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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 Feb 2, 2019 3:32:07 GMT
"Geological." Mica replied with a few slow blinks. "Donovan you didn't tell me we were going to see a doctor! I didn't even bring any apples!" Mica briefly looks queasy and puts him between her and the scientist.
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 2, 2019 4:26:00 GMT
"I'm not that kind of doctor," Jayna says, laughing. "Don't worry. Or, rather, only worry if I actually try to give you medical advice."
"Rather interesting disciplines, the both of you," she says, nodding. "Well, hopefully we find something that intrigues you. As for what I mean by 'in'... well, it's not there." She gestures to the rubble Donovan was looking at. "That's all the junk that we had to get off the doorway. The 'in' is over behind the shed a bit. As for distance... well, we've got all the way in as far as I know, but... well, you'll see. It'll probably make more impact if you see for yourself. Hold on, I'll just grab some stuff from the shed. Wait here."
She comes back out with a heavy-duty flashlight for all three of them. It's quite weighty... you could probably knock someone out with one. And, with that, she leads them to the entrance. The side of the mountain where it is appears to have collapsed at some point, which is why it would have been buried. There's a stone arch set a few feet into the cliff, with the protruding feet to the entrance clearly having been carved. Unfortunately, they're fairly scratched and battered.
"We think there was probably a good several feet more of tunnel here, all with wall carvings, just based on some of the rubble. No idea what they mean. There're a lot more inside, though." The tunnel continues for about another hundred feet... until it abruptly opens. Into an enormous chamber, carved into the mountain, shaped like a dome. The beams from the flashlight, as high-powered as they are, can barely reach the other side. And onto every inch of wall is carved glyphs, or pictures, or something, all inlaid with what seems to be crystal along the carved lines.
It all appears to be natural stone, oddly enough. Not the whatever-it-is that composes the temples. Alcoves line the walls at regular intervals, too dark to see in, and at too odd angles for the flashlights to shine within. The centerpiece of it all, resting atop a gargantuan plinth in the very middle of the chamber, are a pair of statues. One is an angelic looking woman, eyes closed, reaching out with one hand with a serene look on her face. She's wearing a flowing dress, both that and her hair seeming to blow backwards in an unseen breeze.
Behind her is a large, angular, mechanical-looking spider. It, being a Pokémon, is a lot harder to read, but the statue appears to be in a guarding position, watching sentinel over this place for all time. In fact, looking around, the same Pokémon seems to be represented in many different glyphs around the dome, in no particular pattern. None of them look quite the same as each other.
"It's incredible, isn't it?" Jayna breathes, softly. "From what we can tell, this was all hand-carved. I... can't imagine how long it took to make, if that was the case. How many man-hours. The statues alone... that one of the woman, it's easily four times as large as me. Standing next to it... it dwarfs you with insignificance."
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Post by Breakthelevee on Feb 2, 2019 7:20:18 GMT
"Man hours weren't really an issue for those who came before. They didn't....It's hard to believe but they didn't really have limits to their lives like we do. At least that's what I've been gathering." He tapped his fingers against his thumb in thought as he tried to figure out the best way to put it "They had a closer connection to nature, and Pokemon, than we can even imagine. It seems that every one of the Temples is connected to one of the types of Pokemon, each Tribe that lived there had a connection with that type. They were insular communities, though there does seem to be some conflict before whatever event sealed them up and closed us off from them."
He smiled "They were an amazing people. Just looking at these glyphs" He walks a bit closer and reaches out and nearly touches it before stopping "Metagross, Rotom, and even a little Dedenne. They keep showing up over and over. See theres a story here. We just don't quite have enough info to piece it together. What brings those Pokemon into such prominence? What connection is there with that woman and Metagross?"
"I realize how crazy I must sound" He says with a laugh "I swear, I do know what I'm talking about though."
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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 Feb 2, 2019 11:39:43 GMT
"Metagross is Steel and Psychic?". Mica asked thoughtfully as she drew her sketchbook from her bag and settled in a spot with a good view. " What can you tell us about it as a Pokemon?" Furiously her pencil moved along the page, bringing the woman to life in as much detail as the girl could muster. She was important. This place was important.
The woman became the centerpiece for a six sheet drawing that painted the gist of this incredible space. (Mica spends an AP and chronicles this area.) When the doctor finished speaking on Metagross, Mica questioned again. "Have you seen any mention of Lucario, Xatu, Trevenant, Gardevoir, or Rock Pokemon?"
