Wardens Eternal

Chapter Nineteen: The Dungeon

The fire type had managed to get free from the araquanid's silk that her captors had used to bind her paws and tie her muzzle shut, but was still effectively helpless trapped inside a wooden barrel. If it was just the wooden container, Scarlett could have easily busted out and get free. The real problem was that the barrel was held high in the air by a slalamance that was flying the prisoner home. Any attempt to escape would end with her falling to her death.

The vulpix didn't know how long she had been out cold, but when she was captured, Martian only had three days left before he would be released from the healers. That was three days until Martian would learn about her abduction. The ditto would try to trick the luxio, but Scarlett wasn't all that worried. The former human was too smart to fall for that trick, the imposter wouldn't last a day.

Unfortunately, a couple of days flying covers the same amount of distance it would take a pokemon like Martian a whole month at best to cover on foot, meaning her captors effectively had a month's start on him.

Good thing she knew that would only make him even more determined to get her back, Martian wasn't one to quit. If anything, the kitsune almost felt a little sorry for any of her mother's thugs that got in his way.

Almost,

Two days of nonstop flying, trapped in the barrel, and Scarlett could begin to taste the familiar taste of salt in the air. Her stomach twisted: She was back.

The beautiful, sunny tropics below defined what many pokemon desired as a paradise: Soft smooth sand on the beaches, the clean, deep blue ocean, and the overabundance of vegetation in every size and shape, all in bright, eye-catching colors. With a never-ending supply of fresh tropical fruit and complete immunity to any sort of foul weather, the Southern Gulf was the ideal vacation spot for pokemon from every corner of the world.

The local pokemon who called it home definitely help ensure a pleasurable experience for any tourists, everything revolved around the gulf being an oasis of paradise in a cruel, unforgiving world. Buildings were simple huts made of bamboo lattices and straw roofs, flimsy, but without the threat of poor weather, sufficient.

But that didn't really change the darker side of the Southern Gulf, it may be paradise to tourists, but it was far from it for any unfortunate enough to call it home. There was a reason the vulpix ran away from here.

Standing atop a large hill overlooking one of the coastal villages was a set of old human ruins that had been restored by pokemon. From what could be translated from the ancient human texts, it had been a small manor with a defensive fort built around it for protection. Not too dissimilar from its role now.

A mob of pokemon were waiting as the salamance began to land in the courtyard, setting the barrel that contained the captive fox on the ground.

"Be careful, she killed four guys and gave the rest a hard time. Little red flower is a fighter now." The dragon warned as he landed, finally getting a chance to rest his tired wings after such a long time in air.

"Come on, she's just a runt!" One of the yungoos sneered, "How hard can it be?"

Scarlett was quick to answer by breaking out of the barrel and slamming into the grunt head on, knocking him out before he'd even had time to register what was happening. The initial shock of the rest of the thugs was enough to give the vixen a brief moment of hope that she could get free, but the moment she felt psychic energy grip her she knew that moment was up.

"Guess the rumors are true," A tropical Raichu sighed as he hovered on his tail to position himself in front of the kitsune, "Poor Lady Flaris has become a victim of some soulless monster's influence."

"At least this monster didn't sell out his own nest for coin like you did." Scarlett growled, trying to break free. Had she not been trapped in the barrel for days without food or water, she would have had the strength to overcome the raichu's psychic grip.

"He's a luxio, either they live in a pride with others or they are banished rouges, deplorable filth." The psychic mouse whispered.

"Sounds like you know from experience." Scarlett smugly cut the rodent off, causing some of the other thugs gathered around to snicker.

"Not funny." the raichu coldly uttered, instantly losing all desire to poke fun at his captive. Using his power to bring her in closer as he looked her directly in the eyes, beginning to bounce a single thought back and forth across the fox's mind:

Sleep. . .

Wardens Eternal

Martian was unusually quiet as he deposited Scarlett's belongings on the wooden platform once he was finished interrogating the ditto and returned home to prepare. He took his own vest off, despite the difficulty and spread it out alongside his partner's. Silently and methodically he removed everything from both uniforms and sorted out supplies, dumping the current Oran Berries and replacing them with the freshest he could find. Good thing Scarlett had kept their inventory up to date while he was staying at the hospital.

Two Pecha berries for poison, Three Chesto Berries, dumped and refilled canteens, a small wooden travel pan, the map, a roll of white cloth for bandages, a coil of vine, and a handful of luminous orbs. It was going to be a long trek down to the Southern Gulf, and the former human wasn't going to go ill-prepared. With several weeks of supplies secured away, Martian began the process of re-equipping his uniform, tying Scarlett's vest and scarf away on his back for until she was ready to put them back on again.

It was a lot more weight then he was normally used to, but luxury wasn't a benefit he could afford right now, not when his partner was missing. After carefully inspecting his claws for any weakness or flaw the lion closed his eyes and sighed, beginning the long, grueling journey to get his partner back.

"No one gets left behind. Not agian."

Wardens Eternal

"Flaris?"

The sound of her old name was the first thing Scarlett could register after the hazy sensation of hypnosis. The whole world was spinning into an incoherent blur as her temple ached in pain. Her nose was confused by the cocktail of smells, her body felt like it was twisting in impossible ways, all a testament to how the raichu's psychic influence still lingered in her mind.

The first true sign that the vulpix was beginning to overcome her vertigo was when she could feel solid ground under her feet. Little by little, things began to make more sense. The confusing mess of scents began to separate into smells she could identify: Wet moss and grime, stone, and stale air.

