Last Lifeline

The Life on the Line Mission Info:

The sun was high up in the sky, occasionally being covered by the clouds and causing the land below grow darker for a moment. The tall, black mountains of the mountain range didn't help in that, causing large shadows between the mighty peaks and on the land nearby. The ground was bare with only rocks, dirt and the occasional little shrub managing to force itself to grow in the harsh environment, at least protected by the wind by the nearby rocks and boulders shielding them. Mountain air never was very hot and humid, but the climate was pleasing enough and the breezy air of the higher altitudes surely would have been a welcome change of pace after a hot day. But when it came to the large canyon ripping the mountain range apart, the air was deathly still with no wind and the sunlight struggled to peek past all the sharp edges...

Varda huffed and puffed, pushing himself as hard as he could with determination sparkling in his eyes as he led the party forward. While he had pretty much flown for the rest of the journey, he had landed just because his partner could not fly himself, and the ground on the mountains could get quite tricky indeed. It was only fair for him to take a path he knew could be walked on, especially when the fall could be very... Bad. Him as a flying Pokémon had an advantage in an area like that. But Sova... He definitely did not want his friend to fall down into the depths!

Earlier that day, the Swablu had found an urgent request for a very important mission, one that would save a life. Of course he would believe a story like that and when he saw Sova in the Guild Hall nearby, he just had to explain it all and ask for help. Because it was urgent, Varda had done his best to get to the Obsidian Crevice as quickly as they could, quite fearlessly starting to descend the black-walled canyon as he hopped from one narrow ledge to another.
"Oh... Sova, are you doing well?" The bird remembered that he had a much-needed friend with him on this mission, understanding that his friend might not be able to climb down as fast as he could. He was lighter and smaller, with wings. Sova meanwhile could not risk falling...


Current Energy: 9 (39 -30 from entering)

Back once again. It seemed like these mountains knew just how to keep Sova coming back to them, no matter how many unpleasant experiences he had within them. Then again, the Icy Lands seemed to do the same thing. Of course, part of the reason he kept willingly coming back to these places was because he needed to prove to himself that he could. He was afraid of nothing, he would run from NOTHING. Though, of course, this wasn't the only reason he'd agreed to come. He wouldn't have declined an offer to accompany Varda, especially to such a dangerous place as the Obsidian Crevice. There was also one more thing. An innocent was going to die.... and he felt a need to make sure that didn't happen.

The glaceon had just been minding his own business, happening to be at the guild at the time Varda had found the mission. He had actually been just about to go look for some missions, since he rarely even came to the guild unless he wanted to get more missions. Then the little bird found him and explained he had a very important mission. Sova usually wouldn't have cared much about anything other than the rewards, specifically increase in his team's rank, but this mission detailed someone's life being in danger.

He seemed more robotic than fluid in his movements and attitude, being completely focused on completing this mission. Most missions were just a means to an end for him, do some silly chore or capture a petty criminal, but this one was serious and he could NOT afford to fail. He had no trouble at all keeping up with Varda and refused to show the fact that he was starting to get tired. He would continue doing this for as long as possible, which would hopefully be long enough to get to the monferno.

"I'm fine. Don't slow down for me, my life's not the one in danger.", he replied to the swablu rather bluntly. Perhaps he had been a bit mean, but this was very serious to him.
He kept a constant, almost obsessive lookout for the signs of the event mentioned in the mission description. If the signs started appearing, he was willing to risk his life bolting through the dangerous terrain to stop the vision from becoming reality. He was even willing to leave Varda behind if necessary, unless of course the bird was in trouble too. Though he doubted it would come to this. Hopefully they would just find the monferno quickly and escort it out of here without any hassle.

(Energy - 29.... gonna need to use every bit of it to fill the requirements for this mission. xD)

"Well... It could be! The vision our client saw was of just one incident," Varda chirped as he hopped down another ledge and looked up at his friend behind him, keeping an eye on his just in case. Unfortunately, he was quite sure that his wings wouldn't be enough to stop Sova from falling even if he grabbed the other and did his best to try to fly, the fox was bigger and heavier compared to the little bird. The chances of him saving someone that was were rather slim... So he didn't even want things to come to that, knowing that things could go very wrong!

