Chapter 5: Dungeon Dreams
The only sound I could hear was my own echoing footsteps as I made another loop around the circular room. I stared at my paws, watching them strike the colorful mosaic below. Blue and green tiles blended together to form an accurate representation of the world, with green continents floating in bottomless blue seas. I stopped when I reached the tiles of the frost continent, placing a paw on the space where Helion City was, where home was.
I groaned and swung my head away, turning to stare at the walls. Impassive white stones glared back, separated only by tall golden pillars stretching upwards. My gaze traveled up the length of one of the columns. My eyes shifting as the posts pulled away from the wall and connected with the other pillars in the center of the room, combining together to form one massive column that stretched infinitely to the sky. However, there was no sky, neither was there a ceiling. The room climbed endlessly towards the heavens, with nothing but white light filling my vision as I stared upwards.
The way the pillars combined together reminded me of an upside-down tree, with the branches stretching towards the ground while the trunk pushed to the sky. I stopped and counted the pillars. Eighteen offshoots were coming off the central column, all of them spaced evenly around the room. I approached one of the columns and laid my paw against the cold metal, feeling my pads slide across the glossy surface. I tapped my paw against the pillar, producing a dull thud that made my brow furrow. There's no way this thing is made out of solid gold, yet the more I tapped at the surface, the more it became apparent the pillar was a solid mass of gold.
A noise similar to the sound of a tinkling bell echoed around the room, making me jump. When my head snapped up to search for the source, I noticed something different on the surface of the pillar I had my paw on.
There was a single translucent gemstone sitting in the middle of the pillar, it was in the shape of an oval about the size of my paw, and it glistened with a bluish-white light. My head tilted to the side as I studied it, and I tentatively placed a paw on top of it. It was cold, very cold, almost as if it was a chunk of ice someone had stuck into the pillar. I rubbed it to see if a little friction could get it to warm up, but there was no change.
Another sound echoed through the air. However, instead of the sound of a bell, it sounded as though someone had taken the bell and had ripped it in half. The shriek of tearing metal made me duck my head and cover my ears, trying to shut out the painful noise. I glanced upwards at the pillars of gold, and I saw the center column now had long scratches and tears on the surface.
Another shriek rang through the air, making me cringe, and I watched as cracks spread along the surface of the column and small chunks of metal began falling to the ground. The shards of gold impacted painfully against my skin, and I was forced to duck and weave to dodge larger chunks falling from above. The pieces' size grew until large slabs of gold were crashing to the ground with crushing force. I looked up just in time to see a chunk of gold twice the size of my body coming right towards me. I closed my eyes and held my breath right before…
Knock Knock Knock
My eyes snapped open, and I let in a shaky gasp. I was lying on my side with my head twisted uncomfortably towards the sky, but instead of looking at falling chunks of gold, I was looking at the shabby wooden boards covering the ceiling of the inn. A loud sigh escaped my lips, and I turned my head to a more comfortable position. What a strange dream.
I heard Fabian grunt, and the floorboards whine under his weight as he pushed himself to his feet. He shuffled over to the door just as another set of knocks and a voice sounded from the other side. "Fabian, you promised," a young voice called.
"Alright, alright," the feraligatr said as he opened the door to reveal the sneasel from last night standing with her claws on her tiny hips, trying her best to appear intimidating and authoritative. "Now don't get your feathers in a twist."
The sneasel frowned and puffed up her chest. "We've got some work to do, now get a move on," she said, probably making her best impression of an army general, but with her small size and young voice, it wasn't very successful.
Fabian laughed and snatched the sneasel off of the ground, making her let out a startled "HEY." He placed her on his shoulders and started heading down the hallway, but not without shooting me a glance and motioning with his head for me to follow.
I sighed and sat upon the mat, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. My maw parted in a wide yawn, and I clicked my tongue a few times to get the taste of my own breath out of my mouth. The light of the sun fell across my face as I stood and stretched, a few joints popping as I did so. With a shake of my head, my mane fell over my face, and I flicked it back to try and get all of the hair situated in place. I ran my paw through the tangled mess and attempted to get it all straight, but after a minute of painful tugging, I dropped my paw to the ground with a huff. I would kill for a brush.
An odd shape caught my eye, jutting out from the other corner of the room. I took a step forward, and my paw crunched on something lying on the ground. I looked down and found a scrap of wood left in splinters after putting my weight on it. My gaze traveled across the floor, and I saw many more bits of wood scattered across the room until my eyes landed upon the remains of the table. My paw painfully twinged as the memory of hitting the table returned to my mind. I stared at the mess of wood before shaking my paw and turning towards the door.
