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 Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:26 pm
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-The Frozen Bond-
[Part 1]
Long ago, sometime between the second and third Epoch of the Dark One, there lived two brave souls, lovers of life and one another. Together they would strive to reshape the world in the image of goodness and peace, and save it from the devices of the Dark One himself. While the pair did leave their mark on the world and history its self it was not perhaps in the way they intended. But let it be known their love was never destroyed, not by trials, time, nor even the Dark One himself.
-----
The first of the pair, the young man named Saka'am, a member of a long since extinct tribal people that once made what is now modern day Icirrus City their home. Saka'ams tribe consisted totally of Ice Channelers, a talent much needed to survive in the frozen Icirrus Moors during the Glacial Period experienced during that time in northwestern Unova. Saka'am was raised to be a hunter in his tribe and with his faithful Cryogonal nary a few Sawsbuck or Bouffalant escaped his pursuit. Saka'am's life would take a strange turn one particularly cold winter, even for Ice Channelers. Due to a fierce and blizzard ridden winter which had wiped out the local prey Pokemon, Saka'am was chosen, along with a few other men, to journey further south to hunt for food, well beyond their known territory.
Thanks in part to a sudden snowstorm and lack of supplies the men became lost in the Twist Mountain range. One by one the men succumbed to hunger and disease, leaving just Saka'am to himself, lost in the then frozen mountains. Try as his Cryogonal might to guide and save his friend but alas even it was powerless to stave off the inevitable. When all appeared lost and Saka'am had resigned to the fate the Forces of Nature have designed for him a strange creature appeared before him. Unlike any Unfezant he had ever seen it was at least twice as large as that of which he was familiar with, its tail feathers much longer and flowing, its crest shorter, pointed and sharper, and its plumage a cool blue with a white chest. The bird perched upon a long since dead tree, of which one might thing the thin limb it gripped would snap easily under the weight of an animal that size and yet it did not even bend. Staring down at him with its piercing red eyes the creature almost seemed to speak to him through eye contact alone.
Seeing this strange bird appear before him at such a desperate time soothed Saka'am and the man decided it must have been sent by the Forces themselves, who had taken mercy upon him. Putting complete trust in this bird of snow he followed it faithfully through the gusts and gales of the mountain blizzard and just after the creature disappeared Saka'am and his Cryogonal would find themselves out of the blizzard and on the other side of Twist Mountain, safe but in a land completely alien to them both.
In the fields of what is now known as Route 6 in Unova, Saka'am would find streams of pure clean drinking water, delicious mushrooms which grew under the shade of lush green trees, and plentiful herds of Sawsbuck and Deerling to hunt. The Great Cold that consumed his home, north beyond the mountains, could not reach here. Here he saw things he only heard of in stories and many other things he never even knew about. For the next few months Saka'am would nurse himself back to health and slowly make his way down river, eventually finding himself in a strange place along the coast of a mighty river. Here the people were much different, lighter in complexion than himself and apparently had made their living structures permanent and fixed to the ground. A town they called it, and themselves they called the Phoinike. Saka'am would choose to stay in this strange but fascinating place, making Drifter Town his home for the next two years. He had learned much from the Phoinike during his time here. He learned that there was more than just the Ice Channeling he and his people were capable of, like Grass Channeling, which the Phoinike specialized in. He also learned of trade from merchant peoples and about even more foreign and mystical places beyond even this one.
Saka'am would learn much but the one thing he wanted to learn about the most, the creature that saved him in the mountains, seemed to allude him. It was yet another faithful encounter that redirected his life when a Kreek vessel visited the port town of Drifter, carrying on it female slaves taken from a place called Kan-Joh. That was a name Saka'am had heard of before, a place where other mystical birds are said to make their roost. Seeing his opportunity Saka'am helped a slave escape and in exchange the slave offered to be his guide to her homeland in Kan-Joh. After stealing some gold from his Phionike host family Saka'am would pay off the Kreek captain of a Phoinike merchant ship to take him and the slave Koma to the land of Kan-Joh with him, so that he might find some clue pertaining to finding the creature that saved him that day. Little did he know that it was not only the legendary Pokemon Articuno that he would find but something much more magical.