"I don't think we should be careless just because of that, though... I mean, if something does happen to us, who will stop... That, from happening!" He continued as he landed on a ledge that seemed to be going down for a while, like a tiny makeshift road. It was awfully narrow and there was no guardrail to protect from a fall, but maybe it would be a bit easier to follow it. The Swablu started to waddle along, occasionally glancing behind him as he heard the sounds of soft paw steps and the little rocks that tumbled down into the darkness below...

The bird peered up at the sky. The sun was still there, as were the clouds... But the vision had talked about lightning. Did that mean a storm would be happening? He did not particularly like storms, the harsh winds were too difficult for him to navigate and fight against. Currently, the walls of the canyon were protecting him from winds, so he hoped that would continued.
"Do you think it really will be a storm today? The sky looks so... Normal," Varda cooed in thought, almost thinking out loud to himself more than anything. Certainly, it wasn't spotless and completely bright, but he didn't think those clouds looked like storm clouds.

Peering below after that, he couldn't see anyone below either. Of course it was getting quite dark with the way the sun hit the edges of the canyon, causing large shadows to swallow up a lot of the land below. There also were so many little nooks and crannies where Pokémon could hide in. Was the Monferno they were looking for really here?

Sova listened to his friend's voiced worries, though he didn't reply. It didn't matter to him whether his life was in danger or not. Someone else's was.... and for some reason, that mattered to him. He walked along, following Varda as he listened. One thing he did agree with was that this area was dangerous. He'd been here before, he knew all too well just how dangerous it was. There were a lot of VERY powerful pokemon here and vision was severely restricted by the darkness. At that, if there was going to be lightning, the flashes of light would mess with their vision and make it even more difficult to see in the dark.

Then Varda asked a question the glaceon was actually interested in replying to. Would it storm? He looked up, the sky didn't seem perfectly clear but it didn't really seem like an oncoming thunderstorm to him. "I dunno, but storms are common here so I don't doubt it. They can show up pretty fast, too.", he explained. "But lets just hope we don't stay long enough to find out; lets just find the monferno and get out of here.", he added on.
Just completing the mission and getting out before the vision could start coming true seemed like the best way to handle the situation.

He then began wondering something unsettling. What if the storm had already passed before they got there and the monferno was.... deceased? Or what if the vision wasn't completely correct and there was no lightning? How would they know either of these things? They were kind of just wandering blind - both figuratively and literally. Still, he just had to hope this was not the case. Besides, he figured the mission would have been taken down if it was.

Varda cooed when his friend explained that storms tended to be quite common in the mountains, capable of showing up rather fast. With another quick glance at the sky... Maybe that could be true. Right now he wouldn't normally suspect a storm at all, but the vision did mention lightning. It was puzzling, but Sova just wanted to hurry and get the Monferno away from the dangerous situation before the vision came true. That actually seemed like a really good plan! Even if everything came true, the Pokémon wouldn't be in any danger at all, right?

"Yes! I haven't seen him anywhere yet, but maybe he's at the bottom... What would a Pokémon even be doing here," he chirped in thought as he continued to waddle along the narrow ledge made of black stone. Such a dark, eerie and dangerous place certainly didn't seem like a proper picnic spot. Maybe the reason was training? A client had wanted to come to the mountains to train once...
"...Ah, what if the lightning would actually come from an Electric attack?" The Swablu suddenly changed topic as he seemed to understand some other kind of possibility for the vision to work without a storm. After all, their client had said lightning and not a storm... But maybe she actually had seen a storm but had only mentioned the lightning part. They couldn't ask for clarification now.

"Do you think we should call out to him?" Varda looked over his shoulder with a smile, cheery despite their surroundings and the rather dangerous mission. He seemed quite positive, like he was certain that the mission would be completed properly and the story would have a happy ending.