I left the room and followed down the path the feraligatr had gone, eventually finding myself in the dining area from the night before. The space was empty except for the tables with chairs stacked on top. I wandered around, looking for Fabian until a loud crash came from the kitchen. My head ducked, and I pushed myself to the ground. Fabian came stumbling around a corner carrying two massive stewpots in his claws while a mess of other pots and pans went rolling across the floor.
The sneasel popped out from the kitchen and ran after the escaping dishes, frantically muttering "No no no no no." She grabbed a few pots before running back into the kitchen, and the clatter of pots and pans let me know she had tossed the skillets to their original place. One of the pans rolled over to me, pattering to a stop in front of my feet. I gave the pan a contemptuous look before turning my gaze upwards to meet Fabian's eyes just as he regained his footing.
"Hey Ninetales, you mind helping us out?" he asked as he hoisted the pots to get a better grip on them. I glanced at the pan at my feet and rolled my eyes, letting out a sigh as I turned away and walked towards the nearest table. The sneasel took my place as she jogged over, grabbed the last few pots and pans, and returned them to the kitchen.
The chair creaked as I pulled it from the table and placed it on the ground. I sat myself down and watched impassively as the feraligatr and the sneasel struggled to set the pots on the stove and light the fire. Fabian had to use his water type abilities a few times to put out a few fires, which had managed to spread to random objects such as aprons and spoons.
The clopping of hooves pulled my attention away from the attempted chefs as the mudsdale walked through the entrance. She fixed the pair of pokémon with a quizzical look before asking, "What's going on here?"
"Bekfast," answered the sneasel with half a sweet roll in her mouth before letting out a triumphant cry as Fabian managed to make a stable fire below the stove. She handed the feraligatr a bucket of water, and he poured it into a pot before handing it back to her. They repeated this until both stewpots were full, and the fire snapped angrily below them.
The mudsdale laughed and walked into the kitchen. "How'd she manage to rope you into this Feraligatr?" she asked the water type as he placed wood into the fire.
Fabian grunted and stood up straight. "I made her a promise last night that I would help her with breakfast before I left," he said as the sneasel dragged over a crate of vegetables. He picked up the box and emptied the contents into the pot. Water splashed over the side and sizzled on the fire as the vegetables were carelessly dumped into the water.
With a smile and a shake of her head, the mudsdale turned away. "Alright, but I'll be watching just in case you manage to set something else on fire," she said with a sideways glance at a charred apron halfway hidden behind a bin. Fabian chuckled sheepishly and poked at the apron, hiding it entirely from view.
Clopping hooves moved their way over to my table, and the mudsdale pulled down a chair before sitting by me. "I never got to introduce myself last night, I'm mudsdale, I'm the owner of this inn," she said and paused, allowing me to reply.
I glanced at her with a blank expression before turning my gaze back to the feraligatr and his efforts to make breakfast. The mudsdale scoffed, "I was just trying to break the ice, but I guess you wanna cut straight to the point," she said and took in a deep breath. "Darling, your hair is a mess. I can't let you go out looking like that."
I stiffened and reached for my mane before I caught myself and lowered my paw. Shooting the mudsdale a sour look, I saw she had a kind smile across her snout. "Now I don't mean any offense, but I know how hard it is to deal with curly hair," she said as she flicked her dreadlocks over her shoulder. "I'd like to help you out, what do you say?"
With a small shake of my head, I said, "I just need a brush." My paw ran through the curly white locks, snagging a few times on some tangles.
The mudsdale gave me her own shake of her head. "Sorry to disappoint but the only brushes I have are for bipedal pokémon, you won't be able to do anything with it," said the mudsdale with an apologetic smile. "How about this, I usually have Seraph help me with my mane. Would you like her to help you with yours?"
My lips pursed as I pondered over the proposition. It wouldn't be too different for me, I would often have Jeni do my hair, but she was my personal servant, not just any random pokémon. I glanced at my mane hanging over my shoulder. The white curls were caught in tangles and bunches, making me frown. I could not go out in public with my mane looking like this. A long sigh escaped my lips. "Fine," I said.
Grinning, the mudsdale pivoted to the kitchen. "Seraph, go get a brush from the closet please," she said to the young pokémon.
The sneasel was standing on a tall stool, using both claws to stir a large spoon in circles inside the pot. She looked up as soon as the mudsdale called her name, a questioning look crossing her face. "Why? Your mane is already done," she said, wiping a paw across her face.
"You're going to do Ninetales's mane," said the mudsdale, and she motioned with her head to tell the young pokémon to get a move on.
A confused expression filled the sneasel's face. "Oh, um, OK," she said and hopped from the stool before heading through a door in the back wall. She returned a minute later with a brush and a small jar in her claws, moving to stand in front of me. "How do you usually do your mane?" she asked.
