Chapter 37
Calamity, Herald of Opportunity
Calamity, Herald of Opportunity
In all his twenty-five years, Leonid had never experienced an earthquake. Certainly, he knew what they were, as over the years, occasional earthquakes would rock Selenia’s eastern oblasts near the Empyrean Mountains which would require varying degrees of rebuilding and disaster relief to be allocated by the tsardom’s Treasury Minister and allowed by Tsar Kliment.
But never did he imagine what it was like to be caught in one – until today.
When the ground began to shake, N let out a squeal.
“E-E-E-E-Earthquake!” the Falink cried.
“An earthquake?!” Leonid reacted, before the shaking made him lose his footing and fall over. “Ack! Damnation!”
Around him, the panic proved to be contagious, and the air was soon awash with cries of alarm.
“S-Shit! It is an earthquake!”
“Run! Get out of here!”
“You don’t have to tell me twice!”
Yells of terror and desperation ripped through the crowd in a flash. Gone was the united bravado in which they’d called for the rebels’ deaths; now they were scattered into a chaotic panic once they had felt the ground shaking and realised what it was.
In that chaos, it quickly became a stampede as the citizens fled the Diemwnt for other streets.
“Your Highness!” C yelled. “Get away from the buildings! They might collapse on you!”
“But–!” Leonid looked at the crowd of people, as he righted himself – which was easier said than done given the earthquake. “That crowd…!”
“There’s no choice! Move! We’ll protect you!”
“…Very well, if I must!” With no time to dwell on his reluctance, the Bisharp leapt into the crowd of people, who were fleeing in the opposite direction and began pushing against them.
It was akin to battling a river’s current, but Leonid’s steely determination and standing his ground, not only against the fleeing populace but also the tremors, allowed him to persevere. Leonid trudged towards the Diemwnt, where in a big open square, the chance of a building collapsing on him would be less likely.
As well as that, there was also the matter of those due to be executed. And when he looked up…he was greeted with a sight that compelled him to move.
It was completely unbelievable timing that the earthquake happened right before the executions were due to begin. Even the knights and prisoners were in disarray from the sudden quake, with most of them thrown to the ground from the shaking.
But for those due to be hung…they recognised it as the opportunity of a lifetime. One especially more than the others.
Elvira saw her chance and took it. With the knight to her struggling to keep his footing, she ran forward and leapt off the platform.
“Hey!” A yell from behind her. “She’s getting away! Restrain the prisoners!”
“Oh no, you don’t!” Tanith slugged the nearest knight to her across the face, before gracefully leaping off the gallows platform as well.
The wooden structure wasn’t built to resist earthquakes, and within seconds, the wooden supports holding it up began to break apart and collapse. Osiris made his leap right as it all came crashing down, with the top support pinning some of the knights underneath it as it fell on them. The other rebels, taking advantage of the chaos, took cues from Elvira and dispersed to the shadows.
Alas, Elvira’s problems weren’t over. While she was safe from the noose, she wasn’t safe from stampeding passersby in a full-blown panic. Especially not ones that immediately freaked out at the sight of her.
“Eek!” a Miltank cried as Elvira landed in front of her. “A rebel!”
“Get away! Get away!” a Farfetch’d squawked, before flapping his wings and flying away. The Miltank followed after him among all the fleeing souls running for an exit. The earthquake continued to rage, with the buildings around the Diemwnt being structurally shaken by them to the point of destruction. Supports buckled, roofs caved in, and walls broke apart, often blocking paths out of the square as a result. To her horror, Elvira spotted an instance of some townsfolk getting caught in such a collapse.
Her instincts cried out to help them. But given where she was, the Treecko realised that she needed to escape first, which was easier said than done with the tremors and the stampeding populace surrounding her.
The quake happened to dislodge some of the cobblestones that made up the Diemwnt’s ground, and as Elvira tried to make her move, she tripped on one of these loose cobblestones. Also with her hands cuffed, she wasn’t able to break her fall, and so she fell face first onto the ground.
“Argh!” she cried, feeling the pain on her face and especially in her nose.
But it got worse when the footfall of the panicked crowd was all around her, and some panicking citizens accidentally stepped on her in their efforts to flee the square. Her small stature didn’t help in that regard; people didn’t see her amidst the crowd, and so she was forced to take the pain in spite of her efforts to get back up. Worse, she found herself choking on all the dust kicked up by the stampede.
Her vision was swimming, beginning to fade. She coughed, and out of her blurred vision, she spotted an all too familiar red liquid.
N-No…Not after…escaping execution…
“Ack!”
Stepped on again, drawing a pained cry from her. Her consciousness was fading more by the second.
I-I can’t…
Multiple thoughts flashed through her mind.
Of all the people in her life she held dear.
Zenobia, her mother.
“Keep yourself healthy, and don’t forget the morals your father taught you.”
Melchior, her Guildmaster.
“You’re already proving to be an asset to our Guild. That’s why I feel confident to entrust this mission to you.”
Kallias, her father.
“Keep that fire of ambition burning bright, my girl.”
