Chapter 8|Guild Life

Eko and Zoran woke up early, as a result of their early bedtime. Archer had fallen asleep in Eko's mane, but she was still asleep. Eko gently placed her in his bed and got ready. Whatever they were doing today, she had to stay and rest. As he stepped out of the room, Eko felt a little bad leaving her alone. He clutched his amulet, which she knew meant a lot to him.

He unhooked it from his neck and lay it around her body, a promise that he'd return. Anyways, it wouldn't get damaged if it remained back at the Guild.

"I heard there's a hot tub somewhere," smiled Zoran. "Wanna go?"

Eko yawned, still barely awake, "Sure."

The guild was an underground complex built into the side of a hill. They discovered a library, a workout room, a sparring arena, and a strange facility with weird metal things in it before stumbling upon the hot tub three floors down. They didn't encounter many other guild members, to Eko's delight.

The bathhouse was also luckily empty. Zoran cannonballed in, splashing hot water onto the unsuspecting Noivern. If he wasn't awake before that, now he was.

"I'll get you for that," grinned Eko, jumping in after him. This probably wasn't allowed, but who was going to stop them? The wooden pillar walls were designed to resemble a jungle, with fake trees and leaves scattered around the square hot tub. The guild built it over a natural hot spring, which was convenient. After some violent splashing, the two settled down before someone noticed.

"What are we doin' today?" said Zoran, kicking back. "Some cool job?"

"I sort of want to chill out after that," sighed Eko, the hot water soothing his aching body.

"So we're doing something from the board? Maybe we can finish that berry delivering mission we didn't do," suggested Zoran.

"Maybe. Winter also asked if we wanted to go on a job with her and Team Ace," said Eko. "Could be pretty cool."

"That sounds fun," said Zoran, closing his eyes. "We really should get to know the guild a bit more. It's sort of like a family, you know?"

"Yeah," said Eko, that word hitting a sensitive spot. Family.

Suddenly, a new face entered the room. Well, it wasn't exactly a face. It was a Starmie, without eyes, a mouth, ears, or any facial features. Zoran wondered how they could sense things.

"What's up?" greeted Zoran. They couldn't tell who the Starmie was looking at, but he paused for a moment before entering the tub. Eko felt very uncomfortable.

"You're that old sentry, aren't you?" the Starmie asked in an echoey voice. He didn't even reply to Zoran.

"Yeah," said Eko. They sat in extremely awkward silence, Eko swearing that he was staring at him. Knowing who he was, he probably was. Then, the Starmie spoke again.

"If it weren't for the guildmaster, I'd have taken you out already," he threatened. "I know you're both spies, and I'm gonna prove it, lizard."

The word "lizard" was supposed to be offensive, but Eko had no idea what to say. He felt his anger welling up inside him, but bit back a retort.

"Well, good luck with that," said Eko. "You won't find anything. I'm just part of the guild like the rest of you."

The Starmie would've sneered if he had a face.

"Yeah, right. I don't see why the guildmaster wants you here," said the Starmie. "You murdered my grandparents."

"I'm... sorry to hear that," said Eko sincerely. "But we didn't… I mean- I didn't,-"

"Well spit it out! Your forked tongue get tied in a knot?" exclaimed the Starmie. Eko's anger died into embarrassment.

"I didn't kill your grandparents," he said weakly. The Starmie paused, probably angrily. He couldn't tell because of his lack of a face.

"All you lizards are the same," he spat, leaving the tub in a fit. Zoran felt so guilty watching the whole thing unfold. But… he couldn't bring himself to say anything to defend Eko. Was it to keep his reputation up? Was it because he believed the Starmie? Whatever it was, Zoran needed to say something.

Eko interrupted with a weak joke.

"It's sort of like family, you know?" he repeated, cracking a smile despite himself. He felt terrible, but he knew that Zoran also wasn't feeling good about all this.

Zoran smiled back. "You know, families fight all the time. Too bad we never got his name."