"Just brush out all of the knots," I said flatly and turned away from the sneasel, giving her easy access to my mane. She pulled up a chair and stood on it, placing the jar on the table and scooping out a clawful of some white cream, she was about to put it into my mane, and I pulled away. "What is that?" I asked while glaring at the cream distrustfully.
The sneasel turned her claw around and inspected the cream. "Mom calls it conditioner, it's supposed to make your fur softer so it's easier to pull out the tangles, and your fur is really curly, just like mom's, so I thought you would need it," she said and moved to place the creamy glob into my mane again, but I backed away.
"I know what conditioner is," I said while shooting another glare towards the cream. "You are supposed to use it while you bathe, not just to brush your fur."
"It's a special mixture darling," said the mudsdale, and she walked towards the kitchen. "You can use it without having to wash it out afterwards and it'll leave your fur silky smooth." She pushed Fabian away from the stove and peered into the pots, then began to admonish him for something he had done wrong.
I glared at the cream in the sneasel's claws one last time before sighing and turning away, giving the sneasel access to my mane. She rubbed the conditioner into the fur and pulled the brush through it. The bristles caught a nasty tangle and yanked my head back, pulling painfully at my scalp. I let out a pained cry and spun around, fixing the sneasel with a murderous glare.
She put her claws on her hips and met my gaze. "What? You asked me to get rid of the tangles, don't be a wimp," she said and waved the brush in the air. "I've pulled way harder on my mom's hair."
My paw lifted, and I aimed to push it in the sneasel's chest when a massive paw landed on my shoulder. I looked up, and my heart began to pound when I saw Fabian's serious frown inches from my face. His claws gripped onto my shoulder, and he practically dragged me out of my seat. "Excuse me Seraph, I need to talk to Ninetales real quick," he said to the sneasel as he pulled me to the other side of the room.
"Listen here Ninetales, there may have been some things you could get away with in the castle, but not here," Fabian said in a low whisper, his claws dug into my shoulder, and his other paw pointed to my chest. "I'm giving you one rule and one rule only, you will not harm any other pokémon for any reason other than self defense. I don't care what they say or how they act, if you so much as lay a paw on another pokémon without good cause, there will be severe consequences. Do you understand?"
I stared at the Feraligatr with wide eyes, my heart pounded in my chest, and I took in shaky breaths. His eyes narrowed onto mine. "I want an answer," he said, his rumbling voice sending shivers down my spine.
My mouth was dry as cotton, and I swallowed to try and moisten my throat. "I-I understand," I said in a shaking voice.
The feraligatr's face softened. "I'm sorry for being so rough Ninetales. It's just, I care for Seraph, a lot, and I don't want anything to happen to her, " Fabian said, and he let out a long sigh. "Something you're gonna have to learn is that you can't get away with the things you could in the castle. You could do whatever you wanted to the pokémon there, and they couldn't fight back. Out here is different, if you hurt someone, they'll hurt you back just as hard, if not harder."
He patted me on the shoulder as a smile crept onto his face. "I know Seraph can get sassy sometimes, but she's a good kid, and she's actually trying to help," said the feraligatr, lifting his paw off of my shoulder. "Give her some time, let her help you with your… " he gestured to my mane, "mess, and I know she'll grow on you."
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my furiously beating heart. After my heartbeat slowed, I opened my eyes and looked towards the feraligatr, fixing my face in the most emotionless mask I could. "Fine," I said. Fabian grinned at me in reply and patted my shoulder before heading to the kitchen. I walked back to my table and sat in front of the sneasel.
She fixed me with a curious look. "What was that all about?" she asked, wiggling the brush around in her claws.
"It was nothing. Continue," I said and spun around to let the sneasel finish brushing my mane. She scoffed and muttered something under her breath, but she complied and began running the brush through my mane again. The bristles snagged onto more tangles, and the sneasel yanked the hairbrush to pull out the knots. With gritted teeth, I stifled another yelp and remained still. We continued this yanking process and untangling my mane in the most uncomfortable way possible until the brush ran smoothly through my mane without snagging.
The sneasel let out a sigh after she pulled the brush through one last time. "All done, that wasn't too bad," she said as she hopped off of the chair and gathered her supplies. I ran my paw through my mane, feeling the silky smooth texture left behind by the conditioner. It wasn't the most elegant of brushing methods, but it was enough.
Pokémon began trickling into the dining area one by one, sitting at tables and eating breakfast brought by the mudsdale. I was also given a bowl of stew, which I ate half-heartedly. The dewott and the rapidash entered, moving as though they were about to sit at my table, but a quick glare sent the group shuffling their feet towards the farthest table. I saw Fabian leave the kitchen and head towards our room, returning a few minutes later with his adventurer's bag and a large pack.
He motioned with his head for me to follow as he walked towards the exit, and I took my sweet time getting there. When I did leave, I found the feraligatr crouched, holding the sneasel in a tight hug. "You be good, all right," he said as he let the sneasel go.
