Chapter 1: Looking for Trouble
The human felt himself descending. Sinking lower and lower into the blackness with each step. The lower he got, the less he felt. His whole body was growing numb as his surroundings grew darker and darker. And then he felt nothing. He saw nothing. He heard nothing. He'd fallen into a trance that compelled him to keep marching forward. But if he was getting anywhere, he couldn't tell.
Kee-hee-hee!
A sourceless impish laughter broke the silence.
Now who do we have here? A new thrill-seeker? The show is starting to pick up steam now! I wonder, will you be my star?
The voice broke his trance and panic set in.
"Who- who are you?" the human blurted, unable to feel his own mouth as he spoke. "What's happening?!"
And so inquisitive! Kee-hee...
You're in my domain: the space between spaces. The world between worlds. The nothingness in which all existence plays out! Or as they so drably call it nowadays, the Ether.
And me? I'm no one important, kee-hee! The writer is of no significance to the character, after all. And if you've come here, it's because you're looking for a part in the show.
So I want to know about you! I've got quite the important part to fill, after all, and the other candidates were so... inadequate. Tell me, do you have what it takes to be a legend?
"Please, I don't have any idea what you're talking about! I just want to go back!" the human begged into the nothingness. His panic was starting to numb now. His thoughts were growing foggy, and that scared him even more. Whatever game this voice was playing, it didn't matter right now.
Oh, so difficult! Fine, I'll just take a look for myself then!
The human's awareness returned a bit as he felt a foreign presence intrude. Thoughts and memories began to pull themselves to the surface of his mind unwillingly.
Hmm... Interesting. Oh, how interesting! Your psyche is delightful. You'll quite like this. You were looking for trouble after all, just like all mortals do.
"No! I just wanted to..." the human started to protest. But the fog had overtaken his mind and now his memories were fading like his body had. "I… what's happening to my head? What are you doing to me?!"
Ah, sorry about that human! But I'm setting the stage for you. I've decided. You'll play a starring role!
"A- what? This isn't a game! Please..." his voice was starting to slur and dim as his emotions numbed.
Mmm, everyone loves a little bit of conflict and struggle, even if they won't admit it. But you... you live your life by it. You seek disaster and breath it like air. That makes you the best candidate yet. You don't realize it yet, but you'll love this. All that chaos you desire, and more. Just try to appreciate it.
"Ergh- Please... Just let me go... I don't... feel so good..."
Right, right! Mortals can't remain in the Ether. It's time for your debut anyways! Of course, you'll need a suitable mask for the show. Would you mind taking a short personality test for me?
"What? No..." he mumbled in a haze.
Difficult.
"Seriously, let me out of here… " he protested weakly.
Impatient.
"P-please... I think... I'm dying..."
Melodramatic.
Ah well, that will have to do! Test complete! Though... Hm... This doesn't match any Pokémon I had in mind. Maybe a Sobble with all of that crying? No no... What a pitiful face that would be for a star player.
Ah well. I suppose this doesn't matter too much. I know something people will positively eat right up! This next part might not feel too good.
The fog in the human's head cleared at the same time his body began to send him signals again. But the sensation was strange and unpleasant. All he could feel was an intense pressure from every side, like he was submerged in a thick and heavy liquid.
Kee-hee! Don't worry, it'll be over soon!
I'll be the first to admit that I'm using you, but I really hope you enjoy the show anyways. I know this wasn't the answer you'd expected to find... but I hope it's one you're glad to have found instead. And besides, I know you love a good twist! Kee-hee!
And you don't have to worry about a happy ending. Because I can give you the one thing better: a story that never ends.
The pressure around the human jerked him backwards through the blackness. Every unfamiliar nerve in his body was on fire. He wanted to scream but he couldn't. The pressure suddenly ceased, and he glimpsed light for an instant before blacking out.
The sun beat down on the hills east of Tranquil Knoll. The rolling green fields were a picture of serenity in the daylight. Wild Pokémon frolicked through the thick grass, catching sunlight in a place so peaceful even predators didn't seem to dare disturb it. Flocks of birds dotted the blue skies above, sharing in the appreciation of a beautiful day.
A single trail ran through the hills and a green figure walked along it. Leavanny trudged onwards through her third day of travel. The trek had been so tiresome that she couldn't appreciate her surroundings. All she cared about was that growing dot of color in the distance. Once she made it to Tranquil Knoll, then she could relax.
Clinging to the back of her head was a young Sewaddle, deep in sleep. She was endlessly thankful for that. If the little one awoke, he would surely be cranky. She wished she'd left him home with her mate, but because the journey was safe and easy she had underestimated just how tiring the distance could be. She shook her head slowly to rock him in his sleep.
All in all, Leavanny regretted taking this job. Two dozen scarves, with the promise of more business when the guild oh-so-inevitably took off and became huge. The pay was barely enough to justify it, and she wasn't holding her breath for follow-up commissions.
It was folly, after all. What need did a tiny little town like Tranquil Knoll have for a delvers guild? If they managed to find themselves twenty four members to use these scarves, they'd probably be able to handle all of the town's own requests, their neighbors' requests, and then some. And sure, jobs could be requested from afar, but who was going to send their jobs to some podunk backwater guild?
But the past was the past. She'd taken the job, thinking it would be a nice excuse to get out and see the scenery some. And now she'd come to learn that pain in your feet could make things look a lot bleaker.
Perhaps it was best that the fields were as empty as they were though. If she passed a nice tall tree right now she wasn't sure the bug part of her could have resisted crawling up and resting in it. And at least the open space let her grass half appreciate the sunlight. Had it been dark or cloudy the trip would have been unbearable.
