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Chapter 41
Rekindled Dread
Team Vendetta and Blight left Oblivion Cavern after retrieving the crystal at the very bottom of the cave. It was a bit of a walk to go all the way through the place once more, but they found it wasn't that difficult of a task. There was hardly any resistance along the way. The most challenging part was when they had to once again navigate through the various web-infested chambers and even that was hardly considered much of a problem.
By the time the four exited the cavern, it was the early afternoon. Novus sighed as he extinguished the fire burning upon his body. Though the Quilava appeared fine, Terron could see Novus panting shallowly. Keeping his fire alive for such a long, continuous time surely sapped away much of his energy. It didn't take Terron very long to decide what to do.
"You guys want to take a little break before we head back?" Terron asked his companions.
"No, we can go back to the Fellowship now," Novus replied. "There's no reason to wait."
"But you look tired, Novus," Terron stated. "It's okay if we relax for a while. Really, it is."
"I'm not tired," Novus said with a more firm voice this time. "I'm fine. If Zekra feels the same as I do, then we can leave now. You don't need to worry about me."
Terron was taken aback by remark, but he didn't give a retort. He knew that the Quilava's words weren't given out of harshness. With a low sigh, Terron pushed away his concerned thoughts and glanced over at Blight. The Greninja stood at quite a distance from the group, gazing off into the distance. Occasionally, his eyes wandered over to Terron for but a brief second before quickly looking away again.
During the trip to get out of the cave, Blight hadn't said a single word. He didn't make any sort of eye contact with Team Vendetta and he certainly didn't help them with any feral Pokémon that attacked them along the way. Blight had completely avoided any sort of interactions with the team. Terron realized that this was because of the Sableye encounter at the bottom of the cave, as it had revealed a very disturbing problem that Blight had. Yet, despite how much it perplexed him, Terron and his friends didn't ask the Greninja what had happened to him. It was something they knew they weren't going to get an answer to.
Terron felt that he had pondered enough in the troubling subject and glanced at Zekra.
"If you're feeling alright, you want to fly us back to the Fellowship?" Terron then asked.
"Yeah, I guess," Zekra said with a casual shrug.
There was a bright light and then Zekra became a Skarmory. Terron stared up at her with an odd gaze.
"Skarmory again, huh?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah, I think it's faster than using Vantis's form," Zekra answered. "Little more exhausting, but I like it. Plus, I like how this form is covered in sharp metal and so indestructible. Every single part of me can slice things up so easily, even my own feathers! It's awesome!"
"Yeah yeah," Terron scoffed. "Let's just get going."
Zekra bent down and allowed the three Pokémon to climb onto her. And then, once they were comfortably seated upon her, she pushed off the ground and sped for the Fellowship.
Several minutes later, the false Skarmory descended in front of the Nestati Fellowship. The second Zekra touched the ground, Terron leapt off her, not wanting to sit another minute on her. He shuddered a few times as Novus and Blight quietly crawled off Zekra, neither of them as shook up as the Cubone.
"What's the matter?" Zekra asked Terron.
"I felt like I was going to fall off the whole time," Terron said as he rubbed his sleeved arm. "Gah, your feathers are so slippery when they're nothing but metal."
"Well you should have sat in the front then," Zekra stated as she returned to her true form. "But nooo, you chose the middle."
"Anywhere on you should have felt safe," he frowned.
"Well then maybe next time, I'll just carry you with my beak," she grinned deviously. "Yeah, you'll be very safe that way. No way you can fall off when I'm constantly holding you by the back of your coat. How does that sound?"
"I say that you wouldn't even be able to accomplish that," he shot back.
"What's that supposed to imply?!"
"Exactly what you think it means."
Zekra seemed to fume in response. Terron chuckled under his breath before looking toward the entrance of the Fellowship. There didn't seem to be many Pokémon wandering about, but that was to be expected for the current time of day. Everyone was probably out on missions right now.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sack with the crystal within it. He dumped the gem into his hand, feeling its smooth surface rub up against his scaly hand. There was only one thing left to do now.
"This is it you guys," Terron said as he turned to face his companions. "We're finally going to become members again. We're going to reach a huge milestone in just a few minutes."
"It's about time!" Zekra said with a gleeful smile. "Ugh, hated doing nothing for so long."
