Pokemon: the Dark Ages

[Shocari]

Long, long ago, before the invention of the PokeBall, the world of Pokemon was a dark and strange place. There were no such things as Pokemon Trainers, or Gym Leaders, and Pokemon were 'caught' by earning their allegiance through tests of the mind and the body, and were still as loyal as ever. Wars were waged over things as trivial as the land where certain Pokemon were found, which was mainly to either associate one kingdom with a certain Pokemon, or to strengthen that kingdom's army nearly tenfold. However, the reasons for war, weren't always so simple....

"I don't care if it will take you a few days, just get it done!" a deep voice boomed from inside the large cathedral of a throne room. The room was made of dark granite, which in such a large quantity gave off the feeling of uncaring. Large stained glass windows adorned the two long walls, starting twenty feet from the floor and rising another fifteen, with each holding an archaic image of a different fierce Pokemon. The large ornate throne was positioned in the center in front of the back wall, with an extra large stained glass window behind it, the very visible look of a snarling Arcanine with blue flames starting to escape form its maw formed to startling realism. On either side of the Arcanine window was a blood-red tapestry that spanned the height of the wall, each tapestry having an Absol stitched in in a brilliant gold color. The throne sat on a raised platform that connected to the floor by three steps, and from the base of the bottom step ran a long crimson carpet that stopped at the large arched entryway. It was on this platform and floor that the two figures were placed, one standing on the raised portion, the other on one knee with his head bowed on the lower portion.

"Yes, sire. Whatever you say, my Lord." a second voice replied curtly. The man stood up, the sequins in his blue robes sparkling in the sunlight that streamed in through the Arcanine window, then exited the room, his long dark brown braid flapping behind him.

"I don't care if it takes a few days. As long as it gets done, everything will be fine." the first said, sweeping his dark green cloak behind him as he moved to sit in the throne. He placed his left elbow on the armrest, and rested his head on his fist. His medium brown hair swept backward, with a few bangs falling over his gold headband. The man's dark brown eyes stared off into nothingness, and even though he wasn't experiencing any emotion at the moment, the way his face was shaped gave him a constantly serious look. With his right hand he scratched at his goatee-covered chin, then returned to gripping the right armrest.

"Lord Shocari!" a female voice called from outside the room, her voice high and concerned. She rushed in, wearing a light lavender-colored suit of armor, with long flowing blonde hair. "Lord Sakaki, there is a person here waiting to see you!"

"What do they want?"

"They didn't say. They just said, no, they demanded that he see you at once."

"Are they from the other Kingdom?"

"Judging by their appearance, no."

"Okay then. Tell them I shall see him at once in the Great Courtyard."

"Right away, sire!" The woman ran back out, and Shocari whistled, and a section of the wall under the Arcanine window moved out of place, revealing a large bronze door, which opened to let two creatures out. The first was a large orange dog with black zigzag stripes and light beige mand andtufts of fur on its legs. The second was a brown bipedal shellfish that had two large scythes for hands.

"Arcanine, Kabutops, let's go." It wasn't an order as much as it was a stated request. The two Pokemon nodded and began to follow before he even finished his statement. Shocari exited the throne room and took a left down a corridor, wondering just who and what was being needed of him.
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Kay, so the RP is Pokemon in Medieval times, basically. Me and Cody are both Kings, and you guys can be Knights or Wizards or whatever(note: Wizards are basically con artists using Psychic pokemon.)
There's not really a limit on members atm, but we'll choose a cap at some point.
And if you have any questions just PM me :3

[Cody]

"T-the messenger s-s-should have arrived now, Sire." The man trembled as he spoke on his knees, face to the ground. He dared not look at the King on his throne.

"Excellent. You are dismissed." Arnold, the King of Cardathia, wave the Page out. The thrown room was covered in a magnificent white marble. Pillars rose from the floor to ceiling, forming a sort of circle around the dome. The dome itself was made of glass, and allowed light into the throne room at all times of day. The room always seemed to be in direct sunlight though, because the light bounced so freely off the white marble.

