Chapter 31 – Towering Tempest (Leon)
"This fog's not letting up," Leon remarked.
He and Enzo had been trekking along a rocky path, shrouded in misty darkness. Enzo had lit up his vents, creating a faint dome of orange light. Yet they could barely see more than five feet in any direction, as that light didn't reach far through the shimmering mist. Occasionally a rock would slip beneath their feet, noisily tumbling away.
"I'm not sure if we're getting anywhere," Leon continued, adjusting the scarf fastened around his neck.
"Could be walking in circles," Enzo said.
"Maybe," Leon replied. He had lost track of time since he and Enzo regained consciousness. Ironic, since he had his brother's pocket watch stowed in his backpack. Though he hadn't pulled it out– he didn't want to take any risks with it. "There's gotta be some way outta this fog."
"But we can't see," Enzo reminded. "Could be anything out there."
They hadn't run into any threats so far. But that didn't mean that they were safe– there could still be hostile mons lurking nearby. Plus, it went without saying that finding their teammates was their top priority. "We gotta use our other senses," Leon said. "Let's wait here, maybe we can hear something?"
They stopped walking, silencing their footsteps. Leon concentrated on the sounds around them.
A whisper of distant wind. A faint echo of crumbling dust. A heartbeat– his own– on the verge of surging. Otherwise, all he could detect was silence. Seconds passed, though the sounds hadn't changed. He wasn't sure if what he heard was even real, or just his own imagination.
Enzo, still glowing with fire, looked at Leon expectantly.
Quietly, Leon blew out his held breath. He opened his mouth to speak… But then there was a faint trickle. He leaned toward it. "…Do you hear that?"
Enzo turned his head toward the source. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Water."
"It sounds like a stream. Maybe it'll lead somewhere?"
They ventured through the fog once more, following the flow. The sound became clearer the further they went, yet it wasn't the only thing they heard. Occasionally, a faint whisper would cut through the mist, prompting them to stop. Alongside those cryptic echoes were subtle shifts in the fog.
"Something moved," Enzo said, brightening his flames.
Leon glanced in the same direction as him. The mist wavered slowly, and a faint noise rolled over the rocks. But as they stopped, so did their surroundings. Even as Leon looked left, right, and over his shoulder, he couldn't sense any other presence.
"I don't see anything."
Enzo's flames receded, but only a little. "Eyes up."
Leon and Enzo continued moving toward the sound of water. Any noises louder than the flow prompted them to stop while Enzo flashed his flames, warding off anything that might be hiding in the haze, real or otherwise.
Leon kept a sharp eye on their surroundings, vigilant for both clues and threats. Of course, it was difficult to notice changes in a place like this, despite his heightened awareness. Was it his imagination, or did the ground grow darker? Following Enzo's advice, he yanked his gaze away from the ground and looked skyward…
Leon blinked. He rubbed his eyes.
A faint light pierced the curtain of mist. It was a shimmering blue ribbon: a sparkling strand of aurora. The cyan streak shined like a beacon.
"Do you see that?" he pointed.
Enzo looked up, then nodded.
"I think that might be a lead!"
Leon hurried his pace, and the sound of water became clearer than ever. The fog thinned, and the path ahead sloped into a smooth bank.
"There it is!"
The sight before him and Enzo confirmed the source of the sound: a curved stream carved through the rocky terrain. Black water flowed along the banks, glinting with the reflection of aurora above, following the same direction.
"Now we might be onto something."
Beside Leon, Enzo held his flames steady. "If we're lucky."
They observed the river. It flowed from left to right, rippling with blue fractals. Thick fog lingered above the surface, blocking their view of the other side.
"Can't see much from here," Leon said. "I'm gonna get a closer look."
Enzo took a step toward the stream, sniffing the air. He promptly slinked back, wrinkling his nose. "I'll stay here, watch your back."
"Not a fan of water?" Leon half-joked, though he paused to sniff the air, too. His reaction was similar– an acrid odor stung his nostrils, like a tiny electric shock on his nose. "Eugh," he took a step back. "Is that… polluted?"
Enzo shrugged.
Leon had been around foul-smelling waters before, like salt marshes with rotten-egg odors. But something was different about this stream. It had a faint scent like something burnt to a crisp. "I'll be right back," he said, and approached the river.
"Careful," Enzo cautioned. His flames burned steadily.
One step at a time, Leon made his way down the bank and towards the stream. The unpleasant smell dulled as he neared. The fog persisted, still blocking his view of the other side. At the water's edge, he glanced back at his teammate. Enzo nodded back at him, his flames providing a steady light.
Leon leaned over the water.
The liquid rippled below, flowing with splinters of glowing cyan. Strangely, he couldn't see any semblance of his own reflection. In fact, the longer he stood there the more it felt… wrong. His scales tingled, like he was anticipating a static zap. The air was heavy, pressing down his head and shoulders. A light pulsed beneath the surface. Deep red. All-encompassing. Staring. The blue splinters flashed, and shattered whispers roared in his ears. The world fell away–
Thud!
Solid rock slammed into Leon's back. A cold sweat cascaded down his spine. His chest rose and fell with rapid breathing. A ringing noise revolved around his head, as if a thunderclap burst next to him, eclipsing his eyes and ears.
Gradually, his senses returned. Leon was laying down, having fallen onto his back. A lingering soreness coursed from the back of his head, down his spine and to the end of his tail. He groaned, craning his aching head upright. Dark fog still surrounded him, obscuring any perceivable depth. The noise faded, giving way to the sound of flowing water, or whatever that liquid was. He sat up, holding a hand to his head.
"W-what was that?" Leon rasped. As he waited for an answer, he realized that the orange glow behind him was gone. He glanced over his shoulder.
Dark fog. Coarse, black rocks. Shimmers of aurora. A chilling nip in the air.
No sign of his Quilava companion.
"Enzo?" Leon called. "Where are you?"
Silence.
Leon forced himself to stand, rising alongside his heart rate. "Enzo? Where'd you go?! Enzo!"