"Heh well that's no longer a worry," Terron assured her. "From this moment on, we're going to be doing a lot of things. And if things do go right, then we're going to be making a lot more milestones soon."
"Hopefully," Novus then said. "But I believe we've wasted enough time. I'm rather eager to receive my membership."
"Alright then. Well let's-"
"You three can be re-admitted to the Fellowship by yourselves. I'm not coming with you."
Terron, Zekra, and Novus looked over at the Blight, finding it to be a bit of shock to hear him finally speak. He was staring straight at the team, though his eyes would occasionally wander away from them.
"What are you talking about?" Terron asked.
"It's exactly as I said," Blight answered simply. "I don't need to come with you. I have no reason to receive the mark and the leader knows why I'm working with you three. She doesn't need to mark me when she knows I will leave you in due time."
"I'm pretty sure you still need the mark, even if you're a temporary member," Terron stated.
"No, you don't," Blight replied. "I've been a temporary member before. You don't need one. Was one for three months. Three months of... greeyh."
The Greninja shook his head and firmly pressed a hand into his temple.
"I don't need a mark," Blight stated once again. "I'm not going to argue this point further."
Terron frowned in disappointment. He really shouldn't have been surprised by Blight's stubbornness, but even still, he couldn't help but become irritated by it.
"Well, what are you going to do while we get marked?" Zekra then asked the mercenary. "Are you just going to wait outside for us or something?"
"Actually, I'm going to leave you three alone for the rest of the day," Blight said.
The smaller Pokémon continued to stare at the Greninja, their eyes growing wider as their mouths opened. Blight only returned their stunned gazes with a persona of disinterest. There was nothing but silence between the four Pokémon.
"Why…?" Zekra managed to ask.
"Because you three are obviously not going to be doing anything important until tomorrow," Blight answered. "You won't need me around. So I see no reason to babysit you three when you aren't in any immediate danger."
"But this whole time you were practically babysitting us!" Zekra called out. "We didn't do anything yesterday, and you still stuck around! I mean, I don't like being constantly watched over, but still! It's kinda nice having you around, knowing that we've got some help if things go wrong. Why the sudden change? Is it because of what happened in that cave?"
The light in Blight's eyes seemed to dim as he gave her a long stare. Zekra's ears flattened against her head when she saw this.
"It was really that big of a deal?" she asked more quietly this time.
Blight turned away from her and the others as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'll see you three tomorrow morning," he stated. "I'll find you somehow."
And without even waiting for a response, the Greninja walked away, quickly turning into a blur in the distance. Terron, Zekra, and Novus stood there, staring absently in the direction where Blight left.
"So, I am assuming you managed to retrieve the item?" Chrysalis asked Team Vendetta minutes later.
The three stood in the leader's room, having gone inside the Fellowship after Blight had left the team to themselves. It had taken them a moment or two to process what had just happened, but once they had, they were quick to go about their day. And so, they now stood before her, ready to receive their membership.
Terron nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the sack with her symbol upon it. He dumped the crystal into his paw and presented it to her with a small smile.
"Ah, so you saw my note," Chrysalis said, sounding somewhat impressed. "I wondered if you would actually see that. It tends to deceive many Pokémon. You really are sharper than others, despite your age. I must say I am rather surprised. I surely thought you would not see the note until it was too late."
"Thanks," Terron said, trying his best not to sound curt.
Chrysalis seemed to smile as she quietly rose from her seat with the aid of her six wings. She went behind her throne and came back a moment later with a small basket held by her mouth. She stopped before Team Vendetta and set the basket down. The three peered into it and found a small pile of red, oval-shaped berries.
"Each of you take a bite out of one," Chrysalis instructed. "Except you, Quilava."
The team cast each other a quick glance, but did as they were told. The berry had a rather spicy flavor that Terron found quite enjoyable, but it was ruined by the rough texture of the berry. It felt like chewing on sandpaper. He coughed as he swallowed the fruit down.
Zekra had a similar reaction, though she actually smiled after she finished her berry. She clearly did not mind the texture.
"Wait, I recognize these berries," Novus then said as he peered into the basket. "These berries are Occa berries. Why are you giving these to Terron and Zekra?"
"To make the marking process as painless as possible," Chrysalis answered.
"Wait, what?" Zekra asked, backpedaling at the remark.
