Chapter 22
Yimtri
At dawn the next morning, after getting a decent breakfast, the team made their way to Len's office with their supplies. All of them were wide awake and feeling the rush of excitement. Today they were going to go on a special mission: they were on a retrieval request to the Dusk Mines Fellowship. While Terron was still reluctant to go, Zekra and Syn were quite eager. They rambled on about what the place looked like as they walked, coming up with things such as it having ghosts transport you around or that the entire mine was decorated in precious gems. Their guesses never seemed to cease.
When the team got to the office, they found Éclair in the room rather than Len. The four gave her odd looks. Terron and Zekra hadn't seen her for quite some time, and Syn and Impetus had never really met her before. In fact, the only leaders those two met were Len, Emdox, Jade, Vantis, Ragnor, and Garter.
"Who are you?" Syn asked.
"I'm Éclair," the Ninetales replied. "I'm a member of Team Valor, one of your superiors. I'm the one who's taking Len's usual responsibility due to the fact that he has an errand to run. He should be back in a couple hours, however, if you wish to see him."
"We don't need to see Len specifically. Just one of you leaders," Syn said. "But, I get who you are now. I've just never seen you before. Nice to meet you, Éclair. "
"Thank you," Éclair smiled before she looked at Terron and Zekra. "I see you two have gained more members last time I checked on you two. I'm glad to see your numbers are increasing. Your team is surely growing stronger. Might I know the names of your new members? I haven't bothered to check your records and see for myself."
"Well, I'm Syn," the Snivy said with a smile.
"I see," the Ninetales said. "And what about you, Mienfoo?"
"I'm called Impetus," the Mienfoo answered simply. "At least, that's what I've been called since I came here. Before, I had no name. I was me. No one called me anything."
Éclair wasn't sure what to say. She blinked, thinking of a proper reaction.
"Impetus is a feral," Terron explained. "She sees things differently than other Pokémon, which is why she says odd things."
"I thought her speech reminded me of Jade before she became civil," Éclair remarked. "I see. Well then, I understand. I'm pleased to meet you, Impetus. I apologize for not understanding your explanation."
Impetus slowly nodded.
"Anyway, we came here because we're taking the Dusk Mines mission where we go pick up the evolution stones," Zekra said, trying to get everyone off Impetus's subject. "You guys are supposed to give us some special transportation, right?"
"Yes, we are," Éclair replied. "Give me a moment to retrieve your flight escort. Please wait here."
The Ninetales went out the room and went off wandering somewhere. The four waited patiently, not saying a word. Impetus and Syn looked around at the new room in their curiosity, but they remained rooted to their original spot as they did so.
After some time passed, Éclair finally came back with another Pokémon that the team was quick to recognize.
"Vantis?" Terron asked. "You're going to take us to Dusk Mines? Didn't you just get back from a trip?"
The Flygon flew toward Terron and stopped right in front of him. He hovered a foot off the ground despite not flapping his wings. It was at this moment that Terron saw the Flygon was wearing a red scarf around his neck. It matched the shade of his eye lens. The Cubone wasn't sure if Vantis had been wearing that last night, but he was noticing it now due to how close the Flygon was to him.
"Well, I don't need that much time to recover! I'm in top-shape!" Vantis said eagerly. "Also, Dusk Mines is about roughly two thousand miles away! You need to a quick flyer when it's that far away! I'm the fastest flyer in this entire Fellowship! Well, ours anyway. I know there's some other Fellowship that have Salamence, and they're pretty fast."
"Let us not forget the Oracion Village Fellowship, which has quite a few Dragonite," Éclair added. "They're the fastest of all Pokémon."
"That's a lie!" Vantis cried. "I'm much faster than those dragons! I've beaten them at races so many times!"
"Well, perhaps I should rephrase my statement," Éclair said with a huff. "Dragonite are the quickest of all Pokémon when it comes to endurance. Sure, you can outfly them if you fly a short distance, but the Dragonite can still travel farther than you could in a single day. While they could reach Oracion Village in a matter of sixteen hours, it would take you two days due to all the rest stops you must take along the journey. A Dragonite does not need much rest when it flies. It's why they're so valuable."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Vantis said carelessly. "Overrate the Dragonite just like everyone else. Tch, never hear the end of them whenever Pokémon talk about dragons."
Vantis looked back at the group.
"Alright, well if you kiddies are ready, let's get going," the Flygon said enthusiastically. "We should be able to make it there a little before evening if we leave now. We'll have to spend the night there, but hey, that's okay. They don't mind us."
Terron's eyes grew.
"We have to stay with them for an entire night?" Terron asked, dread filling his being.