But there was no point in complaining. The trek was almost over now. Just a half an hour or so and she could be resting in the inn. She was so exhausted at this point, she could swear she saw one of the hills literally rolling in the distance.
Leavanny paused as a sense of unease hit her. Had she actually seen a hill moving?
She stared at her surroundings, eyes honing in on every tiny motion. The weeds swaying in the wind. The flocks of Starly above. Pokémon in the distance, traversing the road ahead of her.
There was only one possibility a moving hill could bring to mind: a mystery dungeon. And she had no intention of wandering anywhere near one of those. Cling could reassure her all he wanted. Weak dungeons are harmless, he'd say. Even if you fell, I'd rescue you. No way. That was not her way of life. She was not a delver, not a fighter, and had no interest in being either. Let the Jade Crest do the delving, and she'd stick to weaving scarves.
But her scan turned up nothing, and she felt Sewaddle shifting on the back of her head. No hallucination was going to leave her dealing with a crying child before she reached town. She had to keep moving.
She was paranoid now though. Her eyes flitted all around as she walked. Eyeing each hill with suspicion. What did it matter if a hill had moved? This was an old road. There was no mystery dungeon here. And she wasn't keeper of the hills. She just had to get town and the mystery of the moving hills could be someone else's probl-
That one was definitely moving. Leavanny watched as a hill to her side unabashedly shifted across the ground, expanding outwards around it. It was growing, and soon it would overtake the path.
It was just a hill, but the thought of being caught up in its expanse filled Leavanny with dread. She had to get out of here. Now.
But before she could even turn and start running, she heard a rumbling. Horrified, she turned and saw all the hills she had already passed becoming fluid. They pulsated outwards like waves, expanding rapidly across a huge area, and quickly overtaking the road behind her.
She ran. But within a matter of seconds, the waves of earth had formed walls around her on all sides. Whether from the panic or something more sinister, she blacked out.
A small yellow figure lay collapsed in the dirt, finally starting to stir after who-knew how long. With a groan, he rolled onto his side and wrenched his eyes open. Warm sunlight met him, along with a mix of earthen browns and lush greens.
He was... outside? That didn't feel right. In fact, nothing felt right. Intense dread jolted him awake.
He tried to pull himself upright but quickly collapsed down onto his side. Every nerve in his body was firing with an intense tingle. It all felt... unfamiliar. And now he could see the small yellow claw stretched out in front of him.
His heart skipped a beat. What was this?!
He pulled back and examined the rest of his body, chest growing tighter with each glance. Short little arms with three small claws. Thick legs which would leave him standing at an odd squat. Some sort of black and yellow dangling... things hanging down from his face. And... he had a tail?! A long, reptilian one extended out from the back of his torso. What the hell even was he?
Scratch that, who cared?! Why was he, and where was he? This wasn't a dream. Dreams weren't this real. Which meant he was deep in some serious bullshit here.
He struggled to pull himself to his feet. He kept trying to settle into the intuitive distribution of human weight. But that wasn't working for him anymore. His head was far too heavy, and he had no idea what the hell to do with the weight of his tail.
With an effort, he managed to get up on his haunches, keeping his tail low and close to balance out the weight of his head. Finally out of the dirt, he had a chance to take in his surroundings. But they were nearly as weird as his body.
Walls of dirt, dotted with weeds and stones, formed walls around him. They shot straight up from the ground, probably ten feet up in most spots, and formed a large ovular chamber. A grassy field filled the center of the chamber and the tall grass seemed to continue up on top of the walls, as if the pit between them didn't exist. The pit extended into a chasm at either edge of the room.
The sun beat down above, bathing the whole pit in a warm glow. But something about the light felt off to him. It was... a bit too orange, perhaps. And that one oddity made the whole area feel eerie to him. Like the sunshine was an imposter, only pretending to be a pleasant day.
He looked down the chasms at the edges of the chamber, hoping to see a way out of the pit. What he saw instead only intensified his dread. The chasm walls in the distance were moving. Rippling and shifting like water. He couldn't make out details, but the paths seemed to be rearranging themselves.
He stared dumbfounded at this new development, nearly losing balance again as his tail instinctively twitched. What the hell was going on?
He had to do something. Yes, that was the only way to handle this insanity. Don't get paralyzed. But how was he even supposed to respond to this? He didn't know what was going on, where he was, when he got here, or how this problem had even arisen in the first place. He desperately tried to remember what had been happening before, but his memory was... blank. As if his life had just begun moments ago.
No. No, he could remember one thing from before.
Kee-hee-hee!
That grating laugh echoed through his head, bringing with it the memories of his conversation with... whatever that thing was. That thing was why all of this was happening, and why he was... whatever the hell he had turned into.
It had asked him if he wanted to be a legend, right? Clearly it must have meant if he wanted to be a lizard. Whatever the hell it was and whatever it wanted, it had shunted him here. But he had no idea how.
He let out a sigh, surprising himself. "He- Heeee- Hello?" he uttered loudly, amazed that his new body could speak. His voice was higher pitched than he expected, but at least if he met anyone he'd be able to explain the situation.
Running through that scene in his head, he decided he'd probably be better off not meeting anyone.
Before he could figure out what to do, the moving walls in the chasm ahead began to pulsate rapidly. He backed away anxiously, realizing for the first time just how difficult it was to walk with his weird new equilibrium. Then the wall sucked inwards and spat back out, ejecting a small round blue shape onto the ground.
He eyed it anxiously, no idea what he'd just watched. A cluster of leaves grew out of its back, so maybe it was some kind of seed? Then it stood up.