His call echoed through the mist, reverberating through the depths. Leon spun around, staring at the creek before him. Did Enzo just vanish? Or did that stream do something to Leon?
He backed away from the river, kicking a loose pebble in his haste. The tiny rock splashed into the liquid, which hissed and steamed as it consumed the pebble. "What the hell is this stuff?" Leon muttered. Whatever it was, he was certain that it wasn't water.
Grrrrrrr…
Once again he turned. A low, deep growl rumbled the air. An eerie stillness permeated the fog, as if daring anyone, or anything, to move. Leon froze in place, his mind reeling. Even his breathing was low and hushed– the only noises were the flow of the creek, his heartbeat, and the subtle tick of his brother's pocket watch, tucked away in his backpack.
…
Seconds passed. Whatever made that noise fell silent. Leon's nerves hadn't calmed, not even remotely. Slowly, he looked back towards the creek. The cyan aurora lingered overhead.
"Not much choice," Leon whispered to himself. "Can't stay here, better follow the stream… Just not too closely."
One step at a time, he distanced himself from the strange liquid and walked along the banks of the creek. Moving with the flow, he noticed that the river and aurora both had a slight curve. Maybe Enzo was right, maybe this whole thing wound around itself in a circle. But if that was true, how did this river flow? It couldn't flow into itself, that was impossible.
Another whisper cut through the darkness, shaking Leon out of his thoughts. He spun around, but nothing was there. Had he imagined it? Either way, he stopped thinking about the creek and hurried his pace. Any new light or sound had him snapping his gaze toward the source. Whether they were real or not, the longer he walked, the more subtle flashes and faint noises he noticed.
Flickers of deep purple, sparking in a small chain of bursts. A deep buzzing, like the ground itself was growling, here then gone. A white flash, only to vanish as he looked up. The bang of a distant crash, like two rocks colliding.
Leon gasped. It was too much. Like a reflex, he swung around his backpack, unzipped it, and reached inside, feeling his brother's pocket watch.
Safe in his backpack, the pocket watch ticked softly in his hand, and was oddly warm to the touch. There was a faint blue glow, though that must've been the aurora above. The subtle trinket calmed his nerves. Its steady, consistent rhythm was a ward against the harsh, unpredictable sensations of the dungeon. The noises and lights from before seemed dull.
"Guess this is why he fidgets with it," Leon said in a low voice. The quiet clock was a welcome distraction in more ways than one.
"Just hang in there, Jacob."
After a few more ticks, he let go and zipped his backpack shut. With his resolve renewed, he walked again.
"…Wait a sec," Leon squinted into the distance. "What's that?"
Through the omnipresent pale shroud, there was a cluster of floating blue glints. He cautiously inched his way closer, making out finer details. They were crystals– luminous blue facets attached to a smooth stone, seeming to float above the ground. With all the plain rocks everywhere, this definitely stood out.
He took a wary glance all around. More mist. No sounds, besides the stream… It seemed as safe as it could be, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Maybe he was still woozy from that dark stream? That might explain why he was seeing and hearing things, but that wasn't very reassuring. He didn't like the idea that he might've been exposed to something that causes hallucinations. Either way, since there were no signs of danger, all he could do was move forward.
With a measured breath, he approached the floating geode. It spun slowly, showing blue crystals adorned on all sides of the stone. Leon raised his hand, holding it mere inches away from the geode. That strange feeling kept nagging at him. Was it coming from the crystals? Was it a side-effect of the liquid? Or was it something else…?
Regardless, he leaned forward and touched the stone. As he made contact, the crystals burned bright–
Pshaow!
The geode suddenly burst, splitting into several fragments of levitating, luminous minerals.
"Whoa!" Leon stumbled back just as the shards rushed toward him, only to weave around him, like water splashing past a rock in a river. He spun to watch them fly–
Wraaaurrgh!
The sapphire shards cut through a dark mass– a wailing shadow– looming only a step away from him.
"W-what the–!?" He jumped back as the black curtain flailed, torn with crystal-shaped holes. Whatever it was, it receded into the mist.
Leon breathed fast and his heartbeat surged. Something snuck up on him, and almost caught him. If he were a second slower… He tried to not delve into nightmarish thoughts, instead watching a cluster of glints through the fog.
Blue crystals, the ones he had just touched, soared through the fog like fireflies. They flew toward the stream, then raced below the aurora, flying between the water and light. Further downstream, the flying shards passed by a faint outline in the fog, a cluster of shining blue along the bank. Another geode.
Leon's thoughts raced alongside the shards. When that geode burst, the shards went around him and peppered that shadowy creature. But it was still out there, stalking him. Not only that, but he and Enzo were still separated. Did that creature take Enzo? His spine shivered, and Leon regained that irksome feeling of being watched.
He had few options, and even less time.
"Go!"
He blitzed towards the next geode. Leon stumbled over sand and gravel, his fear-induced caution traded for survival-spurred urgency. To his left, the aurora flashed with light, and another swarm of shards raced by. Were those the same crystals?
Soon the next geode materialized through the fog. Leon lunged toward it, throwing his hands at the floating stone.
Once again the crystals flashed and the whole geode detonated, with floating shards of sapphire sweeping past Leon. He turned, and this time he saw no dark creature at his back. Yet as the crystals rushed through the mist, he could've sworn that he saw tendrils of shadow, receding from the mineral barrage.
The shards flew between the water and aurora, joining the flight like a flock of birds. As they did, the fog around Leon seemed thinner, somehow. He could see farther, and more distant details of the cave gradually became visible, including yet another geode.
No time to waste– Leon bolted for that next crystal cluster. The fog may have been clearer, but the cave was no brighter, nor was the terrain any smoother. Coarse gravel slowed his pace to an awkward hobble, running over loose rocks. With a mix of leaps and stumbles he neared the next geode. A chill touch nipped his ankles…
Thud!
Something pulled his legs, and Leon barely caught himself, hands crashing into the ground. He flailed, twisting his body around to face whatever had grabbed him.