"Well yeah," Vantis replied. "I mean, I've gotta rest after all that flying. And it's not safe to fly at night since I can't see where I'm going. So yeah, we've gotta stay there. But, they won't mind. I mean, I was just there a month ago. The place is pretty cool in my opinion. Sure, the place is… odd, but it's still a hospitable place. Why so worried?"
"Terron's scared of the place," Zekra blurted. "Don't know why, though."
The Cubone gave Zekra a sharp glare, but she wasn't bothered.
"Oh Terron," Vantis chuckled. "It's not so bad. There's no need to be scared."
The Flygon pat Terron on the head with a clawed hand. Terron's brain became rattled upon having somebody tap on his helmet. He swatted away Vantis's hand.
"Well, I'll be waiting outside," Vantis said. "Don't keep me waiting too long!"
The Flygon instantly flew out the door, leaving the four with Éclair.
"I recommend you meet up with him right away," Éclair said. "He's right about needing to fly there now to make it before the sun completely sets. Then also, he can be rather impatient. When he wants you to meet up with him, he wants you to do it within five minutes. Otherwise, he'll come looking for you and harass you."
"Okay, we'll get going then," Zekra said with a nod. "See you around!"
The team left the room and made their way down the long stairs. As they walked, they made sure they had all the supplies they needed. The team didn't really think they'd need supplies since they weren't going into a dungeon, but they figured to bring items just in case something went wrong and brought food to eat as they flew.
When the four stepped outside, they found Vantis standing by the exit. As soon as he saw them, he got on all fours so that the team could climb onto his back. He smiled at the group as he got his wings out of the way.
"You guys ever flown on a dragon before?" Vantis asked.
"No, not really," Zekra replied. "We've used Drifblim, but not Flygon. You sure you can carry all of us?"
"Why yes I can!" Vantis said. "And if not, well I can always hold one of you in my arms. I've had to do that a couple of times, so it's not a big deal."
"Well alright then," Zekra said with a nod. "Let's get going!"
She got onto the Flygon's back and wrapped her paws around his neck. Syn quickly followed behind her and found a comfortable spot near the base of Vantis's tail. He wrapped his vines around the base of the dragon's wings, looking content and quite excited about flying.
"We aren't going to fly off?" Impetus asked.
"No, you're not," Vantis assured. "Just as long as you hold on tight, you'll be fine. And if you fall, well I can catch you. It's not that hard."
"I don't want to fly, but because the others will, I suppose I have no choice," Impetus stated with a frown. "What is the safest place to sit on?"
"Anywhere," Vantis answered. "No matter where you sit, you'll always be safe and have a fun time!"
Impetus didn't look very thrilled when she heard this, but nonetheless, she climbed onto the Flygon's back and sat between Zekra and Syn. Now, all that was left was for Terron to get on. But the Cubone remained where he was. He wasn't moving at all.
Terron was terrified of getting on that Flygon. He had flown several times by Drifblim, but the Cubone knew flying on Vantis would be an entirely different experience. He had seen how quickly Vantis flew around. He'd no doubt fly off the dragon, despite how much Vantis would try to deny that. Plus, he had a suspicion that he'd be flying up much higher than the Drifblim ever did. He wouldn't be surprised if they even flew higher than the clouds.
Besides, he still didn't want to go to Dusk Mines. He didn't want to know what that place had in store for him. He didn't want to see their leader…
Vantis noticed Terron's reluctance and was very quick to pinpoint the reason.
"Come on, Terron," Vantis urged. "Flying isn't so bad with me. I know being a ground-type makes you all acrophobic, but trust me; there's nothing to worry about. I mean, look at me! I'm a ground-type and I fly all the time!"
"But you're part dragon!" Terron stated. "Of course you don't feel scared!"
"Well true, but I still hated to fly when I first got the power to fly," Vantis said solemnly. "It took me a while to get comfortable with flying when I was so used to staying on land. I used to always walk around rather than fly since I dreaded doing it. But hey, you get out of it once you start flying around and feel that awesome feeling of soaring through the air!"
Terron didn't say anything. He remained standing, overwhelmed by fear. Vantis let out a sigh as he slowly rose into the air, despite not flapping his wings. Zekra and Syn grinned eagerly at the anticipation of flying while Impetus kept her calm composure. The Flygon stared at Terron for a while, as if waiting for the Cubone to change his mind and come along with the team. Yet, Terron found he couldn't do so.
"You know… I really hate doing this…" Vantis started to say.
Without warning, Vantis landed back on the ground and grabbed Terron from behind with his claws. Terron screamed and squirmed around in the Flygon's grasp, realizing what was about to happen.
