EPISODE I – RISING STARS

CHAPTER III – ATTACKING THE RUIN

You might assume that Foster would lead me to a group of bandits within the woods, attack me in a pre-planned position or even just leave me to rot in that forest. But that was far from the truth. Turned out the new forest path was being explored by a logging team, and our journey through the woods had been aided by their prospecting efforts. The areas that hadn't been reached were something myself and Foster could clear without much challenge.

It had been a reasonable trip that allowed us time to get to know each other. You are probably wondering how I managed to handle a Furret in our first meeting? Well, turned out that Foster was far smaller than most members of his species. A runt of the litter so to speak on par with me in size. In turn, I talked about my life before leaving Caelfall.

The pair of us became fast friends.

We cleared that forest sooner than we expected, and made our way south towards Blackridge. We could have taken an extra day to rest, or to gather additional supplies, but we decided to play it safe, and get to the camp and sign on for the job as soon as possible. We didn't even stop in the town, only passing by the local Pelipper outpost to get a rough idea of where the camp was.

We arrived a day early, in the evening, in time to come across a rather weird bird.

"Oh trust me!" cawed the grey and blue bird, a small stack of papers off to one side of him, "You need to try the new gummi drinks they are brewing! Maybe you could all make your way over once this big job is done! Something to splash your hard-earned Poke on!"

A few other mercenaries surrounded the bird at the edge of the camp staring at either him or his papers with a mix of bemusement and confusion as Rex and Foster approached. The Combusken frowned as he looked over the scene, "Any idea what that bird is Foster?" he asked.

"I thought you knew." Foster replied, looking taken back, "I haven't seen that species before."

"A Corvisquire!" came the sudden shout, as the two mercenaries nearly jumped in surprise. The avian – this Corvisquire – had turned his attention towards them, "I'm not from around here!"

"You're not?" questioned a Bayleef in a feminine tone, "You come from one of those islands?"

The bird rubbed the back of his head, in deep thought, "Islands… yeah! Let's go with that!"

Rex picked up an advert from the paper pile, glancing at the concept of this gummi juice, At least no one has dreamed up making alcohol from gummies. He turned towards the strange bird. "Who are you?" he asked, eyes flicking between the ad and the bird.

He pulled a mock bow, "Perry! At your service. Just another humble post-bird." He sprung back up with a smile across his face, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I do need to go and get some more of these ads out before I fetch some cigars for that mouthy Sergeant Major!"

Foster's eyes went blank, "Sergeant Major? What Poke-"

Rex was only blinking in confusion as Perry pulled a salute, "I'll leave the ads with you, tally ho!"

And before any of the assembled mercenaries could react, the Corvisquire flew into the air and into the night.

The Combusken tried to track the strange bird, but Perry was already out of sight. Rex's stomach fluttered, "He was rather… erm…"

"W-Weird?" Foster replied.

"Yeah. We'll go with that."

"Tell me about it." said the Bayleef, the grass-type walking towards them, "You two here for the job at the ruin?" she asked.

"That's why we came out here." Rex replied with a light shrug, "You've still got space?"

"Just about." She looked over the pair with a curious eye, before rolling her head towards the camp. "Come with me, the client is just doing some final details of the plan. He can fill you in."

The Bayleef led the way in, showing the way towards a large tent in the centre. As they walked, Foster quipped up, "So, there are twenty of us here?"

"Eighteen actually. The plans changed."

That earned a frown from Rex, it was never a good thing for the details of the job to change out of nowhere, even considering the range that the job papers would have been dropped off at. It meant rushed plans or sudden developments.

Or both.

"What's going on then?" Rex asked quietly.

"The client can explain, but the short answer is there's been a change in the bandit situation."

The Combusken and Furret shared a concerned glance as they reached the entrance and strolled inside behind the Bayleef. Inside under the bright candle light was a round table, almost completely covered in maps. At the opposite end was an Electrabuzz, pouring over them with a practised eye.

With a little cough from the Bayleef, the electric type casually looked towards them, "Ah, you've come for the job?"

"We have!" Foster said, standing on his back feet and leaning against the table, "So what's going on? We know there's bandits and a ruin to deal with."

Rex couldn't easily shake off his discomfort as he joined the Furret at the table, I know he's worried as well, but Foster might start disregarding the risks. I've got to be careful.

"We heard that there's been a change?" Rex asked.

Nodding, the Electrabuzz motioned towards the maps, "Let me introduce myself first. I am Quentin, the head guard of Blackridge."

He tapped part of a terrain map with wooden shapes resting on top. "I've been managing some of the expeditions into Murky Pass."

"Murky Pass?" Rex replied, narrowing his eyes.

"It's a Mystery Dungeon." Quintin explained, "It's been around long before Blackridge even formed and it's become quite the local legend."

