Sutoratosu

Stratos- Salamence A long silence stretched on after Aria was done. Stratos sat there, stone faced as his eyes bore into the girl. He made no judgement in his mind, did not weigh her words or consider her story. She was neither guilty nor innocent of lying. For that was for the Mages to decide. "She speaks true, my lord." One of them said. The pupil of his left eye slowly started to return to it's normal size, losing the bright teal gleam as he released the scattered, violent vision of the past. He still shuddered, even now, though he made sure to hide it from the Lord Champion. "Her story is completely corroborated. She is indeed none other than Aria Wyatt, former Lady Champion of Land." "Aye," The other concurred. She did not make nearly as much effort to hide her disturbance as her colleague. "And the killings and the bloodshed... what she says of them is true as well... but I saw... more, my lord... I saw more...so much more." "Speak then." "She has killed in our lands. She has killed our people. I saw it, my lord, just now... a hamlet, not far from the foot of the mountains... she... she left no one..." The mage turned to Aria herself, horror in her eyes as she backed away from the monster. They were still the same teal glint they had been the whole time. She was seeing the entire scene even as she spoke of it. "Not even the younglings, my lord. Not even the younglings... and... she did not stop there. Not even the facades... the whole place was set to the torch..." She did something no one had ever seen a Xatu do and be able to prove it... she forced her eyes shut, the glow instantly fading as she shook her head, strange mutterings escaping her throat as if some prayer for divine protection... Stratos, however, was not phased. Not in the least bit. "Such things would constitute acts of war... if you still had a nation to call home." He said, looking back to Aria now as the female magus broke down further behind him. It was impossible to know what lay in his thoughts... anger, horror, wrath, vengeance... "You come into my lands, and her citizens die by your hand-" "My lord-" the male mage stepped forward just as the Champion's eyes began to blaze the color of blood, the traces of a white fire blooming around his maw. Stratos calmed the fury circulating throughout his being only long enough to avoid roasting the fool... "She... she was telling the truth about her entire story. Spirit and all, not just her actions. I could feel it, my lord, when I glimpsed back... she was naught more than a pawn, a puppet being worked by a master... just as she appears to have been during the trial interruption." Stratos said nothing. He glared at the bird. Then swallowed the molten fury at his lips as he turned to Aria, the fires of wrath still beaming in his eyes like twin slits of crimson in the night. Still, nothing came from his mouth, neither words or hell fire. He simply stared at her... until... "What does this voice... say to you, when it wants you to kill and destroy?" Azauqyar- Rayquaza The Sky Lord glanced down the corridor breifly. He could see no trace of the phantom... but it wasn't like it mattered. Thanatos was best suited for a questioning anyway. "I... see no reason why we can not." He awaited the girl to lead the way... he certainly couldn't be expected to; not like it was him who was the one requesting a conversation.

Indeed it shall...indeed it shall. :feelsgd: EDIT: In before I give an offer to sit down and discuss peace.

*Puts on sunglasses and crosses arms* you forget about our endurance and weakness training which is standard for the Sky Troops, my friend. I called them "Unsullied with wings" for a reason, they've been conditioned for their vulnerabilities. Those twisters described wrapping around his tail in the scenes when azauqyar was conducting the training? They were blizzards. That's why the air was so damn cold. We thought up of all this long, long ago... simply relying on type match ups isn't going to just let an invading army sweep us, they'll have to rely on an actual strategem I'm afraid. And honestly, if anything we still have the advantage of home terrain and not having to rely on a supply line, we literally would have access to all our resources at a moments notice because they'd literally be right there at our fingertips. An invading army however, would either be stuck with whatever they carried over on the march, or have to wait for it to makes it way to the war front... or try to pillage as they go. It would be...most unfortunate is a bunch of rock slides were to come raining down on troops as they attempted to climb the peaks though... or if fire were to rain from the sky... or so many other nasty tricks I have up my sleeve given the types at my disposle And even besides that, we can always form defensive alliances of our own if it's needed... All in all, the point is, if one thinks they can simply come in and sweep the Sky nation with type match ups like an uber team taking on a LC team, they had best think again... cause that ain't gonna fly no way no how, you're gonna need at least some type of plan besides just playing rock paper scissors. Warfare is complex and deep, just as much as it is destructive, things on the battlefield can be incredibly dynamic... and the best part? I'm not making any of this shit up right now; I legit went to the trouble of describing it all back in the first chapter. The narration from Azauqyar's POV even so much as legit says that anyone who thinks they can come in and secure victory with type matchups alone would be in for a nasty surprise... cause warfare is a deeper subject than just Rock Paper Scissors, unlike your classic bout of pokermans. Far deeper.