She smiled up at him. "No promises," she said, making him laugh, and he ruffled the feather on her head.
"I didn't expect anything different, now go help your mother, I'm sure she's pretty busy," said Fabian, nudging the sneasel towards the door. She left with a wave, leaving Fabian and me alone outside of the inn. He hefted his pack higher on his shoulder before turning to me with a wide smile. "You ready to head out?"
A confused frown filled my face, and I turned to look at the carriage. The dewott and rapidash were still inside. How did he plan to move it? Fabian let out a chuckle and said, "We aren't taking the carriage anymore."
My head snapped to meet the feraligatr's gaze. "You are not saying we are going to walk. How far away even is the guild?" I said.
Fabian scratched his chin, letting out a "hmm" as he thought. "About a week's walk," he said, and my mouth fell open. I took a deep breath as I prepared to launch a barrage of complaints, but the feraligatr held up a paw. "It won't take that long though, I know a shortcut. It should only take us two to three days."
"Two to three days! You expect me to walk for two to three days," I said in a loud voice.
A single eyebrow raised itself on Fabian's face. "Two to three days is not bad at all. You'll be doing longer treks when you're in the guild," he said, making me let out a long groan. The feraligatr turned towards the road and started walking. "Come on, the more you think about it the longer it feels. Just start walking and it'll be over before you know it."
I watched him go, sitting on the ground with my mouth open. I expected him to turn around any second, but he kept walking in a straight line, not once turning back to check on me. When he turned a corner around a line of trees, and I lost view of him, my breath caught in my throat. He wasn't going to come back. I jerked myself to my feet and ran after the feraligatr.
Dust flew into the air as skidded to a stop. Fabian stood, leaning against a tree with a cocky smile. "There, now that you're warmed up we can get a move on, if we want to reach the next inn by nightfall then we have to start moving now," he said and pivoted around, walking down the road. I scowled and shook my head. Crazy feraligatr.
I fell in step behind him, and my head pivoted from side to side as I took in the scenery. The sky was a crystal clear blue with only a few puffy clouds floating lazily in the air. Trees surrounded the road on all sides, casting gentle shadows across the dirt path, while wild flying types chirped in the trees, the sound carried by a breeze drifting through the air.
At first, the sun offered a comforting warmth, yet I avoided it like the plague within a few hours. Sweat trickled down my snout, and I heavily panted while I shifted from shadow to shadow. My paws were sore, and my legs were exhausted, small stones jabbing into the pads of my paws with almost every step.
I shot a glance at Fabian. He walked without a care in the world, his heavy footfalls kicking up puffs of dust. He seemed to not even notice the heat as he kept up a steady pace and hummed a merry tune.
We reached a bend in the road marked by a tall tree, Fabian passed it and continued on the path, but I stopped beneath the tree and flopped against the trunk. The feraligatr froze and turned around, giving me a quizzical look when he saw me spread out on the ground. He walked over to me and placed his paws on his hips before saying, "We've only gone about halfawy you know."
I rolled my eyes and pushed myself into a sitting position. "It's too hot," I said with a sigh. The leaves of the tree I sat beneath shook in the breeze, and I lifted my head to catch the breeze on my fur.
"Here," Fabian said, pulling out a water skin and extending it to me. "You look like you could use a drink." My paws gripped onto the water skin, and to maintain my dignity, I took in slow, steady gulps of water.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips, and I returned the water skin to Fabian. "How much further is it?" I asked.
The feraligatr looked down the road for a few seconds before turning back to me with a satisfied grin. "OK, so I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the inn is only a few hours past that line of trees you see there," he said while pointing to a dense wall of trees and foliage a little farther down the road. "There's bad news because that line of trees is an entrance to a mystery dungeon."
My head snapped up to look towards Fabian, and I was expecting his face to be in a joking smile, but I was only greeted by his usual grin. "You are not taking me into a mystery dungeon," I said with a firm shake of my head.
"Oh come on, it'll be fine. Do you have any idea how many mystery dungeons I've been in?" Fabian said with a chuckle. I shot him a glare, which made his face fall. "OK listen, this is the shortcut I was talking about earlier. We don't have to go in there, but, it'll take us more than a week of walking in this heat in order to get to the guild. It's your choice."
I glared at the feraligatr with enough venom to rival a poison type, but he only gave me a slight shrug in reply. My gaze turned to the mystery dungeon entrance. All I could see was a line of trees so dense almost no light came through the canopy. I had no idea what to expect on the inside. I then looked up at the sun and squinted as the bright rays pierced my eyes. The heat from the sun was oppressive, leaving me covered in sweat, and if we didn't go through the mystery dungeon, I would be stuck in the heat for a week longer. At least inside the dark dungeon, I would be able to escape from this Arceus-forsaken heat for a while.