Chrysalis's wings glowed with an ethereal brightness that rivaled that of the sun. Terron and Zekra squinted their eyes as they watched flaming, petal-shaped objects flow out of her wings and circle about her. Then, with a single flap of her wings, the fiery projectiles sped at the team.
Team Vendetta didn't have a moment to react. One second, the fire was closing in on them with the speed of a bullet. Then in the next second, a searing pain ate away at their flesh. Terron clutched the back of his left paw, finding that was where the burn stung most. He held back tears as he glared at Chrysalis.
"What was that for?!" he cried.
"I already stated the reason, Cubone," Chrysalis scoffed as she sat down in her seat. "But I will repeat it again; I marked you. You have my sigil upon you now. Do you understand?"
Terron stared at her for a moment longer before glancing down at his paw. He slowly removed his hand from the burnt spot to find that sure enough, there was a mark on him now. It was the very same mark that he had seen on the bag within Oblivion Cavern. It was completely burned into his scaly flesh, its dark red coloring contrasting quite well to his usual brown.
He had to resist the urge to touch the burn. He glanced over at his teammates to find that they too were also marked, but in different areas. Zekra had the sigil seared into the side of her front leg while Novus had the mark just below his neck. Out of the three of them, Novus seemed to be taking the pain the best, as he wasn't cringing or trembling as Zekra was. He simply kept his gaze upon Chrysalis as grey wisps streamed from his sigil.
"Using Occa berries to decrease the effectiveness of your fire, I see," Novus stated. "How interesting. Still, why burn your members? Why not try a less painful tactic?"
"You mean such as taking temporary control of your mind like your previous Fellowship did?" Chrysalis asked. "Well, I simply prefer my way. Besides, it appears rather different than the other Fellowship marks, does it not? Do the others appear as though they have been burned upon their bodies?"
"Perhaps not," he replied.
The Volcarona brought her glance over to Terron and Zekra, who were now only faintly grimacing.
"So, congratulations. You three are now a part of my Fellowship," she then spoke. "I assume that your mercenary did not want to gain my membership?"
"No, he said he didn't need it," Terron answered. "Said it wasn't necessary for just a temporary member."
"Well, he is quite right," Chrysalis said. "I do not take anyone who will be working for me for such a short time. I expect my members to follow under my rules for several years, perhaps even their entire lives. So it is rather fine if he is not here. He is a special exception to my rule."
Her eyes seemed to darken as she locked gazes with Terron.
"But, I can trust that you three will be working for me for a much longer time than he will, correct?"
"Yes, of course," Terron said with a quick nod.
Chrysalis continued to glare at the Cubone, saying nothing. Terron returned the gaze, doing his best to appear stoic and not shudder at her cold stare. She seemed to smile, satisfied with his answer.
"Very good," she said. "Now tell me, my newest members, what are your names and what would you like your team to be called?"
"I'm Terron, the leader," the Cubone said as he gestured to his friends with a hand. "And these two are Zekra and Novus. We're Team Vendetta."
"I assume that was your former team name?" Chrysalis asked.
"Yeah, it was," Terron answered hesitantly.
"So you three fight to satisfy your craving for revenge? Is that so? Such a typical motivation I see among teams," she scoffed. "I thought you three would have a much more unique reason than to fulfill your rage at whatever the Plagued Ones did to you."
Terron forced himself to keep his mouth shut. He nearly had to bite down on his tongue just to keep quiet.
"But, I suppose it does not matter," Chrysalis shrugged. "You three are now Team Vendetta in my Fellowship. I am sure you must feel so proud of yourself."
"Yeah! Thank you for letting us join!" Zekra smiled.
"Yes, of course," she said dismissively. "Now run along. You no longer have any business here."
"But what about our rooms?" Zekra asked. "Aren't you going to show us where they are?"
"I will have someone take you to your new rooms later. Come back in about an hour or two while I try to figure out where to place you. For now, why not go find a mission for tomorrow? That will surely occupy your time."
Zekra opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it when she realized that there was nothing to say. She frowned before turning around and heading out the door. Terron and Novus followed close behind and soon, the three left the room and came to the edge of the platform high above the rest of the Fellowship.
"I think I'll take us down there," Zekra said before Terron could even look at the bug-types sitting on the webs near them. "It's a lot faster anyway."
