Chapter 23
The Grasp of Erebus
It was near midnight, and Terron was still awake. His body was still trembling. He wasn't feeling the least bit tired. While his other teammates slept peacefully, he continued to lay there in bed, eyes frozen open in terror. Every time he tried to shut his eyes, he would see nightmarish images of Erebus Woods. He'd see the corpses of fallen explorers attached to the trees, slowly getting their lives sucked out of them and leaving their bodies as brittle shells.
Terron couldn't go to that dungeon. Even if it was part of his mission, Terron refused the idea of exploring that twisted forest. He wasn't going to let himself get killed.
Why did we have to come here? Terron wondered. This place reeks of bad vibes. Why aren't the others so bothered? I understand Zekra… but not Impetus, Syn, and Vantis. They clearly must feel the atmosphere here. They have to know that something about this place is very wrong…
Terron pulled the blankets off his head and got out of his bed. He slowly wandered over to the other side of the room where Impetus slept. For once, she was sleeping in a bed rather than against the wall. Terron quietly went up to her and gently shook her awake.
Impetus's eyes snapped open as she looked toward Terron. There was not a single sign of tiredness in her eyes, as though she had never been asleep.
"You're awake," she said simply.
"Yeah, I am," Terron said in a hushed tone. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Is it about here?" Impetus asked.
Terron nodded. The Mienfoo slid out of her bed and the two wandered off toward the door so they could speak as far away from the others as possible. Once they were a few feet away from the door, they stopped and turned to one another.
"You know you shouldn't be talking to only me," Impetus stated in a disappointed tone. "The others would want to hear your concerns."
"I already told you that I can't talk to them," Terron said gloomily. "At least, not now. Besides, they already know I'm scared of this place."
"Then why can't you explain that further to them?" Impetus challenged. "It's so simple… but you won't do it. They know you fear here, but they don't understand why. Explain to them. Explain why here scares you."
"Just listen to what I have to say, okay?" Terron hastily said. "We can talk about my problems later. I-I just need to get something out of my head and I need someone to listen to me. So just let me talk for a moment."
"Fine," Impetus replied. "Talk to me. I'll listen and wait."
Terron gave a wry smile as he let out a deep breath. He sat down on the floor. He expected Impetus to do the same, but she remained standing.
"Well, I guess there's two things I want to talk about," Terron began to say. "First off, as I've said countless times, this place terrifies me. Something about here just isn't right. The ominous atmosphere is about as noticeable as a thick fog. You can feel it when you see the entrance… when you wander around the inside… when you look at Yimtri and his members… even as you try to fall asleep. It bothers me, to put it lightly. But, no one else seems to be affected. No one's having the same reaction as I am. I mean, you can feel it, can't you?"
"Yes, I feel it," Impetus said. "It's a powerful, overwhelming energy. It follows you."
"Then how come you aren't bothered by it?" Terron then asked.
"I am bothered by the energy," Impetus replied. "It follows me and wishes to suffocate me. It makes strange images appear in my mind. But, I know we won't stay here long. When we leave, it will no longer stalk me. Knowing that gives me the strength to pretend it doesn't exist. If we were to stay here for a few days, then I'd say something. But one day is a time I can tolerate."
"I guess you have a point," Terron said quietly. "I know I can't tolerate things as well as you, but I guess knowing that helps a little."
Terron looked toward the door for a moment, thinking he heard somebody walk by. But as it turned out, it was just his imagination. This was the fifth time he thought he heard someone since he came to Dusk Mines. Paranoia started to overcome the Cubone, but he fought it off the best he could.
"Anyway, second thing," Terron said. "You know that Erebus Woods place? Well, I found out that there's something really, really wrong with that place. More than here, in fact. If that's even possible."
"What's wrong with that place?" Impetus asked curiously. "Besides it being a Mystery Dungeon."
"Well, a lot of things actually," Terron said timidly. "It's not like the other dungeons. It's… it's a death trap. Yimtri said… that… that if we die there… we actually die. And we're going there tomorrow. We're going to this monster forest with everything there trying to kill us!"
Terron's hands trembled.
"What… What are we going to do?!" he whimpered. "I don't want to go there! Especially not with Yimtri! I don't want to be with that creepy guy in that creepy forest!"
Impetus stared at Terron, her expression unreadable. Terron panted as he attempted to calm down, trying to get the images of Erebus Woods out of his head. He clutched the sides of his skull as he looked at Impetus, waiting for her answer. There was a look of desperation in his eyes. He just wanted some kind of reaction out of her. He wanted her words of wisdom to help him through this.
"We could ask to not do the mission," Impetus suggested. "If you feel so strongly to stay away from Erebus Woods, why not tell Yimtri that?"
Terron glanced at the ground. The idea sounded appealing to him, but he already saw a problem with it.
"I guess we could…" Terron said reluctantly. "I just don't want to get our leaders mad at us. This is kind of an important mission for the Fellowship since we're getting their main source of bribery material. I mean, I'm sure someone else can do the mission if we decline, but still… I feel a little bad about neglecting our duties because I'm being such a coward."
"If your fear overwhelms your ability to perform properly, then it's best to abort the mission," Impetus said. "The leaders will understand. And hopefully, so will Yimtri."
