Chapter II: Incertitude
Sands of Decay - 1F
An odd sensation flooded Pathos' nerves, sending a shudder throughout his body. He was left somewhat startled, but the feeling soon faded away, and a small clenching of his muscles proved to be evidence that he was alright.
But that feeling of relief soon faded as he looked up and examined what surrounded him. Walls of ashen dirt rose high above the Absol, merging together at irregular angles. One of the walls was home to a corridor that led out of the room. The hall was wide enough to accommodate a few Pokémon side-by-side.
He curiously looked behind himself, expecting to see the portal he had exited from, but was surprised to find nothing more than another dirt wall. I can already tell that this is going to be stupendous. I will totally enjoy this trip.
Pathos shook his head. Neither the setting nor going back mattered to him at that moment. He had a job to fulfill, and as such, he could not afford to loiter around, gawking at everything that he came across.
Despite the fact, he studied his surroundings a little more and found out that the floor on which he was standing was dug out of the ground, allowing him to conclude that he was below ground level. He made his way over to one of the earthen barriers, where the walls were slowly putrefying, clumps of dirt falling out in places. The ground below him was still the same as ever, with just a tad of pale added to it.
However, one major question still lingered with Pathos: had he really stumbled into a Mystery Dungeon? The word 'mystery' fit, but he could in no way make a connection to 'dungeon.' But what reason did he have to believe that it was not?
With a look of infinite confusion plastered to his face, the Disaster Pokémon slowly made his way over to the passage, hoping to get a grasp on things sooner or later. However, as he walked, it became more and more apparent that his questions would not be answered quite so easily.
This place... I'm getting chills because of it... The cold wind blowing over me, the sudden change in landscape, it's all so... unusual… One thing Pathos couldn't seem to understand was that Celestine apparently fell victim to a Mystery Dungeon. For all he knew, this one may not have even been the right one, if she had stumbled upon one of the occurrences at all.
After taking a few more steps, he felt something snap audibly underneath his feet. Lifting his paw off the ground, he saw that it was a stick a few inches in length. Pathos tilted his head, confused. He hadn't expected shards of vegetation to be present in this environment, albeit dead. When he looked back up, he noticed that the walls contained groups of dead roots spread about. How he had not spotted them before was beyond him.
He proceeded to move forward, trying not to pay too much attention to the unnecessary. He needed to focus on whatever there was that could give him a lead on the situation, but the likelihood of such a thing existing seemed all but null.
He shook his head. Trying to find answers by thinking alone would never do him any good. He needed to scour the environment, find out as much as possible. He would not gawk, rather absorb. Perhaps the landform itself could give him hints. The subtle changes, the gouges in the walls…
When Pathos looked up, he saw a curved yet sharp veer off to the left that caught him off guard. That's... certainly strange. Not as unusual as the 'portal' I climbed through to get here, but it's up there somewhere.
Pathos took a sharp, veering curve in the path, and continued down the aisle. This place... it's so surreal. The portal, the walls, the feeling of impending doom... Not far from him, the Dark-type could make out the end of the tunnel. Filled with slightly more hope, he quickly made his way over.
Eventually the hall opened up into another large room much like the previous one. The room was slightly pentagonal, though one side was occupied by an entire path, probably six to eight feet wide. Embedded within one of the walls was a large hole.
Deciding that there was nothing worth checking out in the room, Pathos headed for the passage, only to be interrupted by a disturbing noise that sent shivers down his spine. He whipped around and discovered that the sound was the hiss of an Ariados situated in the hole.
As much as he hated to admit it, the Absol was pleased to see the oversized arachnid. While it was a little odd that he had be hissed at, perhaps he was mistaken for an enemy. On top of that, the fact that anyone would be within one of these dungeons was bewildering, but it didn't matter to him since he would finally be able to get some answers about what was going on.
"Hey, sorry for the inconvenience," he asked in the most polite voice he could muster, "but could you help me with something? I'm looking for someone that may or may not have come through here. Espeon? Pink fur, split tail? Did you happen to see anything akin to that?"