And finally…Arian, her partner.
“We’re…not giving up. We can’t give up…! Selenia needs us!”
With reminders of their words, a new resolve came over Elvira.
I…can’t give up. I won’t give up! Not here, not now!
At that moment, a foreign feeling came to her. One that tickled every part of her body, and seemed almost like a geyser ready to blow its top. It was like a wellspring of potential was just beyond her fingertips, and her body’s natural instinct was to gravitate for it.
Her wrists pulsed. The shackles held firm, but the power underneath was beginning to surge.
Wh-What is this feeling…? Could it be? Am I about to–
“Ah hah! There’s one of them!”
Suddenly she was accosted and forcefully lifted off her feet.
“Eep!” Elvira yelped, feeling a choking sensation around her neck, almost like it was being gripped hard.
Knights had her surrounded – three of them. A Hitmontop, Honedge and Carracosta – the latter of which was holding her by the scruff of her neck.
“She’s one of the rebels!” a Hitmontop yelled.
“How about we just kill her now?” a Honedge ssaid. “She was due to be killed anyway!”
What?! No! Elvira struggled as hard as she could, but with her already weakened, it proved a futile endeavour.
“Good idea,” the Carracosta agreed. “Run her through!”
That indescribable feeling was coming back to Elvira. That same implication that something lay underneath. Now she got a feeling like surging waters that were about to break through a rigid dam.
“Nnngh!” Elvira winced. “I’m not…I’m not…!”
A feeling that had been held back from her for far too long.
“Say nighty-night, girlie!” The Honedge’s body lit up in a bright light, intent to run her through.
With the surging energy inside her, Elvira felt an almost primal urge to unleash. And with that…
The normally timid Treecko let out a yell.
“I’m not dying today!”
And then it happened.
The dam burst, and the wellspring of power that lay within her surged to the fore.
A sudden explosion of green energy lashed out at the enemies surrounding her, throwing all of them back.
“Gah! What the hell?!” the Honedge cried.
“L-Look!” The Hitmontop pointed. “The girl, she’s…!”
A white light had come over Elvira, and with it, her form began to change and morph into something new. Something bigger and taller. New appendages grew on her, including a long leaf from the back of her head, and blade-like leaves at her wrists. Her tail became more slim as well, and jutted into two leaf-like appendages.
Then the light dissipated, revealing Elvira’s new appearance. Yellow eyes flashed with determination at her foes. Several of her leaves, as well as her hands and feet, stood a shade of green darker than her normal fern green body, and on her knees, there were two bands of triangular markings. She had grown more than a whole foot in height, and at her hands, green motes of energy danced.
No longer was she a Treecko.
Now she was a Grovyle.
And with her more powerful form, she pulled her arms to her sides with a great heave–
“Hraaaaagh!”
–And just like that, the sound of metal shattering pierced the air as Elvira broke her shackles.
“Crap!” the Hitmontop cried. “She broke free!”
“You idiots! Kill her!” the Carracosta raged, as he got up from where he’d been knocked back by Elvira’s explosion.
The Honedge swung back again for another attack. However, Elvira deftly leapt over the swipe of the blade, with a newfound grace she didn’t have as a Treecko that surprised even her. Jumping back for a better angle to attack them from, she examined her options.
The green motes around her hands hadn’t escaped her attention. She was definitely curious, as she was with her new form – she found her inner joy hard to mask at the fact that she had finally evolved – but right now, in the thick of combat, questions like that needed to be deferred till later.
At the very least, the quake’s shaking seemed to be coming to an end. That would make things easier in this fight.
Now that she was a Grovyle, though, a thought immediately came to her.
Can I use Leaf Blade?
The motes surrounding her hands seemed to move in response to this. The leaves on her wrists lit up in a bright green light, and the motes moved between Elvira’s hands into a long, thin shape. Almost like…
A blade!
And just like that, a sword of green energy formed in Elvira’s hands. She gasped lightly – until she saw her enemies begin to close in on her. A steely determination shone in her eyes, and deftly she made her move.
The Honedge knight moved in to slash her with a dark energy, but she managed to slide under him, and as she did, she reached out and tripped the Hitmontop off their feet.
“Agh!” the Fighting-type cried. “Crafty little wench!”
Then as Elvira got up, she narrowly rolled past the Carracosta’s fist slamming into the ground. In getting it, she performed a jumping slash upward and cut against the fossil Pokémon’s hard scales.
“Argh!” It sounded like it made quite the wound, and the visible cut proved Elvira’s guess right. “You’ll pay for that!”
“You won’t defeat me.” Elvira’s voice sounded surprisingly mature, and slightly deeper now that she’d evolved. Another surprise for her – but again, she pushed that question to the back of her mind for later. “Not as long as the cries of those you’ve killed go unheard!”
“Those rebels deserve it!” cried the Hitmontop. “That’s what they – yeowch!”
They were rudely interrupted by another Leaf Blade slash from Elvira, cutting them across the torso. The Grovyle wasted no time in attacking the Honedge, who she clashed blades with. The ghost sword proved to be tough, with constant swashbuckling between the two of them. But Elvira had experience in this from her playing on the beach with Kallias, who challenged her to the odd swashbuckling session. His words from those days still rang in her ears.