-----
Hoshi was not unique among the people of his sleepy fishing village. Like the majority of them he was a hybrid, a Dewgong one to be specific. His village consisted of all kinds of hybrids, mostly those who had nowhere else to go and so made Cinnabar Island their sanctuary. Due to its location there was a slight majority in aquatic hybrids but the Cinnbar people were welcoming to all. Hoshi himself was a refugee, exiled from his homeland in Hoenn after the Kreek had put an end to Gyaanish rule. As a Gyaan himself, in fact one of the Haxaman nobility, however barely, Hoshi no longer felt safe and so 'exiled' himself. When Hoshi found a place to call home in Kanto, more specifically on Cinnabar Island, he chose to throw away the last remains of his old life and adopted a name more fitting for the land he found himself in and dubbed himself Hoshi, letting his old name and title to disappear into the darkness of time.
He made a simple life for himself here on the Island of Untouchables, as some of the mainland dwellers liked to call it. Every day he would prowl the waters around the island in search of prey, bringing to almost each house every evening at least one large Goldeen or a basket of Shellder to make for a good dinner. Hoshi was much beloved by the small community and seen as the perfect bachelor. Many tried to shower him with gifts, praise, roles of leadership, and offered him their daughter for marriage and yet Hoshi turned it all down. Such things did not interesting Hoshi, all he wished to do was to keep fishing and providing for these kind people who accepted him when no one else would and live out the rest of his days in peace.
However, try as Hoshi might to escape his past his 'Sea God' would not allow him to do so. One day, during a terrible storm, a Kreek ship would dock on the island, searching for safe harbor until the storm passed. The people of Cinnabar were all too happy to accommodate these foreigners and make them comfortable, all except for Hoshi. Suspicious of why a Kreek ship would turn up here on Cinnabar Island of all places, after all this time, Hoshi kept a close eye on the foreigners. He would recognize the captain and his crew for the filthy Kreek they were as well as the Phoinike merchants, or as he thought of them the lapdogs of the Kreek. There was also a Kan-Joh mainlander among them, marked as a slave clearly but having apparently escaped from being sold. And then there was one more curious individual. Human clearly, with tanned skin like the Kreek and yet was not one. His hair was smooth long and black, and his eyes looked nothing like a Kreek's, they were gentle and kind unlike those villains'.
Taking an interest in this strange man he continued to observe them out, mostly to figure out what ulterior motive the Kreek shipped had for docking here but it would be a lie to say he didn't also fancy watching the strange one. The Kreek ship would remain docked for four days before they decided to shove off and continue on to their journey to Vermillion Port. It was on this last day that Hoshi over heard the strange man ask another native of Cinnabar about a mystical blue bird. Hoshi immediately would know what the strange man was referring to but would wait until he caught the strange man alone to approach him, or rather get caught by him. Hoshi wanted to search the ship before they left to find any clue of any shenanigan's the Kreek might be pulling but it was clear in the end he wanted an excuse to meet the strange one.
-----
Four days they have been stranded on this island thanks to a storm having damaged their ship, he was thankful the Forces had guided them here for safe harbor but Saka'am was still annoyed to be here. He was disappointed by the people he spoke to here on Cinnabar Island, none of them seemed to know much about the snow bird that saved his life back home in the mountains, and for that matter none of them even knew of his home in the first place, let alone how difficult it was to speak to them through a Phionike translator. He was happy though that soon they would leave this island and head for Kan-Joh proper, there he hoped to find better answers and a more enlightened people, like the Phionike and the Kreek.
As part of his duties as a member of the ship he was to see to it that the stored meats were kept frozen so they did not spoil. Usually the Kreek just used a Gyaanish slave for such purposes but having an Ice Channeler on board made this taste much easier, especially one that was so willing to help. And so Saka'am would make his way for the lower deck where the meats were stored in a, by today's standards, primitive freezer. All he and Cryogonal had to do was give the hanging meats a good chill and replace any melting ice blocks. It was a simple task for them one which took them no time at all, boring as it may be. Today however it was anything but boring as Saka'am would find something other than meat down here.
