Not So Quiet (Solo)

Lost hearts in the dead of night

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[attr="class","quicklinks"]257 words

[attr="class","technoscroll"]Judas nearly stumbled as the grassy hill sloped suddenly under his talons where the ground had been fairly level. Tilting his head, he readjusted his step carefully and spread his wings slightly for balance, tail flicking behind him as he climbed the hill. Sneezing as a flower brushed by his beak, he squinted around him, suspicious suddenly of the hills. It was peacefully but still he had a strange feeling, almost like... like a mystery dungeon. Would there be one here? He didn't see any obvious walls.. but then again he hadn't really walked into anything or through anything, only brushed past short sparkling grasses. Maybe it was nothing... certainly the town pokemon hadn't seemed like the type from dungeons so there wouldn't be one so close right...?

Judas wasn't even certain if he was from a dungeon or not though, or if any had influenced him. He knew he had lived alone... but was he just in the wilds or caught in a maze he never noticed? Was it the dungeon that drove the pokemon to be aggressive or was it simply that they are in the wilderness and used only to fight each other for survival and thus became savage? It was a curious question, and one he had pondered himself before, but there was scarcely time to debate the why's and how's when it came to the wire and one was given the choice of fight or flee. No quarter could be given, no mercy, no talk or chatter. Survival was king above all.

HJW9jAfi1-100

It's a long way down
To the place they found

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[attr="class","quicklinks"]238 words

[attr="class","technoscroll"]Suddenly the grass rustled, far too close to Judas for comfort. Hissing, he shrank back warily and flared his wings defensively, tail lashing as his feathers stood on end. From the grass just before him a horned green head suddenly raised, leafy and coated in fuzz, and he flattened himself as the hoofed pokemon reared, seemingly surprised but quickly turning to aggression as it planted itself. All it took was one moment of distraction. He realized with dismay if he had been quieter and more careful he might not have even disturbed the pokemon, its head had been hidden in the grasses, bowed low to graze or sleeping, and it only awoke because he had nearly stumbled into it.

Lashing his tail as the other pokemon brayed at him, Judas jumped forward, a clawed wing slashing at the pokemon as he darted a few steps forward then leapt, claws trying to grab at the other pokemon's head by the horns to jump upon it, his wings beating as soon as they came up from their quick downward slash. It was a grass type, and a split-second guess had him hoping it wasn't that strong, but either way, it had already clearly noticed him and planned to attack, and likely with four legs it could outpace him. In this rolling grassland, there was nowhere to escape to, he had to just attack as quickly and aggressively as he could...

Dark sun, hollowed by the fade
Our debt they left to be paid

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[attr="class","quicklinks"]236 words

[attr="class","technoscroll"]Hissing as he grappled the skiddos horns to try and keep himself from being within range of the skiddo's churning hooves and attacks, Judas squawked in surprise as the quadraped dropped from under him, only just managing to detatch himself before he was partially pinned beneath the collapsing pokemon. Fluttering as he furiously beat his wings, he awkwardly landed on the flank of the grassy pokemon, huffing slightly as he drew his wings in close. Ahh... that had been close, it could have gone far worse. It seemed then though, it was likely he was indeed in a dungeon... luckily it didn't seem like one that gathered many powerful pokemon...

Either that or Judas had just happened to only run into a weak one. Frowning apprehensively as his feathered tail waved behind him low to the grass, he stood as high on his talons as he could a moment, beaked head raising for a brief second to scan the area around him before dropping to a low crouch. Well... he couldn't stay here then... he had to keep going if he wanted to get out. That was how they worked... or something like that... it didn't make much sense but if you tried to retrace your steps you always got lost.... so...

Nervous, Judas pressed forwards again, glancing at the grass type a moment before slinking forward low to the ground, feathers puffed out slightly nervously.

j6_giPAm1-100

Seen the blackness stare
Promising to spare

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[attr="class","quicklinks"]254 words

[attr="class","technoscroll"]Judas was watchful this time, paranoid now that he had been met with trouble once, and not eager to be caught off guard again. His tail was flat and low, lifted only just above the grassed to keep from rustling, and he leaned forward in his step now, only clawed feet distrubing the grass but the rest of his form barely brushing the tops. Still he knew it might not be enough, as elodie had told him he was bright as those eggs, a burst of primary color among the swaying sparkling grass.