The team headed out into the mess hall for breakfast, spending some of the gold they earned from their first mission. It was actually their first time eating breakfast for real in the mess hall, because they normally left earlier for missions. It felt like a tavern, everyone chatting and messing around. The occasional Water Gun ripped over their heads, but other than that, it was pretty chill.

At about nine, the younger members of the guild, the ones that didn't live in dorms, walked in to get their missions. They got all the F missions that didn't require them to leave town, like delivering supplies or cleaning up.

"Hey!" yelled the familiar boom of Crispin. He chased down a young Oshowatt, who was running away with a B mission. Eko laughed weakly, remembering what Winter said last night.

"You okay, dude?" asked Zoran, noticing that Eko hadn't touched his berries.

"Just a little tired," sighed Eko. Zoran nodded, looking around the room. There were already Pokemon at the board, ready to embark on jobs.

"What class mission do you think defeating Ivan would be?" asked Zoran to lighten the conversation. Eko's ears perked up.

"I dunno, probably like a C," replied Eko.

"Really?" asked Zoran. "I'd say a B, we almost died there."

"I mean, it's customary to only knock out your opponent in a fight. Saying 'I'm gonna kill you' is just an expression," said Eko.

"Really, so it's just like in my world," said Zoran. Eko stared at him. "Wait, did I just remember something?"

"Yeah! Do you remember anything else?" asked Eko excitedly. Zoran concentrated hard, making the veins pop out of his forehead.

He frowned, "Nothing. It's just… something that just came to me."

"That's okay," exhaled Eko. "Something'll come up eventually."

"Yeah, what about th-"

"NOIVERN!" boomed Crispin out of the blue. Eko turned around fearfully to meet the Beartic, who was clutching that Oshowatt and the C class job in his claws.

"Yes, Crispin?" asked Eko weakly, feeling as if he were shrinking.

"This is all your fault! You're setting a bad example for these kids!" he exclaimed. Eko couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"You're saying that I should've let myself die out there?" asked Eko. The Oshowatt chuckled.

"I wouldn't complain, but you didn't need to get dangerous ideas in these fragile kids' minds!" exclaimed Crispin, leaving angrily.

"I'll try, Mr. Crispin," said Eko.

"That was totally my fault," whispered Zoran.

"Thanks," sighed Eko, feeling slightly embarrassed. He didn't want the pressure of kids looking up to him, especially since he was, well, a dragon. But still, he felt some pride in being looked up to. It gave him a feeling that he was making an impact.

Eko decided to start eating his Oran berry while Zoran looked around. Leaning over in the corner by the window was a Xatu, wings wrapped around his body. His eyes were closed, before he started screaming.

"Death has come upon us! Run while you can!" he shrieked in a hollow voice. Zoran was worried, but everyone around him laughed.

"The only thing that's come upon us lately is that Dragon," said a Chimcheco. Eko hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but it was sort of what he was built for. It didn't help that they were talking about him. Well, at least she didn't sound mad or scared. Then, the Starmie chimed in.

"What's the difference?" he sneered, looking over in Eko's direction. Eko turned to face his table. He noticed Zoran standing up, but Eko put his claw on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," said Eko.

"But-" said Zoran, looking into Eko's serious face. "Okay."

They ate in silence, Eko overhearing the Starmie spread rumors about him. Like how he ate Ivan after they beat him, or how he forced Zoran to be his teammate. Eko didn't even feel anger… just humiliation and guilt.

Then, a small figure waddled up to their table. The Oshowatt was just as tall as the table, and Eko had to admit that he was cute. His button-like eyes were filled with child-like wonder that Eko once had.

"Hi!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm Arnold!"

Eko had no idea what to say other than, "Hey, I'm Eko, and this is Zoran. What's up?"

"I've heard… I've heard the bigger Pokemon say that you're a bad Pokemon," he said bluntly. Oh, the wonders of childhood, speaking your mind whenever you please! Eko opened and closed his mouth, his feelings all tied up at the moment.