Latched to his ankle was a sharp, black claw, attached to nothing. Beyond that was a dark, spiky mass, and a pair of blood red eyes.
Leon flailed his arms, trying to Scratch at the creature before him.
"Get… off!" he grunted.
But as his claws connected, the creature's skin blurred and faded like the mist around them. It was as if he was attacking thin air. The specter's jaw slowly fell, revealing rows of dark, sharp teeth against a crimson glow from the back of its throat. A scarlet incandescence washed over Leon's face as he was pulled closer.
Leon's jaw dropped, but not out of surprise. He lunged at the creature with his own fangs flashing.
Crunch!
His teeth clamped down on the specter, and this time he could feel the impact of his Bite. A foul taste flooded his tongue, and a rippling cascaded across his teeth, like a swarm of tiny insects invading his mouth. But Leon didn't relent, he tightened his jaw and the grip on his ankle slipped.
"Raaaurgh…!"
The black claw receded, as did the dark mass it was tethered to. The sickening taste in Leon's mouth slipped through his jaws. The creature– which looked like a black Haunter– fell back into the fog.
Leon sucked in a deep breath, dulling the shock before welling up pressure in his chest. He spewed out a Water Gun, trying to ward off the monster and wash out the disgusting taste of its shadowy flesh.
"Peh! Pah!" he spat. Even though that looked like a Haunter, it clearly wasn't a normal one. But Leon had no time to think about the implications. He scrambled to his feet, stumbling over gravel again on his way to the next geode.
He reached the floating stone, and for the third time it burst at his touch, adding more blue shards to the flying crystal convoy. The fog thinned, though the clouds above darkened. As shards pulsed over the stream, Leon kneeled over, huffing for breath. All those minerals seemed to be adding up, building into something greater. What could it be? More importantly, where was his teammate?
"Enzo!" Leon called. "Where are you?"
The fog flashed white with lightning above. Seconds passed… Then a new color lit up the fog. Ahead of Leon was a luminous wave of orange. Fire.
"I can see your light," Leon hollered. "Hang on!"
Arms pumping, he ran across the rocky terrain, still following the bank of the stream. Soon he made out the shape of a Quilava through the fog, with Enzo's bristling flames brightening the space. Stray ember flakes cut through the mist as he came into focus.
"Enzo!" Leon called again.
The Quilava glanced over his shoulder, spotting Leon. He just as quickly looked away, his attention drawn elsewhere.
"Screee!"
Twin red eyes pierced the fog, and a winged creature swooped at Enzo, who leaped aside.
The black bird, resembling a Pidgeotto, flew straight toward Leon with its talons outstretched.
"Whoa!" Leon dropped to his belly, and the avian soared over him, claws grazing his backpack.
Enzo shot a spout of flame toward the bird, both of which vanished into the mist.
"Leon," Enzo called, a hint of relief in his tone. He ran toward Leon. "You hurt?"
Leon pushed himself up. "I'm fine," he answered, looking over his teammate. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Enzo reduced his flames to a low, steady burn. "I watched you, leaning over the water. The air got heavy. Don't know how, or why."
"I felt something, too," Leon explained. "I can't put my finger on it, but when I got close to the creek, it just felt wrong. I started hearing and seeing things. Next thing I knew, I was on my back."
Enzo nodded. "Not just me, then. Tried to get closer, but the fog got thick. Then you were gone." He punctuated with a flash of fire atop his head. "Just like that."
"So I vanished," Leon concluded. "Like I… teleported, somehow. I went looking for you, then ran into one of those… things. I thought you might've been taken by one of 'em!"
Enzo shook his head. "They tried. I held them off, looking for you. And I found floating rocks, blue gems on them."
Leon's face widened in surprise. "And when you touched them, they blew up into shards?"
Enzo's face mirrored Leon's, and he nodded.
"One of the monsters followed me," Leon explained, "but those shards repelled them. Then they started flying around." Just then, a swarm of sapphire shards rushed by, soaring between the stream and strand of aurora. "Like that!" The liquid rippled in the wake of the flying crystals.
"I found three of them," Leon continued." I think they're clearing the mist, somehow."
"I also found three," Enzo said. "Bound to be more."
Ideas swelled in Leon's head like a tidal wave. If those geodes cleared the mist and kept those monsters away, then finding the rest of them would be their best course of action. He and Enzo found and touched three each, so they had activated six geodes total. That left him with two questions.
"How many are left? And where are they?"
Right as Leon asked that question, another white flash echoed through the mist. A number of dark outlines became visible for a moment. Distant shapes commanded their attention, including a couple oval shadows with blue glints.
"There," Enzo replied.
Leon took a step forward. Between them and the geodes was the curved stream. Crossing that wasn't an option, they'd have to walk around it. "Let's go get them."
Reunited, Leon and Enzo ventured through the mist once more, running along the banks of the stream. Every few seconds, a cluster of crystals would fly past them, revolving around the chamber. The shroud above had darkened, turning from a pale curtain to a foreboding mass of storm clouds. More flashes, resembling lightning, chained chaotic light between those clouds.
"Something's changing," Enzo remarked.
"I've noticed, too," Leon said. "Like some kind of brewing storm."
"Think it's those monsters?"
"Maybe. Not sure what else might be causing it, except… the crystals?"
The storm clouds above flashed with echoes of light, joined with a volley of thunder. A quiet hiss followed, and cold speck tapped Leon's snout.
Countless tiny streaks plummeted from the clouds, splashing off the rocks on impact, creating a steady hum.
"Well, there's the rain," Leon said.
He expected a sense of refreshment as the rain touched his scales. But to his surprise, he could hardly feel the droplets even as they slid down his limbs. If that stream wasn't normal water, then was this normal rain?
Meanwhile, the steady flames on Enzo's back smoldered, hissing as it morphed into steam.
"Are you alright?" Leon called.
"It's nothing," Enzo replied, shaking droplets off his fur. "We still have crystals to crack. Let's go."
