Chapter 12 – The Wolfhaven Hunt (Leon)
"I am exhausted…" Leon announced as he fell onto his bed. After the first few days of training, the rest of the days seemed to blend together. Exercise, lessons, meals, detention. Now it was Thursday night, their second week in the guild, and their big test– the 'Wolfhaven Hunt'– was tomorrow.
To get a little bit more practice in, Leon had jogged around town in the evening, after their final detention. He then came back to the guild to wash up with a bath, dipping himself in soapy, warm water. Now back in his dorm room, between exercise, being freshly clean, and filled with anticipation, the Totodile had no desire to move a muscle until morning.
"If anyone deserves a break, it's you," Jacob said. The Charmander sat at his desk, reading a book beside a pair of candles. "Are you sure you're alright for tomorrow, bro?"
Leon turned over to face his brother. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he replied. Though Jacob's concerned expression told him he wasn't convinced, so he kept talking. "It's crazy how fast these two weeks have gone by, right?"
"I guess so," Jacob agreed. "I kinda wish we had more time, you know?"
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"
Jacob tilted his head. "Maybe? I'm not sure how to put it."
"It's okay to be nervous," Leon assured. "Whatever they throw at us tomorrow, we'll have each other's back." He tried to sound confident, but his stomach rumbled, making him put a hand over his belly and groan.
Jacob's expression soured. "You've been giving me your food after detention every day. Are you–"
"No, really, I'm fine," Leon insisted. "I just need to push through tomorrow and I'll be good."
"Okay…" Jacob stared off at nothing in particular. "Just… just don't burn yourself out, please?"
Leon gave him a thumbs up. "You got it." He pulled a blanket over himself and let his head sink into the pillow.
Leon found himself running down a dark, foreboding corridor. The floor, walls, and ceiling were pitch black, but dotted with tiny white and blue lights, as if he was running through the night sky. Alongside him was Jacob, William, and a handful of strangers. Their collective footfalls echoed loudly, like a set of hammers striking metal.
"Leon!" someone called.
Leon whipped his head around. "What is it?!"
The air rumbled, followed by distant roaring and echoing whispers. Everything brightened as lightning fractured their surroundings, jumping between the tiny stars like cracks racing across breaking glass.
The chamber of starlight shattered and collapsed, and Leon flailed his limbs as he flipped through twilight air. Seconds passed, and then he bounced over some dusty rubble. A gust of wind blew by, whisking away Leon's dizziness as he took in his new surroundings.
Shadow-cloaked pillars towered on either side of him. Straight ahead, a dark, foreboding fog loomed over the space. From inside the mist, a pair of red orbs beamed from a formless foe. The eyes flashed and everything darkened, as if all light spiraled into the twin crimson whirlpools, consumed. The sheer blackness was so intense that Leon's eyes were burned, leaving spots on his vision.
He fell on all-fours and his eyes snapped shut. Just as they did a click sounded off, like a door opening and closing. Leon's body twitched, and a light spilled across his face. He opened his eyes and saw a bone held in front of him, with its tip shrouded in deep-purple flames. Leon gazed up and saw who held it: William, beckoning him to stand.
The lines of his face moved, like he was giving an encouraging smile.
Just then Jacob joined in too, standing next to William. He juggled three ice cream cones, grabbing and tossing them by their pointy-ends. He nodded to Leon, heartening him.
Leon smiled back at them and stood up. At the same time, he spotted a few others walk in from the side. They all turned to face the formless creature lurking in the fog…
Leon's vision faded from the ethereal landscape to a view of his dorm room wall. As he woke, the rest of his senses caught up with him: namely his dry mouth, which he clicked with his tongue. Twisting his body, he rolled over beneath his blanket as he rubbed his eyes.
Jacob laid in the bed across from his, sound asleep. His tail hung off the side of the bed, his flame glowing healthily next to the Occa-woven sheets and blanket. He seemed peaceful. In fact, he seemed to be sleeping better than any other night since they had arrived.
"As long as he's okay…" Leon thought to himself. It didn't matter if his belly was empty, or if his dreams were getting weirder. So long Jacob was okay, so was Leon.
Once again his stomach rumbled. He sluggishly moved his hand over it and raised his heavy head from the pillow.
"Dammit," he mumbled. How much longer until morning came? He sat up and stared out the window. Speckled stars and a half moon hung in the dark gray sky. Over the treeline, the horizon began to glow with the coming dawn.
"Can I even get back to sleep?" Leon whispered. He clicked his dry mouth again.
With a sigh he swung his legs out and quietly hopped off the bed. He walked toward his desk to take a drink from his waterskin.
But then a pleasant aroma had wafted into his nostrils, causing him to stop. His half-closed eyes opened fully and he stood up straight. He spotted the source; on his desk there was a basket with mixed berries, sliced bread, a small jar of honey, and a piece of pumpkin pie. Leon looked over at Jacob's desk and there was a basket of food there, too.
"Huh? Where did all this come from?"
He breathed in the scent of fresh food, and Leon's thoughts of the coming test gave way to a sharp awareness of hunger. Whatever mystery was behind this didn't matter right now. He hurried over to his desk, and swept his eyes over the basket. After mentally debating what to eat first, he carefully retrieved a slice of bread, a spoon, and the jar of honey.
Golden nectar slathered over the bread as he spooned out the honey, spreading it around. The jar glowed with the reflection of Jacob's flame. The sweet scent of wildflowers filled Leon's nostrils, and his mouth watered.