Shortly after Saka'am entered the 'former' Gyaanish noble would reveal himself to the Ice Channeler, having ran into the freezer and hid behind a side of Bouffalant beef. Finally standing before the strange one after watching him for the past four days Hoshi did not know what to say. Likewise Saka'am was at a loss of a reaction as well and so the two men just stood there in the freezing room, surrounded by frozen slabs of meat, and just stared at one another for the longest time. Their silence was broken by the increasingly annoyed Cryogonal which let out a cry, snapping the two back to their senses. Demanding to know who Hoshi was and what he was doing here the Cinnabar 'native' would promptly introduce himself by his assumed identity. In turn Saka'am was equally courteous introduced himself, however both in the best way they knew how, Hoshi speaking what little Kreek he knew, figuring Saka'am might understand him as he did not recognize whatever tongue the strange one spoke at first. Saka'am would also respond in horrible Kreek and yet both were thankful for one aspect of the Kreek Empire's expanding influence and that was the lingua franca they had come with it. Hoshi would cut right to the chase and inform Saka'am that he knew of the 'snow bird' of which he had been asking of and searching for. Intrigued by Hoshi's claim the two decided to meet elsewhere shortly before the ship was set to sail to further discuss things.
The two would meet up shortly later on the other side of the island, underneath the Pinape berry tree as promised. There they enjoyed the delicious fruits of the tree, the breathtaking view of the ocean, and Hoshi would regale Saka'am with what he knew of the snow bird. Hoshi would go on to tell Saka'am that he had seen it before as well, in fact twice, and might even know where it makes its nest. Excited by this news Saka'am insisted that Hoshi show him where this nest might be. Hoshi however informed him it's a dangerous journey to get there and not one they could make before his ship left. After a moment of silence between the two, gazing off into the glittering ocean horizon, Saka'am made the decision to stay here on Cinnabar Island with Hoshi, offering to help with his fishing duties if it meant that Hoshi could show him where the snow bird made its nest. Hoshi was all too pleased to accept this offer and so the two had made a deal, one that had repercussions beyond either of their understanding.
-----
Saka'am would say good bye to his friend Koma, the Kreek captain and his crew, as well as the Phoinke merchants that had taught him so much. With the ship gone Saka'am would immediately make good of his promises and would spend the next several months going on fishing trips with Hoshi. The pair were the perfect duo together, the people of Cinnabar receiving more Goldeen and Shellder than they knew what to do with. Saka'am would take a shine to one particular Shellder and with love and care it became a Cloyster which made their fishing trips even more successful. Saka'am would eventual utilize his knowledge of trading and mercantilism given to him by the Phoinke and with Hoshi's knowledge of seafaring the two would begin to sell their overstock to the farmers of Pallet Village to the north, bringing wealth to Cinnabar Island. The months would turn into a year before Hoshi decided it was time to set off for the snow bird's nest, believing it should be around this time of year where it would return. Excited more than ever Saka'am could not wait to finally meet his savior once again.
The pair would set off east of Cinnabar Island, headed for a place Hoshi called Seafoam Islands. While they were islands, as far as Saka'am could tell, he would note they were more caverns than anything. The two would venture deep underneath the islands into the cave system and with the combination of Hoshi's hybrid abilities and Saka'am's Channeling nothing presented a challenge to them, for together they felt almost invincible.
It would not take long for the pair to reach the deepest part of the cave system, where the air was chilling even to them both, it surprised Saka'am at how cold it could get underneath a tropical island, convincing him that there were other forces at play here. Hoshi would guide Saka'am to the fabled nest its self which was most just a ring of frozen chunks of ice, with no 'snow bird' to be found. Feeling defeated Saka'am would fall into a depression and refuse to leave the cave, insisting that Hoshi go and leave him here, that he would wait for the snow bird to return. Deciding that he could not leave his friend alone in such a harsh place Hoshi decided to stay here as well. The two men would remain here at the bottom of Seafoam Islands for days, having lost track of time. They had no brought food with them so relied on whatever fish they could hunt that were nearby, which wasn't much, and with nothing to create a fire with they huddled together for warmth.
As misery began to set in the fabled creature that they were both waiting for finally arrived as they slumbered in its nest. Hoshi was the first to awaken and for a brief second could do no more than stare up at the majestic bird in awe but after snapping back to his senses immediately shook Saka'am awake. The Ice Channeler would immediately snap his eyes open and join Hoshi in gawking at the creature in wonder and amazement. The bird did not attack them and made no hostile movements against the trespassers, but instead seemed to speak them, at least they thought it did. It was called Articuno it seemed to tell them, the Legendary Bird of Ice, the Freeze Pokemon. As the two continued to sit there and just observe its beauty they grasped each others hand and held firmly, knowing that together this was the kind of wonder they could find. |
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 1:55 pm
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[Part 2]
Saka'am and Hoshi would return to Cinnabar Island with a new ally, the two having befriended the legendary Pokemon Articuno. The towns people would become familiar with the Freeze Pokemon, the bird having grown accustomed to lingering around the island during the day. Saka'am and Hoshi would continue to supply the town with seafood and sell their over catch to Pallet Village, Articuno even assisting them in deliver. During their down time Saka'am would study Articuno and learn from it how to harness his own powers, the bird guiding him in his training in Seafoam Islands, away from prying eyes. Not even Hoshi was allowed to join them, much to his annoyance at times. The trio would live in peace for a total of three years on Cinnabar before things took a turn for the worse.
