The pair walked carefully down the hallway. They had emerged from the hastily made tunnel just minutes before, and their light from that cavern was fading with every step. The hallway was more varied this time. The engraved letters decorated the walls, and old braziers were perched up high on the walls. This area was well maintained.
Probably the only problem in navigating these halls now, were the number of cross passages and alcoves lining the walls. Many of the passages led on for a few yards before turning off to the left or right. The tiles of the floor were evenly spaced, and organized in perfect squares. If the braziers were lit, one would hardly be able to tell that these were ruins at all.
Vigil glanced back at his companion, the Pikachu he had discovered just a while ago. She was nervous, and constantly looking around in the dim light for any more of those letters or ghosts. But the hall was quiet, empty. But that didn't keep her from grabbing a paw-full of Vigil's thin carapace fur.
Vigil paused for a moment, and listened. Off in the distance was the sound of water dripping. He could feel Sarah's grip tighten as she began to hear it as well. He nodded forwards, and began to lead her towards the sound.
As they approached one of the many intersections, Vigil glanced down both passages. The one to his right was beginning to flood. Vigil led Sarah to the water's edge and chittered his frustration. Vigil did not like water. "Follow me." He requested, climbing up onto a rock, and bounding from rock to rock. "The water isn't that deep. I just don't like getting wet." He waited for her to catch up before heading further down the flooded passage.
A cool mist welcomed them as they entered into a vast underground lake. A waterfall cascaded nearby, dropping from the surface above. A series of natural pillars lined the shore as it stretched into the sunlit lake. The air was cool, and fresh, and Sarah gave a sigh of relief. Vigil glanced at her, and noted her stare towards the waterfall. He skittered towards the water's edge, and glanced at his reflection before scooping up a small handful of water and bringing it up to his mandibles. "Come. Drink. You need water." He requested quietly, waving Sarah over. She broke her gaze from the remarkable cavern, and took her place beside Vigil as she began to drink.
Vigil finished quickly, and started applying water to his fur in small quantities, cleaning the dust and mud until his fur shone a vibrant dark purple. Sarah looked at him, and he exchanged a glance as she held some water in her paws. He nodded his understanding, and walked off into the cavern. He would let her clean her fur in peace. Vigil, in the meantime, would seek out something to eat.
The lake shore was damp, and the rocks were often coated in some form of moss. The thick, green vegetation would be a good source of food for Vigil, containing a myriad of tiny insects. But he guessed that Sarah would require something of more flavor than the measly bugs Vigil enjoyed.
A quick bound up the rocks and a view of the cavern revealed a lack of any such sustenance. He returned quickly to the shore, and peered under the rocks. Off to the side, Sarah emerged, padding over to him quietly.
"There is nothing to eat, I'm afraid. Just insects." He clasped down on one and brought it into the light. A beetle of average size. It's back was black with a yellow stripe down its wing covers. Vigil crunched down on its body with his mandibles, watching as Sarah turned her head in disgust.
Sarah's ear perked up for a moment, and she trotted to a shallow rock, slipping a peek over its top. Vigil approached, and peered around to see what it was that Sarah heard.
There, just a few yards away, stood a tall, powerful cat. Black fur covered much of its body, and accented a blue mask and trimming on the legs, face, and ears. A yellow star decorated its tail as it delicately drank the water, barely sending any ripples at all.
"A Luxray?" Sarah inquired. The giant cat's ears perked and it snapped its head towards their rock. As quickly as it had snapped its gaze towards them, Vigil and Sarah spun around, coming face to face with a pair of luxrays. Vigil prepared to bound out of the scene at the first sign of hostilities. Sarah, however, was cornered, and flattened herself against the rock.
"I see we have a couple of spies. What do you two think you were doing watching me?" The lioness inquired. Her yellow and red eyes dug into them, and Vigil instinctively bounded away from the luxray in his face.
"I apologize for the intrusion. We were merely seeking food and water when my companion overheard you, and sought out to discover its source." One of the luxrays leapt at him. He bounded out of its reach. "If you like, we will be leaving."
The lioness watched him as she pondered for a moment. The other luxray leapt at him again, to which he dodged once more.
"I think not. I don't need to have the Unown discover my position. I've already encountered one idiot who lured them straight to me." She stepped towards Sarah. "Besides, I'm hungry."
Sarah squeaked her surprise as she whipped around to watch the lioness stepping towards her, her muscles tense and ready to pounce or run. Vigil bounded off of a rock, dodging the other luxray once more, and stopped in the way of the lioness. His body tensed, and his eyes flickered wildly, giving off a noticeable flash. The lioness reared back, trying to cover her eyes from the light as she pulled back, falling onto the sandy beach.
