Pokémon: Adventures in Sinnoh Chapter 19: Spiritomb Raiders!, a pokémon fanfic

'Elek-KIIIIID!'

Nick opened his eyes to see Elekid standing by his bed, huge sparks flying from its antennae as it showed off its new power to Jay and Luxio, who were standing in the doorway of the room.

'You're proud of your Thunderbolt attack, huh?' laughed Nick, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and cracking his knuckles. He looked from his Pokémon to Jay, who was drinking a cup of tea, the morning light falling across his face.

'So, how do we get to Canalave City from here?' he asked, his voice hoarse.

'Well,' began his rival between sips, 'While we're in this part of Sinnoh, we could visit Lake Valor. It's one of the three grand lakes of the region, along with Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City and Lake Verity in Twinleaf Town.'

Memories of summer evenings sitting by the water of Lake Verity rushed into Nick's mind. He felt a sudden longing for home, but it was not as great as his longing for adventure.

'Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.' smiled Nick, pulling the covers off of himself and getting to his feet with a yawn and a stretch.

'From there, Skarmory can fly us back to Jubilife City, hopefully.'

Nick was not keen on the idea of sitting on the frightening steel bird, but he kept quiet as he approached the sink to freshen up before the next leg of their journey. He washed and pulled on some fresh clothes before looking down at Elekid.

'How about you rest in your Poké Ball for a while?' he smiled.

'Elekid!' it grinned as it was pulled back inside in a red flash.

The two boys walked down the stairs of the Pokémon Centre. The reception was quiet, save for an old man reading a newspaper by the window and two young children, a boy and a girl, at the counter, looking up pleadingly at the nurse. She was running her hands over a small creature that appeared to be covered in leaves, although several of them were ravaged and torn, while an orange primate lay dazed beside it. The nurse turned to look at the two older trainers as they passed.

'Congratulations again on your victory against Wake!' she smiled, the morning light falling across her flawless face.

'Thank you.' they replied in unison.

'Where are you going next?' she asked, still fondling the leaf-covered Pokémon.

'Lake Valor.' answered Jay, putting his hands into his pockets. 'I've heard that it's an amazing sight on a beautiful day like today.'

'You heard right.' she smiled.

The young girl and boy were on the verge of tears and seemed desperate for the nurse to pay attention to them again.

'While you're at Lake Valor,' she continued, 'You might want to visit the Elder who lives by the water. She often gives useful advice to trainers.'

Nick and Jay looked at each other and nodded interestedly.

'Nurse!' piped the little boy finally, 'Will our Pokémon be okay?'

'Yes, they'll be fine, but you can't let your Pokémon battle so intensely until they're stronger.' she said strictly. The boy fell silent, still bubbling. Nick opened his Pokédex and held it towards the creatures.

'Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon,' it explained, 'It protects itself by making a cloak out of nearby materials. This may include leaves, earth or trash.'

'Weird…' mumbled Jay.

'Chimchar,' said the Pokédex of the other creature, 'The gas in its belly becomes the flame that burns from its tail. It burns weakly when it is ill or injured.'

Nick looked at the Chimchar. Its tail was nothing more than a flicker.

'You should take a role out of these trainers' books.' said the nurse to the children, gesturing to Nick and Jay. Nick blushed and Jay grinned as they looked up at them in awe.

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The ground became less marshy as they followed the wooded path to the lake, making the walk easier and more enjoyable. Clouds had crept over the sun, but the air remained pleasantly warm. Jay whistled a tune as they observed their surroundings; the trees were perhaps the most lush Nick had ever seen, clustered together in a canopy of dark green leaves.

'This place must be teeming with wild Pokémon…' mused Jay longingly.

'Yeah.' agreed Nick. He wondered when he would next catch a Pokémon, and hoped that it would be easier to raise than Skorupi.

As they turned a bend, a small stream emerged from the trees as though guiding them to their destination. They slowed to admire the crystal clear water gently making its way, but a rustling in the reeds by its edge caught their attention. Jay instinctively withdrew a Poké Ball and waited. Before long, an animal with curly fur and large, protruding front teeth walked out in front of them on all fours, before standing on two feet and staring at them with curious, black eyes.

'Hey, I've seen one of those before in Twinleaf Town…' smiled Nick.

'It's a Bidoof,' explained Jay, 'They're pretty common in most areas of Sinnoh.'

