azume | Week 2.

WEEK 2.

The new week begins with new surroundings.

The city you've been growing accustomed to over the past week is now well behind you as you set out on your journey proper; the terrain still seems rocky and steep here as you move downhill and to the south, dotted here and there with small ponds to the east and rocky outcroppings that you can climb on to the west. There are also large expanses of tall grass here, and the entire route is flanked with tall trees leading off into the forest a short ways. You're more than welcome to explore; just don't stray too far from the group - you wouldn't want to be left behind out here, for any reason.

Wild Pokémon are abundant here, as anyone venturing into the tall grass will discover; they aren't inclined to attack you, however, simply watching with dull, dead eyes as you stumble through the area they've come to call home. The trip is difficult, and it's a lot of walking, but it's not unmanageable; fortunately enough, the route you're on should lead you directly to Valor Lakefront, assuming there are no complications along the way.

From Thursday and beyond, the route takes a sharp turn west; in front of you lies what's clearly the ocean, large rocks jutting out just offshore tempering the waves. It's safe to go in the water if you so choose - assuming you can swim, that is - and the forested terrain has given way to a large beach with patches of tall grass here and there.

Interestingly, there's a house located on the beach; whether it's inhabited or not is difficult to tell. Of course, exploring slightly north of the beach will reveal a path. Maybe it leads somewhere important...

CURRENT LOCATION: ROUTE 213
POKEMON AVAILABLE: NEAR WATER

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week two of Azume; feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget that a write-up is due next weekend!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Some people are too fucked up for the motive to matter too much. But I've dealt with one of the politically-minded ones before. From what I've seen of those guys, the motives inform the method.

[...he's not a tactician, but he's not a fucking idiot, either.]

A fair enough point. I admit it's been some time since I dealt with that sort, I do hope I'm not so far out of practice as to fall behind.

Lucky you. Never had time for politicians, I've always found 'em a waste of breath. Or just fuckin' insane, which isn't all that much better but at least they're more fun to pick off.

[...]

No offense.

[The remark didn't seem to bother Ignis that much, even getting a quiet laugh out of him.]

None taken. A political career often requires varying stages of insanity.

[Case in point.]

As long as your type of insanity can look at the world and go "You know what? I live here, and all my stuff is here" and find that a salient argument for not destroying the place? Then you're pretty all right.

That's not too far off my perspective on the matter.

[i mean, he certainly wouldn't destroy it himself at least]

As long as you've got that and no weird fetish for virology, we should be okay.

...I am faintly compelled to ask why that specifically proves a problem.

In the past three years we've had at least one scientist try to play God and infect everyone with stuff that was going to make almost everybody into monsters using the power of...eugenics, I guess, and one politician that wanted to infect everyone with something that was going to make everyone the walking undead because...

[...]

You know, he explained it to me, but I was a little busy trying not to die to pay attention. He probably should have started unveiling the villain speech before ordering his guys to open fire, it was kinda hard to listen.

Anyway, the point is that viruses don't lead anywhere good.

...

[He's just. Going to be very quiet for a second. It's probably fine.]

No. No, they do not.

So which of those was a little too familiar?

[Again, not an idiot.]

...Define 'make everyone into monsters', if you wouldn't mind.

[THIS IS FINE]

[...Goddamn it. Okay. Yeah, this is fine.]

He... Well, he wanted to release a virus that would immediately affect the host's body. If the person had the right genetic makeup, it wouldn't take them over. They could bond with it, gain superpowers of some sort. Supposedly.

If they didn't, it'd mutate their body into something unrecognizable. I don't know if they'd be dead or not in there. But all they would really care about is basic instinctive stuff - eat, kill stuff, spread the virus around.

I don't remember the number that could bond with it. I'm pretty sure it was something like one in ten million, though. But he was...

[murdered is the word he wants to use there; it simultaneously feels right and entirely too generous.]

He...died, before he could actually deploy it. So we're not currently dealing with that shit, thank fuck.

[Ignis sighed heavily, actually taking off his visor briefly to pinch the bridge of his nose. Under his breath:]

So it's even worse, good to know.

[A sigh.]

My apologies. Where I come from, there was...a disease carrying similar properties. Altering the forms of the afflicted and twisting them into similarly instinct-driven monsters.

Good to know that shit's not localized to my world, I guess. On the one hand, shit sucks and I'm sorry. On the other, I was starting to think I was losing my fuckin' mind - everyone else here is dealing with such sane problems by comparison.

[His immediate answer was a short and clipped laugh, sliding the glasses back into place.]

It's...been cured by now, it's not a concern any longer. Although I was starting to feel out of place as well, considering everyone sounds as if they've much less to deal with.

We get someone new showing up in one corner of the world or another at random intervals, spreading their shit around and trying to raise hell in some way or another. But that guy I've been telling you about and the crazy-ass politician are probably the worst we've had in a while.

Good to know your world got it's shit together, though. I'm sure getting it that way sucked, it always does, but at least it happened eventually.

...It certainly wasn't easy.

[Ignis shook his head slightly, brushing the subject off.]

The point is that I agree with you. Whoever Saturn is and whatever his aims, he's dangerous perhaps beyond what some of the others can estimate. And I presume Cyrus will only be far worse.

That's part of why I'm wondering how much this guy believes in the stuff he's saying. If he believes it, he's ten pounds of crazy in a five-pound bag. If he's reciting...then I don't know what that means, but it's something else entirely.

If he's reciting, it means his goals don't match with those of his superior. That he's likely to be utilizing whatever power Team Galactic offers as a stepping stone to some other unknown purpose. Playing at the loyal subordinate while working on Astrals only know what behind everyone else's back.

[Ignis answered back with that easily enough, as if it was obvious to him.]

It will be far easier if he were only insane.

Doesn't that also depend on him being a fucking idiot, though?

[Jake.]/small>

His superior is pretty much God right now. Unless he thinks he can take over, it's kind of stupid to try to take on God.

Don't get me wrong, he could be a fucking idiot. I don't know.

Potentially, yes. I'm still not taking the idea off the table; just because he seems intelligent doesn't mean he isn't mad enough to aspire to something that stupid.

True enough. There've been some pretty smart idiots around, if nothing else.

Agreed. He's going to have to be dealt with whether by this world's rules or otherwise, that much is certain.

Week 2.

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...html why

html is a filthy traitor