Foster's ears flickered, "Whatcha mean?"

"No one's been able to work their way through it."

Rex's frown only deepened, A dungeon that hasn't been cleared? Sure, no one can map them and they are always changing, but you'd think one so close to a town would have been searched through by now. "How does this connect to the ruins though?"

The Electrabuzz's fingers twitched, "Because someone found the ruins at the other end."

"Wait a second." Foster stuttered with a sharp tilt of his head, "I thought you said no one has got to the other end of the Dungeon."

Another twitch ran through the Electrabuzz's fingers. "No thanks to someone finding a way around the dungeon."

That hit Rex in the stomach hard, W-What? How could someone bypass a dungeon! Everyone knows that you have to go through the dungeon to reach the end!

"And before you ask." The Bayleef said, having stayed in the tent, "I was just as surprised as you guys."

"T-Then what way did they find!?" Foster questioned.

Quintin leaned forward, tapping on a point of the terrain map where some of the contour lines had narrowly converged. "There's a cliff running above where the dungeon runs through. A climber was navigating around it when he stumbled across the end of it. There seems to be part of the dungeon's boundary that seems more… distorted than the rest. He ended up falling in and left by the front entrance."

"And the bandits ended up following him in." Rex mused, starting to connect the dots together.

"Not at first. He got spotted leaving the entrance and had the way to the bypass beaten out of him."

A few sparks flickered between Quintin's antennae. "The people of Blackridge have spent a great deal of time trying to find out what's at the other side of Murky Pass. We have no plans on letting that all go to waste because some bandits decided to loot the ruins. Ruins we want to survey for the benefit of every villager in Blackridge!"

His fist slammed into the table, nearly knocking the Furret off the table and sending a shiver running up the back of the Combusken's neck. He could understand the frustration of being upstaged, especially when ruins were concerned.

Rex had heard of a few old ruins on his travels, but never took the time to visit them. Many just happened to be old walls or columns that had been left around for years. Was the ruin hidden behind Murky Pass so much more?

There's a lot in the air with this… I need more info.

"What's the plan then?" Rex questioned.

Quintin sighed, leaning back away from the table. "You and the other mercenaries are going to breach that bypass and force the bandits out." He explained, "There's a very good chance they are going to have a pair of eyes on it, so we need you to hit them hard and fast before they can try and mount a defence. Then you can sweep the ruins and secure them for our people to investigate."

"Any idea on what kind of Pokémon are on the other side? Any numbers?"

"Out of at least twelve? We know there's an Altaria and an Exegguator." Quintin explained, "And at least one ghost type. But beyond that, not much."

"We were going to lead with a ghost type and an electric type." The Bayleef added, "Hopefully we can catch any defenders off guard with that and clear a path for the rest of us."

Simple… but with only one access point it is risky…

Foster managed to lean against the table again, "Okay, but how have things changed? Are there more bandits heading this way?"

"No. Not that." Quintin said, his hands gripping the table. "We've heard that there has been a competing client."

Instinctively, Rex started shaking his head, the whole job had just turned into a competition, and that was immediately a major problem. "Do we know why?"

"How many are they sending?" Foster asked.

"No idea. Seems like they have an interest in the ruins too. As for how many…"

He gritted his teeth, "Two."

Rex blinked, "That's it?"

Quintin shook his head, "From what we've heard, they're elite mercenaries. A team calling themselves Night Aura."

Foster's mouth dipped open as the Bayleef cut in, "Some hotshot pair of Pokémon alright for going into Murky Pass."

"They're going through the Pass?" Foster yipped, "But no one has got through there!"

Rex felt himself go still, They tried to make a run for Murky Pass? Why take the risk? They could just follow us from behind. Then again… they'd run headlong into the back of the other mercs. I've not heard of any mercenary team called Night Aura, nevermind any team giving itself a name! How good do they think they are to handle the dungeon?

"If they want to struggle in there, just makes our job easier!" Foster replied with a grin, "I'm still up for clearing out some bandits!"

That's sudden! Rex almost recoiled at Foster's unwavering interest. There is a lot we don't know! Granted the pay just got even better, but it's a big risk!

Rex may have enjoyed a good scrap here and there, but he'd still at least like a better idea of what he was jumping into with some freedom to take his own path. But here, the mercenaries were just bodies to throw into a gauntlet, with another competitor potentially hanging around in the wings.

It didn't feel… wise.

Foster elbowed the Combusken in the side, "I'm sure Rex here would be more than happy to throw some extra muscle in to help!"

"Fire-fighting combos are pretty hard to beat." The Bayleef admitted.

Quintin merely tapped his table with his fingers, "Help Blackridge secure the ruins, and the reward will be far beyond what you will get elsewhere."

