Fiends in the Forest?! Secrets Unawoken

[Cecile Silverstone]

Ulla hid behind Abby due to fear and nervousness of this mission. This was weird of her to act this way but after all she's been through. Can you blame her? Decidueye looked at Odd's Decidueye and waved to him on saying hello. He cooed happily as he was excited to be on this type of mission. "Is this going to be long?" She asked as Decidueye patted her back to calm her down.  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

TerashiLeonGoken

"So, that's where we're heading?" Abby asked, looking at the forest next to the city. "What exactly do you expect to find there?"

"I'm not entirely certain, to be honest." Odd replied as the group appeared in Nimbasa City. "I was told that I would 'find what I seek' here." He explained. "But Master Amaya tends to have her messengers let me know when she has jobs for me due to her being stuck on Mt. Pyre and those two aren't the most clear about what they're trying to say." He admitted with a sigh.

"That said, 'what I seek' is mostly information regarding the old Ghost Clan. Amaya's never told me much about them and just sends me to train in the Otherworld when she calls so this will be an interesting excursion." He finally added, offering up some degree of explanation that might be satisfactory.

Ensuring that both Abbey and Ulla were ready to go, Odd waved the group forward and began to walk toward the Lostlorn Forest with Fermata at his side. "Odd, do you-hoo truly believe that we'll learn anything of the Ghost Clan here?" The owl asked, wings at rest and cloak-like as he kept pace with his trainer.

"Dunno for sure but Amaya's never led me wrong before." Odd replied. "Why?"

"I am... uneasy." Fermata replied, glancing back to the young girls following them. "I have heard tales of my own regarding them from other members of your entourage."

"Do tell?" Odd replied, crimson eyes looking to Fermata as he did.

"Some of the others claim to-hoo have been there in the days of the ancient clans, reborn into-hoo newer, fresher forms throughout the ages but no-hoo less able to-hoo recall the days they existed." Fermata stated, a ruffling of his feathers accompanying the thought.

"You mean Thing?" Odd asked, recalling things he had heard from the Banette. The Pokemon's claims of it's existence as a timeless, malevolent force coming to mind.

"Indeed. It claims the old clan to-hoo have been filled with daemons masquerading in human form..."

"No different than today, then." Odd responded with a shrug. "Regardless, as far as anyone knows, Amaya would be the last of the old Ghost Clan and Countess Pump and I are the only Channelers left in the world that know anything of the old ways. Poor Count Geist..." He hung his head for a moment and drew a cross over his heart with his fingers. "May he be at peace in the Otherworld." As the group had walked and talked, Odd had been leading the way to the forest. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had showed up to cause them any trouble but they were only just now leaving the town itself. The entrance to the forest was only a short walk from the east exit from town and, fortunately, they wouldn't have to go far enough to deal with the bridge, which Odd was sure was still being repaired after the Battle for Black City.  

[Cecile Silverstone]

Ulla sighed as Odd wasn't even sure what they were looking for. Going in a place not having a clue what they are searching for, was the worse thing possible. She thought as they started walking to the forest. She put her Mimikyu plush in her bag for now, she had the head hang out of her bag as it didn't fully fit in there. The little girl listened to Odd's Decidueye tale about ancient clans and what not. She looked at her Decidueye, "Have you heard anything like that?" He raised his wings as he shrugged.  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

Heading off to the forest would take very little time to do, thanks to the roads outside of Nimbasa city. However, standing outside and looking in through the shadowy gates into it, all present could feel an ominous but strangely non threatening aura emanating from within. Something was in there, waiting for them.

"Well, here we are." Odd announced to the others, as if it wasn't obvious from the sign on the entry gate. "I've always wondered who maintains this place..." he admitted as he started inside.

"Be careful." Fermata warned as he followed, falling back slightly to walk beside Ulla's Decidueye. He didn't know the other bird but figured his own life had begun with Odd so maybe this other Ghost-type had heard tales he hadn't from spirits in other parts of the world. "Do you know anything about this place?" He asked curiously, hoping to find out something.

None of the party would see the eyes watching from the shadows beneath the trees as they entered the forest, concealed as they were.  

[Cecile Silverstone]

Decidueye looked at the entrance as he examined it. Seeing if something in his mind would pop up in front of him. He then looked at Fermata as he shook his head. He had absolutely no clue about this place. Ulla was hugging onto her Mimikyu plush tightly as they finally arrived at their destination. Unlike Abby, you were able to tell that she was afraid. "Y-Yeah! Le-Lets go!" She said as she took a leap of faith as she was the first one to pass through the entry. Her eyes was closed when she entered as she opened them to see she was fine. The little girl sighed of relief as Decidueye joined her and patted her head.  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

Heading into the Lostlorn Forest. Odd watched Ulla pass him with her eyes closed, seemingly terrified. "You didn't have to come with me if you were that scared, Ulla." He reminded her, shaking his head slightly. His eyes took on a strange, ethereal glow as he looked around the forest, using his ability to see spirits to search for signs of whatever they might find here. All he could see was the trees, though, and the occasional wild Pokemon.

"Something doesn't seem right...The forest should be teeming with life..." The channeler announced as he continued to look around. The strangeness of it all was throwing him off more than anything else was.