“Don’t let up in these situations, my girl. Hold your ground, and when they reveal a weak point, strike!”
And that was just what Elvira did. As the Honedge went in for a slash, she held it with her blade, and then used the leaves on her wrists, still aglow in green energy, to slice the sash that waved in the wind.
“Ouch!” That did the trick. So Elvira tried again, this time with her Leaf Blade, and it drew a shrill metallic cry from the ghost sword, who then fell to the ground with a clink as metal hit cobblestone.
Elvira didn’t think about the Honedge, now focusing on the Hitmontop. The knight was spinning rapidly in readying to attack her. From the back, she sensed the Carracosta readying an attack.
The Hitmontop spun with Rapid Spin. but right before he could hit Elvira, her eyes glowed a blue and she jumped into the air, gracefully backflipping over the Carracosta. The turtle unleashed a Liquidation attack with his arms – which unluckily landed on his Hitmontop comrade, not Elvira.
“Aaaaaaagh!” The Hitmontop suffered the full brunt of the attack, and spun helplessly into a heap before collapsing on the ground.
“Wh-What?!” The Carracosta was taken aback. “You little girl, how dare–”
He was interrupted by a green blur running by him, who cut him right across his chest. He had no time to react, and the impact from the attack knocked him onto his back, where the turtle was balancing on his shell, helpless. Elvira debated landing another blow, but decided against it.
I’m not here for a rout. I’m here to escape. She scanned the Diemwnt, in all of its damaged state. The earthquake had fully ceased, and the citizens that still remained were dusting themselves off and checking their wounds. Some were injured, and indeed, Elvira spotted the grim sight of a stretcher carrying off a body that had been caught in a collapsed building. This had been a calamity, alright – a natural disaster.
And yet…it had saved her life. If it had not happened when it did, she almost certainly would’ve been executed. The ruined scaffold told all of its state; no prisoners would be executed up there for the next while. A conflicted feeling crept into her, and she was unsure of what to think.
But before she could think anymore, her eyes caught sides of two familiar faces side by side.
Osiris and Tanith were still in the square by the collapsed gallows, but were surrounded by knights. Elvira’s blood ran cold when she noticed the shackles that still bound them.
I can’t leave them, she decided. I have to help! She ran forward, intent on closing the gap–
Before a burst of fire suddenly struck her from behind.
“Argh!” Elvira screamed, falling onto her front. In a panic, she tried to get back on her feet, but a great weight planted itself forcefully on her back. The Grovyle looked up to see who it was…
“Just where do you think you’re going, girl?”
A toga-clad, red armoured Druddigon stared down at her, mouth curled in a sneer.
“Y-You…!” Elvira recognised him from the prison. “Let go of me! I-I’m not a rebel!” She struggled against him, but Cunobelinus thrusted his claw forward, clamping her hard against the ground.
“It’s not the rebellion, you stupid girl,” the Druddigon growled. “Putting you to death is simply fulfilling a favour for a friend. And I’m not one to renege on my promises!”
He breathed in, his maw becoming alight with flame. Elvira thrashed against his grip, trying to flee from him, but it seemed all too inevitable that the fire would scorch her well and good.
“Unhand my citizen at once!”
A familiar, Selenian voice yelled out through the din of the Diemwnt, and suddenly a troop of Falinks slammed into Cunobelinus’s side.
“Ack! Who dares?!” the Druddigon raged, but in his distraction, his grip on Elvira loosened, and the Grovyle was able to escape from his iron grip.
She got onto her feet again, and saw who had saved her.
All six of Carwyn stood to attention bullishly, determination in each of their eyes. And behind them…a Bisharp with his tattered cape fluttering in the wind.
“Your Highness!” Elvira couldn’t contain her surprise. “You…you saved…”
“Do not think on it.” Leonid pointed to the far end of the Diemwnt. “For the sake of my country, go! I will handle this blackguard myself!”
“R-Right!” Elvira turned and ran, not wanting to hear what Cunobelinus had to say next. She saw an exit that hadn’t been covered by rubble and began to make a beeline for that…
Until she looked over and saw Osiris and Tanith being cornered by a number of knights against the collapsed scaffold.
No! I need to save them. I could never forgive myself if I just abandoned them! She changed direction, willing power into her hands once more as she ran. This time, green energy coalesced into a ball instead of a blade. The power in the Energy Ball felt much stronger than anytime she had used the attack as a Treecko. Thanking her evolution for this burst in power, she hurled the ball at the nearest knight to her, a Poliwrath.
A yell erupted from the knight as the Energy Ball slammed him in the back and pushed him to the ground. Elvira closed the gap between her and the other two faster than she expected – once again, silently thanking her evolution for the increased agility – and conjured her Leaf Blade again as she leapt in front of Osiris and Tanith.
“Elvira,” Tanith noted in surprise. “You’re…”
“Not a step closer!” Elvira declared to the knights.