Lols, it amazing how I'm literally always the only one who hasn't posted/ is holding shit up...ah, gotta love ridiculous work loads given out at the end of the year for no reason. I'll have something up by tonight.

If the twos of yous dares marches into the Land of Sky, we'll burniate y'all with everything we have... actually, hell, I'm pretty sure it would be incredibly hard to conquer sky at the moment, considering we more than likely have the most powerful defensive military compared to the other nations And we have hundreds of thousands of unsullied on our side... with wings I gotta admit though, the main continent honestly reminds me of westeros, and the other continent off to the east is kinda like Essos in a way... go figure XD But like I said, we's gonna get our game of throne on around here. It's too good to pass up and too easy to pull off not to do it, and you all know it is.

Azauqyar- Rayquaza The Elder wyrm passed right into Ulkina's line of sight as he glided along the stones of the corridor directly in front of her, the out of sight again as he kept on about his way, seeming to have not noticed the girl in his haste. If she focused a bit though, she might've been able to pick up the same supernatural presence she had earlier at the trial... aside from the Sky God's. Stratos- Salamence One of the guards drew his sword a quarter of the way out of it's sheath the moment Aria made the offer, showing off the pearly glint of the steel as he looked at Stratos. "My lord, Shall we?" He asked it with the faint trace of a grin on his maw... but then again, one would likely want to cut off the arm of a psychopath if one had seen one's own nephew take a full force Aura Sphere to ribs...if not do more. "Nay..." Stratos sighed, reaching out with a single claw and pushing the soldier's blade back into it's proper place. "None of that... I will interrogate the prisoner after all instead." Though the eager guardsman scowled, the Giant had to say nothing more, the men instantly walked off, taking up places at either end of the corridor, far enough not to hear the specifics of whatever was asked, but close enough to come running the moment they were needed. "Except you two" he said, stopping two Xatus before they could leave as well. "You will stay and determine from the past if what she tells me is the truth." They gave no question, simply taking a step back to let the Lord Champion begin. Stratos turned his draconic, fire red gaze onto Aria as she writhed in the cell... face seemingly devoid of sympathy considering recent events. "Who are you, girl," He asked. "And what do you mean 'It wants bloodshed'? The stone itself does?"

yay, finally got something up. @Darvan, like I said at the bottom, feel free to have Ulkina find either Azauqyar in the halls of the keep or Stratos down in the dungeons right now if you still want her to talk to them. I would've had the post taking place right after the end of the incident, but with the amount of posts that had been up inbetween now and when yash made the update, I figured it would just flow better with a bit of a small time skip