'It's kinda goofy, but cute.' smirked Nick.

'I think I'll make this one mine!' exclaimed Jay suddenly, releasing Luxio. The two Pokémon looked at each other.

'Luxio, Thundershock!'

With a growl, the electric-type released a bolt which cracked like a whip at the ground where Bidoof had stood moments before – it rolled to the side and out of the way just in time, but lay shaking its head, dazed.

'Poké Ball, go!'

Jay tossed an empty ball towards it, only for the beaver to come to its senses and whack the ball away with its tail before dashing into the stream with a splash.

'Can't win 'em all!' laughed Nick, as he browsed Bidoof's data in the Pokédex.

'Hmph.' replied Jay, approaching and picking up the failed ball before recalling Luxio. 'Let's go.'

Before long, they found themselves staring across the vast, sparkling water of Lake Valor. A ray of sunlight was beaming through the clouds and illuminating the surface, distant ripples giving away the hiding places of water-types.

'What a view!' gasped Nick.

'Sure is,' replied Jay, 'And look, over there. That must be where the Elder lives.'

Nick looked to where his friend was pointing to see a small cottage almost completely concealed by the trees, smoke slowly rising from a stone chimney. Without words, they began to walk around the edge of the lake. Minutes later, they reached the worn wooden front door, the steel knocker of which was shaped like some sort of fierce-looking dragon.

'Uh… You knock.' muttered Jay.

'What?' said Nick indignantly, 'Why me? You do it.'

'No, I said it first!' spat back Jay.

The boys started bickering and failed to notice the door slowly opening.

'Welcome.' said a croaky voice.

The two boys were startled, and looked forward to see a short, grey-haired woman standing before them, leaning on a knotted walking stick.

'Uh, hi…' they stuttered.

'Trainers?'

'Y-Yeah.'

'Come in.'

They hesitated before following her inside. Several stone tabletops lined the room, while pots and pans hung from the walls above a dusty wooden floor. They took seats on two burst, cushioned stools as the Elder approached a whistling teapot.

'Where ya from?' she rasped.

'Twinleaf and Sandgem.' replied Jay, the two boys looking at each other, unsure of how to feel.

'Ah! Twinleaf!' she barked suddenly. 'The home of one of the Lake Guardians!'

'Lake Guardia-?'

'The trio of benevolent spirits that live in the three lakes of Sinnoh.' interrupted the woman, sitting opposite them and thrusting two cups of black tea towards them. 'The Pokémon known as Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit, created by the Original One.'

Nick suddenly remembered the book that he had read in the Old Chateau that had detailed a legend regarding this.

'The Pokémon that gave us will, emotion and knowledge?' asked Nick, his eyes widening in curiosity.

'Yes indeed, and one of them is said to live at the bottom of this very lake.'

Nick turned his head to look out at the lake, but could not see it from the window.

'Anyway, how is your journey progressing?' she asked, sipping the tea. Nick tried it and had to force it down without retching.

'I have four badges, and we're on our way to Canalave City.' he spluttered through his disgust.

'I only have two badges… I need to get more, and quickly.' said Jay quietly. This was the most sincere and introspective that Nick had ever heard him.

'Ah, but patience is a virtue.' said the Elder, lifting a finger. 'Let me tell you a story.'

The boys got comfortable and pretended to take sips of the tea.

'There was once a family who lived in a house in the woods. One day the father asked the youngest son to go deep into the woods and bring back a Pokémon that could help cut the firewood. Receiving an empty Poké Ball, the boy left home and travelled into the trees.

'After hours of searching, he found the Pokémon that his father had asked him to catch. However, before he could throw the Poké Ball, a flash of light caught his eye. Turning to look, he found himself staring at a legendary Pokémon that his grandmother had only spoke of in her folk stories. Ignoring the first creature, he threw the ball at the legendary one, only for it to disappear and the ball to hit the ground.

'"Ha! You can't catch me!" laughed the legendary, appearing behind the boy. Picking up the ball, he threw it at the Pokémon again and, once more, it vanished and reappeared behind him. It continued to mock the boy, while using its psychic powers to read his thoughts in order to avoid the Poké Ball. This continued until the boy became frustrated and turned away from it, focusing again on the creature he had originally intended to capture.