Fermata couldn't help but follow Odd's gaze. His own eyes were far keener than his trainer's were and yet even he couldn't find but a few signs of life. "This is quite peculiar..." he agreed.

The longer the group explored the forest, however, the more they would begin to feel watched, eyes in the trees increasing in number yet never seen. Something was definitely going on in Lostlorn Forest.

((Feel free to battle a random Pokemon of your choice. No capturing this one, though.))  

[Cecile Silverstone]

"I-I'm fine! Ghost type and Fairy Pokemon are basically long distance cousins." She said trying to keep her cool. She grabbed onto her Decidueye as he looked over around. While the were walking further and further into the forest, both of them felt more and more eyes on them. Decidueye would puff up his chest, not because of fear but to seem more strong. Soon enough both of them heard rustling in some bushes as something small came out but zoomed passed them to another bush.

Ulla panicked as she knelt down clinging onto her Mimikyu plush tightly. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. Mama~" She said whimpering as she felt the small creature zooming pass by them again. Decidueye watched it's movements as he pulled out a quill as he shot it quickly as the little creature was startled as it landed right infront of it. It ran off not bothering them anymore. Decidueye walked over to Ulla and patted her head as she looked up to at him. "It's gone?" She asked as her Decidueye nodded. Ulla sighed of relief.  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

As Ulla and Abby dealt with something small, Odd couldn't help but feel like something was off. The forest stood still as death at the moment, even the wind failing to blow through the trees as he watched, his senses sharpened and his eyes watching for any signs of life. All he could see, however, was his own allies souls.

"Something isn't right..." He decided aloud. While the eyes around them watched, a single flame appeared before the group, dancing ominously near the trees. It burned a strange, ethereal green, drawing Odd's focus. "That.... Is definitely interesting." Moving toward it cautiously, he tried to sense if it was connected to something dangerous. He couldn't sense anything from it at first, though.

"Odd!" Fermata exclaimed, darting toward Odd, wings extended. Gliding the short distance between them, he stopped before his trainer and unleashed an arrow cloaked ghostly energy toward the flame. The Shadow Claw erupted from the arrowhead, claw-like blades of energy wreathing the arrow as it passed through the flame and dispersing it. "Are you-hoo alright?" Fermata asked, looking over his shoulder at Odd as the channeler's eyes returned to normal, the glassy look in them slowly fading.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Odd asked, shaking his head.

"That flame contained a curse!" Fermata snapped back. "It's not like you-hoo to-hoo be so-hoo careless." Fermata replied, sounding a bit worried.

Before the conversation could continue, another green flame appeared nearby, dancing in the trees just as the one before it had. Fermata spun, drawing an arrow and loosing it upon the flame with another Shadow Claw. As the flame burst apart, a loud cry could be heard. "Seeaar!" Tossing a Wicked Wick into the forest, the eerie light of the otherworldly flame illuminated a Simisear as it jumped to it's feet, extinguishing the Will-o-Wisp it was playing with and running off into the forest.

"This doesn't make any sense... Why can't I sense their souls?" Odd asked as he watched.

"They are both present and absent at once." A voice spoke quietly from the trees, it's source yet to be seen.  

[Cecile Silverstone]

Decidueye wrapped one of his wings around Ulla to protect her as they heard the voice speak from the forest. "Whoever you are, please come out. We don't mean no harm." The little girl said as she looked around to see if she could find someone that would match that voice.  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

As the girls called out to the disembodied voice, Odd turned and scanned the trees once again. Still nothing. This was getting creepier by the moment. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the channeler in his tense stated, something began to trip his senses.

"You could call it that." The unknown voice replied to Abby. "This place has a strange power, to exist beyond time in some fashion." As the explanation came, the source of the voice became known. A middle-aged man walked out of the trees dressed in native clothing. Or was it clothing? "My name is James Selinski, travelers." He introduced himself, revealing as he stepped from the shadows that he spoke from a beak rather than a human mouth. "I have been expecting you for some time." He admitted as he walked slowly across the space between them.

His eyes were large and blank, his pupils dilated greatly, staring straight ahead as he walked. "I assume you are the one called 'Odd'?" He asked as he stopped in front of the Ghost Channeler, turning to stare at Odd with his creepy expression.

"I am... How do you know that?!" Odd replied, confused for a moment before he became accutely aware of just how freaky this was.

"Be not alarmed. I was forewarned of your arrival." James responded, arms...er...wings extending outward in a welcoming gesture. "Please... My family keep secrets lost to the ages. We were asked to share some of these secrets with you." He explained. "Follow me and I will reveal those lost secrets."

Odd watched James turn on his heel, completely unfazed by his clear apprehension. For a moment, he wondered if the look in the man's eyes was blindness. "I know you will follow me eventually." He replied. "I have already seen it." James called back, continuing to walk away.

And he was right. Something compelled the channeler to follow this strange man who clearly appeared to be some form of hybrid. He couldn't explain it but he felt he could trust this man, at least for now. "You don't have to follow me if you don't want to." He told the girls, his feet beginning to move, seemingly on their own. He knew if they wanted to leave, they could call for Claydol, after all. He seemed to be having a hard time recalling that he'd asked them to come along. It was probably not a bad idea to babysit him for a bit longer, just in case.

"Odd! Wait!" Fermata squawked, chasing after the man. "Well? Are you-hoo two -hoo coming?!" He called back to the girls.