Draco: This is gonna hurt, guys. I'm not gonna deny it.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Ultra Kingdom - Depths of Darkness: The Fallen
"What happened to not wanting to split up?"
Kotarō's distasteful utterance was heard only by him and Zoroark; they had been the first ones to come out of the tunnel Oichi had gone through, only to find the open area at the other end was empty. No Oichi, and no Type: Full - the cavern didn't even have any signs that they had elected to mark the walls to even show they had been there. Thankfully, the beasts were absent as well; with the amount of distrust he was on the receiving end of, the Yakshan had no intentions of getting seized by a Nihilego as Oichi had been.
Mistunari and Bisharp came out next; then Kiyomasa and Haxorus, and then Masanori and Krookodile. Okuni and Volcarona followed through, and then Gracia and Gothitelle; Ranmaru and Lucario brought up the rear, as had been requested, and as the Dragnoran regarded the empty cavern he sighed. "Oh, dear."
"Anyone wanna guess what happened?" Okuni mused as Ranmaru leapt down.
"It's obvious what happened," Gracia insisted. "She found something that said Lady Evia was close and panicked."
Ranmaru sighed, raising his com-crystal bracelet to his mouth. "Lady Oichi, respond."
Oichi's voice came through the link at rapid pace. "Ranmaru! Guys, sorry. I thought I saw a Nihilego coming down and freaked out. You're right at the other end of the tunnel I came through, right? Me and Full and Sylveon are straight-"
"Wait wait wait," Gracia interrupted into the line. "What do you mean, Sylveon?"
"Evia made a new Link with a wild Eevee shortly before she disappeared," Oichi explained. "She must have come with her and evolved while they were gone. Look, we're straight ahead from that cavern. I don't think there have been any intersections before we came to a stop."
Okuni spoke into her bracelet. "You said you still have Full with you, right? Is he still loaded for the type advantage?"
"Yeah," Oichi confirmed. "What are you suggesting?"
"A smaller group will have more mobility," Okuni pointed out. "You two should follow Sylveon - she'll be able to take you down the fastest path to where Lady Evia is, and the rest of us can come after you once you've found her."
Oichi hissed into the line. "That's risky," she pointed out. "If I don't have anyone to watch my back, and a Nihilego comes after me..."
"Just keep your eyes open," Ranmaru insisted. "If you and Full watch your surroundings, you'll be fine."
+x+x+x+
Oichi still wanted someone to have accompanied her - but for an entirely different reason.
When Sylveon came to a stop, after a winding path that the healer had struggled to remember the turns of, the Eeveelution gave a low cry that sounded very much like she was cursing - a sentiment that Oichi was inclined to echo. The walls in this chamber of the cave seemed to lack the same ambient glow as the paths they'd taken to come here... at least, on one side of a sizeable crystalline surface that seemed vaguely reflective. On the other side was an open area that was illuminated significantly more than the paths; with the light differential, the barrier would act like a two-way mirror, giving them a view through but only offering a reflection to those on the other side.
Resting in the brighter area was what seemed to be a throne of rock; a rather low seat, broad enough to host three would they sit side-by-side, yet carved smoothly, in defiance of the coralesque formations around it. The area was wide-open, with several narrow tunnels leading to it from various altitudes; glancing around the darker area, however, made it clear that there was only one access to this side, save for a couple of openings in the ceiling that no one would be able to climb into. Oichi set her staff down and grasped the Warlord Sword two-handed, setting its tip against the crystal and applying pressure - but the motion only left a scratch, so faint that Oichi would never have noticed it if she hadn't inflicted it, and she had no faith she would be able to break this thing down herself.
With a sigh, Oichi raised her com-crystal bracelet to her mouth. "Okay, bad news," she announced. "The fastest path to where Evia is involves a room with an aggravating divider."
"Wonderful," Ranmaru muttered. "Do you at least know the path to where you are? It might be safer for us to come to you than for you to return to us."