'"Are you giving up?" sneered the legendary, taunting him. Paying no attention to the beast as it floated near him, he threw the ball at the other Pokémon.

'To his surprise, the common Pokémon batted the ball away, only for it to hit the unwitting legendary creature, capturing it in an instant.'

'With its immense power, the family lived to be prosperous and were able to help those around them, turning the woods into a thriving community for people and Pokémon alike.'

Nick and Jay had been listening intently, and leaned closer as the old woman finished the story, taking another sip of her tea.

'Do you understand?' she asked in a whisper.

'Ermm…'

'Only when the boy began acting rationally, keeping focus of his goal, was a wonderful gift bestowed upon him. Take your time, put in effort, and you will find that you will achieve your goals as trainers.'

Nick smiled widely, understanding and appreciating the story. He looked to Jay, who was nodding slowly.

'You could always…' began the woman, before her voice fell to a mumble, 'No… no, maybe not…'

'No, please?' begged Jay, leaning forward.

Nick also found himself eager to know what other advice she had.

'Well, you could try exploring the Valor Ruins.'

'The Valor Ruins?' both boys replied inquisitively.

The Elder drank more then sat in silence for several moments before answering.

'Some ruins lie deeper in the forest. They are ancient and mysterious, and a treasure is said to lie inside, but only the most honest and brave trainers will find it. I get the feeling you two might be capable…'

Nick's eyes widened but not as much as Jay's. His rival nodded at him, his smile wider than Lake Valor. The woman noticed this and began to reveal more.

'Follow the path behind the house and you'll find the ruins.'

'Thank you, Elder!' exclaimed Jay, pulling Nick to his feet and rolling up his sleeves. 'Come on, Nick! Let's find ourselves a treasure!'

'Err…' stuttered Nick, but before he could voice any concerns, he had been pulled out of the door. It closed behind them with a rattling slam, and the woman grinned.

The trees narrowed as they followed the trail, arching into a tunnel as if leading to something hallowed. Nick found himself having to walk quicker to keep up with an excited Jay.

'Maybe we should think about this?' he pleaded.

'Nah, let's do it!' cheered Jay, almost running. What lay ahead was shrouded entirely in darkness, an abyss in the midst of the trees.

'All I'm saying is that we don't know how…'

Light suddenly filtered down through the growth and illuminated a towering, stone building. The boys stopped and looked at it. Its grey, moss-covered walls had no windows and, despite not being remarkably long in length, the pitch black entrance seemed to go on forever.

'…dangerous it is.'

The silence was louder than anything else, no birdcalls penetrating the wall of silence around the ruins. Jay now seemed less confident.

'Do you want to go first?'

'No!' snapped Nick.

'But what if there's something amazing in there, like gold, or a rare Pokémon?'

Nick wondered what kind of Pokémon would live in such a place. He stared, almost in disbelief, at the ruins, before resigning himself to going in.

'If you really want to explore it, I'll come with you. But we'll go in together.'

Jay nodded slowly. Nick pretended not to notice that he was clutching a Poké Ball in a trembling hand. They walked slowly up the steps and into the tunnel. The cold and darkness washed over them like a sea wave, and the sounds of dripping water echoed from further ahead.

'Maybe we should get Elekid and Shinx to light the way.'

The two electric-types emerged and released bursts of energy. Their Flash attacks, however, could barely reveal the surroundings, the darkness overcoming and swallowing any attempt at making the journey less mysterious. The boys said nothing, but followed their redundant Pokémon into the void. Nick continually looked back at the daylight, only to find it slowly fading. This was too sinister; it was not dusk yet. Something, however, pulled him further, despite wanting to run for the exit.

'The light, it's… gone.'

Jay turned to see that nothingness surrounded them in all directions. They reached out and found that the walls did not seem to be there anymore.

'What's going on?'

Nick found his heart starting to beat quicker. He started to run back the way they had came, but it was useless; the outside world was gone.

'I don't like this!' cried Jay.

The trainer started to run, but fell onto the ground, as though something had grabbed his foot to trip him. From the shadows, several pairs of glowing red eyes suddenly opened, piercing the darkness and staring hypnotically at them.

'What… are they?' whimpered Nick.