The luxray chasing Vigil had leapt at him as his epilepsy-inducing lights flickered on. But as its jaws reached the frail insect, the lion faded away, passing through as Vigil reeled from the attack. The flickering halted to a stop as Vigil glanced around quickly. The two lions were gone. His antennae twitched, and he and Sarah peered over the rock once more, watching the lioness clasping her paws over her blinded eyes.
Sarah crouched beside Vigil, her foreleg brushing against his carapace, "What did you do?"
"I blinded her. I wasn't going to let her eat you, and I thought I could buy you enough time to run away." He glanced behind him at the open beach.
"Will she be ok?"
"In time. The effect is temporary. But now, we should go." Vigil leapt off the rock and back towards the hallway they came from. Sarah sprinted after him.
Once in the hallway, they continued through the darkness. Sarah's paw rested lightly on Vigil's back. She probably felt secure, knowing that Vigil could blind whatever they came across.
The hallway began to slant downwards, descending to another level. This hallway branched off into corridors on either side. At the end of this hallway, another ramp descended, and bent around to run the opposite direction. The decorations were becoming more elaborate, and contained less of the lettered panels.
The hallways became more spacious, having widened, and the braziers were now built into the ground. None of the braziers would be lit as long as humans never entered the area, and it was unlikely that any fire pokemon would want to light the braziers as to alert the Unown to their location, or areas that those trapped had passed through.
"You will pay for that!" a low voice called from behind them, or rather, a level above them. The luxray had recovered, and had set out after them. She had to be tracking their scent. Vigil jumped with surprise, and hurriedly skittered down the hall, mouse companion in tow.
Hallway after hallway they fled, with the loud clatter of claws behind them. Vigil began to scour the walls for a way out. There had to be a hallway, a crack, anything that the lioness could not chase them through. Up ahead, halfway up the wall stood a circular hole. It was just large enough to fit Sarah into! Vigil veered off, and leapt up to the pipe. Quickly squeezing in, he turned around to beckon Sarah up.
The mouse, panicking between losing the Venonat, and at the sounds of the approaching lioness, caught Vigil's movements, and leapt up to the pipe, barely catching hold with her paws.
The lioness was closing in, and Vigil needed Sarah to escape into the pipe. Grabbing hold of her with his frail arms, she steadied her until she pulled herself into the pipe. He lacked the muscles to pull her in himself, and thus, guided her deeper into the tunnel until the sounds of scraping at the tunnel's entrance could be heard.
Attempts at electrifying them failed as the bolts were absorbed into the pipe. Sarah panted, her heart racing from the sudden escape. Vigil tugged her arm. "This way." He proceeded down the tunnel, the Pikachu crawling through behind him.
Turn after turn, the duo crawled through what Vigil guessed to be a ventilation shaft. The surface of the pipes were surprisingly smooth, and lacked the grime and plants that the rest of the ruins displayed. The stonework had barely aged at all.
"Stop." Vigil directed. "Stay here." He pressed on Sarah's paw as he turned down one of the pipes.
Sarah remained in the dark. Her legs and arms pressed into her sides, and her neck was sore from the shallow space. The pipe was a tight fit, and barely navigable. She had lowered her goggles to hang around her neck instead of scratching them against the roof of the pipe, and for fear of having them slide off her head. She didn't want to lose them.
She was hungry though, and tired. She yearned for another of those energy drinks, and could imagine the full cans she was forced to abandon when she was sealed in the ruins. She could have used the energy by now.
The clatter of carapace on stone alerted her of the insect's return. "Vigil?" She asked. The insect appeared at the bend of the pipe and tapped her paw, signaling her to follow.
Carefully, the pair moved through the pipe. Over Vigil's body, she could see light. The end of the pipe! It would be a welcome change of pace. Vigil paused at the end, and glanced around. With a nod, he bounded out, and onto a clear patch of tiling. Sarah followed suit, and landed with an ungraceful plop. She rose, rubbing her back as she stretched.
They were in a large room. Some of the walls were layered in brick. Others were formed of natural cliff. A multitude of pillars decorated the room, and a large circular arrangement of tiles decorated the middle. One hallway was nearest them, on their left. Another was on the opposite side of the room. But what caught their attention most was the rocky cliff just feet from them on the right. Water trickled down its surface, creating a series of rough edges, and areas of smooth cuts. Moss and vines climbed down through the ceiling, where sunlight streamed in. The wall itself rivaled that of the lake, and possibly led up to it. Or perhaps it led to another oasis in this dry, barren ruin. Perhaps it led outside.