"But I… I don't believe that! I really don't!" said Arnold, curling his arms inwards and hopping up and down.

"Everything they're saying about Eko is a lie. He's the bravest, strongest, and nicest Pokemon here, right, Eko?" said Zoran.

Eko smiled weakly, "I try to be at least, but I'm not the strongest or the bravest. But I'm still a Dragon."

"Well, I don't care. Dragons are cool, as long as they're good!" said Arnold. "I want to join an exploration team and be just like you when I'm old enough!"

"That's great to hear!" exclaimed Zoran. "How old are you now?"

"Nine!" he declared proudly. "I'm turning ten in a month, and then I can make a team!"

"That'll be great!" exclaimed Eko.

"Well, I have to do a job now, so bye, Team Ende- endorva- en-," stuttered Arnold.

"Endeavor," pronounced Zoran with a grin. "It's hard, I know."

"What does it mean?" he asked curiously, forgetting about his job. Eko and Zoran were won over about how wholesome he was.

"It means to try your best to do something, no matter how hard it is," said Zoran, making it easy to understand.

"Okay! Okay! I'm gonna tell my parents I learned a new word today. Thanks and bye bye!" he exclaimed.

"See ya, man," said Zoran, giving Arnold a fist-bump.

"Good luck," added Eko, unable to give him a fist bump because of his claws. Arnold smiled and scurried over to the board to grab a mission.

"Our generation's gotta fix everything," sighed Eko.

"Yeah, but from the looks of it," said Zoran, looking over at the Starmie, "The last generation is rubbing off on some Pokemon."

"He's different," said Eko. "He lost someone to the Dragons."

"That doesn't mean he should blame you! You had nothing to do with it," reasoned Zoran.

"I guess," said Eko, poking his half-eaten berry.

"Oi, Eko!" exclaimed a friendly voice from the hallway. The purplish weevil Pokemon entered, flanked a Skarmory, Golduck, and Excadrill. Eko was glad that there was another team friendly with them.

"Hey, Team Ace!" exclaimed Eko.

"What's up, dudes?" asked Winter. All of them seemed very comfortable near Eko, waving and greeting him normally.

"What are y'all up to, SCRAWK!?" asked Wyler, a male Skarmory with a screechy voice like metal.

"We dunno yet," replied Zoran, wiping his mouth. "What jobs are there?"

"I've got one for you all," said another voice from nearby. Eko and Zoran were really popular today.

The Alakazam appeared at the head of their table suddenly, with her Teleport.

"Arceus!" exclaimed Zoran. "I didn't know you could do that, guildmaster!"

"Good morning, Guildmaster Alice," everyone in the room echoed. Alice waved idly and laughed.

"Gets them every time," she said. "You know, I once accidentally teleported to the top of Glacier Peak from here. I was trying to make-"

"Guildmaster," said Winter, clearing her throat. "You're doing it again."

"Oh, right, sorry! The job," said Alice. "Thanks to Team Endeavor, the forest bandits are in disarray. They decided to coop up in the walled town of Stonecrest down south. They've overrun the city, and your job is to liberate them."

"Can't the militia there do that?" asked Wyler.

"They were defeated," said Alice. "I thought it was a good idea for you six to go. You all are extremely powerful, after all. Besides, guilds are the militia."

"Seems easy enough," said Zoran.

"I was hoping we'd get a job that didn't involve fighting," groaned Eko, still exhausted from the last few days. Winter slapped him on the back with her freezing cold claws, jolting him wide awake.

"Ah, it'll barely be a fight," laughed Winter. "With all six of us, we'll be done before lunch!"

Eko chuckled weakly.

"There's a hefty reward to be split between the six of you, so you best be off!" exclaimed Alice. "Good luck!"

"Does the guildmaster normally thrust you guys into random jobs like that?" asked Zoran as the six navigated southwards towards the coastal town of Stonecrest. Eko knew where it was, since there was a fork in the road near the path towards the beach that led there.