The Kreek Empire, having long since cemented their control over the entire Hoenn region, had begun to set their gaze upon other regions. During their republic age their expansion was benevolent, simply constructing trading ports in foreign lands in partnership with the Phoinke merchants. However, now considering themselves an imperial power they had begun to turn this trade ports into proper colonies, springboards for further conquest. From their trade port in the Sevii Islands the Kreek Empire would launch a sudden attack on Cinnabar Island, hoping to claim it for further expansion into Kanto.
Hoshi, ever angry at the Kreek and seeing this as an opportunity for revenge, would meet the initial wave of soldiers in battle after convincing some of the local hybrids to join him. Saka'am, however, knew resistance was futile, these people were simple islanders, their most complex skills being fishing and thus would never stand a chance. Summon forth Articuno and his own Channeling abilities Saka'am would step forth and shock both the people of Cinnabar Island and the Kreek as he fought them to a stalemate, even his beloved Hoshi at a loss for words as he finally witnessed the fruits of lover's training on the Seafoam Islands. However, Saka'am knew he could not hold them off forever, nor could Articuno and so instructed Hoshi and the legendary bird to assist the townspeople in fleeing to Pallet Village. Hoshi would do as instructed and with Articuno's assistance managed to evacuate the entire island's populace, Saka'am being the last one to flee. The Kreek Empire would be allowed to claim Cinnabar Island for themselves but would be denied any captives for their slave trade.
While safe in Pallet Village the hybrid refugees were not welcomed with open arms, only tolerated thanks in part to the outreach performed by Saka'am and Hoshi with their market trips. The humans and few other Channelers were safe here and could find a new home in Pallet Village, if they so wished, but the hybrids nor Hoshi could not. A chance encounter however would show its self as a man named Varuna docked his ship in Pallet Village but weeks after Cinnabar's capture. This strange Vaporeon hybrid claimed to be one of the few Gyaan still independent of Kreek subjugated and after stealing from a Kreek port one of their most prized ships has begun to wage piracy attacks on Kreek ships along with some of his fellow Gyaan, freed from the Kreek slave trade. Hoshi, captivated by this fellow Gyaan, the first he had seen since he was a young child, was completely ready to give his life to Varuna and join him in his 'just' crusade against the vile Kreek Empire.
Saka'am however was much more leery of Varuna, seeing him as nothing more than an opportunist, manipulating young men with stories of heroism and justice, but try as he might to dissuade his beloved Hoshi from joining with Varuna's renegades he could not. Hoshi's heart was set on becoming part of Varuna's crew and doing all that he could do inconvenience, and one day take down, the Kreek Empire. Saka'am's love for Hoshi would not allow him to let the Dewgong hybrid leave with Varuna on his own and so the Ice Channeler joined the crew as well, not only to make sure his love is safe but to keep a distrustful eye on Varuna, who had also managed to convince the other hybrid refugees to join him. Saka'am would have spent the rest of his days pondering over this first meeting with Varuna and how convenient that he showed up when he did, when all these man had lost everything and the one entity they were all focused on revenge towards was the same one Varuna promised to strike out at. Unfortunately Saka'am would not live to figure out the riddle that was Varuna,
For the next three years the formerly Kreek ship, Alítheia, would plague the seas around Kanjoh and the Sevii Islands, the largely hybrid crew making it difficult for the Kreek Empire to establish much of a foot hold in the main land, their primary piracy routes going through the Sevii Sea, the Seafoam Sea to the east of Cinnbar and the Pallet Channel to the north. The ship Alitheia and Captain Varuna would make for themselves a name for themselves, one of infamy in Kreek circles. While they would be successful in hindering the Kreek's plans for the mainland they would fail to stop progress completely and just three years after conquering Cinnabar Island the Kreek Empire would have eventually succeeded in capturing the true prize; Vermilion Bay. Here they would convert the bay into a tremendous harbor, thanks in part to assets supplied by the Phoinke and the manpower of the Electric Channeling people known as the Cumulus of Unova. And with the founding of Vermilion Harbor the Kreek Empire's control over all of Kanjoh was almost inevitable.