However, the Bug-type showed no signs of having received Pathos' request. Puzzled, Pathos made his way over, saying, "Um... well, let me ask you another question. Can you maybe tell me about where I am, this supposed Mystery Dungeon? Where do I go from here? There is some kind of exit, right?"
The Ariados did not welcome his inquiring, however, as it lurched forward, attempting to latch itself onto Pathos. The Absol dodged the attempted attack, taken aback by the spider's sudden offensive.
Pathos braced himself, getting into a viable position to move again if need be. "Dude, what the hell? I just want some simple answers. Is that too much to ask of you?" the Absol said with a hint of weariness.
The two started to circle around no definite point, making sure to stay alert to anything the other did. The spider hissed at Pathos, snapping its mandibles intimidatingly. It was now evident that the Ariados was not going to compromise with him anytime soon. In response, the Disaster Pokémon got in a fighting stance, ready to take on the new threat.
Something just doesn't seem right. He doesn't seem to be processing what I'm saying... What's going on? Pathos thought for a little as they eyed each other down, when he remembered something. Well, I do once remember hearing something about wild Pokémon, but this...
Pathos was torn away from his thoughts and was forced to act as the Bug-type made its first move, shooting from its mouth a stream of string that swirled back and forth, nearly hitting Pathos. A few strands of the String Shot stuck to him, and almost like magic, he could feel the slightest resistance at his every movement.
Pathos charged forward. He barely managed to land a blow to his opponent's abdomen, causing the Ariados to stagger back slightly, but in the end, only ended up causing it to exhibit more anger.
Cursing under his breath, Pathos repositioned himself on the battlefield. He knew he was disadvantaged: the Ariados was acting on quick instinct, while he was relying on faulty footwork at best. I may have been able to do something against that Scrafty, but both of us were at less than peak performance.
He detracted himself from his mind to swiftly dodge a quick jab from his foe. Here, I can barely even land a Quick Attack. I need to be witty if I am to come out of this. But what can I do...?
Pathos withdrew himself from his mind just in time to narrowly dodge a Poison Sting. If he were to get hit by that here, he would surely not make it much farther, much less back to the village with Celestine—if he ever found her.
Shaking his head to rid his mind of any excess thoughts, Pathos put himself into full-on fight mode. He realized that there wasn't much he could do for quick movements for a bit, so he tried to keep his distance, managing to not take serious damage, although there were some instances where he had been hit, though thankfully not with anything detrimental.
When he could finally feel his fighting spirit arise, Pathos began to make moves of his own. He first tried to swipe at his foe, but the Long Legs Pokémon moved swiftly out of the way and retaliated with a Bug Bite directly onto one of Pathos' rear legs, bringing him to the ground.
Biting one of his lips to fight against the urge to cry out in pain, Pathos succeeded in shaking his opponent off, though he could feel the tiny amounts of blood leaving the wound mat down his fur.
Pathos backpedaled as the Ariados lunged at him and managed to put an acceptable distance between them. If there was any time for the Disaster Pokémon to learn to fight decently, now was the time to do it. After all, things had already continued longer than he had initially expected and he needed to find a way to get back on track.
The Dark-type assumed that since the Ariados was wild, its only intuition would be to follow its animalistic instincts. If that were the case, then he could possibly manipulate it to do what he wanted, allowing him some control.
Pathos began to physically taunt his opponent, hoping to catch its attention. When the spider hissed and scampered over, angered by the provocation, the Absol was filled with new hope.
When Pathos' assailant lurched at him, the Absol nailed it in the side of the head with the side of his blade. He gave it no time to recollect itself, and charged forward, instinctively beginning to gather crepuscular energy around his blade.
Sensing its impending doom, the Ariados barely dodged the deadly Night Slash, and where the Bug-type once was lay a huge gash in the ground. But Pathos wasn't done yet, as he transitioned perfectly into a Slash, which managed to graze the top of its midsection, leading it to hiss in pain.
However, this did not stop it from taking revenge immediately, where it repeatedly slashed away at the Absol's underside, drawing him away from the downed arachnid. Cursing, he could feel the streaks left from the Fury Swipes yelling at him for a few moments before adrenaline kicked the pain out of his nervous system.
