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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 1, 2021 18:50:50 GMT
Through the portal, Muku found herself in the basement of the tower once more. Not remotely on fire. Whole and strong. The silvery-blue outlines of three vaguely human something's, transparent as they were, engaged in the low murmurs of conversation. Settled around the bonfire Muku had seemingly stepped from, they regarded her with warm but faded expressions.
"Ah, a visitor. Please, you must be cold, join us." The slightest of the three declared in a soft voice, and made room for Muku to sit should she choose.
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 2, 2021 14:14:04 GMT
We see her walk through the deathly gate, a figure. That figure is drawn and purposeful clad in a dark crimson long coat with faint black flakes that could only possibly be dried blood. This is Muku as she is; human catastrophe and savior in same.
To know her now is to know how she isn’t anymore. Her eyes are wearier here, distant, far flung and away from a bright-eyed naïveté that once so defined her life. The figure is capable of smiling and occasionally brief glimpses of joy may peak beyond the eyes. She has however, forgotten how to laugh. See her as she smiles now, a faint hollow thing, as she replies. “Yeah. I’ve been walking for a while.”
Her heavy snow boots clunk across the wooden floor as she takes her place at the fire. With the coat, shoes, had and all, she’s hardly poorly dressed for inclement weather. And yet, yeah. She does look cold. Muku feels cold. With a hand, she pulls back coat close to her chest. “I take it you were the bodies outside?” She guesses. “Might be a dream logic thing. But it feels correct. Maybe.”
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 2, 2021 20:01:09 GMT
"Right you are!" The second wisp thundered as Muku shared in their fire. A balding pate and a line of red circles moving up the center of his forehead, paired with a moustache that ran the length of his jaw and up into his sideburns. His eyes were bright yellow despite the pale blue greens of the rest of him. "Ecruteak's finest warriors! An age past, anyroad.". He slapped his thigh jovially and elbowed the third.
Taller and broader than the others, he sat quietly even when prodded, a sharply manicured moustache ending in two points past his jawline, a billowing mane of hair laying like a heavy pelt down his back. His expression was deep set, and care-worn. Offering Muku a nod of respect and consent, he closed his eyes.
"Now Kou, you know he isn't one to play.". The third chided, a short pointed beard gracing the chin of an otherwise narrow, fox-like face, eyes of the most striking blue. "You have come to the distortion world seeking something that was, has been, or will be forgotten?" He asked.
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 2, 2021 22:17:51 GMT
The girl cocks a skeptical eyebrow at this strange, if intimidating display of joviality from the fellows about the fire. Muku fetches a Pokeball from her belt and displays it in front of her with a nod. "I'm here to let one be gone, though they won't be forgotten."
Her nostrils flare slightly, a full body shrug as the enormity of the moment hits her. She didn't like this memory. Memory. Could she even call it a memory if it only happened a few days ago? "Y-yeah. Yeah. He died in battle. He died to keep me safe, so that I didn't have to, and then he got stabbed a big bird. Now he's dead. And now I'm here."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 2, 2021 23:09:17 GMT
"That explains much.". The slight ghost replied. "I am Umi, this is Kou, and Baku. We perished in the fire that ravaged the great tower. In its mercy, Ho-Oh, the great bird of Life gifted us a second chance. As with all change, it left behind an echo. The greater the change, the more vivid the mirroring is."
Baku inhaled slowly through his nose, and exhaled through his mouth. "The living are rare here, there are old, old stories of heroes that overturned the hand of death itself by facing its Master."
Kou clapped his hands together and leaned in. "Bah... Fairytales and nonsense, that's like prattling on about this eternal life whatsits."
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 3, 2021 14:11:16 GMT
"Stories are important too." Muku posits firmly. "They teach what you need to know, like why you don't fly at night or why Pidgeys are our enemy. Or about the owls, because they are mighty and worthy of fear."
The girl catches herself and clicks, shifting uncomfortably. It had only now occurred to her just how juvenile those stories were. Light embarrassment radiated from beneath her hat. At last, she raises her head. "Sorry. Old ways of talking. Full disclosure, I was a Starly once and I remember a lot from that time. The stories about dying and fighting tend to stick out harder than most. We also had other stories, like how the first flock crossed the cold mountains and the story of the quiet guardians. Not that those are important here... Or relevant."
Shifting her weight, she recovers her gait firmly to agree with Kou. "I don't really get the idea of eternal life either truth be told. We all have to die some time. We all don't want to die now, but it does happen. Can't even imagine otherwise."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 3, 2021 20:03:35 GMT
"The Pokemon you were, then, perhaps even the one you could have become, is here somewhere. Elders you have known, foes you have faced.". His expression fell, and those bright eyes dimmed. "Those you could not save...". At that, Kou settled a hand on Umi's shoulder, and Baku spoke with confidence.
"This place, the distortion world, is made up of circles. This is the one furthest from the middle. The most like the world you know. The safest. The remainder are prisons or paradises, and at the center of it all, is the exit from here, as well as its ruler and guardian."
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 3, 2021 20:37:05 GMT
The trainer girl listens with intent, though not quite understanding. She was Muku. There was only Muku. Right? How could one place have multiple Muku? The very idea hurt her head. It's not like she knew many elders either aside from Chuck, Morty, Miranda, fighting nurse, that old lady she stared at once, Gallade, Xatu- Well. She did know a few. And then there were the birds she had fought. And Archie. Of course Xatu. She really couldn't save Xatu. Maybe he didn't even want to be saved.