Terron let out a sigh as he thought about Impetus's words. She was right. Having himself in this terrified condition wasn't exactly a good idea. There'd be more of an opportunity to mess up on the mission if he was so paralyzed in fear. The leaders of his Fellowship would understand his reasoning.
"Yeah… I suppose you're right," Terron said. "Tomorrow… I'll… I'll tell Yimtri I don't wanna do this mission."
"And the others," Impetus added.
Terron grit his teeth.
"You have to, or else they won't want to abandon the mission," Impetus said seriously. "You need to tell them why we're leaving. Get their support."
"… fine," Terron said quietly. "I'll tell them in the morning."
Yimtri's Office
The Sableye sat in his chair in the dead of the night, staring absently ahead of him. He was not asleep, for something was troubling his mind. His mind was normally clouded with so many strange thoughts, but right now, something more troubling than usual was lingering in his mind.
Yimtri put a claw on his head as he tapped his other claw against the surface of his desk.
"Erebus…" Yimtri said to himself. "Why did he have such a strange reaction to that name?"
The Sableye continued to tap his claw against the desk, thinking to himself. Just then, he saw someone coming through the door. It turned out to be a Lampent, carrying a Turtwig in its arms. The Lampent seemed tired and on the verge of passing out, but it managed to somehow stay awake. It gently set the more animated Turtwig on the floor before bringing its attention to Yimtri.
"She wished to see you," the Lampent said. "She wouldn't say why, but she wanted to come here. Sorry if we woke you up, my liege."
"No, I wasn't sleeping," Yimtri assured. "It's fine. Thank you for your concerns."
The Lampent nodded before drifting out the door to give the two their privacy. Yimtri glanced at his member, who was staring at him uneasily.
"How come you're still awake, Chloe?" Yimtri asked curiously. "I believe everyone's retired for the night already."
"Well, you're still awake," Chloe stated blandly.
"True," Yimtri said thoughtfully. "But, that's beside the point. What brings you here?"
The Turtwig glanced at the ground and pawed at it, frowning unpleasantly. Yimtri slid out of his chair and approached her. He knew she only acted this way whenever something was worrying her. In fact… all of his members tended to act this way whenever they were troubled. And each time, whenever they spoke with him, he'd always react the same way; he'd wait for them to speak on their own.
Several minutes passed before the Turtwig finally said a word.
"… I heard you were going to Erebus Woods tomorrow with those Aurora Fellowship members," Chloe mumbled.
"Ah, so you know," Yimtri stated, not sounding very surprised. "Not that I mind of course. May I ask who told you? I'm quite curious as to how that information spread so quickly."
"One of the ghost members heard you talking to those Pokémon, and I guess he told everyone about it," Chloe said carelessly.
She glanced up at the Sableye. Her eyes were filled with a strange mix of melancholy and wonder.
"How come you're going instead of one of us?" Chloe asked. "You never go there. The last time you went there was five years ago. And when you went there, you… yeah."
Yimtri suddenly felt an aching in his mind. It wasn't a physical pain, but it felt just as uncomfortable as one. It was as though some intangible force was crawling inside his brain. He groaned as he rubbed the hurting spot, feeling the strange thoughts in his mind beginning to intensify. When Chloe saw this, she grimaced.
"Are you going to be alright?" she asked. "I mean, I can leave if it's going to get bad…"
"No, it's fine," Yimtri assured hastily. "I'll be fine. Give it a moment to go away."
Chloe nodded reluctantly. The two kept quiet as the headache slowly subsided, leaving Yimtri's mind at peace once more. His mind was still filled with the abnormality that was always there, but at least now, it wasn't being amplified. He let out an exhausted sigh when it was all over.
"Apologies for that," Yimtri said. "Now, back to the matter that concerns you."
The Turtwig nodded as she gave her leader her full attention.
"What this unnamed member told everyone is true," Yimtri began to say. "I'm accompanying the five to Erebus Woods. To be honest, I was considering the thought of sending one of you with them. I can think of many of you who would do well in that place. Certainly, they'd be better suited there than me for a number of reasons… But all of that changed when one of those Aurora Town members said something very unusual. He mentioned something that caught my attention, and due to that, I want to gain as much insight as possible from that one member. He'll be leaving after this mission ends however, and I doubt he'll come back here again. The child is terrified of this place, and I can honestly say I don't blame him. So, the only way to get the information I want from him is to be around him. The only way I knew I could do that was to come on the mission with him. After all, once the mission ends, he and his team will leave. They won't want to stay here for much longer. That's why I must go on this mission rather than one of you: to know more about that child."
"What's so important that you have to go?" Chloe asked curiously.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Yimtri said uncomfortably. "As much as it pains me to keep information hidden from all of you, this is something I can't let any of you know. It's unfortunate… but you need to trust me when I say there's a good reason behind it."
The Turtwig frowned glumly, but nodded in understanding.
"Will you be okay going there?' Chloe asked. "I mean, you know what happened last time you went there. I wasn't there to see it, but some of the others told me about it. Just hearing about it sounded so terrifying…"
She trembled at the thought. When Yimtri saw this, he put a claw on her head to put her at ease.
"Don't worry," Yimtri said quietly. "Somehow… everything will be fine."
The next morning, Terron felt someone poking his side. He tried to swat them away, but the poking persisted. Terron shut his eyes tighter as he curled into a ball. He didn't want to wake up. He only got five hours of sleep, and he only managed to fall asleep due to how exhausted he was. He wanted more rest.