They pressed on, and soon the next geode came into sight, an oval shadow some distance away. As they stepped forward, forked lightning chained between the clouds above. The thunder passed, and an eerie glow lingered overhead, cast in a shade of red. A gale ripped through the air, foretelling a coming shockwave…
"Watch out!" Leon shouted, and they leaped away in opposite directions.
A whirling beam of Dragon Pulse struck where they stood a moment ago– the ground burst into a geyser of gravel, pelting the two with flying pebbles.
Leon shielded himself with his arm. "Enzo, you okay?!"
The Quilava sidestepped the falling rocks. "Yeah."
An eerie noise followed, and Leon glanced up at their foe as it descended from the dark clouds.
The creature had a long neck, with ribbons atop its head and puffed wings, resembling a cloud. It looked very much like an Altaria, but it lacked the summer sky colors they were known for. Like the mons from earlier, this creature was black and shimmery, as if its body was made from oil. Its eyes were wholly red, and its cloud-like wings were gray and crackling, like the storm surrounding it.
"Another monster?" Enzo remarked, his flames defiant in the rain.
"After this," Leon said, "there'll be one less to worry about."
Altaria didn't hesitate– the creature opened its maw and expelled another funneled storm of draconic power.
Leon dashed forward, ducking past the Dragon Pulse and spray of gravel behind him. He threw his head back and blasted a Water Gun at the dragon. The rain should have bolstered his strength, yet his water pressure felt no stronger than normal.
With a wingbeat, the stormy Altaria flew out of range of Leon's attack.
Meanwhile, Enzo breathed out a skybound Flamethrower. The fiery streak fizzled before it reached his target, hissing and morphing into steam. His fire shrank under the weight of the rain.
Altaria rolled and evaded Enzo's attack too. Then, with its talons outstretched, it dove straight toward the Quilava.
"Heads up!" Leon bolted back toward Enzo, but Altaria was already on top of him.
Enzo grunted as the dragon squeezed him in its grip, and beat its wings, lifting him up into the air.
"Enzo!" Leon called out.
Searing flames erupted from the Quilava's head and flank, scorching Altaria's underside. The dragon uttered a guttural noise and released its grip, dropping Enzo, then vanishing among the clouds.
Enzo landed with a thud, displacing some wet gravel.
Leon gasped and rushed over to where the Quilava had crashed. "Hang on, I'm on my way!"
Enzo shook himself, casting off dust. "I'm fine!" he said as Leon ran up beside him. He kept his eyes on the clouds. "But this rain's a pain," he remarked, steam rising from his vents.
Leon's mind raced. The storm was giving Altaria cover, a place to hide. Who knew how many more might be hiding up there, waiting to ambush them? The rain was also weakening Enzo, but somehow, it didn't strengthen Leon at all. Why would the weather affect only one of them? He tugged at his scarf…
Wait a sec, the scarf? Leon took a second look at it. The Weather Band! He put it on after the Bibarel innkeeper gave it to him.
"I've got an idea," Leon said, untying the band.
As soon as it was off he felt an immediate difference. What felt like a slight drizzle bloomed into a downpour, soaking through his scales. His inner water roiled in response, spreading heightened energy through his limbs: this was normal rain.
"Hold still," he asked, and began fastening the fabric around Enzo's neck. His teammate steadied himself, allowing Leon to secure the band to him.
As the knot was tied, the Weather Band's effects were nearly instant. A subtle pulse washed over Enzo's fur, and instead of absorbing the rain, it seemed to repel it. Droplets slid off of him, and a fiery glow returned to his flame vents. He glanced at the Weather Band, then at Leon, wearing the closest expression to surprise that he could muster.
"Thank you," Enzo said, and his flames rose higher. "So, that geode".
"Right, let's go!"
They set off toward the floating rock, no longer hindered by neither rain nor monsters. It wasn't long before they closed the gap.
"Here goes," Leon said, and placed his hand upon the stone.
As expected, the strange rock erupted into a swarm of shards. Like the others before it, the crystalline salvo flew off with the others, circulating between the stream and aurora. And once again the fog thinned, condensing into high storm clouds.
"One down," Leon remarked. More lightning flashed, revealing the silhouette of a solitary geode. "One to go!"
The two set off toward the last geode. Blue crystals shone in the dark, their facets flashing in sync with the lightning above. The geode ahead dripped as rainwater.
Yards away, Leon lifted his hand toward the floating rock… But then he covered his face as a forceful gale blew into him, halting his momentum. To the left, Enzo was stopped in his tracks too– flames wavering from a vicious headwind.
"W-what is it now?!" Leon said, planting his feet.
Another flash of lighting commanded their attention, drawing their gazes skyward. Among the clouds were outlines of three mons: Haunter, Pidgeotto, and between them, Altaria. Leon's suspicions were right: there were more monsters up there, waiting for them. Their glowing red eyes bore down on him and Enzo, and Pidgeotto's wings flapped, creating the Tailwind that slowed them both.
"They can't take a hint," Enzo grunted.
While the Tailwind held them at bay, Haunter and Altaria launched their attacks: a Dark Pulse and a Dragon Pulse, combining into a projected hurricane of light and dark. Their fused energies carved through the ground, blitzing toward Leon and Enzo.
Once again the two leaped away from each other, and the searing beam to singed the path between them. As they landed, they shot back with Water Gun and Flamethrower. But between how high their foes were, and the strong winds pushing against them, their attacks fell short of their marks.
"No good," Leon said. "We can't reach them!"
"Get closer!" Enzo replied.
The relentless gale made it difficult to move, or even keep a steady footing. Leon fought to inch his way closer to the geode, yet between the wind and incoming attacks, he had no time to think or navigate the terrain. Another barrage fell from the sky– he and Enzo dashed to dodge the pulse of dark and draconic energy.
Leon held up his arm, shielding his face from the wind. "This isn't working!" he hollered. A silver glint flashed in the clouds. "We gotta try something else! We–"
The ground erupted– a silvery Moonblast eclipsed his vision and blasted him off his feet. The world spun around– rocky ground, stormy sky, blended in the same gray whirl.
Thud!
