Welcome to Gaia! ::

Veilmys

"Welcome back!" The young and intrepid Gale would return to find himself greeted by the guildmaster. If Veilmys had been waiting for more than a moment, his enthusiastic voice and friendly smile didn't let on to it in the slightest. "Now lets see that ribbon..."

Veilmys took the ribbon from Gale and carefully put it on the floor with the back side up. A quick inspection revealed what he had been looking for: a single, oddly red coloured thread that went through the inside of the ribbon. You wouldn't have noticed it unless you took the time to carefully examine the ribbon but it was there as clear as day when you took a good look at it.

Veilmys beamed. "Congratulations! You're now officially a member of the guild of Eclipse. Take the ribbon with you as proof and we'll get you set up with a room and a partner as soon as possible."

Veilmys would answer any quick questions Gale would have and then depart after once more firmly congratulating him for his success.

“But--But you’re…”

“Exactly who I appear to be.” Nyx did his best to remain patient as the other Vulpix gawked at him as though he’d just emerged from the ice itself. The moment he’d caught sight of his fellow fox, he’d noticed something odd about the way she sat, tense and frightened like something was about to pounce on her at any moment. He’d extended a greeting to her a few moments ago but she’d said nothing at all, staring him down instead with eyes full of apprehension. Well...she wasn’t necessarily wrong to be treating him like this at least.

“But I asked for a Team from the Guild.”

“I am here as a representative from Team Essence, one of the many Teams affiliated with the Guild.”

“But--But why…?”

“Is there a problem Miss?” This had gone on long enough. Nyx’s comment was smooth but direct, and his expression was one of mild annoyance. He was here to complete a mission, not to chat with the client. All he needed from her was information about how the beads had been lost and then he could send her back to the Guild to wait for him, but she seemed to have taken it upon herself to complicate things.

The girl looked back at him uncertainly. “Well… A little… I mean--you’re a Vulpix.”

The comment sparked the anger that lay low beneath Nyx’s cool exterior. A Vulpix--they were pitiful creatures, truly. The fact that he had the misfortune to possess that species name at this point in time was torturous, and something that he loathed being reminded of. He was never meant to be a Vulpix: some cruel twist of fate had simply made it so he couldn’t escape this cursed child-like version of his true form. The white-red fox tasted fire on his tongue as he inhaled deeply, soothing his ire. “And why, pray tell, does my species have any bearing on my capability to accomplish the task you’ve requested someone else to undertake?”

Fidgeting uneasily, the other Vulpix frowned. “Well, it’s just…the beads…” Nyx closed his eyes, willing himself not to snap at the frustrating creature to get to the point. “You see they kind of got lost here when...some Ground Types stole them.”

Marvelous--now there were other Pokemon he’d have to deal with. “So the reason you’ve failed to locate them is because they’ve been taken underground?”

“I don’t really know…” she replied nervously. “I brought them here because--”

“A cold climate is ideal for the ceremony.”

The other Vulpix flinched back, her fur standing on end as she stared at him. “How did you know about that? My family’s ritual is a secret!” Eyes widening, her tails drooped as she regarded him with newfound concern. “They didn’t send you did they? Oh Arceus, they know what I’ve been up to!”

“Quiet child!” Nyx said sharply, his tone leaving no room for disagreement. “I haven’t been in contact with your family, and I have no intention of interacting with them at all. There are other ways to learn about these things. Now: if you have any desire to see your beads again, you must tell me exactly where you were and what happened when you lost them. Do not include any extraneous details and do not attempt to tell me that I am unsuited to this task; I am here to perform a service for you, and I hope to complete my task as swiftly and efficiently as possible.”

The other Vulpix stared at him, mouth slightly open in surprise as he stared her down. He had used up his patience in dealing with children back at the Guild--this girl was his client, so he would do what she asked of him, but there was no need for him to be gentle with her. He was fixing her mistake, and that was courtesy enough. Raising an eyebrow, Nyx regarded her without amusement. “Can I expect you to comply with my request?”

Swallowing nervously, the girl nodded, staring back at him with wide eyes. She was already anxious enough because of her mistake, but now she had an angry Vulpix on her case who wasn’t even related to her; this day was turning out to be even more terrible than she’d anticipated. “Then speak.” His eyes seemed to bore into her soul when he spoke, and she shivered, wishing for the umpteenth time that she’d never come here in the first place.

“I came here to try to perform the ritual. It wasn’t my time yet, I’m still a few moons too young, but I had to. I had to talk to my grandmother again, because things haven’t been right since she…” The girl trailed off when she looked up to meet Nyx’s gaze, and she quickly changed the subject. “A-Anyways, I was almost finished carving the runes into the ice. I just had one more left before the circle would be complete and I would have been safe...and that’s when they showed up.” She shuddered as the memory replayed before her eyes. “A pair of Golurk and a Claydol. When I turned around to fill in the last rune, I found the Claydol holding the beads. Before I could even try to stop them they were gone.” Looking at Nyx helplessly, she sighed. “They could have taken them underground, but I really don’t know. I don’t even know if they understand what they’re supposed to be used for.”

Nyx took in the girl’s story silently, intrigued by the tale she told. She wasn’t lying, that much was clear, but it was still highly peculiar. One thing was certain however: the three Pokemon had certainly known what the beads could do. With as much spiritual energy as that set of beings would possess, there was no question about it; it would seem that he wasn’t the only one who’d heard rumors of what these beads could do. Fortunately the Shuppet had informed him of this matter when he did--otherwise he may have been searching for them far longer than he would have to here. This, at least, was relatively recent, and the ritual took a full day to complete, meaning that the thieves were likely still around here somewhere, performing the act while he and the client sat here wasting precious time. “Well then,” he said after a moment, “You have been most helpful. If you’ll excuse me, I will be on my way immediately.”

“Wh-What?” The girl stared at him, filled with confusion. “But I’m coming with you! I need to get those beads back as soon as possible!”

“And so you shall,” Nyx replied smoothly, “But it would be most unfortunate if you were to be hurt in the process. It’s my duty to keep my client out of harm’s way, and the best way to accomplish this is ensuring you have no risk of finding yourself in the line of fire, should I be forced to engage these thieves in combat.”

“But--But--”

“Just make your way to the Guild and wait for me there Miss. I will return with your beads in short order.” Without another word, he brushed past the girl and began to walk onward to the crystalline path that lay ahead, lined by icy pinnacles and snowdrifts that created a lively landscape out of the so-called wasteland. Finally he could tend to the mission rather than the client, which was what he’d been after all along.