Winter cackled, "Yeah, she's like that a lot. Out of all the guilds, I think our's has the most character, if you know what I mean."

Zoran felt somewhat awkward, being the only one without knowledge about anything in the world. Eko also looked confused, because he was raised in a secluded house for almost the entirety of his life.

"I don't know much about guilds," said Eko. "My parents didn't let me leave my house."

"That sounds awful," said Justin.

"Yeah, it was. Add four annoying siblings and an abusive dad, and that was my life. I get why you hate Dragons so much," sighed Eko.

"Well, it ain't your fault. I was stupid to judge, SCRAWK!" screeched Wyler apologetically. Eko recalled that he was hesitant the first time they met.

"We know that all Dark types aren't the same," added Justin. "We've got a sweet and badass one right here."

"Aw, thanks, guys," said Winter, nuzzling against the Excadrill's side.

"You should still be careful if you see a Dragon, though. I'm a one in a million," said Eko.

"And we're glad for that, dude," said Zoran, smiling at Eko.

"I bet you're really strong, aren't you?" asked Wyler.

Eko muttered, "I'm not tha-"

"Of course he is!" exclaimed Winter. "He took out a giant Shiftry, the leader of the forest bandits! Zoran told us!"

"Yeah. Ivan summoned a giant Leaf Storm while Hurricane was active, creating like a shield of wind and leaves. Eko was insane enough to counter it with a powerful Tailwind, diverting the wind and taking down the shield! He ate like a million hits from that big ass Leaf Blade as well!" recalled Zoran. Eko tried shushing him to no avail.

"Wasn't that your first real day at the guild, too?" marvelled Justin. Eko nodded embarrassedly. "Wow."

Winter climbed up on Eko so that she was holding on to his ears, standing on the base of his neck. Eko would've felt more awkward shaking her off than letting her stay, so he just ignored it.

"That's why I want to go with you. I think something epic will happen if we come. You guys attract a lot of action," said Winter.

"You got that right," sighed Zoran. "Two fights in two days, and now we do this?"

"I've already had enough for a lifetime," sighed Eko. Winter pulled on Eko's ears.

"Nonsense, there's no such thing as too much adventure!" declared Winter in a wistful bold tone.

"Hey!" complained Eko.

"Onwards, my fire-breathing steed!" laughed Winter, getting everyone laughing along, even Eko.

"You know, I can't breathe fire, right?" mumbled Eko. "I'm a sound Dragon."

"Sound-breathing sounds way less cooler," grumbled Winter.

As the sun reached its summit in the azure sky, the group was more than eager to complete their mission.

Before no time, the six arrived at the gates of a gigantic wall. To their right was the beaches, and to the left, the Solemn Woods. The town of Stonecrest was nestled on a peninsula, and deserving of its name. It was square in shape, with stone bulwarks guarding every side. It was like the walls surrounding Mysteria, but much larger. There were also towers at each of the corners, looming over the ocean and forest.

"How did the bandits get in here?" asked Zoran. "It seems really well defended."

"Halt!" exclaimed a voice. A thud echoed as the figure hit the ground hard, landing flat on his back. "Ow."

It was a dog-like Pokemon with yellow fur and a long tongue dangling out of his mouth. The Boltund got to his feet quickly and growled.

"Uh, are you a bandit?" asked Eko.

"You think he's going to answer?" laughed Winter.

"Why yes, I am. What do you want with Stonecrest?" he said, snapping back into a sinister stare. Winter facepalmed. Then, two more Bolthunds dropped down, joining the fight.

"We're taking back this peaceful town," declared Zoran.

"I'll go first, SCRAWK!" screeched reared back, his fur crackling with electricity.

"Stand back," said Winter. "Wyler has an annoying way of fighting."

The Skarmory took off in the air, pelting the ground with his steel feathers. The Bolthund dodged them easily, but the spikes remained in the ground. He then summoned rocks from out of the ground and fixated them in the air as if they were hung on strings. Spikes and Stealth Rock: an annoying combo for fast Pokemon.