Coarse stones bruised his scales as he skidded across the path, slowing to a halt. Pain surged through his battered limbs.
"Leon!"
He blinked through a dizzy haze, spotting a bleary Quilava yards away from him. Enzo ran towards him, but another barrage struck the ground between them, bursting with a plume of dust. Orange flames lit up the space as Enzo spat skybound fireballs.
Leon pushed himself up, knowing that more aerial bombardments were coming. He and Enzo had to change tactics, but what else could they do? While he tried to ignore his own pain, a persistent warmth flowed down his spine.
"Oh no…"
If he was bleeding, this whole situation was going to be much worse. The best thing he could do now was try to treat the wound with the precious little time he had. So Leon reached for his backpack, swinging it around to retrieve a medicinal berry.
But as he did, the warmth on his back faded. His attention was drawn to something else: a blue incandescence, seeming to come from within the backpack. Was he not actually bleeding? With haste he yanked the zipper open, shoved his arm inside and grasped a warm object, pulling it out.
In his hand laid a metallic shell, radiating with mysterious force. Two rings of blue light, covered in runes, orbited the metal like a gyroscope, phasing through his wrist. The wellspring of energy cascaded down the chain, glowing like moonlit raindrops on a window.
Jacob's pocket watch.
"What–"
Before Leon could question it, another blast stole his attention. The ground around Enzo erupted, and his teammate was pushed back, assailed by dust and debris, grazed by twin pulse attacks.
As the dust cleared, the Quilava laid on his side, battered and bruised.
His flames flickered and dimmed, turning to smoke.
"Hold on!"
Leon clutched the pocket watch, and its runic rings spiraled up his arm, seeping into his body. His eyes dilated, and his chest rumbled. An explosion of power rocked him to his core. His entire being overflowed with boundless vitality. The sensation was indescribable and overwhelming– he hovered inches off the ground, as if pulled by a planetary force. As he neared the edge of unconsciousness, everything snapped into place.
Leon landed on his feet, and his entire body shimmered with arcane vigor. His arms and legs were coated in an armor of light, making them seem dense with muscles. His claws were longer and sharper, and his jaw felt strong enough to bite through a boulder. The strength of a Feraligatr coursed through his unevolved form.
What power was this? Did it come from Jacob's watch?
Leon snapped his attention back to Enzo. As the Quilava shakily rose to his feet, another Dragon-Dark Pulse shot straight toward him.
Leon sprinted toward him, moving faster than ever before. "Get down!"
Thump!
He shoved his teammate out of the way, and they toppled over the ground, away from the blast. They rolled over each other a couple times, then slowed to a stop yards away from the impact site.
Enzo stared up at Leon. His wide eyes reflected the blue runes, appraising the lights coating his teammate. His face silently conveyed a question: what's happening to you?
"Can you get up?" Leon asked.
Enzo nodded and turned himself upright. He craned his head toward their airborne foes. "Incoming!" he warned.
Leon spun and spotted another twisting beam, the fusion between dark and draconic pulses. Pressure welled within his chest like a geyser. He opened his maw, and a forceful Hydro Pump stormed forth. Within a second, his torrential blast rammed into the pulse, each one halting the other's momentum.
The midair clash of black, purple, and blue brought a brillant shower of sparks and drops, both beams forcefully pushing against eachother. Leon's newfound power was enough to hold their assailants at bay, but he didn't top them. He could hold back their onslaught, but for how long? Even with overflowing power, he needed just a bit more…
Enzo leaped up beside him, ignited with towering flames. He exhaled a spiral of blistering hellfire, coiled around Leon's aquatic blast. Hydro Pump, now combined with Flamethrower, tipped the scales and rapidly pushed back the Dragon-Dark Pulse. Before their foes could react, their own attacks were pushed back in their faces, and abruptly detonated.
Brilliant colors of red, blue, and purple lit up the sky, and the squall from the Tailwind ceased, letting the air calm. Silhouettes of Haunter, Pidgeotto, and Altaria popped out against the chromatic blast, before fading with the return of natural darkness.
"Finally," Leon said. He hunched over slightly, drained from expelling so much water.
Beside him, Enzo's flames shrank from a roaring pyre to a small, steady burn. "They're still up there," he noted.
Leon spotted the floating, red eyes of their foes. They were wounded, but not defeated. "All the more reason to hurry." He set his gaze upon the last geode again. It was a fair distance away, the high winds had pushed them back. Nearby, a swarm of flying shards flew by, as if inviting the last crystals to join them.
Leon tightened his grip on the pocket watch. "Lets–"
He was cut off as a haunting hymn chilled the air. The sound was discordant, with a rhythm too broken and garbled to comprehend. Simply hearing it made his ears ache, and a cold sweat washed over his body. For a moment his vision blurred and darkened, snapping back just as quickly and leaving him whiplashed.
"Ow…" Leon gritted his teeth. "Arceus, what is it now?"
Enzo's limbs tensed, his expression strained. "Perish Song," he hissed.
The song's cold notes whirled around then like a creeping blizzard. Their eyes were drawn to the source: Altaria, floating high among stormy clouds, uttering an early verse of the cursed music.
Enzo drew a deep breath. "If they finish the song…"
"We won't let 'em!" Leon said, gathering his remaining strength. "Shoot 'em down!"
He tried to summon his inner water, but there was no pressure. All Leon could make was a dry cough.
Enzo harbored the same exhaustion. While his vents still produced plenty of heat, the flame from his maw was thin and fizzled out en route to his target.
Meanwhile, Altatia continued to sing, weaving notes of icy pinpricks, hovering over their skin and scales.
Leon's heart raced, pounding along with his growing headache. They've come so far, fought so hard. Was this how it was going to end? The runes on his body continued to glow, and he felt a new surge of energy. It wasn't water pressure in his chest– it was a distinct glow on his rune-clad tail: an Aqua Tail, waiting to be unleashed.