The throne that Arnold sat in was carved out of the wall, made of the same color marble. It was literally impossible to move.  The King dug into his long purple robe and pulled out something in the shape of a sphere with a crank on one side.

"It really is such a travesty that they haven't discovered Apricorn technology yet," he sighed, turning the crank. The brownish-yellow sphere cracked open, and a being began to form directly in front of the throne, "wouldn't you agree, Babylon?" The Persian meowed in agreement. The Classy Cat Pokemon leaped up on the throne and sat on Arnold's lap. He scratched her behind the ears.


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The messenger from Cardathia, who had recently arrived at the neighboring, rival kingdom, carried a simple message: We Declare War.

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Later that day, someone from the poorer regions of Cardathia approached the Throne Room, "Please....M'Lord....can't you cut back the taxes....just a little?" The woman was nearing the end of her life (so like, y'know...28. Yay for the middle ages ) and wearing dirty rags. It was hard to distinguish rag from skin.

"Oh? You want me to cut back on the taxes, yes?" Arnold scratched his chin, "why don't you ask Alakazam what he thinks of that?"

"Ask...who?" The woman asked, weakly trying to stand. Arnold laughed as the Psi Pokemon appeared behind the woman. It's stare was unmoving, and it's dual spoons were lifted in the air.

"Psycho Cut." Arnold threw his head back and laughed. The Alakazam closed it's eyes, heigtening it's Pyschic powers. The woman barely had enough time to turn around and see the blade of black psychic energy coming towards her before it cut her down the middle, leading to an instand death. "Teleport the body to the furnace. Then you may do as you please."

((You're dealing with a fragging crazy king.))

[Shiny Eevee]

A young man, probably no more than fifteen years of age, sat behind his booth in the market square, drumming his fingers lazily over the flat piece of wood. A rather large sheet of paper, with the words "MATTHEW'S DELISHYOUS FOWL", hung in front of the stand The wind blew slightly that day, moving his brown bangs out of his face to reveal the green eyes underneath. Beside him was his pet Ponyta, whom he had recieved from his father before... well, before that day.

"Ow much fer tha' wa'er fowl, son?" a guy asked as he approached Matthew, pointing at a dead goose hanging on a bit of string. Several of his teeth were missing, and his clothes didn't seem to be in the best of shape. Then again, who, besides the King and his noblemen, had anything of value these days?

"Three silvers, though if ya gimme an extra two I can 'et yan Apricorn," replied Matthew. He held out his hand, waiting for the money as the man fished around in his pockets. A little while later, the man was walking away from the stand, carrying the goose as if it were a newborn baby. The young man sighed, looking at the three coins in his hands. Why did no one want an Apricorn? His dad had told him how convenient they were, allowing you to carry a Pokemon with you in just a pocket.

Just then, Matthew noticed a crowd starting to form around a booth two houses down. Curious, he stretched out his head and saw two men, both slightly older than he was, throwing punches and kicks at each other. The one farther from the booth seemed to be carrying something, though what it was, Matthew couldn't tell from so far away. Determined to know what on earth was happening, Matthew abandoned his own stand, made his way towards the center of the crowd, and gasped.

For in the guy's arms was a young girl, unconcious, being carried bridal-style.

The situation became clearer to him now; this guy probably wanted to take the girl home as his wife, but the other man, who was probably her father or brother, was refusing to give her up. And as such, they had began fighting each other to claim ownership of her.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" said the first guy, his voice echoing around the street. "You have seen that I have paid for this girl, and know that she is rightfully mine if we are to follow the laws."

"I did not accept your offer, though!" the other guy retorted as he threw another punch at the first guy's face. "Ezra does not belong to you, and never will! I cannot give her up to... to a slut like you!" The crowd gasped, Matthew included.