“Ha! As if we’d listen to an Alban blood like you,” buzzed a Vikavolt haughtily. “Look at you. You’re outnumbered. You really think you rebel trash can best us?”
“That’s what the knights said to me and my partner back in Selenia,” Elvira fired back. “But we escaped their grips every time.” Using her words to buy time, she habitually reached for her side to take an item from her bag…
…Only to realise she didn’t have her bag in that moment. It had slipped her mind that it must have been confiscated when she was taken prisoner. Panic briefly spiked in the Grovyle, though she bit her lip to hide her feelings.
“Selenia?” The Vikavolt buzzed apprehensively. “You rebels got connections over there or what?”
“For the last time, I’m not a rebel!” shouted Elvira. This line of thought pushed by the Ceredigonian knights had long since passed the point of vexation. “And neither are they!” She gestured to Osiris and Tanith.
“…Huh.” Osiris blinked at the Grovyle’s defence of them. “Why would you even…?”
“Lies upon lies!” the Vikavolt buzzed angrily. “Your tricksy ways won’t fool me, you rebel sc–”
KABOOOOOOM!
A loud explosion sounded across Mirionydd, and a small shockwave rocked the Diemwnt.
“Wh-What was that?!” a Klefki knight cried.
“Look there!” A Drakloak knight pointed to the north of town, where a large plume of smoke was rising. “That’s from…!”
“The prison!” the Vikavolt yelled. “Those rebels! Was this earthquake their doing too?!”
Elvira was as shocked as the knights were at the explosion. But the realisation of their distraction provided her with a clean opportunity to carry something out while their backs were turned.
She created a Leaf Blade and sliced Tanith’s shackles apart, before quickly moving onto Osiris’s.
“Elvira!” The Delphox was taken aback, but the feeling of freedom overtook her surprise. “Thanks.”
The sound of chains breaking drew the attention of some of the knights.
“H-Hey!” yelled the Klefki. “The Delphox is free!”
With release came the return of her powers, and Tanith grabbed a broken piece of wood from the scaffold. Within seconds it was aflame once again, and a bright light shone from it, which the Delphox then flashed towards the knights around them.
Yells and screams erupted from the knights as they were blinded by her Dazzling Gleam. The distraction was welcome for Elvira, who used the opportunity to break Osiris’s shackles with her Leaf Blade.
“…Thanks,” Osiris said to Elvira, before he turned to the knights. “Before we escape, though…let’s have some revenge, eh, Tan?”
“You got it, Oz.” A devilish grin came over the Delphox’s muzzle. “Let’s give them a nightmare for the ages!”
From Tanith’s makeshift wand, purplish flames shot out towards the knights, hitting them all and making them wince as their bodies visually turned red – a sign of an inflicted burn. As she did this, Osiris became cloaked in a dark, ghostly aura which sent a chill down Elvira’s spine as she witnessed him. She could feel the malice emanating from the Zoroark, and feared what would come to the knights.
The Zoroark then unleashed that well of shadows upon the knights, which became amplified by the burns they already suffered. What became more unnerving was the screams of terror that suddenly came from them after the attack connected.
“Make it stop!”
“It burns!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”
“Heh.” Osiris grinned as he watched them writhe in pain from his Bitter Malice. “That’ll show them.”
“What is this?” Elvira was unnerved by the knights’ agony. “What did you do to them?!”
“Bitter Malice and Will-O-Wisp.” Osiris gave a smug look towards the Grovyle. “Works its magic every time.”
“Th-That’s…” Elvira looked between him and the knights. “That isn’t moral…”
“Oi, Elvira! Oz!” Tanith pointed her stick to the one of the unblocked entrances in the Diemwnt. “More company!” The sight of more knights filing in drew the focus of both Grovyle and Zoroark.
“Shit,” Osiris cursed. “We need to move.”
“R-Right!” Elvira scanned the exits, before spotting one to their west. “That way looks best!”
“Let’s scarper, then!” And with that, Osiris took off.
“Thank Arceus I cut my fur,” muttered Tanith before taking off after him. Elvira followed suit, going in their direction. Thankfully, she could keep up due to her evolved form’s agility; if she was still a Treecko, she might not have been able to.
All the same, her injuries from before hadn’t escaped her notice, and she could taste blood in her mouth as she ran.
Hopefully we find an oran berry soon, she thought to herself. I really don’t think we’re out of the woods yet here.
And as she dashed, with civilians gazing upon her and her two companions with fear, a growing feeling of apprehension was budding within her.
A feeling…that she might have forgotten someone.
“After them! Do not let them escape!”
Cunobelinus’s yell echoed across the Diemwnt, as knights got their senses in order and began to give chase. After calling out that order, he turned back to face his current opponents.
“Some leader you are,” Leonid denounced. “Your people are suffering in droves around you, and all you care about is quashing your little rebellion?” He slashed his blades crosswise at a nearby Shiftry knight reinforcement, the Grass-type yelling in pain and staggering backwards.
