"So, how long have you been in the guild?" Dice asked as they walked through one of the many hallways the building had. It's a surprise anyone could navigate through the maze that was this building. Though, Dice not having a good sense of direction didn't help.
"A very long time," Brat said, not looking back at them and instead choosing to look forward still. Dice didn't really care, though. As long as they got to where they were supposed to go, he was alright. "It seems like such a long time ago."
"Well, when did you join the guild?"
Brat hummed to himself as he tried to think of an answer, a hand running through his hair. Apparently his memory wasn't the best.
"I don't remember much, unfortunately...I think I was around Sashy's age, though. I was still a Kirlia at the time. My partner, Loki, was a Zorua, while Lucca was a Riolu we had met while on a mission. We saved him from an angry Primeape and he hasn't left us since."
"And you just took him in? You didn't even know the guy, though. He could have been dangerous."
Brat shook his head. "Trust me, Lucca's one of the nicest people I know. He wouldn't hurt anyone unless he absolutely has to. I thought he said you talked to him. I would have thought his peaceful attitude was rather obvious."
"Well, yeah, I've seen him, but-"
"Then that should be enough for you, I'd say." Brat looked behind him at the two pokemon and chuckled before looking forward once more. "We have arrived. The quest room."
Dice blinked and looked around his surroundings. Sure enough, they were in the mission room. The telltale sign was the huge bulletin board on both sides of the room. This was definitely one of the most recognizable rooms in the guild.
"Let's see what's available for you," Brat said as he walked towards the bulletin that was, as Dice figured out after looking at some of the papers, for general missions like finding lost items. At least he wasn't sending them out to catch criminals. That sounds sorta challenging.
"Got anything particular in mind?" Dice asked as he joined Brat at the bulletin board, Shashy following close behind, but eyeing the area where all the temples were. Well, Dice knew where his partner was going before they left…
"Not really," Brat muttered before grabbing one of the papers and looking down at it. He hummed in thought before nodding and looked towards Dice. "This seems alright. A child lost in a cave. Doesn't seem too dangerous."
Brat then turned to the stand that was between the two billboards, where a Hoothoot perched, seeming to be in a deep sleep. Loki walked to the stand and tapped his hand against the wooden surface of the stand.
"Excuse me, Noctal? I need to ask you some things."
The owl's eyes suddenly shot open and it let out a loud squawk, causing Dice to cover his sensitive ears. He thought owls were supposed to be quiet…
"Who…? Who…?" The Hoothoot looked around for a moment before noticing Brat. His eyes narrowed just slightly and he cleared his throat. "Oh, yes, Brat. What is it that you want?"
The Gallade placed the piece of paper in front of Noctal. "Take a look at this, if you will. I was wondering what you thought about this quest for the new team."
"Hmm?" The Hoothoot looked down at the paper and Dice noticed his eyes rapidly moving back and forth, scanning the page. "Ornatro Cavern? Well, I'm surprised to figure out this even made it to the guild. It's a far ways away. I would've thought it'd go to some place closer to the caverns, but it's not impossible...you really think they should go there?"
"Well..." Brat looked back at the two before looking back at the Hoothoot. "It's not that dangerous for a new mission, I thought. As long as they don't go too far into the cave, they should be fine, and the idea that the child would be so far down the caves...the odds are slim."
"What's Ornatro Cavern?" Sashy asked with a tilt of his head, causing his rabbit-like ears to tilt to one side just slightly. "And why is it dangerous?"
"Ornatro Cavern," Noctal began, "is a system of caves that are filled with all different kinds of gems. It used to be a place to mine gemstones for things such as religious ceremonies, or just because they look nice. There's normally only pink gemstones, which is why Palkia worshipers often visit for a gemstone, however you can find blue, green and even red."
"Doesn't sound so bad," Dice said with a chuckle. "Heck, we can even grab a gemstone or two and try to sell them off. I think we'd make a pretty penny from that."
Hoothoot shook his head. "But the problem is that the further you go down in the cave, the more poisonous the air gets. It's not noticeable at the top, but the further you go in, you'll start to feel nauseous and dizzy. You'll start seeing things and become disoriented. Normally only rock, ground, ghost and poison types can handle such condition, since poison types are used to poisonous fumes, and the other types don't need to breathe."
"Well, the job doesn't describe what the child is," Brat muttered as he turned the paper around to read it once more. "It may be safe to assume they didn't go too far down into the cave, right?"
