Sojaveña Wilds Escarpa Clan Camp

[Ambyssin]

"That... checks out," Nova said, tapping a claw in the dirt, mulling over his options. Tap tap tap. He glanced skyward. The sun was intense as always, but he didn't mind.

"I bumped into him yesterday." He was quieter now. "You mentioned 'who watches the watchers' and... it sure sounds like he fits that description. He mentioned an Angel... overstepping in the distant past. With serious consequences."

Nova looked around, cheek bolts turning slowly. "Are there any tales passed through the clan... about the sun going out?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Sierra shook her head, very slightly.

"Only in a manner of speaking," she said. "But I learned certain truths and histories when I was younger. I know of the events you mean."

Luz scratched her cheek fur, her claws flicking at her whiskers. Considering.

"...There's a story passed down from each Zeraora to their acolyte-ascendant. It matches with some of what the 'mon in Sunward will tell you, if you get in their favour. To tell it in a breath – long ago, two heroes fought a great threat to the land, and when the battle was done, the sky grew dark. Without the sun, the world grew cold and dark, and 'mon feared they would all perish. One of the heroes took the place of the sun 'til the darkness passed, and when at last her task was done, she passed into an endless sleep."

The Zeraora sniffed, and drew the back of her paw over her mouth.

"The part the Sunward fellas don't include, or don't know about t'begin with, is that the other hero – an angel – passed on his 'Light' to someone else, before makin' hisself scarce, never to be seen again. That someone else was a Zeraora."

 

[MintyMimix]

"They... 'took place' of the sun?" Ghaspius couldn't help but begin spinning in place — quite literally — in confusion. "Like, y'all are bein' literal 'bout that, or is there some spirit-y part of it I'm not gettin'?"

He slowed down and stopped after a few revolutions, but remained completely upside down as he floated along. "Suppose that's not easy to answer when it's just tales, but it makes a fella wonder."

The Mismagius let out a hum of intrigue at her last remark. "Do the tales talk anythin' more about that one in endless sleep?" It was, at this point, a random guess, but he still wondered aloud, "Could maybe they have somethin' to do with us? I mean, we ain't exactly here on procedure much either, right?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"I see..."

That was... different than what Powehi had told Nova, to say the least.

"Maybe his natural darkness biased his take on events." Nova clicked his tongue in thought. "He made it sound as though an offworlder used too much power and, as a consequence, some caldera erupted and filled the sky with ash for a decade." His crest tightened a bit. "It's part of why he's been watching us so intently. With so many of us brought here together — and Cipher and Alexander already eroding Forlas' fabric — he fears the longer we stay and the stronger we get, the closer Forlas gets to reaching another such breaking point."

He shifted nervously, expecting some teammates' eyes on him, "I, uh, kinda wanted to get more info before telling the team. But some of you are here now, so... surprise?"

He propped himself up on his hind legs and wriggled his chitinous forelegs in halfhearted celebration.

 

[Tetra]

"Restrained, but decisive." [...] This is as it should be. The lesser legends have a responsibility to step in when called for, and not otherwise. Perhaps some have imagined me leading my people as a warrior demigod, or using Sainthood to change the Soja's politics to my liking, but this is not how things should be. The Wandering Light must walk the west, leaving each place less dark than it was. That is all."

That seemed fair enough. Even legends on his world rarely interfered in human politics. His worlds Zeraora had only stepped in to protect wild pokemon after all. He offered Sierra a nod of understanding. At least one Saint would pass it on to a good succesor...

As Luz continued, he listened intently, eagerly absorbing her every word. There was so much. He wished, for a moment, he could stay much longer and learn more from her. One meeting seemed too short. He was glad Ghapius asked the question he'd had on his mind. How had someone taken the place of the sun?

Nova's announcement caught Koa by surprise. He shot him a curious look, then shook it off. In hindsight, he guessed that wasn't surprising. From what he knew of Nova he wasn't that surprised that he'd managed to contact Powehi.

"Is that how Zeraora came to wield Radiance? Because of that... angel?" Such a strange word.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Ha. Cheeky devil. Maybe. Let's see how the leaves land."

Kimiko nodded back with a grin, her only response. It was a more hopeful answer than she'd expected, and she wasn't going to push her personal problems, not when everyone else was discussing more important matters.

D'you know, fer a time there was a part-human outlaw in the Soja' who was a match fer me in battle? And he actually wanted power and wealth, and to hurt folks. Kill 'em, even.

At this, the servine tilted her head. She'd had an initial guess, but that second line made her toss it out the window. Who could be strong enough to match a saint like Luz in one-on-one combat? "For a time? That definitely sounds like someone who should be monitored... who were they? What happened to them?"