Seeing this inevitability, Saka'am managed to convince Captain Varuna to set sail for his homeland of Unova, a place almost completely untouched by the Kreek, besides the Phoinke merchants. Captain Varuna would agree with this idea, much to Hoshi's annoyance as he felt as if they were allowing the Kreek to continue to do as they wished, but in the end Hoshi would follow wherever Saka'am went.
Saka'am however was wrong about the Kreek Empire's reach, as in just the few years he was gone from his homeland the Kreek Empire had begun to form a colony in eastern Unova, along the shores of Undella Bay. Troubled by this Hoshi insisted they immediately headed for the Sun Kingdom located in central Unova, what is now the area known as Desert Resort, the dominant power of all of Unova. Upon arriving at the lush land of the Sun Kingdom, a place covered in numerous lakes and lined with break taking beaches to the east and west it was the envy of all of Unova and the pinnacle of Unovan civilization, Hoshi would demand audience with one of if not both of the kings. Originally rejected he would eventually receive his audience after revealing he was one of the last remaining members of the House of Haxaman, a claim Captain Varuna would shock everyone by confirming. Saka'am was at a loss for words upon discovering the truth of his beloved Hoshi.
While both the White King and the Black King would meet with Hoshi only one of them would sympathize with his plight. The Black King was immediately ready to dismiss him, scolding him for being unable to accept the truth of his and his royal house's situation; that their time has come to an end. The White King however would pity Hoshi and offered him sanctuary in their kingdom, much to the Black King's annoyance. The two lovers would be allowed to stay in the court of the Brothers of the Sun, a room allotted to them in the castle as well as their own servants. Captain Varuna however would not stay and with his ship decided to set back out to sea, his Gyaan blood compelling him. This was the last they would see of him but their destinies would prove to still be intertwined.
Both Saka'am and Hoshi would make a tremendous life for themselves here in the Sun Kingdom. Saka'am would learn all he could from their vast libraries of knowledge, specifically information pertaining to Channeling and despite being one of the few Ice Channelers in the kingdom he learned much from the Channelers of other types, especially the Ground Channeling royal guards, which of whom he had grown close to and earned their respect, he himself rising up to be one of the White King's personal bodyguards after proving his Channeling powers and his command over the legendary Pokemon Articuno. Hoshi would equally gain fame and fortune as he quickly rose up in the ranks of the Black King's personal rentinue, in fact becoming his most trusted confident and where ever the Black King went so did Hoshi.
Despite the frequent separations their roles caused the two, the Star and Moon Lovers, as the people of the Sun Kingdom had begun to call them, never once allowed their feelings for one another to diminish, even when they were forced to take opposing sides during the squabbles between the two kings. In fact, the royal priests often liked to joke that if only the kings could emulate the Star and Moon Lovers then perhaps Unova could truly be united as one whole, glued together by love. But alas the curse of the twin brothers would prove too powerful in the end but that was a story best told elsewhere.
With his newfound position Hoshi tried to convince the Black King to banish the Kreek from Undella Bay, however the White King would not allow such hostile actions against foreigners who had not yet acted hostile towards the kingdom. Hoshi, with the help of his beloved Saka'am, would convince the two kings to settle on issuing a proper peace treaty with the Kreek Empire, one that would last for twenty years, would be looked at for renewal upon expiration, and restrict their activity to Undella Bay and no further. Shockingly the Kreek Empire would agree to the terms and sign the treaty.
For twenty-two years the Star and Moon Lovers would live out their days in the Sun Kingdom in peace and see to it that their new home also saw peace and tremendous prosperity, the kingdom entering a sort of Golden Age thanks to the business Saka'am was able to attract with his connections to the Phoinke in western Unova, also bringing down from the mountains his Ice Channeling tribe to join the kingdom and become civilized to their ways. Hoshi would also be able to attract many of the Gyaanish exiles to the kingdom and so through their efforts the kingdom would grow in power that they would have never imagined before, with even the legendary Pokemon Articuno watching over them. None would dare seek harm against the Sun Kingdom. Or so they thought.