Rex nearly flinched again, barely managing to recover by scratching his chin to feign some internal thoughts. Despite the risk, there was one thing that kept tugging at him.

If he left now, he'd be leaving Foster out to dry. The Furret hadn't led Rex astray at any point and had been friendly enough on their journey. Foster had come to him to ask for help, and it was not just to get here. Turning back now would feel like a plain betrayal, and that made Rex more uncomfortable than running into danger.

Well… it's part of the job.

Pulling his hand away from his beak, Rex nodded towards the Electrabuzz. "Alright, I'm in."

The following evening…

The assembled mercenaries carefully crept along the cliff face, either holding onto the ropes drilled into the rock, or tip-toeing along the wooden platform that had also been set up before their arrival. Some of the villagers had worked to establish the route to this so-called 'breach' and the bandits had managed to, if somewhat poorly, finish the job.

A trio of flying types accompanied them, slowly gliding around the cliffs. They had been lucky that the wind had died down, otherwise they'd be clambering along the rocks themselves.

Rex ground his beak as he shuffled around a sharp outcrop, taking care not to let his feet slip. Foster crept in close behind, the Normal-type panting as he kept his eyes focused on the rocks.

"You holding up alright?" Rex asked, halting for a moment.

Foster nervously nodded, "Yeah… just keep moving okay? I'm not great with heights."

Not pushing the Furret any further, Rex focused on the path ahead. He tried to not think about the dangers, instead, he focused on the climb.

Soon, as they reached a small hollow in the cliffs, he saw the breach. He nearly missed it, a faint shimmer at the edge of his vision. It was a ring not unlike a mirage.

No wonder it took a climber to find this place, not much reason for a bird to stop here and anyone flying by would barely see the breach. Especially once the wind was up.

Foster sighed with visible relief as he stepped into the hollow, "Finally… we're here."

Rex flashed a grin, "Should be easier height-wise hopefully."

"It's just a scree-slope from here on out." Called out Ingrid - the Bayleef who had first greeted them – as she stepped into the hollow. "I'm not sure how'd we get in if it was just a sheer drop."

Foster shivered, "Please don't put that image in my head…"

Ingrid flashed a wink, walking by the pair.

"Alright." Quintin said as he came up behind the last of the mercenaries. "Scouts, let's get ready."

Turned out the Electrabuzz had volunteered himself to go along with them, being the head guardsmon after all.

A Mareep and a Haunter moved towards the breach, getting a pair of ropes ready to serve as the signal to attack. The other mercenaries started checking over their equipment where berries like those Rex had were ubiquitous. But there was a mix of gravelrocks, seeds, the odd dart and Rex even noticed a rare wand sticking out from a rucksack.

Rex picked a small boulder to sit on as he started to check over his stuff, making sure he hadn't lost anything. Foster did the same, settling down next to the Combusken on another rock. "So, try and tag team it as much as we can?" the Furret asked.

"Aye." He replied, satisfied as he approached the ship. "We wouldn't want to get caught out."

He kept the words deliberately vague, not wanting to imply that it wasn't just the bandits they were worried about. There was still that risk with such a large pot to have a stake in.

On cue, the scouts declared themselves ready to go, and Rex raised a closed fist towards Foster, "Ready?"

With a happy grin, Foster did the same. "Aye aye!"

The two bumped their fists softly together before rising to their feet. Ahead of them, the Mareep and Haunter had positioned themselves at the edge of the breach, the latter grasping some of the rope, whilst the former had it wrapped around their side. They shared a singular nod, and jointly moved forward.

The air rippled like water as the pair went through the breach, the ropes trailing behind them, the only indicator that someone had moved through. The other mercenaries slowly started creeping towards the entry point, eyes focused on the two ropes, each one marked with two ribbons, the first being red, the second being green. If only the first ribbon went through, it would be a warning not to enter. If both did, then were clear to rush through.

No one wanted to think about what the outcome of no rope making it through.

The mercenaries held their nerve, waiting for the signal.

"Get ready." Quintin warned, "We'll have to move quickly."

Rex tightened his grip on his satchel strap, his heart slowing down. Come on…

One of the ropes went flying through the breach, taking both ribbons with it.

"Go go!" Ingrid barked, the grass-type charging for the breach. With a roar in reply, the others surged after her. Finding himself joining the ruckus with a bellow of his own, Rex followed, feeling the heat from the distortion as he ran for it.

He instinctively took a breath and closed his eyes as he pushed through, though it didn't feel like he was slipping into water, instead, it was like he was sucked in, his feathers being pulled forward with him.

The feeling vanished as he heard the blast of a Thunderbolt.