"Are you sure we can go in there, then?" Sashy asked with a frown. "It sounds like we may not be able to get out, and I don't like that thought.."
"As long as you are careful and think before you act, you should be alright," he said with a shake of his head. "I doubt the child in question is a ghost type, so you shouldn't have to go too far down into the cave system, and if you can't make it, don't be a hero. Just come back. We'll have some other team starting out do the job. I think I saw a Ghastly and Misdreavus that were just starting out. I'm sure they'd be interested."
"Well, we can try it for now, at least." Dice leaned against the stand as he spoke. "It can't be that bad, right? I'm sure we know our limits. Anything else we should worry about?"
"Yes, actually," Noctal said. "As you most likely heard from Soara, the Pokemon outside the borders of the cities are becoming more and more vicious. Rabid, even. I suggest that if you go there, be ready for a fight. Some Pokemon may attack you, and that's very bad for this Sneasel right here."
He gestured towards Dice and the ice type chuckled. "Oh, really?" he asked. "And why's that?"
"Well, aside from the ground types and the occasional poison types, there are also steel and rock types there. I'm not sure if you figured this out growing up, but ice and rocks don't mix very well."
Dice nodded. "Right, right. I got it," he said as he moved away from the stand. "I've handled a lot worse than some rock types who think they're tough. Either way, I think we're taking this mission. What do you think, kid?"
He turned to his Maractus partner and the grass type looked down at the ground. "Well...I guess we could try." The cactus shrugged. "We may not succeed, but we could try, at least."
"Yes, that's the spirit, Sashy." Brat grabbed the paper with the job information on it and handed it to Dice, who took it and rolled it up. "So, let's get you to the station. It's a long trip to the caverns. It'd be best if you started your journey as soon as possible."
"Oh, uh, can you...give me a moment?" Sashy asked, gesturing towards the path on the opposite side of the room. "I sort of want to visit the shrine."
Brat nodded, offering Sashy a warm smile. "Sure, go ahead. I understand." The cactus Pokemon nodded and ran towards the room that held all of the religious shrines. He then turned to Dice. "Do you want to join him?"
The Sneasel shook his head. "I don't think I need to visit," he said. "I don't need any divine intervention to help me out here."
"I see you have confidence in yourself. While that's good when out on the field, don't let it get the best of you. Confidence can blind ones mind." The Gallade looked towards the shrine room once more. "Lucca and I always visit the shrine before we go out on a mission. Loki doesn't even bother to step inside, though. He waits for us by the entrance of the guild until we finish. ."
"Really? You guys really don't strike me as religious people."
"I'm sure a lot of people in here don't. That does not mean there aren't many religious people here. Most people have a god they pray to just before leaving the guild. They pray for strength, wisdom, luck, or perhaps just guidance. It's always different."
"Even the guild leaders pray," Noctal commented, and the two glanced towards the bird. "I've seen them leave that room when I wake up in the middle of the day. Honestly, not having a god you pray to at least once every few days is the minority. Not just in the guild, but around the world."
"Exactly." Brat nodded and then tilted his head slightly. "What about you, Noctal? Is there a deity that you look up to? Someone you pray to? Perhaps a god of sleep? I know how much you enjoy your beauty sleep."
"There isn't a god of sleep, actually. Well, unless you count Darkrai as a god and not a demon, then I suppose there is one," the bird answered. "Doesn't mean that I pray to him, though. I don't think many people would pray to a god such as that."
"I'm sure a few pokemon would do that, you know." Dice noticed Brat take a quick glance at him before looking back at the Hoothoot. "The general public often believes that dark types exclusively pray to someone like Dialga."
"Yes, well, I can't say if they're right or wrong. You know dark types, Brat. They often-" Noctal stopped himself as he looked between the two pokemon. He shook his head and looked down at his foot. "Well, never mind. My point is that entities such as Darkrai are not as popular when it comes to worship."
Dice chuckled. "Sure you don't want to keep talking?" He leaned against the stand once more. "I kind of want to hear your opinion on dark types."
"I think I would like that as well." Dice glanced at the Gallade as he leaned against the desk, using his arm as support. "I'm sure Loki would get a real kick out of that, you know?"