“You would never understand!” roared Cunobelinus, breathing in flames and readying to expel them. However, Carwyn slammed into him in unison, throwing him off balance and deflecting the Flamethrower towards a Mawile knight, who yelped as they were engulfed by flame.
Seizing on that distraction, Leonid doubled down and slashed at the Mawile with dark-coated blades, knocking down the knight. With them downed, the Selenian prince could now wholly focus his efforts on the Druddigon.
“Don’t think you can hide from me!” Cunobelinus snarled. “To think you’re just some rebels’ pawn now. I hope you burn in hell, Prince Leonid!”
Leonid barely batted an eye at his acknowledgement.
“The feeling’s mutual, you stain of a senator.”
His fist became aglow and he ran towards the Druddigon. However, Cunobelinus blocked the attack with his arm, and Leonid winced as his Power-Up Punch collided with rough scales. He jumped back before his opponent could retaliate.
Curses! He hissed at the pain. A Druddigon’s scales are known for their roughness. Carwyn have natural armour, so it doesn’t affect them. But me…it’s going to take some self-harm if I further this more.
“Little vermin!” Cunobelinus slashed forward against Carwyn, his Dragon Claw colliding with C and pushing him back, enough to throw the troop into disarray.
“You don’t scare us!” R yelled defiantly, as the Falinks worked to reform their troop.
“We’ll protect His Highness to the end!” C proclaimed. “Better protection than you ever gave us, you Dressie scum!”
“Pathetic.” Cunobelinus breathed fire at them, which they tried hard to dodge but were not fully successful; R, Y, and N were caught in the Flamethrower. “Some allegiances you chose, Prince Leonid! You really sided with scum like these street rats?”
“Better than you, siding with cultists!” In spite of the previous pain, Leonid charged in again. His head shimmered with a metallic glint, before slamming that against the Druddigon’s flank. That made Cunobelinus stagger back, and Leonid, with his forehead slightly smarting, leapt back.
“I would never side with you!” Leonid pointed a blade at Cunobelinus, while he attempted to swat away the dogged Carwyn. “You, who perpetuates this bloody divide! You, who fail to protect your people in a time of calamity! You who disgrace your noble honour – you are the lowest scum of them all, Cunobelinus!”
“Grrragh, you contemptible little Selenian!” Cunobelinus kicked aside an ailing R, before stomping over to Leonid. “I’d watch my words if I were you! You would not want anything unfortunate happening to a certain someone, now, would you?!”
Leonid’s heart turned to ice at those words.
“You…!” His fist shook. “You have Svetlana!”
“Indeed!” Cunobelinus slashed at him, and Leonid was forced to block it, still in shock from the revelation. “So come to heel, you little wretch! Otherwise that girl’s head is mine!”
“Scum of Ardalion…!” Leonid gritted his teeth, attempting to fight back. But Cunobelinus was physically much stronger than him, and another Dragon Claw sent the Bisharp reeling backwards, earning him some more tears in his cape.
“Your Highness!” Y cried, with the Falinks rushing over to aid him. But they were scattered and weakened by the praetor’s onslaught.
Leonid wasn’t on his last legs. But looking at the vitality of the Druddigon before him, it was clear Cunobelinus still had much more to go before tiring out. He was a trained soldier, hardened by years of conflict in Dresilia’s most tumultuous province, whereas all Leonid had was some training that while gruelling, he was now rusty on. The tides were against him, and a victory was looking less likely by the minute.
Not that it matters. The goal was never to win, anyway. I just have to bid a retreat now. But how can I outrun him…?
“Enough from you!” Cunobelinus’s claws were aglow. “I’ll pull the Ruslan bloodline up by the root right here, right now!”
Escape wasn’t something Leonid had an answer for in that moment.
However…Cunobelinus, focused on the ground, wasn’t looking up at where the afternoon sun shone down.
A figure from the sky suddenly began barrelling towards them. As they came closer, Leonid spotted a multitude of hues on their plumage.
“Hey! Ugly! Take this!”
Cunobelinus had no time to react before he was pounded into the ground by a Sky Attack.
The attacker flew back into the sky, flapping her wings with a few yellow feathers fluttering down. Leonid recognised who it was in an instant.
“Tánaiste Scáthach? You–”
“Just popping by for a visit!” Scáthach beamed. “This is Alban territory, after all!” She winked cheekily at Leonid.
“You…!” Upon the sight of the Archeops, Cunobelinus seethed. “Insolent savage!”
“Go look in a mirror sometime, you big bully!” Scáthach blew a raspberry at the Druddigon, before flying upwards and dive bombing again, her talons and claws coated in light as she nimbly slashed at him, barely even being scraped by Cunobelinus’s claw swipes.
“Damn you!” roared Cunobelinus, wincing as the pain from Scáthach’s blows sank in.
“Go, Leonid!” Scáthach told him, as she built up force in her wings. “We can’t waste time on this aintiarna! Arian and Elvira need our help!”
“Elvira’s on her way out.” Leonid pointed to the end of the square where she had fled with the Delphox and the ghostly Zoroark. Next to him, Carwyn had reformed as a troop again. “…But Arian’s still missing.”