But then he spotted something even better in the basket: a vibrant, yellow seed with earthly green speckles.
"Is this…?" Leon grabbed the seed for a closer look. It was indeed what he thought it was– a medicinal seed. More than just food, seeds like this one had some extra effect, either to boost oneself by eating it, or to hinder another by throwing it at them.
This particular seed was an Energy Seed. Whoever ate it would become rejuvenated. Leon accidentally ate one when he was younger and ran three laps around his hometown.
"Where did this come from?" He wondered again, but swiftly set the question aside. Anything that could help him with the hunt in a few hours, he'd take. So he grabbed the seed, placed it atop the honey-slathered bread, and took a bite.
Between the smooth honey, hearty bread, and soft crunch of the seed, Leon felt invigorated as soon as he finished chewing and swallowed. He even started swinging his legs just to use the extra energy that started coursing through him.
"Alright rookies, this is it," Flint announced.
Leon and Jacob, along with all the other recruits, had gathered in the dining hall. Though Leon had plenty to eat at dawn, he still enjoyed some muffins along with Jacob. All of the recruits had stopped eating as the Excadrill called for their attention.
"Devrim here," he gestured to the mon next to him, "and the other mentors have a test for you all."
The mon in question was a kind that Leon hadn't seen before. They had a triangular head, black with red edges. On top of said head were little darts with eyes sticking out from triangular holes. His midsection was black and yellow, with red arrows pointing up. And down below he had a massive, cyan-colored tail as big as the rest of his body, which floated off of the ground.
Among the recruits' excited whispers, Leon heard them toss around the name 'Dragapult.'
Devrim cleared his throat as the 'darts' atop his head blinked.
"Alright, so at our guild we pride ourselves on having the best. Though ol' Flint here–" he tilted his head toward the Excadrill– "tells me you're all a buncha dirty misfits."
The recruits throughout the cafeteria exchanged puzzled looks while the Quartermaster made some noise like a snort and a chuckle.
"But you're all we got," Devrim continued, "so you'll have to do."
The Floatzel professor, Veronica, shook her head as she walked up to join them. "Humor aside, you all should know that your test will be the cumulation of the lessons and training you've received so far."
"Right," Flint picked up where she left off. "So in a moment, we're gonna be handing out some clues and sending you off into town. Follow 'em, don't get lost, and ya might come home with some treasure."
That statement spurred some lively conversations among the tables.
"What do you think they mean by treasure?" Jacob asked Leon.
"Probably one of those 'friends you made along the way' sorta things," Leon half-joked.
Around the dining hall, other mons murmured to each other, trying to figure out what Flint was talking about.
Meanwhile, the Dragapult's narrow eyes darted around the room " …It's not a metaphor, guys," he clarified. "Go get some treasure. We've hidden these shiny boxes all over the place, and you're gonna find 'em."
"Oh, a scavenger hunt!" someone exclaimed. And just like that, the air in the dining hall shifted as the recruits broke out in excited chatter, hyping up the day's adventures to come.
"Exactly," Flint responded. "That's why it's called the Wolfhaven Hunt."
Jacob turned to Leon with a smile. "You hear that? A big treasure hunt for everyone! Like a big race!"
"Yeah, that's great!" Leon nodded. "I didn't bring a quill for a paper test, anyway."
"It's not as simple as grab-and-go," the Floatzel professor added, adjusting her glasses. "There will be puzzles and other obstacles you'll need to overcome, use your wits! Find allies, if you need them."
Now all the recruits turned their heads, sizing each other up. Leon saw Jacob staring at a certain Cubone and Snivy a few tables away.
"Hey Leon, do you think we could team up with Will and Corvo?"
Leon rested his jaw on his hands. William could be helpful for this, but he was less sure about Corvo. And it seemed like those two would be sticking together.
"Maybe not," he answered. "Remember what happened last time we teamed up with some other guys for a 'treasure hunt'?"
Jacob made a puzzled face, but then he remembered what Leon was talking about. "Oh! But, these guys aren't like the kids at home, you know?"
"Well, maybe we can team up with William later. But for now, we'll move faster on our own. That'll give us a head start."
Jacob shrugged. "Okay… I guess."
Meanwhile, the Quartermaster continued explaining the hunt.
"You're free to team up, but each of you will need to fetch your own box. And there's a twist: there aren't enough for everybody. If you don't fetch one, you'll have to bank on your own points. And if you have neither, you're going home."
"And before you ask," Devrim added, "no, Glaceon's ice cream doesn't count as treasure. No matter how sweet it might be."
"Darn," Leon snapped his fingers. "Foiled again." He hoped to get a chuckle out of Jacob, but his brother didn't react.
The professor presented a small box with a hole on top. "We will distribute the first clues momentarily."
Some people left their tables in search of teammates, while others started wolfing down their remaining meals. And a few, like Leon, lined up right away to get their first clues.
Ahead of Leon was Enzo, the Quilava, staring resolutely forward.
"Hey Enzo. Going in lone-wolf style again?" Leon joked.
Enzo made the slightest turn of his head to acknowledge Leon. A lone ember sparked from his head vent,
"Actually, he's with me!"
Leon turned around and saw a Bulbasaur behind him, happy as can be. "Chase?" he said as the Bulbasaur bounded up beside the Quilava. "You're teaming up with Enzo?"