Vigil studied the cliff and looked back to Sarah. "I think we could climb this surface. There are plenty of potential handholds for you to use, and we should be able to fit through the gap between the cliff and the ceiling."
Sarah hesitated, glancing at Vigil, and then to the cliff. She nodded briefly, and approached. Setting one paw on one of the edges, she sought a foothold as she began her ascent up towards possible escape. Vigil took a careful look around the room, and began to follow her up. Climbing was easy for him. Sarah frowned. Vigil had six legs, and a pair of hand-like arms that allowed him to scale the cliff with no difficulty. If he evolved, he would be a large moth, capable of carrying her out.
Her focus was broken as her paw slipped off the handhold. She scrambled for a new handhold but met only air.
The crack of bone against rock alerted Sarah to her meeting the base of the cliff. A cry of pain escaped her, echoing off the walls around them. Vigil scampered down the rock face to Sarah's side. He frantically looked her over. Rolling her over, he studied the bruising on her back, and on her head and chittered to himself as he looked around.
Scaling the cliff turned out to be a bad idea. The rocks were too slippery for Sarah to maintain a grip. They would have to proceed down the tunnels, and find another way out.
"Can you stand? Walk?" He inquired, rolling her back over to face the ceiling.
"Yes… Maybe." She croaked through tears and a slight whimper. Vigil stepped around behind her head, and gently eased her up, supporting her back until she was in a standing position. Coming around to her side, he placed himself under her weight.
"Let's get you to the cliff. There is water for you, and you can rest." He slowly inched back to the cliff face as she leaned on him. Once at the cliff, he eased her down to it.
His antennae were twitching, and a bad feeling was growing inside him. In the distance, the faint sound of strange, alien cries could be heard. Vigil had no way of describing the sound. But as it grew louder, the distinct noise of buzzing became evident. It sounded like a swarm of wasps approaching. And visually, he could compare it to nothing other than that of a massive wave of water.
The black letters flooded into the room, spreading out into the air. Their red eyes burned fiercely as they began to scour the room. It took only a few seconds for them to find the insect and mouse cornered against the cliff. They emitted a cry that sounded distinctly like that of an angry animal. The buzzing grew louder and their eyes burned brighter. The air seemed to ripple. Vigil sprung into action, raising a green shield to protect himself and Sarah as the letters began to fire red lasers.
The beams connected with the shield, but dissipated quickly. The shield remained strong, and Vigil was fully focused on its maintenance. He was determined. The air beyond the shield buzzed with the numbers of the swarm. The water of the cliff began to run down the shield, and evaporated when a beam connected with it.
Vigil knew he could not keep the barrier up forever, and would have to save Sarah quickly. The swarm maintained its assault, and Vigil prepared to counter them. He sprinted forwards a few feet, and stared the swarm down. They shifted their aim. His eyes began to flash.
The bright flashes lit up the room. The red glows of the swarm paled in comparison as the swarm shrieked. The flashing ceased, and Vigil paused for a moment, studying the swarm. They were blinded, and those that weren't, were confused.
Vigil approached Sarah. "We need to get you out of here." She fell atop his carapace, bringing him crashing to the floor with surprise. Carefully, he trudged towards the far hallway that the Unown had arrived from.
The swarm rippled like a wave of water, and stared at the cliff in a daze, chirping in agony as they weaved back and forth. Vigil stumbled into the towering corridor. He had to get them both out of there before the swarm recovered.
The sound of claws clicking together caught his attention. Up on a ledge, the lioness lay, "clapping" as she watched the pair. "That was impressive, halting the swarm like that." She grinned mischievously. "I think I could find a use for you after all."
"Give me the rat." She demanded.
"I won't let you eat her." Vigil retorted.
"Oh I have no intention of eating her. She can be your incentive in assisting me. I will carry her, and get a load off your back." She extended a paw down to the venonat.
Vigil looked back at the swarm, and then to the lioness. He chittered to himself, and hefted the injured mouse up to the lioness. The lioness nimbly grabbed the mouse and raised her to the alcove.
"She injured herself from a fall. Hit her spine." Vigil informed, leaping onto the platform. "Be careful with her." He warned. The lioness placed Sarah upon her back and stood up, giving the swarm a final glance before turning about and heading down the alcove tunnel.