Chapter 2 – Tobial
Fiora looked on in shock as her new friend disappeared – engulfed by the flames. The attack came swiftly and without warning. The fire fox quickly found the location of the assailant, and sent a Flamethrower toward the spot. Two shadows leapt out of the way just as the attack landed, scorching the bushes. Although the attack had missed, she accomplished her goal. The pillar of flames next to her began dissipating – its source cut off. At the center was a light green sphere, which faded away to reveal an unharmed Jolteon.
The Ninetales blinked, pleasantly surprised. She had expected the thunder dog to be burnt to a crisp. [Guess there's more to him than meets the eye…]
Jolt gave Fiora a nod, silently thanking her for stopping the attack. His expression turning serious, the thunder dog sniffed the air, but frowned. [There's no way I can pick up any scent with this runny nose…] Despite the setback, his ears stood as straight as his bristled hair, listening for the slightest sound or movement. A moment of silence passed before he heard a slight rustling. From out of the thick undergrowth, a large, powerfully built Charizard came forward, easily brushing aside a tree trunk to clear his passage. He landed silently a few yards away from the Jolteon and Ninetales, giving them a cold glare. Two Houndour leapt out of concealment and stood behind the Charizard, heads lowered.
[Is that… a Charizard?] Jolt thought incredulously. The first thing that he noticed, besides the height and size of the towering, at least ten feet tall, Charizard, was its odd coloration. Its body was dark as night, and its wings red as blood. Its tail flame burned a bright blue. It also seemed to have horns of a Houndoom sprouting from its head.
"Sorry boss – that Ninetales over there, the same one we were telling you about, interrupted our attack! We would've had that Jolteon fri—"
"SILENCE!" the Charizard roared. "Don't make excuses for your shortcomings, weakling." The dragon's crimson eyes locked onto the Jolteon. "Besides… I'm sure the outlaw could've kept that Protect barrier up longer than you could have kept up your attack – isn't that right, thunder dog?"
"Who are you? And what do you want?" Jolt asked bluntly, body tensed and ready to fight.
The Charizard laughed coldly. "Guess I haven't burnt down enough of your villages, or captured enough of your kind, if you don't know who I am." One of Fiora's tails twitched slightly after hearing this, but neither she nor the Jolteon moved.
"How dare you insult the great Tobial!" a Houndour growled, stepping forward.
"Tobial, allow us to teach the scum a lesson!" the other Houndour proposed, joining his brother.
The Charizard roared in response. "I don't need you weaklings to defend me." The two Houndour quickly backed down and lowered their heads in submission. Satisfied that his subordinates had been put in their place, he turned back to his target. "Come with me quietly, outlaw, and nobody gets hurt – I'll let that vixen walk away unscathed. Otherwise, your corpses will do fine for our boss."
"I plan on leaving unscathed, with the Jolteon," Fiora suddenly said, full of determination. The Houndour laughed maniacally, stopping only after noticing Tobial's silent and displeased look. There was a moment's quiet as each side glared at the other. Fiora and Jolt, standing their ground against the behemoth and his minions.
"Why do you chase after me? Are you part of Team Rocket?" Jolt said, with a hint of disgust in his voice. All eyes turned to the Jolteon.
"Wow, he really must've gotten shaken up good…" Houndour whispered to his brother.
"'Team Rocket'? Is that another one of those pathetic Rescue Teams trying to 'restore balance' to the world? Hah!" They both sighed and shook their heads.
"I work for none other than the Prince of Nightmares, ignorant fool – not some Rescue Team. You are an Electric type – an outlaw by the laws of the Land of Shadows; A good enough reason to take you in for custody… dead or alive," Tobial replied, matter-of-factly.
"Your vile laws hold no jurisdiction here," Fiora challenged, fire burning in her eyes.
"On the contrary, Fluffy, you're not out of the woods yet! And the last I checked, which happened to be just this morning, the land you walk on had been generously given to us as a peace offering," Houndour smirked.
The Ninetales was taken aback at what she heard. [Have things really come to be this bad?] she thought to herself. Jolt gave her a very confused look. "I'll explain things once we get away from here," she whispered reassuringly.
"I grow tired of waiting!" Tobial roared. The Charizard opened its mouth, faced the sky, and let out a huge stream of fire to be coupled with a booming roar. Stopping the intimidating display of power and control, the beast snorted fire from its snout, and glared at the Jolteon impatiently.
"How fast are you?" Fiora whispered to her friend. Jolt couldn't fully suppress a smile as he nodded. In blur of beige, yellow and white, the duo disappeared, off the beaten road, and deep into Tunderice Forest.
"Ack! They're getting away! Do we go after them?"
"They truly believe they can escape from me? They're in for a surprise… You two, follow closely so you can carry their corpses!"
Fiora lead the dash through the forest, with Jolt keeping pace. [Running away from something… as usual,] the Jolteon sighed. The two did not bother to cover the tracks they left in the snow. They were depending on the fact that they could outmaneuver the two Houndour and the giant Charizard. Definitely not a problem for the Jolteon and, much to the thunder dog's surprise, not a problem for the elegant and agile Ninetales neither.
"We are not safe here anymore," Fiora said, after they had put a good distance between the clearing and themselves.
"Where are we headed now? Still to your cave?" Jolt asked, deciding to save his questions for when they weren't running for their lives.
"Yes, we'll go through the caves to safer territories," she replied. "I also have to get the news to the others and perhaps evacuate the place." Sensing the Jolteon's confusion, she added, "You'll see what I mean when we get there. It won't be much longer now."
"Br-Brother… did you just see that!?" Houndour gasped. The other nodded, a bewildered expression plastered on his face. He shook his head left and right, as if to shake the image from his mind and to clear his head.
"C-Come on, let's not get left behind! Who knows what Tobial might do to us…" With that as inspiration, the pair ran as fast as their legs could carry them, following their leader through the dense forest.
Jolt noticed the air getting colder, and snow becoming deeper. He could see his breath for just a moment after each exhalation. Crystalline snowflakes had even begun to fall. He also noticed the forest becoming less dense, the white, blanketed trees not as cluttered and numerous. Bright light whitened by the snow filtered through the dimness of the forest as Fiora announced, "We're almost there."
They both came to a stop, taking the moment to catch their breath and get a view of their destination – a formidable chain of tall, snowcapped mountains. [So this was what she meant…] he thought to himself. As if reading his mind, Fiora confirmed his thoughts: "I take quarters in parts of the caves in that mountain chain – Mount Nevermelt. I also happen to know how to navigate it and cross to the other side. That's where we'll be going after I find the others. Let's get going again." The fire fox began running toward the mountain again, her companion following closely.
Tobial towered over the spot Jolt and Fiora had taken a rest. The imprints in the snow were still fairly visible, despite the falling snow. [So, Mount Nevermelt eh?] Tobial thought, looking into the distance. [So be it.] The hunt continued.
Author's Notes
Thanks for the reviews! When I first started writing a while ago, I wasn't too sure of the path the story would take. Though it definitely will have a Mystery Dungeon mix to it.
As usual, comments are appreciate. If you have any questions, feel free to ask too, and I'll address it when possible.