"He hasn't said 'no' yet," Chase replied. "Or anything else. But he's warm, and that's good enough for me!"
Leon glanced away, suppressing a chuckle. "Well, good luck with–" He stopped, narrowing his gaze as he spotted an Ampharos and Lucario standing near the pantry door.
The two seemed to be having a tense conversation, and kept gesturing to the pantry itself. Was something wrong with the guild's food stores? Whatever the issue was, Leon couldn't hear them over the dining hall's cacophony of talking and hurried eating.
About a minute passed and Leon made it to the front of the line. Veronica handed him an envelope, containing his first clue. On his way back to the table he tore off the top of the envelope, skimming over the note's text.
"First clue says we gotta check out the town clinic," he told Jacob as he arrived.
Already, several recruits were getting up and pouring out of the dining hall, marching with their teammates for the day to start their final test.
Excitement caught up with Jacob as a smile grew across his face. He jumped up out of his seat. "I'll race you there!" he challenged.
"I was thinking the same thing!"
And the two brothers blitzed out of the dining hall with the other recruits.
"Oh yeah!" Devrim cheered. "Run! Go! Rapido!" He laughed.
The growing stampede hurried through the main hall and out the front doors, into the town of Wolfhaven.
Outside, the morning air was cool and the eastern horizon glowed orange from the early sun. Dew-coated blades of grass wavered in the breeze, and the peace rapidly crescendoed into a storm of footfalls as dozens of recruits descended onto the town.
Despite how early it was, Wolfhaven was anything but sleepy that morning. Townsfolk filled the streets, eyeing recruits from the sidelines as if they were watching a race. While recruits chased clues, Wolfhaven's denizens cheered them on.
"Hey, it's started! Look at 'em go!"
"Woo! Go get 'em, guys!"
Jacob slowed down to wave at the onlookers. "Whoa, hey, ha-ha!"
"Keep up, Jake!" Leon hollered. "Clinic's just around the… Jake?"
He turned and saw that Jacob had stopped, as a Mightyena had offered him a green lollipop, holding the stick in his maw. Jacob's flame wavered back and forth as he mimicked the kind dog's feverish tail-wagging, and accepted the candy with a wide smile.
Leon hesitated, but slinked over to join his brother. As soon as the Mightyena noticed him, he reached into his basket and offered him a lollipop as well.
"Thanks, mister!" Jacob beamed.
Mightyena dropped a purple lollipop into Leon's hands. "You're welcome!" he replied. "Good luck!"
As Leon popped the grape-flavored candy into his mouth, a Buizel and Electabuzz blitzed past them.
"Let's go!" Jacob said, and took off. Leon promptly ran after him, crossing paths with more competitors and cheering fans. In less than a minute they ran through the clinic's front doors.
"Yeah! We're here!" Jacob cheered. He glanced around the waiting room. "…Uh, now what?"
Leon checked his note again. "All it says is 'go to the town clinic.'" He looked around as well, though the only thing he noticed was that the cabinets now had locks on them.
"Ah, that time of year again?" The Audino nurse greeted them from behind the desk. "You'll have to look high, my dears."
"Look high?" Jacob repeated, twirling the pop in his mouth.
"As high as you can get," she nodded. "I'm afraid that's the only hint they allow me to give you."
Leon and Jacob wandered through the ward with their heads tilted back, searching for hints of whatever their next clue might be. The ceiling had paper art of the sun, stars, and clocks. Leon walked by a shelf full of almanacs, and Jacob almost walked into a back room– he was stopped by an Armaldo.
"Oi, they're takin' baths back there, sonny!" he snarled. "We're not makin' the same mistake as last year."
After a quick apology, Leon ushered Jacob away and they explored more of the building. After a few minutes they found a door that wasn't locked or blocked by one of the staff. Leon pushed it open, and dim daylight poured in.
He stepped outside, finding a back-alley behind the clinic. A quick glance to the left showed him a ladder leading up to the roof.
"We have to go up there?" Jacob asked, pointing skyward.
"As high as we can get," Leon repeated. "Hey Jacob, if you'd rather stay down here, I–" He glanced over his shoulder, but his brother wasn't there. "…Jacob?"
"Let's go, let's go!" He was already shooting up the ladder, the flame on his tail whooshing back and forth as he ascended.
"Hey, wait up!" Leon ran to the bottom of the ladder, staring straight up and bracing to catch Jacob, if it came to that. But the flame of his brother's tail vanished as he mantled over the edge.
"Come on, Leon!"
Leon relaxed slightly. Jacob went straight up the ladder like it was nothing. He leaped onto it, climbing the rungs until he reached the top where Jacob was waiting for him.
"What took you so long?" Jacob joked.
"I wanted to make sure you didn't fall," Leon remarked. "You climbed up pretty fast."
Jacob suddenly looked guilty. "S-sorry," he stuttered.
"You're fine. I just didn't know you'd been practicing your climbing."
"Well, not long ago I… Hey, check that out!" Jacob pointed to a metal box in the middle of the roof. They walked over and found a note attached to it.
"It's a safe," Leon said as he plucked off the paper beside the dial.
"What's the note say?" Jacob asked.
Leon began reading it out loud. "'Your endeavor to join the guild marks a new season in your journey. This first trial is the dawn of your adventure. With three numbers of three digits each, the time-worn lock will melt away like winter frost.'"