"Come on, Terron!" Syn's voice whined. "Wake up! It's breakfast time!"
Terron, realizing he couldn't stay asleep, slowly opened his bloodshot eyes. He took the blankets off his head and tiredly sat up. He found Syn standing next to him, who seemed rather worn out. However, Terron knew it wasn't because the Snivy didn't get sleep: it was because he hadn't been in the sun for so long. His sagging tail was proof of that.
Terron looked around the room to find that the others were already up and eating their meals in bed.
"When did everybody get breakfast?" Terron asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, the ghosts bring it to us," Syn answered. "They're bringing our food here since we're visitors. If you wanna get something to eat, just wait for one of them to come here and they'll get you something. They've got some really good food here."
Terron wasn't very thrilled at the thought of ghosts going in and out of the room at any given time, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Plus, he felt rather hungry from staying up so late without any food. He could use something to satisfy his hunger.
Terron nodded in understanding. Syn sat next to Terron as he waited, silently playing with his hands.
Only a few minutes passed before a Yamask drifted through a wall and came over to Terron.
"Did you want some breakfast?" the Yamask asked. "I don't believe we've served you yet."
"Yeah, I guess I'll have something to eat," Terron shrugged. "I'll take whatever you guys have. I don't really have anything in particular that I want."
The Yamask nodded before disappearing through the solid rock once more.
"They'd better not get me something really weird," Terron said with a frown. "This place is already creepy enough."
"They had some good stuff," Syn commented. "Had a lot of things I've never heard of though. Like… there was something here that they gave me called watermelon. It was really big and it was really watery. It still tasted good though."
"I suppose," Terron shrugged. "So, how are you liking this place? It's pretty different than Aurora Town, isn't it?"
"Yeah… it is," Syn said nervously. "It's different alright."
The Snivy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As soon as Terron saw this, he remembered what he and Impetus had been talking about the night before. Terron, though feeling awkward, decided to bring up the subject with Syn. Perhaps starting with him would be a good start. Then, if all went well, maybe he'd get the motivation to talk to Zekra about abandoning the mission.
"What's your opinion about going to that Erebus Woods dungeon?" Terron asked. "I mean, that's our mission. How do you think we'll do?"
"I think we'll be okay," Syn answered. "We've gone through so many dungeons before. This one shouldn't be any different. We've even gone on collecting missions. It's not hard."
"Yeah, we have," Terron said. "And, you were always the one to find the items so quickly. No one could spot them faster than you could."
"Yeah, it's a talent of mine," Syn remarked. "My parents and I played a lot of hide-and-go-seek, and I could find them so easily, even when they were trying their best to stay hidden. Finding stuff isn't that different from finding Pokémon."
The Snivy smiled wistfully, his eyes dulling as he began reminiscing in the past. Terron felt his heart sink.
"I'm glad you kept that talent," Terron said quietly. "But… we don't have to do this mission you know."
Syn blinked and stared at the Cubone oddly.
"If we want, we can forfeit the mission and go back home," Terron said. "I… I was actually considering doing that and I wanted to know what you thought."
"Why…?" Syn said slowly. "Why would you want to leave the mission? Why don't you want to go searching for evolution stones?"
Terron squeezed his eyes shut as he swallowed hard. He had to talk about what was going through his head. He had to… or else they were going to Erebus Woods.
"Syn…" Terron started to say, refusing to open his eyes. "Erebus Woods isn't a normal place."
"Well of course not," Syn replied. "It's a Mystery Dungeon. Those places are pretty different."
"No, that's not what I mean," Terron said. "Erebus… It's… It's… it's a place… a place… that…"
Just then, the Yamask returned with Terron's meal. It swooped down to him before giving him a plate full of various, sliced fruits. Terron gently took the plate from the ghost and watched it leave the room once more. After it was gone, he started to eat his meal in an attempt to calm down.
"What were you saying, Terron?" Syn asked curiously.
The Cubone looked at the Snivy, his mouth too full of food to say anything. He stared at Syn for a moment, suddenly losing the nerve of convincing Syn to abort the mission. Would telling Syn about Erebus Woods really make him want to leave the mission? The kid had gone through so much already. Surely, he wouldn't be so convinced by the fact that he could die. His very introduction to the Fellowship was having a close encounter with their sworn enemy…
But he should still know. Terron reasoned with himself. He should know the truth. Just because the kid's been through more trauma than me doesn't mean he won't mind the dungeon. He needs to know the risks… the risks that Yimtri didn't tell anyone.
A horrifying realization came to Terron's mind.
Why didn't Yimtri tell anyone else besides me about Erebus Woods? Is it because he thought we might abandon the mission if he told us? Why would he care about that? He knows some other team will just come here in a few days and do the mission instead. Why… why didn't he tell anyone? Is he hiding something from us?
Maybe…
Maybe we really do need to get out of this mission.
"Terron?" Syn asked as he waved a hand in front of the Cubone's face. "You're zoning out and I'm trying to ask you something."
Terron swallowed down his food and cleared his throat.
"Listen, we… we can't go on the mission," Terron said uneasily. "We can't go."
"Why not?" Syn asked. "You keep saying that, but you never say why."
"Because if we go into that dungeon, there's a good chance we're going to die!" Terron blurted out.