Sova began to worry as the swablu brought up the possibility of their being no storm, that the lightning could be from an attack. Electcic-Type attacks weren't exactly common here, since Electric-Types weren't common, but there was likely SOMETHING that could at least know how to bring down a Thunderbolt in the general area. Still, the storm seemed more likely since most of the pokemon here were Dragon, Dark and Psychic, which didn't commonly know electricity-based attacks, while storms were fairly common in this area.

"The lightning COULD come from an attack, but it's not likely. Electric-Types aren't very common here and it's not too likely for most of the pokemon that live here to be packing Thunderbolts.", he explained, admitting it was possible that he was wrong, just unlikely. He certainly hoped he wasn't wrong, because that meant they didn't have a storm to judge when they needed to speed up.
"And no, I don't think we should call out to him. Most of the pokemon here are very strong and very territorial.... or just nuts. We don't need that kind of attention.", he pointed out.

Honestly, though, they were probably going to end up in a large fight anyways. This place was crawling with strong and angry pokemon and if they managed to avoid all of the threats, they'd still likely have to walk right into a fight if the vision came true.

(Time to play the dice rolling game.)

Lord E V carried out 10 launched of one Obsidian Crevice :

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"Oh, I see," Varda chirped as his friend did acknowledge the possibility of an Electric-type attack causing the lightning their client had seen in her vision, but did not see it being very likely. It seemed that Sova had either been in the Obsidian Crevice before, or had at least studied the place a little before jumping in as he knew what kind of Pokémon lived in the area. Mainly, that they did not often knew the kind of attacks that could cause lightning to strike.

And in Sova's eyes, calling out to the Monferno wasn't a good idea either, as the Pokémon around this area were territorial and dangerous. If they made a lot of noise, they would be found – and maybe even attacked! The vision had involved many Pokémon, so it seemed like it was likely that the canyon was crawling with all kinds, they just couldn't see them yet – and of course the bird didn't doubt the legitimacy of the vision! That was why he was here in the first place, because he believed it was going to happen and they had to save a life before it did!

"Have you been here before? You sound like you have," the Swablu asked as he started to dig through his bag, throwing a Sitrus berry in his mouth. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to be eating... But he actually was a bit hungry after the long journey and he wanted to be prepared, no matter what happened!


Current Energy: 24 (9 +15 from the Sitrus berry)


((Wow, guess I'll be trying my luck too... If we get Pokémon, I guess we'll save those encounters until later on, closer to the climax of the thread?))

Bird carried out 2 launched of one Obsidian Crevice :

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Sova just shrugged before continuing to walk in response to Varda's question. He had indeed been here before, but the reason why was.... something he felt was not a good idea to tell guild members. Associating with an outlaw and whatnot. Though he could at least admit that he'd been here. After all, he had also come here to challenge himself. To prove he could tolerate going back to these mountains with bad memories housed within them.

"Yes, I've been here. Not everyone is completely hostile, but most of the nicer residents are a bit weird. Probably because of the light deprivation.", he finally spoke up, admitting he'd been here before. Varda needed to be made aware of the dangers anyways, he figured.
Speaking of dangers, he'd been here before so he knew exactly what he was getting into, but did Varda understand how dangerous this place was? He wondered.

"By the way, stay near me. I don't want you getting hurt and I know my way around here a bit.", he added on as he walked. Varda wasn't exactly the strongest or most willful fighter in in the world, nor was he likely used to places as dangerous as this.
Meanwhile Sova constantly put himself in danger and had no qualms with killing if necessary, so he wanted to make sure they didn't get split up so he could protect the little bird if it came to that.

(Yep, since one of the mission requirements is to roll a bunch of OP stuff. Though with our luck so far I may need to start using energy restoring items. Also enjoy that Reviser Seed.)

Varda nodded to Sova's explanation, it all made sense considering his friend's knowledge. And well, it was rather dark in the canyon, what with the way the tall walls easily obstructed the sun and only let a sliver of light touch the ground below! Maybe it did affect Pokémon that normally needed light. At least he couldn't imagine a life without the sun and bright days, spending his life in a dimly lit little corridor... It didn't sound fun.