For two years after the end of the peace treaty with the Kreek Empire hostilities between the two monarchies would continue to escalate. At first the Kree demanded more land in exchange for renewing the peace treaty and after the Sun Kingdom offered them a modest expansion along with monetary rewards the Kreek Empire took it as an insult and ceased talks, instead resulting to small scale naval clashes such as pillaging merchant ships and hindering trade routes as a way to harass the Sun Kingdom to give them better terms. With both kings now in an elderly and feeble state the Star and Moon Lovers, their most trusted advisers, all but ruled the kingdom and thus refused to be bullied by the Kreek Empire. It was around this time that Saka'am had noticed his beloved Hoshi had become increasingly hostile and angry, mainly towards the Kreek but no one was truly spared from his outbursts of rage, save for his lover, the only one capable of calming him down. Saka'am at first chalked this up to the stress of having to help rule an entire kingdom while having your most hated foe at your door step trying to break in, but little did Saka'am know there was something much worse going on.
Disagreements over the treaty and the naval clashes would finally reach a boiling point after the Black King ordered retaliation, shocking the entire kingdom, Saka'am especially who was out of the castle at the time. The Black King had ordered an attack on Undella Bay, to raze the Kreek Colony set up there, to kill every man and capture every woman and child. Saka'am would be devastated by this news upon his return after learning it was Hoshi would let the attack on the Kreek Colony leading him to the only conclusion that it was he who convinced the Black King to give the order in the first place. The attack on the Kreek Colony of Undella Bay enraged the Kreek Empire and so full scale naval warfare between the two entities ensued. The Sun Kingdom ships had been retrofitted with Kreek and Gyaanish technology and designs over the years, thanks to Hoshi's knowledge and the information he had been receiving from Captain Varuna in secret. Despite these advancements the Sun Kingdom would prove to be no match for the Kreek's naval forces and in months they would soon be able to land back at Undella Bay and from there who knows what they may do as retribution for this slight.
Saka'am would plead with his beloved to help him stop this madness and bloodshed but for the first time in the almost three decades they had been together his beloved Hoshi would shun Saka'am's plea and continue waging his war with the Kreek Empire. Much to the entire kingdom's shock Hoshi himself would take to the battle, having somehow come under control of the Kreek ship Alitheia, the same one Captain Varuna once piloted. Hoshi would meet a fleet of Kreek ships in battle just off the cost of Undella Bay, with the just the ship Alitheia and a small crew. A suicide mission Saka'am thought of it but once again shocked by his beloved Hoshi would return to the Sun Kingdom not only victorious, but alive and his ship unharmed. The crew would speak of what the Dewgong hybrid did that day, calling upon powers that none other had seen a hybrid capable of. The ocean bent to his whim, the tides shifting at the perfect moment to make his enemy's ships vulnerable, and he himself able to call upon his moves with such power and severity that it was like that of a legend. Something changed in Hoshi that day, and Saka'am wasn't sure what was responsible for it but his instincts told him to blame Varuna, and perhaps he would be proven correct, long after he was gone though.
Hoshi would become even more cold and cruel, completely consumed by his thirst for vengeance as he even managed to get the Black King to expel the Phoinke traders in the west, convincing the king they were accomplishes of the Kreek. This troubled Saka'am deeply as he had highly respected the Phoinke and tried to have the White King overrule his brother but it was no use, Hoshi had somehow managed a soft coup with the Black King as the one and only ruler, with Hoshi himself controlling him. Saka'am felt he was losing his beloved and there was nothing he could do. Eventually he would seek out advice from Daruma the Enlightened, a powerful Darmanitan hybrid in the employ of the royal family, valued for his knowledge in the mystical and spiritual. Daruma believed that a benevolent force had possessed Hoshi, finding an opening in his hate for the Kreek and gradually grew by feeding off his negative emotions. But where his sudden power came from he was unsure, but he agreed with Saka'am that third parties were at play here and they were malevolent.