No sooner had he said it than a light burst from nowhere and lit up the area they were standing in; an enormous, square room with a ceiling that stretched up into infinity. The owners' of the eyes were revealed; a pack of skulls enshrouded in dark, ragged cloaks. They had began to fly rapidly around the room when the light had appeared.

'Argh!' shrieked Jay, covering his head and cowering into the floor. Nick was similarly startled, but managed to consult the Pokédex, successfully aiming it at the creatures that were circling them.

'Duskull, the Requiem Pokémon.' it said. 'This scary Pokémon lives in darkness and chases its prey until the sun rises. Duskull is the first evolutionary form of Dusknoir.'

Nick had an unsettling flashback to the Dusknoir he and Pearl had encountered in the Old Chateau. If Duskull was a younger version, hopefully it would not be as powerful. There were, however, several of them. His thoughts were interrupted by a Shadow Ball crashing at his feet and knocking him to the ground beside Jay, who was still clutching his head, trembling.

'Jay, get up! We have to fight!' bellowed Nick.

Slowly, Jay looked up, and threw two balls into the air. Skarmory and Arbok joined Luxio, while Nick released Nosepass, Shellder and Skorupi. The Duskull moaned and tossed more pulsating Shadow Balls towards them from above.

'Nosepass, Stealth Rock! Shellder, Icicle Spear! Skorupi, Pin Missile!' barked Nick.

Nosepass formed several pointed stones and sent them soaring upwards, tearing through and destroying several of the ghost-type attacks and knocking some Duskull away into the blackness around the edges of the room. Shellder's spears had a similar effect; some of the ghosts were chased away but Shellder was damaged by one of their attacks. Skorupi yawned loudly and started sniffing around. Its attitude would not change even in such desperate situations like this. The Duskull, however, noticed its refusal to battle, and released a shadowy mist that enveloped Skorupi and pulled it away out of sight.

'Skorupi, no!' wailed Nick, reaching out in vain for his fading scorpion companion. His heart sank as it vanished from sight.

'Nick, keep battling!' urged Jay. His confidence seemed to have returned. 'Luxio, Thundershock! Arbok, Acid! Skarmory, Metal Sound!'

Luxio's Thundershock blasted away the two Duskull that had lifted it into the air, while Arbok's poisonous bile covered others and pulled them to the ground, where they faded from sight. Skarmory bowed its head, before looking into the air and emitting a noise that filled the room, a horrific, palpably unbearable screech. Several of the ghosts were scared away. Only three were now still in battle. They soared high into the air and, shaking, formed a huge Shadow Ball between them.

'We gotta get away from that!' panicked Nick, recalling his Pokémon. Jay did the same and they turned to run, only to find they could not move from the spot; it was as if they were floating in mid-air.

'No…!'

The three ghosts came darting towards them, clutching the ball of dark energy between their six arms. The boys closed their eyes, bracing themselves for what was to come. A guttural moan filled the room, the walls and floor shaking at the sheer volume of it. The Duskull suddenly stopped in their tracks, only a few feet from the trapped trainers, and disappeared. This booming voice seemed to have warned them away. The boys could do nothing but look at the room dissolve into darkness again. Suddenly, however, they began to fall through the dark space, tossing and turning through the shadows.

Nick opened his eyes. His head was throbbing; he must have hit it when he had landed on the cold, stony ground. He struggled to his feet to find he was aching all over. He rubbed his groggy head and took in the surroundings. He was at the top of a small flight of stairs, with nothing but walls surrounding his other three directions. A mysterious twilight was lighting the way forward, although it did not seem to have a source.

'Jay?' he called.

The darkness did not reply.

'Jay, are you there?'

Nothing. He slowly and cautiously began to walk down the steps, on the verge of tears. He would never have imagined a hell such as this existing during his days in Twinleaf Town. He thought of his parents; as much as his home life had not been happy recently, he would have given everything to go back to it at this point. The tunnel ahead was just like the one they had entered through. He followed it, his steps getting quicker and quicker, searching for Jay, or the exit, or any sort of answer to this torturous riddle. His heart leapt with joy when he saw the outline of Jay standing in his path.

'Jay, there you are!'

He received no answer, but ran forward to reunite with his rival.

'Are you alright?' he chirped.

Jay stepped forward into the dim light and, after a moment of silence, Nick's smile faded and he stepped back. Jay's eyes seemed empty, his face sinisterly expressionless. He stood rigidly, staring into Nick's eyes.