The girl watched the older Vulpix disappear behind a pile of snow and felt her pulse increase as she was struck by a sudden burst of unease. Confident as he was, that stranger was only a Vulpix like herself, and she had serious doubts about his ability to handle the Ground Types on his own. No, she couldn’t just leave him there alone, not with something so precious at stake. With a deep breath, the girl steeled herself and began to follow after Nyx carefully, taking care to step in his footprints because it seemed like the right thing to do. She had to see that those beads got back home safely, and that meant she had to be there to help if she was needed. If she could just get there first...

~~~~~

Padding through the deep snow, Nyx allowed his internal heat to keep his icy surroundings from giving him any trouble. It was slow going, this traveling, since he couldn’t afford to go in the wrong direction and lose any more time than he had already. He only had a rough idea of the temporal distance between the theft of the beads and his own arrival, but it was already bordering on too close for comfort. The ceremony took exactly 24 hours, provided the practitioner had nothing prepared beforehand; assuming that the Claydol and Golurk had intended to use the beads for this purpose, he could only count on a few hours remaining--and that was being optimistic. It didn’t matter so much if they did manage to complete it, but it would be far easier to catch them off guard while they were still participating in the ritual, and that was what he intended to do.

The Vulpix had been on the trail of spiritual energy ever since he’d left his client behind, tapping into his Ghost-granted abilities to search for the beads or their thieves. He was familiar with the treasure he was after, enough so that he could detect its presence through its energy, and two Golurk would be impossible for another Ghost to miss--their species’ energy was so powerful and abrasive that it couldn’t be missed. Unfortunately he had yet to encounter either of their energies on his travels, and continued to travel blind, extending his senses to their breaking point to find any sign of the objects of his pursuit: to most Pokemon of his circumstances the feat would be exhausting, but Nyx could hardly be considered similar to any other part-Ghost Type.

Ears perking up suddenly, he straightened up at the presence of a sudden touch of spiritual energy, unlike any he’d ever sensed before. Watching his surroundings with a suspicious gaze, Nyx slowed to a stop when he reached the top of a snowy slope, feeling the energy grow closer and closer to his location with each passing moment. “It’s impolite to conceal yourself,” he said darkly, speaking to the open air when he felt it stop in front of him, “If you have something you wish to say to me then do so. Otherwise leave me be.”

The air shimmered before him at the sound of his words and a figure emerged from it with a gracious bow. “Apologies sir, I was drawn to your presence. It’s a foreign one here, and your calls were terribly urgent; I couldn’t just ignore them.” The Froslass before him wore an expression of intrigue on her face as she straightened up to face him directly, hovering down until she floated just above the ground. “You see, I’ve heard of you. I wanted to see if the rumors were true.”

Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Nyx looked the female over with a harsh gaze. She would be considered beautiful by her species, with deep-colored blues, a matching indigo bow, and a contrastingly pale face that was closer to the white that comprised most of her body; still the Vulpix was unimpressed. He didn’t approve of her interference, nor of the idea that someone was familiar enough with him to seek him out, but apparently it couldn’t be helped: the only thing for it was to make this go by as swiftly as possible. “What rumors would you be speaking of?” he inquired, “I was unaware I possessed any sort of reputation.”

The Froslass smiled. “Lying suits you sir,” she said, “But it won’t do you any good here.”

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Nyx closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before he made any attempt at responding. “Very well. So you’re aware of the dealings of my parents, yes?” His companion nodded, but said nothing. “Well then, you know all that you need to.”

“But which of them succeeded?”

The question caught him off guard, and the vulpine tensed as he stared her down. She knew more than he had thought to ask a question like that; it was most inopportune to have anyone so aware of his past. Nyx felt the fire raise into his throat and he didn’t bother to subdue it, glaring at the female with displeasure. “You would be wise not to ask such questions. It would expand your lifespan greatly.” The heat in his voice threatened to be made real as he stared her down, considering the benefit of killing her on the spot.

The ghost frowned, her expression growing more reserved. “I didn’t come here to be threatened,” she said, voice filled with a surprising calm considering the situation, “I came here to assist you, as is my duty.” She didn’t choose to add the fact that ending her life would be pointless--she hadn’t found any peace here in this life, so she’d only be born again.

Nyx growled with frustration. “I don’t require any sort of assistance,” he said curtly, “If you know who I am then you should be aware of that fact.”

“But sir, you’ve been searching for them. The strangers who seek to complete the Varain Ritual.” The Froslass hovered up in the air a few feet, looking down at him from a safer distance. “I’ve seen them sir, and I would be able to guide you to them. As repayment.”

“For what.” The statement was flat and scathing, full of the anger that he’d been suppressing for too long. If there was one thing that he hated more than anything else, it was the presence of someone who held more information than he did--particularly when they used that knowledge to taunt him. He wasn’t someone to be trifled with, and he would not be treated as such. He was the one who held the information others sought, and he obtained that information flawlessly--it was his job to be perfect. A Froslass who seemed to think that she was the only way he could learn about something would find herself regretting that thought before she knew it.

Surprisingly, the ghost bowed her head and her arrogance seemed to drain from her visibly. Nyx’s eyes narrowed as he processed the information, waiting for her response in cold silence. The female sighed, ice crystals wreathing her breath, and shook her head. “I’ve done something wrong it seems, something terribly wrong in my past that I cannot remember. To atone I must assist those like myself; the ones who have died and cannot find peace.”

“I haven’t died.” He may have inherited the qualities of a Ghost from his father, but he hadn’t died to do so. With or without anything else he would be able to call himself part-ghost because it was his birthright.

“Sir,” she said gravely, meeting his gaze directly, “Can your existence really be called a life?”

Nyx’s fury rose to its breaking point at that question, and his fur bristled as he stared her down. “What right do you have to ask me that?” he hissed, “You’re not worth anything to me Froslass. Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you here and now.”

“Desire,” the ghost returned without hesitation, “Your flaw, sir, is that you’re a slave to what you’ve been born into. It makes you formidable indeed, but you can’t turn against the things that comprise your being; there’s no reason for you to kill me because you don’t desire it. The thing that you desire...well, I suppose that depends on the answer to my question.”

“Which I have no desire to tell you, by your very argument,” Nyx replied smoothly, stepping towards the Froslass as he spoke. “But what you fail to understand, Miss, is that I do desire your death.” Flames licked at his jaws as he shot a Fire Spin up at the female and she was forced to dodge out of its way, a look of surprise on her features. “I’ve been having such a difficult day, and I would take great pleasure from watching you burn.” He felt a touch of pleasure at the sight of the distress that she wore, and he smiled wryly. “However,” he added idly, “You have something I desire even more--information. Tell me where I can find the ones performing the ritual, and I will allow you to continue living. Provided, of course, you do not cross me again.”

The Froslass nodded, suddenly seeming much less sure of herself than before; vulnerability was such a helpful tool to ensure cooperation between two parties. “You’ll find them at the base of those peaks in the distance. The path is winding and less than ideal, but it’ll lead you directly to them. It seems they had a delayed start, so there’s still enough time to disrupt them if that is your intent.”

Nyx chuckled, shaking his head. “I could care less about their success or failure. I only require the beads.” There were two very specific reasons he needed them, but he had no intention of informing the Froslass of anything more than necessary. Turning his back to the ghost he began to descend the slope. “Savor your existence Miss, now that you’ve earned it back: I always hold true to my word.” He would keep tabs on that one, to be certain--if she made one step out of line he would see to it that never happened again.