Saka'am would be unable to do anything about the theories he and Daruma drafted as the Kreek Empire wasted no time in getting revenge against the the Black King's man, Hoshi. They would launch another naval attack against the Sun Kingdom, this time from the south and despite Hoshi's fierce fighting he was no match for them, Hoshi even pleading Saka'am and Articuno to join the fight but they refused, leaving Hoshi to feel betrayed by his beloved. The Kreek Empire would eventually make land on the Castelian Peninsula and from there marched their ground troops straight through Nimbasa Town, the Cumulus Electric Channelers submitting to them without much resistance as the Kreek had previous been good to them. Kreek forces would make it all the way into the heart of the Sun Kingdom and begin their serge on the Sun Palace its self. Saka'am, worried not only for his adopted home but for his beloved called upon Daruma to assist him in locking Hoshi up so that they may figure out what evil plagued him. While Daruma did what he could Saka'am saw to the palace defenses, taking command of the royal army entirely, assisted by the Ground Channeling guard. The fighting was brutal and in just a few short minutes many lives were loss. Saka'am would eventually called upon Articuno to join the fight along with him as he took to the front lines and it would appear things were starting to turn in favor of the defenders as Saka'am once again proved to the world his power and might as an Ice Channeler, in the Kreek themselves shocked by the power he possessed. It was that day that the Kreek king, Xandros the Tsunami, the man responsible for the rise of the empire, fell in battle to Saka'am, the Cold One.
While fighting went on outside Daruma, assisted by a young Psychic Channeler known as Maya, would discover a spirit possessing Hoshi, one that was indeed feeding off his negative emotions for vengeance and had in fact been feeding on any Gyaan it could get close to in this body. The pair were close to expelling the spirit before something terrible happened. One of Daruma's pupils, also in attendance, would suddenly become mad and fly into a blind rage, immediately taking on a complete and perfect Zen Mode state, something he was never capable of doing so before. Daruma would immediately meet his pupil in combat and attempt to reason with him, to break whatever infliction was cast upon him but it was no good, even Maya could see that something was possessing him as well, however far more terrifying and it did not require such trivial feedings as vengeance. While Daruma had the upperhand things would take a turn for the worse as Hoshi broke free from his restraints and for whatever reason insisted that Daruma's pupil was a Gyaanish traitor and in his rage attacked. The two would do battle right in the heart of the palace and fearing for Maya's safety Daruma fled with her.
The fighting inside and outside the palace would cease as soon as the sun set. Kreek forces were retreating and the Sun Kingdom was finally allowed to count their dead and tend to their wounded. Immediately Saka'am made way to find his beloved Hoshi, to see if they were successful in curing him. What he saw upon his arrival devastated the poor man who had already been through enough hell for a hundred men. Hoshi had managed to defeat the enraged Darmanitan hybrid that was Daruma's pupil, but at the cost of his own life. Breaking down into a fit of sorrow Saka'am held the body of his hybrid lover for the rest of the night, his cries echoing throughout the halls of the palace. Daruma and Maya could do nothing more than stand watch over Saka'am, concerned for his own mental well being now that he had lost the one thing he truly loved in this world.
That night, when all had gone to sleep and left Saka'am alone with what remained of his beloved Hoshi, something happened. Whatever had lingered inside of Hoshi all these years had finally managed to find its way into the stronger of the two, the one it really wanted all along, Saka'am. His heart now tainted by Hoshi's thirst for revenge against the Kreek, Saka'am decided to avenge his fallen lover, blaming his death on the Kreek themselves and also desiring to achieve his lover's dream of destroying the Kreek. He would take the ship Alitheia in the cover of darkness and with the help of some captured Kreek slaves, along with grueling torture, he made hast for the Kreek Empire's capital in Hoenn, Alphapolis, where modern day Pacifidlog Town floats.
With help from the Kreek slaves he managed to sneak the Kreek ship into the city unnoticed and with his Ice Channeling shifted through the city under the cover of a fine mist, making it all the way to the heart of the city, where the Kreek Palace stood. That night the new Emperor was to be crowned, Xandros' son, the Crown Prince. Throwing all caution to the wind Saka'am would rush the palace gates where he would be met in battle by numerous Kreek Water Channelers and a fierce battle of near legendary proportions ensued. The battle would attract the attention of the then Grand Water Master who would clash with Saka'am himself, the Ice Channeler finally meeting his better. The Grand Master was far too much for Saka'am, not even with Articuno at his side could he get the upper hand. It seemed his quest for vengeance would soon end here, that was until a dark whisper wormed its way into his ear and tempted him to Channel with his Articuno, to access a near limitless pool of power, far beyond what even Articuno was aware. Saka'am knew good and well the risks of doing so, he had studied the texts in the Sun Kingdom, Channeling with a legendary Pokemon was suicide, instant death even if you were 'successful' in establishing the bond. But despite his mind telling him it wasn't worth it, the promise of power that voice gave him was far too tempting, even for the virtuous Saka'am.