The small blue thing was a creature, and it was staring right at him. Its expression was blank, and two orange pinpricks of light burned behind its empty eyes. Its whole body rippled and shifted like the walls, as if it was made of ink. It began to lumber towards him.
He wasn't sticking around to figure out what hell this thing was or what it wanted. He turned and tried to run. He collapsed onto his chest.
This damned body! His legs were far too short and the weight-balance between his head and tail was too delicate. There was no way he could run on his haunches.
He glanced back. The shrub-monster was looming closer to him, empty eyes still burning. Cursing under his breath, he accepted the degradation and fell forward onto all fours. He bounded down the chasm, quickly realizing just how much more natural it was to run like this. And quick, too!
As he ran down the chasm, the shifting walls solidified ahead of him. As soon as he got near them they'd stand still in one constant arrangement.
The chasm branched up ahead. He stole a glance back at the shrub behind him. He'd gained good distance, but it was still following him. He looked down each path. Both were filled with more shifting walls, opening up into new clearings or chasms for a few moments and then warping into something else. It was meaningless which one he chose; by the time he ran down them they'd lead somewhere else.
The walls on the right seemed to undulate faster now though, and he wasn't about to walk face-first into another creepy-zombie-shrub. He darted down the left branch.
The chasm led him into a new pit with a small brook snaking through it. Another weird creature was lying collapsed in the center of the area. It was a vaguely humanoid shape, but its features were all insectoid or even plant-like. Its arms were somewhere between blades of grass or mantis blades. He could make out a thorax and abdomen, which along with the long yellow antennae would make this thing a bug? But it was huge! And most of its body was covered in leaves, forming a cloak-like layer around it. A few small satchels were tied around its waist.
He winced, waiting for this newest monster to awaken and begin following him like the last one. But it continued to lay unconscious, face scrunched in a tight frown.
He finally allowed himself to move again, creeping closer to it curiously. A pained grimace was curled on its face, like it was having a bad dream. Maybe this one wasn't the same as the thing chasing him?
He looked nervously behind him. The shrub seemed to be gone, but it had been pretty slow. It might have just fallen behind. It could still be after him.
He'd have to be an idiot to wake this creature up, right? Sure it was vaguely humanoid, but it was also a giant bug. He could talk, for some reason, but there was no promise this thing was even sentient. Even if it wasn't another creepy-eyed-zombie, it might just decide he looked tasty.
No. He was in no position to be taking a risk like that right now. He was lost and defenseless, he needed to play it safe. Even with how much he wanted answers.
Fighting back his own curiosity, he crawled past the unconscious figure and crept towards the far exit to this room. The pit was sloped down. More than likely it was only leading him deeper into this place. But what was his other option? Wandering back towards the monster?
He scowled and scampered on towards more shifting walls down the corridor. The easiest way out would be to climb up onto the walls. He examined the walls and then scrutinized his claws a bit. This body might be good for climbing. But the walls were steep. He'd need to find a better spot.
This chasm winded on for quite a while, branching periodically. At every branch he'd take the path that seemed to lead up more, but to his exasperation the walls never seemed to get much shorter. Were the walls rearranging to keep him trapped? Was this series of chasms a labyrinth?
The chasm finally broke into a wider opening, where weeds as tall as him were growing all down the walls and across the dirt. He could see an upward path at the end, while another branch to his right went downwards. With a grimace he braced to push through the weeds.
A rustle of movement made him pause. A few leaves towered above the weeds, moving through them independently. The lizard saw specks of a telltale blue beneath them.
Growling, he spun around to run back the way he came. But looming through that corridor was another identical shrub. This hellscape had birthed a second one!
Out of options, he turned and high-tailed down the new path to his right. He could see a large open space ahead, slanting steeply upwards. Near the top of the incline the walls were rapidly pulsating again. He was cornered now. But one zombie was better than two, so he kept running.
He burst into the largest clearing yet, big enough for a field with several small hills to fill up the center of the room. The walls around the massive chamber seemed to grow with the hills' heights, assuring there was no point where he could climb over. There was little doubt now. This place was definitely conspiring to keep him trapped.
The pulsing walls were on the right, so he ran towards the left side of the room and up a small hill. The walls pulled in again, and spat out a shiny teal orb. The orb landed on top of one of the hills, and promptly rolled down into a valley ahead of him.
The lizard braced, waiting for it to sprout legs and attack. But it sat there, absorbing the sunlight. His curiosity made him stop. He checked behind him to confirm the shrubs were gone.
"Hey uh, you gonna try to eat me or something?" he shouted down to the orb. The orb didn't respond.
Slowly, he crawled down the hill to investigate it. Taking a close look, it clearly wasn't alive. It was a bit bigger than his little palm, and made of a smooth glassy material. He pulled it close to his eye and inspected it.
He had no idea what it was, but it wouldn't hurt to bring it with him. He had no idea if he was even actually getting anywhere with all of his wandering. Hell, he had no idea if there even was an exit, and no idea why he was here. For all he knew this place was a death trap. He was taking any new information he could get his weird little lizard hands on.
He lumbered up to the top of the nearest hill and took in his surroundings. The hilly field would have been peaceful if it weren't for the ominous walls surrounding it and the strange tint of the sunlight. But he couldn't see any zombies from this vantage, and it was a nice enough spot to stop for a rest.
He collapsed down and let himself catch his breath for a bit. This was insanity. What would happen if the zombies caught him? He couldn't imagine it was anything good. Still, the relentless danger was almost a weird sort of blessing. The fixation on surviving was keeping him from breaking down about the fact he was a lizard and totally lost.
But now that the high-ground had given him a moment of security, the insanity of it was starting to set in. He was in this deep. Whatever it was. His complete transformation, the loss of his memory… This wasn't something he could just brush off.