Continuing onward, the Vulpix located the path that the Froslass had spoken of without any difficulty. Pokemon prints of all kinds had packed the snow down so hard that it was clearly different from its surroundings: apparently the natives here used these paths often to navigate the tundra. Although he disliked the exposure it gave him, the path was admittedly easy to travel--the only cost being the occasional passing of other Pokemon. He nodded graciously to each whenever he spotted them before turning his gaze back ahead of them, maintaining the image of seriousness. It worked effectively, since he was rarely stopped by any of the passers-by, despite the curious looks that they shot him, and he continued on his way making good time.

The sun was just beginning to reach the peak of its ascent when Nyx’s ears were assaulted by a sudden shriek, and the Vulpix ducked low as a Murkrow swooped low, just over his head. “Watch your back!” the bird screeched, circling above him agitatedly, “Vulpix should watch your back!”

Staring disdainfully at the creature above him, Nyx stared him down. “And what exactly do you mean by that?” he said impatiently, tired of Pokemon speaking to him in riddles.

“Daaaaark! Vulpix can disappear in the daaaaark!” With another shriek, the bird soared off over a nearby line of ice spires, ensuring that Nyx had no way of following him. With a soft tch of displeasure, Nyx shook the words off, dismissing them as unimportant. The creature was undoubtedly a little lacking in intelligence, and probably just had some sort of issue with him because he wasn’t native to the area, and that was hardly enough of a reason to dwell on the encounter. Undeterred, the Vulpix continued trudging through the snow, but was stopped a moment later by a snowball to the face.

A growl forming in his throat, Nyx blindly shot an Ember forward, to melt the snow on his face and hopefully hit his attacker as well; a satisfying yelp informed him that he’d managed to mark his target. Blinking the melted snow from his eyes, Nyx lunged forward with the speed of a Quick Attack, finding himself face to face with a rather distressed-looking Phanpy. Not bothering to soften his growl, the Vulpix showed his teeth, hissing through them angrily. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I-I-I-I…” the Phanpy couldn’t seem to form words as she stared back at him fearfully, “I thought you were someone else!”

“Someone else?” he repeated, skepticism dripping from his words. Not only was his Type not found here, he also didn’t look anything like a typical Vulpix, so confusing him for another of his species was terribly unlikely.

“Y-Yes!” she insisted, bobbing her head rapidly as she shied back from him, “I saw your red tails around the corner and thought you were someone else I knew! I swear!”

Nyx scoffed at the Phanpy, shaking his head and stepping back from her. “You’re telling me you know a Vulpix?” he said, regarding her suspiciously.

“I do!” she said, sounding immensely relieved. “If that’s what your species is called. I’d never seen one of your kind before, but I met one today. She seemed really anxious about something so I told her to take a break and calm herself down. She didn’t seem convinced at first, but once I started a snowball fight with her she got pretty excited. She left pretty quickly though, because she said she had to go find someone.”

Nyx rolled his eyes: Arceus, this client. She’d been having a snowball fight while she waited for him to arrive? How could she possibly have any spare time for playing a game when something so important was on the line? It was immature and irresponsible--how could she think herself capable of performing the ritual with an attitude like that?

“But I also met up with her just a little bit ago.”

The Phanpy’s comment cut into Nyx’s thought processes and he looked up, surprised. “What?”

She nodded again, encouraged. “Yes, not very long at all. She said that she was trying to find something; I guess she loses both people and things. Anyway, it couldn’t have been more than a half hour ago that she left, so when I spotted your tails I thought she’d come back.” The Phanpy looked down in embarrassment, turning away from him. “I really didn’t mean to offend you or anything.”

Nyx sighed, moving past the Phanpy’s ignorance to the more pressing matter she’d presented him with. “You’re telling me you saw a female Vulpix here just recently?” he asked to confirm, clenching his teeth when he received yet another nod. Marvelous. His client had ignored his instructions and apparently had somehow gotten ahead of him--probably thanks to that irksome Froslass. “Do you remember where you saw her Miss?” Nyx said after a long moment of hesitation. He hated to ask for her assistance, but if he didn’t have a client to return to he would receive no compensation for his efforts, and the Phanpy provided him with the best lead currently. “Could you lead me there? I am the one who she was seeking before, I’m here to assist her in finding the thing she’s seeking. Apparently we had some miscommunication about how the search was to proceed.”

“Oh! So Natalia was meeting with you? That makes sense!” The Phanpy accepted the story readily, not that it was particularly difficult to believe: the odds of two Vulpix appearing in Frozen Wasteland around the same time for entirely different reasons were rather slim. “So are you her brother or something?”

The Vulpix stiffened at the comment and dissuaded the Ground Type of any such notions immediately. “No, not at all. We’re simply working together at the moment.”

The Phanpy nodded, with interest. “Well I guess it makes sense, you two don’t look that much alike,” she said, “What’s your name? Mine’s Kali.”

“Nyx.” His response was short and unadorned with pleasantries. “Now Miss Kali, if you would? I really must find Natalia.”

“Alright Nyx! Follow me!” Kali cheerfully beckoned him to follow with her trunk, and he trailed her with a mildly irritated flick of the tails--this was supposed to be his break from the irritation of other Pokemon, not a continuation of it. The Phanpy talked his ear off as they walked, chattering about this and that and asking him question after question that he didn’t want to answer. He did his best to be civil, since she was still being useful at the moment, but it was terribly trying to do so. All he wanted was to be rid of her, but she walked so slowly it seemed like they’d never get where she was taking him.

“Here we are!” Nyx forced himself to a sudden halt to avoid running into Kali as she came to an abrupt stop of her own. “I met Natalia here both times. I hope it’s helpful.”

Nyx’s eyes lit up when he looked around the area, finding that the path split into two branches in front of them. One very clearly lead back toward where he’d met the female Vulpix initially, but the other led further into the maze. If Natalia had been coming to and from this area often enough to meet Kali twice in the past day then that meant. “Thank you Kali, you’ve been most helpful,” Nyx said dipping his head to the Phanpy cordially. “I can continue on from here.”

“Aw, you’re leaving me behind?” she asked, a forlorn expression on her face. “But we were just starting to get to know one another.”

“It is a shame,” Nyx said, lying through his teeth, “But I’m afraid that’s how it must be. If you happen across Natalia again, do be sure to let her know that I’m searching for her, will you?”

Kali nodded eagerly. “Will do Nyx!” she said, “And don’t you attack anyone who throws a snowball at you again, okay? You got me pretty good back there: it still smarts!”

“I will do my best,” the Vulpix replied, intending no such thing. If any Pokemon threw a snowy projectile at him they were asking for retaliation--there was nothing more to it. “Farewell Kali.” With that, he hurried off down the path opposite the one towards the entrance at a run; in part to get away from his Phanpy attachment, in part to work off some steam, and in part because he was eager to see what was waiting for him up ahead. The road was oddly devoid of other Pokemon, which was an excellent sign, and at his end lay exactly what he was looking for: Natalia’s circle of runes.

He wasn’t surprised to find that several of them had been marred over the time since the beads were stolen. Several of them were almost unrecognizable because the wind had covered them up, or pawprints interfered with their shaping, but it still maintained some semblance of a circle, and an echo of its former spiritual magic. Uninterested in the specific runes she’d used, seeing as he already knew how to enact this ceremony on his own, Nyx instead took a closer look at the pawprints, locating the set that was freshest. Fortunately Natalia wasn’t clever enough to conceal her path from him, as expected, so her most recent pawprints left a clear trail headed off the path and disappearing over a nearby snowdrift. “Alright Natalia. Let’s see what you’re hiding, shall we?”