"'The first digit of each number is singular, and the second and third digits each make a pair. The singular digits decrease steadily, odd even odd, a counterbalance to the eastern light. For the paired digits, the second pair is half of the first. Then to get the third, add the half back twice. No number repeats a digit, except the third, where the first and third digit are the same.'"
There was silence on the rooftop. The wind blew around the brothers and noises rose up from the street– more recruits running around and spectators cheering them on. Leon tapped the stick of his lollipop, thinking.
"So… uh, any of that make sense to you?" Jacob asked.
"Not yet," Leon replied. "Don't worry," he added quickly, "these riddles are supposed to be hard. We just need to think it through."
"Hey, flametail!" A distant voice called out. They looked to their right and saw a green mon from the next rooftop over. He leaped into the air and latched onto their rooftop with a vine, soaring over the alley and landing with a front flip. Up close, Leon realized it was–
"Corvo," Leon said, holding back a note of contempt. "Here to rob us? I'm afraid all we have is this paper." He pulled out his lollipop. "Unless you want some used candy."
Corvo's devilish grin grew bigger. "Who, me? No, never! Just checking in on the 'friendly' competition." He nodded toward Jacob. "Jumping around up here is good for practice, isn't it Jake?"
Leon felt a wrinkle form on his forehead. Why was he addressing Jacob like that?
Clack! A noise sounded off from behind Corvo. William clambered up, his bone club latched to the side of the roof like a climbing axe. Apparently everyone had been practicing their climbing skills.
"Ah, so this is why you ran off." He walked up beside Corvo. "Good to see you, Leon, Jacob. How goes your hunt?"
"Just getting started!" Jacob answered. He pointed to the note in Leon's hand. "We've got a riddle to solve."
"Hey, speaking of which," Corvo spoke and turned to William. "If you're here, then…"
"Yes, I've opened the puzzle lock." He presented a note. "Our next clue points to the confectionery, of all places!" He smiled lightly. "And this time, I have some money to spare."
"Sweet, sweet." Corvo turned to the brothers. "Looks like bonehead and I are off to the chocolate factory!" He approached the edge of the roof, latched a vine to the side and dropped down.
Leon felt the tension in his shoulder melt as the con-mon left.
"Best of luck to you." William turned to follow Corvo.
"Hey, before you go!" Jacob called to William. "Can you help us with this?"
William stepped back and accepted the note from Leon. His eyes darted across the paper.
"It keeps talking about numbers," Jacob explained. "Nature stuff, too."
"Numbers, nature, and… time," Leon added.
"I see that," William remarked. "Seasons, winter, dawn…" He squinted his eyes, as if he was thinking hard. "…At what time does the sun rise on the solstices?"
"Solstice?" Jacob tilted his head. "What's that?"
"The first days of summer and winter?" Leon said. "I dunno, not off the top of my head."
"Well if you can find that, I think you'll discover the answer," William handed the paper back to Leon. "I better catch up with Corvo. Watch your step up here on the rooftops." He nodded to Jacob. "Good luck." And he walked to the edge, climbing down.
Jacob stared at the riddle. "Solstice," he repeated. "Weird word, huh?"
Leon's thoughts, however, were elsewhere.
"I hope Will knows what he's doing," he uttered.
"Yeah, I still don't get the riddle, either," Jacob said. "But we'll figure this out somehow, right?"
"No, I mean he's hanging out with Corvo all the time. I'm just worried he's gonna drag Will into something he can't walk away from, you know?"
"Oh." Jacob took his eyes off the note. He pulled out his lollipop– the stick was all that was left– and he stared off in the distance. "The sun comes up at 6:30, right?"
"Not quite," Leon answered. "It changes depending on the season. Days are a lot longer in the summer, especially compared to winter…" He quietly echoed the hints to himself. "Sunrise… seasons… Wait, I have an idea!"
He stuck his lollipop back in his mouth and kneeled down to twist the safe's dial. Leon's eyes darted between the notes and the safe's buttons, and as he punched in four numbers, a mechanical click! that confirmed his answer.
"The numbers are the time the sun rises on the first day of a new season!" Leon confirmed. He scratched his head. "That's why they had all those almanacs downstairs…"
Jacob kneeled next to him. "What did you put in?"
"Zero-Seven-Three-Zero, because the sun rises at 7:30 on the first day of winter. So the 'singular' digit is an hour, and the 'pair' is the minutes."
"'The lock will melt away like winter frost,'" Jacob echoed.
"What were the hints again?" The two went back and forth as Leon entered sets of numbers.
"Singular decreases, then the pair is half. So, Six-One-Five?"
Leon dialed in the numbers.
Click!
"Yes!" Jacob cheered.
"The sun rises at 6:15 on the first day of Spring," Leon confirmed.
"So thirty was halved, then we have to… 'add the half back twice.'"
"And the single number decreases again. So–" Leon turned the dial once more. "Five-Four-Five, for 5:45 in the morning."
Click!
A few more mechanical clicks and a pop! and the safe's door swung open.
"You did it!" Jacob beamed.
Leon swung the door open, reached in, and retrieved the note from within. "Let's see where we go next…"
Leon and Jacob spent the day running all around town, chasing clues, solving puzzles, and collecting keys. They had occasionally bumped into other recruits along the way, including the likes of Enzo and Chase, who were chasing a giant, purple ball rolling down the main street. The end of the day approached as the sun approached the western horizon. But Leon and Jacob had their last clue in hand, which pointed to a place called 'Azure Subterrane.'