Terron's eyes grew at his sudden outburst. He hadn't said it very loudly thankfully, so the others didn't hear his words. But, he was still surprised that he had said the truth so bluntly. It felt so odd talking about what was exactly on his mind after keeping his thoughts locked away for so long.
Syn gave Terron a confused stare.
"Well of course we might die," Syn said. "There's always a chance that'll happen in dungeons. But, we always get revived right before we go to the spirit world, remember? We've had that happen to us a few times. It's nothing to worry about. Why so worried about it now?"
Terron shook his head. He was about to explain what he meant, but before he could, he saw the door open. Yimtri walked in and stopped in the middle of the room. He carried a grey satchel, which Terron assumed was filled with items for the trip.
"It seems all of you are awake," Yimtri said in a pleased tone. "I'm glad to know that. It means I won't have to wake any of you up."
He gave his devious smile as the five got out of their beds and stopped next to him. Terron stayed the farthest away from the Sableye, hoping that he wouldn't get spotted. He knew he needed to talk to Yimtri, but the very second he looked at the Sableye, the thought disappeared and nervousness took over.
"Are all of you ready to go to Erebus Woods?" Yimtri asked.
"Yep! We sure are!" Zekra said cheerfully as she showed him the bag that was strapped around her. "Ready when you are!"
"I'm glad to hear that," Yimtri said. "Well, before we get going, I have a little present to give to you, Zekra."
The Sableye reached into his satchel and pulled out a strange, violet gem attached to a leathery string. Yimtri took the object and tied it around Zekra' neck, making sure it was secure and stayed comfortably in place at the front of Zekra's chest. He took a step back to marvel the necklace.
"What is this?" Zekra asked curiously as she touched the jewel.
"It's a Deception Amulet," Yimtri said with a grin. "It's a rare treasure that amplifies the illusion abilities your kind have. I haven't had a use for it in such a long time. There was a Zoroark who once wore it when he worked here for a time, but he's gone now, and the amulet remained without a user. But now, you're here."
"Thanks!" Zekra smiled. "I'll test it out right now!"
Zekra's body became covered in the pink light. The second she started to transform, the amulet gave off its own purple aura that quickly fused into her aura. The pink light shifted to the dark color as Zekra's form changed rapidly. When the light went away, Zekra was now a Duskull, a Pokémon she hadn't seen in hours. She was a perfect replica of such a Pokémon, absolutely no flaws in her appearance. When Zekra saw this, she laughed triumphantly.
"I… I can turn into Pokémon that aren't in front of me!" Zekra cried. "I can see them so clearly in my head now! I'm not having problems!"
"You couldn't do that already?" Yimtri asked curiously. "I always thought all Zorua could do that at your age."
"Well, not me," Zekra shrugged. "I guess I was a bit behind on that stuff. But now that I have this amulet, that's not a problem! I bet I could use their abilities too if I really wanted!"
Zekra immediately changed back into her normal form.
"Thanks again!" Zekra said happily. "But what's it for? Seems kinda random to just give to me."
"Oh, it's for nothing special," Yimtri said dismissively. "Think of it as a… thank you for visiting us. Besides, the amulet needs someone who can actually use it. I tried to give it to the other Zoroark, but he wouldn't take it. He said it made him too powerful, and he didn't want that."
"Wonder why he wouldn't want that," Zekra wondered.
"I may never know," Yimtri shrugged before turning around. "Now, since all of you are prepared, I believe it's time to depart from here. It's time to go to Erebus Woods."
The Sableye led the way as the others followed. As they walked, Terron couldn't help but stare at Zekra's new item. Why had she truly received it? There was no way Yimtri would simply give her an item of such value for no apparent reason. There had to be a motive.
Yet, no matter how much Terron wondered, he couldn't find an answer.
As the group made their way through the mine, Terron noticed another trio of Pokémon coming up behind them. It consisted of a Zangoose, Combusken, and a Turtwig. They ran past Terron and the others before stopping in front of the Sableye. They all panted heavily as Yimtri stopped and stared at all of them oddly. Team Vendetta and Vantis did the same and observed the scene in silence.
"Is something the matter?" Yimtri asked.
"No, nothing's wrong," the Zangoose said after it caught its breath. "We just wanted to see you before you go."
"And it looks like we got to see you just in time," the Combusken said.
"Wanted to see me before I go…?" Yimtri repeated strangely.
"Yeah," the Zangoose said. "Chloe saw you leaving and thought it would be nice to see you. So she called us up and made us come see you before you left."
"And to wish you good luck on the mission," the Turtwig named Chloe added. "I thought you might like it."
Yimtri chuckled for a moment. He looked upon his members and gave them his usual unnerving smile.
"I appreciate your words, my fellow followers," Yimtri replied. "Thank you. I'll see all of you later today."
The three nodded as their happy smiles quickly changed into the eerie expressions Terron saw upon entering the Fellowship. They all looked like such different Pokémon now. Terron never would have believed these Pokémon had said such kind words to their leader if he hadn't seen how normal they looked just seconds ago. They had changed so quickly…
The trio ran off to go about their day as the group continued their way out of the Fellowship. As they walked, Terron saw many members giving their goodbyes to Yimtri. Just about everyone they passed by seemed to say at least one kind word to their leader with such a cheerful face before immediately reverting back into their creepy ways. Terron wasn't really sure whether he should have been more concerned with the rapid mood changing or the fact that everyone insisted on saying something to their leader.