The Vulpix followed after the trail of prints, making no attempt to conceal his tracks as he trod across the fresh snow. He wasn’t concerned about any of the Pokemon he might encounter here after all, so there was no need: if they followed him they would be met with a most unpleasant surprise. Natalia’s pawsteps began to change after a while, shifting from a walk to a run, and Nyx frowned as he noted the increasing distance between her steps. Either she’d just recalled something very urgent, or she had been being pursued--neither was a particularly preferable option.

Just then a shadow passed over his face, causing Nyx to immediately turn to the sky where a familiar creature was circling. “Daaaark! Vulpix shouldn’t go to the daaaark!” Rolling his eyes, the Vulpix tilted his head upwards and shot an Ember into the sky, smirking when the fire met its mark and set the bird’s wings ablaze. With a squawk of alarm the Murkrow shot down toward the ground, falling into the snow to extinguish his wings; by the time he could get back up again Nyx was already upon him.

“Allow me to make this terribly simple for you,” the Vulpix said, using his paws to pin each wing down. “I don’t appreciate shallow threats and I will not stand for being harassed by a creature such as you. This leaves you two options: explain to me what’s so important that you continue to shout at me, or forfeit the use of your vocal chords.”

The Murkrow’s eyes were wide with alarm as it struggled to escape his grip, but Nyx didn’t let up in the slightest. Perhaps this creature would be the one to assuage his anger--surely the thing wouldn’t be missed by anyone. With a feeble squawk, the Murkrow slumped down, apparently giving up its struggle. “Either Vulpix kill or boss kill--no choice. I warn Vulpix: boss angry if he knew. Vulpix go anyway, not come back. You go anyway, also not come back.”

Nyx’s eyes widened at the Murkrow’s words. “You mean to tell me you were talking about another Vulpix?”

“s’What I said. Told Vulpix turn back, no listen. Vulpix disappear in the dark. Tell you same thing, no listen. Boss get two Vulpix one day.”

“Where is your boss?”

The Murkrow stared at him, ruby eyes tinged with disbelief. “All this, still no listen?” Receiving no response, the creature hit his head back against the snow and closed his eyes. “Well, your death. Just ahead, ice tower, can’t miss it.” With that, the bird closed his beak and went limp, pulling off the least convincing act of playing dead Nyx had ever seen.

“For your assistance I’ll allow you to keep your throat,” the Vulpix said, stepping back to free the bird’s wings. “Pray you don’t make me regret this decision.” When the Murkrow continued to remain motionless Nyx rolled his eyes and bolted off in the direction the creature had indicated, eyes peeled for any sign of this so-called ice tower he’d spoken of. This was precisely why he’d told Natalia to leave: now he had to save her along with her precious beads.

He arrived at the tower after a matter of minutes, but it took him a few moments to determine that this had to be what the Murkrow was talking about. It was less a tower and more an exceptionally tall and wide icicle shooting up from the ground. It continued onward far above his head, but it clearly wasn’t full enough to fit any sort of Pokemon inside. There were, however, a Murkrow and Honchkrow perched atop the icicle, and they noticed him quickly. The former flew off, while the latter swept down to hover above him with a smirk on its beak. “Oh the boss will be pleased with me today!” the bird tittered, and Nyx registered the femininity of the voice immediately. “Two Vulpix in one day, what luck!” And then she dove.

As she neared him, wings poised to strike, Nyx let out a Roar so fearsome and powerful it sent her flying backward, smashing into the ice pillar as she went. Her eyes narrowed as she flapped her wings rapidly, trying to get back to the sky, but a quick Fire Spin trapped her against the ice, singing her feathers slightly. With a cry of outrage, she began to summon dark energies around her, sending a Night Shade at him since he was out of her reach.

So began a game of sorts. Nyx sent a Confuse Ray at the bird, and then began to dart about the area so that she couldn’t regain her focus. Each time he’d send another Ember, at the trapped creature, or a Fire Spin when the current one began to weaken, and he slowly whittled down at the creature’s body while she was helpless to do more than watch and cry out when the pain grew more intense.

After a time Nyx began to sense that there wasn’t much fight left in the bird, and though she’d been hitting him with Night Shades whenever she had the chance he was hardly exhausted yet. Now was the time to get the information he needed about Natalia before finishing her off. Coming to a stop from his frantic running, the Vulpix began to approach the Honchkrow slowly, savoring the sight of the flames that were devouring her feathers as they went, when suddenly he was blindsided by a Razor Wind from the side. It knocked the Vulpix off his feet and sent him flying to the side, causing him to wince as tiny cuts formed on his side where the wind had struck. He sprang back to his feet as soon as possible, and his eyes darted around the area until he spotted it--a Nuzleaf watching him with narrowed eyes and a Murkrow perched atop his shoulder.

“So you’re the one who did this, is that right?” The Dual Type gestured to its Honchkrow comrade who had finally managed to break free of the Fire Spin once Nyx was distracted; she lay pathetically in the snow, her burns cooling against it--it was clear she wouldn’t be rejoining the fight anytime soon.

“What of it? You’re the one who took something that belongs to me.” Nyx’s reply was cold as the Nuzleaf’s and he didn’t move a muscle as he waited for the other Pokemon to make the first move.

“What? That Vulpix?” The Nuzleaf laughed, a shrill and grating sound that was soon joined by the raspy chuckle of his Murkrow companion--if Nyx hadn’t decided their fate before that solidified it. “You mean to tell me that you bring your little girlfriend up here for a trip and then she got all upset over losing some jewelry that you split up to look for it?” The Dual Type was practically in tears by this point. “You could do better mate, that girl’s a pushover.”

Nyx felt a growl begin to form in his throat, but he quickly suppressed it. Mockery was a favorite trick of Dark Types, and falling for it made one all the more susceptible to their attacks. “So you have her then.”

“Aw sure, sure, I got her.” The Nuzleaf crossed his arms with a smirk. “Or at least I did. See I’m a business man--I get folks the Pokemon they want to have and they pay me for it. This Claydol bloke wanted a Vulpix, and we found one right away for him. Boy did he pay me handsomely for my troubles too.”

“And why are you telling me this?”

“Simple. You’ve made short work of my second-in-command, so now I need a new one and you fit the bill. What do you say? We could even get your little girly back for ya.”

Nyx tilted his head as though he were considering the matter, but his throat was hot with flames by the time he answered. “No, I don’t think I will,” the Vulpix said, Fire Spin out of his mouth as he spoke the words, “There is but one Pokemon I answer to, and you are not him.”

The Nuzleaf’s eyes widened with a hint of surprise but he quickly plucked the Murkrow off his shoulder and tossed it forward into the flames, forcing them to trap the bird and miss him entirely in the process. “Well that’s too bad,” the Dual Type said, “I guess we’ll just have to take your life instead.” The Nuzleaf clapped his hands together and a flock of Murkrow rose up from the snow banks around them, leaving Nyx entirely surrounded. “Maybe they’ll pay me extra for a second Vulpix, what do you think?”

“I think you’re a deluded, conceited, frightened little Grass Type who believes that his birds will be enough to save him,” Nyx replied, fire at the ready. “And I know you’re wrong.”

The battle ensued from that point on, and Nyx was a whirlwind of flame and fury. The anger that had driven him to take this mission in the first place fed his fire and made it almost endless as it streamed out of his mouth, glowing red-hot with rage. He was assaulted on all sides by talons and wings and Dark attacks that made his head spin, but he didn’t need proper aim to set everything around him ablaze. The more hits he took the more powerful his fire became, enhanced as it was by the force of the rage that boiled within him; eventually, he was left standing alone, panting and dripping scarlet drops onto the now-exposed ground as he stared at the bodies that littered the area around him. A feeling of immense disgust welled up within him and he walked up the nearby hill, tapping into his fire one last time. The resulting Fire Spin was unlike any he’d used before, the flames were white as the snow had been before, and rather than encapsulating any one Pokemon they wreathed around the entire area. The Vulpix watched mutely as his fire blazed before him, and only turned once it had all but died--all that was left was an empty clearing devoid of snow and layered with seven piles of ashes.