"Now this is getting interesting," Leon remarked as they walked into the enchanting cavern, lit by a sea of luminous blue crystals in the ceiling. The cavern had an earthly scent, like freshly upturned soil, and the sound of flowing water echoed ever so faintly off the walls. They descended into the underground with two key fragments, the result of their scavenger hunt, ready to face their final challenge of the day.
Jacob held a pair of hex-shaped stones. "These runes should open whatever door is at the bottom of this place."
Leon held out his hex as well. "I hope they'll be worth the trouble we went through," he replied. "Going down a well isn't as fun as it sounds."
Jacob chuckled. "Oh what, you didn't have a family reunion down there?"
"I did!" Leon said with mock indignation. "Aunt Tracy talked my ear off, and she says you owe her money!"
"Wait, what?" Jacob grinned.
"Oh yeah, she said to leave your cake money in the well bucket after you pull me up, but we didn't! So now she's probably chasing us!" Leon's laughter leaked through.
Jacob threw his arms up. "Run for it!"
Once again the two were booking it full-speed, grinning ear to ear as their giggles echoed down the tunnel.
They continued their descent, following the blue light of the crystals above. At the bottom of the steps they found an ancient-looking gate at the end of a long hallway… And two other mons were already there. One of them looked up and back at them.
"Hello Leon, Jacob," William greeted. "I heard you both coming."
Beside the Cubone was Corvo, who inspected the sealed gate before them.
"Looks like we always run into each other!" Jacob said with a smile. "Your clues led you here, too?"
"Yes. We thought we'd need only two runes to get in," he gestured toward the gate with his club. There were four hexagonal indentations in it, two of which were already fitted with runes. "But it seems we need two more. And since you're here, that must mean…"
"Yeah, we have the other keys," Leon announced. It felt strange, though. Did the guild set up this gate to take four keys, then scattered them? Were they expecting them to team up for the last challenge?
"Well then, what are ya waitin' for?" Corvo beckoned. "Fit 'em in, then we can go divvy the loot."
Leon and Jacob took out both of their fragments, and together, socketed them into the rune slots. There was a pause, yet the door did not move.
"…Did we do it right?" Jacob asked.
"Maybe they need to go in a specific order?" Leon wondered.
"Our clues don't mention any other steps," William noted.
"Maybe they're just pranking us," Corvo said, earning a glare from Leon. "Just sayin'."
Then the tunnel around them rumbled. The ground shook, dust and debris fell from the ceiling. The gate wavered, then sank into the earth with a continuous, echoing drone. The path forward was revealed; a stairway that led down deeper into the cave.
"That was awesome!" Jacob cheered, jumping up and punching the air.
"Let's do that again!" Leon said.
William tilted his head. "I don't think we can."
Corvo rolled his eyes. "Are we goin' or what?"
"Definitely," Leon said. He stepped forward and led them down the stairs. The crystals in the ceiling became much more sparse, so they relied on Jacob's tail to light the way.
"Good thing Jake can always loan us a light, eh?" Corvo remarked.
"Don't get too close, Corvo," Jacob chuckled.
The sound of running water grew louder as they went on. At the bottom of another set of stairs, light spilled out onto their path. They descended, then collectively gasped.
Before them laid a yawning chamber at the pit of the cave. The ceiling rose high above their heads, with blue crystals, stalactites, and rays of daylight beaming in. Scattered around were spiral rock pillars capped with soft, green moss. On the right-hand side, toward the back of the chamber, there was a waterfall cascading a torrent of rapids into a white, rippling stream that divided the space. Along the walls were rising ridges that formed a path leading up to the ceiling.
They walked into the light and spotted someone waiting for them, leaning against a flat wall in the back. They had steel-blue skin with a red underbelly, four fins on his arms, back, and tail, and a pair of piercing, gold-colored eyes: a Gabite, standing tall with his arms folded. When he saw the four of them advance, he leaned forward.
"Finally," he tilted his neck left and right, audibly popping his joints. "You're here for your initiation test, right?"
"We are," Leon answered.
"Then let's do this." He assumed a combative stance and stepped forward.
"So our last test," William noted, "is to raid treasure… guarded by a dragon."
"Yep," Gabite replied flatly. "They're doing a great job dispelling old stereotypes. Whenever you're ready," he gestured to a small, stone bridge over the little creek. "We'll get this showdown started."
Leon's heartbeat quickened. None of them were a match for a Gabite. Not on their own.
"Hey guys, huddle up," he waved them in. "We ought to talk about a strategy."
They formed a circle and spoke quietly, Leon first.
"We need to play to our strengths if we're gonna beat him."
Jacob popped open his pocket watch. "It's almost 7:00, too. Sun's going down soon. What are you thinking?"
"William," Leon addressed, "I think you're the toughest out of all of us. Can you be the tip of the spear? Jacob and I will cover you."
William nodded. "Yes."
"And meanwhile," Corvo cut in, "I'll sneak around the back and nab the treasure while you all are getting walloped. Am I right?"
Leon sighed. "We need you to get behind him and surprise him."
Corvo chuckled. "Yeah yeah, I gotcha."
Leon hardened his voice. "I mean it, Corvo. don't screw this up for us."
"If you say so, sawjaw," Corvo replied nonchalantly.
