Mission 11 - Epilogue

Mission 11 - Epilogue
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 Meanwhile... Consequences
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: (poking his head out from behind a rock) Alright, Matteo, it seems like everyone made it to Snowbird’s Peak -- and mostly in one piece, no less.
: (following Gawain’s gaze towards the Aetherians crowded nearby) Huh. Good for them.
: Good fo--? It’s YER fault that they’re out here in the first place, ya know. If you guild folks could do yer own jobs, we’d still be warm in Aether!
: This is no time to be bickering about job productivity, captain. We are in dangerous territory.
: From what, the blizzard? We’ve already gone through that AND dismantled or avoided the traps, clearin’ the way for those tribe folks. What more is there to worry about?
 Shhhhhhh………… 
The voice echoes, whistling with the snowflakes tossed in a frenzy about them.
: That.
: And what exactly IS that?
: Something that Ugalik alluded to… (abruptly rises from behind the rock) Come, this way.
: Wha-- Hey! Wait up!
: Ehh, stupid snooty-- C’mon everybody, stay close.
The Charizard crawls out from behind the rock, using the flame on his tail to light the way for the others. White blinds his vision, twirling around his head, almost making him dizzy from the sheer brightness in the dead of night (although, truthfully, he had no idea what time it was, the blizzard had raged seamlessly for days on end). A speck of yellow in the distance allows him to keep up with Matteo as they traverse along the mountain’s side, its impressive rock face soaring high into the sky on his left. Finally, the yellow speck stops moving, and Gawain reaches the Pikachu’s side just as a whoosh of wind reveals--
: Is that a cave?
: It is.
: And you knew about this how?
: An ice-spiked birdie told me.
: … ‘Course she did.
: (sighs) Okay, let’s tread carefully. I have been informed that there are… questionable things inside this cave.
: (reaches down and ruffles Matteo’s head) Heh, if ya get scared, Matty, just duck behind me, I can handle anything this “voice” says to me!
: … I’ll keep that in mind.
Gawain cracks his knuckles then stomps towards the cave, Matteo and the other Aetherians close behind. As they enter the small entrance, walking single-file with some having to lean over under the low ceiling, there is an immediate relief from the blizzard, silence taking the place of the howling wind outside. Only the gentle clinking of ice settling in the walls accompanies the noise of their footsteps, and even though the wind is far away, the cold is still as oppressive as ever. They eventually reach a room large enough for everyone to stand comfortably, and Gawain sets his fangs in a grimace to keep them from chattering.
: I’m about to freeze my wings off. Why are we here, Matty?
: (with an annoyed ear flick at the continued use of his “nickname”) To force the instigator of this blizzard out into the open.
: Pretty sure we were just supposed to open the way.
: And we did that. Now we’re doing that thing we wanted to do in the first place: discover the responsible party and get them to reveal themselves.
: Heh, yer more devious than ya let on! (charges forward without looking where he’s going) Right then, where do we start looking for--?
He walks straight into an ice wall. Mumbling a curse under his breath, Gawain rubs his snout and squints at the ice… and the frost-crusted face inside!
: The HELL is THIS?!
: Those… Those are bodies trapped in the ice.
: Stand back, I’ll get ‘em out!
: No, don’t! Any damage done to these walls could bring the whole cave down!
: And besides, these poor ‘mons are beyond our help…
: (clenching his fist) Who would do such a thing?
 Quiet nooow… Hussssh… 
Matteo holds a finger to his lips and gestures for Gawain to crouch and follow him deeper into the caves. The Charizard does his best to hunker down, and both ‘mons creep after the lilting sound of the voice, neither of them willing to look at the frozen silhouettes of Pokémon in the ice walls but their gazes shifting nonetheless. The voice’s whispers grow steadily louder as they move until finally they reach the main entrance of the cave where a robed figure hovers, sleeves held up to the cave’s mouth and ushering torrents of wind and snow.
: Peace, my sweeet… All shall be well… Listen to your--
: Hey! Knock it off, will ya?!
: C-Captain, I wouldn’t--!
: (with a slow turn of its head) You… You are whooo?
: The one who’s gonna take you DOWN! (lashing his tail-flame) C’mon everyone, let’s DO this!