The man carrying the girl laughed before saying, "Do you know who I am? Do you? I am the son of Duke Ferdinand, ruler of the neighboring village! I can very well report this to my father, or, better yet, the King himself, and you can very well get your head chopped off if you continue like this." The boy gaped at the guy, shocked. The son of a Duke? Here? It was possible that he was lying, but one glance at his clothes would easily convince anyone that this guy was no ordinary citizen. The other man growled, but kept silent. Grinning, the first man turned around and walked down the street, carrying his prize and, possibly, his new bride, with him.

Little did he know that the boy who was selling fowl just a few houses down the street had followed him out of the village.

OOC: ... lotsa characters, but just know that the only one that I'm going to use the rest of the time will be Matthew here and possibly Mr. Son-Of-A-Duke. ^^;

[Chadwyck]

The sound of light music drifted through the street, it was muffled out by the noise of the people going to and fro; the shouts of merchants and the complaints of their customers. The origin of the music was a beaten, old violin; the bow pulled skillfully across the strings. Almost everyone passed by without acknowledging the man playing the instrument, but every-so-often he'd get a rare coin dropped in his hat. Though, after the full day of playing the instrument, he hardly had enough for a loaf of bread.

Gabriel sighed as he finished the song, no applause was waiting for him at the end of his performance, no appreciation for his art and talent. He set the old violin into its case carefully and lovingly; the instrument was nearly the only thing he possessed, and out of the few materials he owned it was the most precious to him. He ran a gloved hand through his long, sandy-brown hair. The glove was worn, and the fingers were gone; the pieces of cloth did little to keep out the chill, but they were better than nothing. He was dressed simply, being a traveling musician he had to travel light so that he could remain on the move, he was in a faded black tunic, worn brown boots and a green, thread-bare cloak.

He picked up his dirty, old hat and lifted the few gold pieces out of it before placing the simple, black cloth back onto his head. It was a wide brimmed hat, with one side pinned up; he had been told that it was a fashionable accessory that many musicians wore, though he now knew that it was a lie, he still liked the hat. He looked at his companion, a small, green, frog-like creature with a black curl atop its head and a swirl on its stomach. The Politoed leapt up onto the man's shoulder, "People just don't appreciate music anymore, my friend." The young man said sadly.

He started walking down the street, moving to the next location where he could start performing again; after grabbing something that he could fill his growling stomach with. He found a pub where he could purchase some bread and a pint for cheap, which was precisely what he was. Though he wasn't alone; most people hardly had enough money to keep food on the table nowadays.

He sat at a worn wooden table outside with his measly meal and picked at the small slice of bread. It was stale, and was probably right on the verge of spoiling, if it hadn't already done so. He broke it in half and gave some to his Politoed before quickly devouring his own half and downing a pint of grog. "People are too concerned with paying their taxes to appreciate the arts anymore." He sighed, looking up toward the castle, "Maybe the king would like us to play him a show, eh?" He laughed at the ridiculous notion before pulling his violin from its case.

He leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the table, and began picking at the violin strings, "I should have stayed at my parents farm; I should have taken over after they died." He sighed deeply, now pulling the bow across the strings after deciding that they were tuned to his liking, and he began to play a sad melody, "A song for my parents, may they rest in peace." He said with a nod of his head, "And a song for the oppressed souls of the people!" He shouted, smiling sadly at the Politoed beside him, which looked on in concern for its friend.

[Cecil Harvey]

Long black hair and a large hat with a pointed rim disguised the colour of the eyes belonging to the darkly - garbed man, who ran at a male warrior clad in heavy armour with scruffy, short brown hair and a large frame, explaining why he was wielding a battle axe. The scruffy looking man, was actually an outlaw who had plundered small villages and done many 'things' with women around the area. The dark haired adult, however, was a bounty hunter. He had many ways of taking out the enemy, and sometimes he liked to play around with them a little. As he shortened the gap between the two of them, he drew his blade; a sword with a thin but sharp edge and tip, and a medium girth handle and hilt. The strategy the bounty hunter was using was pretty foolish, considering his foe was using a heavy battle axe and was wearing heavy iron armour, but the bounty hunter had another way of dealing with his bounties. Pokémon.