Despite the newly gained wounds, Pathos snickered. His strategy seemed to affect his enemy well. I've caught it off guard twice now. Now, if I can just keep that up, then—
His cogitation was cut short when multiple waves of sickening pain shouted out to him from his side. On the verge of collapsing, he peered over his shoulder to reveal needlelike objects impaled in his side. Blurring out the pain with other thoughts, he eyed down his oppressor, only to find more of the same projectiles coming his way too fast for him to dodge at that point.
He had only seconds to think of some way to counteract the Pin Missile, and he was scouring his mind for answers. Night Slash took too long to initiate, Slash would do him no good as well, and Quick Attack was practically useless.
It took him a tiny bit, but he finally settled upon something he remembered being taught at some point in time. With no time to think about how well it would go for him, he concentrated on his blade, a psionic pink instantly forming around it.
Pathos quickly moved his head to the right, and swung it back around, such that his blade cut through the air horizontally. In the midst of the arc, all of the energy gathered around the scythe being released, flying off towards the oncoming barrage.
Much to the Absol's relief, the Psycho Cut, albeit half-assed, managed enough to disperse the small projectiles, guaranteeing his safety from the onslaught for now. However, Pathos knew that he was not safe enough to stand around, and promptly began to move around, hoping to throw off his opponent's aim.
At this point, Pathos hadn't the time to waste dawdling, thinking, or even trying out new methods of attack. Right now, he could only focus upon one thing: finishing the fight and moving on towards his goal. This was the final time he was telling himself. This time, he had to put that notion into gear and go with it.
In his attempts shortly thereafter, he continuously sparred with the Ariados, gaining himself some more cuts and bruises, but also returning the favor. Pathos could feel the adrenaline starting to wane, his body telling him through by his growing lack in speed and power. It was only a matter of time before the end of the battle arrived.
Wagering the rest of his energy on one final rush, the Disaster Pokémon growled as he charged onward, deciding against his instinct and trying another Quick Attack. As expected, the Ariados dove out of the way, but this time, Pathos landed a swift blow to the side of its head, dazing it.
Finally seeing this as an opportunity to end the fight, Pathos charged forward and brought his blade high into the air before briskly bringing it down upon his assailant—directly behind its head. The Dark-type cringed as he heard the sound of his blade cutting through the Ariados' exoskeleton, killing it before it even had the chance to react.
When he retracted himself from the carnage, Pathos once again thought about whether or not it was a civil Pokémon or a wild Pokémon. But all it took was the memory of its animalistic cries and its savage attacks to convince him that it was indeed the latter.
So these... ferals, I suppose they could be called... Just how many of them are there? He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the topic, if only to keep his hopes up of finding Celestine alive.
He shrugged. So far, no answers had been delivered due to his incessant thinking. The most proactive thing he could do right now was push forward and find the exit, and hopefully Celestine on the way there.
Having convinced himself that there was still some hope left in this little adventure, he trudged onward, selecting various corridors to walk down, each leading to an entirely different room, each slightly different than the last. He didn't come across anymore wild Pokémon, much to his appreciation, though multiple times he swore he heard grunts, growls, hisses and more, encouraging him to speed his pace up.
Eventually he came across a room he didn't recognize, and for a very good reason. Directly in the middle stood a pile of bricks, starting on one end with one layer, the next with two, with three after that, and so on until a whole staircase was made, about ten feet long. That fact alone was not enough to cause him the level of confusion he was feeling. What truly baffled him was at the top of the staircase. There, a semi-clear portal-like object was visible, very much like the one he used to enter the dungeon.
At this point, the confusion became too much for the Absol to handle. He decided to simply accept what it was and go up the stairs towards what he could only assume to be the next step of this wonderful journey. The only concern for him was when it would finally end.
Sands of Decay - 2F
Once more that sickly cold wind blew over Pathos, causing him to shudder once more. If that was going to become a norm for him, he could tell he was never going to get used to such a feeling.
Pathos glanced over his shoulder, confirming once more that he indeed could not go back. His only option was to press forward and make as much haste as possible. The Absol wasn't sure how the rest of the dungeon was going to play out, so he needed to avoid trouble.