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 2, 2019 17:16:52 GMT
"Well, you certainly seem certain about that," Jayna says, chuckling at Donovan's explanation. "And I'm not sure how you would be. But, if you could read this stuff, then... be my guest."
"I'm afraid that I don't really know much of Pokémon biology," she says, turning to Mica. "I'm not that kind of doctor either. I just know that, yes, it's Steel and Psychic, and both intelligent and physically powerful. Several famous Trainers have used one, so it's achieved some notoriety."
"I'm afraid that I haven't seen any that I'd recognize as those Pokémon, but... there's also huge areas I haven't seen, and I haven't really been looking at the contents of the carvings yet. Just trying to map out this place, see if there's anything further." She shakes her head. "I haven't even been able to figure out what this place is for."
"It's a shrine to a goddess, a labour of love, and a testament to failure," another voice rings out in the silence, fairly familiar, but a little hard to discern from the chamber's acoustics.
It takes Jayna a moment to process that, before she starts looking around with her flashlight towards what seemed like was the direction of the voice. "Who's there? You're currently trespassing on an archeological site, so show yourself."
"Very well," the voice says, as Axiom steps out from one of the darkened alcoves, armour making heavy steps on the ground. "But if anyone's 'trespassing', it's you. I was the one who made this, after all. I do not begrudge your presence, though, so long as you treat this all with respect."
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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 Feb 2, 2019 18:01:04 GMT
"It's a mural record of the tribes, and the fall of the world that predates our history, isn't it?" Mica was very quiet but her voice still carried far. The object of Donovan's fears and obsessions was here. The Professor was evidently not. She took a few deep breaths, and focused, remembering the talks about discipline. With shaking hands she found a blank page and began to sketch Axiom, a woman she had only known by virtue of their time in the Fairy temple. A woman who did not know her. It was a blessing.
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Post by Breakthelevee on Feb 3, 2019 2:19:18 GMT
Vomit began to rise into his throat, before Donovan could choke it back down. She was here, in front of him for real this time. He wanted to scream, he wanted to run, but most of all he wanted to attack her. This was worse than inside the Fairy temple because it was like he had seen her kill even more people. He had almost let her kill him. The burning returned to his throat.
"IS it just you. Or do you have the professor somewhere nearby?" His body was shaking at this point but he couldn't tell if it was fear or anger. Maybe both. Deep down he wanted nothing more than her safety, having felt responsible for not stopping Axiom back when they first met her. So much wrong had come from that one moment, but there was something else he had to ask first "And what do you mean you built this? Are you....." His shaking stopped and he looked up with determination "Are you one of them? From before the sealing event? Is that why you're going after the Plates? Are you....Are you trying to open them back up as well?"
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 3, 2019 3:40:17 GMT
"Not exactly," Axiom says to Mica, stepping out further. "It is a record, but not of that."
She turns to look at Donovan. "It is just me, yes. The professor is not here, though she is safe and comfortable. I can relay a message to her when I leave, if you'd like. As for the seal... yes, I am from the ages long ago. But I am not trying to open up the Temples. That can happen, or it could not. Either way, I no longer care. Not in the way that I used to."
"As for this place, well... I built it, on my own. Over a long period of time. I will tell the story, and perhaps it will make more sen-" "Sorry, but..." Jayna interjects, "you say that you are the one who kidnapped Andrea Maple? And that you built all of this? And... what?" "While I did take her, yes, that was not my idea. It was another, to whom I have beholden myself to for reasons that might become evident, if I explain." Axiom's tone is a little impatient. "You are a historian, yes? I would have imagined that you'd like to learn some history." "I mean, yes, if you're telling the truth, it would be an unprecedented discovery..."
"Alright then." Axiom begins with walking over to the wall, and pressing her hand against one of the lines of crystal. Her suit begins to crackle with electricity, which causes the crystal it touches to glow... a glow that slowly spreads out, criss-crossing the entire room. All of the glyphs and symbols are lit up on display to see.
When she next speaks, it seems to be with some measure of exhaustion. "The story begins with a girl, born into to family of the Chieftain. As she grew up, it was clear that she was reckless, hotheaded, and impetuous, often clashing with her mother, especially after the death of her father. Really, the only people who interacted with her at any length were those who had to because of her status. But, her mother sent her out as an ambassador to another tribe, mostly as a way to get her out of everyone's hair. She didn't really care how it went."
