A Fantasy Pokemon Universe

A Multi-Muse blog that takes place in a fictional, fantasy Pokemon Universe

[sv-pkmn-npc]

Rune stood within the shadows of the large den. The room was only lit only by a large fire that burned brightly in the fireplace on the far side of the room which left the far side of the room in utter darkness - which was more than fine by him... if he was hidden in the darkness than the chances of him being completely forgotten about were much higher.

Sadly though, the person Rune wanted to hide from the most was seated across that same room in a gold-plated chair in front of the fireplace. Rune watched Osborne with distaste as he swirled some wine about within a large crystal glass - he did not like the look on Osborne's face. It was somewhere between a scheming grimace and a sneer. Rune had seen that look before though, and he knew he wasn't going to get the chance to remain idle for long.

And just as he expected he heard Osborne call out to him in the usual way. Osborne rarely addressed people directly - he sort of just barked orders and expected the right people to obey... so when Osborne suddenly called out, "Bring it here. I wish to see it once more." Rune not only knew that it was directed at him... but he also knew what Osborne wanted.

Like an emotionless puppet on a string Rune moved from his hiding spot and revealed a large emerald green box from beneath his cloak. He knelt down on one knee and opened the box before his Master.

Osborne grinned and reached out to remove a large diamond necklace. The necklace consisted of multiple strands of diamonds that started as a choker and was designed to drape down the entire neck and ended with a large diamond about the size of an Apricot that was designed to sit above the breast. If Rune had an opinion on it he would consider it a gaudy, heavy thing. But Osborne smiled at it as if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.

The man gently removed the necklace from the box and held it up until the firelight reflected off the diamonds and danced about the room.

"A beautiful collar this will make, won't it." Osborne grimaced. He lowered his arm and stared into the diamonds with a lustful look that would make anyone uncomfortable, "I can already picture it around her beautiful neck."

Her? Oh. Rune glanced away. He knew who Osborne was talking about but he pushed it down and tried to lie to himself that he didn't - he didn't want to think of her. Not now anyway - not before he had to fight. Just thinking of that woman hurt his head and clouded his mind. It infuriated him. One thousand years he had served the Osborne Family and not once could he ever recall a genuine emotion before he met her. But since he had... everything felt 'wrong'. He couldn't place it and couldn't do anything about it if he could. There had been multiple times in this week alone that he wished his Master would stop seeking her or that she would disappear. There were even multiple times where he would wake up from a strange dream and desire to seek her out and destroy her himself so she would be gone and leave his brain once more and everything can go back to the... nothingness. The empty, thoughtless void that had been his existence for so long. It was less frustrating that way. He was a tool, nothing more. He did not need these unnecessary emotions.

However, as if to taunt him Osborne suddenly spoke up, "I was debating giving this to her in front of an audience after I win the tournament - but I can't wait any longer." He placed a hand on his neck with a devilish grin, "The image of I arriving with her on my arm with that collar around her neck just fills me with shivers."

Disgust clouded Rune's mind but he was unable to display it. It festered in his chest where it started to turn into a rage... Luckily, Osborne then turned away and placed the necklace back in the box. He shoved the box into the hands of an awaiting servant and then held his cane out towards Rune, "Come! Let us make haste! I cannot go another second without seeing my beautiful little songbird."

Rune was more than happy to leave. He felt his entire body disperse into energy as he was sucked back into the tip of the cane and returned once more to the thoughtless, suspended void.

[aresite]

Ares folded his arms on the edge of the wagon and frowned. He thought about the girl that had saved them in the woods and wanted to argue against Heldrouth's statement but something held him back. He was quickly distracted by the Lift though and his arguments faded away as he stood up and held onto the canvas frame to get a better look at the lower city disappearing beneath them.

"So cool!" Olli cheered from beside him - and Ares had to agree. No matter how many times he saw this it always astonished him... the technology from the past must have been vast to create something like this...

After reaching the top and leaving the lift, the two boys fell into an excited conversation about the Tournament. They got so engrossed into their conversation that Ares almost didn't notice the small detour until he sensed - more than saw - Jack tense up.