"Weavile! Use Slash on the leather straps, now!"

The Weavile that appeared from some bushes behind the outlaw extended it's powerful white claws and slashed at the strong leather holding the armour together, the Dark and Ice type Pokémon maliciously grinning in response to the armour clattering upon the ground. The outlaw turned around and looked at the Weavile and angrily swung his axe above his head.

"Now Weavile, X - Scissor."

The Weavile quickly slashed the outlaw with his two sharpened claws in the shape of an 'X', before the outlaw looked down to see a sharp metallic object protruding out of his chest. His clothes slowly became damp with blood. The bounty hunter slipped his sword out of his target and wiped the red liquid off it on the grass, then sheathed it before the man collapsed. Taking a dagger to his neck, he took his head and grasped it by the little hair it had. The bounty hunter looked at his Weavile happily; the Sharp Claw Pokémon seemed pretty pleased with the outcome also. They then walked closer and closer towards a small village of the Cardathia kingdom, cloaking himself with his long black cape.

When they got to the village, they arrived at a certain inn - The Drunken Psyduck (Pfft, I'm sorry, what? I've been thinking up some weird Medieval names and that one just crosses the line xD). Both hunter and Weavile walked in through the entrance without a door and walked past the regular men in the pub - they all seemed muscular but some of them were quite old - they all smoked their pipes and drank their beer. Average. The bounty hunter approached the counter of the inn - Weavile jumped on too and the shopkeeper recognized the glowing azure eyes underneath a slightly thick black fringe.

"Ah! Young Falcon! What'll it be for yer 'den?"

As odd as it was, the bounty hunter was only 17 - but his skills were fantastic when it came to using a blade and commanding a party of Pokémon. He received his Weavile as a Sneasel when he was younger - how it evolved he did not know, but it had become a great deal stronger. Falcon took the head of the outlaw and placed it on the counter.

"What do I want? Oh, just the price for this man's head."

"Y-yer mean...!"

"Yes, I've eliminated the famous bandit, Joe Tear." Falcon held out his hand for the money. The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows and went underneath the counter, pulling out a large sack of coins of different sizes. Falcon silently but happily took the sack and attached it to his belt before sharply exiting the inn.

 The center of the town was bustling. Small children who looked quite frail and not well fed ran around - they were still enjoying themselves a lot. Just then, Falcon's belly started to growl - he was rather hungry.  He saw a large sign, however, that read: "MATTHEW'S DELISHYOUS FOWL". The spelling was a little shaky, but overall good for a village peasant. Looking over, he noticed the person selling the fowl was away, but their Ponyta wasn't. Falcon calmly walked up to the Ponyta and gave it comforting stroke before putting ten shillings underneath the wooden plank silently, before whispering into the Ponyta's ear.

"It's okay, I'm just going to take a couple of fowl for my dinner tonight. I've given more than enough for your master so he can afford something as well. Remember, Take Down is a perfect move for anyone trying to steal anything."

Falcon stroked the Ponyta one more time before pulling out a blue, white and yellow apricorn ball. Falcon had colour - coded each of his apricorn balls to the main colours of the Pokémon inside of it. Falcon hurled the apricorn ball high into the air before a large pelican with wide wings and beak burst out. People looked up in amazement as the Pokémon known as Pelliper awaited its master's orders. Catching the falling apricorn, Falcon looked up and lifted up the two fowl for it to see.

"Pelliper, take this back to the inn I'm currently staying at."

With a 'Peli!', Pelliper swept down, grabbed the two fowls and started to fly to the east. Falcon then took out another apricorn ball; this one being green and grey. Falcon threw the apricorn ball high into the air like he did the last one, and a Pokémon with sharp elbows used like swords landed on the ground.