Terron chuckled at her repugnance to the bugs, causing Zekra to scowl. Yet she didn't give a retort. She let out a loud sigh as she instantly changed into a Flygon, much to Terron's delight. The Cubone and Novus climbed onto her back and once they settled onto her, she dove straight for the lower reaches of the Fellowship base.
When the three came to the lowest floor of the base, they then circled about the area, trying to find the Bulletin Board that held their sought missions. It took some time to wander about the massive halls that filled the vicinity, but they eventually found it posted to a wall with a large map of Shiron plastered right beside it. There were only a couple of Pokémon in the area who were mostly eyeing the map and pointing out various locations on it.
Zekra landed in front of the large board and peered at the many papers pinned into it. Terron and Novus crawled off her and also set their sights on the missions.
"Yep, it's still got the same old jobs," Zekra said as she changed back to normal. "Same old jobs that never seem to change, though there seem to be a lot more missing Pokémon last I checked. Huh, wonder why that is."
"Don't know," Terron shrugged.
"Yeah, me neither. And hey, do you think we should go for an 'A' rank job?" Zekra then asked. "Or how about 'S' rank? Yeah, like we can do this one where we need to go capture some random Scizor criminal. That would be awesome. All those powers I can copy…"
A devious grin broke out on her face while her eyes flickered dimly with a blue light. Terron only glanced at for her a moment with a dull gaze before looking back at the board.
"Probably whatever mission is the quickest, like a 'D' rank one," Terron replied. "Remember, we're not here because we want to be the best ranked team ever. We're here to find out information. If we just get a short mission, then we can have a lot more free time to go wander around here and find what we need. I really don't think that capturing criminals is going to be a short mission."
"Well you don't know that," Zekra countered. "I mean, if we're strong enough then that criminal will go down in about five seconds! Fastest mission ever! Plus, admit it; you don't wanna be stuck doing such wimpy missions either. Go on, admit it."
"I'd rather do wimpy missions than do awesome ones when I've got something very important to look for," he said blandly.
"That's a lie and you-"
"There are no Mystery Dungeons in any of these missions."
Zekra and Terron ceased their bickering and turned their attention to Novus. He was gazing up at the board with a suspicious frown and tapped a foot against the ground repeatedly.
"What?" Terron asked oddly.
"None of these missions involve entering Mystery Dungeons," Novus stated again. "Every other type of assignment I can think of is on this board, but not a single one mentions exploring a Mystery Dungeon. That is, unless the missions the Fellowship normally put up don't state if such a place is a dungeon."
"You have to be joking," Zekra said with a shake of her head. "They always have dungeon missions and say that the place is a dungeon. I mean, they're so easy to get lost in! Maybe you're just seeing things wrong."
"Am I?" he asked indifferently.
Zekra glared up at the dozens of mission papers, browsing through them as quickly as possible. With each paper she read, her frown grew increasingly grim.
"You're right," Zekra muttered. "None of them have any dungeons on them. But why? Why get rid of them? Or did they just forget to put that some of these places are dungeons?"
"Something really isn't right here, you guys," Terron interjected. "You don't just forget to put that kind of stuff down when you're labeling places and you don't just get rid of dungeons entirely from your missions."
"So then what do you suspect is happening?" Novus then asked.
"I don't know," he answered quietly. "I just don't. I mean, they don't know about what's really going on in dungeons, do they? We never told anyone about what we know and I really, really doubt that Yimtri said anything. And Vantis never would have said anything either..."
Terron's eyes grew as something else came to mind.
"What if they're purposely leaving out the fact that the place is a Mystery Dungeon?" Terron wondered. "What if all those places are dungeons, but the Fellowship didn't write that down?"
"I really do not think that's what happened," Novus stated. "Because even if it did, the members would still know if the vicinities were Mystery Dungeons. I'm fairly certain that the members have been working in the Fellowship for a long enough time to know quite a few of the dungeons. They would have caught on and no doubt questioned Madam Chrysalis."
"But then how else do you explain what happened?" he asked. "What other reason is there?"
Novus cast the Cubone a long stare before his eyes wandered to the ground. He let out a short breath as he pondered.
"Tear? Novus? I… I really think you guys should look at this mission I just found."
The two looked over at Zekra to find that she was now facing them. Set on the ground in front of her was a single piece of paper she had just ripped off the bulletin. Her eyes were wide and she seemed at a complete loss for words. Novus stared down at the writing, glancing through it briefly.