The walls had gotten shorter, and they seemed to be more decomposed as well. The ground was softer, crumbling apart so that it got in between the Absol's paws, and was left with indents from his weight. There were three different pathways leading out of the room, each at different angles. Some small patches of vegetation were scattered about, though they were likely all dead.
Pathos figured that if Celestine had gone missing for some amount of time, surely she wouldn't be in an acceptable condition, definitely not if she found her way into the dungeon. Vadimas never told him how long she had been missing, so he was assuming worst case, about a day, which, if he knew anything, it was that going long periods without food or water was not good on one's body, especially in this desert.
The thought of calling out Celestine's name in hopes of an answer crossed his mind, but it was obvious that wouldn't work out well. As he had reasoned, if she were gone that long, surely she would not have been able to respond, much less still have been conscious.
He instead looked to the sky in meditation, but noticed that it was slightly darker out, as if time suddenly skipped ahead a few hours. Though he should have been even mildly surprised, it felt natural to him, just another part of life. He figured his uncaring attitude may have been due to the already absurd amount of weird he had encountered.
Pathos shook his head and stood up straight. He would get nowhere if he stayed put and contemplated the many different things that were. If he was going to take the time out of his life to take on this task, then he may as well do it with full effort. He nonchalantly walked randomly towards one of the hallways, halfway expecting another attack.
Pathos noticed that the wood roots he saw before had gained more shape to them, growing straighter and more consistent. The farther he walked, the more and more these logs would pop up and the more uniform their shape would become.
When he emerged out into the next room, he was astonished to lay eyes on the sight before him. It was actually less of a room, and closer to the remains of a collapsed building. Bits of splintered wood lay strewn about, Along with leather canopies and cracked support beams. Apart from those, there were a few portions that seemed slightly intact, but not enough for Pathos to feel safe approaching them.
The Absol silently paced around, stepping over obstacles and avoiding anything that even hinted at being unstable. This is... well, incredible to say the least. I never would have expected this, of all things. But... why is any of this here? How would such a structure come to be in this place?
Pathos didn't care for any true details, but was rather intrigued by the almost hypnotic presence of the rubble. He climbed through tunnels, underneath low-hanging canopies, and over crumbled stone. Even down the corridors there were spans of debris, as if it all once belonged to a large village.
Aside from the fragments of a lost society, the landscape began presenting to him some new features. As he progressed, things began to soften out, the ground decomposing more and more, as did the walls. The roots in the walls seemed as if they would disintegrate if one so much as tapped them.
Pathos was happy that he was concerned more with the environment changing than any sort of impending doom he might face. If anything, it was consolation for him. But that did not mean that he was going to completely ignore the main issue, not at all.
He held his head high. Even then, I need to keep pushing forward. Struggles like this are only going to hinder me, he thought, supporting himself for the nth time. But as long as it kept motivating him, he figured it would be fine.
He explored around, much like on the previous floor, but found that things were getting progressively difficult for him, and for a multitude of reasons. He was not only starting to feel hungry, despite his recent gain in nourishment, but he was also finding the need to keep investigating every possible aspect of the dungeon, whether it be the sky, the floor, the walls, the corridors, the rooms, or even himself.
The Absol didn't know how much longer things would continue the way they were, but eventually, he got his answer. Halls became more complex and confusing, with many branching paths, some even looping back upon themselves, even spotting some ferals a few times, but he did not want to waste anymore energy fighting them unless he really had to.
He even found several more toppled and crushed constructions, each with their own separate designs. It was surreal almost, and reminded him of the village he woke up in, just one of the many things that could happen to it.
Whenever he was reminded about the village, he always began to think about Vadimas and Celestine, what they'd done for him. Celestine's finding him in the desert, Vadimas healing him up... Whether or not he wanted to admit it, he truly was thankful. Vadimas was right—he needed to do something to repay the two.
Celestine... I wonder just how much she's had to go through since she left yesterday... Pathos could sense a sliver of something within him that he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He wasn't solid on the idea, but perhaps he was concerned?
Whether or not he was, he was most interested in having just found the stairs to the next floor. Pathos didn't think he could endure much longer of this horrendous "adventure," and wanted it to end soon. So, he inhaled, exhaled, and sped up his pace, intending to find the stairs soon.