Saka'am would throw caution to the wind and with every fiber of his being begin to form the bond with Articuno, the legendary bird trusting him completely. The dark promise was proven true in the most horrible way as Articuno was drained totally of its power and life, the lifeless bird immediately falling to the ground, devoid of both life and color. Saka'am however was then consumed by immeasurable might and immediately assaulted the Grand Master, devastating him with his new power. The Grand Master and the other Water Channelers were no match for Saka'am as they gained up on him, his power growing by the second as well as monstrous transformations took place on the outside. Once the battle was over and the Grand Water Master skewered on a pillar of ice Saka'am was no longer the person he once was, but instead a disgusting monster of raw elemental might. There was one person watching this chaos ensue, someone who had followed him all the way here, the Psychic Channeler Maya. She would discover Saka'am's Cloyster still alive among the carnage, left behind by its trainer. Sensing its desire to save his master Maya and Cloyster followed Saka'am into the thrown room, just in time to see him murder the Crown Prince and the last of the Kreek royalty. Using powers she had no yet perfected and with Cloyster's permission she managed to snatch away the remains of Saka'ams mortal spirit from the monster before them and sealed it away in Cloyster. The Psychic Channeler and Cloyster would then promptly flee Alphapolis as the monster rampaged, the creature that would one day be known as the Ice Elemental. Shortly after escaping and making it to the shores of small nearby island, Maya would witness a thick fog completely consume Alphapolis, the roars of the beast rampaging inside echoing even this fair. The next morning the fog was gone and as was Alphapolis, what became of it she did not know but she could since that the monster, the Ice Elemental, did not disappear with it, that thing was still out there somewhere.
Before parting with Saka'am's Cloyster she would instruct it to protect the remains of Saka'am's spirit, so that perhaps one day it could be cleansed and freed from the torment it has endured. Cloyster would agree to this happily and set out to see and with its master's powerful spirit roam the oceans for thousands of years, hoping that one day Saka'am could be freed and allowed the peace he deserved, that maybe one day he could be reunited with his beloved Hoshi in the next life.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 1:54 pm
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-Amaya's Riddle-
[Part 1]
A thick tendril as black as the darkest night tipped with a blood red point came crashing down to Earth, shaking not only the physical ground with tremendous force but also shook the unseen spiritual real, the shock wave of the impact rippling through the Ghost Channeler as she struggled to catch her breath. She barely dodged its attack that time, it wasn't safe to fight it so long as it possessed it, she had to get it away from the creature and soon. Fleeing on foot down another endless corridor, Banette floating directly above her, the woman tried to come up with some sort of plan of action. Her original scheme had failed horribly, proving to herself just how foolish her sister insisted she was for even trying. She couldn't stand the thought having to return to her sister and admit that she was right, though a wounded ego was the least of her worries right now, her biggest concern was getting out of here alive.
Another tendril appeared from a nearby wall, not even the slightest distortion to discern where it came from, just like the last. This time there was no jumping out of the way, it was simply coming too fast. This time she had to put her life in the hands of another.
“Banette!” The Marionette Pokemon cried out as he snatched his trainer out of the way, utilizing thin 'threads' of spiritual energy connecting its finger tips to the human's body. Which one was the real marionette here?
The woman would fall backwards on her back end, the dark tendril slowing dragging across the ground in front of it as it retreated back into the wall, she watched it slither back just inches away from her. That was closer than last time, even with Banette's help. Looking down at the ribbon wrapped around her arm the woman noted she only had two charms left on her artifact. She had originally prepared six and in just minutes burned through four of them. Fortunately she didn't have to use one just now but at the right that she is going through them she'll be a sitting duck before long. She absolutely had to escape.
Standing up with a lack of urgency to her situation the Channeler took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the Banette above her looking down at her with paranoid urgency in its eyes. What would Maya do? She was always the more level headed one, the more talented one. They were twins and yet Maya awakened her Channeling a full year before she did. Part of Amaya hated her twin sister for how easily everything came to her. Channeling, love, fortunate, it all just fell into place for the two minute elder sister. Though after all these years Amaya had grown to learn that it was not envy she felt towards her sister, but pride, and in that pride a desire to make her sibling proud of her as well. So, what would Maya do? Not this, not any of this, she wouldn't be here in the first place. However, that didn't matter right now, Amaya was here and now it wanted her not just dead, not completely removed from existence for daring to touch what was only for it to even see. But she did see it, both the source and weakness of it's might, the jewel of which she believed could answer the riddle that had haunted her for her entire life. The Griseous Orb.
[To be continued.] |
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