"Where are we going?" Jack murmured darkly as his eyes also scanned the tents.

[sv-pkmn-npc]

"Just a wee stop before we continue on." Heldrouth replied with a slight shrug, "I have a quick 'job' t'do here first - 'n I'd like ye t'come w' me, Jack." He pulled on the reins to slow the Mudbray to a stop, but did not turn to look at the Rover, "I won't lie t'ya. I had been rackin' my brain all night to think o' some way t' change yer mind about what ye were plannin', but lucky fer me ya either ya changed yer mind - or those kids back there changed it for ya." He shook his head, "Yeah, I know why ya came here, Jack. It's obvious 'cause it'll be the only reason ye would."

He could sense that Jack was about to protest and raised his hand up to gesture him to stop, "Don' try t' deny it, Jack. Ya were plannin' on fightin' in the tournament 'n risk gettin' caught 'n some useless self-sarcificin' way t' take out that Lord who took ov'r yer lands now that things're improvin' in yer life because ye have some thought stuck in that thick skull o' yers that ye don't think ye deserve happiness or some other self-righteous bullshit. I'll spare ya the lecture though, because it ain't me style 'n all. 'N besides - all I gotta say is, if ya really wanna be gettin' back at the Southern Lords then ya might just wanna be hearin' me out first, then ye can make whatever damn call ye want."

Heldrouth then stood up and stretched, and without giving Jack a chance to respond he hopped down from the driver's seat and began tying the reins to a nearby post. As he did, he gruffly called over his shoulder, "Boys - bring th' rug wit' ya when ya get out, will ya?"

[aresite]

Ares startled and had to take a large step back as the wagon came to a stop. He looked up at the driver in pure curiosity as Jack put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Oh yes." Jack laughed, "And we better get moving or we'll miss the opening 'acts'." "Wait," Ares excitedly quizzed, "Are we gettin' a ride there?!"

Jack laughed and then pulled himself up into the bench beside Heldrouth before gesturing behind him, "Kids ride in the back."

Ares and Olli exchanged eager looks before they both turned and ran around the wagon. Ares didn't hesitate to push the canvas flaps aside and pull himself up into the wagon without a second thought. It took his eyes a second to adjust to the light inside the wagon, but when they did he saw himself standing among a few barrels and a couple of crates. There was a rolled up carpet at the front of the wagon that was strapped down and tucked away carefully and the air smelt heavily of must and dirt.

The wagon started moving before he fully got his bearings though and he nearly fell backwards with a start. He was forced to drop to his knees to avoid falling over and scrambled to the front of the wagon where he pulled the canvas flaps aside to look out at the driver seat.

"So what'cha mean by change of plans?" He questioned as he rested his elbows on the lip of the wagon bed. Jack looked over his shoulder and sneered, "None of your business!" "That's no fair!" Olli retorted as he scrambled up beside Ares, "What was the plan? Can we come?" "Maybe the plan was to sell some nosy kids to this Perrserker here for being mouthy, and I'm starting to think about following through with it." Jack shot back, "Yeah right!" Olli chuffed, "C'mon! You can tell us!"

Ares was about to join in on the conversation as well - but then something caught his attention. He caught sight of the Castle out of the corner of his eye and turned his head towards it. Motostoke Castle rested in the center of the city and was so large that it could be used as a beacon anywhere within a hundred miles of the city. He suddenly felt his heart pounding in his chest and sat back on his knees. The Festival Grounds were right outside the Castle - supposedly they were built right on top of some ancient coliseum of sorts where People and Pokemon fought against each other or something.

"Hey-" Ares questioned, "Do ya think the Princess will be there?" Olli startled at that, but then seemed to recover quickly and puffed out his chest, "Of course she will be! Mom said that the King will be there, so she has to be too, right!" He paused for a moment and looked up at Jack and Heldrouth, "Right?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Olli suddenly gasped and turned around to face Ares, "Why do you care if the Princess'll be there or not?" Ares immediately got defensive, "I don't!" He sat back and crossed his arms, "I mean, I just wanted to try and thank her for saving us the other day!"