"Gallade, Teleport us to the inn from before, okay?"

Gallade could only take Falcon when it used teleport, so Pelliper had to deliver the fowls by itself. Falcon would rest up for the evening, and then drift wherever he wanted the next day. Life as a bounty hunter was slightly different.

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Hidden in the depths of the forest was a relatively large hut, seemingly uninhabited at first glance. Many travelers went up to it in search of shelter after their long journeys, knocking on the door only to find that someone did indeed live there. A woman in a dark blue dress and chocolate brown eyes peered through black locks of hair that were tinged with streaks of pink at the bottom. She fingered a ruby beaded necklace gently and always seemed to be happy to invite in travelers to allow them to rest.

She would introduce herself as Cassandra, pouring them a drink and asking them if their PokeMon were under the weather. They would always tell her how their companions were ailing and she would listen and understand that healing was not always easy to come by. If situations were simple, she would grind up some berries and feed them to the PokeMon in trouble, sometimes using it as more of a salve on the wounds if they were more apparent. If the situations were more severe, she would call upon her team of PokeMon to assist the other PokeMon in need.

Her main partner was a Meganium, beautiful in its design and highly affective in using its Aromatherapy. More pressing matters called upon the winged Togekiss with its Heal Bell and supposedly the ability to Wish other PokeMon back to good health. The most critical of situations was dealt with by her Gardevoir, one who also had Heal Bell but the ability to take the pain of another Pokemon onto itself in order to heal them. In the most dire of situations, the Gardevoir would cripple itself with a Healing Wish in order to restore the PokeMon back to its original capacity.

Cassandra's reputation as a medicine woman became a popularized rumor within a few years, and soon she had weary travelers seeking her out whenever they had troubles, whether it be in the woods or elsewhere. She had sometimes even been sent letters from people far away and would fly out on her Togekiss to go see what the problem was. The mystery woman that looked like a ghost became known as the Spirit Healer, and was often portrayed as a sort of witch through stories and word of mouth.

She sighed as she sipped her tea and stroked the head of Lily, her Meganium, as she waited in her cozy hut for yet another traveler to show up at her doorstep.

(OOC: Haha, hope this is okay. I thought it would be a cool idea to have a sort of medicine woman, someone who would usually be portrayed as a witch in medieval times. In the PokeMon verse, she would be more like those random people who let you rest in their house out in the middle of nowhere.)

[Riley]

"Sir Riley! Someone is here to see you!" A maiden rushed through the doors to the training ground, disturbing a knight clad in blue and a strange wolf-like pokemon next to him.
"Tell them to enter." The knight said, climbing to his feet. This knight was different from every other knight, in more ways than one. The first, he did not have any armor, instead he was dressed in deep blue boots, a vibrant blue tunic with black leggings, a blue cape and a deep blue hat, styled after his father's. Second, he did not have any weapons, nor bossed around his pokemon. The third, he was only fifteen.
"He shall not sir, he demands to see you and will not enter your domain!"
"Very well, I shall meet him." Riley got to his feet, his Lucario doing the same. He walked out the doors, to be confronted by a man and a pig-like pokemon.
"So, Sir Riley," The man said, addressing him with a tone dripping in sarcasm, "I heard that you and your little Lucario are unstoppable. Well see if you can deafeat the grand mage James!"
<Little?! I could defeat you with both arms lopped off and blind! Let me Riley!> Lucario growled, communicating through his aura.
"Together." And with this word, both Riley and Lucario launched themselves at James and the Grumpig.