~~~~~

Viper hadn’t requested a new partner yet, nor did she think that she was going to. She had even had a job request in Mortimer’s absence. For her, this further reaffirmed her belief that she didn’t need him. Furthermore, the guild frowned upon a solo team and she didn’t want to tell them about kicking the Houndour off her team; if they knew, they would not have let her take the mission and she would have been forced to either take Morty back, get a new partner, or leave the guild herself

The job was from a group of Archaeologists. One of the pokemon on the team, a Girafarig, had approached her about a week ago proclaiming that she was under strict orders from her superiors to enlist the aid of a team from the guild. The objective, was to find any artifacts that may have been trapped under the ice when an avalanche had consumed some old ruins about three months back. Of course, as a Treasure Hunter, this was the kind of job that Viper lived for. She didn’t care for the cold. In fact, she despised it. However, the thought of buried treasure, and the promise of a reward, was more than enough to make her take the job.

The Girafarig had offered to assist Viper in her search through the buried ruins, however, she had declined. She didn’t feel that she needed anyone’s assistance. She doubted that there would be many pokemon near the site of the old ruins and she felt confident in her abilities to fight off any who might be there. The only reason that it took her a week to set out was because she had needed prepare for what might be a long trip. Also, she had to go through a lot of maps to find the exact coordinates of the, now buried, ruins. Without the coordinates, she would never find the place. Thankfully, there were other landmarks near the place, assuming that they too hadn’t been covered by the avalanche.

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It took the better part a day to reach the site where the ruins had been due to the deep snow. The nearby cliffside was the proof Viper needed to confirm that she was headed in the right direction. The maps she had used to plan her trek had shown that the ruins lay midway up the side of a mountain, one of two that formed a valley below. The maps hadn’t been the only resource she had used, however. There were several logbooks from previous expeditions that detailed the layout of the terrain that had also been crucial to the process of identifying the ruin’s location.

The south side of the mountains – which is the side she faced - were steep toward the top, possessing an incline of roughly 55 to 60 degrees. However, the middle of the mountain was only at an incline of about 25 to 30. Traveling straight up the south side would be hard, but there appeared to be another way; it would be a much smoother, and less exerting, trek.

The valley below didn’t look too difficult to travel, and the eastern slope of the mountain on the left (the mountain farthest west between the two) possessed a much gentler slope than its southern face. With the ruins being on the southeastern face, it made sense to her that the best way to proceed was to go through the valley first, up to eastern face, make her way over to the southern face, and then adjust her height once she was close enough to the avalanche area. It was easy to confirm this as the right mountain because of the distinct cliffside to the east, on the opposite mountain peak. The cliffside was unique to that mountain because of its unusual shape; the cliff was reminiscent of a Pikachu’s tail.

The mountain to the west, still bore visible signs from the avalanche – despite the fact that it had been a little over three months. There was an area on the south face of the mountain where there was a noticeable difference in the snow level. The avalanche had likely originated there, dislodging the large snow cap at the top; as it went, it appeared to have caused a snowball or cascade effect. It took larger snow deposits with it as it fell – this created a visible trench where the deposits had previously been. Further down, the snow level changed again – this showed where the majority of the snow had started to clump toward the end of its journey, settling as the angle of the slope lessened.

Taking her eyes off the mountain, she turned her attention back to the valley below. She needed to get started if she was going to make it up the mountain before dark. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to do any digging today. As soon as she reached her destination, it would be time to set up camp before the darkness settled; this was very important because it would only get colder after the sun dropped.

As she began to start down toward the valley, she noticed a dark figure off in the distance. From this distance, she wasn’t sure what it was, but it let out a loud howl before it began running through the snow in her direction.

As it grew closer, Viper could finally distinguish it as a Mightyena and this one didn’t look very friendly. It was charging her with its teeth bared. Knowing this wasn’t going to be a fight she could ignore, she readied a Dragon Breath in her throat. The only indication that she was preparing the attack was a very dim purple light that shown deep in her shell because of the building dragon energy.

As the Mightyena reached her, she let loose the Dragon Breath she’d been holding back.

The Mightyena was too close to completely dodge the attack, but it was quick enough to manage only getting grazed heavily on its left side.

To counter, the Mightyena ran and skidded, throwing sand into Viper’s face to obstruct her view. Then, while she was blinded he leapt and Crunched down onto her front right leg and yanked its head upward sharply. The bite was solid and the pull upward caused the Mightyena’s teeth to rip her leg open.

With the enemy right there in front of her, it was easy to make the next attack land full on. She unleashed an Ember right on top of the dark type canine, between the shoulder blades. There was a howl of pain as the teeth relinquished their hold from her leg, and flame met fur and skin.

As the Mightyena flung itself backward into the snow and began rolling around violently - to try and put out the fire that was on its back - Viper heard another roar ring out. This one didn't come from the dark type though.

She turned around just in time to see a Beartic bending down toward her with its maw open. With another cry, It let forth an Icy Wind that was aimed directly into the mouth of her shell. The air was bitingly cold and it didn't take much for the mouth of her shell to start freezing close. Then, it was lights out.

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Morty had been gone for quite some time. He had gone to the hillsides that night and retreated into a cave system that, while not unknown, rarely received visitors. He wasn’t entirely sure how long he had stayed inside the cave, but there had been no reason for him to leave. The cave had possessed all the necessities – a constantly flowing water source, edible roots and moss, and an area that contained a bowl of sorts that – with a lining of leaves, grass, and moss - was acceptable for sleeping.

His original intent for coming back to the guild had been to talk to the Guildmaster Veilmys about starting his own team. However, he had barely made it inside the main hall when he was greeted by a friendly Kangaskhan.

”Afternoon Morty! Back so soon? I figured you two wouldn’t get back till much later tonight or early tomorrow at the earliest. What did you find up there? You must not have had any trouble, I take it?” the Kangaskhan said cheerfully, not even bothering to stop her sweeping.

Morty stopped short and looked at her curiously. He didn’t know what she was talking about. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his brow raised in confusion.

The Kangaskhan stopped sweeping to look at him. “Well didn’t you go with Viper this morning? Team Vee-rook-et had a mission didn’t they?” she asked, returning Mortimer’s puzzling look with one of her own.