“We’ll find him!” Scáthach didn’t sound the least bit deterred as she expelled a Razor Wind at the furious Cunobelinus, who was thrown back into a nearby building. “I brought help for that! You just focus on making sure Elvira gets out, okay?”
“…Very well.” Though a part of him disliked orders being fired at him, Leonid chose to swallow his pride. “Come, Carwyn. Let us away, before more knights descend on us!”
“Sir, yes, sir!” Carwyn called in unison.
Leonid and the Falinks dashed off, leaving Scáthach and Cunobelinus to duke it out.
“You! Your actions will not be forgotten, Selenian scum!” yelled Cunobelinus, before blocking a wing swipe from his Archeops opponent. “Knights! After him!”
Few did answer his call, though; they were all too busy helping civilians out or had already vacated the Diemwnt to chase Elvira, Osiris and Tanith down. The duo had a clean getaway, darting down a side street that hadn’t been blocked by rubble.
He had faith in Scáthach to hold Cunobelinus off. The tánaiste had gotten to where she was for a reason, and definitely had the potential to do him in if it came to that. Fachtna would be displeased, but Leonid could reasonably claim it wasn’t his doing.
Yet there was still one point he felt a twinge of unease at. Reluctant unease, given who was on his mind, but without that certain other someone, Cathbad’s ill omen could come true.
Arian…We still have not located Arian.
Arian’s mind hadn’t drifted from his thoughts of escape when the earthquake hit. Surrounded in that cramped prisoner transport carriage, it was a claustrophobic situation to be in, especially when he was sharing the carriage with another.
“Heavens above!” the other passenger cried in terror. Their voice was surprisingly more gentle and silver spoon than Arian would’ve thought. “An earthquake!”
“E-Earthquake?!” It sounded unbelievable to Arian’s ears, but the constant shaking led him to that conclusion.
“Secure the prisoners!” yelled one of the guards. Right after he said this, a mad thought came into Arian’s head.
This could be my chance to escape!
“No, you don’t!” Arian yelled, right as the Granbull next to him moved to doubly restrain him. He dealt a blow to the Fairy-type, punching him across the nose.
“Gah!” Blood trickled from the guard’s nose. “You little ingrate! Stay still!”
Arian tried to go in for another punch, but the Fairy-type had him pinned. He fought hard against the Granbull’s iron grip, and he could sense a small bit of give as the guard was distracted by the earthquake. He wasn’t sure what the reaction was with the carriage driver outside, but the wagon had come to an abrupt halt, presumably until the shaking died down. Looking over, the Heracross guard had the other prisoner under control, who he could detect fear from.
Not wanting to be distracted by them, Arian attempted to take what felt like a rapidly diminishing opportunity and turned on the Granbull pinning him down.
“Let go of me!” Arian shouted, sinking his fangs into the guard’s flesh.
“Aaaargh! Damn you!” The Granbull slammed his fist into Arian, which threw him against the carriage’s side. It rocked from the force of the attack, although due to its reinforced nature, it stood its ground.
The Riolu landed on the floor back-first, facing the ceiling with his shackled paws on his front. Almost immediately, the Granbull forced his open palm on his chest, pinning him where he was.
“Stay down!” he growled.
“Gh–!” Arian tried to wrestle free, kicking, writhing and snarling more than any feral could, but it was no use. He couldn’t muster the strength to get the heavy Granbull off him.
Under his wrists, he felt that pulse come to him once more. Of something threatening to break out. Once again, it was his aura, although this time it seemed to have more…weight behind it. Almost like more was going to spill out once he could unleash it.
But I can’t because of these damn shackles! Once again, those cursed things held him back. If only I could break them…! He tried to tug at them, but he couldn’t tug on them well due to the Granbull forcing him down.
At that moment, Arian noticed a peculiar golden emblem on the Granbull’s cloak, now more exposed thanks to his struggle with the guard. It looked oddly familiar, like he’d seen that exact same shape before. Two triangular-shaped ends jutting out at either side, with a crescent shape atop it…where had he seen it?
Then a most mysterious sensation overcame him. It was something that burned from the back of his mind, triggered by the sight of that emblem.
It felt like anger.
Deep-seated fury.
More than he had ever felt during his time in Ardalion until now.
Strangely…it was a foreign feeling.
Then words of rage spat from his mouth.
“You! You’re one of them!”
And yet it didn’t feel like those words came from him.
Wh-What…?
Then, everything seemed to happen at once.
A great weight seemed to crash upon the carriage from above, sounding almost like collapsing rubble.
The carriage’s wheels gave way, and the carriage itself toppled over to one side.
And then finally, the weight became too much for the carriage to bear.
CRASH!
Rubble broke through the carriage side. One big piece hit the two guards on the head, and they were conked out in an instant.
“Help!” Arian cried, before he was smothered by the debris raining in. The carriage wall near to him broke, and for the briefest of moments, he realised there was an exit! Though it was small, specks of the blue sky filtered through.
He scrabbled for it, wanting that precious taste of freedom.