My mind was made, and I turned to look at the feraligatr. "We are going through the dungeon," I said before pushing myself to my feet. My paws and legs shrieked in protest, but I ignored them.
Fabian brought his paws together in a meaty clap and rubbed them together. "Good, I don't want to be in this heat for much longer so let's get a move on," he said and started his march down the road. I followed behind, still moving from shadow to shadow along the road to avoid the heat of the sun. As Fabian walked, he turned his head to glance at me before saying, "Hey Ninetales, how about I teach you a thing or two about mystery dungeons?"
A frown crossed my face at the proposition of listening to the feraligatr ramble for an hour. "No," I said flatly, and I moved out of his line of sight.
Laughter rang through the air as the feraligatr chuckled. He turned again to look at me. "I'm gonna tell you anyways, I'm bored, and you need to know a few things before you go into your first dungeon," he said with a cheeky smile, making me roll my eyes. Why did he even ask in the first place?
The feraligatr cleared his throat and prepared himself for a lengthy lecture. "Mystery dungeons are different from any place in the world, and nobody knows for sure why they are the way that they are. Mystery dungeons seem to bend around the laws of the universe, they turn any wild pokémon that enters into a feral monstrosity, and their layout never stays the same for more than an hour," he said before he held up five claws. "There are five different ranks of mystery dungeons, the higher the rank the more dangerous the dungeon."
"For example," Fabian said while he pointed towards the entrance of the mystery dungeon. "This right here is only a rank one dungeon, all guild members are allowed inside, and even a few civilians can enter if they're strong enough."
As we moved closer to the entrance, a large sign became visible from behind a few trees. On its surface was written in bold letters, "Warning, Mystery Dungeon Ahead." There was another, smaller sign below the large sign, which said, "Dark Forest Dungeon," and painted beneath the letters were five circles. The first circle was completely filled in with black paint, while the other four were made of just a black outline.
As soon as we reached the set of signs, Fabian stopped and pointed towards the five circles. "You see right here, the dark circles show the rank of the dungeon, and like I said earlier, this is only a rank one dungeon," the feraligatr said and pointed to the one filled in the circle before he headed towards the line of trees.
"I figured," I monotonously said as I followed Fabian towards the entrance to the dungeon. We reached the line of dark trees, and Fabian walked straight in, but I hesitated before my paws crossed the dungeon's border. I have heard so many stories about mystery dungeons and what they are capable of, and none of them were good ones. There were so many things that could happen, yet as I watched Fabian march into the dungeon with a confident strut, an odd sense of calm fell over me.
Leaves crunched as my paws crossed the line into the dungeon, and my head swiveled as I searched around the surrounding trees for any sign of danger. I expected some kind of warning or sound to pop out of nowhere and let me know I had entered the dungeon, yet nothing happened. There was nothing to suggest I had entered into a mysterious dungeon.
I turned to gaze at the exit, and my eyes twitched when I saw it looked precisely the same. I could just walk out right now. I stared at the path for a few more seconds until Fabian's voice called out from behind me. "Come on Ninetales, one of the most important rules in a dungeon is that you always need to stick together with your partners," he said, and I turned around and trotted over to him.
The first few minutes in the dungeon were uneventful. Fabian walked without a care in the world while my head was kept on a constant swivel as I scanned the area for wild pokémon. The silence was deafening. The only sound I could hear was the padding of our paws and the shaking of branches high above.
The eerie quiet was broken when a bush to the right of the trail suddenly rustled noisily, and a swalot lept from the foliage, crawling in a straight line towards Fabian.
"SWAL," screamed the swalot through its puffy lips, and I jumped at the loud sound, but it did little to phase Fabian as he steadily raised a paw. As soon as the swalot was in range, he brought his paw down in a vicious backhand against the poison type's head, making the swalot crash to the ground with a smack. I watched it skid across the floor, its body kicking up leaves as it went, only for it to slam against a log. The swalot's eyes closed, and it laid still. I thought it was dead until I saw its chest rising in slow breaths.
Fabian grunted, and a small smirk pulled onto his face before he hefted his bag onto his shoulder and continued down the trail. I shot the swalot a few glances as I passed it, expecting it to jump up any second and attack me, but it never so much as twitched. We walked for a few more minutes, only for another pokémon to come screaming out of the bushes and achieve the same result of getting knocked out by a single hit from Fabian.
We repeated this process for the rest of our time in the dungeon, only pausing once when we arrived at a set of stairs, and Fabian explained to me the function of stairs in mystery dungeons. We had almost arrived at the exit of the dungeon when the brush behind me shook wildly, and a cranidos came barging out. I spun around just in time to see its shiny blue head before it struck me and sent me flying across the trail. I slammed into the ground and let out a loud "oof." My side throbbed, and my skin was sore where I had scraped against the earth, but other than that, I was fine, or so I thought.