Morty shook his head slowly, ignoring the mispronunciation. He had a bad feeling about this. “No,” he said, looking briefly back at the door he had just come through before continuing, turning his gaze back to her. “I’ve not been here in quite some time. Viper kicked me off the team. I was coming back to talk to Veilmys about starting my own instead,” his eyes moving to look in the direction of the guild leader’s office as he mentioned the Sylveon.

The woman frowned and furrowed her brow. “Who did she take with her then? Surely she wouldn’t attempt to go to the Frozen Wasteland by herself…would she?” she asked him. The concern in her eyes was heavy.

As the Frozen Wastes were mentioned, Morty’s stomach somersaulted as he was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. He may not have cared much for Viper, but the Frozen Waste was full of ice types; as a dragon, this was very dangerous for Viper. He swallowed hard as he asked the guild worker his question, “Where in the Frozen Wastes did she go exactly, do you know?”

She tilted her head slightly as she scratched it, “You know…I’m not entirely sure, but it had something to do with some ruins that got buried in an avalanche a couple months back. That’s all I really know though.”

Mortimer remembered looking at the maps after the avalanche had happened, just to see exactly where the it had taken place, but he’d put it out of his mind until now. He couldn’t remember the exact location, but he had a vague idea of where it was. Fortunately, thanks to his keen nose, a vague idea was all he would need.

Turning on his heels, Morty quickly ran back out of the guildhouse through the door he’d previously entered.

The Kangaskhan was somewhat startled by his quick departure, and yelled after him “Hey! Where’re you goin’?”

He skidded to a halt long enough to yell back, “I’m going to find Viper! Let’s hope I’m not too late! If we don’t return within the next few days, or I don’t send someone with a message about our status, send help!” With that, Morty started running again, and he didn’t intend to slow down till he had, at the very least, found Viper’s trail.

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Despite the snowy conditions, Mortimer had been able to track Viper fairly easy; for one, as a canine Mortimer possessed a heightened sense of smell. However, there was more than that. Most importantly, the snowfall was light enough that it hadn't completely covered her tracks, but then again, it would take a lot to cover the trail her shell had created in her wake. Her shell had acted almost like a plow, leaving deep gouges in the snow and it was very easy to follow.

The air around him was frigid, but he barely felt it. Being part fire type, his inner flame kept him plenty warm. For him, it was comfortable. Despite being more than able to take the cold, he still walked through the path already carved by Viper in order to conserve as much of his energy as he could.

He had walked in her wake for quite some time with no issue, but eventually he reached a point in the trail that disturbed him; there were two additional sets of tracks and a large area where the snow had been disturbed by more than just footsteps. He couldn't be sure what had happened, but something definitely had. The snow had been flattened and strewn about, and worst of all was a small spot of blood and the smell of singed hair. As he examined the area, he noted the extra footprints left behind and was surprised at their size. Both were quite large, with one of the pokemon leaving a path in the snow as Viper had. The other, whatever species, only left the prints.

He wasn’t sure how far behind them he was, but he intended to go after them. Viper’s life possibly hung in the balance.

He followed the trail left by the two unidentified pokemon. This took him down into the valley between the two mountains. After traveling a substantial length down in the valley, he reached a point where he could see how far the trail extended up ahead. He could see that it led to a dense cluster of evergreens up ahead. But, the trail didn’t go beyond the evergreens; it stopped cold. From a distance, they seemed impassable. This was troubling. A pokemon large enough to walk through the snow without digging a trench through it couldn’t just disappear. It wasn’t just that the footsteps stopped here though, the trench dug by the second unknown pokemon stopped at the trees as well. It didn’t make sense.

Upon closer examination, however, Morty noticed that the snow had been knocked off of the lower branches. To him, this only meant one thing: there was a trail of some sort through those evergreens. As he carefully went under the lowest branches of the firs, he began sniffing the ground for Viper’s scent. The strong smelling firs made it difficult – as did their close proximity and low lying branches – but eventually his persistence paid off. He discovered a cave entrance in the back, up against the side of the mountain.

Viper’s scent trail continued down into the cave. Whoever had attacked her had taken her inside. Though there were only two distinct sets of tracks and scents leading up to this point, it was possible that there were others inside; he hoped he could sneak in and get Viper out without too much difficulty, but if there were more than just the two inside it wasn’t going to be that easy. As he took his first few steps into the cave, the overwhelming feeling of dread returned.

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Viper woke up to the sound of dripping water echoing around her. She was cold and wet. Her leg ached terribly from the battle earlier. What was worse, she couldn't move. There was something preventing her – a rope it felt like – keeping her from moving her legs. Every time she tried to move, the rope dug deeper and deeper into her skin. The pain was agonizing, especially when it dug into her already injured leg.

As her eyes finally focused in on the world around her, she saw rough rocky walls illuminated only slightly by a single torch. As the flame's light danced across the wall, she could see glimpses of large stalactites and stalagmites; some were made from rock while others were made completely of ice. She was in an ice cave.

Deeper in the cave, there were voices. The sound of their conversation echoed back to her, “Mac, quit you're whinin'. It's your own damn fault you got burnt.”

The voice that answered, presumably the one called Mac, was gruffer in comparison to the first. “George, it stings! You’d be whining too if you were me!”

“Bah, why don’t you do something useful? Go get that Shelgon we caught. I’ll need to start the cleaning process soon,” the first voice replied.

“Alright, alright. How long will cleaning it take?,” the second voice inquired as it drew closer.

“Mac, that all depends on a couple of things: one, if she’s awake or not and two if she fights it or not,” the first one yelled back.

Viper watched a new shadow appear on the wall as a figure passed the torch. She recognized the figure as the Mightyena that she’d set fire to earlier. That explained the comment about being burned. As the canine approached her, she asked him, “What are you planning to do with me?”

Mac, the Mightyena, stopped short at the sound of Viper’s voice. “So you’re awake are ya? Well, it doesn’t change nothin’,” Mac said as he finished crossing the distance between him and Viper.

Before Viper could respond, Mac had stooped down and picked up a section of rope that was attached to her legs and began dragging her along the ground. She didn’t feel the rock and ice scrape against her shell as she was drug, but she did feel the rope dig deeper into her legs.

As they drew closer to the torch, she could see that the cavern she was in was bigger than she previously thought. The ceilings were about fifteen feet high with stalactites so long that they almost touched the top of the stalagmites below them. The walls of the cavern, at least where she was at, were somewhat narrow, only about seven feet wide.

Mac drug her into a well lit room around the bend. She hadn't noticed the light coming from around the corner before, because of the torch just before it. This new room was a lot bigger than the hallway they had just come down. Around the walls were piles of bones ranging in size from large to small. Some of the piles looked old, while some looked newer.

The dark canine stopped dragging Viper and rolled her over to a cage by the door. He didn't close the door, but the bars of the cage served to keep her shell stationary.

Mac walked back to where a Beartic stood over a table, shredding what looked like small pine branches. He was pealing the bark off of the branches and keeping it in a pile separate from the sticks and pine needles. There was also some moss on the table as well, along with some other unidentifiable things.

Viper looked back and forth between the two. If she could sweat, she probably would be. She was more than a little scared and confused. “What do you plan on doing with me?” she asked them, her voice only slightly shaky.