The Bolthunds all performed Lightning Bolts at the same time, Wyler dodging them narrowly. He whooped in excitement and flapped his wings hard. A Whirlwind swept up the Bolthunds, Spikes, and Stealth Rocks alike, dealing immense damage. Suddenly, a giant spark shot out of the whirlwind, hitting Wyler directly. It was super effective too, but Wyler landed and Roosted. The next Lightning Bolt that hit him didn't do as much damage. Wyler whipped up the Whirlwind again, as the vortex of wind consumed everything in front of the walls. When the winds died down, the scraped-up Bolthunds were all lying on the ground, unconscious.

Eko and Zoran were speechless. He didn't even use any direct damaging attacks. He didn't even have direct damaging attacks, yet he destroyed those Bolthunds while getting hit only twice.

"That was NOTHING!" exclaimed Wyler, shaking his wings off.

"That was… insane," said Zoran.

"Yeah," agreed Eko. He was excited to show off his moves against these fodder bandits.

"So, are we just going to leave them there?" asked Zoran.

"Pull 'em to the side," replied Winter. "They'll wake up eventually, maybe."

After that, it was time to bust down the gate, which the Bolthunds were supposed to be watching.

"I got this," said Justin.

"Yeah," said Winter. "Justin's always there to clutch a battle, since he's got an insane attack. He's made it his Signature."

"Yep, it's Horn Drill, but I call it Spin-Drill."Justin pulled his arms to cover his face, and his entire body formed into a sort of drill. He began spinning, and suddenly, he rocketed towards the wooden gate. It didn't even stand a chance. Justin pierced through the door like it was nothing, knocking out several guards on the other side in one hit.

"Go!" exclaimed Winter as they charged in to free the town. The town seemed to be divided into fourths, with a little castle at the center. Connecting the castle, which was more like a tower, to the walls were three bridges: one on each side except for the entrance. The path they were on led straight there, conveniently. The houses were very similar to Mysteria's but a bit taller. They white plaster walls and diagonal wooden support beams holding them up, and pointy little roofs.

Pokemon watched interestedly from their windows at their soon-to-be saviors. But they had to get rid of all the bandits. And there were a lot of them. They charged down the street, attracting bandits like a magnet.

Charlotte, who Eko and Zoran haven't even heard yet, was decimating bandits with her Psybeam. She also seemed to have an invisible barrier around her, which Zoran assumed was a Signature of Amnesia.

Eko shot Boombursts at multiple Ledyba that tried dive bombing him, knocking them straight out of the air. Suddenly, stars began to buffett his face. He shielded with his wings, but still took immense damage. He took out the Ledyba that fired a Swift at him, but he was covered in scrapes. He had a long way to go, even with training.

Zoran was having difficulty at close range combat, missing swings with his Leaf Blade. He dueled a Pawniard, but had difficulty parrying the trained swordsman's jabs and swipes. He was hit in the chest, but Winter came over and kicked him to the ground.

"Thanks," said Zoran, clutching his scratched chest.

"Yeah, we've been doing this for a while," said Winter.

"We're still not used to dealing with tons of enemies," said Zoran.

Eko nodded, "We're better off in a one on one encounter."

"Makes sense," said Winter. "That settles it. You guys can take out the one who's behind all this. We wanna see what you can do."

"Sounds good, but there are still a ton of bandits left," said Zoran.

Winter let out a sinister cackle. She grinned, "I got this."

She walked calmly out into the bandits and looked over her shoulder with a smirk. Eko and Zoran were worried for a second, but she was way too confident to be defeated.

"I call this one Absolute Zero!" she exclaimed, raising her claws to the sky. Snow and hail appeared out of nowhere, forming a cloud around her and the bandits. Eko and Zoran had to dig their feet into the ground and shield their faces, the temperature dropping a considerable amount. It was very similar to Wyler's spike storm, but instead, it was just freezing cold. Eko would hate to be on the receiving end of that.

When the cloud cleared, all the bandits were frozen in blocks of ice, still blinking and chattering.