What did he know? Some… entity was using him. For some kind of weird game, it sounded like. That must be what this labyrinth was. An elaborate death trap. And he was trapped in it, for that monster's amusement.
Or maybe he was already dead? An unending maze filled with lost spirits sounded a lot like purgatory.
He shook his head. This was all useless. None of it gave him answers, or a plan to escape. Worse yet, if this was all an elaborate trap or the afterlife then there probably was no escape. He wasn't one to think like that. There was always an out. There were always some magic words or some brilliant trick to overcome any problem. So he couldn't be dead, and this demon's game couldn't be unwinnable.
Stupid thoughts like that were why he had to keep pushing forward.
A strange wail pierced the air. Was that... a crying baby? He groaned. Of course. Why not?
Sighing, he pulled himself up from his moment of fake peace and listened closely. The sound was coming from the other end of the huge clearing. He could see a glimpse of yellow by the far walls. It was such obvious bait, but… he would get nowhere in this twisted game by hiding and running.
He trudged cautiously up one of the hills which overlooked the yellow speck. He could make it out from the top. A caterpillar-like bug, about half his size sat curled up in the corner of the room bawling. It was wearing a familiar leafy cloak around its torso. Watching the insect emit humanoid wailing was... unsettling.
It hadn't noticed him amid its tantrum. He could easily walk away and leave it that way. But then he'd be right back where he'd been before. At the very least this thing didn't have the inky skin or glowing eyes of the monsters.
"If you're supposed to be a metaphor for some character flaw I had in life, I don't get it," the former human yelled down to it.
The wailing paused and the little bug stared up at him with wide, watery eyes. It looked frozen with fear. "Wh-whew mama?" it sniffled out after a few moments.
Great, so the giant bug could talk. At this point, he was just going to need to throw all of his presumptions out the window and accept whatever was happening.
"Does she uh, have big leaves on her like you? And two long, yellow antennae?" he hazarded a guess.
"Ahtemma?" it tilted its head curiously.
He sighed. Naturally the first person he found was an actual infant. He wasn't sure that he could actually remember the route back to what he had to assume was its mother. If the path had even stayed the same when he wasn't looking.
But if he showed up with her kid there was a good shot she didn't eat him. And having someone that might know what was going on in his debt was too good of a deal to pass.
"Alright kid, I think I know where your mom is."
"Mama?!" the child looked at him eagerly.
"Yes, mama. But you need to stay close to me. There's some uh... there's some weird things wandering around here." Then he added under his breath, "Other weird things..."
Sniffling, the bug nodded its head and crawled towards him at an agonizingly slow pace. The lizard winced. They were definitely screwed if they ran into more of those creepy monsters. There was no way he could carry this thing and run, and leaving a baby behind to get eaten or whatever was really not something he wanted on his conscience...
Thinking about it, that was probably part of the game. "Would you sacrifice a baby to save yourself?"
Groaning at the inevitable test of moral character, he guided the child back down the chasm he had come through. The room with the tall weeds still waited at the end of it. Hopefully that meant the rest of the labyrinth was still the same too.
He eyed the weeds, anxiously searching for any rustling inside them. The only movement seemed to be the wind. But the monsters didn't need to be there for the atmosphere of dread to remain. The mere threat of their empty stares was enough to keep him on edge.
He led the insect down the long branching path he'd gone through before, now descending deeper with each branch. It was actually quite easy to retrace his steps. The walls where he'd already been weren't shifting any more. It seemed they were stuck forever now.
"So uh, you know where we are?" the lizard probed. He had no reservations about getting intel from a toddler if necessary.
"Mithtwy dumgem…" it sniffled.
The lizard took a deep breath. Please let this thing's mother speak better.
"Ah you a dehva?" it asked, pointing on its stubby forelegs at the teal marble the lizard was still clutching.
"Uh? A diva?" he tilted his head.
"Dehva!" the bug screeched louder.
"Uhm… no?" he answered uncertainly.
"What oob?"
"I'm sorry?" the lizard cringed. The poor bug was trying so hard to be understood, but he couldn't make out a word.
"Thumba oob? Ethcab oob? Petify oob? Dada hath lota oob... " it lisped with a bit of excitement.
The lizard just blinked at him. Time to change topic. "So how'd you get here kid?"
"Lotht mama…"
"Okay. And why were you and mama here?"
"Woad twip!" it buzzed eagerly, seeming to forget the tears still in its eyes.
"So you and mama took a road trip uh… into this labyrinth?"
"Abywinth?" it looked at him curiously again.
"Nevermind," the lizard groaned. "I'll just ask your mother when we find her."
"Mama…" the bug whispered and then fell silent again.
After a few minutes the duo found their way back into the pit with the brook once more, the collapsed insect still lying where he'd left it. It was amazing that none of the zombies had found it. Or maybe they had just ignored it? He tucked away a mental note that playing dead might work in a last-ditch effort.
"Mama! Mama!" the little bug cried anxiously. It crawled over the fastest it had ever moved and began pushing up against her. "Wayg up! WAYG UP MAMA!" it screeched hysterically.
"Whoa calm down, calm down!" the lizard set his orb down and tried to restrain the bug. He didn't need the child attracting more monsters. "I'll wake mama up! Just please stop crying!"
He finally dragged the sniffling child off of its mother. It slinked over to the teal orb and examined it as he took the bug's place. Lacking a more subtle option, he shook the large insect vigorously.
"Wake up please! Your kid is here and we're in danger. You need to wake up!" he hissed in what he assumed was her ear.