Eventually, the six made it outside. The sun shined upon them, nearly blinding Terron. He had become so used to the dark, that it came as a real shock to see light again. He squinted his eyes as he slowly let his eyes adjust. The others also seemed to be recovering from the sudden light, except Yimtri. He simply stood there, staring off into the distance as his cape gently swayed in the wind. He wasn't affected by the light at all.
As Terron gained his eyesight back, he noticed the surroundings of Dusk Mines for the first time. Just as King described long ago, the place truly was isolated from the rest of the world. There were no cities in sight, for as far as the land stretched. All that was around were endless fields with mountains lining their sides and the occasional group of trees growing somewhere along the way. Each section of the field seemed to grow something different, such as wheat or sunflowers. There were no roads going through any of these fields. It was only what nature intended.
Yet, despite the peace expected from such a scene, Terron couldn't feel that peace. He could only feel the ever-present ominous atmosphere coming from the Fellowship. It completely corrupted any feelings of serenity he might have had.
Terron looked back at Yimtri to find he was already wandering away with the group. They were heading somewhere west of the mountain, away from the open fields Terron was viewing. Hastily, Terron went after the five, not wanting to get left behind.
"You kids excited about the mission?" Vantis asked Team Vendetta with a smile. "We get to go collect the Fellowship's favorite bribery material! And, with the very leader of Dusk Mines! How cool is that?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty excited!" Zekra replied. "I can't wait to try out the amulet! It'll be so awesome! I'll get to slaughter everyone who gets in my way with my new illusion powers!"
She let out a laugh and smiled at the thought of bloodshed.
"The mission seems interesting," Impetus stated. "It's a task we've never done before. Though I feel reluctant about going to this dungeon, I'll do my best."
"I agree with Impetus," Syn added. "I'm a little nervous, but I bet we'll be fine. Plus, we have you and Yimtri to protect us if anything goes wrong. You guys must be really strong if you're leaders!"
"Heh yeah, we are," Vantis chuckled. "At least, I think I'm pretty tough. Don't know about Yimtri though since I've never seen him battle."
"I'm quite powerful," Yimtri said carelessly, not giving much of his attention to the ones behind him. "You'll see the truth of my words once we enter the dungeon."
Vantis shrugged at the remark as he and Team Vendetta brought their eyes to Terron.
"How are you feeling, Terron?" Vantis asked. "You ready for this awesome adventure?"
Terron snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the four.
"Oh, yeah I'm ready," Terron said, faking a smile. "I'm ready."
"That's good to hear," Vantis smiled. "Looks like everyone's good for the mission. This will be quite an adventure with the six of us! And the four of you can tell me all about yourselves while we're in the dungeon! I really want to know all about our newest members!"
As Vantis and Team Vendetta chatted among one another, Terron kept looking at Yimtri from the very back of the group. The Sableye wasn't saying a word and kept his eyes ahead of him at all times. It seemed he was in no mood to talk. Terron knew he needed to talk to the Sableye right now if he wanted to get out of his mission, but he found he still couldn't bring up the topic. The fear plagued his thoughts and urged him to talk, but his tongue remained bound. Every time he opened his mouth to say something, he'd lose all of his courage in an instant and would have to remain silent.
After the group managed to get five minutes west of the Fellowship, Yimtri paused for a moment. The rest of the group did the same and looked at him curiously. He wandered off a ways before stopping nearby a strange sight the team hadn't noticed until now.
"We've arrived," Yimtri said, presenting the destination to the team with an outstretched claw. "Behold, Erebus Woods."
Erebus Woods looked nothing like a forest; its entrance looked more like a cave than anything else. The slender trees curled inward and their branches intertwined with one another, forming a tunnel of darkness. One could not see anything within the forest, no matter how close they were to the entrance. The tree roots crept like tentacles across the ground, each covered in sickly moss. They seemed to reach out to the group, as if waiting to grab them at the first given chance.
The appearance of the forest, however, was not nearly as menacing as the aura of darkness which flowed from it. It was an aura he had felt since the day he arrived at the Dusk Mines Fellowship, but standing at the doorstep to this terrible forest made him wonder if he had found the source. Terron could actually feel the forest draining out any remaining trace of his livelihood, as though it were a living spirit that fed upon the hope and happiness of any creature who would draw near. He turned to his teammates to find that they, too, showed clear signs of feeling this dreadful aura.
That is, except Yimtri. In fact, he seemed to grow even more disturbing just by standing near the entrance. Nothing about the Sableye had changed, but for some reason, Terron felt even more terrified of the Sableye. The very air around him was becoming much more unnerving and seemed to join with the dungeon's atmosphere.
"This place is a lot closer to Dusk Mines than I expected," Vantis remarked.
"Yes, yes it is," Yimtri replied.
Yimtri gazed into the dark tunnel of trees.
"Whenever you five are ready, we shall depart," he said. "Whatever you do, do not get separated. Erebus Woods is an enormous dungeon. If you get lost… we're never going to find you. Don't make me report to your leaders that I lost one of their members."
"Isn't that kind of true for all dungeons?" Syn then asked. "I mean, if you get separated, you get trapped in the dungeon and then we have to get you. So, why are you warning us about this?"
"Just a precaution I wish to warn you of in case you didn't know," Yimtri said indifferently.
