The train eased into New Bark Town Station beneath a bright spring sky.
Ravina Shales leaned against the window, watching the little town drift past. White fences. Well-kept gardens. Quiet streets. Beyond them, rolling green hills faded into dense forests that stretched toward the heart of Johto.
It certainly wasn't home.
"...Smaller than I expected."
Some Stand Alone pics of Ravina and her current team in a pokemon game
Traveling over the battlements on the outer walls of Undead Berg, Keva was ambushed by and enormous demon that issued a challenge.
failure demanded his desires be satisfied.
Commission art of Mel for BlankEssence
"I think I'm starting to understand what this 'cursed undead' stuff is really about... nothing here seems to really die... even me?"
"Ehhh, before all that, left the shine and I got my way in to the city through the aqueduct, seems there a lot more of the withered zombies and the way and are infesting the district. and they don't seem to be completely mindless either with the weapons and tactics they have on hand. actually made me work up a sweat."
"To top it off this place seems to have been designed by a spider on caffeine. bloody labyrinthine with paths looping on themselves and no signposts that I can read to know where I am or where I'm going. found a friendly merchant though, undead fellow tucked away in a corner selling his wares, sold me a key for some of these wispy white soul lumps I've been attracting since I got here, guess when everyone is undead, souls are the currency of value."
"On that note... I died... I ran into a dude kitted out in black armor, and he ran me through with his sword during our fight, and yeah I died... fade to black, and then I woke up here in a store room in the city, no wounds, not dead, and more concerning, all the zombies I cut down on the way through were wandering around outside again. fucking great... endless undead, and it seems I'm also undead... did the warden actually kill me before?..."
"So yeah, anyway, made my way back to that black armored git and bent him over my knee during a rematch. now it seems my path is heading up to the city walls and I think if I follow that I can get to a bridge. I'm gonna rest up here in this store room for a bit before heading up there, that black knight was a tough fight... and I need to process this undead thing..."
"Fucking.... That's it, I'm more confused then ever..."
"i finally got out of that dammed Asylum, and start climbing a hill to get a lay of the land and a giant fricking raven comes and grabs me, I thought it was my aunt Elway to save me, but nah, just a kaiju sized bird."
"it was too high to bite the bird, so I had to hang out until it dropped me off at this ruined shine place. flew right over a massive city, and dropped me off at the furthest place from donut shop possible."
"well, I guess its not all bad, I took a little look around and I'm not alone out here. there's this depressed knight dude that hangs out near the fire all day. he let me know that there is actually two bells that the undead need to ring, one above, and one below... do I need to jump off a cliff? fuck, i haven't grown into my wings yet!"
"eh.. anyway, i also found a cleric guy, Petrus of Thorolund, i think he said his name is. said he is waiting for his mates, but in the meantime, he can teach me 'miracles' as he puts it. I think he is talking about the kind of magic that the church practitioners dabble in."
"last person I found here is a mute girl in a dirt cage downstairs. seems she wants to be there though, she seemed really distressed when i offered to rip out the bars for her. dunno what her deal is, but whateves"
"hmm, cant say i know where Im going still, there is a cemetery out back with angry skeletons, a broken elevator thing near the cleric, so that's a no go, and i spotted a road into an aqueduct, i guess I'm heading that way to try and get in to the city. maybe i can find my bell there?"
"Bahahahaha! suck it asshole! I WIN!"
"heh, no one expects an axe off the top rope!... fucking fat ass."
-sigh-
"what's my gear look like?"
"huh... what's this squiggly black thing?"
Keva was unprepared for the might of the Undead Asylum's Warden, and thus was punished for attempted escape from his domain.
"Well I've been wandering this place for a while now, I found some of my gear that was confiscated when I got arrested. found me Axe and Phone in the hands of some of some withered undead guys... took me a while to clean the gunk off the screen. but now i can at least try and get some info on this place."
"To top it off the warden of this place it like a giant fat demi demon thing with a log club. nearly jumped on me when I tried for the front door, gonna have to deal with him to get out of here."
"I found someone here that wasn't hostile though. some knight who... I think was dying? I'm not sure if undead can die? he mentioned that he was turning hollow... what ever that means."
"he did say I was also undead... I wanted to call bullshit on that, but he was dying, that be rude. he told me i need to ring a 'Bell of Awakening' and then i would know what to do next... where the shit is that?"
"he's didn't say, just gave me a glowing flask that has some healing juice, and then died... why didn't he drink the juice? also don't know..."
"I'm gonna take a rest and then see what i can do against that warden guy, I've got my axe now, so I'll show him the business and get out of here."
"screw hanging around here, I'm leaving... sigh, so what have i got..."
"hmmm, my kit, a chipped broken blade i found under the straw bed in the corner and a ring my mom gave me... welp, i guess i can improvise something?"