"… but we really need to get going," Vantis said. "Take off time, kiddies!"
Before Terron could say anything, the Flygon pushed off against the dirt and sped into the air. Terron watched in horror as Aurora Town faded before his eyes, quickly becoming nothing but a blur of colors. He felt his stomach become twisted into a knot as a sickly feeling came over him. He could hear his teammates screaming in joy at the intense speed, but Terron sure didn't feel the same way. He could feel tears streaming out of his eyes before they disappeared into the wind.
Terron shut his eyes as Vantis continued to gain altitude. While Vantis had a rather tight grip around the Cubone, Terron still felt he would get blown out of the Flygon's arms. He wanted to hold onto the Flygon somehow, but there wasn't much he could in his situation. All Terron could do was pray that the Flygon would keep him safe. He held the bones in his hands tightly as he waited for the flight to end.
After what felt like forever, Terron stopped feeling the heavy winds that threatened to send him spiraling to his doom. There was no longer a vacuum pulling him back toward the land. And yet, Terron didn't feel anything beneath his feet. He was still in Vantis's grasp.
Reluctantly, Terron opened his eyes to figure out what was going on. What he saw was the view of an entire canyon. He could see the large crevices within the barren land, where a river flowed far below. Confused, he looked around and was quick to find that Vantis was standing right at the edge of a cliff. He was taking in the view, smiling peacefully.
When the dragon noticed Terron with his eyes open, his smile seemed to widen.
"It's a nice view, isn't it?" Vantis then asked.
Terron scowled. He really wanted to smack the Flygon with a bone right now, but he held back the urge. Instead, he expressed his thoughts vocally.
"Why did you have to do that?!" Terron cried. "Flying was terrifying! Especially since you did it so suddenly!"
"Well you weren't going to come by choice," Vantis shrugged. "What can I say?"
Terron let out a groan of frustration. Zekra, Syn, and Impetus peered over Vantis's side to look at Terron. They all were much less of a wreck than Terron.
"You look awful," Impetus said simply. "I recommend you relax. We still have many hours of flight left. If you want to make the experience as painless as possible, you need to get over your fear."
"I thought you hated flying," Terron said in disbelief. "Why do you sound so satisfied with being in the air now? You hated it whenever you went with the Drifblim!"
"Because I don't like the way they carry me," Impetus explained. "I don't like their arms. Here, it's my choice of how I wish to be carried. Flying on the back is more comfortable."
Terron rolled his eyes at her comment. He looked back at Vantis, who was still staring at the Cubone.
"Why are we stopping anyway?" Terron asked. "And how long have we been flying?"
"Oh, about an hour," Vantis replied. "I just needed to reach a certain altitude is all, and then I flew a little bit north. We should have covered a decent amount of miles. Now we're just taking a little break since I need to do these every so often. We're on some place called Desolate Canyon."
Terron took in a deep breath as he tried to calm his racing heart. He was on land now. There was no need for him to panic anymore.
As Terron eased his fears, he once again noticed Vantis's scarf. It was a nice scarf, clearly in good condition, but he hadn't seen this kind of scarf before. Staring at it only got him more curious about what it was.
"What kind of scarf is that?" Terron asked.
"Oh, it's a detect band," Vantis answered. "Helps make sure I can dodge moves better. Very useful for battle."
"I see," Terron said with a nod. "Just wondering since I haven't seen those before."
"I've heard they're hard to find sometimes, so that's understandable," Vantis shrugged.
The five remained on the top of the mountain for a while, breathing in the calming air. Terron attempted to get back on the ground, but Vantis wouldn't let him. The Cubone figured it was because Vantis thought he'd try to escape, but Terron saw no point in that since he was miles away from home. In fact, he didn't think he could get home from where he was. None of the landmarks looked remotely familiar.
After resting for thirty minutes, Terron felt Vantis lift off the ground. He started to feel tense once more, but then he noticed something about the Flygon; Vantis wasn't flapping his wings. They remained stationary and spread out the way they normally were. Yet, the dragon slowly rose higher into the air, completely defying gravity. This got Terron's mind off his terrors.
"How are you flying when you aren't using your wings?" Terron asked.
Vantis chuckled at the comment as he started gaining speed. His ascension speed began to increase as he flew toward the clouds, but Terron paid no attention to that.
"Well that's simple to answer," the Flygon replied. "You see, I don't really need to flap my wings to fly. No dragon really has to. It's a magical part of being a dragon; you don't need the wings to fly. We just use some kind of weird power inside of us. The wings are just used for steering, or if you're me, they're also good for kicking up sandstorms. You wouldn't want my wings to flap if you were flying with me anyway. They beat about as fast as Scyther wings whenever those bugs fly. You might get cut up if you got caught in them!"