'…Jay?' croaked Nick.

Jay suddenly lifted both of his arms and released a beam of blue power, burning Nick and throwing him backwards. He hit his head off of the ground again, but before he could even sit up, he found himself being lifted into the air by Jay – with one hand. He was pinned against the wall, cold fingers tightening around his throat.

'W-Why… W-What are you…' he gasped.

The light was fully on Jay's almost demonic face, his eyes tightening coldly. Nick had no choice; he let go of Jay's wrists and reached for a Poké Ball. He dropped it, and Elekid appeared in a flash.

'El… Thund… Thunderbo…'

He prayed that his Pokémon understood the command and, to his relief, it did. A blinding yellow flash and deafening crackle blasted Jay away. Nick dropped to the floor and looked at his rival flying through the air and skidding along the floor. From his chest, a flickering, purple flame rose into the air, and zoomed away along the tunnel. He rushed to Jay and kneeled by his side. The boy spluttered and gasped, and sat up quickly.

'What happened?' he coughed.

'I think… I think you were possessed…' mused Nick, helping his friend to his feet.

'Possessed?' asked the boy, dusting himself off, 'By what?'

Nick looked ahead down the passage.

'Whatever just went that way…'

'Nick, I don't like this place. I don't think we should have trusted the Elder.' admitted Jay, looking at the wall.

'I know. Let's get out of here.' Nick replied, quietly satisfied that he had essentially been the cleverer of the two.

He recalled Elekid and they continued through the ruins, expecting more Duskull – or something worse – to leap out at them at any time, or spirit them away. At this thought, Nick was reminded of something that almost made him sick.

Skorupi.

He said nothing, and fought back tears of sorrow and anguish. Was his poison-type gone forever? It would not obey him, but he had never intended to give up on it. He hoped that, wherever it now was, it was not suffering, and knew that he was thinking of it. Eventually, a doorway came into view at the end of the tunnel, with light shining through it.

'Is it a way out?' asked Jay anxiously.

'It doesn't look like daylight…' replied Nick slowly, 'But we have no choice – let's go.'

They walked into the blinding light, which faded as soon as they entered the new room. A new light shone, like the one that had lit the room during the Duskull encounter. This room was similarly spacious, only with a white marble altar in the centre. On top of it sat a large stone with a strange design emblazoned on it.

'Who could have built this place?' asked Jay. His tone seemed to hold more pleading than curiosity, desperate for an answer, for this to end.

They approached the stone, expecting something to happen. But nothing did. It sat motionless, doing nothing but look mysterious. Nick stared at it intently.

'Nick…' muttered Jay.

'Yeah?'

'Look…'

He turned to look behind them; the door had vanished. They looked at it in silence before Jay snapped.

'I am sick of this!' he cried, screaming to the roof. Nick almost jumped in fright.

'Jay, calm down…'

'No! This isn't fair! I want it all to end! End!'

He turned around and, in anger, swung a kick at the pillar holding up the stone. It fell sideways and smashed, debris cracking from it and rolling across the floor.

'Jay, that's enough!' roared Nick, grabbing the other boy by the shoulders and shaking him. He quietened, his eyes transfixed on something else, the colour draining from his face. Nick turned to see what it was. The marked stone was floating in the air; it had not fell to the ground with the platform it had been placed on. The designs were glowing a brilliant blue, and it began to rattle violently, the moan that had scared the Duskull echoing through the room again. The trainers watched in silent horror as a translucent, purple substances crept from a crack in the stone. It expanded a few feet in diameter, before beginning to swirl like a vortex. Two crescent-like eyes appeared on the surface, staring wickedly, before a gaping, crooked mouth opened beneath them. It moaned once more.

'What is that thing!' shrieked Jay, stepping back in fear.

Nick lifted the Pokédex slowly.

'Spiritomb, the Forbidden Pokémon. Legends state that this ghost- and dark-type Pokémon was formed by the union of malevolent spirits, but bound to an Odd Keystone for misdeeds. Frightening, and with no weaknesses, Spiritomb has been documented as one of the rarest and most powerful Pokémon in Sinnoh.'

The boys looked up at the monster in silence.

'Malevolent…'

'…spirits?'