Leon shook his head. Corvo had already sabotaged them before. He might mess with them again, if he wanted payback for duping him two weeks ago. If they had to both fight Gabite and watch out for Corvo's antics…
"Hey, Corvo?" Jacob spoke up. "What Leon's trying to say is… We might not get along, but, um… we aren't gonna win unless we help each other. So, could you? Please?"
The Snivy's expression barely changed, but he seemed to blow out a small sigh. "Oh, alright."
Despite Leon's suspicion, he sensed a certain genuineness to Corvo's tone. He nodded to Jacob in thanks. "Alright, here's the plan…"
William crossed the bridge with his club raised. In response the Gabite leaped toward him, claws reeled. The two traded blows, club and claws flashing parks as they collided.
"Now Jacob!" Leon called out.
The brothers jumped out from rocks on the left and right, readying their ranged attacks. Leon spouted his Water Gun, forcing the Gabite to block and recoil with his stream.
But Jacob was slower, building up heat in his chest. Gabite snapped his gaze toward the Charmander and spat his draconic fireball first. Just as Jacob's Ember began, indigo and yellow flames collided with the sparks, blowing up in his face. Jacob knelt, coughing up smoke.
"Jacob!" Leon called out.
Without the ranged threat, Gabite recovered and swept William with his leg, knocking him off his feet.
"Damn!" Leon mumbled. Who needed help more? Where did Corvo go, anyway? Jacob rose to his feet, meanwhile the dragon sauntered over to William, who was still knocked prone.
Leon ran towards William, who rolled over to avoid a blast of Dragon Breath. Cold mist swirled around his fangs. He weaved to the left of Gabite, preoccupied as William guarded himself, still on the ground. The Totodile lunged–
And his teeth gnashed against each other, cracking his ice. Gabite had sidestepped, and just as quickly swiped Leon with his bulky tail. The blow knocked the wind out of him, and he crashed into the ground back-first.
Before Gabite could deal any more damage, William thrusted and struck the dragon on the back, taking his full attention.
Meanwhile, Leon smelled smoke and heard more coughing. Jacob was still hurt.
Leon steadied his breathing, sat up, let loose all of his pressure with Water Gun, soaking Gabite's hide and slowing him for a precious moment.
"William!" he called out. "Go get Jacob! I'll handle this!"
William hesitated, but after ducking and rolling away from a barrage of claws, he ran toward Jacob.
Leon jumped to his feet. "Come and get me!" He beckoned, pounding his chest. "I'm right here!"
Gabite craned his head toward Leon. "Like I'd fall for that," he scoffed, then ran after William and Jacob.
"Ach!" Leon cried out, and he pursued Gabite. Pressure rose in his chest as he readied another Water Gun.
William had leaped across the stream, approaching Jacob. But Gabite was moving twice as fast as Leon, already out of range of his Water Gun. He would be on them in seconds…
Suddenly, Gabite tripped as a pair of vines snared his ankles, yanking him off his feet. He crashed face-first, sending up a cloud of dust around his head.
To his left Leon spotted Corvo for a half-second before the Snivy vanished back into the shadows. He took the opportunity and dived toward Gabite.
The dragon looked up just in time to see Leon claw at his face. He winced but swiftly retaliated, punting Leon with a heavy kick.
As Leon rolled across the ground, dirt beneath him flared up– a spiral of dusty earth whirled around and stopped him in his tracks: Gabite had conjured a Sand Tomb. Leon was ensnared, blinded and battered by the miniature sandstorm. Countless grains of sand cut his skin and spun him around, stinging his wounds and his eyes, wind roaring in his ears.
Incoherent shouting cut through the noise, and more indigo flames flashed. Leon spun himself around, trying to escape the cyclone of soil. But with nothing to press himself against, all he did was flail and make himself dizzier.
Suddenly a new wind whipped around him, and a wispy spiral coiled around the spinning sand, spiraling in the opposite direction. The air hissed as a draconic Twister unraveled the Sand Tomb, reducing the dusty tornado to nothing.
Leon fell a few feet to the ground, landing on all fours and still rattled. In the corner of his eye, he spotted a green blur rush into the shadows.
"C-Corvo…?" Leon uttered. He knows how to use Twister?
Another flash of fire commanded his attention, compelling Leon to look up.
William and Jacob were running up the wall ridge at the back of the chamber, moving towards higher ground. Gabite, hot on their tails, fired beams of Dragon Breath at them.
Leon sprinted to the right, running up the winding slope to catch up with them. "Hang on, I'm coming!"
Gabite craned his head up and shot an indigo fireball toward the ceiling, striking a stalactite. It exploded, sending debris flying in all directions, and a large fragment crashed onto the path. William and Jacob staggered to a halt to avoid the rockfall.
"Whoa, whoa!" Jacob yelped.
Gabite was a mere few yards away from them. The dragon raised his claws, and Leon was still far away…
But then a green blur appeared: Corvo, swinging between stalactites with his vines. He swung around and kicked Gabite square in the head, making him reel back.
"Grah!" the dragon clutched his head.
Leon kept racing up the slope, huffing as he pushed himself at full speed.
Meanwhile, Gabite raised his claws. But before he could strike he was spun around by Corvo's Twister, then blinded by Jacob's Smokescreen. The dizzied dragon thrashed and struck the wall instead of them. William then jumped in front and landed an uppercut with his club.
"Gettin' dizzy yet?" Corvo taunted.
"Yeah! Teamwork!" Jacob cheered.