"And, needless to say, it... did not go well. Tempers flared, words were said that probably should not have, and things looked like they would erupt into conflict again much earlier than usual. But, that girl, fuming and storming around outside of town, letting off steam, she came across an ordinary citizen, one that did not run, or seem to take offense to anything she said, despite the sheer temper displayed, obscenities launched, and the fact that the two tribes weren't on very good terms to begin with."
"In fact, the new girl calmly waited until the ambassador had let out some steam, before calmly offering her some food and drink. The ambassador hadn't ever really had anyone act like that towards her before, and was taken aback. There was no fear, no anger, just patience. And, eventually wisdom. For, they met again after the next ambassadorial meeting, where things continued to go south. The girl offered to help teach the ambassador patience. And so, despite the fact that by all rights they should have been enemies, the new girl taught the ambassador what her people valued, and helped her calm herself."
"Over the next few, uh, months, they became close. First friends, then more than that, as they adventured out into the mountains and forests around the village when they could, enjoying themselves, and making wondrous discoveries. Relations between the two tribes began to improve at last, as well. And that meant that the ambassador was recalled, for she was no longer needed here. Her rite of passage was over. However... the story does not end there. For, unusually, the village girl decided to accompany the ambassador back to her home. She was willing to give up her own immortality."
"But, things did not go well back at the ambassador's home village. It was considered improper for relations between those of two separate tribes, especially when there wasn't even a hint of innate affiliation. And especially improper for the daughter of a chieftain. So there were arguments. Many, many arguments, between the ambassador and her mother. One way or another, it was going to come to a head. And, it did, but not in the way that was expected."
"The ambassador and the girl went on an excursion, as they usually did, going further afield than usual. They strayed near a cliffside, that was partially unstable. And when they went to climb it... it collapsed. It was so sudden, there was no changing, no escape. The ambassador fell in such a way that she was merely badly scraped and bruised... but the girl, she had a boulder fall right on top of her. And in an instant, the ambassador's rock, love, fire... was snuffed out. The one who was strong, patient, caring, and wise. The one who should have been able to weather everything."
"There was only one thing that the ambassador could think of, that might be able to save her love. The plates of the elements, for her father had told her that they could perform miracles. Though when he had died, there had been those that warned that using just one would cause an imbalance. The person could come back... but it would be but a mockery of them, powered by but a fraction of the whole. So she needed all of the plates."
"But, she would find not even her home willing to help. Her own mother seemed simply elated that the other girl was gone. She attempted to have the body disposed of, returned to the plate... but the ambassador would have none of that. Her mother attempted to convince her, telling her of a prophecy, of a coming doom, where she would need to return home to be safe... but the ambassador did not care. She stormed off, into the wilderness. She saw the temples come into being... and saw none of the people within ever again."
"That is the story on record here," Axiom finishes. "Or, at least the bare summary of it. There are many many many Moons worth of memories recorded on these walls, every one poignant. Every one bittersweet. Every one to be so that she is never forgotten."
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Post by Breakthelevee on Feb 3, 2019 7:01:14 GMT
"You know they still worry about you Cyrene?" Donovan says, the pieces having fallen into place "The first thing Larie asked us about was you. She wanted nothing more than to know you're alright. She told us a little of your story after we met your mother"
He hesitated before continuing "She's gone mad with power. Your Tribe is doing their best to survive and live but she's making their life a living hell....."
"What was her name? If you want to spread her story, make sure she isn't forgotten, then tell us her name"
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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 Feb 3, 2019 13:31:21 GMT
"... Junthem gave me a similar treatment, being with Donovan when we visited the Rock Tribe. He was very strong, and patient, at least with me. I imagine that is what Dad would have been like..." Mica said more to herself then Axiom, putting the sketchbook down slowly and huddling in on herself.
In a way, she wanted the plates for the same reason, but Sensei's warning stuck with her. They were gone, it was no use chasing ghosts. She doubted Axiom would be swayed by that though. After staring at her knees for a moment, the girl's eyes watering, she looked up and offered a cheerful, out of context. "Thank you."
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 3, 2019 17:05:43 GMT
"Ah..." Axiom, or, rather, Cyrene says, "Those are names that I've not heard for a very long time. Larie, she was always such a good soul. Thinking about it, I do wish that I could let her know that I'm fine... but, I cannot enter any of the Temples. I don't want to face my mother again, though. I made peace with myself about that long ago. Besides, eventually she'll overstep her bounds, I'm sure, and people will cast her aside. It has happened to enough leaders in the past."
"Her name..." she breathes, "It was Valeria. A strong name, like her."
