Ploegy
"The arcana is the means by which all is revealed"
Ｊｏｋｅｒ & Ｐａｎｔｈｅｒ
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Location: Plains | Interactions: @SirPrompto15 @Kaiju Cat
GrumpySwallow
@NimbusWing
PolikShadowbliss
───────────────────────────────────────────
───────────────────────────────────────────
Location: Plains | Interactions: @SirPrompto15 @Kaiju Cat
GrumpySwallow
@NimbusWing
PolikShadowbliss
───────────────────────────────────────────
Silently, Ren took in the information about General Mugorl. It was much, but it was enough to give him a good idea of what they might be up against. His appearance hardly worried him. Even if he was at a great disadvantage size wise, Joker had always found ways to win. Besides, he had fought plenty of shadows and even gods who outclassed him in more than that and he still had made his skillset work. Despite the confidence he found in himself though, it did concern him that this opponent had bested other tribes and likely had them at his command. Numbers were the one thing that could easily wear at his own stamina. Even so, he didn't plan to be bested and let some pig man possibly take pride in wearing something off his dead corpse.
"The east, huh..." he mused. No wonder Futaba had sent them in the opposite direction then. Even if she didn't know what such a location was, it was likely easy for her to get some quick reading off it and know it was dangerous. Whether it was enemy readings or traces of the magic used to erect such a place hardly mattered. What did was his navigator had not only plotted them the fastest route, but likely the safest, if it could even be called that. He doubt safety would be easy to come by in this place. Nevertheless, he pushed the thought on and continued to speak: "Well, hopefully that means we're less likely to run into him. Oracle has us going west over the waters that wait there."
While he did have his own reservations of traveling over the sea in comparison to land, he kept them to himself. He would figure it all out once that got that far. For now though, they had other things they needed to focus on. Getting Nurse Joy to the safety of a Pokemon Center was first and foremost. Postwick was far from where they were. Ren turned his head westward and could see the windmills in the distance standing tall over the rather gloomy surroundings. To say this place had seen better days was an understatement. Even he could tell that though he had hardly traversed these grounds prior to his arrival this time around.
His lips pursed in discontent as gray orbs steadily gazed out from behind his glasses. To think things had come to this was deeply saddening to the thief. Hearing the nurse's words did little to put his concerns at ease, though he did his best not to let his own discomfort show all too much. In times like this, the last thing a group could afford was to have their leader losing heart and lacking hope in finding a way through their situation. Fortunately for his allies, he was far too stubborn to succumb to such emotions. Even if he tried to shy away from them, he always came back around to them sooner rather than later. Besides, he had seen worse sights, and even felt worse things in regards to himself. It wouldn't be the end of the world.
Remaining quiet, he continued to look out at the pokemon that roamed about. While he had little knowledge of their creatures, their dull stares were enough to force Ren to avert his gaze. As he did, the sight of an odd looking pig caught his attention and his eyes briefly followed it until Paula spoke up. Oddly, she seemed to know what the creature was, and even assumed it belonged to the village. He supposed that made sense given the direction it had come from. That aside, the suggestion itself wasn't one he was against per se, yet if they stopped for every little problem they came across then they would make little progress forward. However, maybe saving the pig would get the cooperation of someone within the village, and allow them easy passage to the Center. It was hopeful thinking yet it was possible.
Nodding after a moment, Joker turned on his heels in the direction the Lechonk had gone and he began to trot after it, though it seemed they hadn't been the only ones in pursuit of the creature. His eyes immediately moved to the moblins that had arrived ahead of him and his brows furrowed while his shoulders tensed. They fit the description Joy had given him earlier, though neither seemed to be the General himself. If anything they were ordinary guards or even soldiers. That was both a good and bad thing. It meant they weren't a major threat, but they were still a problem, and sooner or later they would need to be dealt with if they lingered these areas too long. It also meant the pig was a risky gander.
That thought went quickly out the window. As soon as the first moblin spoke, Ren blinked in surprise, thinking they had noticed him and still known who he was, but as he looked past the pair he realized it was him or Inkling that they were referring to. No, they weren't the only Smash Brothers in the area anymore. Was it a stroke of luck? Joker wasn't sure. He was glad they weren't alone, though the problems that arose grew bigger with more present. No drawing attention was out the window now.
Sighing softly through thinly pressed lips, he quickly assessed the group ahead. There was the swordsmen, Ike, whose burly stature was hard to overlook, especially in comparison to his current company. Then there was Mewtwo and his alien-esque appearance. It was hard to mistake him for another pokemon. Next to him with the spunkiest of the princesses in their numbers: Daisy. Her tomboyish nature had always demanded to have the spotlight on her, though admittedly, Ren hardly wanted to look and get on her bad side. And finally, there was the one who proudly held the Lechonk over his head: the cartoony Hylian, Toon Link. Their group was somehow more ragtag than the likes of his own, though the Hylian's company among them did beg the question of how he had gotten here. The poem had placed him elsewhere, and in different company. As much as he wanted to ask, he knew now wasn't the time nor place.