He laughed some more, though none of the other Pokémon laughed. They found the comment to be either odd or really disturbing.
"So that's why Rayquaza can fly even though he has no wings," Impetus said, more curious than anything else. "I've seen pictures of him, and I always thought he was depicted in the wrong way. Because he didn't have wings."
"Precisely," Vantis replied. "Now, you kids ready to fly again? Well, high-speed flying anyway."
"Yeah!" Syn and Zekra cried eagerly.
"No!" Terron cried instead.
"Meh, fly," was Impetus's reaction.
"Alright, I've got two yes answers, one whatever answer, and a single no," Vantis reported. "Yes wins this question! Sorry Terron; you'll just have to go along with this. Just try to chill and everything will be fine. And keep your eyes open; closing them makes things a lot worse."
Terron frowned, but he knew he couldn't argue. Besides, where would they go if they didn't fly away from here? Terron didn't see any cities from the mountain top.
Vantis flew forward, zipping by the scenery. They flew a bit lower in the air than Terron expected, but it was still quite high compared to what the Drifblim did. They were flying through the clouds, where occasionally, the Cubone could see pieces of Shiron wherever there was a gap in the endless blanket of white. The land was so very far away…
Terron fought hard against his instincts, which insisted on keeping his eyes downward. He used all his willpower to keep them looking forward into the never-ending sight of blue sky. As the vacuum of wind pinned him into Vantis's chest, Terron attempted to relax. He had to learn to enjoy this flight as Impetus said. Otherwise, the next few hours were going to be agonizing.
The Cubone took in a couple of deep breaths, taking in the cold air.
"HI TERRON!" a loud voice called from behind.
Terron turned his head the best he could so he could see who was calling him. The wind made doing this a bit difficult, but he managed to do it with some effort. Behind him, latched onto the end of Vantis's tail with his vines and arms, was Syn. Despite how horrified Terron was, the Snivy appeared to be smiling as he clung to the tail.
"SYN! HOW DID YOU GET BACK THERE?!" Terron cried.
"OH, I JUST FELL!" Syn answered, sounding as happy as ever. "IT'S PRETTY FUN! YOU SHOULD TRY IT! IT GETS YOUR MIND OFF EVERYTHING WHEN YOU'RE BACK HERE!"
Terron didn't know what to say. He could only stare at the Snivy in disbelief. How was it possible to enjoy flying like that? Didn't Syn realize he could fall off at any time?
"YEAH TERRON, YOU'LL LIKE IT!" Vantis then said. "IT'S THE PERFECT WAY TO GET YOU OVER YOUR FEAR!"
Terron's eyes grew in horror. Before he could do anything, Vantis tossed the Cubone into the air. With careful timing, Vantis made the Cubone land in the middle of his tail. Terron quickly hugged the tail for dear life as the wind became even stronger. He could feel it pushing him off his ride, but Terron did everything he could to resist.
"I HATE YOU, VANTIS!" Terron cried.
Terron felt himself sliding backwards into Syn. He tried to tighten his grip, but fighting against the wind proved to be futile. He and Syn were slowly pushed back and were very close to slipping off the tail.
And then they did fall off. Syn still had his vines attached to the tail, so he thankfully didn't plummet to his death. Terron on the other hand, had no such extra support. He was forced to grab onto Syn's hand to prevent himself from plummeting down below.
"VANTIS!" Terron cried desperately.
"FINE! BOTH OF YOU LET GO!" Vantis replied.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?!" Terron screamed.
"NO! JUST TRUST ME!" Vantis said in agitation.
"I DON'T TRUST YOU!" Terron quickly shouted.
"WELL I'M GOING TO LET GO ANYWAY SINCE I TRUST HIM!" Syn stated. "WE'LL BE FINE!"
"SYN, IF YOU LET GO, I'M GOING TO-"
It was too late. The Snivy had already released his hold and the two rapidly descended from the sky. Terron quickly put a hand over his helmet to keep it from flying off his head. He kept his grip on Syn with his other hand, despite knowing this wasn't going to solve anything.
This felt so much like falling off Diamond Dust Mountain's cliff. Terron could only watch as Shiron became closer and closer, hyperventilating in the process.
THUMP!
Suddenly, Terron and Syn were sitting on Vantis's back. The Flygon had swooped down right after they dropped from his tail and maneuvered himself to make them land along his back. Though Syn was quick to recover from the experience, Terron still looked like he was about to faint. His body was shaking and he took quick, raspy breaths every time he breathed.
Vantis once again went back on the proper trail, laughing.
"ENJOY 'FLYING'?" Vantis asked Terron.