Gabite roared and stomped. The ground quaked and Corvo, Jacob, and William all stumbled. Residual tremors surged beneath Leon's feet, threatening to trip him.
With everyone off-balance, Gabite swept his tail, sending the three of them over the ledge. William and Corvo grasped the edge, and William dropped his club–
"Gotcha!"
–Freeing his hand to catch Jacob before he fell. The bone club fell and echoed with a clack! as it bounced off a pile of rocks.
"T-thanks," Jacob said, dangling from William's hand.
Gabite towered above, casting a shadow over the three of them. "Playtime's over," he decreed, raising his foot to stomp them down…
"Yeah, for you!" Leon hollered.
He finally caught up and lunged at Gabite, crunching the dragon's neck with frosty fangs. Gabite howled and flailed wildly, bashing the Totodile against the wall, But Leon refused to let go. They spun around three times, then tumbled over the edge.
Leon heard the wind roar in his ears as he plummeted with the dragon. For a moment, he heard Jacob call out his name.
Then everything went black.
"…Le… Leon… Up… Come on, get up!"
Leon's eyes creeped open and he blinked away his blurry vision. Everyone was standing around him, including Gabite.
"Wha…?" Leon propped himself up, glancing at Jacob. "Are you okay?"
Jacob laughed. "That's what I should be asking you!"
He swiveled his head around, feeling disjointed. "W-what happened?"
"We passed the test," William answered, kneeling down. "So says our dragon friend."
"Yeah," Gabite affirmed, holding a talon to his bruised neck. "Youngins these days… You all were mean in that fight, downright mean! Gave me a good thrashing, harder than most newbies do. And you weren't hurt too bad, by the look of things."
Leon checked himself for injuries. He felt a persistent soreness on his left arm– turning it over revealed a dark bruise. He probably landed on it. "I'm not so sure about that… Kinda dizzy, too."
"Well we got just the thing to perk you up." Corvo tilted his head toward the back of the chamber. Part of the wall was gone, revealing a hollow with a large chest. Leon's eyes lit up, and Jacob scurried over to check out their prize.
"Gabite got 'em out while we was making sure you weren't hurt too bad. And by the way," Corvo grinned, "you're one crazy croc, brother."
Leon smiled back. "And you're a pretty slick Snivy."
William and Corvo both offered their hands, and Leon accepted them, being pulled up to his feet.
"Come on, let's get these back to the guild," Leon said.
"Uh, guys?" Jacob spoke up. "We've got a problem here."
They wandered over to Jacob, who pointed inside of the chest. There were one, two, three boxes inside.
"Where's the fourth one?" Leon asked.
"Looks like there isn't one," Corvo said. "This might be all we get."
Leon looked to the Gabite and pointed to the chest. "What's up with this?"
The cave dragon shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. They didn't tell me they'd leave one missing."
Jacob glanced around nervously. "So then, how do we–?"
"You guys take these," William interjected. "I'll go back empty-handed."
"What?" Leon uttered. "Are… you sure about this?"
"Y-you don't have to…" Jacob added.
Corvo looked away, blowing out a sigh. "Hell, you deserve this more than me, brother."
Beneath his skull helmet, William seemed to form a puzzled expression. "Why are you all so concerned?"
Leon's eyes widened. "Because that means you'll flunk and drop out!"
"Don't you wanna stay with us?" Jacob asked.
"You're taking this situation at face-value?" William queried.
Leon and Jacob glanced at each other, then in unison asked, "What?"
"Think it through," William began, slowly pacing back and forth. "This whole scavenger hunt was engineered by the Wolfhaven Guild. They intended that four of us would come down here, as evidenced by the fact we needed four keys to enter. Yet they left only three boxes to collect."
Corvo glanced at the three boxes, then back to William. "So… what? You're sayin' they left one out on purpose?"
William nodded. "This may be yet another test, seeing how we might react to a situation like this. I'm curious to see how it will play out." He gestured to the three boxes. "If there are no objections, are we ready to return?"
Leon rubbed his shoulder. "Uh, if you're sure about that." He turned to Jacob and lowered his voice. "How's he so calm?"
"I dunno," Jacob answered. "But he's been pretty smart so far, right? I think he's onto something."
After collecting the three treasure boxes, they walked back to the way they came, including Gabite, who needed to speak with the Guildmaster about their performance in combat.
The last rays of daylight beamed over Wolfhaven as sunset drew closer. While there were still recruits scrambling for clues and treasure, the town was quite a bit more vacant and calm compared to earlier. Instead of townsfolk, the streets were littered with confetti, crumbs, and other debris that told of a recently-finished party, occasionally kicked up by a pair of mons running by.
A few townsfolk lingered to clean up the leftover messes, like a Granbull with a broom. The fiercely-fanged mon scowled at them as they passed by, grumbling something under his breath.
Leon was tempted to make a joke about the Granbull, but decided not to. Things felt too uncertain for him to break the quiet tension among the group.
After a few minutes of walking through town, they arrived at the front doors of the guildhall. At the front desk, the professor and Quartermaster eyed them expectantly.
"I see you've made it back in one piece," Flint said. "And you've all got your bounty?"
"We do," Leon announced, glancing at the shiny box in his hands. "But…"
"I don't have one," William admitted.
"Oh?" Flint crossed his arms. "You don't have any points either, do you?"
William shook his head. "No, sir."