Hearing the second moblin speak up, Joker felt his eyes grow wide. His suggestion was exactly what they did not need at this moment. He couldn't stand by and let them gather reinforcements from the very being they needed to avoid. Gritting his teeth, a soft growl rumbled in the back of his throat. None of this was going as he hoped! So much for his own cover.
Promptly, he moved a hand up to his face and grabbed the corner of his glasses before pulling them off with a soft utterance of Arsene's name. Blue flames danced around him and burned away the eyewear in his hand until his persona took form once again. Joker's gaze quickly moved to him and he pointed in the direction the pair had taken off in, figuring Arsene could swiftly apprehend them.
"Catch them. We can't have them alerting their General... not with what happened to the Stadium. He'll kill us on the spot."
Arsene gave a curt nod before he gave a powerful flap of his wings and took off in pursuit of the moblins. Hopefully he would be enough, though he knew his other self would only chase them so far before returning to him.
"Ren, should I send Carmen too?" Ann spoke up as she finally caught up to him and watched as his persona took off.
"No. Arsene alone will draw too much attention. Sending a second persona out will only make things worse," he murmured lowly before he turned his attention back to the quartet that stood across from them. "Besides, we have guests."
A soft huh slipped from the depths of Ann's throat before she turned to follow Ren's gaze and noticed the group. Her eyes lit up and a smile immediately crossed her lips. "Oh my gosh! It's more of the Smash Bros! This is...."
Her voice trailed off as she noticed the expression upon her boyfriend's face. It was rather stoic given the company they now stood in. Did he feel intimidated? No, that wasn't it, far from it actually. There was a hint of concern that lingered in his eyes. No surprise. It likely had to do with him sending Arsene out, though she didn't dare question the specifics of it all. Concern wasn't the only hint of emotion hidden in his gray orbs after all. Irritation was present too. She could only imagine he was mildly upset his cover wasn't going to hold, though he didn't need to worry over such things. They had more firepower now! He didn't need to continue to burden himself with everything.
Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, she offered him a sweet smile before walking past him all while listening to Prompto speak up. She shook her head at his claims before she stopped in front of the Hylian and crouched down to his height. "Good job catching this little guy for us. That spares Ren, uh, I mean Joker the embarrassment of trying to do it."
Ren huffed at those words and crossed his arms over his chest. Deciding to ignore Ann's quip, he chose to speak on other matters: "As nice as it is to see all of you, we shouldn't linger here. It's best we take that pig back to where it belongs and see if they'll briefly shelter us. We can talk then."
Banking on the hospitality of the Lechonk's owner wasn't ideal, but given he didn't know if Arsene would catch the moblins, it would be wise to take shelter to allow them to get reacquainted with each other. They still needed an in to Postwick after all. Without another word, Ren turned back in the direction of the farmlands and began moving. The faster they got this done, the better, and the less likely they were to be caught in the process.
Ann watched him for a moment before standing back up to her full height and sparing a glance towards the others behind Toon Link. "I promise he's glad to see you all. He's just feeling stressed is all."
It wasn't much that she could offer them, but she could only hope they could understand. She was sure they all had had their own share of issues since returning to the realm as well and could understand the stress he was currently under even if they weren't aware of what exactly had happened.
"The east, huh..." he mused. No wonder Futaba had sent them in the opposite direction then. Even if she didn't know what such a location was, it was likely easy for her to get some quick reading off it and know it was dangerous. Whether it was enemy readings or traces of the magic used to erect such a place hardly mattered. What did was his navigator had not only plotted them the fastest route, but likely the safest, if it could even be called that. He doubt safety would be easy to come by in this place. Nevertheless, he pushed the thought on and continued to speak: "Well, hopefully that means we're less likely to run into him. Oracle has us going west over the waters that wait there."
While he did have his own reservations of traveling over the sea in comparison to land, he kept them to himself. He would figure it all out once that got that far. For now though, they had other things they needed to focus on. Getting Nurse Joy to the safety of a Pokemon Center was first and foremost. Postwick was far from where they were. Ren turned his head westward and could see the windmills in the distance standing tall over the rather gloomy surroundings. To say this place had seen better days was an understatement. Even he could tell that though he had hardly traversed these grounds prior to his arrival this time around.
His lips pursed in discontent as gray orbs steadily gazed out from behind his glasses. To think things had come to this was deeply saddening to the thief. Hearing the nurse's words did little to put his concerns at ease, though he did his best not to let his own discomfort show all too much. In times like this, the last thing a group could afford was to have their leader losing heart and lacking hope in finding a way through their situation. Fortunately for his allies, he was far too stubborn to succumb to such emotions. Even if he tried to shy away from them, he always came back around to them sooner rather than later. Besides, he had seen worse sights, and even felt worse things in regards to himself. It wouldn't be the end of the world.
Remaining quiet, he continued to look out at the pokemon that roamed about. While he had little knowledge of their creatures, their dull stares were enough to force Ren to avert his gaze. As he did, the sight of an odd looking pig caught his attention and his eyes briefly followed it until Paula spoke up. Oddly, she seemed to know what the creature was, and even assumed it belonged to the village. He supposed that made sense given the direction it had come from. That aside, the suggestion itself wasn't one he was against per se, yet if they stopped for every little problem they came across then they would make little progress forward. However, maybe saving the pig would get the cooperation of someone within the village, and allow them easy passage to the Center. It was hopeful thinking yet it was possible.