My mouth opened, and I tried to take in a breath, but my eyes widened when no air entered my lungs. The air seemed to get stuck in my throat and wouldn't go any further, small grunts left my mouth as I struggled to breathe, and my lungs burned with the lack of air.
Darkness crept into the corners of my vision, but I was still able to see the cranidos get swept to the side by a torrent of water, and I watched Fabian take its place. He shot one more glare at the now incapacitated rock type before moving to crouch at my side. "Ninetales, Hey, Hey, you're all right, relax, you just got the wind knocked out of you," he said and rested a paw on my side. My body shook, and I struggled to open my lungs but to no avail.
Fabian slid a paw beneath my neck and lifted my head, my panicked blue eyes meeting his soft amber ones. "Samantha, listen, just relax, and the air will flow in on its own," he said while offering me a calm yet sincere smile. My eyes closed, and I tried to relax, focusing on the tightness in my chest. I suddenly gasped, taking in a massive amount of air while my legs stiffened before I fell limp. My head flopped into the feraligatr's paw, and I panted heavily.
Fabian smiled down at me with a touch of concern visible on his face. "Are you feeling alright? He asked.
I took in shaky breaths while I weakly pulled away from the feraligatr's paw. "I-I am fine," I answered, letting my head fall limply onto the dirt below.
The feraligatr rustled into his bag and pulled out an oran berry before offering it to me. "Here take this, it'll make you feel better," he said and dropped the berry in front of my snout.
My maw parted, and I weakly grabbed at the berry, failing a few times before I finally got a hold of it between my teeth. I didn't even try to enjoy the flavor, and I swallowed the berry as quickly as I could. Its healing properties took instant effect, and the burning pain in my side faded into a dull ache while the painful scrapes on my skin were covered over with fresh scabs.
"Do you think you can stand?" Fabian asked in a warm tone, extending a paw for me to use to lift myself.
I ignored the helping paw and pushed myself to my feet, grunting as my ribs twinged in pain with every movement. "I said I am fine," I growled through gritted teeth while I took a few shaky steps. As I walked forward, the pain slowly faded from my side, and I was able to move without any form of a limp. I stopped and turned back to the feraligatr, fixing him with a cold glare before speaking, "I want to leave this dungeon."
Fabian sighed and shook his head before a small chuckle escaped his mouth. "It's just like old times," he muttered and let out a grunt as he pushed himself to his feet. He moved over to me, but as he walked, a small groan sounded through the air. Fabian and I looked to find the noise's source, and we found the cranidos moaning as it shuffled to its feet. The rock type groaned and turned its gaze towards us but didn't even get a brief glance before a high powered stream of water shot it in the head and knocked it right back to the ground.
Scales rasped against scales as the feraligatr wiped his mouth with a paw, the last drops of water dripping off of his chin. "All right, let's go, we're pretty close to the exit by now," Fabian said and headed down the trail with me in tow. It didn't take long before the trees thinned, and we passed by a sign which said the same thing as the signs on the other side of the dungeon, warning any approaching pokémon of the dungeon ahead.
The sun was much lower in the sky than before we had entered the dungeon, and judging from its position, we only had a few hours before dark. Fabian turned his head to look at me and flashed me a bright smile before asking, "So, how did you feel about your first mystery dungeon?"
I gave no response and kept my eyes on the road, hoping the feraligatr would get the hint I didn't want to talk and leave me alone. Fabian obviously didn't care and kept up the conversation on his own. "I think it went pretty well, you took a hard hit from that cranidos back there but you were at a type disadvantage, so it makes sense."
He continued talking on his own for the next hour or so as we trudged along the road. I listened to his ramble as I watched the sun inch its way towards the tops of the trees. The setting sun caused the trees' shadows to lengthen, which offered a comforting escape from the heat we had felt all day. Just before the sun became obscured behind the treetops, we rounded around a bend in the trail, and we were greeted by a small town situated down the road.
"Ahh, here we are," Fabian said with a happy gesture towards the village, "Forest Town, It's been a long time since I've been here." He shifted his bags on his shoulders and headed down the road with renewed vigor, forcing me to pick up the pace on my already tired legs.
As soon as we entered the town limits, a chandelure drifted over to us, its purple flames flickering with its movements. "Feraligatr, it's been far too long," the chandelure said, her ethereal voice floating up and down as she spoke. As the chandelure talked to Fabian, a confused look pulled itself onto my face. How many pokémon does Fabian know?
"It's a pleasure to see you again Chandelure," Fabian said while offering her a short bow. "I hope things have been going well for you since I left."
The flames on the chandelure's arms brightened, and her voice came out in an excited rush. "Things have been going beautifully since you helped us. We have seen so much success in our work, and it is all due to you. We wanted to reward you but you left so soon," said the chandelure.