"NO!" Terron shouted, on the verge of tears. "NEVER DO THAT AGAIN OR I'M GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK!"
"HEH, YEAH YEAH, OKAY," Vantis laughed. "I'LL STOP MESSING WITH YOU FOR THE REST OF THE FLIGHT!"
"YOU BETTER!" Terron said fiercely.
After many hours of tolerating the long flight and stopping at a few locations along the way, the group finally arrived at their destination. Vantis gently landed upon the soil and bent down so that his passengers could get off with ease. Terron was the very first to jump off the dragon's back. He landed onto the dry dirt, feeling such an intense emotion from being reunited with the land. No matter how many times the group made rest stops, Terron was always so happy to be back on the ground. He relished in the feeling as his other teammates landed behind him, stretching out their muscles.
Terron was so occupied with enjoying the feel of dirt under his feet, that he didn't notice anything around him. It seemed he was in his own little world.
"Ohhhhh… visitors," a new, eerie voice suddenly said. "And from the west Fellowship…"
Terron immediately came back to reality and finally noticed a Duskull floating a few inches away from his face. It stared at him, its one glowing eye switching back and forth between its eye sockets. Terron fell backwards at the sudden appearance, and for a split second, he thought he was seeing the Plagued One that had been staring at him this very same way.
It was at this moment that Terron finally noticed what was behind the Duskull: Dusk Mines. This was the Dusk Mines Fellowship. He was at the place he least wanted to visit.
Dusk Mines was built into the side of a large mountain. Such a mountain reached high into the sky, casting its shadow over Terron. Even in the light of the disappearing sun, the mine and mountain still had an ominous vibe to it.
It didn't help that the very entrance to the mine was not a simple hole or a tunnel supported by planks of wood . Instead, the entry into this Fellowship was what looked like a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth. There were no "teeth" at the bottom of the entrance, but Terron wasn't sure if that made things any better. Floating high above the entrance were two Shuppet, acting as a watchers to make sure no one snuck into the Fellowship. They eyed Terron with mischievous grins on their faces.
"Oh, hi Rip," Vantis said to the Duskull. "It's been a while since I've seen you."
Rip brought its attention to the Flygon before wandering over to him. It smiled before circling around his head continuously.
"Ah, it's Vantis," Rip said pleasantly. "Welcome back to our Fellowship. What are you doing here once more? Not many creatures want to visit here very often…"
"Well, I was escorting these kids here since they need to get some evolution stones from you guys," Vantis explained, trying to keep an eye on the Duskull as he moved. "Our Fellowship is kinda running out of those things, and we really need them for bribing material."
"Ah, running out already," Rip chuckled. "It's only been a month since we gave you ten of our precious stones. Well, it's a good thing for you that we have such an amount of them. Come then. Let me take you to my liege."
The Duskull drifted toward the entrance and disappeared inside. Vantis followed behind him, quickly followed by Team Vendetta. Terron was very reluctant to go inside the place, but he didn't want to be left out here alone with those Shuppet. At least he could be with his friends if he went inside. That alone was good enough of a motivation to enter Dusk Mines.
Upon entering the mine, Terron found himself wandering through a dark tunnel. He could barely see anything. There were no torches or candles, much unlike Aurora Town's Fellowship. The only sources of light were various jewels plastered into the walls, all shining dimly somehow. They were very much like stars in the night sky.
Though Terron's eyes eventually adjusted to the poor lighting, he still kept his sights on the glowing Duskull eye. As long as he kept an eye on that occasionally, he'd end up in the right place.
As the group wandered down the tunnel, they saw many other Pokémon wandering through the other passageways, despite it being near evening. There were many types of Pokémon here, proving to Terron that this Fellowship wasn't selective with their members. Though, there were quite a few more ghost and dark-types here than he had ever seen at the other Fellowship. There seemed to be at least three dark and ghost-type to every non-dark and non-ghost type.
Yet, despite the members being just like any other Fellowship member, the ones here seemed to have a different look to them. All of them, even the ones whose species were perceived as cheerful, had these strange looks on their faces. They were the looks Zekra sometimes wore whenever she was about to kill a living creature. It wasn't necessarily pure bloodlust, but some kind of eerie excitement. Terron thought it was bad enough seeing it on Zekra occasionally, but seeing it on everybody around him was unnerving.
Terron looked at the others to see how they were reacting. Vantis was making small talk with Rip. Zekra was looking around with bright eyes, apparently fascinated by the design of the Fellowship. Syn glanced at his surroundings at well, though he was a lot less thrilled about the place. Clearly the place didn't suit his likes. Then Impetus was simply looking ahead, not paying attention to the details of the place.