Luckily, within the next few minutes, he achieved his goal in finding the stairs. This time, they were not as clear-cut as before, showing much more wear and tear than the stairs he saw before. He mentally smacked himself, saying that he had to keep going, and so he did, climbing up the crumbling pile of bricks.
Sands of Decay - 3F
Pathos quivered, exited the black, and was presented with much the same scene he had been welcomed by before, with the same features changing as they did last time: it had gotten even darker out, a few feet was cut off the top of the walls, and the cracks in the dirt were no longer visible, instead replaced by mounds of loose soil, of which now snuggled its way uncomfortably between Pathos' paws.
After establishing that he would not be able to keep the vile substance out of his paws, Pathos investigated the options he had: the path to the right, which, was almost completely blocked off by roots which extended into the room a few feet, and the path to the left, whose walls looked insanely unstable and ready to devour any soul who dared brave the curvature they displayed.
Pathos had been at his limits for a decent while, and was not about ready for the slow wait for adrenaline to begin pumping when then walls caved in, so he decided to take on the overgrown side.
The sight became worse and worse the closer he came to the vegetation. How was he to carve his way through the thick that was in front of him? He could surely cut it up, but not more than a few feet in before he would have wasted all his energy.
When the Absol was ready to give up, he spotted a new light—there was just barely enough space for him to cram his body in and crawl through, albeit with some cutting, though he could manage.
After bracing himself, and making sure no ferals were after him, he slipped into the entrance to the crawlspace, nudging along slowly, focusing his efforts on not getting stuck, and especially not getting anything in his eyes.
Absentmindedly he dug his way through, managing to slash a path for himself a few times. I certainly never expected to see so many branches at once. The previous floor had it's own share of oddities, but they were... not as intense, not as concentrated.
It definitely took a few minutes, but Pathos finally spotted a place to get out of the ensnaring vegetation. He pushed himself through, happy to be out of the strait space. However, his joy was not to last long, for as soon as he placed his first leg down, something shot up from the ground and latched itself onto him, several points on his leg being greeted with sharp pain. Pathos bit his lip exceptionally hard to help seal his scream, almost instinctively slashing at his offender with his free leg, but they did not let go.
In his bout of pain, the Disaster Pokémon managed to get a look at just what it was that snapped its jaws onto his leg. The creature had a large, tan, and oblong ovoid head with semi-large beady eyes, a body the same shade of brown as the many dried up roots the Absol had crawled through, and sandy, leaf-like limbs, though they appeared hard and usable as whips. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get the Carnivine to let go.
Pathos did not have time to get caught up in another fight, and was ashamed he managed to let another feral get the best of him. He wasn't feeling invigorated quite yet, and did the last thing he could—nail his assailant in between the eyes with a Night Slash.
It didn't let go at first, but after a few more times, the Grass-type let go just enough for Pathos to unlatch his leg. The Absol didn't care about how much his leg hurt, since he needed to get away from his newfound foe, who was limply crawling along the ground speedily.
Shit! What the hell am I supposed to do? Pathos' mind was scattered, and he couldn't think straight. He had acquired a new limp to add on to his previous problems, and it was limiting how fast he could go. He needed to come up with something soon, or else he wouldn't be able to get back, dead or alive.
Pathos heard a sickening crack resound through the air. He looked back, and saw that the Carnivine was whipping its arms, which were in close range of making contact with him.
He sidestepped out of the way of another whip, and managed to land on the retracting vine, grounding the Bug Catcher Pokémon long enough for Pathos—with his good leg— to kick the top of its head, stunning it.
Pathos took this time to quickly take in his surroundings. On the far wall, about forty feet away, was the only exit out of the room, which he instantly made a run for, no longer looking back. He'd rather waste his energy running than wasting it fighting another enemy.
While he ran around corners, through roundabouts, he could hear his stomach growl, feel his body desire for something to give him more energy, as well as rest. Had he known that he would go hungry in an hour of traversing the dungeon, he would have sought to bring some food along with him.
Aside from his body's complaints about his actions, it was obvious that other ferals had taken notice of his presence, and may have been chasing him as well. Was the Carnivine still chasing him? He wasn't sure.