Fabian raised his claws and shook them about. "No no no, the only payment I need is seeing you all alive and happy," he said with a smile.
"Please, there must be some way we can repay you," the chandelure said in an almost pleading voice. She drifted over to his side and circled around him while her metal arms seemed to gesture to the village beyond. "You are the only reason Forest Town still exists, there has to be something we can do, anything."
The feraligatr's face softened, and he held out a paw to stop the ghost type from circling around him. "Alright, alright, my friend and I are looking for a place to stay tonight and we were hoping to spend the night in the village inn. I don't know how you can help with that, but..." he said and paused when the pokémon in front of him began to shiver excitedly.
The chandelure lit up, literally, as her flames sputtered brightly. "Oh yes, I'm sure Aromatisse would love to have you for the night, but her inn has changed places. If you would like, I could show you where it is now," she said while swaying back and forth like a ship caught in a storm.
White teeth glinted in the light of the fading sun as Fabian beamed brightly before saying, "I would really appreciate it, thank you."
"No no Feraligatr, thank YOU," the chandelure said and spun around, drifting towards the inner parts of the town. Fabian and I followed close behind. We had only walked a few steps before the ghost type spun in the air and faced the feraligatr while she continued to float down the road. "Where are my manners? I never asked how you have been."
Fabian laughed and shook his head. The scarlet plate on the back of his head swished through the air. "No need to worry, I've been doing very well, thank you," he said with a courteous smile.
The chandelure then turned to me, the yellow circles which I could only assume were her eyes stared deep into my own. "I also never introduced myself to you. It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Chandelure, I am basically the closest thing this town has to a leader," she said and paused, allowing me to speak.
Looking towards Chandelure, I pondered over what she had just said. She was the town leader, but there wasn't any indication to show for it. She had no badge, no crown, no symbol of any kind to represent her leadership. She didn't even have any guards. How did she expect to enforce her rule without any form of law enforcement?
A claw tapped on my shoulder, and I looked to see Fabian poking me. "Ninetales, don't be rude, introduce yourself," he said with an expectant glance between me and the chandelure.
I scowled at his claw and shifted away from it while giving the feraligatr a sour look. How dare he just order me around like I was his servant. I turned away from the two pokémon and kept silent while I held my head up high.
Fabian let out a long, tired sigh before he spoke to Chandelure. "Please excuse her," he said, his voice seeming to have lost a lot of its usual strength. "She's just a little tired, we've had a long day of travel."
The chandelure let out a long echoing laugh. It sounded as though she was laughing from the other side of a great hall. "Do not worry Feraligatr, I am not offended, but I must say, she does remind me quite a bit of that sneasel you came out of the dungeon with," said Chandelure, making my ears perk up.
Fabian came out of a dungeon with a sneasel? The only sneasel I knew of with a connection to Fabian was Seraph, and she had mentioned something about rescuing that couldn't be a coincidence.
I shot a glare towards the feraligatr just in time to see him bellow out in a loud laugh. "You know what? You're right, she does kind of act like her," he said, giving me a short glance. I snapped my head away and stared at the ground, trying to appear uninterested.
The chandelure suddenly stopped in front of a small building. I looked towards the structure and saw a sign on the front which read "Inn." I scoffed when I saw the sign. How difficult was it to create a name for an inn?
"This is the place," Chandelure said and drifted towards the door. "Come on in." She flew straight towards the wooden surface and never moved to open the door. I flinched right before she hit the wood, but instead of striking the door with a loud clang, the chandelure passed straight through the door as if it wasn't there.
Fabian walked calmly to the front entrance while I stared at the place where Chandelure had just passed through. The feraligatr pulled the door open and stepped inside, shooting me a glance to make sure I followed, and I sighed and shook my head before moving inside. I'll never understand ghost types.
I looked around the building's interior and was greeted by what I could only describe being a much smaller version of the High Country Inn I had left this morning. Only a few tables lined the walls on either side, leaving a narrow strip of space leading to a doorway on the other side of the room. Small oil lamps sat on each table's top, with the primary source of light coming from the open door opposite us.
Chandelure drifted towards the doorway where the sounds of light humming and the clatter of dishes could be heard, and she stuck her spherical head into the brightly lit room. "Aromatisse, I have brought friends to stay the night," she said, and a frightened gasp was her only reply.
"Oh cher Arceus, Madame Chandelure, you mustn't sneak up on me like that," cried a high-pitched voice in a strange accent, and a few seconds later, a small pokémon with bright pink fluffy feathers around her waist came around through the doorway. She had a palish white face with a little beak-like mouth and purplish frills coming off the side of her head, and in her small purple arms, she held a wooden spoon dripping with some kind of oil. When she saw Fabian standing at the other end of the room, however, the utensil went flying from her arms as her claws flew up to her mouth, and she let out a loud gasp. "Monsieur Feraligatr, you have returned," she cried.