There's a moment of silence before she turns to Mica. "Why are you thanking me? I do not understand."
"That's... a story all right," Jayna says, "But are you expecting me to believe that you're really eighty thousand years old?"
"Believe, or do not. I do not care, as long as you do not desecrate this place." Cyrene shrugs. "Being able to share the history of this place was not why I came. I would like to speak with Mica and Donovan, privately." She looks at the two of them, faceplate blank.
"What?" Jayna asks. "You expect me to, after you admitted to kidnapping, leave you alone with two children?"
"I assure you, no harm will come to them. I have no reason to hurt them, and even if I did, I would not do so in this place, even indirectly."
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Post by Breakthelevee on Feb 3, 2019 17:51:08 GMT
Donovan looked over at Jayna and sighed "Please listen to her. If she had wanted to hurt us, she already could have. And....And I don't want you to get hurt either." And now came the part he hated. The part where he tells someone that they can do the impossible "But what she's saying is true. We know because we can enter the Temples. THat's how I know so much about their society. I was able to speak directly with them."
Once helping shoo Jayna away, at least for a bit, he turned back to Axiom "I wanted to fight you for so long. I blamed you for so much, especially the deaths of the Fighting Tribe. I thought that I was facing you when I met the Fairy Tribe. Watching what I thought was you threaten to kill the ones I care about, watching that false projection kill someone for trying to protect us...It just made it worse. But now...." He shook his head "I think I was wrong about you. It makes me more angry than anything, but I really do think my idea of who you are was wrong. This place is beautiful and I promise, I will help protect it. "
"Cyrene. You said that you are now beholden to someone else? Who is it? What is their goal? All Mica and I want to do is help free those within the Temples. If you really don't care if that happens or not....well you could help us with it. Once they're free, we can try and help you with Valeria. I'm not sure the power the Plates have but we've seen them change the very fabric of reality, and we're the only ones who remember what it was like before. If they can bring her back.....I'll help"
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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 Feb 3, 2019 18:32:47 GMT
"I was thanking you for giving me glimpses of the things I have always wanted the most out of life." Mica replied in the silence before Donovan began. "Letting me know what it might of felt like to have a parent. Letting me see and feel what it is to be a Pokemon."
At the doctor's protest Mica echoed Donovan. "It will be alright. If she really can't enter the temples... Then that means she needs us. Though... I thought she was in the fighting temple, I don't understand..."
When they were at last alone. "We haven't met formally, but I am Mica." She introduced herself to the armored woman. "Like you, I miss someone with all my heart and would have them back in a heartbeat, but Sensei warned against dwelling on the past. On using the plates for something like this."
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 3, 2019 19:08:25 GMT
Jayna seems reluctant, but heads off outside.
"I cannot say," Cyrene says to Donovan's query, shaking her head, "but they seek the plates to build a better world. I do not know exactly what that consists of. I do not care, so long as I can be with my Valeria. And that has been promised to me. I have given my word to them that I will aid them in their goal, but if you were to be the ones to unite the plates instead, I would not stand in your way more than necessary."
"And as for the one in the temples," she continues, "well, I am not the only one to wear the Axiom armour. It was not built for me, I simply use it so that I can have a reasonable representation of a body again." Reaching up for the helmet, she grasps it with both hands, pulling it upwards and off. Indeed, there is nothing inside. No head, nothing. She tosses it around, before snapping it pack into place. "The one I am beholden to also wears it. And as they can enter the Temples, they were the only ones who could retrieve the plates. That would be who you saw."
"As an aside, it does feel strange to call them 'Temples'," she muses. "it was how they were introduced to me, but now that I know the meaning of the word... religion was never a thing that we really had. The closest thing were the Plates, and we did not worship them... we simply tried to figure them out."
"Which, is along the lines of what I wished to speak with you about. I know I was supposed to simply demand your Plates. I will not do that, for I know that you will not give them up. Instead, I know that there is a spark in you, bringing you closer to those of yesterday. I wish to see if that spark can be stoked, giving you some ability to use the Plates themselves. Do you have ones that are close to yourselves? That would probably be easiest."
She looks at Mica. "The past is all that I have. She was my everything. I want to make a new future with her, though."
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Post by Breakthelevee on Feb 3, 2019 20:36:35 GMT
"Oh, so you're a Rotom. That makes sense on how you're controlling the armor. So you aren't the Axiom that we met." He sighed in relief "That makes me feel a lot better honestly. You're right that we won't give up the Plates. If we don't get them all soon, then everyone in every Temple will die. They ALL gave up their immortality in trust to us. I can't let that many people down."