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Heldrouth laughed at that, "Th' Princess? Good luck wi' that lad! A've been comin' t'th' Festival fer over a decade now 'n I have never once seen th' Princess!" He paused to guide the Mudbray down an adjacent street so that the Castle was now directly ahead of them, "From wit A've heard, she sees herself as 'too good' t'mingle wi' the' 'common folk' at th' Festival."

"She be not very popular wi' th' people ye see." Heldrouth finished as the old wagon stopped on an old lift that led from the 'lower quarters' to the 'upper quarters'. The lift had been there for who knows how long and was regularly maintained by Perrserkers Experts from Stow-On-Side. The 'Lift', if it could be called that, was a large platform that was big enough to fit multiple wagons and was attached to a 'gear' that was pulled up and around from the Lower Quarter to Upper Quarter and worked as a fantastic defense. It was mostly heavily guarded at both the bottom and top layers - but this was the one time of the year that it was open to anyone to ride.

Heldrouth flicked his wrists to urge the Mudbray forward and off the lift the moment it came to a stop and urged her forward. He guided her towards the Festival Grounds - but instead of following the rest of the wagons and carriages heading that way he then made a gesture and guided the Mudbray away from the train of people and off towards a large field full of tents of all shapes and sizes. He directed her over towards some of the larger ones and seemed to be looking for a certain 'Family Crest' or branding as he quickly glanced about.

[aresite]

"Ares!" A familiar voice snapped Ares out of his thoughts with a startle and he quickly spun around to see Olli running up towards him. He hadn't seen him since this morning and was startled to see that Olli was actually in a costume - but it wasn't a ragged one. The other boy was dressed up in his fanciest clothes. His white blouse had been ironed and was tucked into what looked like new trousers. His red hair was even brushed and styled... the look certainly caught Ares off guard.

"Did'ja hear?" Olli exclaimed, "Mom wants me to go down to the Tournament Grounds to watch the next round of the Tournament!" He slowed to a stop beside Ares and despite the fact that he was lightly panting he was wearing a smug smile across his face. He puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips, "Mom says my Dad is going to be there and if we go then I'll get the chance to see him!"

Oh. Suddenly the fact that Olli was dressed up so nicely made sense. He tilted his head in thought as he looked Olli over and a sudden thought crossed his mind - if the King was going to be there... then what about the Princess? The image of her mounted on the back of her Rapidash in her white Riding Cloak and the memory of the sun rising up behind her and illuminating her like some sort of Guardian Angel as she rode up with her Knights to save them from the Postwick Guards immediately came back to mind. An odd feeling settled in his chest at the thought - he wanted to see her again. No, 'want' was the wrong word... it felt more like he 'had' to see her again.

"I'm going with you!" Ares stated matter-of-factually. Olli seemed overjoyed by this - but Ares could see a sudden wave of relief in his eyes, "Awesome! I was hoping you'd say that!" He reached up to rub the back of his head, "Not gunna lie... I'm glad yer gunna come...." The nervousness in his tone quickly vanished behind a mask of bravado and he puffed up his chest again, "Ya know, I'd hate for you to not be there and miss out on the opportunity to ride my coattails or anything." Ares rolled his eyes and pushed Olli playfully, "Gee, thanks!" Olli grinned and rubbed his arm where Ares had pushed him and turned to run away, "Great! I'll go tell Mom that yer comin'!"

He barely got a step away before Ares gasped and quickly reached out to grab Olli's arm, "Wait!" Olli turned back to him with a confused expression and Ares was quick to release his arm. He looked away rather sheepishly, "Chevali would never let me come. Why don't we just go together?" Olli looked thoughtful for a moment, "Like, sneak out?"

Ares opened his mouth to respond, but a loud voice cut him off, "Sneak out? You do remember what happened last time you both 'sneaked out' anywhere?"

Both Ares and Olli flinched and turned around to see Jack walking towards them. Ares was also also surprised to see that Jack wasn't dressed up or anything. In fact, Jack was dressed as inconspicuously as possible. He didn't even have his familiar wide-brimmed hat on and instead was wearing a plain dark green riding cloak over a regular leather vest and pants. The older Rover had a leather bag slung over one shoulder and was frowning as he looked down at the boys.

