PTU: Trinity Isles (Day 7)

[Dlover]

"I have some trouble seeing, but I've got it this time, no need to worry." Alex heads for the pool, removing it from the sack and gently lowering it in once he reaches the water's edge. "There's not going to be a problem with the fairy temple housing the bug core, right?"

[Arch Lich Burns]

Haley plays with the gun to try to make it use vine whip, and more importantly use the threaded feature.

"Oh Rhemilarity, before I forget, there was some wierd scanning gun in my bag that I found at that base um...what is it and what does it do?"

Haley also inserts the electric drive in the cannon.

[SuperVaderMan]

Seeing the others return with fancy, new items from the smithy, Koa gets an idea of his own. He retrieves the Rock Plate from the spare item pile, afterwards seeking out Drake!

"Hey Drake, could I get your help with something? Do ya think you could make another one of these, but for Fairy-type instead?" He says, hefting the Rock Plate.

Afterward, he pulls out his pokedex again to talk with the Spark. "Hey, uh, do ya think you could send another message to Diancie? I wanted to know how she'd feel about me using the smithy to make something... in her honor, I suppose! And maybe she could help out if she wants?"

While he waits on that, Koa might as well see what's going on with the cube and the fountain!

[SamWiser]

Bruce laughs at the temple's overly specific instructions. Hehe. The temple has a sense of humor.

[M0rtimer]

Everyone

(Mostly) everyone goes to check out the pool and whatever is happening there, Alex leading the proceedings and definitely in no danger... Though others attend to other things, too. Haley for instance, remembers a question she should have remembered a long time ago...

"Oh Rhemilarity, before I forget, there was some wierd scanning gun in my bag that I found at that base um...what is it and what does it do?"

"Oh yes, those things. They're aura scanners. Too crude to see anyone's aura in detail of course, and they're generally too weak to even be picked up... But they can detect other things that have more powerful magic signatures. Call it a magic detector, if you must."

"Hey, uh, do ya think you could send another message to Diancie? I wanted to know how she'd feel about me using the smithy to make something... in her honor, I suppose! And maybe she could help out if she wants?"

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Oh, about that... :)

The moment I told her, she was rushing on her way! :o

She'll be here very very soon from what I can see..! ;)

Such speed... Hmm...

I can't tell if she's coming to check out the artifact, or wants to make sure she can still see you ;)

And indeed, while Diancie would appear not much after, Alex meanwhile was lowering down the box into the pool, as requested... While Bruce snickers at the temple for having a sense of humor, rather than just wanting to make 100% certain there would be no further mistakes.

"There's not going to be a problem with the fairy temple housing the bug core, right?"

we hope not

but are about to find out

With that, the puzzle box is placed in the water... And soon, seems to react- Being tugged further towards the middle of the fountain, before seeming to launch upwards- Levitating and turning in the air, as the temple continues to speak...

we invoke the great mind

and speak now of our current objective

our objective is to keep the cores and temple safe

we can offer protection to this core too

even if it is not the one we are supposed to protect

and request its power for this pursuit of our mission

we request atunement

For a moment there was silence, as if some invisible force was contemplating the temple's request... Before a response came. The puzzle box moved and twisted, and for a brief moment, seemed to open at the cracks- Green light breaching out and spreading through the temple, a weird sense of invigoration going through the surrounding area... Before it shuts, and the puzzle box is gently levitated down, put on a pedestal for safekeeping.

it is done

the request was granted

we are once again restored to the majority of our former power

we should be available to provide the spells within the book more often now

and even provide a new spell

including spells that are usually restricted to the domain of insects

As this ceremony is finished, Koa can also hear Diancie approaching down the staircase near the entrance... Well either that or they're gonna have problems. It's the former, however.

[SuperVaderMan]

Huh... so is this still the Fairy temple then, or did assimilating the Bug box change that? Maybe it just counts as presiding over the box, and that's it?

Speaking of, "Great Mind? What's that? Who're you asking permission to do stuff from?"

---

Afterward, Koa heads out to wait for Diancie, and he can't help but give a warm smile when he sees his patron descend the stairs into the temple. He hadn't known the minor god-pokemon for that long, but for some reason he felt more familiar?

"Hey! Sorry for the short notice. I just found out today that our other group found this Bug Box! The temple already hooked itself up to it, or something? It's in by the fountain if you wanna see!"

[Dlover]

"New spells? Well, that sounds... Interesting."

[Dusk9]

Izzy misses the temple ceremony completely, fully engrossed in the book on magic weapons. Her focus is constantly switching between scanning the pages, and practicing the suggested arcane techniques with her guitar.

In fact, she's busy letting off a few practice bursts of wind, flame, and snow into the air as Diancie arrives.