"Show James and his pork roast out please Sarah." Riley said, laughing. Both he and Lucario had defeated James and his pokemon without breaking a sweat.
"Yes sir." The maid said, before whistling and getting six Togetics to fly to her and sweep away the unconscious pokemon and man.
"Shall we visit Cassandra Lucario?" Riley asked, and the look he got from the pokemon meant that he shouldn't have needed to ask. Riley was good friends with Cassandra, and didn't believe all those stories about her being a fearsome witch. He set off for her hut, sending a pidgey in advance with a note. Being a wielder of Aura, like his father, allowed Riley to talk to the pokemon of his world and ask them favours.

When he reached Cassandra's house, he knocked on the door and smiled at her as she opened the door. "Do I count as a traveller or do I have to wait until someone beats me?" He laughed at Cassandra, waiting for her response.

OoC: Hope it's ok If I'm a friend of Cassandra Dwayna, if not I'll change it.

[Dwayna DragonFire]

((OOC: Perfectly fine to be friends with Cassandra, Blazi.))

BIC:

Cassandra heard a rapping on her mail window and looked out to see a Pidgey holding a letter. She opened the window and fed the PokeMon a treat as it came in to drop the letter in her lap. The letter was written in familiar handwriting, bringing a small smirk upon her lips as she awaited her friend's arrival, petting Lily again contemplatively.

The knock came on her door not too long after that, and she answered it with a smile on her face, as usual. She looked somewhat amused when he asked her if he counted as a traveler, a knowing glance shared between the two as the silent joke was shared between them. She opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in, closing the door behind him when he came into her hut.

"Friends of Cassandra are always welcome in her hut, Sir Riley," she said in her velvety, mystical voice. "So for that purpose, you are always a traveler in my eyes. I assume you got into another battle, and are looking for my ways of healing, as always." It wasn't a question, merely speculation on how often he seemed to visit her as she started to make some tea for the both of them.

"So, what can I do for you today, sir knight?" she asked in an amused manner. "Do you need a simple treatment for your PokeMon or will I have to call upon my dear comrades? Are you going to stay the night, or can I free time for perhaps another traveler to come rest their weary eyes?" Her dark eyes peered at him from beneath her even darker locks of hair, looking as if they were almost beckoning him to stay the night to rest. Cassandra was quite lonely out here in the forest even with her PokeMon, so human company was always appreciated and welcome.

She finished the tea and poured two cups, offering one to Riley as she sat beside Lily in her chair, motioning to the one across from her as an invitation to let him sit, even if were only going to be for a little while.

[Riley]

"This battle was fairly easy Cassandra, he was a mage with one of those Grumpig pokemon. Lucario managed to get hit a couple of times by a psybeam, but other than that I just came for the sake of coming. I was planning to visit my cousin, Blazi, but I shall stay the night if I must." Riley said, while Cassandra gave Lucario a small Oran berry paste. Riley graciously accepted the tea and started drinking it, recounting old times when he and Cassandra were children, and played together, despite Cassandra being the elder.

(OoC: Short Post is Short.)

[CrystalineRaltz]

OOC: It hasn't been a month yet, so I'm technically still allowed to post here!

Samantha put on her long, purple cloak and tied her hair up in a ponytail. "Whitney, here," she called to her Eevee which was there in a matter of seconds. "We are going out today." The white Eevee watched as Samantha drew her bangs back into her ponytails and explained. "I want to see what it's like out there, with peasants. Just because my father is a knight doesn't mean that I can't live a normal life," she said as the disguise was complete. She didn't look upper-upper-class at all. "Let us go."

Getting through the small castle was hard enough. She had to slip through the shadows and use the dangerous secret passages that her father had shown her. She was almost caught once, running in the shadows. She had stepped on a Glameow's tail, making it shreik in pain. It ran off, but a guard ran toward her, yet not seeing her as of now. She had paniced, but she made herself and Whitney, still mad at the catty pokemon at almost giving them away, scarce at the last second. She ran through the castle gates, officially off castle grounds for the first time in her life. "Well, come on then, Whitney. We have much to see."