The dungeon, of course. She never visited it growing up, but that didn't mean she was ignorant about it.

The kitsune closed her eyes before beginning to stand up slowly, her aching body stinging in protest. Obviously, her mother's thugs had not been concerned about how they handled her when she was out, probably tossing her in down here like a sack of old crops. They certainly didn't treat her like their boss's daughter anymore.

The fox opened her eyes and looked around the dark, damp, stone cell she had awoken in. The stone bricks used in the walls, ceiling, and floor were ancient, hundreds of thousands of years old at least. The rough, unpolished surfaces and all the little puddles and growths of moss were enough to prove that. Some marks bore evidence of past occupants who had tried to claw or dig their way free, to no avail.

That's when she noticed the weight of something around her neck, something noticeably heavier than her scarf and relic fragment, items she had been stripped of when abducted. Something metal.

The near black chain confirmed her suspicions when she found the other end anchored into the ground. Her captors had padlocked a metal color around her neck to prevent her escape. There was no way she could break the chain by brute force, it felt strong enough to even hold up to Martian's attacks. But maybe she could melt the steel?

The metal glowed white-hot under her fire but refused to yield. No matter what she tried to use to weaken the chain, they all archived the same result: no effect.

"M'lady, it's human tempered steel," The voice sadly informed, "For all intents and purposes indestructible unless you're a Legendary."

Scarlett ceased her attempts at breaking free to let her eyes adjust to the overall darkness. After a few seconds of waiting, the kitsune was beginning to be able to see what was beyond the metal bars that made up the last side of her cell. And more importantly, the figure that stood on the other side of said bars.

"Quill?"

"Yes M'lady, I'm sorry."

Quillian, or just Quill for short was the closest thing Scarlett had to real friend for most of her life. The young Dartrix's father, Decidueye, was chief of staff under Scarlett's mother, and expected his son to follow in his footsteps. Maybe it was because they were both held back by their parents, but the young lady and manservant grew to see each other as friends and confidants.

Probably the biggest secret they shared was what role the young butler played in Scarlett's success running away. It was Quillian who snuck into storage and got the vulpix her scarf, some food he managed to sneak out of the kitchen, and most importantly: the key to the windows in her room. Without his help, the kitsune would have never escaped in the first place.

"It's good to see you again Quill," Scarlett admitted, "How did my mother find me?"

"Couriers M'lady," The owl quietly explained, "When word about the mysterious but powerful Wardens taking down a high profile outlaw got here, your mother ordered Mimikyu to take some pokemon and capture the "Dangerous Dame." I don't know how she knew it was you."

"Then it's not your fault Quill, you didn't rattata me out." The vixen assured, "What are you so sorry about?"

"I can't get you out of this." The dartrix sadly explained, "I can't help you escape this time, your mother has the only key to your collar. I can't do anything to help you escape, most I can do is bring you fresh food and water every day until Mimikyu gets back. After that, I won't even be able to get into the dungeons anymore."

"I understand Quill, and thank you." Scarlett calmly spoke before smirking a little, "And don't worry about me, I don't need to escape this time. I just have to wait."

"Wait for who?" the puzzled bird questioned, "Your partner the luxio?"

"Yeah, Martian." the young vixen confirmed, "He'll be here sooner or later. He isn't one to give up."

"I . . . I hope so M'lady." The owl sighed before turning his head around to quickly look towards the only exit. "I must beg my leave M'lady, I can't neglect my other duties."

"I know, and thank you for doing what you can." Scarlett sighed. As soon as the butler disappeared up the stairs the vixen began searching her cell for the most comfortable place to lay down. The old grimy stone bricks were far from the ideal place to sleep, but in the absence of any straw or cloth for bedding it would have to do.

All she needed to do is wait.

Wardens Eternal

The sound of old hinges followed by footsteps and whimpering was enough to stir the captive vulpix from her attempt at a nap. It didn't take long for her to see what was happening: A Gumshoos and Machoke entered the dungeon, the fighting type holding a small lapras in his grip. Scarlett couldn't help but look at her paws in shame as the two brutes opened another cell and locked the young water type inside.

This may have been the first time the vulpix had seen one of her mother's lackies lock someone up for ransom, but that didn't mean she never knew about it before now. The truth made Scarlett feel sick beyond description, the constant looming shame that even indirectly, she prospered on other people's suffering. The only thing worse than not having anything growing up is knowing that what you have was wrongfully obtained.

Running away had been a choice that had haunted her, that little voice in the back of her head reprimanding her for leaving these pokemon to suffer at her mother's paws. It was selfish, only caring about herself and forgetting what she had left behind. Who she had left behind. But at the time, what else could she have done?

What else could she do now?

While truthfully it had only been maybe three seasons since she ran away to now, everything she had learned since made it feel like it happened a lifetime ago. Maybe in a way, that wasn't completely wrong: Flaris had walked into that mystery dungeon on the beach after those two thieves, but that timid and defenceless fox never walked out. A totally different vulpix did in her place, a confident, compassionate kitsune willing and able to do what was right.

Who knows? Maybe that timid vulpix is still somewhere in that dungeon? Someone might have to go in after her. Joking aside, Scarlett began to realize why she had been dragged back here. Fate had given her a chance to redeem herself, to do now what she couldn't back then: Free the pokemon of the Southern Gulf.

The first step was to give hope, she would have to wait until she could do the next step. . .