It got to the point where silence had overcome his senses. Pathos stopped running, whether he wanted to or because his exhaustion told him to. When he was sure he wouldn't be jumped by some surprise enemy, he finally let out a sigh. He had to have been in a near sprint for three minutes tops. He knew that wasn't a long time, but every second felt an hour to him, hoping to not be put out of his misery. Though, the exhaustion that running had left certainly did put him in misery.
Pathos stared at the sky, its extravagant maroon, the lackluster clouds. How had things turned out the way they did? Just when he thought it was going to smooth out, a bump in the road showed up, sending everything spiraling out of control.
He shook his head, growling. What use was it? The mission was probably going to be a bust for him anyway, so why did he accept in the first place? What was it that motivated him to keep going forward?
I can't get a grasp on it... despite the fact that it was my decision in the end to accept. It's not like Vadimas was forcing me into this. So what is it that I decided upon that made me do this...? Pathos closed his eyes tight, trying to envision what he was feeling at the time of making his choice. He just couldn't help thinking about it.
He thrust himself up and stretched. Enough whining and contemplating, he thought. He could do that after he reached his destination, when he had all the time he could possibly ask for. Which, admittedly, came faster than he anticipated.
With just a few more rooms traversed, he spotted a lavender blob on the ground, its shape getting more and more distinct and familiar the closer he got. And the closer he got, the more pumped he felt, and the faster he walked.
The blob was, as he suspected, Celestine, passed out on the ground. Pathos could make out a few cuts underneath on her side, maybe some on her legs as well. Pathos was honestly more surprised that the ferals hadn't completely gotten to her than finding her here. But, he wasn't one to complain. It meant that he could finally—somehow—finish his mission.
After somehow propping the feline up onto his back—which did not feel good, concerning his previous injuries—he sighed and began to walk as hurriedly as he could, which wasn't very fast at all.
I mean, yeah, I'm happy about this, but... I still can't help but think about everything. Not to mention how painful carrying her is... He figured that maybe he got lucky, maybe life was pitying him, he didn't know. So many things had cluttered his mind at this point that he just wanted it to end. His excitement for finding Celestine was short-lived, and now he was ready to finish this.
Pathos heavily concentrated on making sure not to backtrack his steps, when he nearly jumped when he heard Celestine groan, and he was even more surprised when she spoke up, though slowly.
"W-what...? You...? How did... how did you find me? Actually... why are you even here? Shouldn't you still be in bed?" she asked, her voice dragging on. She tried to shift herself, but found she was too weak to do so.
"Arceus, one question at a time. I don't know how good of a condition you're in, but it's obvious that you're extremely exhausted." The Absol exhaled a breath full of stress. "After he gave me the a-okay for my recovery, Vadimas sent me here. Actually, it's more that I decided to look for you after he told me what was going on, since he apparently didn't have the brain to come up with the idea himself."
It took her a few moments, but Celestine nodded. Pathos felt her turn her head to the side. "I'm sorry... I... I got careless when venturing out. I didn't know what was happening when I appeared in here. It took me longer than it should have to make the connection—that was one of those Mystery Dungeons that I've heard Vadimas occasionally talk about. I tried my best to make it through, but... I was thirsty, and I found I had gotten really hungry."
Celestine stuttered the first few syllables of what she was trying to say, but eventually managed to get it out. "I... I tried to run away from my attackers, but I found myself without energy. I... I have troubles recalling much after that, honestly. But... thank you, really. Arceus knows how long I would have lasted out here."
Pathos couldn't hold back his smile. "It's nothing, really. I guess it's just... I don't know, actually." He was about to continue speaking, but found that Celestine had not been responsive. Did she pass out again?
The Disaster Pokémon sighed. At least he knew that she was alright. It meant that part of the job was complete. No, he just had to make it back safely, but there was no guarantee of that, considering his past experiences in the dungeon. Nevertheless, he straightened up, and set getting out of the dungeon as a top priority.
In and out, out and in, the rooms and corridors flew by despite his slow speed. He was almost entirely on edge because of the fear of being struck down by another feral. After his encounter with the Carnivine, he watched each and every one of his steps, making sure to not mess up.