"I think so," Oichi insisted. "If you start in and tell me when you reach an intersection, I should be able to-"
She cut herself off as someone stepped into the lighted room - because she knew those golden horns anywhere. Evia looked a mess; her skin was terribly pale from so long in this unpleasant cave, and her hair, which she had kept in elegantly long twintails since her second transformation, had been cut short and frayed, such that every strand seemed to be a different length but none of them extended past her shoulders. Her shield was nowhere to be found, and her garments were in horrible disrepair; she had nothing on her body but pauldrons and greaves, a few scraps of cloth clinging to each that weren't even enough to feign modesty, and her skin was covered in scratch wounds that Oichi could only pray were borne from the uneven walls of this place.
Oichi wouldn't have wanted to believe it was her... were it not for the ring on her right hand.
Her movements were weak as she stumbled in - not battle-weary, but starved. Oichi had a terrible foreboding as her weak, uneven footsteps took her up to the rocky throne; as she was getting near, Gracia's voice sounded in her ear. "Lady Oichi!?"
"Evia," Oichi gasped. "Evia just came into the other side of the room."
The voices coming through her earpiece vanished into white noise as Evia slumped into the seat... and a Nihilego flickered into existence before her. Oichi slammed her hand to the crystal barrier, screaming in terror as Evia slowly raised her gaze to the beast.
"...What do you want from me?"
Her voice only reached Oichi after a brief delay; sound wouldn't breach the barrier, but it echoed through the tunnels, reaching the darker room through the gaps above. Evia's voice was parched, weak, yet still had an angry edge to it as she looked at the Nihilego.
"You drove off the Pokémon I'm bonded to, but you refuse to accept my Link. You dragged me to this place, with no food, no drink, no life but you. You let me roam until I don't have the strength to walk, when there's nowhere to go. And every time I feel Antimatter start to reach for me, you take me into your twisted symbiosis. You show me visions that would make the Newmoon Nightmare weep. You fill my head with a horde of tortured voices that last until the next. And every time I wake up, you've kept me alive."
The Nihilego crossed two tentacles before it, its cry echoing around the chamber; the Warlord closed her eyes, letting her head fall.
"Why won't you let me go?"
The beast flickered out of the air, and reappeared above her; Evia threw her head back, and her voice filled the chamber.
"Why won't you let me die!?"
Then the beast descended, and Evia was taken into it.
Oichi slammed her hands to the barrier. "EVIA!"
Full drove his claws into the crystal, trying to deal anything resembling noticeable damage as the Nihilego imprisoned Evia within it; its tentacles wrapped around her, defending her from whatever tried to seize her as it rose. Oichi's screams, and Full's blows, went unheard as the beast's body began to darken; the stars upon its bell vanished, leaving Evia's screaming face clear as prismatic spots appeared around her. The beast's tentacles began to merge into one another as the darkness extended across them; their fluidity ceased when there were eight sizeable lengths around Evia's body, and coloured shards began to manifest within them. Four of them each sprouted four black spikes along their curves, and they parted to reveal threatening eyes had appeared upon on side; from the other four emerged single stinger-like points, and three eyes appeared upon each as they separated as well.
Evia's body was shrouded with darkness as the changed Nihilego floated above the throne she had sat upon; then it flickered out, and took Evia with it.
"NO!" The strength left Oichi's legs, and she fell to her knees, tears streaking down her face, hands sliding down the crystal surface as Full's blows ceased. "No! No... Evia...!"
The footsteps charging up behind her went unheard until a hand caught her shoulder. "Oichi!" She glanced up to find Ranmaru and Lucario standing there; the others were coming in as well, all looking concerned. "What happened?"
"N-Nihilego," Oichi forced out. "Evia was right there... One of them took her! The way she spoke... They've been taking her since she got here!"
Kotarō seethed, glancing into the lighted room. "Then their toxin isn't fatal, but torturous," he growled. "They've made her to suffer, and don't even have the mind to speak to her over it."
"That's awful," Gracia murmured. "If Lady Evia's been hurt like that..."
"We have to find her," Oichi demanded. "It took her and vanished. We have to find her, and get her out of here!"
Okuni knelt down next to Sylveon, getting the Eeveelution's attention. "Do you know where she is?" she asked. "Can you follow the Link to her again?"
Sylveon looked uncertain.
"I'd doubt the odds of us finding another barrier quite like this," Ranmaru insisted. "Take the fastest route. If we're obstructed again, so many of us should be able to breach it where one failed."
+x+x+x+
They did indeed find themselves obstructed... but it wasn't by a barrier.