"… So they know," Novus said simply.
"What are you two talking about?" Terron asked with grit teeth.
"Tear, this mission," Zekra began with a grimace, "it's asking for help to destroy Erebus Woods."
Everything around Terron seemed to freeze as the last two words of her statement echoed in his mind. He couldn't hear anything else except those words and the implications that followed. But surely he had misheard Zekra. Surely there had to be a misunderstanding. The Fellowship didn't know anything about the nightmarish abyss where Erebus dwelled. He and his team had never told anyone the awful truth about that horrifying forest.
Terron stared at Zekra with a blank gaze, waiting to see if she would correct herself. Waiting to see if she had anything more to say. She returned the stare, shifting uncomfortably in place. Terron glanced over at Novus and found that he was still reading through the mission, as if to uncover any information he might have overlooked. Even still, his gaze was solemn.
And in that moment, Terron realized there was no misunderstanding. There was indeed a mission that said to obliterate the wretched dungeon.
Terron swiped the paper off the floor, making Novus flinch. He stuffed it into his pocket and looked over at his teammates.
"We're going to see Chrysalis," he said. "Right now."
"Why?" Zekra asked.
"Because I want to know what's going on," he answered gravely. "So, if you will Zekra. Take us to her."
Zekra blinked a few times, staring at Terron with an uneasy expression. However, she did as asked and became a Skarmory with a flash of violet light. Terron didn't even bother to comment on how he wished she had chosen another form. He jumped onto her and wrapped his arms around her neck, Novus sitting down right behind him.
The false Skarmory leapt off the ground and swiftly made her way through the Fellowship, making many sharp turns along the way. Terron only frowned with each swerve and clung tighter to her while keeping a hold on Novus, saying nothing. He wouldn't complain if her current form was the fastest she had. His heart thudded painfully in his chest and he knew it wasn't from the many times he felt he would fly off Zekra.
Minutes later, Zekra brought the three of them to the entrance Chrysalis's room. The moment they touched the ground and Zekra returned to her Zorua form, a familiar Shedinja came out of the wall and stopped before them. It shook its head.
"It's you three again," it droned. "Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here for at least another forty minutes."
"We need to talk to your leader about a mission," Terron answered through grit teeth.
"Is that so? You cannot simply wait?" the Shedinja asked. "You cannot wait to ask about your first trivial mission to this Fellowship?"
"It's important," he growled. "Just ask her if she can see us."
The ghost glared deeper into Terron's eyes, leaning forward as it did so. Then, it slowly drifted away from the group and headed towards the doors that stood between the team and Chrysalis.
"Very impatient I see. Well how about we show Madam Chrysalis just how much you wish to see her? I'm quite sure she will be very happy to see how much you wish to barge into her room when she told you otherwise."
Terron curled up a paw and scowled irritably, but went forward with his teammates. The Shedinja opened the doors and allowed the three to enter inside before shutting the door right behind them. They found Chrysalis was still sitting upon her throne, though appearing rather aggravated to have company once more. The Shedinja went ahead of the group and came to a halt before the Volcarona.
"Madam Chrysalis, I'm afraid your new members would like to have a word with you about something," the ghost said with a sneer as it glared back at Team Vendetta. "They insisted on seeing you right this moment."
"So I see," Chrysalis stated blandly. "Very well, you can leave. Let me see what these three have to say that is of such importance."
The Shedinja gave a short bow of its head before disappearing through the doors. Team Vendetta came to a stop once they were a few feet away from the leader. She tilted her head to the side and her wings flexed in place. She released a loud sigh.
"Why are you here again, Team Vendetta?" she asked. "I believe I told you not to return for quite a while."
Terron reached into his coat and pulled out the crumpled-up assignment. He held it up to her, his eyes becoming dark from behind his mask.
"Why do you want to destroy Erebus Woods?" he asked seriously. "What's going on there?"
Chrysalis's eyes glazed over and her wings became frozen in place. But, her stupor was quick to pass. She sat up in her seat and became collected once again not even a moment later.