But he had no way to reach Altaria with it. By the time he and Enzo regained their energy, they would already be knocked out. Or worse. Leon wracked his brain, scrambling for a solution. An enemy who was up too high for him… It was like his standoff against Camerupt all over again. Back then, Chase had launched Leon with his vines, helping him close the gap. Of course, Chase wasn't here now.
The song continued. Leon's ears stung with pain, and Enzo covered his own.
"Eugh…" he grunted.
Enzo didn't have a grass type's vines, either. All he had was an abundance of heat…
Wait a sec– heat. Rising from his vents. If he could shoot a hot plume, send Leon airborne…
"Enzo!" Leon began, "your heat, build up as much as you can! When I say so, blast it all out!"
The Quilava shot him a strange look, though it was hard to tell if it was confusion, or strain from the creeping Perish Song. "Be quick," he urged.
Fueled by adrenaline, Leon ran a distance behind Enzo, carried by the enigmatic strength of the pocket watch. He spun around, darted his eyes between Enzo and Altaria, and swiftly calculated his trajectory, hoping this would work.
"Counting down!" Leon called. "When I say 'now,' blast it!"
"Got it," Enzo said, eyes locked on Altaria.
Leon inhaled, steeling himself even as Perish Song built up into a menacing crescendo. The clouds above crackled with lightning, releasing heavier raindrops. The runes on his body shimmered, and he took a running start.
"Three!"
Gravel clattered below his feet as he blitzed across blackened ground.
"Two!"
Enzo went rigid. His vents brimmed with daylight, blurred with heat.
"One!"
A piercing note cut through the air. Splitting pain stabbed Leon's ears, and for a split-second he was nearly blinded. He jumped toward Enzo.
"Now!"
A volcanic blast erupted from Enzo's scalp, a burst of blistering heat just below Leon's feet. His underside was toasted, but the eruption sent him skyward, soaring toward the clouds, toward Altaria.
Wind roared in Leon's ears, as well as the rising notes of Perish Song.
His veins turned to ice. Watery strength swelled within his tail.
A deafening ring pounded his ears. Aquatic force spiraled around his lower body.
Leon's tail glowed and he flipped one– two– three times–
POW!
The final note of Perish Song was cut off, replaced by a startled, guttural wail. Altaria's musical curse broke, shattered by a hydraulic smash.
The storm-woven dragon fell, dazed and thoroughly soaked.
Leon fell shortly after, having struck down his would-be doom. Between the speed and the song, the agony and adrenaline, he was barely kept awake by the arcane power flowing through him.
A familiar, floating stone came into view. He straightened out his body, holding out two fists as he fell toward it.
BAM!
At last, Leon smashed through the final geode, releasing its dormant crystals. He turned to watch them fly.
Altaria plummeted toward the ground. Just before it crashed, a crystalline wave assaulted the dragon. Dozens of shards tore through the shadowy creature all at once, shredding it into an unraveled mass of dark ribbons, left to float and fade in the air.
Leon gulped. Had he just watched something die? These creatures resembled mons, but… were they alive?
Before he could ponder on that, he spotted the other creatures: Haunter and Pidgeotto, swooping toward Enzo. The shards bolted toward them like furious bees, tearing through them as they did Altaria. As they were assailed, Enzo spouted one last Flamethrower, torching the demons.
Between the shards and flames, both creatures were unraveled into trails of smoking, dark ribbons as they spiraled away, vanishing out of sight.
Leon clutched his shoulder and released a held breath. The fog had been erased. All that was left was the storm above, and all the rain and lighting that came with it. To the side, swarms of sapphire shards raced by at regular intervals, shining between the aurora and black stream.
But whatever that meant would have to wait. He sauntered over to his teammate. In turn, Enzo trekked to meet Leon in the middle. Within seconds, they were eye-to-eye once more.
"I… think we're safe now," Leon said. His body still shimmered with heightened strength, arcane glows lingering on his limbs and the pocket watch,
Enzo nodded, cast in a blue light from Leon's radiance. "Hope so."
Having a moment to breathe, Leon reached for a pair of Oran berries within his backpack. "You were great, just now." He tossed a berry to Enzo.
Enzo deftly caught it. "You were better," he said modestly.
The faintest chuckle escaped Leon's mouth, and they both began eating their restorative fruits. All the while, Enzo gave him an appraising look.
"That power…" he remarked.
Leon looked down at himself. "I don't know where it came from. Jacob's watch, it… just lit itself up. I grabbed it, and then–" he waved a hand over his body. "This."
Enzo wolfed down the rest of his berry. "Might be why the Eidolons want it."
Those words jolted Leon. In all this chaos, he had almost forgotten the reason why they were here: the ransom. Jacob's pocket watch held some kind of secret power that Leon and his brother never knew about. Was that why the Eidolons had kidnapped Jacob? If so, how could they have known about the watch's secret power, while he and his brother never knew anything about it?
"…They're not going to get it," Leon said, closing his grip around the metal shell. "We're gonna find Jacob, our friends, and leave these 'Eidolons' empty-handed." He tossed the remainder of the berry in his mouth, eating it with nearly a single bite.
The ground rumbled– quakes rattled the rocks, threatening to throw Leon and Enzo off balance. The tremors pulsed in the same direction: toward the river of black liquid. Sounds of crashing waves echoed, calling their attention.
Despite his prior experience, Leon felt drawn toward the stream. "I'm gonna check it out… From a distance."
"Anything goes wrong, I'm pulling you back by the tail," Enzo said.
"Hey, bite my butt if you gotta. I'd do the same for you."
"...Thank you?"
Leon hurried toward the bank. Though the fog was gone, the darkness wasn't. Between the light from Enzo's flames and his runic body, he could see far enough. Something was happening at the river– something big.
The liquid below sloshed back and forth. A deep rumbling hinted at seismic activity churning below the depths. Squinting from above, the water seemed to be… draining? As the ground rocked back and forth with the quakes, the water level lowered, yet it never seemed to reach the bottom.
In fact, after a few seconds the bottom of the "river" had practically vanished. The sloshing liquid gave way to a cascading waterfall, with roaring rapids washing over the rocks of a newly-formed cliff, drowning out the sound of rain. Yet there were more than just rocks sticking out from the face of the cliff.