This was confirmed as an immense Shadow Ball crashed into the floor, blasting a huge crater and tossing the trainers across the room. As the dust settled, they looked at Spiritomb again. It was laughing, its swirling face a picture of evil.

'We gotta get away from it!' spluttered Nick, getting up and helping Jay to his feet.

'Look, the door is back!' exclaimed Jay in reply.

Sure enough, the exit had reappeared. They darted from where they stood as another burning Shadow Ball crashed into the ground and ran back into the darkness of the tunnel. Looking over his shoulder, Nick could see Spiritomb coming after them, floating slowly behind them. Beads of cold sweat flew off his face as he and Jay ran. He tried not to think about the fact that he knew that this tunnel led to a dead end; just now he wanted to get away from the ghost coming after them. However, far in the distance, there now seemed to be another door, with what looked like natural light seeping through it.

'Look! The exit!' he called to Jay, who had also noticed and had increased his speed.

With what was now a mixture of hope and fear burned inside him as they got closer and closer to the light. To his dismay, however, the light started to fade again, and the Duskull made an unwelcome reappearance, drifting out of the walls and blocking their path. They skidded to a halt.

'Not again!' cried Jay, 'Luxio! Take 'em out!'

Luxio appeared and shot a spear of lightning at the ghosts, only for it to bounce off of an invisible wall they had created and hit Luxio, which was knocked out by its own attack. The skull creatures started hauntingly, hardly moving.

'Elekid, Thunderbolt!' burst Nick as his electric-type appeared again. Its attack was similarly futile; the bolt dissolved upon contact. It appeared that the Duskull could not be harmed.

'It's useless…' he sighed. He turned around to see Spiritomb approaching, its laughing reverberating through the tunnel, echoing menacingly. 'I think we're gonna have to battle it.'

'Nick, we can't battle that thing!' cried Jay, 'It's one of the strongest known Pokémon, we can't hope to take it out!'

'We have to at least try, there's no other choice!' snapped Nick. 'Send out all of your Pokémon and we'll go for one almighty shot!'

Jay hesitated before releasing his other two Pokémon. Nick released his too, and both humans and trainers glared determinedly at the Spiritomb, their fists clenched.

'Spiri-tooooomb!' it howled.

'Everyone! Now!' the boys commanded in unison.

A spectrum of electricity, ice, stone, acid and sharp wind soared over the no-man's-land between them and the overbearing ghost. It did not seem to react, and just as the attacks made contact, a blinding light hid everything from view. Nick closed his eyes and wondered if it was all over, or if Spiritomb would reappear moments later and launch the final move. He opened his eyes to find his vision had returned. Spiritomb was nowhere to be seen, nor were the Duskull, and the evening twilight beckoned them from outside. Without words, they recalled their Pokémon and slowly stepped outside into the cool night air. The trees around the area did not seem as imposing as when they had first arrived. They descended the steps into the clearing and Nick broke the silence.

'Skorupi… I can't leave without Skorupi.'

No sooner had he said these words than a flicker of light caught his eye, but not that of the twinkling stars or full moon. He looked up to see his missing Pokémon floating slowly down to earth, surrounded by the same haze it had been carried away in.

'Skor… Skorupi!' he exclaimed. He went to catch it mid-fall, but it avoided his grasp and dropped to the ground, looking away moodily.

'I guess some things never change.' grinned Jay kindly.

'Yeah…' smiled Nick, recalling the Pokémon. 'But where did it come from?'

The two boys looked around the area, but found no answer to the question. Jay, however, was sure he caught a brief glimpse of a small, cloaked skull hide behind a tree. He chose not to say anything; he was probably imagining it.

'I don't know what happened in there, or how we escaped, but I'm just glad it's over.' sighed Jay, taking a deep breath.

'I guess Spiritomb wasn't so tough after all… we just had to stand up to it and we won.'

'Do you want to go camp beside Lake Valor?'

Nick looked back at the nightmarish ruins.

'Yes. Yes I do.'

Laughing nervously, they moved away between the trees and out of the sight of the figure that was watching them from the shadows of the ruins.

'Good…'

The Elder limped out from the shadows, followed by a vortex-like Pokémon.

'I'm glad there are brave young trainers who will face their fears instead of running from them. I'm sure they will go on to do great things…'

A breeze came dancing through the trees, making her walking stick rattle.

'…unlike the last few, who will forever wander, lost, in the dark.'