"Y'all need to chill out," she laughed, tipping over a block with a Heracross inside. The ice broke around his mouth so that he could speak. Winter hopped on top of the block and sat cross legged. "Hey, would you be so kind to tell us who started this whole thing?"

"Uh… she's a Bisharp named Erin. She works with a Kabutops, her advisor. Those two are at the top of the castle," shivered the Heracross, his jaws chattering.

"Thanks sweetie," she said, kissing her claw and smacking his face with it. Zoran couldn't help but feel impressed and intimidated at the same time. She gestured towards the tower at the center. "All yours, Team Endeavor."

After a bit of wandering around the empty fort, they discovered a cell on the bottom floor, housing a bunch of Pokemon. The queen, a Blissey, was in chains.

"Oh, thank Arceus!" she exclaimed as Justin and Zoran broke her chains. Her eyes were caught on Eko for a moment, as usual. "Someone got our request!"

"You should thank Guildmaster Alice for that, but it isn't over yet," said Zoran, looking at the other loyal guards in the cell with her. "You can take all the bandits outside prisoner."

He couldn't wait to see their reaction to how many they defeated..

"The stairs are across from here, if you want to get to the top of the tower!" told the mayor.

"Thank you," said Zoran, rushing towards it. Team Ace lingered behind to help the guards clean up outside, making Eko nervous. The last thing he wanted was to make a fool of himself. But it was a great time to test the limits of his Signature.

They scaled the stairs quickly, Eko screwing it and soaring up. At the top was a giant door that seemingly led into an important room. Following a regal red carpet, they entered the throne room. At the end of it, a Bisharp was talking to a Kabutops: the bandits who started all of this. Eko began feeling the pressure, as his heart began skipping beats.

"How should we tax them?" asked the Bisharp.

"Half their gold a day!" exclaimed the Kabutops with a low, stupid voice.

"Nonsense," scolded the Bisharp, Erin. "That hardly seems fair."

"Oy!" exclaimed Zoran, his bold voice echoing down the hall. The two jolted upright and stared at the six trespassers. Zoran and Eko both strode menacingly towards the bandits in a dark silence.

Eko still felt intimidated by the looming Pokemon, her keen eyes glowing from behind her crimson helmet. A golden crest lined the top of her helmet, shaped like a crescent moon. Her figure was feminine and puissant, holding a sharp silver blade in her knife-like digits.

The Kabutops started panicking at the sight of the approaching Pokemon.

"We had a good run!" exclaimed the advisor Pokemon.

"Nonsense, Watson," sneered the Bisharp, standing from her throne. "We earned this position, and we aren't gonna let some do-gooder exploration teams ruin our run." She looked right into Eko's dulling gold eyes. "Especially not a dragon."

"You know who I am, right?" asked Eko boldly, trying his hardest not to trip over his words.

"You must be Ivan's vanquisher," said Erin. "You, Noivern. The good dragon. Pfff, nonsense. You're in it for the money." Eko gulped but held his composure.

"If I were in it for the money, why would I run away?" asked Eko, keeping his voice steady. "I had it all back home, but left for something better."

"How noble," said Erin.

"Can't say the same about you," snapped Zoran. "What do you think you're doing?"

"If the guilds can't help us survive, we've got to fend for ourselves, kid," said Erin. "Now, are we going to fight? What about those four back there?"

Team Ace was acting all goofy in the back, with Winter whooping and cheering while Justin and Wyler were waving and booing Erin and Watson.

Eko couldn't help but chuckle, as Erin and Watson were visibly annoyed by them.

"It'll be a fair battle: two on two," answered Zoran.

"You really are noble," grinned Erin, striding forwards. She ushered Watson to flank her, and the two walked up to face Team Endeavor.

"Let's see how I, Erin Bisharp, the Dark Knight, and my advisor, Watson Kabutops, will stand up against the fabled good dragon and his trusty sidekick?" She unsheathed a dark katana out of the air, and the fight began.