The fastest path between them and Evia took them to a room with a chasm in the center. It wasn't just a divider, either; the chamber was cut in half by the gap, but there was also a sizeable hole in the middle. The edge gaps weren't wide enough to stop them from crossing, but the opposite side was divided in three at the edges of the hole, and Sylveon's uncertainty made it clear that the center path was their destination.
"Alright," Oichi murmured. "Who has the confidence they can cross that?"
"You can't be serious," Kotarō growled.
"I am most absolutely serious," Oichi proclaimed.
Gothitelle glanced down into the hole as Okuni spoke up. "Lady Oichi, that's way too dangerous. Even if Full could make that, there's no way he could do so with a passenger. None of us would be safe trying to cross."
"I don't care if it's safe," Oichi insisted, turning around. "If I have to climb down into that hole, stab myself on the ridges to get around, and climb back up on the other side with my hands bleeding, I'll do it. I'm not leaving Evia in this hell."
"Oichi, none of us want to leave her here," Ranmaru argued, "but it means nothing if you can't get there well enough to do anything. If you harm yourself trying to reach her, what happens then? The Nihilego take you as victim, this time you're alone and too weak to stop them, now you're trapped here with her?"
"I..." Oichi sighed. "No, you're right."
Lucario stepped past them as Gracia stepped up, setting a hand on Oichi's staff. "You're panicking. Lady Evia was right there, and you couldn't do anything. Anyone would freak out."
"We need to find a safe way through," Okuni pointed out. "Maybe if we go around one of the other paths, then we can find an access to-"
Full's cry interrupted the Warriors; everyone turned to find Lucario seeming to stand over the middle of the hole. There was an Aura Sphere between his hands, illuminating what was beneath his feet - a pillar of coralesque stone that lacked the ambient glow most of the cave had, forming the illusion of an empty pit.
"Oh, for Crescent's sake," Kotarō growled as Lucario leapt back. "Do the beasts thrive on this environ being deceptive, somehow?"
"Not important," Oichi said firmly. She threw the Warlord Sword to the opposite side, letting it clatter to the ground. "Full, Sylveon, you two go first."
Once the quadrupeds were across, the others made to do the same; Oichi insisted on going last. Kotarō, being a shinobi, had the easiest crossing; Gracia managed to get to the opposite landing without too much trouble, and Ranmaru was able to make it safely. Masanori took it at full momentum and managed to land unassisted, prompting Kiyomasa and Mitsunari to do the same; Okuni landed dangerously close to the ridge, but managed to hook her parasol on the wall long enough for her to find safer footing. Lucario, Gothitelle, and Bisharp were able to cross without too much trouble; Krookodile and Haxorus ended up seizing the ledges and pulling themselves up instead of trying to make a landing and risking a fall backwards. Volcarona was able to hop across safely, and then Oichi made to bring up the rear.
Her landing on the pillar had more momentum than she wanted, but not enough to continue to the opposite side. Panicking, her hands released her staff as she tried to balance herself, dropping to her knees to ensure she didn't fall off. No sooner had she touched down than she heard a clattering of metal against stone - and her gaze shot up as she realized her staff had fallen.
"Oh, dammit," she murmured.
"I think we can get it," Gracia insisted, "just focus on crossing."
Once Oichi was safely on the other side, Gothitelle was able to retrieve her staff - but everyone was concerned at the noticeable crack on one panel of the head, from which the water was pouring.
"That's not good," Ranmaru observed.
"No," Oichi insisted, "it wouldn't have been enough anyways. Evia's been subjected to these things too long - healing her is going to be a long, slow process." She accepted the staff from Gothitelle's psychic grip, causing it to disperse as she turned it to hold the last bit - there was enough to mind, say, a small cut, but it wasn't going to make much of a difference if Evia had been envenomed. "Come on. Let's find her - quickly."
"Agreed."
Draco: I've only ever written one story with, um... a pleasurable tinge to it (and I still have no idea why that, of all such stories, got taken down when there's nothing explicit about it). I have played a lack of clothing for symbolism or drama way more often than I have played it for, uh... pleasure. At this point, I feel like if I were to try to write a, er... pleasurable story, I'd frick it up at some point. #FanDisservice