The Beartic stopped what he was doing and turned around to look at her. Then he looked at his partner with a scowl, “You didn't tell me she was awake Mac. Bah! Doesn't matter none. Doesn't change anythin'.” He said before he looked back at Viper, laughing with a big grin on his face. “Haven't you figured it out yet? You're dinner missy!” He pointed at the large pot that was near the far wall as he spoke, “As soon as I'm done with the prep work I'm going to scrub that shell of yours down real good and crack it open to begin the cleaning process.”

The Mightyena spoke up then, “George, is there anything I can do to speed this up? I'm hungry.”

George quit laughing long enough to look at Mac and point at the pot again, “Yeah, go ahead and get the fire started so that the water can be heating up. We'll want to put what herbs we have in the water once its hot to get the flavor out of them before we put the meat in. I don't know how long the cleaning will take. I've ne'er cleaned a Shelgon before but I bet it's no harder than what I'm used to dealing with.”

As Mac and George discussed dinner, a knot formed in Viper's throat. She was horrified! She began trying to move her legs frantically, trying to get the rope to slip or loosen. She tried again and again, but it was no use! In fact, her efforts seem to make things worse; if anything, the rope seemed to tighten further the more she struggled. Next she began rocking her shell back and forth, trying to get it free, but this didn't work either. The cage bars kept her shell from going anywhere.

She panicked! She was yelling and screaming and thrashing about wildly, “Help! Somebody help me! They're going to eat me! Somebody! Anybody! Help!”

George look at her and laughed before he kicked the front of her shell, “There ain't nobody can hear you missy! Now pipe down or I'll shut yer yap for ya!” And with that, the Beartic nonchalantly turned around and went back to working with what he'd been messing with on the table.

The threat of being frozen again was enough to shut her up. If she were frozen she wouldn't be able to fight back. However, the situation looked very bleak and chances of escaping looked slim. Even if by some miraculous display she was able to knock out or kill her two captors, how would she get out of the cave itself? She was still tied up and sitting between metal bars that limited what she could do even further. Even if she hadn't been though, she still didn't know the way out.

Viper was well and truly terrified. She was going to die in the Frozen Wastes and no one would ever know what happened to her. She was going to die helplessly at the hands of her captors and end up as stew.

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Morty heard Viper scream. There was no doubt now, she was in danger! Her plight and utter terror quickened his pace, but not to the point of recklessness. He still needed to be careful. He didn't know this cave as the natives no doubt did. He would have to proceed with caution and use his wit if he were going to get them both out of here alive.

As he drew close enough to see the light, he began stalking forward, using the sounds of Viper's thrashing to cover his footsteps. When someone yelled at her to stop, he listened and waited for the sound of receding footsteps before he started again.

The doorway was in sight. He just needed to get a little closer so he could see what he was dealing with. He held his breath as he carefully peeked around the doorway. Inside, he saw a Beartic hunched over a table doing...he wasn't sure what and a Mightyena that was standing over near a large pot of water.

Viper was crying at this point. It was soft in sound, which is why she probably hadn't been yelled at to keep quiet again. He just hoped that he'd be able to get her free before the other two turned around.

Very slowly, he tiptoed over beside the cage and whispered, “Viper, whatever you do, don't move... And without waiting for a response he clamped his teeth down on the rope and let flames rise in his throat and up onto what he held in his mouth. His hope was that it would burn the rope quickly and quietly; he wanted to get Viper out of here as soon as possible, without drawing attention to themselves.

As he had hoped, the rope burned in two quickly and allowed him to pull the rest of the rope off Viper's legs. Leaning forward as he'd done before, he whispered again, “Get ready to move quickly. The exit's almost straight back. Start moving like you're thrashing, but get up and walk toward me...ready, go!

As the sound of shell bumping into cage started again, Mac turned around in time to see Viper limp to the doorway where Mortimer was standing. The Mightyena's reaction was lightning fast as he alerted his partner, “George! She's loose and she's got a friend with her! They're heading for the door!” The Mightyena was howling, and was to the doorway within two seconds.

Mortimer had enough time to ready a Roar before the Mightyena reached him. The wall of sound hit the dog square in the chest and knocked him backward into the Beartic as it turned around, this sent both to the ground as the Beartic lost its balance because of its partner.

Not wanting to wait around, Morty turned toward the door and bolted after Viper, yelling, “Run for it! I'll keep them busy!”

As Morty heard thundering footsteps behind him, he didn't even slow down. He left a Smog cloud directly in their path, intending to slow them down though. He was rewarded by the sound of two coughing individuals, but it didn't sound like it had slowed them down too much.

The two were catching up to him, and Viper still had a ways to go before she reached the exit. He needed to buy her more time, so he skidded to a halt, turned, and charged at them. As he ran, he built fire up in his throat and moved his head in a circular pattern twice before he let loose a stream of fire that quickly encircled both the Mightyena and the Beartic in a cyclone of fire. His Fire Spin would buy Viper enough time to get out of the cave, or so he hoped. He could hear both enemies howling in pain from the fire, but he had no sympathy for them because of what they'd intended to do.

He wasn't sure how long he held the Fire Spin. Time seemed as if everything was slowed down. The two screams of pain, his breathing, the water dripping down off the ceiling and onto his face. He held the Fire Spin as long as he could, but eventually he had to stop to breath. As he gasped in a breath, he turned to see Viper almost at the exit. He'd held out longer than he'd thought.

He wasn't going to wait for the Mightyena and the Beartic to start after them again. He ran after Viper, his breathing hard and ragged from exertion, but he had to ensure that they would be free and clear once outside the cave, and he had an idea.

As he neared the exit, he yelled, “Keep going! Just a little further! Don't look back!” Then, as he reached the outside, he did what some might call suicide. He used his flames to set all the trees that had hidden the cave ablaze. The entire area where he stood was engulfed.

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Viper had made it outside and out of the alcove of trees in time to see the fire take over. Mac and George wouldn't be coming out of the cave anytime soon, assuming they even survived the heat and smoke that would likely fill the cave.

She was still physically shaking. She had been so close to death. She'd given up hope and had been so utterly terrified.

As she thought about it she started to cry again. Her body shook more violently as large uncontrolled sobs escaped and wracked her body unmercifully. Mortimer had saved her and now he was gone. He had risked everything, including his own life, to get her out of there. And now he was gone. She'd treated him like s**t and he'd still come back to save her. All she could do, was stand there and weep, “I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...” she whispered.

Then, as one of the blazing trees fell, she heard a grunt. She looked up sharply. It couldn't be..those monsters shouldn't have been able to make it out of the cave. All her fear came rushing back all at once. She started to turn around and run again, hoping the snow would kill the almost unbearable pain in her leg. Then, she heard something else, a voice.

“Viper! Wait!”

Viper turned around to see Mortimer walking toward her out of the inferno. “Morty? You're alive! But how? You were...” her voice trailed off as her gaze went back to the fire behind him. She didn't have to finish what she was saying. It was quite obvious to see that she was astounded to see him alive.