"Ah, that is why you three do not know. Of course," Chrysalis said thoughtfully. "You have lost all contact with the Fellowships for a month. Well, let me enlighten you of what has happened while you were cast out of the Fellowship. You see, Erebus Woods is a Mystery Dungeon that resides near the Dusk Mines Fellowship. It is a very special dungeon in that it seems to produce evolution stones. With those stones so rare, it is only natural that we find that dungeon to be of such value and for so long, the Dusk Mines Fellowship has ventured into its depths and provided us with its seemingly endless supply.
"But just a couple of weeks ago, I was told of rather alarming news. As it turns out, Erebus Woods is home to a monstrous creature named Erebus that has the ability to turn others into Plagued Ones and every single Dusk Mines member was infected by this creature. They are all 'plagued' as some prefer to call the process and will become Plagued Ones in just a matter of time."
Team Vendetta became very stiff, yet could feel their legs trembling as their eyes remained frozen open. Their breath caught in their throats.
"Yes, very troubling information, is it not?" Chrysalis asked. "Figured you would become so stunned. You three do not exactly seem like the types who can handle such morbid information. But I am not quite finished for you sadly. For you see, after I was told this, someone issued an order to eliminate all of Dusk Mines in order to prevent their transformation from continuing. Yet when a group of Pokémon went to take care of the task, they found that everyone within that Fellowship was gone. The entire Dusk Mines Fellowship was completely abandoned. So now, we have hundreds of plagued Pokémon running about Shiron, who will no doubt plague you if they truly feel so or if Erebus makes them do so, since I was told it controls them. So as all the Fellowships search for everyone in Dusk Mines, the Oracion Fellowship has been taking their time to destroy Erebus Woods. That is what that mission is for; to help them put an end to this nightmare."
Terron felt very sick to his stomach. All he wanted to do more than anything was to leave the room and pretend he hadn't heard any of the information. There were many details about Chrysalis's words that shook him at the moment. But, there was only one that seemed to have been driven directly into his core and filled him with the most dread.
Dusk Mines was no doubt on a hunt for Team Vendetta, a certain Sableye leading them, completely fueled by malice. Terron didn't know why this thought disturbed him the most, but imagining Yimtri's followers chasing him and his friends across every corner of Shiron caused him to tremble greatly.
Terron pressed his helmet into his face, trying to stifle the terror filling him. He couldn't think about this now. Not when Chrysalis was right there. Thankfully, his persona granted him his wish. He released a low sigh as the fear in his heart left him.
"So does that thing going on in those woods have to do with the lack of dungeon missions?" Terron asked.
"Yes, it does," Chrysalis answered. "There has been a theory that you can become a Plagued One if you venture into other Mystery Dungeons as well. We do not know for sure, but it is a precaution all of the Fellowships are supposed to take to prevent our own members from becoming plagued."
"Who gave out the order to kill everyone in Dusk Mines?" Terron then asked.
"I believe that would have been the Pledge Mountain Fellowship leaders," she answered.
"And who told them about Erebus Woods?" he then asked.
"I am afraid I do not know that," she answered with shrug. "I was never told of who it was. Though I suppose the Oracion Fellowship might know since they seem to have the task of destroying Erebus Woods. Perhaps they were told something that I was not. Everything in the Fellowship became very muddled after this horrifying truth became known. So I cannot really say."
Terron frowned as he glanced at the mission clenched in his hand. He took in a deep breath as he crumpled up the paper in his fist and shoved it back into his coat.
"Are the leaders of the Oracion Fellowship at Erebus Woods right now?" he asked.
"Yes, one of them is supervising all the members there," Chrysalis said.
Zekra and Novus shot Terron horrified glances, seeing where his thought process was going. But Terron didn't pay them any mind. He knew what needed to be done.
"We'll take the Erebus Woods mission as our first mission of your Fellowship," he announced.
"But Tear-"
"And I have no objections to that," Chrysalis cut in. "Seems to be a mission that exceeds your current competence from what I can tell, but you can do as you please. Do you want me to arrange for one of my members to fly you there in the morning?"
"No, Zekra can take us there," Terron stated. "She's got some pretty fast forms that'll get us there in no time."
"Very well then," she shrugged. "Enjoy your mission. Though, I do have a warning; do not let Erebus taint you with its influence. Because if you come back to me and you have been plagued… do not think you can hide that from me. I will know and I do not exactly tolerate plagued members. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Chrysalis cast Terron an icy, penetrating gaze that almost made him flinch. Terron took in deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Yes, we understand," Terron said.