She wasn't stirring. His heart stopped for a moment. Was she dead? A dead body and an orphaned child were about the last thing this situation needed. He planted a hand on her chest. He could feel a faint breath.
"Whem mama wayg up?" the little bug whimpered.
The lizard started to sweat nervously. Even if she was still alive for now, the situation wasn't any better if he couldn't wake her up. He shook her even harder.
All his other problems right now were so abstract. It was hard to take it all in. But death... death was something tangible. He knew how to process death.
He grew increasingly anxious as he frantically shook the bug. The growing wail of the baby behind him and the sweat rolling down his face only made it all worse. And the heavy orange sunlight was beating down on his face without mercy.
A flicker of light ran across one of the hangings dangling from his face. Instantly the crackle of electricity shot through his arm and into the unconscious insect. She spasmed as electricity coursed through her body.
"Whoa, what?" he fell back into the dirt and eyed his hands with horror. They no longer seemed electrified. He grabbed his facial hanging and looked it over. There was no hint of what had just happened.
But... that jolt had to do it, right? He leapt back up and looked over to the insect with a grin and certainty that the sudden shock would have woken her up. His heart quickly sank. She was very much still out cold.
This was doomed. If that didn't wake her up, no amount of shaking would. The baby was back to full on wailing behind him. She was going to die, he'd have to drag a crying orphan away from its mother's body, and then somehow make it out of here without the both of them getting caught by zombies.
God, what the hell had he gotten caught up in?
"OOB!" the child screamed amidst its frantic crying.
"What?!" the lizard asked. The child's screeches were incomprehensible. Rather than responding, it pushed the teal orb over to him.
"ETHCAB OOB!" he cried out, seeming excited now.
"Calm down! Speak slower please!"
"UTH ETHCAB OOB! MAMA!" he wailed, trying to pull the orb over towards her without hands.
"Use..." he fumbled to pick up the orb from the bug and eyed the whole thing over. It was glassy and perfectly spherical. He could only think of one way to use something like this.
"You want me to use this on your mom?" he eyed the child.
He nodded and whimpered.
"Do I just.. break it on her?" he asked hesitantly.
Again the child nodded, staring worriedly at his mother.
"And this will help her? Like, wake her up or something?"
"Themb home..."
Send her home? The lizard sighed. It felt like a mistake to be taking the advice of a literal infant, but this orb helping her wasn't particularly unbelievable given everything else so far. It was a distinct possibility that this infant knew more about this strange place than him, if only he could understand what it was saying. And it's not like things could get much worse.
Praying this actually worked, he smashed the orb on the unconscious insect. To his horror, the floor began to melt and swallowed her up in an instant. Then it reformed fully, leaving no trace she had ever been there.
He stared at where she had just been with his mouth agape in alarm. But the bug calmed down some.
"W-was that supposed to happen?!" he stuttered, staring at the nonchalant child incredulously.
The kid gave him a solemn nod.
He forced himself to calm down. It may have looked horrifying, but if the kid was right she had been sent home.
...There went the only person who might have actually been able to help him. At least she was safe, whoever she was. And at least the terrified infant had stopped his bawling.
The lizard groaned as he realized he could have used the orb himself twenty minutes ago.
Tranquil Knoll
Wham! Wham! Wham!
"Yeep. Looks like it's all down in nice, ma'am." Chesnaught nodded as he finished pounding in the last post. "Should hold up ta' any weather, Chesnaught guarantee."
He had just finished hammering down the posts of the new bulletin board. It was blank now, of course. But in just a few weeks it would doubtlessly be teeming with dozens of requests. Bids for aid from the illustrious Tranquil Knoll guild. Roselia was sure of it.
"Yes, you seem to have done a good job," Roselia approved as she examined the board from every angle. "Well done, Chesnaught. You've done the village a great service today."
Chesnaught raised an eyebrow, stirring the haystalk in his mouth. "I did? Well, mighty glad to do a service then. But mainly I done did this for the pay," he looked to her expectantly.
"Right, of course," Roselia muttered. No one appreciated what she was doing. With a thin vine she counted out coins from her all-too-light pouch. "Everything here holds up, so here's the full rate."
Chesnaught cast her a cold glare. "You were doubtin' Chesnaught's work?"
"Oh, it's nothing personal," she said dismissively, waving a flowering hand at him. "I just don't have the coin to spare on shoddy work. But you've done well."
"Right... Well, I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. This is the end of our business then. Good luck with yer..." Chesnaught waved generally at the bulletin board, and Roselia's house behind it.
"Yes, thank you," Roselia waved goodbye without looking at him. Her eyes were still locked on the board.
Now that there was a way for people to beseech her aid, the Rosethorn Guild could open properly! Of course, this was only the first step of many. Yes, there was so much left to do. She needed a guildhall, and staff, and teams, and of course she would need everyone to spread the word.
She glanced down at the note she had tangled in her flowers. "Rosethorn Delvers Guild: Now recruiting" it read at the top. She'd need to procure some pins to post stuff up to the board. But for now, she had earned a small respite for herself. She took one step into her house and left the note on a box by the door.
Then she headed back out to celebrate, strolling down the streets with shoulders high. Tranquil Knoll was a small place, at least for now. Just a few dozen buildings, barely fifty Pokémon... She could name the resident of every building she passed. And for a good few of them, name at least one job she'd done for them.
The little blue huts belonged to Jumpluff and his kids. She remembered finding their belongings when they'd first moved in. A feral Staravia attacked them mid-flight, and most of their possessions ended up strewn in the Weeping Woods. Granted, she'd only found about half of their stuff, but it was better than nothing!
