Curse this blasted heat!
So thought a lone traveler in the desert, swathed in a sandbeaten cloak of
midnight. The sand was one thing, the light another, but this heat was simply
unbearable. It permeated everything from cacti to his cloak, and wore him down
by the minute. A normal person would have shrugged off his cloak long ago...
but for this traveler, removing that piece of clothing at this time of day
would be suicide.
Suicide was looking very good right now... but, no, he couldn't do that. He had a
mission to complete, something that would brook no delay.
After all, who else was as equipped to find sacred artifacts in this
godforsaken place but him?
Sighing, he continued forward, leaving a unique, swishing trail in the sand.
Curse this blasted heat...
Deep inside the cave that sheltered her,Desert slept soundly, now undisturbed by nightmares.
Little did she know, however, that someone else was sharing her
cave...
Strange, to see someone else in this sweltering place. Stranger still,
though, was to see a... hybrid? within it. She was asleep, however, so the
traveler carefully stepped over her, retreated even farther into the cave than
she had, and removed his hood, quietly hiding his weary body in the abundant
shadows which graced the furthestmost corners of the rocky solace.
A flash of silver lit the cave for a split second as the traveler's head was
revealed, then everything was shrouded once more.Desert yawned as the setting
sun sliced through the cavern, hitting her face and stirring her out of her
otherwise peaceful rest. Smiling, she got up, looking around...
...and her smile promptly faded as she remembered where she was, turning to a
flow of tears that threatened to engulf her in sorrow yet again.
"Why... why did they this to me?"
"Do what, little one?"
The Fusion looked around wildly for the speaker. "Who's there?"
"Who? Why, me, of course."
"And who exactly is 'me'?"
"You'd have better luck looking behind you," the voice chuckled back. Desert
immediately turned to look... and was greeted by a pair of bloodred orbs,
shining in the blackness of the cave's shadows.
The eyes laughed as Desert scrambled to the safety of the nearest wall, fear
filling every pore of her body. "What... what are you?"
"I really should be asking you the same, dear girl. But do let me introduce
myself."
A faint rustling reached the girl's ears as a heavy cloak was discarded, and
a second later, she gasped as a nightmare stepped out from the blackness. It
looked like a Gallade... but no Gallade would have jetblack skin, not to
mention a skirt that reached to its ankles, clawed feet and hands, a dragon's
tail and wings, and certainly not snakeheaded tentacles in place of its face
horns, a set of V-shaped dual head blades... and fangs.
The monster smiled cheerily, perhaps knowing how its form scared her. "I
am... Dark. Valanikos Dark.
Pleased to meet you, my dear."
"Saving the world... that's a tall order to fill."
As night fell, the Gallade had come out from his hiding place, choosing (to
Desert's slight discomfort) to sit across from her and discuss a few topics.
He had a strange singsong accent, she'd noticed, that colored his words when
he spoke. "Yeah, but I have no choice. The elders foretold it, so... here I
am."
"That sounds really corny."
"You're insulting my village!"
Dark laughed, waving her idnigancy away with a clawed hand. "I'm just joking.
When you've lived for as long as I have, you find that making fun of
everything is one of the only ways to keep your sanity.
...And I've lived a long, long time."
Desert sighed. This guy was getting weirder by the minute. Standing, she
retrieved her backpack, and began edging over to the mouth of the cave. "Well,
it's been fun, but it's time for me to go now. Thanks... I think."
In a split second, the Gallade had snatched his cloak from the back of the
cave and wrapped it around himself, leaving his head uncovered. "I'll go with
you. It might be fun to actually save the world for once."
"Listen. You can't..."
Dark was suddenly in front of her, his bloodred eyes narrowed to slits as he
scowled at her. "No. You listen. I can tell you right now that the first
hostile person you meet will beat you to a bloody pulp... or worse. And since
I'm the only one around who's actually capable of fighting anything bigger
than a Caterpie, you've got yourself a traveling partner, for better or worse.
Deal with it."
And with that, he grinned, his fake good nature restored. "Now, then, shall
we be off?"
After a few seconds of confused reasonng, the Fusion walked out of the cave,
a fully wrapped Gallade skipping behind her. "I don't know anymore."
"Good for you."