: (flinching at the sight of Gawain’s tail) N-No… S-Stay back…
: Oh, yer not getting away with this!
The dragon spits a ball of fire towards the figure. It manages to dodge most of the attack: but embers eat away at a portion of the robe.
: Slippery lil--
: (holding Gawain’s wing) Halt, captain. I believe you’ve done enough.
: (shaking violently) F-F-Fire… ! Nononono, I c-can’t, the heat, s-smoke, husssh, no more crying, n-no, st-stop--!
More of the robe burns away, revealing its slim body -- but before they can see what it is, the spirit lowers its sleeves and flees outside of the cave! The blizzard stops as the spirit floats away, wind abruptly collapsing and snow disappearing into the night. Outside, the spirit rushes into the moonlight and vanishes, teleporting away instantly: in full view of Ugalik, Xú Taō, and the Netsilik tribe members.
: There, you see? It was not the mountain spirit causing the blizzard but an impostor! That was the source of the storm!
: And did you not see the clothing it wore? Similar to Taro’s, no? He has deceived you from the beginning, tempting you with empty promises -- I am certain that he is to blame for this endless blizzard, not the outpost or these foreigners!
Angery muttering ripples through the tribe members, their shock quickly turning to rage. All at once, someone yells a warlike cry -- others join -- and soon, the Netsilik tribe members rise up and rush off across the glacier, brandishing their weapons. Gawain, Matteo, and the Aetherians exit the cave just in time to see the tribe members leave, and Ugalik approaches them with Xú Taō at her side.
: Well color me impressed, you actually managed to follow my directions! Thought for sure they’d go over your puny head.
: ‘Cuse me?
: The cave was right where you said it’d be, Ugalik, thank you.
: Though I feel I must warn you, in the walls, there are--
: No need to say it. I will see it for myself soon enough.
: … Would you like our help with capturing Taro?
: That won’t be necessary. The blizzard has ceased, that was your mission. As far as I am concerned, you lot can go home.
: Fine by me. I’m tired of having a numb ass.
: What a lovely image. (sighs) I better catch up with my tribe mates. Don’t want them lynching Taro for his blasphemy; will be hard since he’s only a head, but that won’t stop them from trying.
: … Safe travels, Uga.
: … You too, Xú.
The Sandslash hurries after her tribe’s tracks in the snow, soon blending into the wintry scene after them, and Xú Taō turns to Gawain, Matteo, and the others.
: You waiting for a formal invitation? Leave. Now.
: Don’t need to tell me twice.
: But captain, our carriages, they aren’t prepared for--
: (sighs) Forget it. We’ll be out of here soon enough…
 SEVERAL HOURS LATER 
Drums bang ominously in the distance. The Netsilik is on the hunt, searching for one who cowardly ran the moment they knew they were in danger… one who, even now, bobs and weaves in the darkness further onto the glacier, escaping judgment.
: Halfwits, all of them. The time will come when all of these naïve idiots shall see the error of their ways -- and I might not be able to fix their mistake if they won’t let me help them...
Taro shakes with rage for a moment longer before turning slowly towards the ice spreading out in the distance, eyes narrowing in his mask’s eye-holes.
: Now, where is my sister...
END OF MISSION 11
( Meanwhile... Consequences)
Great job to everyone who took part in the first mission of the new arc! The admin team was happy to see the submissions that came in and is very excited for what’s coming up. So let’s get down to addressing the post-missions stuff:
Reward
While part 1 rewards were distributed as the entries came in, we need you to send in a note to receive your part 2 reward! If you submission was in on time simply send in a note titled "M11 Reward" with a link to your completed part 2 entry. We will respond back with a link to your badge.
New Jobs
We got some new jobs coming in with this mission! The tradesman job Tanner and the two rogue jobs Trapper and Ranger are now available for characters to use! Again, there will be lots of new jobs coming out this arc, so don’t feel left out warriors and denizens. To check these new jobs out, head on over to the Current Job Titles journal.
What’s to come
We’re well on our way into this new arc! Mission 12 will be up and running very soon and it’s a very special mission in regard to how it works. No mechanic details yet, but hang tight! Everything will be ready in the next several days, with the mission being a single part that will run for close to 2 months. Stay tuned!
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Mission 11 - Part 2	
 Meanwhile... Consequences
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