A confused look appeared on his face as she talked "What do you mean giving us the ability to use the Plates themselves? We do have the Grass and Rock Plates and those seem to....I'll use the term resonate with our souls. Mica is a Bonsley when we're under the effect of a Plate, and I'm a Roselia"
"I have just one request. When you and Valeria are reunited, will you go back to the Electric Tribe, at least for a little while? Just to let them know that you're alright?"
"And.....Can you tell me what the cataclysmic event was? If you weren't in a Temple then....then you have to know, right?"
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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 Feb 3, 2019 21:49:34 GMT
"Hang on." Mica piped up. "If this other Axiom wants you to take the plates from us, and you not only aren't doing what they asked, but helping us, isn't that going to put your reunion in jeopardy? Not to sound ungrateful for the explanation, the history lesson, or the offer, but it doesn't make any sense." Mica gave Donovan a sideways glance and cocked her head for a moment. "Unless you are just hedging your bets..."
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 3, 2019 22:12:02 GMT
"Yes, I am," Cyrene says, before the armour briefly goes dark and motionless, and an orange-and-blue ball of light pops out. It circles the two for a moment, before returning. "That's all I am now. While my ghost part was able to weather the ages without the energy of the Plate, my human part was... not so lucky. Not that it would have survived the chill for long anyways. That was the cataclysm. This place was covered in ice, snow, and freezing winds. I was barely able to survive it, and I was able to warm myself with my electricity, be sheltered inside a mountain, and had no need for food. Virtually every living thing for a time died. It took a long, long time for life to properly return, carried on winds, slowly making their way across the sea, or having somehow barely subsisted in the marginally less-frozen pockets. I... understand why they would have fled from it if they saw it coming. Because it was no fun to live through."
"What I mean by 'use' is... just that. Begin to perhaps attune to them. They require a will, but also an elemental power to direct them. The people of today, they do not have that. It takes a long time to learn control, something, admittedly, that I rather squandered with my tutelage... but perhaps you can do it." She looks at Mica. "Yes, perhaps I am doing this for selfish reasons. But, I would rather have two opportunities than one. I do hope you understand."
"And, I will do that," she nods at Donovan. "I would like to be able to see those again who supported me."
"Now, if you wish to see if that... resonance... works, then take that Plate, close your eyes, and concentrate on it. I assume that you have them with you. I promise that I will not take them."
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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 Feb 3, 2019 22:26:23 GMT
Mica gingerly drew the Rock plate from her shoulder bag and held it tightly in her hands, looking between Cyrene and the plate. Valoria meant so much to the girl that she was willing to help opposing sides just for a chance to see her again. That kind of made sense, Mica might have done the same if she hadn't been given council against. Her grandparents would have said to let the dead rest. To cherish the stories of her parents and move on, to be someone they could be proud of. The knowledge that her Grandfather knew all along about Dusty, and that she had more freedoms then she expected gave her a welling sense of solidarity with them. "Do I just... think about the plate?" Mica closed her eyes and made a face that made it appear she might have gas.
XHZb6vor1d6 Focus (Add 2 if Elem Conn counts here.)1d6
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Post by Breakthelevee on Feb 3, 2019 22:35:38 GMT
Donovan sort of laughed "I'll try this, but I've spent countless hours studying these things and trying to use them. Time and time again. And nothing has happened."
He pulled the Grass Plate from inside his coat. He always kept it close to him so he wouldn't forget those who gave their lives for him. With closed eyes, he reached out to it, just like he had done before
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Post by DataNinja on Feb 3, 2019 22:44:07 GMT
The two concentrate, and briefly, they can feel a pressure as Cyrene reaches out towards the plates, too, pressing it in towards them. There's the brief crackling of ozone, before everything briefly fades away, and the pair can feel something within them flare up. "Okay, open your eyes," Cyrene's voice says, cutting through the silence. It sounds a little different, and, as the two open their eyes, they can see why. "How do you feel?" The voice itself... it's coming directly from the Rotom, who's floating in the air, shedding light. And seems bigger. Mica and Donovan soon realize... that they're once more a Bonsly and Roselia. But, they're also conscious of a little pressure in their minds, not painful... but just something that they can 'release' if they want, to spread around their mind, waiting to be called back together again. You're now able to shift between Pokémon and Human form as a Shift Action anywhere you want.
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