She continued down the winding path, passing the tall, jagged roosting pole where old Talonflame rested at night. She'd rescued little Fletchling from the Amber Crags for him when the rebellious little bird had entered in an act of defiance. Of course, it had taken her three attempts. But she'd done it in the end.
She'd grown used to the primitive and quiet village, but she still couldn't understand why Pokémon would want to live this way. The neighboring villages were the same. Sure, life here was quiet. But it was also boring and archaic. She couldn't imagine what the delvers and engineers of Sapsion City could do for this town.
The delvers brought life and excitement. And perhaps more importantly, they brought resources. The rare enchantments and materials that the dungeons produced. The engineers could take those and produce marvels of technology. Luminous Orb lamps that lit the streets. Pecha Berry pills that could cure sickness. Not even to mention the mundane technologies, like hinged doors.
But no one here felt motivated to make any of that happen. So nothing ever happened, and they never moved forward. The delvers only came when someone called for aid, and even then everyone looked at them with distrust. Like their very presence threatened to shatter the town's fragile peace.
Roselia glanced at the unsightly mound of dirt she was passing. A deep hole burrowed underneath it, and it sat on its own plot as if it deserved the same respect as the homes and dens around it. She wished Excadrill would construct a more orderly home, but she didn't dare question the mole. He'd had a grudge with her ever since she'd failed a job for him a few months back. There wasn't much she could have done; the dungeon had been crawling with psychic-type apparitions. But that smug look on Gabite's face when he'd rescued her was forever seared into her memory.
Casting her gaze away from the eye-sore, she instead eyed her destination ahead. Three large overlapping orbs, painted with the blue, wavy pattern of a Quagsire formed the cafe. Roselia pushed through the curtain and made straight for the bar.
The cafe was bristling as usual. Roselia swore a quarter of the town would hang out here on any given day. For Pokémon who wanted it to be quiet and isolated, they sure did love noise and activity.
She nodded to Quagsire behind the bar. The bartender stared at her with a dopey grin.
"Goooood aaaaaafteeernoooon, Rooooselia," Quagsire drawled at his own pace. "Cooooome for the uuusua-"
"Yes, a Coba Berry juice please." she requested impatiently.
"Coooming riiight uuup!" the slow-moving Quagsire lumbered to the back wall, where a large array of cups and sorted berries waited. She watched as he grabbed a Coba berry at an agonizing pace and began to squish it into a cup.
As she waited, her ears turned back to all of the noise in the cafe. Something felt off. It was too noisy. Too excited. Was something happening? She focused on a nearby conversation.
"How're we s'posed to get supplies now?" Excadrill growled. "This is a load a' nonsense!"
"Gonna have to lay a new road, I'd suppose? One that goes around the fields..." Galvantula chittered.
"Why did it have to be this close to town?" an elderly Hypno slammed his fists down on the table in frustration. "Do we need to sleep at night worrying that we'll all wake up in a mystery dungeon in the morning?"
"Gosh, I hope not... they don't turn up too often, r-right? If the fields became a dungeon, what are the chances of a new one popping up soon?" the Galvantula nervously clicked her pincers together.
"Bah, they're turning up now more than ever! When I was a boy, Weeping Woods were the only dungeon around here. Now how many are there? I lost count," Hypno growled.
"W-well that depends on how you define 'around here'..." Galvantula said meekly. Hypno glared at her and she shrunk back quietly.
"They ain't showing up any faster, geezer! Your memory's just gettin' foggier!" Excadrill growled.
"Boy, you had best respect your elders unless you want a Wake-Up Slap!" Hypno yelled.
Roselia rolled her eyes and tuned them out. She'd heard the important part, but she could barely believe it. The fields had become a dungeon? It couldn't be... that was... it was the best thing that possibly could have happened! There was no way Roselia could have gotten so lucky!
A dungeon, right outside town? Requests would be flooding in to her in no time. And with the road cut off, it would be hard to send requests for out-of-town explorers! It was perfect! By the time the road was restored, everyone across the three villages would be depending on her and her guild to handle their requests.
She beamed, her day only improving as Quagsire slowly pushed a berry juice towards her. She sipped eagerly on the spicy concoction, basking in the anxious conversations around her.
Every table was discussing how they'd get equipment, and materials, and food from outsiders now. What they'd do in emergencies, and how they'd contact family and friends. It seemed like every single person in the cafe was fixated on discussing all the hypothetical disasters they'd face. But Roselia wasn't the least bit worried.
It was true she couldn't do anything to help with the supply-chain issues. But she was confident the oh-so-independent Pokémon out here could handle their own supplies for a few weeks. And she'd see to the safety concerns personally. There wasn't a thing to worry about.
Just when she thought her day couldn't get any better, a panicked voice rang out over all the others.
"PLEASE! I need a delving team!" Every eye in the cafe turned to see an unsorted Leavanny fretting in the doorway. The crowd viewed the dirty outsider warily.
"I'm a delving team!" Roselia declared proudly, hopping to her feet.
A wave of murmurs rushed over the crowd. Several people cast Roselia disapproving glares. "Some'ne really oughta tell Roselia what 'team' means," Excadrill snickered. She cast him a cold glare before looking back to Leavanny.
"Wait, are you the Leavanny I commissioned scarves from?" Roselia realized. If she was coming from outside of town, she may have wandered into the newly-born mystery dungeon unwittingly. Maybe lost something important? Certainly not the scarves, she hoped.
"Y-yes. You are Roselia? I have your scarves right here..." she reached for a package strapped to her side and then paused and shook her head. "But that doesn't matter right now! The fields, th-they started moving and twisting... Like a dungeon! I blacked out, and when I woke up I was outside of town and Sewaddle was gone! My little boy vanished right off my back!" she cried out.