But in an instant, another piece of rubble struck him on the back of his head.
“Ack! Urgh…”
His vision swam, and consciousness soon began to evade him.
But before he went under, he heard another voice.
“…Use…less…”
He woke up.
Pain.
Pain everywhere, particularly at the back of his head.
He tried to move.
But he couldn’t.
A great weight clamped his legs down.
Need…to…move…
His hands were splayed above him. If only he could use them to free himself…
He tried to move them. But they were stuck, as though he was bound by something.
….Oh right.
He was shackled. That would make things much more difficult.
But still…he could try to move, surely?
Weakly, the Riolu tried to call out.
“H-Help…”
But his cry did not travel far, given the enclosed space he was in, as well as being weak from his injury. Only his paws and the shackles that bound them were visible from the outside.
…Looks like I’ll have to get out of here on my own. …Again…
The Riolu summoned all of his strength to push himself forward, through the rubble and debris that covered him. With enough effort, he managed to push himself to a point where his upper body was free from the debris and could be seen from the outside. At the very least, this granted him precious air that had been lacking in that confined space.
But he couldn’t summon enough strength to lift himself onto his own two feet. His consciousness waned, and he was in danger of going under again.
These damn shackles…If only they were gone, I could unleash my true power and this would be nothing!
He could barely make out the devastated street, completely wrecked with fallen streetlamps, upended cobblestone and collapsed buildings all around him. There were distant cries of terror, and the scent of smoke filtered into his nostrils and made his eyes water. In that moment, apart from those in the carriage who had been with him and were probably dead or unconscious from the rubble that had collapsed on them, the Riolu felt truly alone.
N-No…I don’t want to be alone…S-Someone please…help…
He lay down, eyes closing. But right as he was about to drift off–
“H-Hey! There’s someone there!”
“Is there now?”
“Yeah, look at those shackles! Is that a prisoner?!”
And then suddenly he found himself being pulled from the wreckage.
The Riolu snapped out of unconsciousness to see a Charmeleon lifting his body out from the debris. Next to her was something green, massive, and dinosaurian.
A Tyranitar…?
“A Riolu?” The red lizard looked at him, confused. “He’s not one of our lot, is he?”
“…No,” came the Tyranitar’s reply. Judging by his air, he seemed to be a leader of some kind. “But I think I know who this mutt might be.”
“Wait, you do?” The Charmeleon was surprised.
“Yes. We’ve found the other wean that prionsán was looking for.”
Prin…sawn? The Riolu cocked his head. Sounds like Alban slang.
“Huh. Well, uh…shouldn’t we get him patched up, Chief Fachtna?” A worried look crossed the Charmeleon’s face. “He looks black and blue.”
That was certainly true. He felt bruised and battered all over, with blood dribbling from a few places and his head throbbing in particular. He’d definitely need medical attention.
“…Hm.” Fachtna looked down at the Riolu. “I’d rather not waste my time on him. But that prionsán would give me an earful if we saw his lot die on us. ‘Sides, he is against Cunobelinus…and anyone he’s tryin’ to kill’d be a friend of mine.”
“L-Look, that’s great and all,” the Riolu said. “But can you get these damn shackles off me?”
“…May as well. Hold out your hands, boy,” the Tyranitar ordered. The Riolu did as requested. Fachtna then raised his own hand, and slammed it down onto the chainlink. The metal stood no chance of resisting the sheer force of his blow, and so it completely gave way with a shatter.
“Ouch!”
…Though not without hurting the Riolu in the process. He was about to admonish the Tyranitar, but then suddenly a most extraordinary occurrence happened.
Now unbound by the shackles, his power came to the fore in a powerful burst, and his paws were alight with blue, fiery aura.
“Whoa!” The Charmeleon reeled back. “What the heck?!”
“Hm.” Fachtna’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “I thought yer lot didn’t get aura until you evolved.”
“I’m different,” came the reply.
“Different? How?”
“…I’m not telling secrets like that to Lowlanders like you.”
“Lowlanders?” The Tyranitar let out a guffaw. “That’s a new one. Ya from the mountains or what, boy?”
“Shut it.” The Riolu let out an audible snarl. “You’re all the same, all of you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” A defensive, offended look came over the Charmeleon. Next to her, Fachtna similarly frowned.
“…Never mind.” The Riolu then began to walk away. “It’s not like you’d ever understand, anyway.”
“What do you mean, ‘don’t understand’?” the Charmeleon interrogated. “H-Hey! Wait!”
But it was no use. The Riolu was clearly done talking, and turned his back on them before dashing away down the ruined street.
“…Dailtín aisteach is ea é,” murmured Fachtna, his gaze not leaving the canine.
“Should we do something about him?” the Charmeleon asked.
“…No, Brigid.” Fachtna shook his head. “Let the prionsán find him. We have our own lot to look after. Now, come on, let’s–”
Before he could move forward, however, a Mankey with a khaki scarf suddenly dashed in front of him, jumping up and down in excitement.