Leon shuddered. It didn't feel right, William risking his place in the guild. In the back of his mind, he felt that he should've been taking the fall instead. But he didn't want to risk splitting with Jacob.
Flint pursed his lips and glanced back at the professor.
The Floatzel stood up, holding a scrolled parchment. "Well then, if that's the, then–"
"–He'll borrow one of mine," Corvo proclaimed, siphoning all attention to him.
Veronica raised her eyes at him. "Oh?"
"I'm givin' him my points," Corvo clarified. "So you don't gotta kick 'em out."
"Ah, noble," the professor nodded.
"You'd do that?" Jacob asked, jaw agape. Corvo nodded in response.
Leon could've sworn he saw the slightest grin flash across Veronica's face, but she quickly hid it. "But that won't be necessary," she waved. "I have something else in mind."
"Wha– are you kicking him out anyway?!" Jacob asked, color drained from his face.
Leon's expression hardened. "Professor–"
"Settle down, young mons," the Floatzel raised a paw. "I just need a word with your friend." She turned to face William, wearing a much softer expression than Leon had remembered.
"Young Cubone, on the first day of this term I had garnered the impression that you were a dry-humored fool. Doubly-so when you turned in what I initially thought would be a bloated, wordy essay."
She unrolled the parchment in her paws, eyes darting across its text. "But now, having read your work, I have the rare delight of saying that I was wrong."
Leon cast a look at William. He seemed happy, yet also intrigued.
Veronica rolled up his parchment once more. "So, I would like to apologize to you, as well as your friends–" she gestured to Leon and Jacob, "–for the undue punishment."
"I accept your apology," William said cordially.
The professor smiled. "And, allow me to be the first to congratulate all of you on passing your test today." She nodded at the group. "You're now full-fledged members of the Wolfhaven Guild."
The words rang in Leon's ears like music. He grinned from ear to ear, unable to stop smiling even if he wanted to.
"Oh, yeah!" Jacob cheered, high fiving Leon.
"I can hardly believe it!" Leon hollered. "We finally made it in, for real!"
A round of cheering and high fives erupted among the four of them.
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah," the Quartermaster cut in. "Anyway, we're having a party upstairs, gilded hall. Should be ready in a few minutes, come on up whenever."
"You know," Jacob began, "we couldn't have done it without Will and Corvo!"
"You're right," Leon turned to the others. "I had doubts about you guys, but you aren't so bad."
"Thank you, Leon," William replied.
Corvo chuckled. "So, you wanna get all chummy now?"
"I just might," Leon laughed back. "I didn't know you could be so reliable in a pinch! Thanks for helping Jacob."
"Heh, well it was nothin'. How 'bout we talk about it over some hot food?"
"Quartermaster," a new voice called out. Everyone turned to the stairs as a Lucario descended them.
"Aleister?" The Excadrill turned and replied. "What's up?"
"There has been a change of plans," Aleister explained. "The celebration is being postponed."
"Huh?" Leon's enthusiasm dulled a bit. "Why, what's up?"
"Apparently, some of the guild's stock has gone missing," Aleister explained. "We've inspected the pantry earlier today, upon request of our caterers. A number of food and drink has gone missing."
"Missing?" Veronica repeated. "How could that happen?"
"We are still investigating the cause," Aleister answered. "But in the meantime, the celebration is being delayed while we make some last-minute arrangements."
"Ah, oh well." Leon shrugged, then turned to the others. "I guess we can just hang out in our room until they're ready."
While the mentors gathered around to talk, Leon walked up the stairs along with Jacob, William, and Corvo.
"So Jake, what do you think we'll do tomorrow?" Leon began musing. "I figure we'll get mentors after the weekend, maybe we can still learn from that Aleister guy? He seems pretty cool!"
Jacob was silent. He didn't even look at Leon.
"…Huh? Jacob, are you alright?"
Jacob looked at Leon as if he just appeared out of thin air. "Uh, well…" he glanced away again.
"W-what's wrong?" Leon asked, startled. "You were fine just a minute ago…"
"Everything's alright, Jacob," William spoke up as they reached the top of the stairs.
Jacob seemed to calm down, but not by much. He looked at Leon again, and worry was plain as day on his face. "I… I dunno…" he stuttered. Before Leon could ask another question the Charmander hurried past the doors into the dormitory wing.
Leon and the others promptly followed him, arriving in his and Jacob's room. They found him pacing back and forth, with his head in his hands.
Leon walked over to Jacob and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Jake," he uttered with sincere concern. "Please, talk to me. Why are you so spooked?"
Jacob stared at his brother for a few seconds before averting his eyes, looking downward. "Th–the food," he began. "They're gonna find out…"
Food? Did he mean the stuff that went missing, just now?
"Nothing has happened yet, Jacob," William said calmly.
"Yeah, what he said," Corvo chimed in. "So cool it, flametail!"
Leon peered at them over his shoulder. "Guys, what's going on? Who's gonna 'find out,' and about what?"
William was silent.
Corvo merely shrugged. "No clue, sawjaw."
But Leon was already piecing things together. The guild members said that food went missing, and they were looking into it… And wasn't there a basket of food on his desk just before the test this morning? Not just that, but an Energy Seed, too…
"…It's no use," Jacob cracked. "He's gonna find out anyway."
Even though he was still concerned, Leon nodded and took a step back.
"Jacob, there are other ways," William said.
Jacob didn't seem to listen. "I'll… I'll tell you what happened. Just… please don't be mad."