► Show Spoiler

I'm assuming I've only got time to get the first Rank bonus learned, since it takes 30 minutes of study.

[Synch]

Bjorn calls out, "So um, what's the new spell? And what bug spells do you now know?"

[Arch Lich Burns]

"Um....what?" Haley looks at the display with comfusion. "Um...Rhemilarity, what just happened?"

[M0rtimer]

Everyone

Everyone seems a bit surprised by the sudden event... Well, besides one like Izzy, who have spent practically the entire time cooped up in the library reading and catching up in a book, experimenting... And perhaps at one point almost starting a massive inferno that'd have burned down literal centuries worth of knowledge. The temple says nothing, but Izzy can feel it watching...

"Great Mind? What's that? Who're you asking permission to do stuff from?" Koa asks, though the temple's answer is... Non helpful.

the great mind is the great mind

that which persists through all

the divine manager

the hand of fate

its will be all will

"Luckily", Spark decides to help out.

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The "Great Mind" is... Consider it like the Unown subconsciousness :)

Not really a person, though not... "Unintelligent", either. :)

But since that would hardly satisfy you, let's keep it at that an artifact like the bug core has some "awareness". :)

And the "Great Mind" is the force responsible for that. ;)

Naturally, the box was made with a certain purpose, and the temple appealed to that purpose. :)

Seems it agreed. :)

"New spells? Well, that sounds... Interesting."

not necessarily new

but we believe it may prove useful in your quest regardless

in addition some of the core's latent powers at our disposal

we believe this will be most useful in keeping hidden through the aspect of subterfuge

"So um, what's the new spell? And what bug spells do you now know?"

there are too may to list in full

provide direction and we may offer suggestions

what may be of interest to you is that we can now create another teleport spell linked to the bug temple

though we are uncertain how useful that may be when its location is unknown

"Um....what? Um...Rhemilarity, what just happened?"

"From what I can deduce and have stored in my records, the "Great mind" is essentially a force of nature that governs over some aspects of magic. The artifacts are linked directly to this, so in a certain sense, the temple asked if it's purpose aligned with the one the box was given."

"Though this explanation simultaneously sounds far more dramatic than it actually is, yet far simplified from the full process, I am quite certain."

Finally, Diancie descends into the temple, and Koa is quick to go and greet her.

"Hey! Sorry for the short notice. I just found out today that our other group found this Bug Box! The temple already hooked itself up to it, or something? It's in by the fountain if you wanna see!"

"Ah... Right, yes." she notes, eyes trailing down the corridor to the main chamber for a moment... Before she pointedly ignores it, and looks back at Koa. "I will check it out later. You're on a timer, yes? How has the last couple days been?"

[Dlover]

"Hm. Okay, well, I'm... gonna... Go meditate or something I guess." With nothing else to do while everyone is getting stuff done, Alex tracks down a quiet corner where he can shut his eyes and contemplate just how his life devolved into insanity. And maybe some of the aura stuff too. But mostly insanity.

[M0rtimer]

Alex

Alex moves over into a corner to curl up in fetal position, slowly rocking back and forth.

► Show Spoiler

This definitely needed it's own update.

[Dlover]

(Anybody who says it didn't is objectively wrong)

[Arch Lich Burns]

Haley goes over to Alexy. "You okay? It's been...pretty odd hasn't it? It's almost unreal.

...Um Rhemilarity, do you think I should leave you here to help protect the core thingy?"

[SuperVaderMan]

"Ah... Right, yes. I will check it out later. You're on a timer, yes? How has the last couple days been?"

"Oh, right. Uhh... well, things have been better, eheh. A lot of stuff happened, and I'm almost done recovering!" Koa offers a shaky smile. "...It might be better if I just show you what happened, yeah? Kinhe?"

The crystalline jellyfish is never very far away, and she quickly floats on over when called. She hangs a little behind Koa, shyly.

"Diancie, this is Kemanehine. She's... one of the Overseer's 'kids'. He wasn't happy when I caught her. But she can join minds with people, kinda like a psychic, yeah?" At this point, Koa gently takes one of Kinhe's slick appendages. He only winces slightly, getting more used to the joining. Through it, he can feel the ultra beast's apprehension, and Koa does what he can to reassure her. It helps that Kinhe can feel Koa's innate connection with Diancie, via her Rock-typing and otherwise, and immediately the jellyfish unconsciously floats out from behind her trainer.