Mortimer smiled somewhat. It was the first time Viper had ever addressed him with anything that might be misconstrued as concern. Perhaps this partnership might work out afterall. He answered her unfinished question as he turned to look back at the blaze as well, “In the middle of the fire when I started it? Yes, but I'm immune Viper. It's something I inherited from my parents, both of them are immune so it only makes sense that I would be too.” He looked back to Viper after that then gestured to the mountain behind them, “Come on. The way I understand it we still have a mission to do.” He turned and headed a few steps toward the mountain before he stopped, “That is....” he paused for a few seconds, “If we're still partners. Are we?”

Viper hadn't thought about that yet, but now that Morty had brought it up she was forced to face reality. And, the reality was that if not for Mortimer, she wouldn't be alive. At this point, it would be wrong and unfair to send him away again. The two of them would have to sit down and have to talk, but that could wait. For right now, a simple answer would do, “Yes, We're still partners.”

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The hike out of the valley was slow going. With Viper's leg, climbing was difficult. The fire that he had set was still burning and could be seen from where they stood on the valley wall. It was a grim reminder of how close he'd cut it. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he realized that they'd reached the top of the valley. They didn't have too much longer before dark though. It would be dark very soon and he was going to need to make shelter for them. He would be fine, but Viper needed a way to stay warm and out of the frigid air because the temperature was only going to drop further the later it got.

With much digging and a little help from his flame, Mortimer hollowed out a small space in the snow. This wasn't ideal, but it would keep the wind off of them. Once they were both inside, he closed off the entrance with some of the dugout snow.

The night itself was long, and more then once Mortimer found himself waking up to look over at his Partner to check on her. If her leg showed any signs of infection then he would escort her back to the guild and he'd return with the client – if no one else would go with him – to finish the mission.

At daybreak, he had had little sleep. However, they needed to search what they could of the ruins, if Viper was up to doing so. So, at dawn, he went out and scrounged up some mildly edible leaves off of some low lying shrubs before he woke Viper up.

When he returned, he shook her shell gently with his paw, “Hey. It's morning. How's your leg?”

Viper's eyes opened slowly, and she moved even slower. She was stiff and sore, but the most noticeable thing was the throbbing in her leg. She couldn't maneuver into a position to see how bad it was, but it hurt like hell. Her leg throbbed with every heartbeat. “It's throbbing. How bad does it look?” she asked, cringing as she tried to get up on her feet.

Morty honestly didn't like the way her leg looked. It was caked with blood and it smelled of a future infection. He personally didn't think she needed to be here any longer. “Honestly Viper, it doesn't look good. It looks like an infection is going to set in if we don't get you back to the guild. We can always come back to search later, but if we stay here...” he trailed off. He didn't have to finish. The gravity of the situation hung thick over their heads.

After a long awkward silence, Morty laid some of the leaves he'd gathered down at Viper's feet. “Here...I know it isn't much but you're going to need strength for the road back.”

Morty watched as Viper silently began to eat. Satisfied, he walked back outside and looked out across the horizon. There wasn't anything other than snow as far as he could see. Then, out of curiosity he looked back toward the valley to see if the fire had died out; it had died sometime during the night and left a large black scar. He regretted having to take such drastic measures, but the fire had been isolated and their lives had hung in the balance. It was a sad thing to see, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for having damaged the landscape so.

He was about to head back inside to check on Viper, when he got pelted with a snowball from up above. At first, he wasn't quite sure where it came from, but then he got hit a second time which was quickly followed by childish laughter. Looking up, he found the culprits circling above; it was two Gligar children. He hadn't detected them before because the sun's rays had directed their shadows behind him toward the mountain instead of over top him.

“Hey!” he yelled up at them. Then, it struck him. Perhaps they could still do the job and get Viper to safety. “Hey! I got a question! Maybe you kids could help me with something!”

The two kids stopped circling and drifted slightly lower. “Maybe we can, maybe we can't. Depends,” one of the kids called back.

Well, they hadn't flown off so that was a positive sign. “You kids live around here right? Those ruins that got covered up in that avalanche, surely you played in them before that happened. Can you tell me what it was like?”

The smallest one came closer almost landing in front of Morty, his eyes big with excitement. “You bet we did! That place was so cool!” The youngster was clearly excited as he talked about spending time in the ruins, but he let out a frustrated sigh at the end, “I remember when that avalanche happened. It was a couple months back. That was our favorite play spot cause we could fly in and out of the windows and through the hallways and...and the other rooms. It was so much fun! It's gone now though...”

He frowned, sympathetic to the child's displeasure, but it was the way of the world. “I'm really sorry about that...I know how much that must suck to lose your play area like that. What can you tell me about the lower levels? Was there anything down there?”

The child tilted his head to the side as he watched Morty, “Well...it was pretty drab down there, but it made for a good play area. There was this one thing that - ”

Then the second Gligar, the bigger of the two flew down to rest beside his friend, cutting him off mid-sentence. “No! You can't tell him that! That's our secret!”

The smaller one frowned, “But...the ruins are gone? What's wrong with telling him now?”

The second one looked at his friend, “Because! It's our secret! He has to be part of our club to know that!”

With a sigh, the smallest one looked back at Mortimer, disappointment showing in his eyes, “Sorry mister...I can't tell you anymore. My friend says you gotta be part of our club to know and you ain't part of the club. I'm not allowed to tell you...”

Looking back to the older child, Morty made him an offer, “Do you kids like shiny things? What if I offered you some PokeDollars but made the payment in coins? You'd have your own private treasure hoard. What do you say?”

The older one looked at his friend and after a moment, he looked back at Morty, “How much are we talking? You gotta make it worth it.”

Morty chuckled good naturedly, “Of course. I wouldn't dream of short changing you. How does Three hundred sound? That's One hundred and Fifty for each if you split it. However, it's at the guild house. You'd have to get permission from your parents to go back with me, or they could come as well if they wish.”

The eyes of the two children lit up with joy as Morty said the amount. “Really?! Then you got yourself a deal! Let me go ask Mom!” the oldest one said happily as he flew off toward the mountain.

The youngest one was practically bouncing up and down in mid-air at this point. “Okay! So...down in the lower levels it was kinda drab because it was used as dungeons but there was a bunch of stuff down there. There was this one thing that was really cool though! We actually found it a few days before the avalanche and removed it! It's this crown that has a bunch of jewels in it! Pretty neato! We used it to play Kings! We found it in a secret passage. I think the guy died down there. I dunno. It was still cool though!”

A crown? Well, that would explain the child's excitement. It was a remarkable find for them and it was pretty valuable. “When your friend gets back, will you ask him if he would consider selling it to me? I'll pay extra on top of what I've already promised.”

The youngster's eyes lit up even more, if that was even possible. So, when his friend returned he wasted no time in explaining what Mortimer had offered.

“I dunno...how much would you offer us for it?” the boy asked after he had been informed.

“How does an extra Four Hundred sound?” Morty asked. He just hoped he was being generous enough.

The oldest one nodded almost instantly. He was very happy to trade it for that amount. “Okay! I'll go get it! And Mom said it was alright if I went, she'll be down in a few minutes. She's heard of the guild. She knew someone that asked you guys to do a job once so she was okay with it.”

Morty didn't waste any time in going to explain things to Viper. She wasn't happy to give away team funds, but they were still coming out in the positive overall so she didn't mind it quite as much.

Much later, back at the guild house, the team would arrive close to dark. The children and the one Gliscor Mother were with them.