The Sableye continued to stand there, waiting for the group to join him. Slowly, the Pokémon went up to the entrance and waited for Yimtri's cue to enter inside. However, he never gave his command, for Terron was still standing far away from the dungeon. He was frozen in place.
"Terron, it's time to go," Yimtri said. "Come here so I can bring you inside the woods of Erebus."
Terron shook his head, too scared to say anything. Yimtri frowned as he went up to the Cubone.
"You came here to complete a mission, did you not?" Yimtri asked.
"Y-Yeah…" Terron said quietly.
"Then why won't you come with your team?" Yimtri asked. "They wish to complete the mission."
The Sableye's eyes glinted for a brief second.
"It's because of what I told you about the woods, isn't it?" he asked, lowering his voice.
Terron nodded. The Sableye stared at him with a blank expression before starting to laugh. He attempted to hold back his laughter, but Terron could still hear the muffled sounds of amusement.
"You know I wasn't telling the truth, don't you?" Yimtri chuckled. "It was a lie I fabricated to frighten you. It's something I do to visitors every so often. That's how Sableye are; we scare others for amusement. Don't believe my silly ghost stories. No Mystery Dungeon can truly kill anybody."
Terron didn't know what to say. Part of him was relieved that all of that disturbing information was a lie. He had been worried over absolutely nothing, and letting go of that absurd knowledge took a great load off him. He wanted to smile, but there was another part of him that was still suspicious. When Yimtri had told Terron about Erebus Woods, he wasn't smiling like he was now. He had been so serious, something he normally didn't look like. He always appeared to be disturbing, yet at that moment he told Terron about Erebus Woods… none of that was there.
Terron continued to stand there, trying to figure out what to believe.
"Come on, Terron!" Zekra called over. "We've got a mission to do!"
"Yes, come Terron," Yimtri said. "We can't stay here all day."
Terron refused to move.
"Terron!" Yimtri suddenly shouted, his smile disappearing as urgency seeped into his voice. "It's time to go!"
The Sableye abruptly grabbed Terron's wrist and started to drag him off to the dungeon. Terron tried to squirm out of his grip and tried to beat him with his bone, but nothing worked. Yimtri's cold grasp on Terron wasn't relenting.
"I-I don't wanna go!" Terron cried desperately. "I don't wanna die! I don't want this mission anymore! Let me go! I don't want to go in there!"
"Terron, stop resisting!" Yimtri snapped, becoming increasingly uneasy. "You have to go inside! You don't have a choice anymore! We have to go now!"
"What's going on with you two?" Zekra asked oddly. "Why are you guys acting so funny? What are you talking about?"
"We're going to die if we go in the dungeon!" Terron yelled frantically. "Everything there is trying to kill us and if we die, we die for real!"
"Wh… What do you mean?!" Zekra asked, taken aback by the information. "That… that's a joke, right? It's just some sick joke, right?!"
"Everyone! Get inside the dungeon!" Yimtri ordered. "Stop stalling!"
"Yimtri, what's going on?" Zekra asked hesitantly. "Is what Terron said true? Why do you want us to go inside so badly?"
Yimtri grit his teeth as he looked toward the dungeon. Suddenly, he saw a flash of light go off within the forest. It only lasted for a second, but in that one second, he saw something coming toward them. His grip on Terron tightened, nearly cutting off the Cubone's circulation.
"No… it's too late! We stayed here too long!" Yimtri cried in despair. "It's coming!"
"What's coming?" Zekra asked fearfully.
Yimtri glanced back at the group of cowering Pokémon. His eyes shined dangerously.
"Everyone! Grab onto somebody!" Yimtri said hastily. "And no matter what you do-"
Before he could finish, a decaying vine grabbed Terron's leg. It quickly pulled him back, making him collapse onto the ground as it dragged him into the dungeon. Yimtri, who was still holding Terron, also started to get dragged into the dark abyss. But, he refused to go down without a fight. He dug his feet into the ground as he raised his free claw into the air. Dark energy encased his claw before he swiped at the vine, effectively severing it. It disappeared back inside the dungeon as Terron panted heavily, horrified by what had just happened.
But, he wasn't allowed to rest for long. Not even a second later, five thorny branches shot out of the darkness. All of them reached for Yimtri and quickly wrapped around his body, somehow managing to prevent him from phasing out of them and binding his limbs from further movement. They proceeded to drag him into the dungeon, but he wasn't their only captive. Yimtri hadn't let go of Terron, and because of this, Terron also found himself getting sucked into the forest. He tried to get out of the Sableye's grip, but the leader refused to release him.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Terron shrieked.
The Sableye shook his head.
"I can't do that," Yimtri said. "For your sake and mine."
Terron continued to pull away anyway, but nothing could be done to loosen the Sableye's grip.
"Terron!" Syn cried.
The Snivy's vines shot out of his collar as he wrapped them around Terron. He attempted to pull the Cubone out of Yimtri's grasp, but was quick to find that his idea backfired. The plants were far too strong for the little Snivy and soon, the child was being dragged into Erebus Woods with Terron and Yimtri. He released one of his vines and aimed it at one of his teammates so they could pull him and Terron away from the Sableye.