She had a fair amount of money with her, so she tried to only use it to buy necessary things. She even bought stale bread from a lonely traveler. She paid him much more than necessary, though. She went around and even helped a girl who was singing for her mother. She payed and helped by singing with her. She was being so nice, as she did not understand why these people weren't to be treated equally...

[Dwayna DragonFire]

((OOC: Sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy.))

BIC:

Cassandra smirked at Riley referring to someone as a mage, sipping at her tea after she had given the Oran berry paste to his Lucario. She listened to the stories of old and went off into one of her own tangents about how things used to be. She had always taken care of Riley ever since they were both young, and she was getting on in her years despite her youthful appearance. She gently played with the red pearls of her necklace as the memories came to her and faded away, like they had all happened again just then and came back to the present.

"Don't let me keep you, Riley," she said finally, after all the memories between them were recounted. "Your cousin must be waiting for your arrival. Take care not to tell others your opinion of me as a person, for they will believe you bewitched." Her neutral stare peered at him over her cup of tea as she took another sip, her words all too familiar on her lips as she had said them several times before and she would say them again. Riley knew all too well the workings of the society around them, but Cassandra would not have him defend her honor for fear of him being put to death as well.

"It won't be long now," she said in her mystical voice. "Before the next full moon rises, I fear they will ask you to join them in their crusade against me. They know of our old friendship and it would be all too appropriate for you to be the one to betray me. You will take me into custody and wait for their command, and when the full moon rises... I will burn." She smiled then, even though it was sorrowful and distant, perhaps the last smile that would meet her lips before they would come for her. She was seen to be a witch, and in this kingdom she would surely die for such accusations. It was a cruel fate for someone who had done nothing but help others and their beloved companions all her life.

"Please, old friend," she sighed wistfully. "Leave before I am tempted to ask you to stay and share with me a night that would haunt you when you come to take me to my death."

[Shocari]

((OOC: Darn life getting in the way >.<))

So...King Arnold of Cardathia wanted war, did he? Well, it would be best to not keep him waiting...for long. As sudden as this news was, it also presented a problem: Shocari's Kingdom of Alluidia wasn't ready for such a thing. True, there was an army, and it was quite capable in battle, but they weren't on call, and hadn't been for years. There hadn't been a need for an army for several decades, anyway, at least, not until now. There would be several Knights who would answer the call immediately, a few who would return, albeit a bit slowly, and then there were those that would need to be forced into service. Arnold's methods were...different, and were quite close to the brink of sheer insanity, and such an unpredictable threat would need great force to remove.

"Wait," the King quietly said out loud to himself. "There is a way. And better yet, something that can come from it." Shocari grinned as he stood up from his throne, and strode into the Great Courtyard. During this brief walk, the King traded in forboding stone walls for a large, open area that had trees that bore beautifully autumn colors on their leaves, adding something interesting in the otherwise monotonous-looking castle.

"You there! Page!" the King called, startling a young boy that was resting against a nearby tree.

"Yes, m'Lord?" the page answered nervously.

"I need you to deliver a message to King Arnold of Cardathia: 'In response to your declaration, I ask only for two weeks in order to have mine ready. After all, we wouldn't want this to be easy and boring.' Can you do this?"

"Yes, m'Lord, I believe I can. 'In response to your declaration, I ask only for two weeks in order to have mine ready. After all, we wouldn't...we wouldn't....."

"Wouldn't want this to be easy and boring." Shocari finished.

" 'After all, we wouldn't want this to be easy and boring.' Okay, I've think I have it, sire."

"Excellent. Off you go then." As the page ran out of sight towards the stables, Shocari couldn't help but grin. The way the message was worded, anyone else that heard it would think it merely some sort of hunting sport that he needed to prepare for, or perhaps a game of chess and he needed to work on a strategy. What the message really was was a diversion.

Shocari swept his dark green cloak behind him as he went back inside, heading towards the Council Chambers, laughing as he entered the empty room.

"After all, we musn't have Arnold reach the lady in the forest."