles a bit before falling backwards to sit on the ground, its tail-flame burning low and dim. It's conscious, yes, but still utterly exhausted from the Oshawott's attack.
The Numel snorts begrudgingly, its concerns about its friend's disappearance temporarily allayed. Timaeus' follow-up apology accomplishes little. The Numel couldn't care less about what the otter has to say and the Charmander is far too confused and punch-drunk to grasp what the gist of what Timaeus is trying to communicate. On the plus side, neither are looking like they're going to get aggressive, so there's that.
Inside the cloud, the sound of Catarine shouting out directions toward the clear air can be easily heard. "Well that makes things easier," the unharmed servant says, blindly guiding his backpack into Elise's arms. "I'll be right behind you after I fetch Canis. Off you go, M'Lady, and watch your step."
~Arenas~
In the Smoke
Creatures: Elise, Makai & Iktomi, Tanaka & Gigen, Servants
Features: Smoke (Gust), Lava Pools (Soak), Cairn (Crush)
Not In the Smoke
Creatures: Tullius & Timaeus, Charmander, Numel, Zeal, Catarine & Mitsuhide
Features: Smoke (Gust), Cairn (Crush)
Elise & Zeal
"I'll see you when you escape this smoke. Take care."
Stumbling through the darkness burdened by armor and pack, Elise attempts to make her way out of the fog, heading towards the voices of the others talking while trying to remember what the path was like.
Zeal continues to be a useless pokemon without the [Gust] assist unless persuaded otherwise. She hovers in the air, looking at the cloud of smoke.
Reading comprehension: 1 Halos: 0
Was getting mixed up between who was in the smoke and who wasn't. Seen as Marsh has kindly put me out of the smoke anyway imma just pretend Catarine got a lung-full of smoke and got all light headed and confused or something...
Personally, going to try and be a bit more careful with my GM posts. When I try and get all fancy and wordy and omnipotent third person I think they get less easy for you guys to parse.
...And looks like that's versus a 3! Close one there, but at least @NeoToma gets a voltage in recompense for me stomping on his potential fun. Now everyone but Terr and Rawk out-voltage me, scary stuff!
~Malachite Scar~
Unnerved by the omnipresent heat and cloying dark, the Fire-Weak Iktomi isn't nearly persuaded by Makai's call to arms and the thrill of the chase. Doesn't he know there's lava pools somewhere in this murk?
[Electrify] If the Joltik is unwilling to risk its own limbs tracking down targets of dubious existence, it can at least offer Makai a consolation prize. Using its electrical adeptness, Iktomi can faintly sense the tasty static fields of their companions despite the darkness. It appears most of the others have already left, however, as there are only two pairs of signatures remaining nearby.
Near Catarine and Mitsuhide, Elise stumbles out of the smoke clanking and sweating, her armor streaked with soot and a bloody handprint smeared on her right shoulder.
Back inside the cloud, Tanaka and Gigen hear dragging footsteps and rough coughing approaching them before the pair of servants nearly collide with the duo.
"Hey fella, want to grab his other arm over your shoulder?" the non-coughing one requests in a muffled voice. "He's got some smoke in him I think, needs a hand out" he continues, talking over the other's choking protests that he's fine.
~Arenas~
In the Smoke
Creatures: Makai & Iktomi, Tanaka & Gigen, Servants
Features: Smoke (Gust), Lava Pools (Soak), Cairn (Crush)
Not In the Smoke
Creatures: Tullius & Timaeus, Charmander, Numel, Zeal, Catarine & Mitsuhide
Features: Smoke (Gust), Cairn (Crush)
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 7
"Yeah, of course." Tanaka slings an arm under the wheezing man. "C'mon, buddy. Let's get you outta here."
Steam
"Not to keen on that? I understand." Taking Iktomi's lead Maki decides it's probably best to get out of this dangerous uncomfortable hellhole.
He carefully makes his way to the two signatures and out of the smog.
~Malachite Scar~
Despite the man's weak objections, Tanaka manages to get a hold on the servant's arm and he and the other fellow frogmarch the man along, retracing the monk and Sableye's path to (comparatively) clean, cool air.
The emerge some feet away from Elise and Catarine, covered in black dust and coughing. The wounded servant, still held between the two,Canis, looks ashen pale in complexion and the sleeve of his left forearm is torn and soaked with blood, but his expression is clear and conscious, if a bit unhappy. The other servant appears to have suffered a minor injury of his own, his blond bangs matted with blood that has dripped down into his eyes, smeared into a grisly looking mess by wiping hands.
Directed to safety by the prompts of his guiding Joltik, Makai steps out of the smog a few moments later, wisps of smoke clinging to his clothing.
That seems to be everyone!
[Manful Martial Monk 3] - [Willful Wisdom Seeker 1] ~ [Shakuhachi 1] ~ Volt: 7
"Oh, jeez. Let's set you down here. Let me take look at that." When the man's on the ground, Tanaka tears off Canis' tattered sleeve. He takes a good long look at the wound.
Steam
~Malachite Scar~
The servant takes a seat on the rocky ground, still coughing like he has a throat full of gravel and tar, but otherwise sits tight and quiet while Tanaka takes a look at what he's dealing with here.
[Martial Monk] The cut itself is a moderately deep, ragged slice on the outside of the poor fellow's forearm. From the looks of the sleeve he hasn't shed too much blood, and the wound has already clotted up enough to stop most of the bleeding, though it might've been helped along in that by the copious amounts of dry dust encrusted to the arm. Tanaka is fairly certain he needs to clean it up good with soap and water and then bandage it. Maybe also give him some stitches? He's pretty sure cuts get better with stitches over them.
"Ye Legends that was foul," the other servant notes, pulling a skin of water from his belt and taking a sip to swish around in his mouth before spitting it on the ground. He touches his bloodied forelock gingerly, grimacing. "Must've caught a rock, damn."