"What? No!" Olli quickly rebuked, "Ares was the one who wanted to sneak out! Mom's going to take me to see the Tournament!" Ares shot him an annoyed glance, "Hey!"

"Alright, alright." Jack quickly stepped in to break up the approaching fight, "It doesn't matter 'who's idea it was'. No one is sneaking out anywhere." His eyes fell on Olli and he frowned, "Chevali said she's taking you where? I just heard her volunteer to 'fortune teller' duty at a tavern down the street..." He sighed and looked off into the distance, "What is she scheming at this time?" Olli suddenly guilty like he had just been caught doing something wrong and shrunk down slightly, "What? No way! she told me we'd go!" Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well then... come down to the Festival Grounds with me? I'm going there anyway so if you two were going to sneak out anyway - I'd rather you just come with me. We can meet Chevali down there."

The two boys look at each other with matching wide, mischievous grins. Ares then turned away and started marching off down the street. He folded his hands behind his head, "Let's get goin' then!" Oli hesitated and looked past Jack and back at the remaining Rovers that were still gathered around Durril by the wagons. Durril was giving the last of the orders and he didn't see his Mother anywhere amongst the remaining Rovers. He felt slightly disappointed, but before he could really react he felt a hand drop on his head and ruffle his hair. He looked up to see Jack giving him an encouraging grin.

"C'mon Olli!" Ares called impatiently from further ahead, "Last one to the Festival Grounds is a rotting Oddish!" Olli flinched back at the challenge and quickly whirled around, "Hey! No fair! You got a head start!"

Ares only replied with a laugh before breaking out into a run. Olli growled to himself and took off running after the other boy. Jack watched them go and sighed. He pulled the cowl of his hood further over his face and started after them.

Bringing the kids with him would throw a small wrench into his plans. He shrugged his shoulders and started after them. Oh well... guess Zamazenta did not ordain for his pain to end today after all...

He lit a cigarette and puffed on it thoughtfully as he entered the dark and rather 'dingy' alley that led from their little 'gathering spot' to the main road. He had to mind his footing over the uneven ground and walked in the middle of the road to avoid the puddles of water that had gathered in the deep grooves that had been pressed into the cobblestone by the heavy carts. He had to pause at the end of the alley as he walked into the sun. The moment he exited the alley he heard the familiar sound of hooves against the cobblestone and the grinding of wheels. He took a deep drag on his cigarette before he looked up as a wagon came to a sudden stop beside him. He smirked despite his best efforts not too before looking up at the driver of the wagon.

"Right on time as always, Heldrouth." He taunted, "Slight change of plans, I'm afraid."

[sv-pkmn-npc]

@aresite:

"Right on time as always, Heldrouth." He taunted, "Slight change of plans, I'm afraid."

Heldrouth sat in the driver seat with the reins gripped tightly in his paws. The wagon was rather plain and more than a little 'shabby' It wasn't the largest wagon on the street, but despite its condition it was still mechanically-sound and well made. There was a large canvas cover tied over the bed of the wagon that was heavily patched in some areas and threadbare in others. It was being pulled by a large Mudbray who snorted and stomped her feet impatiently as Heldrouth drew her to a stop.

Despite his fur having a more 'reddish' tint than his brother - he had the same thick accent. The two Perrserkers shared no other traits - Heldrouth was shorter than his brother, but was more 'stout'. His beard was more kempt and he had a single braid styled into his beard from the fur under his lip down to his knees. He wore a full-body protective leather outfit and had a large, double-sided broad-axe strapped to his back. As a Perrserker, he didn't really need it to fight - but he had spent enough time in Motostoke to know that the Humans here would only look down on his Pokemon-esque traits and while he was here he always made a point to diminish it - even to the point that he was wearing thick leather gloves over his paws.

"Aye?" Heldrouth chuckled. He pushed up his helm as he looked down at the two kids that stood excitedly around Jack, "So thar is. Will ye not be needin' a ride t'th' Festival Grounds then?"