"Please ma'am, remain calm!" Roselia puffed out her chest. "As guildmaster of the Rosethorn Delvers Guild, I will go and rescue your son from this dungeon!"
A wave of gasps and murmurs overtook the crowd.
"Guild?" Excadrill howled with laughter. "You really have been sniffing your own flowers too much."
"Yeah? Well a guild has to start somewhere!" Roselia shot back, trying to stop blushing. "And this will be our first official mission."
"And who is 'we' in this situation?" Sawk's solemn voice called from the back. The question held no malice, but it still made her cringe.
"Well, I'm starting recruitment now…" she murmured. She cast her eyes back to Leavanny, whose face was dripping with pessimism. Roselia needed this job. She would show them all just how capable of a dungeon-delver she was.
"Please ma'am, " Roselia said, putting on a professional tone all-too-late. "If you'd escort me to where you woke up I can enter into the dungeon and retrieve your son for you."
Leavanny winced a bit and looked out over the crowd praying for any other volunteers.
"Taaaaaloooooonflaaaaaameeeee caaaaaaan seeeend a reeeequeeeessst toooo the Jaaaaadeeee Creeeest foooor yooooouu," Quagsire suggested.
Leavany shook her head. Even with a Talonflame for a messenger, it would still take days for a delving team to arrive. She couldn't leave her baby in a dungeon for that long. Desperately, she looked back to Roselia and nodded. "Please come quickly," she pleaded.
A smug grin on her face, Roselia strutted proudly after her out of the cafe.
Rolling Fields Entrance
The fields had become a mystery dungeon all right. What had once been a long stretch of hilly plains had now been replaced by towering plateaus and the road led directly into a single, inviting chasm between them.
"And this mystery dungeon appeared on you?" Roselia questioned.
"I- I think so. We were just walking through the fields when they started moving and changing. Forming into... this, I guess? Something knocked me out. But I wasn't in it when I woke up! Sewaddle was with me the whole time... he must have ended up inside somehow," she tugged at her leafy collar nervously.
"No need to be so scared, ma'am. I'm a professional. I'll be back out with Sewaddle in no time," Roselia reassured her. "Please remain here."
Leavanny started to protest, but stopped and hung her head in defeat. She would have to trust in this smug Roselia, in spite of the doubt everyone had voiced. Maybe she should go back and find that Talonflame. If Cling heard what had happened, his team would travel day and night to get here. Sewaddle wouldn't have to wait too long.
Roselia marched proudly into the chasm and watched as the walls rapidly shifted around her, forming a more complex network of tunnels. She glanced back to confirm that the path out had sealed behind her.
This would be easy. It had to be if she was to be a guildmaster.
Rolling Fields Quadrant 4
Okay, this was some kind of sick joke. It had been over an hour at this point. Or at least, it felt like it. The sun wasn't actually moving in the sky.
The lizard had been running through endless chasms avoiding strange lumbering zombies the entire time. It had been frustrating when it was just him, but at least he could move pretty quick. Now that he had a slow and bumbling literal infant in tow, it was downright nightmarish.
"Kid, I don't know how to soften this anymore. Move faster or we're both gonna die!" the lizard yelled out as the bug desperately inched towards him blubbering all the while. One of the strange shrub-zombies was trailing behind them, accompanied by a beaver-thing with the same terrifying eyes.
The path branched, and he darted down the new path and paused for the kid to catch up. Up ahead something shiny and new caught his eye. A silvery metal archway hung over the chasm up ahead, sparkling like a gemstone in the sunlight. Thin rods of metal curled around each other and fanned out in a whimsical manner. At this point, he was just relieved to see anything new. Any small hope for an end to this nightmare.
The bug finally crawled up next to the lizard, his movements even slower than before. He was tired. They both were.
But they couldn't rest now. The zombies were growing closer. Still staring unflinchingly as they marched towards the duo at a tauntingly slow pace.
The lizard groaned and picked up the toddler under one arm. He wasn't actually that much bigger than the kid, and running on three legs was even more awkward than two. But he needed to gain some ground before the kid collapsed.
Awkward and off balance, he bounded towards the archway with the squirming child in tow. He dove straight through it and into the hallway beyond. As soon as he passed through, the walls began to shift. The entire labyrinth reconfigured itself around him until he found himself staring into a completely new pit, with no hallway behind him. The pit was of a moderate size, and a single large tree curved out of the base of the far wall, twisting upright as it went.
And in the room with them, standing between them and the only path ahead, were two of the shrub-zombies.
He hated himself for the first thought that flashed through his head: ditch the kid and run. With their slow speed a small moment of distraction would be all he needed to get away. But he'd never be able to forget it if he did.
They were going to have to fight. He looked at his tiny fist, doubtful that it could do much harm to the bulbous creature.
Before he could form a plan, the child shrieked and spat out a long line of white webbing at one of the zombies. The shrub ended up tangled in a sticky-looking string. The other one didn't react and crouched in preparation to pounce.
Right, weird powers. He desperately tried to remember how he had triggered the shock in his claw earlier.
The shrub pounced, turning around in the air and cutting at him with sharpened leaves. He scrambled back, receiving a narrow cut across his flank that sealed up quickly.
"Mithta!" the baby whimpered out, continuing to fire string at his own opponent while nervously backing away.
The lizard backpedaled away. Well, this was it. After all of this running, he'd have to face it.
Meanwhile the other one was slowly gaining on the now-cornered infant, struggling through the webs. The infant curled up and started to cry.
The lizard shifted forward suddenly, intending to leap towards his assailant and punch them. He closed the gap in a single instant and slammed right into them with his shoulder, sending them tumbling back.