"What's that…?" Leon uttered.
Embedded in the rocks were several poles, wrapped in shining coils, and capped with smooth bulbs, softly flashing with red lights.
"Some kind of rods?"
Lightning crackled above, bolts chaining between the clouds… moving clockwise. The opposite direction of the crystal shards. The electric arcs didn't flash and fade– they spiraled through the clouds, building up into a larger, brighter whole. Before long, lightning illuminated the chamber, granting distant sight to Leon and Enzo.
On the left and right, the cliffside stretched outward into a wide circle, eventually looping around itself. Before them was an expansive gorge in place of the river. All sides of the gorge looked the same: rocky faces washed by ceaseless waterfalls, and metal rods jutting out of the cliffs, flashing red.
"What are we even looking at?" Leon wondered.
"Machinery," Enzo offered. "Those rods aren't natural."
Leon glanced between the pit and the sky. Above, the clouds were luminous with lightning, with an eye of the storm right above the gorge. Below, black liquid cascaded down the cliffs, washing past the metal rods, flowing into a pit too deep and dark to see.
"If it's a machine," Leon said, "then what does it do?"
BOOM!
No sooner did he ask the question, a thunderbolt shot down from the clouds, striking one of the metal rods.
Leon stumbled back, startled by the explosive light.
BOOM!
Another bolt struck a different rod. Then even more thunderbolts jumped from the clouds to the gorge, their roaring chorus drowning out all other sounds
Something else jolted Leon as his tail was yanked, and he was pulled backwards: Enzo kept his promise. Getting past his shock, Leon turned and ran with Enzo, away from the gorge and the supercharged lightning storm. Once they were a safe distance away, they turned and watched the spectacle unfold.
Storm clouds, aurora, and crystal shards. All three formed their own rings above the circular gorge. Bridging the gap between them were lightning strikes, hammering the metal rods in a steady rhythm like an elemental drum. With each strike, fractals of lightning passed through the rods and into the cliff, trickling down in spider-web patterns below the waterfalls.
"What's all this even supposed to do?!" Leon shouted, his ears ringing from the noise.
White light surged through the ground, bringing more tremors that bounced the gravel. One, two, three pulses of light, capped with a nearly-blinding flash. Once the noise and heat had passed, Leon slowly lowered the arm that he shielded his eyes with.
The lightning had stopped. The crystals held still, frozen in midair stasis. In the middle of everything, rising from the depths of the pit, was a tower of brilliant, golden liquid. The strange substance flowed upward like a reverse waterfall, passing through the eye of the clouds, and was as bright as sunlight.
"…I thought we'd be getting answers," Leon huffed. "All those crystals… fog… monsters… We cleared all that out, and now, this? Just a loud light show that makes our ears ring?" He threw his hands up. "We haven't even found an exit!"
Enzo glanced at Leon. "Maybe not," he said. Then he looked toward the towering spire of liquid sunlight. "But this is something major."
"Sure, but what did we even do?" Leon replied.
"Lo, the harvester is active!" A voice sounded off, somewhere behind them.
Leon and Enzo spun around, spotting movement in the dark.
"How?" Another, deeper voice growled. "Nary a soul meant to be down here, apart from you and I."
A small distance away were two blurry silhouettes, approaching Leon and Enzo.
"It brought company," Enzo said.
"They're talking," Leon said in a low voice. "So they're not monsters. But that must mean…" He tensed, flexing the runes on his body. "They're Eidolons."
"Well we need not speculate, but investigate," one of them said. His voice sounded oddly… displaced. Like whoever was talking was from a bygone age.
"I trust then that you've brought an orb with you?" Replied the gruff voice.
"Of course."
A few seconds passed, then a ball of soft light appeared between the two figures. It was a small, white orb that wasn't too harsh, and had a rainbow halo around it. Its luminescence revealed the two mons around it.
To the left was a four-legged mon with shaggy red fur, blue circles on their side, and two rocky protrusions sticking out their back: a Camerupt. And to the right was a two-legged reptilian with gray, scaly plates, with a few gold and red markings: a Hakamo-o.
They moved toward Leon and Enzo, their floating light hovering over their shoulders.
"Leon," Enzo whispered. "We fighting them?"
Leon tensed his muscles. Their best bet would be to hide and ambush these guys, but with the fog cleared, there was no place to hide. Not to mention, they were still recovering from their previous fight. His head swam with thoughts, all clamoring for his attention. Would these Eidolons know where Jacob is? Would they attack them on sight? How did they even get here in the first place?
"Oh?" One of the Eidolons spoke. "It seems we are not alone down here."
Leon turned as the Camerupt and Hakamo-o stopped a few paces away.
"So it's true!" Hakamo-o said. "Outsiders have entered the citadel!" The dragon bore an expression of fascination, much to Leon's surprise. But it quickly morphed into urgent concern, and he hurried toward Leon. "Excuse me, my sirs, are you–"
Enzo flared, his infernal bloom sending Hakamo-o a clear warning: stay back.
And so the scaly dragon did. "Oh my," he remarked.
"Are you truly surprised?" The Camerupt scoffed. "What more would you expect from outsiders? They practically reek of ignorance."
Leon scowled at the volcanic mon across from him. "Wait," he pointed. "I know you." He recalled his first mission with the guild, with Aleister and Chase. "You were at Bronze Mountain. You attacked us!"
"Just as you and your ilk encroached on our field research," Camerupt huffed. "It seems you insist on mettling, since you have gone through all the trouble to activate our fuel harvester, here."
"Harvester," Enzo repeated. He gestured to the spire of liquid sunlight behind him. "That machine?"
"If it's an explanation you seek," Camerupt said, "you should ask elsewhere. I'll not waste my breath on a pair of insolent–"
"Caliban, please," Hakamo-o said. "Let us refrain from slander. It will serve us no purpose." He then turned to Leon again, keeping his distance. "I apologize if I had startled or offended you. If I may introduce myself properly…" The dragon placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "I am Dimitri. My companion– forgive his temper– is Caliban. Now, may I ask who you may be?"