Azauqyar- Rayquza, Thanatos- Dusknoir A while after the trial... With the situation under control and the threat to the populace avoided, Azauqyar had ordered the crowds dispersed back to their daily business and Stratos to check on the prisoners- specifically the Lucario first to ensure his instructions regarding her mega stone hadn't been ignored. After what the Specter who had revealed himself after the fighting had told him, he wanted to take no chances... The two of them had moved on from the grounds, both of them now hovering in the vast throne room as the evening was slowly beginning to give way to full night. The windows spilled moonlight down onto the slate grey stones and the white tapestries adorned with blood white, the sigil of the Neo Draken Guard present on their faces, the silhouette of a set of outspread, draconic wings and a dragon's head, all with a slash of crimson running across it's face in the shape of a talon. Once the standards of Lord Kruga had hung from their walls... but after his death Azauqyar had ordered his Grace's tapestries be buried with him in his tomb save for one to be saved for historical records purposes. Torches lined the walls by the doors, and braziers made their homes in various spots around the chamber, forming a semi circle behind the glorious, massive throne, Carved of Marble and adorned with dragon bone... or at least some claimed. Thanatos took another look around the chamber as he and Azauqyar spoke, the window before them offering a view of the entire western half of the capitol. The phantom would've been impressed by the feats of architecture; the hanging walls, the flying butretress, the soaring towers intersparsed by mist as they reached up from the street level like rocky fingers attempting to pierce the heavens... even the massive bridge leading away from the city's massive, heavily fortified gates, the only way in or out for those who couldn't fly. But he had seen it all before. hundreds of times. He had seen all the cities of this land before. "Then the incident was caused by the evil residing within the stones?" Azauqyar said, hands folded behind his back. "And the phantom Syni- she was the source of this evil?" "No..." Thanatos said, shaking his head. "From what the spiritual balance tells me, she seems to have been the direct cause of only Alucard's stone being tampered with. The other soul, the lucario- Arya, I'm told she is named- The Balance tells me that her stone's tainting was the result of Formal Sabotage, likely from some kingdom... though it is still working to determine the specifics about it." "I see. very well then, Stratos will ensure we do not have another... mishap." The glint of the Champion's Mega Stone could still be clutched in his hand. He had no intention of giving it back until they were sure this 'evil' was purged from the city; if Stratos were to mega evolve and go berserk like they had...and was to receive the same outside boost in power from the darkness they had... the destruction and the death toll would be thousands of time worse. A good quarter of the entire city would probably be engulfed in an inferno before Azauqyar would be able to stop him... A long silence drew between them, both supernatural beings, one major and one minor, both old, staring out at the night life of the Civilians of the Land of the Sky. Azauqyar was imagining it, this city burning... the roars of guards fighting tooth and nail to fulfill their oath, the screams of the people as they were mowed down one by one... smoke rising and choking the air, the gates breached and crumbling as the bridge itself collapses into the yawning abyss down below... "It will never happen again... If I must unleash my full force, like I had to back then, I will do it in a heart beat... I will not hesitate and let them die. Not again." "How's freya?" He broke out of his dark thoughts, looking around before recalling Thanatos was even there. "It's been over a decade, hasn't it?" "Aye, thirteen years..." Azauqyar answered, the sound of flames ans screams still fresh in his ears. "She's become one of the finest warriors I've ever seen. Ever since you came afterwards and told us all the name of the man who had lead the assault, she begged me to make her stronger, make her stronger so she could kill him..." Again there was silence. Thanatos simply kept his eyes fixed to the glass pane, the evil he had felt that day still burning in his senses. So many lost, so many young and small, so many innocent... and like candles, they had all been snuffed out by the machinations of war. So much evil... all from one man... Brantyn Von Richi, the Titan... "I trust you have told her the dangers of becoming the monster she hunts?" "I did." Azauqyar said. "And then some. I gave her a scale and order her to keep it on her at all times, to be able to monitor her actions... and restrain her if I must." "That's one thing I wished to ask you back then..." Thanatos turned to face the senior supernatural being. "Your scales, you gave them to your... your..." "Wards." Azauqyar's face darkened. "Wards was what I called them at first, after the last battle left the land scarred and deformed and the seas risen..." "Your wards... yes. Tell me though, did they all do the same thing, these Emerald Scales?" "To an extent, yes..." The old god began hovering away from the window, stopping to look up the stairs to the raised dias bearing the throne in all it's grandeur. The glint of the braziers danced and played upon his eyes, like twin mirrors... "Every scale, because it is a part of me, allowed me to see what was going on around it's holder and speak into their mind as if I was standing right next to them, regardless of where they are, and it could even act as a two way medium for it... if they knew how to invoke it's powers themselves and maintain the connection." He stopped hovering, looking back at the Reaper. "That was the most basic function of them, the real reason why I gifted them to the children at all... but I am a god. I have my tricks and my blessings to give as I see fit..." "Then... I presume these blessings you speak of..." "Aye, precisely what I did to the scales I gave certain individuals." The sky dragon nodded. "I simply instill my thought of what I desire it to do, and so mote it be, so long as it is within my powers to grant. Why, Freya's is one of such scales... though she knows nothing of it yet... And there is another in this world currently as well, an old man who travels healing the sick and the dying. He was a priest of mine, back when it happened... I gave him his scale with the blessing to unlock his full potential with his powers. And from what I here, he has used it precisely for the good I have always known him to do... I have trouble reaching him through his for some reason however...and then there is the most recent one, Stratos, Champion of this city. He's a good heart, a strong body... he's a warrior who upholds all that a public protector is to be. Hence, I gave his scale a very particular blessing... so long as his heart burns with a desire to champion for his people, he shall be clad and protected by the Armor of the winds themselves..." Just then a servant creaked open the door as he poked his head into the room, bowing before the two. "Lord Regent, Lord Death, I have received word from the guards that the Gengar has awoken. I thought you would want to be informed without delay." "oh? Excellent." Thanatos barely glanced at the Sky Dragon before floating out of the room and down the hall, obviously more than familiar with the layout as he made his way towards the dungeons. Azauqyar simply dismissed the servant girl and followed off behind the phantom. Stratos- Salamence Outside of Aria Wyatt's cell... "You all there!" Stratos called as he descended the stairs into the depths of the castle dungeon. It had taken some time to find the cell where the Girl from the trial was being held, but with a quick point in the right direction by a Mage, here he was. The guards instantly went stiff as planks with salutes flying high when they saw him. "At ease, soldiers." "Yes my lord." one of them said, dropping his claws back to his side. "Would you like to interrogate the prisoner?" "That can wait." The salamence said sternly. He turned to one of the mages present, fixing him with his crimson stare. "Lord Azauqyar ordered earlier for the girl's Mega Stone to be removed and confiscated for the sake of security... I trust you have done so accordingly?" He seemed to be waiting expectantly... ((@Darvan, feel free to either have Ulkina find either Stratos or Azauqyar right now if you want to talk))