But before the vine could reach his friends, more branches came out of the forest. One of them slashed his vine with a thorn, cutting it to a severely short length. Syn screamed in horror at the sight of his maimed vine as he kicked around frantically. But, it was no use. He was taken away from the outside world with Terron and Yimtri. The last thing he saw as he was dragged away was his teammates grabbing each other as the living plants ensnared them.
After that, everything went dark.
An unknown amount of time passed before Terron found he could move again. When he opened his eyes, he found he couldn't see anything. There was nothing but darkness. He tried to move his hands in front of his face, but he couldn't tell they were there. He could feel a cool surface resting against his back, but he couldn't tell what it was. He could hear water running all around him, but he didn't know where it was coming from. Everything was black.
"Ah, you're awake," a familiar voice said. "I was wondering how long it would take you to regain consciousness."
Terron looked toward the source of the voice to find two glowing lights next to him. Upon seeing them, he scowled fiercely. Memories of his last moments in the outside world came rushing to mind.
"Why did you drag me down here?!" he cried as he sat up. "I told you I didn't want to be here! Yet you went ahead and forced me to come anyway! Why?!"
He heard Yimtri sigh and dig through his bag. After listening to the sounds of him shuffling through the items, a light appeared. In the Sableye's hand was a glass sphere of purple fire. It glowed brightly, giving off a wider radius of light than the Light Ball ever had. The flame burned endlessly within the object, somehow not needing oxygen or fuel to stay alive. Yimtri rolled the ball in his hands as he watched the fire flicker. His body was covered in scratches, but the Sableye seemed to pay no mind to that.
"I didn't know for sure if you wanted to abandon your mission," Yimtri explained. "I knew you were terrified of this place, but I didn't know if that was going to stop you. But, you told me the truth too late, and Erebus didn't want to wait for us…"
"It… didn't want to wait for us?" Terron repeated. "What does that mean?"
Yimtri glanced at his surroundings, followed by Terron. It seemed they were inside of some kind of cave where the trees grew alongside the walls and hung down from the ceiling. Their bark was covered in thick moss and their roots spread into a small channel of water going through the area. Terron and Yimtri were sitting on one of the many rocks nearby the water.
"Hey, wait," Terron started to say. "Why is this place so different from the outside? I mean, I know Erebus Woods never looked like a normal forest to begin with, but it wasn't like this…"
"Erebus Woods is a special kind of dungeon," Yimtri replied. "It's not restricted to just the forest. It also stretches into the mountain behind the exterior. Every ten sectors of this dungeon is a different environment. Based on what I can gather, we're somewhere in the second set of sectors. The first ten would have been a forest out in the open. I wonder how far the others were dragged down…"
"What are you talking about?" Terron asked. "You keep saying weird stuff like that."
Yimtri looked at Terron. Once again, he no longer seemed to be the Sableye Terron saw at Dusk Mines. He was different. There was no longer a disturbing tone in his voice.
"Like I said last night, Erebus Woods is different from other Mystery Dungeons," Yimtri said. "It's not limited to the inside either. If you stand outside the dungeon for too long, the dungeon will drag you into its depths. It won't wait for you to enter whenever you please. That's why I was rushing you to go inside. If we were to go in willingly, then we all could have stayed together and started at the very beginning. But now… because we stalled… everyone's been separated into different areas of the dungeon. The only reason why the three of us are on the same sector is because I refused to let you get separated, and your friend performed such a similar action with his vines."
At that moment, Terron remembered how Syn had grabbed onto him before they all disappeared into the dungeon. The Cubone looked around and found the Snivy passed out behind them. His vines lay on the ground besides him, completely lifeless.
Terron rushed over to Syn and gently shook him awake.
"It's odd that it's only us here," Yimtri stated. "I suspected we would have been attacked by now. Being dragged down here with the dungeon rendering you unconscious, and then attacked by the denizens of the dungeon… is a common way to die here. I'd say this a rather fortunate turn of events… a miracle I'd say. Just like how the three of us managed to stay together in the same spot rather than be spread out throughout the sector. How blessed we must be."
Terron pretended he didn't hear the comment. He continued to wake up Syn and watched as the Snivy sluggishly came back to his senses. Syn opened his eyes as he tiredly looked around.
"Where are we?" Syn asked. "What is… this place?"
"You're in the second group of sectors of Erebus Woods," Yimtri said as he came over. "You were brought here by the dungeon after you tried to save Terron. You remember that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do," Syn said slowly. "And that branch… it cut up my vine."
Syn withdrew his vines back inside him, but brought the injured one into his hands. He tried to make the vine grow, but its length only increased by a few inches. It had been severed far too much to be of any real use now. He carefully caressed the plant.
"I didn't feel it when it got cut up," Syn said. "But… what am I going to do now? Will it ever grow back? This hasn't happened to me before."
"It'll heal, but it needs time," Yimtri assured. "Give it a few days, and the vine should be in near perfect condition once more. I have a member who has had part of her inner plant damaged multiple times. It always grew back, no matter the damage."
Syn nodded reluctantly as the vine disappeared inside him. He got to his feet and looked around the dungeon.
"Where's everyone else?" he asked. "I saw them getting wrapped up in those branches you were wrapped up in, but they're not here…"
"They're in another part of the dungeon," Yimtri replied. "I'm sure of it. Escaping the grasps of Erebus is a near impossible task. When it sees you outside its domain, it refuses to let you run free. You saw what happens when it grows impatient."
Syn cringed and stared at the Sableye uncomfortably.