As they walked, Terron continued to feel the eerie vibes he felt when he first saw Dusk Mines. While it seemed to lessen the more he walked through this Fellowship, it was still very noticeable. It followed him no matter where he went, keeping his heart filled with dread at all times. Sometimes, it would even make him hear things that weren't really there.
After traversing through a series of tunnels that all seemed to be exactly the same, the team and Vantis finally arrived at a metal door. Standing guard in front of the door were three Houndoom. Upon seeing the group, the three turned their heads to Rip.
"Who are they?" one of the Houndoom growled. "I recognize the Flygon, but what of the children?"
"They're members of the Aurora Town Fellowship," Rip said. "Interesting, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," the same Houndoom replied. "Children… haven't seen children in such a long time. What business do they have here?"
"They want to get more of our evolving stones," Rip answered. "They need to see our liege for that."
The Houndoom looked at the children and glared at them suspiciously.
"Show us your Fellowship marks, then we shall let you through," a different Houndoom ordered.
The four held out their paws to show the marks. The guards studied them for a moment before stepping away from the door. Rip smiled as he grabbed onto Terron and flew straight for the still closed door.
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?!" Terron cried as they neared the door. "We're going to crash!"
"Oh no, you won't," Rip assured. "You're with me now. You can go through anything when you're with me."
Before the Cubone could ask what he meant, the two made contact with the metal. But, rather than bang his head, the two went directly into the door. Terron's head throbbed as a chill overcame him. He couldn't breathe as everything disappeared and literally nothing manifested before his eyes. The only thing he knew was that Rip was still holding him, and the cold was overwhelming his senses. He couldn't think or move.
Just as Terron thought he was going to scream, he was suddenly dropped to the ground. His weapons tumbled out of his hands thanks to how stiff they were. Terron coughed as he slowly got his bones back and stood up. He shivered uncontrollably, still feeling the cold throughout his being.
As Terron attempted to recover, he heard someone land behind him. He looked back to find that Zekra was now there, though not nearly as effected as Terron. Not long after she appeared, Rip came through the door once more and dropped off Syn, followed by Impetus and Vantis, where it simply dragged them through the door.
It was then that Terron realized they were now in the room on the other side of the door. He had just fazed through a solid object. Somehow, touching a ghost made him temporarily intangible.
After Terron pondered in this for a moment, he brought his focus to the new room. Unlike the hallways, this room was actually lit by candles scattered all throughout the room. Some hung from the ceiling by a chandelier, while others were mounted onto the walls by candle holders. There were still gems in the cave walls, but the flames offered much more sufficient light and made everything more visible.
An endless supply of books sat neatly in shelves lined against the wall, where stone carvings of strange creatures served as book stoppers. Terron didn't recognize any of the creatures, as none of them appeared to be Pokémon he knew. In the very back of a room were piles of precious gems such as rubies and sapphires. Every jewel in existence sat there, seemingly without reason.
Sitting at a large desk in the middle of the room was a Sableye, staring at the five with an amused grin. All of his jagged teeth were very visible in that smile. Terron's breath started to shorten upon seeing this Sableye. There was such a terrifying aura around him that filled up the entire room. Every time Terron blinked, he could have sworn that he saw a dark energy spreading out of the Sableye.
"My liege, I have brought you members of the Aurora Town Fellowship and one of the leaders of such," Rip said humbly. "They wish to speak to you regarding certain business. I hope we aren't bothering you."
"No no, I'm not doing anything important," the Sableye assured. "Thank you, Rip. You may go, if you please."
"Thank you, my liege," the Duskull said.
Rip gave a small bow before disappearing through the door once more. Now, the group was stuck with this Sableye by themselves. Terron quietly backed up against the door and tried to see if there was a way to get out. Unfortunately, the door didn't open or close. There was no lock or doorknob. It was just an immovable block of metal. There was no way Terron could get out of here without that Sableye's help since he was half-ghost, or if another ghost came. Terron doubted another ghost would come, however, and he really didn't want the Sableye coming near him. Just looking at his jeweled, glowing eyes was disturbing enough.
The Sableye got out of his seat and came over to the group. He wasn't very tall despite what Terron thought, and stood at about the Cubone's height. Tied around his neck was a tattered black cape, which only barely stayed off the ground. Terron wasn't really sure why a Sableye would have a cape of all things, but he was too scared to ask.
The Sableye bowed to the five.
"Welcome to the Dusk Mines Fellowship," the Sableye greeted. "I am Yimtri, leader of this Fellowship. What are your names?"
"I'm Zekra," Zekra said cheerfully. "And these are my friends: Syn, Impetus, and Terron."