There was no time to question what the hell had just happened. The other one was looming over the sniveling child. He leapt towards it and again closed the gap with alarming speed and slammed into it. It flew backwards into the wall.
They had an opening to run now, but the child was completely incapacitated weeping now. He'd have to fight until they were dead.
Begrudgingly he leapt towards the one he'd just knocked over and started raking into it with his claws. The creature's face melted, leaving goo on his claws as he furiously dug at it. After several feral swipes it went limp. For once he was grateful the monsters were emotionless. He had no idea how he'd react if it was howling in pain as he clawed it to death.
Suddenly a stinging pain cut across his back. He spun to see the other zombie right in front of him, blood dripping from its leaves. Driven by rage, he did the only thing he knew how and slammed into it again. Not waiting for it to get up, he lunged once more and closed an even greater gap in another instant. The zombie went tumbling even further, and then melted away into an inky puddle. The gooey remains sept into the floor after a few seconds.
Then there was quiet. Just the faint stirring of the wind. The light sniffling of the infant. And he could swear he heard the sound of distant clapping.
He wandered over to the tree and collapsed against it where it extended from the wall. He let out a laugh. Then another, and another. Soon he was rolling in hysterics. The infant had stopped crying and crawled over to him with tears still dripping from his eyes.
"Mithta...?" he asked nervously.
"That was... that was so easy," he choked out between laughs. "We've been running from those things all day. I finally turn around and just... hit them. And they went down so easily! Whew! My heart is pounding, and I'm tired as all hell but... I feel like an idiot."
"Ibiot..." the infant repeated. Then he forced a nervous laugh too.
The lizard glanced around the pit. They seemed to be in an entirely new part of the maze. Was this progress, or were they simply shunted somewhere else?
It was becoming increasingly clear to him that this place did have rules. If it was just a death trap, why would the monsters be so weak? He could definitely figure the rules out if he just took everything at face value.
"You doing okay kid? We can't stop now. Look, they had us cornered and we're both fine. So we know now that nothing bad is gonna happen, alright?"
The infant nodded. The lizard was lucky this kid hadn't gone totally comatose on him with everything going on. He was a bit of a liability, but it could be much worse.
Now that he was starting to get a grasp on some of the rules, he was confident they could survive in here. Now it was time to really move forward.
Rolling Fields Quadrant 6
Roselia pushed into the new quadrant a bit worse for wear. Two Bidoof apparitions and an Oddish had all jumped her at once before the gate. She'd been in such a rush to prove herself to the townsfolk that she had forgotten to bring equipment.
Still, she was a guildmaster now. She wasn't going to be hampered by such weak apparitions, gear or no gear. She plucked a glowing Oran berry from a vine that extended out of the wall and chomped down on it. She could live off of the land just fine.
She soldiered on down the first corridor she saw. It was impossible to know for sure how long this dungeon was since she was the first one to explore it. That gave her a big grin. Her first day as official guildmaster and she was already recording a brand new dungeon! Of course, it was just luck. But it was promising foreshadowing for her very bright future!
And based on how weak the apparitions were, this didn't seem to be a particularly dangerous dungeon. It would almost certainly let out soon. She just needed to be careful not to miss the child.
She held her flowery hand forward, and roots shot out to grasp around the approaching Bidoof apparition. They dug into its false flesh and sucked out nutrients as the fake Pokémon melted away.
Really, why was everyone against her? She could see it in their eyes. Maybe they just didn't want a guild. They were all so worried about protecting their "way of life". They wanted a quiet village, without the noise and struggles of delving teams coming in and out. But it's not like crises just wouldn't happen if they were unprepared.
But it was more than that, wasn't it? After all, they had no problems calling for guild help when they needed it. Even though it meant calling on those pesky outsiders.
No, it was her they had an issue with.
Roselia paused her thoughts to focus on the Starly approaching. Birds were pesky. But it would be shameful if a simple type weakness were all it took for her to fall to an apparition. She'd learned that lesson harshly.
Readying her aim, she forced a few new thorns to grow in her rosebud and channeled her natural toxins into them. Then she ejected them, firing her poisoned shrapnel towards the unwitting bird. It hit the ground still moving, then succumbed to the poison just a second later.
Pitiful. This dungeon was beneath her, but everyone had to start somewhere.
Yes, it was definitely personal to the townsfolk. Sure, she had moved quite quick with this plan. And maybe a few of her prior escapades had been whiffs. But no one had ever become a professional without some failures. It's not like any of them were out here delving, so what right did they have to judge?
They'd never understand unless she showed them. Once she brought all the eyes of Trespis onto Tranquil Knoll, and endowed the townsfolk with all the gifts of delving, then they'd all be thanking her.
Roselia finally saw the archway ahead that signified the quadrant boundary. The last one, she hoped.
She passed through and the world restructured itself around her. She was staring down a pathway into a single large chamber. She caught sight of Sewaddle through the gap, and smiled widely. An easy mission success, as expected.
But then she saw that someone else was with him. A Helioptile? Here? He had an Oran berry clutched in one paw, and a wand in the other. Dread overtook her as she realized what was happening. Somehow another delver had overtaken her. Someone else was rescuing Sewaddle before her.
All of her good fortune drained away before her eyes. She broke into a run towards the chamber. As she did, her vision of the huge, uneven pit widened. She froze in the entryway as she realized just what she had stumbled into.
Helioptile was crouched on three claws, the final one holding the wand at the ready. Sewaddle was backed up beside him, looking utterly terrified. A flock of Starly apparitions were surrounding the two, a fierce looking Staravia at their head.
This amateur explorer was going to get both of them wiped out.