"If we caused problems I hope someone would stop us," he growled firmly. If they were able to. "There's supposed to be checks and balances. Power should be used to help, not for petty things or hurting pokemon who can't even protect themselves... I can't stand the idea that people use that kind of power for evil, offworlder or not."

Tryin' to do what they must, or stop some other bastard doin' somethin'. Why, I'd venture it'd be no different from mortals and their everyday conflicts. Sure hope you win, then, son. If you win, you get to decide all them shoulds and oughts and meant-to's."

Kimiko shifted uncomfortably and sent Koa a cautious glare. Ever since they arrived, people had been trying to stop them. Cipher. The mayor. Powehi. And what did the Wayfarers all do? Power their way through all of them. Because they thought their way was the right path forward. But so did the mayor. So did Cipher. Powehi actively told them that their very existence here was a problem. And they'd fought back against all of it, determined and confident in their belief that they were the ones in the right. But, at the very least, they did have the support and encouragement of some of the locals, both civilian and saint alike, so Kimiko hoped that was enough proof that they were on a different track.

Luz, thankfully, drew out the main point without pulling up all of the examples. But it was enough to get her thinking, and mercifully, Koa seemed to catch on, too.

"I, uh, kinda wanted to get more info before telling the team. But some of you are here now, so... surprise?"

Well, that part certainly was news to her. "Powehi thinks we're leading Forlas towards another era of darkness simply by being here?" They'd, of course, known that he considered their very presence to be a threat, but this was the first she was hearing of any specifics about how it might manifest... and if they could quantify it, perhaps they could counteract or repair it. Her attention shifted back to Luz, bouncing between him and Sierra. "And... who would it fall to to, uh... be the light that takes the place of the sun, should this happen again? Hypothetically speaking, of course..."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"For a time? That definitely sounds like someone who should be monitored... who were they?"

"I know this one," whispered Seth, in an aside, while the conversation moved on. "Chesnaught Tamuk. The Soja's most-wanted, about a century or so ago."

"What happened to them?"

Seth smiled darkly, his paws and shoulders tensing up.

"What d'you think?" he asked, in a hushed growl. He pointed subtly to Luz, presently talking about other legends. "She killed him."

---

"They... 'took place' of the sun? Like, y'all are bein' literal 'bout that, or is there some spirit-y part of it I'm not gettin'?"

Luz shook her head. "Nuh-uh, partner. Flew right up there an' burned bright fer a year or so. Fierce enough to warm and light the planet."

"Is that how Zeraora came to wield Radiance? Because of that... angel?"

The old feline nodded. "Yeah. Lotta Saints, heroes, wildren Nobles, an' the like can figure out a little Radiance of their own, but the last dozen or so Zeraora were 'specially touched by it on account a' that human fifty centuries back."

"Maybe his natural darkness biased his take on events. He made it sound as though an offworlder used too much power and, as a consequence, some caldera erupted and filled the sky with ash for a decade. It's part of why he's been watching us so intently. With so many of us brought here together [...] he fears the longer we stay and the stronger we get, the closer Forlas gets to reaching another such breaking point."

"Powehi thinks we're leading Forlas towards another era of darkness simply by being here? And... who would it fall to to, uh... be the light that takes the place of the sun, should this happen again? Hypothetically speaking, of course..."

"If you lot get real powerful and use yer power unwisely, there're any number of ways you could fuck up the planet. I doubt the old dog thinks you're specifically gonna cover up the goddamn sun, not 'less any of y'all are specialists in volcanism. That human's partner was a mighty-powerful Fire-type of some persuasion, and whatever happened in that final battle a' theirs, it apparently called fer an eruption powerful enough to change the midwest coastline. Y'all should go check out the black beaches along the lake coast if you're ever in the area. Just imagine, bein' so goddamn strong that you can just reach out and..."

The Zeraora gestured with a paw, and lightly clicked her fingers.

"...boom, new land, where the planet's burnin' blood meets water."

The faint wonder on the legendary's face faded back into dry sobriety.

"'Course, an eruption that world-shakin' only went and set off some kinda reaction across the entire fuckin' planet. It weren't 'some caldera' – that 'mon fifty centuries back wielded that eruption as some kinda attack, or somethin', only to watch in horrified awe as the planet discharged hot smog into the heavens fer weeks on end, not just here, but everywhere."

"Do the tales talk anythin' more about that one in endless sleep? Could maybe they have somethin' to do with us? I mean, we ain't exactly here on procedure much either, right?"

"You'd have to go bother those Sunward fellas about it, I reckon. Who knows? Maybe some alarm clock's finally gonna ring off next Faesday an' the Living Sun is gonna rise from the grave."

Luz' words were sarcastic, but there was a faint undercurrent of anxiety in there, too.