"Alright!" The bird chirped happily as the Pokémon behind him suggested that he stayed close, something that he was already doing and had planned to do. The two of them shouldn't be separated, they needed their combined strength to handle such a delicate mission.
"Though if I fall, you shouldn't worry! I should be able to fly back," he added, not wanting Sova to jump after him as an attempt to save him in case his foot slipped. He had wings, Sova did not! Though well, of course there was the chance that he wouldn't be able to roll the right way up during his fall and didn't get enough wind under his wings, or maybe he could accidentally hit his head on something... But it was better to not think of such things!

"Do you... Think the Monferno will be all the way to the bottom?" Varda asked as he peered over the edge, seemingly not at all scared of the heights. Their first mission was to find that Pokémon, before that they couldn't really do anything. He didn't see any movement anywhere, though. The whole place was so... Eerily still, with no wind or sounds. Other than the occasional rocks that tumbled down the walls, of course.


Current Energy: 18 (24 -5 from the enemy encounter, -1 from the item)

Bird carried out 2 launched of one Obsidian Crevice :

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Sova was relieved to hear Varda agree to stay near him. Not that he could see a reason the little bird would wander away, but it was still comforting to actually hear it. Though worries were still plaguing his mind, everything about this mission seeming risky. He wasn't exactly worried about himself, just everything else. Maybe he could start up a conversation of some kind to take his mind off the prominent risks involved with this mission.

If Varda somehow fell, he would have to try to save the bird, even if it wasn't necessary. Because, what if? What if it turned out to be necessary and he didn't do anything because Varda said not to? He was more than willing to risk his own life to save such a kind soul, especially since the swablu was his friend. At least, from what he'd gathered they were friends. This was the third mission they'd done together and they didn't seem to hate each other yet, so that was a good sign.

"So, I never got to teach you about TMs and you never got to tell me about your self. Wanna do one of those?", he questioned, allowing the bird to decide whether or not to partake in one of those conversation topics and if so, letting him also decide which one to choose.
It didn't really matter to the glaceon what they talked about, as long as it wasn't the mission or himself. These were just the only topics he could think of at the moment and he HAD said back at the Frozen Stream that he was interested in talking about both.

"Ohh, that's right!" Varda chirped as his friend reminded him of the conversation they had near the frozen stream on their last mission, glancing over his shoulder. Sova had agreed to teach him about TMs and his life had also been a topic the bird had been prepared to talk about... But the icy lands didn't give them the opportunity to talk much when things got quite... Heated, ironically enough. And once they brought in the Sneasel, the Swablu had noticed that he had caught a cold and needed rest!

"You did show me how to learn one move, the Blizzard! It was pretty cool. Though I don't really know what was happening," the little bird giggled as he continued to waddle along the ledge, their journey constantly descending deeper into the canyon below,
"We don't have a TM here with us, do we... Oh, but you can decide what you want to talk about!" Varda added with a happy nod. Soon after he ended up stopping when he noticed something, quickly looking in Sova's direction before peering into a small crack in the wall. He was quite sure that he saw something there...

Carefully, the bird Pokémon extended a wing and used his feathers to push something out. A little seed and a strange scale thing, causing him to coo. Perhaps in someone else's eyes, this was trash, useless. But to the little bird, it was a treasure. Especially the scale that looked quite pretty!
"Oh, look!" He turned to Sova and motioned on the ground to show his bounty, not really knowing what it was he had found exactly... But he liked it!


Current Energy: 11 (18 -6 from the enemy encounter, -1 from the item roll. Got 1 Reviser Seed and 1 Gabite Scale)

Bird carried out 1 launched of one Obsidian Crevice :

Sova sighed when the swablu mentioned they didn't really have any TMs with them. Still, it was put on himself to choose the conversation topic, but he was hoping to allow Varda to do it. At least they probably had a lot of time to think of something to talk about, though. Varda's past was still an option. Then what if Varda asked him to share his past next, though? He felt like that would be depressing to talk about for both of them and he certainly didn't want that.