"Terron was saying that we really do die if we die here," Syn said nervously. "Is that really true…? Are we really going to die?"
The Sableye glanced at his fiery orb and frowned unpleasantly.
"… yes, you'll die if you're not careful," Yimtri said bluntly. "That was no lie I told your friend."
"Why didn't you tell anyone that?!" Syn cried. "You told Terron, but you didn't tell the rest of us! Why didn't you say anything?! Why did you hide that from us?! It would have been nice to know! Now we're all going to die here!"
Syn trembled as he finished yelling. He closed his eyes and hugged Terron. He buried his head into the Cubone, and while he wasn't crying, he whimpered something inaudible. Terron looked over at Yimtri, also feeling the same despair Syn felt. Yet, he tried to be brave. He couldn't wimp out like he had earlier that day and the previous night. He needed to be strong for the Snivy. That was the only thing that was preventing Terron from having a breakdown right now.
"Really, why didn't you tell anyone?" Terron asked. "Do your own members not know either? Are you the only one who knows?"
Yimtri stepped away from Terron and went over to the water's edge. He glanced at his reflection in the murky water.
"My members know of this place and its sinister ways," Yimtri started to say. "This place isn't a secret to my members. I would never lie to them about anything. They know everything I know about here. We simply don't tell outsiders the true nature of Erebus Woods or else they'll panic and end up in situations like these."
"Then why did you tell me?" Terron asked. "Why didn't you keep the secret from me? And why couldn't your members just get the stones for the other Fellowships? You don't have to send other Fellowship members into this place. I mean, if you don't want outsiders to panic, why not just send your members, who know so much about this place?"
The Sableye glanced at the Cubone, his expression unreadable.
"Zekra still has your bag, correct?" Yimtri asked, getting off subject.
"Yeah… she does," Terron said oddly.
"Did your team pack an Escape Orb?" Yimtri continued to ask.
"No, we didn't," Terron answered. "We didn't think we'd need one."
Yimtri looked down the stream of water, where the deeper parts of the dungeon lay.
"We need to find the others," Yimtri said. "I have an Escape Orb, but it'll only work for us. If we want to rescue the others, then we must find them. They're probably further into the dungeon. Or at least, I can only hope. Staying still isn't an option."
The Sableye began to walk forward. Terron eyed him as he stayed put.
"You didn't answer my questions," Terron stated.
"No, I didn't," Yimtri replied without looking at the Cubone. "I'm aware of that."
Terron frowned.
"You're not going to answer them?" Terron asked.
"No, I'm not," Yimtri replied simply.
The Sableye continued to wander away, not checking to see if the two were following him.
"If you won't answer those questions, then how can Syn and I trust you?" Terron asked suspiciously. "How do we know if you're really trying to help us? How do we know you're not up to something?"
Yimtri stopped walking. He remained still for a moment, his back turned to the two. After a time, he slowly glanced back at them.
"Because if you don't learn to trust me, you're going to be trapped here forever," Yimtri said gravely.
The air suddenly started to fill with the dreadful aura that Terron hadn't felt since he was outside the dungeon. The Sableye's eerie smile made its way onto his face.
"If you want to become part of this dungeon's collection, then by all means, stay here," he said devilishly. "You'll soon see the terrors Erebus Woods holds. Go on, stay here. Watch your nightmares come to life. See how long your sanity will last you before your spirit is abruptly ripped from your bloody corpse."
Terron and Syn stared at the Sableye, incredibly disturbed by the words coming out of his mouth. The Sableye stared at them for a moment, wearing that grin as he remained in place. The light flickering from the sphere made him look more eerie than usual in its glow.
And then, the dark atmosphere went away, just like that. Yimtri abruptly stopped smiling and rubbed his head, groaning in pain and frustration.
"Just come with me," Yimtri urged, his voice no longer horrifying. "Your friends would appreciate you two not being dead."
Terron and Syn glanced at one another, confused by what had just happened. They couldn't understand why the Sableye was changing attitudes so abruptly. First he was so strange back at Dusk Mines, and then he seemed to act much less creepy when he came here. Then, he abruptly changed back to his creepy ways before going back to what he was now for some strange reason. They didn't understand what was going on. But, they did understand one thing; they couldn't stay where they were. They had to get out of the dungeon, and Yimtri was the best Pokémon to help with that.
They looked at the Sableye and with a sigh, they both walked toward him.
"Fine," Terron said. "But only because you know your way around here. Or at least, I hope so."
"I've ventured through here many times," Yimtri assured. "So yes, I can help you two navigate and search for your stones since we're here anyway."
"I guess," Syn said unenthusiastically.
"What matters most though, is that we find the others," Terron pointed out. "If we see any evolution stones, then sure, we'll pick them up. But otherwise, we'll just focus on finding our friends."
"Yes, our priorities are understood," Yimtri stated.
The Sableye looked back in the direction they needed to head toward.
"Come, let's go," he said. "Erebus will not treat you well, but that doesn't mean you can't escape. Follow me, and I will keep you safe."
The three then pressed forward, heading into the deeper regions of the dungeon. As they walked, Terron couldn't help but stare at the Sableye and wonder what was going through his head. Something was very wrong with Yimtri.
Something was wrong with everything nearby Dusk Mines.
And though Terron didn't know why things were this way, he knew he'd find out. Somehow, he'd figure it out.