His eyes snapped open in time to see the shadowy ball racing towards him. Gasping, he threw himself aside, the attack flying past his head. He heard someone cry out behind him, too deep to be Foster. He rolled across the gravel and managed to get back upright, his feet sliding and threatening to topple him. Open ground ran downhill towards a smooth rock clearing. Down there, five bandits were waiting for them, firing off their attacks from below.

Rex started running, fighting to keep his balance. He eyed the Exegguator, a stout figure amongst the bandits below, laughing almost drunkenly as he fired off his Leaf Storm. Letting the heat rise in his throat, the Combusken spat out an Ember, the little fireball hitting one of the 'heads' of the Exegguator and sending him stumbling back. The assaulting mercs took their chance, pushing further onward and slamming into the ranks of the bandits.

Taking his chance, Rex looked back, feeling a flare of warmth as Foster skidded down the slope behind him before continuing his run. As he reached the bottom, a Machop burst out from the battling mercs, her fist glowing. Rex growled, claws glinting as he blocked the strike with his arm and slashed back. The fighting type countered with a block of her own, and swept her leg low, forcing him to jump to avoid it, countering with a kick.

The two duelled like that for a moment, blocking or evading each other's strikes in a ten-second bout before Rex's Flame Charge caught her in the chest, knocking her away. A nasty crack rang out he slammed his fist under her chin, snapping her head back and leaving her to topple to the floor.

As the sound of battle began to die down, he could hear Foster's whisper. "Holy…"

On one side of the clearing was the exit leading out of the dungeon. On the other, the mountain beckoned, where carved into the side was a massive entrance. At the top of a short set of stairs, pillars of granite stood proud and tall in the rock face, grooved with strange patterns across their surface that would almost look like writing. The pillars were holding up a triangular 'roof', where a sizable crater sat in the centre of it, removing whatever once used to be there.

Rex's eyes widened, his breath stolen from him. By Rayquaza's… no wonder everyone's trying to get in here!

Emerging from the ruins, the blue and white form of an Alteria appeared, hovering overhead. "By the gods! What's that rack-"

The Altaria shook in mid-air, his voice rising, "Are you kidding me!?" He yelled, loud enough for a few mercenaries to flinch. "BE GONE!"

His beak opened wide, a multi-coloured ball forming within. "Dragon Pulse!" Foster shouted, "Out of the way!"

Instinct took over as Rex sprinted to the side just as the blast of light surged forward. Mercenaries screamed as they were blown away, too close together to avoid the attack. Foster had joined Rex by his side as a water type came flying towards them. "Get down!" he barked.

"Wh-"

Rex's hand slapped against the Furret's back, forcing the pair down as the water type sailed overhead. Foster gasped, head whipping towards the avian. "T-Thanks!"

"Anytime!" Rex replied, getting back up to his knee as the Altaria changed position, charging up another Dragon Pulse.

"Rex! Throw me at him!"

He swore he felt his back click, looking back towards the very determined-looking little Furret, "Foster, that's-"

"Just trust me! Do it!" he snapped, spurring the Combusken into action.

He grabbed hold of the normal type's back, grunting as he hefted him up. Foster may have been smaller than most of his species, but he still had a fair bit of weight in him. Muscles screaming, Rex roared as he threw the Furret up into the air towards the Altaria.

"Try a piece of this!" Foster screamed, recoiling back just before the Ice Beam rushed out of his mouth.

The Altria didn't even try to dodge, a panicked scream ringing out as the ice attack hit its mark, knocking the dragon bird out of the air and into a mass of fresh bandits, pouring towards the front of the entrance. The mercenaries cheered, whilst Foster landed with a big smile on his face. Rex jogged over to the Furret's side, unable to contain his beaming smile, "That was amazing!" he exclaimed with delight, skidding to a halt by his side,

"Hey, gotta try some new tricks here and there!" Foster chuckled.

At the ruin entrance, the remaining bandits were silent, save for the squawking Altaria pushing himself up to his feet, not quite down yet. "Fall back!" he shouted, "Into the ruin!"

"After them!" Ingrid bellowed, her bruised form stomping forward, "Let's get our pay!"

With another victorious roar, the mercenaries charged, and in a mad panic, the bandits began to pour back into the ruin. Sharing a grin, Rex and Foster joined in the roar and threw themselves into the attack.

As it turned out, that would be the last good moment of that night.

Because not long after that, it all went to hell.

Author's Note: This Chapter took far longer to write than I wanted to, and more was supposed to happen here, but the Chapter once again started getting longer again, and by my own new rules on length, Chapter 4 will have a particularly signifincant event that will truely kick MoD's story off. And as a bonus, I get to post this on Christmas Day.

Hope you enjoy this chapter, and speaking of which, Merry Christmas everyone!