"And you know me already," Vantis said with a smile. "I was just here last month."
"Yes, you're one of the west Fellowship's leaders," Yimtri said with a nod. "I thought you looked familiar. Good to see you again."
The Sableye glanced over at Team Vendetta before making his way toward them. He stopped before them with that creepy smile still on his face.
"What brings you here, thousands of miles away from your Fellowship?" Yimtri asked. "What have you come to ask me? I know you haven't come just to visit me."
He chuckled at the comment. Zekra also laughed at the remark before giving her answer.
"Well, our Fellowship needs your evolution stones," Zekra explained. "I guess we're running out, and for some reason, you guys have a lot. Soooo we're here to pick them up and take them back to our place."
"Asking for our stones as usual," Yimtri said simply. "I should have suspected as much. That seems to be the only reason your members visit us… and to bring us the criminals who lie to you."
"If I may ask, how do you guys have so many evolution stones?" Zekra asked curiously. "I mean, aren't there a shortage of them?"
"So you know. Very good," Yimtri cooed. "You're very informed. Well, let me tell you then, since you're so curious. You see, shortly after my members and I built this very Fellowship, we discovered a Mystery Dungeon filled with the precious evolving stones. The very place seemed to produce the stones, never ceasing in their creation. We don't know how such a place formed, but we don't question it. We simply go there and take the stones we need, and make sure no one else except the Fellowships discover its existence. It's a simple process."
The Sableye's smile started to widen.
"In fact, tomorrow morning, you're going to go there to find what you seek," he stated. "You will all collect the stones you need."
Terron's jaw dropped.
"What?!" Terron asked in disbelief. "I thought we were just picking them up from you!"
Yimtri turned his head toward the Cubone. He approached Terron, laughing under his breath.
"Oh, I didn't notice you," Yimtri chuckled. "You were so quiet and far away from the others. If you were a ghost-type, you'd be excellent at spying on others for me."
He stopped in front of Terron. Terron backed up into the door, feeling his heart race. The horrifying aura was starting to suffocate him. He wanted to get out here, but there was no way out.
"Didn't you wonder why the mission was given a hazard level?" Yimtri asked deviously. "Did you really think that receiving evolving stones from me was the entire mission? Why such a high rating for such a simple task? You never asked yourself such questions?"
Terron reluctantly shook his head. The Sableye laughed at his reaction. After the Sableye calmed down a minute later, Yimtri stepped away from Terron to give him his space.
"Your team will go to the dungeon of evolving stones, but I'll be sure to send a few of my followers with you," Yimtri said to Terron.
Terron didn't know how to react. He only stood there, eyes wide.
"Tomorrow, the four of you will go to the dungeon with members of my Fellowship," Yimtri stated. "Vantis, you can choose whether or not you want to come with them. I know you were simply the escort, so I will not force you to come with."
"It's fine," Vantis shrugged. "I might as well go."
"Fine, then the five of you shall go to the Erebus Woods in the morning," Yimtri said. "No exceptions."
Something in Terron's mind clicked upon hearing this.
"Erebus…" he repeated out loud. "Why's it called Erebus Woods?"
"Because the dungeon had no name when we discovered it," Yimtri explained. "So, I gave it a name. I gave it the name of Erebus. Why such an odd question?"
"Erebus… I don't like that name," Terron said quietly. "There's something… sinister about that name."
Yimtri gave Terron a long stare. His smile had completely disappeared. The other members of Team Vendetta stared at Yimtri and Terron strangely, trying to figure out why the Sableye's mood had suddenly changed.
"Terron, Erebus is just a made-up name," Vantis said unsurely. "Just like how my name and Yimtri's name is made up. It's not meant to be sinister; it's just a jumbled up mess of sounds."
"Yes it is," Yimtri said. "Don't be disturbed by my naming techniques, Terron."
The Sableye seemed to ponder in something for a moment.
"I just realized that all of my strongest members will be gone tomorrow," he stated. "I'm afraid they won't be able to escort you into Erebus Woods. So… it seems I'll have to go with you."
Terron tried to say something, but nothing would come out of his mouth. He felt a chill up his spine.
"Yes… I'll have to go," Yimtri said, seeing Terron's terror-stricken face. "Someone who has experience with the dungeon needs to come with your team. My best suited members will not be available, leaving only me as the next best suited. Don't be so frightened of me. I mean no harm."
Yimtri grinned mischievously.
The Cubone still didn't say anything. His voice was frozen, and he found he couldn't reject the idea. His thoughts remained sealed away in his head.