Hell, brantyn might join Underdark at some point too to help out... if he can ever get across the damn ocean. Gotta make groudon soup, yo! And I just realized that it's probably true that I'm the main player for Sky Kingdom right around now... given I have seen very little of any of the other senior officers besides Swain (Typhlosion's pc)... and given the fact that one of my PCs is the freaking head of state for the time being and the other is the legit head of national security... in truth, Sky might have somewhere among the most players/ PCs of any kingdom, but very few (Myself, Darvan, and typhlo) are actually all that active right now. As for wanderer loyalties, i just intend to have Sebastian and Freya hold loyalties only to Azauqyar himself and go on about their own missions while trying to stay out of the war as much as they can

Eh, we're moving as fast we can bro... I personally have some shit that seems persistent to keep coming up, so that's honestly slowing down the rate I can get things up here at the moment.

Eh really sorry bout this folks... it might be another day or two before I can get anything up. There's just a lot going on right now and work keeps coming out of no where...

Yeah commander, like jory said, we ain't talking bad bout you brah He already got one up though...

Precisely my point... there are things about him that make you want to like him, really, there are... but he makes it pretty damn hard to do so at times XD It's almost a bit like Alvin's situation; yeah, people should probably try and be more tolerant and give him a chance more and be nicer and all, like Jacob said to Mareek... but alvin makes it so damn hard to do that with how annoying he consistently is, and so... not really much point putting up an effort to try to let it go. Henry though, just happens to have Redeeming qualities that have been displayed and therefore... well, take away from how much one might want to just pop him in the mouth a times. Not that it gives free passes for being an ass by any means, but like you said, at least he's a lovable ass.

The boy wasn't even ten feet outside the doors before he heard the heavy clanking of steel against tiled floor and a door being flung open. He honestly didn't feel like having a chat with anyone right about now, not after the brief encounter with Henry, but he knew it was pointless to try running from the dark type. The damn guardian was faster than he looked, and where Mars was... his mother was sure to be close by... "Looks like you found me." He sighed, not even turning to look at the bisharp as he stood there. He took off the googles, no use bothering with them anymore anyway... that woman would see right through it in a heartbeat. "Where is she then?" "I'm right here." He could feel her hand on his shoulder. He didn't know what she would say, what she would do... but he turned around anyway. "How bad was it, Mareek? How's your partner?" She stepped closer. And he could see it, and feel it. The grip on his shoulder wasn't the iron tight one he was so accustomed to whenever he fucked up back home, as rare as it had occurred. Her eyes weren't the same orbs of dark blue, cold stone they usually were. They weren't the same ones he had seen for all those years. The subtle glower that was eternally directed at the world at large, the grim determination, the glint that could rival polished Sapphires... it was gone. There it was. He saw it. That long dead warmth, like some ruler had returned to light a fire in the hearth of some long since fallen Keep. The eye's he had seen so many times as a little kid. He didn't know for how long, or why... but his mother was back. But for how long, he had no idea..."It's... it's..." was all he managed to sputter before just giving up and shaking his head, turning away from her. He didn't know how he should've felt, happy, glad, elated... probably. After all these years the switch had seemingly been flipped again... but yet he didn't feel any of those. He couldn't. Finally he managed "I don't want to talk about it out here..." and without another word, he started off towards the male dorms... knowing both her and Mars would follow.