The spoon launched by the small pink pokémon flew in a gentle arc until Fabian snatched it out of the air with a speed I did not expect from a pokémon his size. He gave a cheerful smile, which stretched at the scars around his lips and face while tapping the spoon with his silvery claws. "That I have Aromatisse, it's a pleasure to hear your voice again," he said as he approached her and returned the spoon.
A slight blush burned on the fairy type's pale cheeks as she graciously accepted the spoon. "Oh pish posh, we all know the true pleasure is having you back in our little town," she said as her scarlet eyes roamed over to me. "And who is this beautiful creature? Do not tell me you have found a mate, and one so young," she said while she shuffled over to stand in front of me.
I glared at the aromatisse, and my lip curled at her comment, but Fabian only laughed while he crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "No no, she is just a friend I am escorting into Darun," he said before flashing me a smile.
The aromatisse hummed as she turned away. "She may just be a friend for now, but I can attest to how difficult it is to resist your charm Monsieur Feraligatr," she said, making me scoff and roll my eyes. She turned back to me and ran her eyes up and down my form. "You said you are escorting her into Darun. Does that mean she is also from Kalia?" the fairy type asked and received a single nod from Fabian in reply. "I figured as much, there aren't many ice type ninetales in Darun, but hey, the more the merrier."
The way they talked about me as if I wasn't, there made me a scowl, and I fixed the aromatisse with a dark look, but she met my gaze without a single hint of apprehension. "Don't look at me that way dear, a constant frown will destroy your facial structure, and believe me, you'll want your face looking young and beautiful for as long as possible," she said. I ground my teeth, and my tails swished aggressively behind me with her words.
Aromatisse placed a claw on one hip while the other flicked at her purplish frill. "Well come along then, you'll be my only customers tonight so I can prepare you the best accommodations," she said and pivoted around to head towards the kitchen, moving with a confident strut. At the same time, her pink and purple feather swished with her movements.
Fabian gave his thanks to Chandelure before following after the tiny fairy type. I stalked after them, taking my time to avoid any of the unnecessary conversations. We passed through the kitchen and reached a hall with only three doors, and Aromatisse fished through her frills until she pulled out a key and opened the first door and led us inside.
The room was a lot nicer than the one we had slept in last night, this one actually had a bed with a frame and all, and there were also quite a few lamps which gave a healthy glow to everything around them. Two windows on the opposite wall let in the light of the setting sun, orange beams falling across a table and a chair. I let out a soft sigh when I saw the bed. My aching legs and paws were practically begging me to lie down.
"I hope this is to your liking," Aromatisse said as she stepped into the room and spun around, gesturing to all of the amenities placed in the room.
Fabian grinned as he looked around, and he nodded towards all of the pieces of furniture. "This is quite nice, you've definitely upgraded since your last inn," said the feraligatr, his broad tail swishing across the ground and almost knocking over the chair.
Aromatisse placed her claws on her fluffy hips and smiled up at the large water type. "I've had a lot more business since you helped the town, that's why you are staying here free of charge," she said and held up a single claw when Fabian opened his mouth to protest. "Up Up Up, you have more than earned a single night's stay Monsieur Feraligatr, and I will not take no for an answer."
A long sigh escaped the feraligatr's throat as he crossed his arms over his scarred chest. "Alright alright, you win," he said before letting out a soft chuckle. "I can't seem to escape you townsfolk trying to pay me back."
"No you can't," said Aromatisse as she moved to leave. "Now stay here, I'll bring you dinner in a minute, I'm sure you're both famished."
I laid myself on the bed and stared towards the ceiling. I could hear Fabian rustling around as he pulled out his sleeping mat and got himself situated for a good night's sleep. The aromatisse returned a few minutes later with a large platter covered in roasted vegetables and fresh fruits, and she once again firmly refused to be paid when Fabian tried to convince her it was too much. We ate in silence, and I was surprised by how flavorful the dinner was. The seasoning used helped make the individual flavors of each vegetable pop, and when we finished eating, I honestly hoped we would have the same thing for breakfast tomorrow.
Fabian promptly bid me a good night and passed out on his sleeping mat, leaving me alone as I laid down on the bed. It was heavenly to feel the soft cushion of a mattress after such a long day of walking, especially after sleeping on a mat the night before. My eyes closed, and I felt myself pulled into sleep faster than I had ever had before.
Hey everyone, sorry for the massive break. I just started college, and it absolutely kicked my butt. Now that it's summer, I should be able to go back to a regular weekly upload schedule. Thank you for taking the time to read this Fic, and please leave a review so I can improve.
See you next week :)