Still, perhaps caution helped somewhat. A flash of blue caught the sun, and Judas jerked his head instinctively towards his, tail whipping the other way as he froze, then, seeing no movement and noting the object was small and circular, likely not a pokemon, he approached carefully. An orb... he peered at it, trying to guess its use, but it wasn't one he used much or had seen in use. Still, he didn't know of any orbs being anything but helpful... grabbing it in his wing claws, he put it in the tattered sling-bag he had long ago made for himself, the bag clinking with only a sparse few items and worn with use but still serving its basic purpose quite well.

A tilt of his head and Judas glanced around the path before trying to continue in the direction he had been going before. He just needed to get uphill... that seemed like the likely end of the dungeon anyway.

yoS7Qc7n1-100

The chosen

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[attr="class","quicklinks"]284 words

[attr="class","technoscroll"]It seemed Judas had only taken maybe a dozen steps further when he stepped on something that clinked under his claws. He panicked a moment, wondering if he had activated a trap, and forze, unwilling to move his foot. That's what activated them right? When you lifted your foot? He wasn't sure, maybe it was too late, maybe it was....

Not a trap at all. The thing under his talon was not completely flat but layered like round scales, and he looked down at it, he caught a faint glimmer of coins, a flattened pile of them under his feet. He tilted his head, confused by the random money on the ground, but retracting his talon and glancing around, he decided there was not really anything to be done about it or to be wary of it for. Sweeping the pile together with his tail, he began gathering it with his wings to pour it into his bag to organize later. He didn't really understand the purpose of the coins, but he knew it was important to a lot of pokemon right? So... well he didn't know how he would use it, but maybe it would come in handy for something... He wondered briefly if he should just leave it if he wasn't even sure how to use it, but he reminded himself that it was a dungeon and the pokemon in here would have no use for it either.. right?

Maybe someone like Elodie might have a use for the coins anyways. Scooping up the last few thing discs, Judas glanced around. Well... nothing to do but keep going. He still hadn't found an exit but it had to be somewhere around here.

SL39zScG1-100

Born of graves and left below
Painted ashes, painted snow

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[attr="class","quicklinks"]337 words

[attr="class","technoscroll"]This time, ahh this time Judas heard his foe coming first, the grasses rustling as sparkling tips swayed and bent. But what good it did him, for it seemed he had scarcely jerked back, wings flaring as he tensed to jump forward or leap back and away, before a static flared up around him, an electric fear jolting through him as he stiffened , eyes widening as he trembled suddenly, beginning slowly, far too slowly, to flinch away, to scramble back, ozone crackling as his heart leapt and seemed to catch. 

A Pikachu, grinning at him malevolently, landed before him, and Judas felt for a moment, a blinding, dazzling sensation of pain shooting through his body. It seemed to sear his very veins, and he screeched, writhing that brief moment before nearly collapsing, the lightning gone as soon as it had came, but its effects not nearly so fast to fade. He was panting, he felt nearly he would have a heart attack his pulse drummed so loudly in his ears, and he trembled, barely able to stand. His feathers were frazzled and stuck out every direction, and lights danced before his eyes, the Pikachu smiling devilishly, and he tried to find his feet. Numb... everything was numb, he felt like he was dancing on steel feather-points but he couldn't feel his claws or wingtips. He nearly stumbled his first step back, the grassy hill seeming to sway under him and try to upend him. There was no time to find his balance though.

Judas new if he hesitated even a moment too long he would never leave. An electric type. How had he not known there would be electric types here? And one as fast as Pikachu too... the mouse had seemed to appear almost out of nowhere. But still, there was no way he could fight... he had to get out... turning, stumbling, panicked, he ran, darting down another path, away, as fast as he could, his breath ragged as he plunged heedlessly past the grasses.