Before he could think of more possible topics, it seemed a distraction was found by his friend. A few items. A Gabite Scale and a.... Reviver Seed? It looked like a Reviver Seed, but something seemed off. He decided to just ignore it, assuming it was just a bit dirty. "That's a Gabite Scale, those things are kind of a catch-all medicine.", he explained, before pausing and contemplating whether or not a Reviver Seed really needed to be explained to the bird.

"And.... is that a Reviver Seed?", he finally decided to comment, figuring it was at least worth mentioning that it looked a bit odd.
He wasn't really too worried about it himself, since these were Varda's findings. He just felt like it was something worth bringing up to the swablu.

(energy - 13 fffffffffff trap tho.)

Varda cooed as Sova seemed to not only recognize which Pokémon the scale came from, he also knew what it could be used for! It sounded really useful, though mostly he just picked it up because he thought it looked pretty with the way the few beams of light hit it and made it glimmer. But it didn't shine as brightly as the bird's eyes when he looked at the senior Guild member in awe, his eyes sparkling from the awe he was feeling. How lucky he was to have such knowledgeable friends around him, always able to ask them what something he found was if he didn't know...

The scale was put in his bag and as the Swablu reached in to grab the seed, Sova wondered if it was a Reviver Seed. The bird tilted his head as he took a look at it. Well, it did look rather familiar... And he did have one with him right now! Opening his bag, he pulled out the Reviver Seed he had gotten identified earlier and compared.
"Hmm. I'm not sure, they so look quite similar," he chirped happily as he looked up at Sova,
"...Well, the seeds all look rather similar in my eyes, I think. I was shown how you could recognize them by a friend once, that was neat! Though I can only really recognize the ones I have seen and used before..."

Varda pondered for a moment before he seemed to perk up again, flapping his wings in his usual excited manner.
"I usually bring them to town for someone to take a look at them for me! Don't worry though, I don't eat unidentified seeds! My mother told me not to," he continued with a chirp as he reassured his friend. He wasn't that stupid! Only babies would put random things in their mouths and he wasn't a baby...

Sova thought hard about what the seed could be as the swablu agreed that it looked like a Reviver Seed, yet seemed hesitant to say for sure. He didn't think they looked exactly the same either. What was it? Perhaps just a Reviver Seed that had gotten dirty or damaged in some way? Of course, the easiest way to find out would just be to eat it, but neither of them were really in dire need of a Reviver Seed at the moment and if they were, they already had ones that they knew were safe.

"Well, guess we don't need to know what it is right this second, so lets just focus on the mission. Monferno isn't gonna get any safer without us, after all.", he suggested as he moved along.
The sooner they finished this mission, the better.
Nothing could distract them, no shiny things for him, nope....

Then he saw a shiny thing. His resolve to not fall for shiny things went out the window in favor of curiosity. He wondered what it was.... Luckily, they weren't down too far yet, so some rays of light could still reach them and one happened to be shining off something laying in a pile of rocks. He approached it and found it to be.... a TM!

Varda nodded to the wise words and put the seed he had found into his bag. They didn't have to try to examine it right now and try to figure out what it would do, he could do that back at Grassveil Town – unless for some reason, there was a situation where using the maybe Reviver Seed could save them. Considering the mission, it was possible. The bird started to waddle down the little road again, but the ledge soon stopped and he had to hop another step down to continue following the path down. It was such a long way down...

The Swablu's ears picked up some strange movement on Sova's behalf behind him, so he turned around to see what was happening. Of course the Pokémon was still fine and hadn't lost his footing... But it did seem like Sova had seen something, walking over to a little pile of rocks by the side. Surely it wasn't the Monferno in the rock pile? Varda had been quite sure that the Pokémon they were looking for would be much, much bigger!

"Did you find something?" The little bird chirped, his voice full of curiosity as he hopped closer and stood on his toes, trying to peer in to see what it was from the ledge below the one Sova was on. But alas, he was too short to see inside.
"It's... It's not the Monferno, right?" Varda's voice seemed to have a certain hopeful quality to it as he suggested the best case scenario. Assuming of course, that the Pokémon was tiny. If a large Pokémon could be found under a small pile... It would be bad.