Finally, he found the stairs after countless minutes of checking each and every direction, every single step of the way. By now Pathos was exhausted more than ever, and his back ached. If only he didn't have to carry the Espeon on his back.
Well, on we go. I don't have any idea of what to expect, especially after what I saw here. Hell, I don't even know if I should expect anything, or when I'm going to get out of here. Pathos was intent on getting out, if only to rest in peace. His motives were clear in his mind, and he trotted up the stairs, hoping to see to the end of the adventure.
It came to him as a surprise, what he saw when he exited the void. He was no longer surrounded by crumbling walls of dirt, and was instead encompassed by the vast expanse of the desert. The sun had finally set down over the horizon, and Pathos had no feeling of what time it was. To him, it felt like he was only in the dungeon for an hour to two hours, yet the whole day seemed to pass by. Just how long had he been in there?
As it stood, his biggest problem was the fact that he didn't know where to go. Which way was which? The sun was set, meaning he couldn't know which way was east or west. At best, he could use his own innate sense of direction to find his way, but he wasn't anywhere near confident in those abilities of his.
He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Celestine was still there, as if the weight on his back wasn't enough proof. What a turn of events it was, to find her there, and have the dungeon end shortly thereafter. It would be a damn miracle if I manage to get her back without something coming up. Arceus knows that's just what I need right now.
The Absol spent some amount of time, looking around, wondering what to do, when he felt Celestine stir once more, which he very much enjoyed. She groaned once more, and then slowly looked around the best she could.
"Oh, you made it out? That's great... But... what are you doing now? Are you looking for which way to go? It's... that way, I think..." she said, pointing a shaky paw off to the front left of Pathos.
The Dark-type tilted his head and stood for a minute, hesitant about her decision, but then remembered that he had nothing better to lead them back, and decided to go with it. "If you say so," he said, walking in the direction the Espeon had provided.
"So, why did you decide to come get me? You... could have just as well have had Vadimas retrieve me, considering he knows more about this desert than you do... but instead, you sent yourself," the Sun Pokémon inquired.
There it was—the question he had been asking himself the whole time. How could Pathos answer her question if he knew not the answer to his own? Even then, he didn't want to leave her without an answer, so he said, "Well... I don't have it quite figured out yet, but maybe soon."
Once more silence settled between them, and Pathos wondered if she had passed out again. At first, he wasn't going to say anything, but eventually he tried getting her attention. "Celestine?"
She didn't say anything at first, but soon she brought out a response. "Yeah? What... what is it? I'm... actually really tired, so I kind to want to sleep, if you don't mind."
"Oh... sorry. I... I didn't know if you were still awake. You were passed out earlier, so I wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. You can sleep, if... it's what you need," the Absol said and Celestine nodded in response, and she soon lay her head down on his back.
Pathos gave an exhausted sigh. This journey of mine has been a whirl. I don't even know what made me take action, yet I feel proud somehow, accomplished, like I've changed directions. It's... pleasant, he thought to himself. Speaking of accomplished, when this is done, I can't imagine how happy Vadimas is going to be.
A good hour or two later, A wave of relief had flooded Pathos' emotions. He was correct in believing Celestine's knowledge of the area around the village, but also her sense of direction. Not far from him, he could make out the village. It only took him roughly another hour to reach the outskirts.
Pathos was nearly about to fall down and just wait or Vadimas to find him, but what good would that do? After all, his sense of responsibility would not allow him to do such a thing, and instead forced him onward.
It was now that Pathos realized that he wasn't in a very suitable condition. His front leg still hurt from the Carnivne, and his back one from the Ariados. His underside was torn to bits from the Ariados, as well. He had taken notice to a limp he had developed carrying the Espeon, as well as a dry throat and empty stomach.
Pathos spotted the tent—at least, he suspected it to be the right one. He didn't get much time to look at the outside of it earlier, but due to its shape, he figured it should be the correct one.
The Absol prepped himself by taking a few deep breaths. When he was ready, he marched over to the enclosure, and stuck his head in the opening. "Hey, Vadimas, you here? I... somehow managed to make it back."