Koa reaches out with one of Kinhe's other tentacles, her sensing his intentions towards Diancie.*

Koa thinks back to his adventures over the past few days.
- The League research facility, housing the defunct Plasma frigate and being used as a nest for a family of Zoroarks, one of which is one of Darkrai's chosen.
- The frantic battle with the Overseer, and Koa's seemingly near-death experience in another dimension trying to escape his grasp.
- The meeting at the gate to Babylon, and the tense discussions held there between unwitting ambassadors of the two dimensions.
- Koa's traversal of the Murkoff gym, and eventual triumph over all of its tricks and its leader.
- The battle against the Red Hand, and his tampered memory regarding the psychic lady that briefly teleported away with Irene.

Most of all, Koa's thoughts linger on the overwhelming presence of the Overseer. That massive, crystalline form looming over Koa, pressing into his mind from all sides, speaking directly to his core? And all Koa could do was commit to one desperate ploy, detonating a plastic explosive within arm's reach of his own face to try and break the eldritch being's grip, Koa trusting in his natural sturdiness to keep him alive. It did, but did almost nothing to the entity, and Koa only managed to escape because the Overseer cast him out in disgust.

Koa takes a deep breath and offers a weak smile to Diancie. It's been rough, but again, he's almost recovered from that experience, with only a minor injury left to heal.

It helps that Diancie's here, too. He idly wonders back to that dance... before remembering Diancie's in his brain-space, too, and quickly starts thinking about how grateful he is that she came all this way to check in on him. Yeah.

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* = Not that Diancie needs to use Kinhe, since she apparently has Telepath

[Dusk9]

Izzy stealthily exits the library, whistling nonchalantly as she finds a less...flammable room to practice in...

[Dlover]

"Surprisingly enough, Haley, I actually am okay. Times where that's the case are rare, but this is what my normal life has been like for a week now and I'm pretty much used to it."

[Synch]

With so much going on, and being one of the least technical and worldly-wise of the group, Bjorn simply finds it all.... overwhelming. He glances around at Koa looking frazzled, Haley comforting Alex, and lets out a long exhale. Not sure what to think and almost lost for what to do, he looks around and his eyes settle on Luna. She looks up and he gives her a sheepish smile. "We never got our ice cream!" He pauses, then gives a rueful chuckle. "Although, in the scale of things I almost feel silly for worrying about it now. What a mess."

[Natrivv]

Watching the fire almost start, and Izzy quietly leave Irene put the parchment, and book into her bag. Rubbing her temples to try to massage the headache away. The very arguments contradict themselves, learn to be equip, dump all the knowledge you learn...

Irene sighs before finding a combat room to start training pokemon to be a real Cheer Brigade while others keep dealing with the temple.

[SamWiser]

At first Bruce scoffs at the mention of spells, but soon his inner curiosity burned too bright, and he couldn't help but think about what the temple would allow them to do, and how it worked. He had read that a large number of unknown when gathered together could create a large psychic field that seemed to make the impossible, possible, but it was rare to find that many all in one place, and with the willpower to link together enough of them to accomplish things. It seemed like wherever this temple was, there was plenty of unknown, and a strong enough link between them, to do some crazy things. And maybe he could be the first to study them.

How do these spells work? Is it your psychic energy affecting the world, using the book as a conduit? Or maybe the book just sends a quick message that your power is needed, and you direct what happens based on what "spell" is cast? Is the Great Mind the epicenter of the unknown hive mind? Or is it some other great psychic entity that has sort of tapped into it, but is separate? Do you guys always follow the orders of the Great Mind? Or can you disobey when you feel its right? What does it feel like when you are all alone, vs. when you are in a giant group like this? Unknown can be found in the wild, and even in large concentrations in the right areas, but them actually linking together is rare. What causes it? Bruce stops himself for a second, trying to close in on the most important and relevant questions first. They were on a time limit after all.

So what spells have you already given us? And what ones do you think would be most useful for our mission?

► Show Spoiler

The only time Bruce gets talkative is when there is science to be done, or people to scare. (And even that second one he tries to go for the scary silent option first.

I don't expect you to answer all of those questions, M0rt. Though, it would be cool.

[Theis2]

Drake looks surprised at Bruce

"Huh, those are good questions. We've got 4 spells, an attack spell, healing, spark disguise and fairy teleport. The bug temple teleport spell is worth a shot to check out what condition that temple is in. Must been a long time since they broke into that temple."

Drake will bring the book to the hivemind and finish up the plate for Koa which they've clearly talked about since Drake told him about the dowsing.

[Synch]

". The bug temple teleport spell is worth a shot to check out what condition that temple is in. Must been a long time since they broke into that temple."

Bjorn interjects, "Or a great way to get ourselves killed! We don't know where it is or what is in it, and you are suggesting we just appear suddenly right in the middle of it?!"

[Dlover]

"Agreed, terrible idea. Could be flooded for all we know, so teleporting there would be potential death."

[Synch]

"Although surely the Temple Heart can check the safety of the Bug Temple? Can't they talk with each other? The temples, I mean."