Ah yes... henry the lovable ass, truly, he has earned that title... though he's currently riding more on the "Ass" part of it... riding it fast and hard, all the way to market XD

Yes, well... unfortunately erce ain't a one man army XD she just not built to be a reliable tank; more of a special forces type deal, get in, defeat a single target or two, then get the hell out of battle. And it would kinda be a low blow for anyone to challenge mareek to battle for a while anyways, all things considered, what with his team basically crippled as both it's central strategic pillar and it's most strong willed fighter are both gonna be gone for a while (And the latter isn't coming back) and the fact that he literally has a freaking cripple to look after... the only member he can even rely on is Erce, just like the good ole days... except the days ain't so good. And the fact that I'll likely have to bring in Nemo's replacement severely underleveled doesn't help things either... All in all, this is truly turning out to be a Gallipoli campaign for Mareek, just as it was for Churchill in WWI. Disgraced, his career and prospects for the future severely damaged, the humiliation... Obviously he'll bounce back... but it's like an army suffering a massive defeat; it's gonna take some time and energy to manage to get back up to it's former capacity. But when he does... there will be fire to thank for it... Beautiful, beautiful fire. Fire that purifies and destroys, all at the same time... Cause it fits so well...

OH wait.... we have to use our signatures, don't we? I kinda forgot to make one for her yet. Eh, I'll just get the response up and upload her sig later once it's made EDIT: Also, I would strongly suggest just keeping the contract the way it is. It could serve for some interesting character development in the present for those who actually take the time to read it and later on for those who just sign it without a single in depth glance later on... just a suggestion though. I'll try to get up something tonight.

Eh, it's kinda my fault, things were going down and I couldn't get around to putting up Arya's response because of it. I'll think of something but tonight