"Good. Well then, I will see you three in an hour to give you an escort to your rooms."
Terron nodded and then turned on his heels and headed out of the room, not looking back as his teammates wearily followed behind him.
"You're insane, Tear! We can't just go back to Erebus Woods! What's wrong with you?!"
Terron, Zekra, and Novus stood outside of the Fellowship base minutes later, hiding in the very back where hopefully no one would find them. Terron leaned against the stone wall of the castle, observing the glances of his two friends. Both seemed to share the same dumbfounded expression, yet Novus at least attempted to seem composed. The same could not be said for Zekra.
"Do you know what'll happen to us if we go back?" Zekra went on. "We'll just get worse! And I don't know about you, but I do not want that voice talking in my head some more! Hearing it just that one time was bad enough! Not to mention what else might happen…"
"Terron, I agree with Zekra on this one," Novus spoke uneasily. "I think I understand your reasoning for wanting to go, but still. It might not be worth the risk. I truly do not want to see you and Zekra worsen in your conditions."
The Cubone stuffed his paws into his pockets as he released a low sigh. The dread he had suppressed was coming back again. He had only temporarily fought it off. He pushed down on his mask with a hand, once again feeling the anxiety drown under the influence of his persona. He didn't want to deal with the fear. He needed to be a leader right now and as far as he knew, leaders didn't let fear consume them.
"I know that going to Erebus Woods isn't exactly a great idea," Terron confessed. "I know the risks and I don't want to get worse myself. Not when my inner Plagued One is already pretending to be my voice of reason."
Zekra and Novus cringed at the remark, but Terron didn't stop. Even with his own unease crawling back into his heart, he forced himself to keep going.
"But there's information we need at Erebus Woods. And what's the next step of the plan we're all trying to follow? It's to get information about the Fellowship. The Fellowship somehow knows about Erebus now when none of us said anything? Something isn't right. We need to go investigate that as much as we can. It's our first lead into whatever's going on with the Fellowship and we really can't let that opportunity escape from us."
"But is it really worth the possibility of getting even more plagued?" Zekra asked. "Is getting answers you might not even find worth it? I mean, I wanna follow our plan too, but your idea is really, really dangerous. We might be okay, but what if we have to go inside the woods or if Erebus somehow starts controlling us? "
Terron didn't want to answer that question. His heart thudded loudly at the thought of being plagued further. He didn't want to imagine how he would be if he became worse. He didn't want to imagine that he would become just like Yimtri and have his plagued self take over him so easily. He especially didn't want that happening to his friends. He would have rather died than watch them become twisted versions of their former selves.
But Terron knew what his answer was and didn't hesitate.
"If it brings us closer to stopping the Plagued Ones, then yes. We're going to Erebus Woods. No matter what."
Zekra sighed and lowered her gaze.
"So that's your decision," she muttered.
"Yeah, it is," he said, not letting his voice waver.
The Zorua let out yet another quiet sigh. Novus glanced over at her for a moment before looking back at Terron.
"Because you are our leader, I will follow you," the Quilava stated. "But, I want you to promise me something in return."
"And what would that be?" Terron asked.
"Assure me that you will put all of your effort into preventing a catastrophe from striking us," Novus said gravely. "If I go with you, you need to swear that you will do everything in your power to keep us safe. I know that perhaps that responsibility should fall upon me because I am not plagued, but I feel you should have it, for you are our leader. I would like to have faith in that."
Terron nodded slowly, finding that was the only way he could respond. Novus gave a nod of his own in return.
"Thank you," Novus said.
"And since you're my friend and you've been a good leader before, I'll follow you too," Zekra then said as she walked up to the Cubone and stopped in front of him. "I mean, I'd really like to do something else instead, but if this really does get us answers like you're saying…"
"It will," Terron assured. "We'll be okay. I'll make sure nothing happens to us."
"If you say so," Zekra said with a defeated sigh. "I just hope you're right, Tear. I really do."
Terron smiled gently as he wrapped his arms around Zekra. She tried to pull away at first, but eventually relaxed when she realized how comforting the hug was. She buried her head into his coat and sighed. Terron continued to hold her close as he caressed the back of her head.
"Everything will be okay. I promise."
And yet even after Terron told her this, the dread in his heart rekindled. It didn't fade away.