"Ok. So I'll see things." She generalizes broadly. "See people. And there lots of circle places and the place I need to go is the circle in the center of the circles. Like, the trunk of a tree? The deepest and oldest root of it, all right?"
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Post by Robot on Nov 3, 2021 20:47:22 GMT
"Mmm.". Baku answered vaguely. "Whether you choose to leave your friend in a place he wishes to stay, or try to bring him with you, from this place, you will need to go to the deep roots of the big tree, yes."
Kou spoke up; "We know little of the places beyond these walls, but here you will be safe, should you require shelter."
Umi finished. "Each ring is a day to cross, and they are gated from each other by a wall that is said to expose your rawest self, peeling the excess away."
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 3, 2021 21:29:56 GMT
"Right." Muku says, her eyebrows narrowing ever so slightly. Staying the... Day here? This has been one really, really long dream. Maybe if she DID sleep, she'd wake back up for a bit? "I probably could use just a little bit of rest. Monolith too; some jerk did a number on him a few hours ago and I haven't had a chance to check up on him. You really don't mind if I stick around a bit?"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 3, 2021 21:43:31 GMT
"Time stretches on forever here, you may have as much of ours as you like.". Umi reassured Muku. When she released him, there didn't seem to be anything visibly wrong, but the monstrous bird kept his wings against his body, and seemed intent on keeping everyone well away from his left side, now shielded from view.
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 3, 2021 22:59:45 GMT
"Monolith, let me look at it." Muku says firmly, crossing her arms as she attempts to examine her injured Pokémon. She was not at all trained in these matters and her only understanding of injuries came from having them herself. But she still needed to take a look at whatever happened there.
...Besides. It took her mind off of what Umi was saying behind her. She didn't want to think about forever. Forever was a terrifying thing. She did not like forever.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 4, 2021 18:42:41 GMT
After some significant back and forth stubbornness, Muku finally coaxes and commands the ancient creature to raise it's wing. She has to stand beneath it and bear its weight so Monolith doesn't cover his side like a giant hatchling, but at last the problem becomes visible.
The a broad burn scar mars the mottled pebbly skin. From an attack Muku didn't see, to an old scar that clearly caused the Aerodactyl great discomfort.
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 4, 2021 19:43:32 GMT
"Alright, alright. You can drop it." Muku allows at last, slipping out from underneath the heaving wing before it crushed her against his side. She didn't know how to fix something like that. Or many wounds really. She reaches down into her pack, and pulls out a battle hardened block of cheese. The bottle containing it shatters with ease as she cracks it against a pillar, wiping away the shards onto the ground. "It probably won't help much. But it does taste good. Might help just a bit."
Turning back to her companions, she cocks her head to the side and calls out, "I don't suppose any of you know anything about old wounds do you? I'm a bird, not a doctor, so this is a bit out of my league."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 4, 2021 19:53:41 GMT
"Your big friend follows different rules then the rest of us. Something so ancient was, is, and will be. He exists outside of this place as well as in it. When he behaves strangely, the other world impacts him.". Sui explained but could see the blankness in Muku's eyes.
"The third ring is the first paradise. Fruits grow there that can cure any ailment, or repair any wound. You will find his recovery easy there."
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 4, 2021 20:16:41 GMT
She nods curtly in reply. The whole 'different rules because you're super old' was new to her. It made sense though. But it also meant she really didn't have the luxury of time. If something was going on in the world outside this distorted dream world, that truth meant she really didn't have forever to linger here. A strangely comforting thought. It marked a time. A destination. A cause. "I'll make a birdline to paradise, just as soon as my partners get some rest. Nothing comes that easy though; so tell me, what is there for me to worry about out there? What are the threats I'm looking at?"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Nov 5, 2021 21:50:50 GMT
"Not much we can tell you about the next ring over, as we've never left this one.". Umi stated apologetically, head low.
"Here it will mostly be Pokemon, though the odd person you will find as well. The terrain will remind you of the towers of Ecruteak, but distorted by this place. This layer is reserved for beings who performed no great deeds in their lives. Even tempered, sometimes petty, capable of love and friendship. You can travel in relative safety until you reach the first barrier.". Kou added.
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 5, 2021 22:03:57 GMT
"Hold up. That isn't right then. Aren't you three famous warriors? Why would you be here if this place is for boring people?" Muku asks simply, folding one arm across her chest and gesturing broadly to the world around her. "Are you like... Posted here then? Or maybe I have it wrong?"
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Post by Robot on Nov 5, 2021 23:58:44 GMT
"We are the gatekeepers of this place. Protect the meek that live here from passer throughs who don't belong and might disturb things here. Occasionally we are called elsewhere.". Baku explains curtly and rises.
"Few incidents merit such a thing, and the Shogun we now serve can move us about his domain as he likes."
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Post by birdy51 on Nov 6, 2021 0:04:09 GMT
"A... Shogun? You'll have to forgive me, but I'm not familiar with that word." Muku replies, tilting her head to the side. In one sense, she was absolutely right. She knew that they wouldn't be in such a dull place if they weren't notable; and they were clearly notable with costumes like that. But this bit of titling was new. President, chairman, gangster, ecoterrorist; these were all words that she understood innately for whatever horrifying reason ever since her brain expanded tenfold plus.
But what exactly was... A shogun?
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