Nodding after a moment, Joker turned on his heels in the direction the Lechonk had gone and he began to trot after it, though it seemed they hadn't been the only ones in pursuit of the creature. His eyes immediately moved to the moblins that had arrived ahead of him and his brows furrowed while his shoulders tensed. They fit the description Joy had given him earlier, though neither seemed to be the General himself. If anything they were ordinary guards or even soldiers. That was both a good and bad thing. It meant they weren't a major threat, but they were still a problem, and sooner or later they would need to be dealt with if they lingered these areas too long. It also meant the pig was a risky gander.
That thought went quickly out the window. As soon as the first moblin spoke, Ren blinked in surprise, thinking they had noticed him and still known who he was, but as he looked past the pair he realized it was him or Inkling that they were referring to. No, they weren't the only Smash Brothers in the area anymore. Was it a stroke of luck? Joker wasn't sure. He was glad they weren't alone, though the problems that arose grew bigger with more present. No drawing attention was out the window now.
Sighing softly through thinly pressed lips, he quickly assessed the group ahead. There was the swordsmen, Ike, whose burly stature was hard to overlook, especially in comparison to his current company. Then there was Mewtwo and his alien-esque appearance. It was hard to mistake him for another pokemon. Next to him with the spunkiest of the princesses in their numbers: Daisy. Her tomboyish nature had always demanded to have the spotlight on her, though admittedly, Ren hardly wanted to look and get on her bad side. And finally, there was the one who proudly held the Lechonk over his head: the cartoony Hylian, Toon Link. Their group was somehow more ragtag than the likes of his own, though the Hylian's company among them did beg the question of how he had gotten here. The poem had placed him elsewhere, and in different company. As much as he wanted to ask, he knew now wasn't the time nor place.
Hearing the second moblin speak up, Joker felt his eyes grow wide. His suggestion was exactly what they did not need at this moment. He couldn't stand by and let them gather reinforcements from the very being they needed to avoid. Gritting his teeth, a soft growl rumbled in the back of his throat. None of this was going as he hoped! So much for his own cover.
Promptly, he moved a hand up to his face and grabbed the corner of his glasses before pulling them off with a soft utterance of Arsene's name. Blue flames danced around him and burned away the eyewear in his hand until his persona took form once again. Joker's gaze quickly moved to him and he pointed in the direction the pair had taken off in, figuring Arsene could swiftly apprehend them.
"Catch them. We can't have them alerting their General... not with what happened to the Stadium. He'll kill us on the spot."
Arsene gave a curt nod before he gave a powerful flap of his wings and took off in pursuit of the moblins. Hopefully he would be enough, though he knew his other self would only chase them so far before returning to him.
"Ren, should I send Carmen too?" Ann spoke up as she finally caught up to him and watched as his persona took off.
"No. Arsene alone will draw too much attention. Sending a second persona out will only make things worse," he murmured lowly before he turned his attention back to the quartet that stood across from them. "Besides, we have guests."
A soft huh slipped from the depths of Ann's throat before she turned to follow Ren's gaze and noticed the group. Her eyes lit up and a smile immediately crossed her lips. "Oh my gosh! It's more of the Smash Bros! This is...."
Her voice trailed off as she noticed the expression upon her boyfriend's face. It was rather stoic given the company they now stood in. Did he feel intimidated? No, that wasn't it, far from it actually. There was a hint of concern that lingered in his eyes. No surprise. It likely had to do with him sending Arsene out, though she didn't dare question the specifics of it all. Concern wasn't the only hint of emotion hidden in his gray orbs after all. Irritation was present too. She could only imagine he was mildly upset his cover wasn't going to hold, though he didn't need to worry over such things. They had more firepower now! He didn't need to continue to burden himself with everything.
Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, she offered him a sweet smile before walking past him all while listening to Prompto speak up. She shook her head at his claims before she stopped in front of the Hylian and crouched down to his height. "Good job catching this little guy for us. That spares Ren, uh, I mean Joker the embarrassment of trying to do it."
Ren huffed at those words and crossed his arms over his chest. Deciding to ignore Ann's quip, he chose to speak on other matters: "As nice as it is to see all of you, we shouldn't linger here. It's best we take that pig back to where it belongs and see if they'll briefly shelter us. We can talk then."
Banking on the hospitality of the Lechonk's owner wasn't ideal, but given he didn't know if Arsene would catch the moblins, it would be wise to take shelter to allow them to get reacquainted with each other. They still needed an in to Postwick after all. Without another word, Ren turned back in the direction of the farmlands and began moving. The faster they got this done, the better, and the less likely they were to be caught in the process.
Ann watched him for a moment before standing back up to her full height and sparing a glance towards the others behind Toon Link. "I promise he's glad to see you all. He's just feeling stressed is all."
It wasn't much that she could offer them, but she could only hope they could understand. She was sure they all had had their own share of issues since returning to the realm as well and could understand the stress he was currently under even if they weren't aware of what exactly had happened.