Noctal frowned as best as he could, but it was difficult to do with a beak. He hopped back slightly and shook his head. He then started slowly hopping back and forth. He seemed rather uncomfortable as he looked between the two. "Well, uh...you see, um…"
"Okay, I'm back!" Dice turned around, much to Noctal's relief, and saw Sashy bouncing towards him. He smiled and waved at the kid with his claws hand. "Sorry that it took so long. I just...wanted to make sure I had mentioned everything I wanted to."
"Well, hopefully Groudon can help you in the caves," Dice said with a chuckle before looking at Brat. "So, we're going on our way now?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I believe so," he said before walking towards one of the paths out of the room. "I told Lucca to meet us at the station. He had gone to get you supplies, so you don't need to worry about being unequiped."
Both Dice and Sashy nodded as they followed the Zoroark through the halls of the adventure guild. After only a few minutes, they made it to the front door, where Alaze the Simisear, Cumuli the Simipour, and Ginseng the Simisage stood near the door. Cumuli noticed Brat and smiled before walking towards him.
"Hi, Brat!" The monkey pokemon waved at the guild member. "What's your team doing? We saw Lucca leave the guild an hour or two ago, and now you're leaving. Are you going on some big mission? Oh, you just have to tell me about it when you come back!"
Brat shook his head, though he did have an amused grin on his face. "No, no. That's not it." He turned to the two Pokemon following him and gestured to the two of them, Sashy waving for effect. "I'm just helping the new team choose their first mission. Lucca went out to buy supplies for them."
"Oh, that's really nice of you!" The water type let out a giggle and turned to the Sneasel and Maractus. "Then you two have to tell me about your adventure when you come back! I want to know all the details!"
"Cumuli," Ginseng muttered as she walked towards her sister, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "You realize that you ask this of every team when they go out for a mission, right? They can't stay here all day and tell you what happened while they were out."
"Oh, but it's so exciting, sister dear!" Cumuli turned to her sister and pouted, similar to a child. "You can't expect me not to ask question! It's so exciting and dramatic! I'd love to be able to go through adventures such as that…"
"And I'm sure we will, one day." The grass type didn't sound that hopeful, however. She shook her head. "Either way, we can't keep these three here all day. They have places to be."
"Oh, right! Of course!" Cumuli stepped away and gestured to the door. "Off you go, brave adventurers! Go forth and be true dungeon crawlers! Make the guild proud, and let the evil of the world feel your painful sting!"
Brat chuckled. "Thank you, Cumuli," he said as Dice and Sashy moved towards the door. Before they were out completely, though, Brat turned around and looked back at Cumuli. "By the way, Loki was wondering if you wanted to meet him at the diner in an hour."
The Simipour's eyes seemed to sparkle out of excitement as she clapped her hands together. "Oh, yes yes yes! I would absolutely love that! Do tell him I'll meet him there, Brat!"
"I will if I see him." Brat then waved goodbye to the water monkey before turning back to the two rookies. "Now, let's keep moving."
As they stepped out into the bustling city of Strikelm, light from the sun shining down on them, Dice chuckled and gently elbowed the Gallade's waist, since it was the tallest thing he could reach. Brat looked down at him.
"So, Loki has a thing for Cumuli?" he asked with a grin on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're playing as the letter boy for the two of them, aren't you?"
Brat held back a chuckle and shook his head. "To my knowledge, they're just friends," he said. "As Loki said it, he started to tell her his adventure guild stories about two months ago. He said it was just to get her to be quiet, but after a while, he found that he enjoyed it. Loki says he thinks of her as a sister, but I can't say if that's the truth or not."
"I didn't know Loki and Cumuli were that close," Sashy said as he hopped along the two dark-types. "How often does he have lunch with her?"
"At least twice a week. He often has me ask her if she wants to meet up with him, though. I tried telling him that he should just do it, but he always insists someone else does."
"That's an obvious sign he likes her," Dice said with a chuckle. "Come on, I thought you'd be better at reading someone's emotions. I thought you psychic types could do that."
"Well, perhaps I just like to keep to myself." Brat shook his head. "Either way, let's hurry. We need to find a ride for you before they're all taken."
To be perfectly honest, not sure if I'm all that happy with this. The early chapters are going under much revision, and I'm just not proud of them in general. I'm much more excited about the later chapters, but until then these chapters are going to get some heavy changes to them before posting. Guess it can't be helped, huh? Anywho, I hope you enjoy, even if I don't.