“Chief! Chief!” he cried. “You’re gonna want to hear this! Cunobelinus is dueling Tánaiste Scáthach right now in the Diemwnt! And she’s holding her own!”
“Cunobelinus?” Fachtna’s expression lit up. “Good on our friends for keeping him down. But that one’s mine. I’ll be there in two. Brigid’ll handle things on my end.”
“Yes, Chief!” Brigid saluted. “I’ll get those prisoners out and onto the streets where they belong.”
“Good stuff.” The Tyranitar then turned and headed down the street the Mankey came from.
All the while, a fanged, sadistic grin was now crossing his face, relishing the takedown that was to come.
Once he was out of sight of them, he broke into a sprint, in an attempt to find ways out of Mirionydd.
Alas, that was easier said than done. The earthquake had taken its toll on the town. Streets everywhere were blocked, and even small alleyways had caved in entirely. Devastation lay everywhere, and through the air, the cries of wounded civilians could be heard. Fires had also started, and smoke drifted through the air.
At one point he spotted a collapsed roof with a splayed hand and arm sticking out; it looked like it belonged to a Mr. Mime.
He looked away; he didn’t want to look any further.
Such devastation brought back memories from the recesses of his mind that he’d tried and failed to keep buried.
And yet…they glimpsed his moment of weakness and tried to claw their way to the forefront of his mind.
Screams of terror.
Fires everywhere, spreading from roof to roof.
Ruin everywhere he looked, their mountaintop abodes crumbling as they tore them apart–
“Stop!” he shouted, to no one but himself. His aura flared up around him in response. Thankfully it was hardly fire, and did not add to the catastrophe around him.
All the while, he tried to find a way through. Towns of this type were all the same with their towering walls with turrets on all sides. With this disaster, though, surely those walls would’ve collapsed too. And if not, the knights that normally patrolled the town would be diverted to helping their smallfolk.
It seemed like a perfect time to escape. All he had to do was find the escape route.
He continued his way down on a back street that, while in ruin, did not look fully blocked.
At least…until he rounded the corner.
There, an archway had crumbled, its apex blocking the path ahead of him.
“Dammit. Looks like I’ll have to find another way.” He turned around, and…
“Ah-ha! Found you!”
He jumped at the sight of a Dragonair slithering from around the same corner he had gone travelled through before.
“You thought you could run from us, Arian? Oh, I’m wounded!” Her eyes shone with mock tears. “How could you?”
Arian? …Oh right. That’s the human’s name.
“You think I’d fall into your traps?” Anger was bubbling within him again. “I know what you’ve done, Renegade scum! You’re the one who–”
“Oh, come now, Arian, don’t be that way!” The sweetness was almost sickening coming from the Dragonair’s mouth. “Just come with me and everything’s going to be alright~”
“Not on your life!” he snarled, charging his fists. “Take this!” He thrust his paws forward and a flare of aura shot forth from it.
The Dragonair let out a wail as the aura burned her, but she quickly turned around and held her head up. He noticed her horn beginning to glow with a blue energy, and prepared his next strike, running towards her.
Sabrina fired the bolt, but he leaped out of the way and blasted aura in her direction.
“You…!” Sabrina’s charm flickered for a moment, as she gritted her teeth after the burning he’d given her. “That power…Now I can see why Dommie wants you!”
Dommie? A shiver went down his spine. Figures this bitch would be working for him! All the more reason to end her here!
“Oh, Malvolio, dear~? I could use your help!”
He didn’t care for her lures to whatever minion she was calling for. He simply felt aura well at his foot as he prepared to run and strike at her–!
“I think not.”
And then he was slammed in the back with a great force, onto his front and meeting the rubble face-first.
“Urgh!” The Riolu craned his head up to see, horror crossing his face at the sight of a cloaked, masked, lean figure on top of him, shadows drifting from under their cloak as they pressed their foot down.
“And with the serendipity of Landorus’s judgement, one of the final Elect is cornered.”
The distortion of their voice sent a shiver down the Riolu’s spine for how unnatural it sounded. From what he could feel on his back, it felt like a webbed foot, or maybe a talon. Almost like they were a bird of some kind…
“Gamble not when thou hast much to lose.” The cloaked one pressed down on him. “Yet choler and cupidity colour thy capabilities of caprice.”
“Hee hee,” Sabrina giggled. “You got him, Malvolio! Just give me a minute and I’ll get him for sure!”
“Let…go of me!” the Riolu growled, seeing the Dragonair curl her tail. He tried to build power with his aura, but it was no use; Sabrina’s Attract flew forth, and hit him, making him dizzy again.
“Nay,” the shadowy figure, Malvolio, denied. “A gilded prize, thou art. The Hierophant shall be smiling tonight. …As unwonted as he is to that.” They seemed to say this with a light chuckle.
The Hierophant… The fury returned to him. He’s the one who…!
But before he could think anymore, his vision went dark as he, Malvolio and Sabrina were clouded in a dark vapour.
When it cleared, they were gone.
Glossary
Aintiarna - 'Tyrant' in Irish.
Dailtín aisteach is ea é - 'He's a strange child' in Irish.
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