Luckily, as he'd hoped, the Slowking was inside, positioned atop his chair, inspecting various items. Vadimas jumped at the sudden voice, and relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh, hey. If I'm honest, I'm relieved that you came back. How did it go?"
Pathos smirked. "Why don't you take a look for yourself," he said, fully emerging through the drapes, revealing to Vadimas the Espeon on the back of the Absol. The Slowking jumped out of his seat examined the two of them.
The Royal Pokémon shook his head, chuckling. "I... thank you. Really." The Slowking cradled Celestine in his arms, and moved her over to the bed, examining some of her injuries. "Where did you find her? Was she...?"
Pathos nodded. "Yeah. At first I was in disbelief, thinking, 'Is this really a Mystery Dungeon?' but I soon accepted the concept. It took me a while, but I found her, passed out on the ground. She dipped in and out of unconsciousness, but overall, I think she's alright. I sustained a good few injuries getting her out, and I'm really quite hungry, as well as thirsty. But, if anything, you should be more worried about her."
Vadimas nodded slowly, then faster. "Yes, you're right..." He shook his head, and walked over and sat on his chair. "Well... you could at least inform me of what happened to you, so I can take care of you later. It's the least I can do for your favors."
The Dark-type shrugged. "Well, my injuries were caused by the Pokémon in the dungeon. I don't think they're that big of a deal, but my front right leg was bitten down on, as well as my back right. My underside and the side of my body was attacked, and there were some thorns stuck there, but they seem to have fallen out."
Vadimas nodded, mentally jotting the information down. "Alright. Again, thank you, I cannot express that enough." He was about to continue, but stopped himself short, and put a hand to his chin. "I... look, I admit, I wasn't thinking right earlier. All of the things you pointed out were obvious, and I just didn't care to think about them. You were right, I should have been able to come up with those ideas. I truly do owe you greatly."
"It's fine. I guess... I did feel that I somewhat needed to pay you two back as well. I'm still not sure why I decided to help out, but... I'm glad I did." Pathos smiled. "I guess what comes around, goes around, huh?" He sighed and turned around, ready to leave.
"W-wait, Absol," Vadimas said, and Pathos turned around. "You... where do you plan to go? From how it sounds, you didn't have it very well out there. You won't make it anywhere if you try and walk off in a random direction, hoping to find another settlement. Seriously, you need to think about this. I'll admit, I forgot to send with you some kind of supplies, but still. No amount of supplies can help you if you don't know where you're going."
Pathos stood there for some time before nodding. "Yeah... okay. You do make a good point. And, I also admit that I was not thinking straight earlier. I don't think I can quite head out yet. I'll find a place to sleep, then. Would you... give Celestine my thanks? I... I think she would appreciate it." The Disaster Pokémon was about to exit when he remembered one more thing. "Oh, yeah... My name's not Absol. It's Pathos."
He did not wait for a response before he left the tent. The last thing he needed was for something to keep him away from sleep. Though, an even bigger problem would be finding a place where he could do just that.
That search alone took him a good half hour. In the end, he decided upon a small alcove in a building that had a small pile of hay laid down, which looked comfortable enough for him. If anything, it was a start. He may get kicked off by the owner of the building, but at this point, he did not care.
Pathos positioned himself on top of the heap. It was a start, he figured, but nothing like the bed Vadimas had. it was at least better than the ground he had to deal with when he was with the refugees.
Once he found himself situated on the hay, Pathos closed his eyes. Today was... nothing short of bizarre. First waking up to having Celestine not anywhere in sight, then Vadimas' complaining and sending me off on that mission, then the dungeon... It happened so fast. I don't think even on a few nights of sleep I'll be able to figure out some of the things that happened.
But still—why did I decide to rescue her in the end? What was it that made me do that? The Absol sighed. He really didn't care much right now. He just wanted sleep, and he would get it regardless. He wanted answers, but if he didn't get them, then it didn't bother him.
One last time, he opened his eyes and looked out to the sky; its encompassing darkness was certainly comforting him, but he could slowly feel the embrace of sleep grab him, and even as he attempted to fight it to think some more, he found he was soon asleep.
End of Chapter II