Leon narrowed his eyes. All these niceties, and his weird way of talking, they had to be a distraction. He couldn't forget the most important part: these were the mons who kidnapped his brother. So he cleared his throat and spoke firmly.
"Where is Jacob?"
Dimitri blinked. A hint of confusion washed over his expression. "Jacob? That name…" Then, understanding widened his eyes. "Oh, the Charmander!"
"Yes, him," Leon took a step forward. "Where. Is. He?"
At Leon's advance, the Camperupt, Caliban, marched up beside Dimitri, ready to defend his ally. Enzo mirrored the move, standing beside Leon.
Dimitri, sensing the rising tension, held up a hand. "I ask everyone here to remain calm. We may resolve this without violence." He looked at Leon again. "So, Jacob. He is your brother, yes?"
Leon willed his expression to be still. He nodded.
"Then, if I remember the incident properly, you must be Leon of the Wolfhaven Guild." Dimitri turned to Enzo. "And your name, if I may ask?"
"Enzo," he replied shortly.
"Very well," Dimitri bowed to both of them. "I'm happy to meet you both, though I regret that our meeting is under these circumstances. While I personally have had no hand in this misfortune regarding your brother, I would like to– on behalf of my colleagues– apologize for this whole ordeal."
Enzo flared. "Talk is cheap," he said bluntly.
"I am well aware," Dimitri replied, sympathetically. "My words will not mend the harm that's been inflicted, nor will they absolve my colleagues of their transgressions. But it is my hope that we may resolve all of this diplomatically, with no further harm to anyone involved."
The Hakamo-o's eyes traced over Leon, observing the glowing runes on his limbs. "Your brother, Jacob. I know where he is."
Leon couldn't contain the shock that those words caused him. Dimitri must have noticed, as he read his face and kept talking.
"He is further in the dungeon, deep within our safe zone. I can take you to him." His gaze settled on the pocket watch in Leon's grasp. "In fact, I believe that our Lord Leviticus would want us to invite you there."
Leon froze in place, processing the news. These mons, the Eidolons, were offering to guide him through this hellish place. In a matter of minutes, he could see his brother again. It sounded… too good to be true. He didn't know what to say, or even think.
While he was stunned silent, Enzo spoke in his stead. "And if we refuse?"
Caliban huffed, a plume of steam puffing from his volcanoes. "Then you would readily prove that you're–"
Dimitri held up a hand and cast a glance at Caliban, silencing him. "…Free to make your own decisions. But, I must implore you to consider your options, first. You're here for Jacob. Regardless of where you venture, your intended destination is our safe zone. Should you choose to search for it yourself, it may take you several hours to find it, if not days. And that is also assuming that you would survive the other dangers lurking within this Mystery Dungeon."
His eyes settled on the pocket watch again, before tracing up Leon's arm, and meeting his eyes. "I know that your trust is a monumental thing to ask for, given what you've endured. And I'm afraid that I cannot offer anything to bolster my credibility with you. I can give you only my word." Dimitri reached into a pouch on his hip, retrieving a polished, glass globe.
"So, Leon and Enzo of the Wolfhaven Guild. Will you come with us? Would you like to see your brother?"
As the choice was offered to him, tidal waves of emotion welled up within Leon, crashing into each other. Mistrust against hope. Relief against vigilance. Vengeance against peace. This could be a trap, an elaborate ploy to get Leon to lower his guard. After all, the one thing the Eidolons really wanted was the watch held in his hand– the trinket that visibly imbued Leon with power beyond his limits. If it weren't for that deterrence, would these Eidolons simply try to take them by force?
Once again, Enzo spoke up in Leon's silence. "No deal." His flames intensified. "We won't–"
"Wait," Leon held up his hand. Even as his thoughts rolled from his head to his mouth, he doubted himself. But once he started speaking, he couldn't stop. "If we go with you, will you promise…" Leon winced, his voice cracking. "…Promise that Jacob won't be hurt?"
Dimitri paused, absorbing Leon's words. He glanced down, but met Leon's eyes again as he spoke. "As far as I'm aware, he has not been harmed. Nor has there been any reason for him to be harmed. Should you come with us, I will do everything in my power to ensure it remains that way."
Leon glanced at the watch in his hand. He held it up, keeping his grip tight. "And this?"
"That would be the concern of Lord Leviticus," Dimitri replied. "Whatever intentions he has concerning your artifact, we have not been privy to."
"Leon," Enzo whispered, drawing his attention. "You can't be serious. Trusting Eidolons?"
His words echoed Leon's own dissenting thoughts. How could he even consider hearing out an Eidolon? Had his own weariness worn him down, eroding his better judgment as the dungeon took a toll on him? Was Dimitri a silver-tongued liar, with skills beyond what Leon could sense? Or… despite being with a group of bad mons, was Dimitri being genuine?
Whatever the reason, Leon turned to Enzo. "I trusted you back in Caldera, and it paid off. Can I ask you to return the favor now?"
Enzo seemed surprised by Leon's earnest request. He glanced between Leon and the Eidolons, before releasing a sigh and calming his flames.
Finally, Leon looked to Dimitri. He loosened the grip on the pocket watch, and the arcane energy within him flowed out, back into the pocket watch. As he reverted back to his normal, Totodile self, he nodded. "Alright… Let's go."
"Excellent," Dimitri answered. "Now, if you both could come closer. I can use this orb to teleport us to the safe zone."
Though reluctant, Leon and Enzo stepped closer to Dimitri, as did Caliban, who never relinquished his scowl for the two.
"You may feel a sense of weightlessness, and a spell of vertigo afterwards," Dimitri warned. "Please know that both are quite normal. Now, without further ado…"
The Hakamo-o shook the glass orb, coaxing a light inside to spark. The glossy exterior dissolved into brilliant scintillations. Just as he had described, any sense of weight vanished as a beam of light enveloped the group, whisking them away from the deep, dark bowels of the dungeon.