Stratos and Azauqyar and Thanatos- Salamence, Rayquaza, Dusknoir "Good lord, they'll be here all night trying to quell him at this rate..." "Find and remove his mega stone!" A massively resonating, sagely voice suddenly called out from high above everyone's heads. Thanatos didn't bother to wait for any answer they might have to give, holding both his invisible palms and focusing in on Alucard, eyes beginning to glow with a strange blue as he attempted to reach out with his own raw will power and restrain the Gengar's movements... "Hurry! I'll do what I can to restrain him! The demon in him is a strong one though..." Stratos and Azauqyar looked back and forth between each other and the skies above, shrugging as the Sky Lord gave the go ahead to his champion. Without a word, Stratos strode forward in the air, body becoming engulfed in a pink light and reverting to it's normal form so that he could have use of his front limbs. He crept closer to Alucard, preparing to begin the search for the stone... "Keep your own mega stone away from it...Stratos!" Called the same booming voice from overhead. The champion had no idea how it knew his name, but he heeded it's words, plucking out the tiny jewel and tossing it to Azauqyar to hold. Once again he crept forward, clad in his emerald armor with his claws at the ready, hoping the voice hadn't been lying about trying to restrain the criminal...all the while as the White Crescent Mages continued their own struggle to keep the phantom under control... Sebastian, Brantyn- Gothitelle, Rhyperior "Good lord..." Elder managed as the dust finally started to clear in the air. He nor anyone else in the crowd could spot the Prophet or the beast through the thick tendrils of sandy, golden brown. The town entrance was in complete shambles though, that much was clear just from looking at the place... the weathered, sand beaten gate was mangled and twisted, even snapped in places. The ground was pockmarked in miniature craters, as if some sudden meteorite shower had seen fit to visit the area and make it's glorious fall from the heavens in none other than their remote village. Blood stained the earth in a few places, tiny droplets and spatters here and there, mixing in the dust of the desert. There was silence all around. A blaze of bluish green emerged from the cloud, the air itself seeming to swirl as if suddenly grabbed and stirred by invisible fingers, congealing into a massive cloud over the plaza as it lifted higher into the heaven's and dispersed... And standing there... was the Prophet Sebastian, unharmed and unmaimed... and the Beast Brantyn. Sweating, bloody, and bruised. Cracks ran across his arm cannons, tiny streams of scarlet emerging from the pressure wounds and falling in slow drips. The fool's cloak was tattered and torn to the point where one would have sooner recognized it as a rag than an article of clothing. He glared at Sebastian, eyes full of fire as he nonetheless backed away, his legs feeling like rubber... "I gave you fair warning that you would fall if you engaged me." The Psychic called in his mind, another taunt, just like all the other ones he'd been throwing his way the whole time... Brantyn would shut him up if it weren't for the fact that he was using his own brute force against him every chance he got. First driving him head first into the gate when he had charged, then sending his own rocky bullets back at him... but the nastiest trick was by far the psychic meteor shower. Thousands upon thousnads of tiny pockets of telekinetic force, rained down upon him... Brantyn had no idea how the old man had gotten so powerful. But it must've had something to do with Azauqyar's scale around his neck. "You see, you wretch?" The Titan asked, luaghing to himself. "You see? This is why I want the find Groudon, the type of Power I could harvest from him, just from a bodily artifact of his alone! You hold the very same type of power around your neck as I desire, yet you don't even see it!" "This power belongs to no other being but myself, Titan." Sebastian again raised his staff, eyes flaring that brilliant emerald green as his Lord's scale blazed into life on his chest despite his words... Brantyn simply kept backing up, finally throwing his hands to the heavens, blood sprinkling everywhere from the wounds. "Bah! Fine, enough! It's obvious I'll be killed If I try to go any further here, but mark my words..." He looked right at the elder Flygon. "I will be back, baba... and your little priest friend won't be here to save you next time!" And the Titan turned, leapt into the air, and began to corkscrew his entire body. The ground rumbled as he collided with the dirt, easily burrowing into the earth's crust and disappearing in the darkness, right before the hole's entrance suddenly collapsed behind him...

@Darvan, is ulkina trying to call out to Thanatos there, or am I just tripping with how I interrupted it? The whole: It was not a malevolent spirit, but it smelled of....death. thing is kinda throwing me off there...

Eh, think I'll just go the route of having the method be via Pokegear or something. It was made by silph co and all, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch saying how exactly he got it (probably from Dr.Saito or something...) or I could say Java mysteriously "Found it" while he was still alive months ago and the thing was conveniently wiped clean of all personal information, making finding the owner impossible...

K then, thanks

Ahhhh... character's grow up so fast, don't they? Why, just last september or so, I was trying to figure out his backstory and everything, and now look at him, making (Very likely to be) Life Long enemies, all without me even having to try. *Sniffle* So damn...fast... right before your very eyes. Achievement: Acquired Arch Nemesis Next Achievement Goal: Acquire a damn girl friend already... And there are Phones in each of the dorm rooms, right? (Can't remember Chimchain's description from long ago)

"Tch, yeah... six times too damn many, you fucking asshole..." Mareek muttered as he kept walking, loud enough only for himself to hear. He couldn't help but want nothing more than to drive his fist into the sand rat's face... "No...no... he's not worth the energy or the consequences for it...besides, it wouldn't surprise me if he was the type who was all bark and no bite; the type who starts appologizing left and right like a little bitch the moment he takes things too far and someone gets pissed the fuck off and decides to get physical... one day he's gonna say something to the wrong guy at the wrong time... and that'll probably be the end of Baldwin." He shook his head though, forcing the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to let pests get to him... he had things that needed doing, plans that needed arranging... and certain team members to arrange exile for.

I think I'm going to enjoy Thanatos for some reason... Totally didn't lift his entire character and concept from the supernatural Being named Lord Death from Project Sky Slayer... And I think I'll just go ahead and skip right to the end of the... confrontation between Sebastian and Brantyn... since I kinda forgot about them and picking up right where it left off at this point would just be a bit confusing (Like, as if they were legit going to just stand there having a stare off for all that time... it would be funny if they did though XD). And I need to think of something for Freya as well... though I think I can just link her in there later...