"Alright, I guess that's fine," Zekra shrugged, speaking for Terron. "Plus, it might be kind of cool to go on a mission with a leader. I mean, it wasn't fun with one of our leaders, but it might be fun with you, Yimtri."
"Yes, I'm sure it will," the Sableye chuckled.
Yimtri looked toward the metal block that was the door. He walked toward it before stopping besides Terron.
"Since you're going to stay with us tonight, allow me to show you your rooms," the Sableye said.
Yimtri proceeded to grab Terron by the arm and drag him into the wall. Terron flinched. The second the Sableye touched him, Terron felt a bitter cold come over him. Such an intense amount of dark feelings filled Terron's being, momentarily overflowing the Cubone with a dread far beyond what he felt when he wandered through Dusk Mines. But, before Terron could scream in terror, Yimtri got out the other end of the door and left the Cubone next to his Houndoom guards. He then went to go retrieve everyone else. After everyone had been taken to the main tunnel system, the Sableye led the five to their temporary rooms.
After trekking through the passages, the team finally came to the resting area of the base. Yimtri stopped in front of one of the doors before opening it up, since it actually had a doorknob unlike his office. The six Pokémon stepped inside and took a look around.
Just like the rest of the base, the only light source here was the glowing gemstones. There were no candles to offer additional light. But, what it lacked in light, it made up for in comfort. There were numerous beds beside the walls. They weren't just piles of hay either: they were large cushions with blankets and pillows.
Terron went up to one of the beds before sitting down on it. It felt so comfortable and reminded him of how the beds from his human days were. It might not have looked the same, but it sure felt just as comfy. It felt like he was sitting on Mareep fur. Terron let out a content sigh as he set his bones next to him.
Terron turned his head to suddenly find the Sableye standing right next to him. He was wearing that creepy grin again. The Cubone, out of reaction, attempted to slam his fist into the Sableye's face. As to be expected, his hand went straight through Yimtri's face, leaving him completely unharmed. Terron's hand grew cold from having it inside the Sableye's head. He quickly withdrew his hand and caressed it.
"Typical reaction," Yimtri chuckled. "I never tire of seeing ones backpedal at the sudden sight of me. Anyway, enjoy your stay here with us. Get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."
"Yeah, if that's even possible here…" Terron muttered to himself.
Yimtri and Terron watched as the others went to go claim their own beds. Once they had, they crawled in and got comfortable. They too, seemed very content with the beds. Yimtri started to walk away upon seeing everyone had settled in.
"Yimtri," Terron called.
The Sableye stopped and turned to face the Cubone.
"What is it, Terron?" Yimtri asked.
Terron, though feeling very reluctant, slowly began to speak. He nervously played with the bones in his hands.
"… You say Erebus Woods constantly makes evolution stones, right?" Terron asked.
"Yes, that's right," Yimtri replied. "I believe I mentioned this before."
"But, why do you guys keep it a secret?" Terron then asked. "I mean, if it's making so many stones, you could just let the public know and there wouldn't be a shortage anymore. Everyone can just go to the dungeon and get the stones they need. So… why? Why do you hide that?"
Yimtri paused. He stared at Terron for a while, contemplating in silence. For once, there was a look of uncertainty in his eyes. It was so strange to see reluctance on him after seeing nothing but slightly psychotic expressions. And in just that moment, the horrible aura surrounding the Sableye went away. After he came to an answer, the Sableye approached the Cubone once more and stopped beside him.
"Because Erebus Woods is no ordinary Mystery Dungeon," Yimtri said quietly, as if not wanting the others to hear. "It's crawling with your worst nightmares. There is no light. You will not see anything unless you have fire or an item that brings forth light. The denizens of the dungeon are merciless and are masters of shadows, no matter how weak they may appear. The very plants of the dungeon will kill you if you don't keep an eye out. Everything there is watching you at all times. You are never alone in that dungeon, even if you're stranded from your teammates. But, those aren't the reasons we keep the place a secret. There's a more disturbing reason."
"What… what would that be?" Terron asked, already feeling terrified by the news.
Yimtri gave Terron the reason. Terron was so horrified by the news, that he couldn't even say anything. The Sableye went away without another word, his usual atmosphere returning to him. He talked to the others for a while before bidding them all good night. As Yimtri left the room and shut the door behind him, Terron put the blankets over his head and curled into a ball. He desperately tried to fall asleep, but how could he after what he had heard? They were going to Erebus Woods tomorrow. They were going to that nightmarish place…
As Terron lay there in the bed pathetically, shivering in terror, Yimtri's last words rang endlessly in his mind.
"… When you die in Erebus Woods, you don't get revived and thrown out just as every normal dungeon does. If you die in Erebus Woods, your body never leaves. You stay there forever."