Worldcore

[Namohysip]

Considered to be one of the great centers of this world's balance, the Worldcore was considered to be one of the most sacred lands in the world, rivaling that of the Tree of Life and the Hidden Land. Similarly, they were considered to be deeply tied to Dungeon forces that had plagued the land. Ley Lines--connections to the spirit world--corrupted by Dark Matter's fading influence twisted the dimensions and blurred the line between living and dead. Should the Worldcore be touched by Dark Matter's influence, it could spell catastrophe.

After all of the information gathered by the team, and all of the efforts to investigate Darkwhite's presence worldwide, the Worldcore's corruption was both unthinkable and yet one of the greatest possibilities.

The Worldcore's entrance had since been freed of too much twisted energy... in the past. A rocky outcropping led up to the cave's entrance to the chilly northeast of the Mist Continent. The cave within glowed not with lava as it once had, but what looked like a great field of stars...

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Maple stood several levels below the Worldcore's entrance. The afternoon sun beat down on them. "Here we are," she said.

"What's this feeling...?" Owen shuddered. He still had a mild headache ever since his time in Aegis Cave a few days ago, but even without it, he had a horrible sensation that there was something powerful about this cave. It wasn't ordinary. It really did radiate this otherworldly presence.

"The Worldcore is a sacred land that is said to grand any worthy wish by a noble heart," Truffle said. "It would bend the very fabric of reality to accomplish it. A fragment of Arceus' power. It was said that perhaps it was even a slumbering portion of Arceus' spirit that brought this place to its current state."

"Interesting folklore," Maple said, "when we actually know him." With a small chuckle, she turned to the others and put on a more serious expression. "We have no idea what we will find inside. Practice the utmost caution while there. Is that clear?"

Accompanying them was Truffle and Maple as their main guards. Should anything go wrong, they were to extract the team and regroup with the full party for a proper assault or exploration.

"Now, I'd also like to introduce you all, for those who don't know, to Pecha and Bluk." Maple gestured beside her, where an Espeon and Umbreon stood, looking a little wary and tired. "They were the pioneers of Entercards during the Bittercold Omen, though as of late they've settled into quieter lives."

"And hopefully we won't be gone from it for long!" Pecha, the Espeon, said with a sigh. "But this is important. We sent all of our notes to Destiny Village back when this crisis started, but if you need live researchers for this one..."

"This won't be any more dangerous than, er... any of the other Omens, right?" Bluk asked.

"That has yet to be seen."

"Joy..."

 

[IFBench]

Burhalla stood with the group, looking up at the entrance to the Worldcore. Saltriv didn't know much about this place, and so thus neither did he.

What he did know, though, was that this place was powerful, and that the heroes of the Mist Continent had used it for...something, though he didn't know what.

No matter. He was here to find the truth about the recent happenings with dungeons and Charmanders.

He sent a brief message to Saltriv through their link. "Will you be ok out there?"

"I will. I'm going to find Sword, no matter what."

"Good. Take care, I'll see you when this is over," he thought back.

He looked back up towards the Worldcore, at the starry surfaces around it.

The truth was in there somewhere. He was sure of it.

 

[Adamhuarts]

For a while, Cynthian couldn't help but stare at Bluk and Pecha. Just like with Balm and Cepa, seeing old historical figures just walking around... the experience was surreal to say the least.

"We're very grateful to have your expertise on this expedition. It's a great honor getting to work alongside you, Bluk and Pecha," Cynthian said, holding her bouquets over her face while trying her best not to sound too much like a fan girl.

Cynthian listened to Truffle's description of the dungeon while watching the glittering lights within the entrance.

"I thought granting wishes was Jirachi's domain... though that also could just be folklore too," Cynthian said with a hum. "If there's any truth to it, we'd want to hope that Darkwhite wasn't brought in here... Ley Lines, reality distortion, Darkwhite... Yeah, that spells recipe for disaster."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot stared ahead at the dungeon's entrance. Back in his world there were no shortage of Mystery Dungeons, yet despite them all being distorted spaces, there was no consistent connection between them. The idea that here in Cibus there was some central place connecting them all, let alone one that could grant wishes felt... strange to say the least. Still, with visions of Sword appearing in dungeons all across Cibus it only made sense that something had happened to her at a common source. If they'd find her anywhere, it'd be here.

Radiance enveloped Cabot as small rocks materialized around him to form a protective barrier, before he turned back to the rest of his teammates.

"Let's be ready for anything," the Rampardos called out to them.

 

[Cresselia92]

While Icetales didn’t have a vast knowledge of ley lines and their effects — that was First’s expertise as the Historian Warlock, and he didn’t quite have the healthiest of interactions with his oldest brother — he knew well that those were powerful forces.

One of the main sources of magic transfer, the threads that kept the world connected and intact, brimming with primordial energy and power. The mere thought that the main center of such lines could be tainted or corrupted sent shivers down his body.

What would have happened if the Worldcore broke? Would the entire world be split apart, or…?

Keo’Keo hid in the shadows, preferring to shield himself from any source of light. Soft hisses came from his spectral throat as he felt the tension rising inside of Icetales, and he pawed at one of his host’s forepaws. The real fox winced and looked down at those incandescent eyes, who tore through his spirit.

The message was clear: ‘Get a grip of thyself!’

And so he did. A deep breath, and he was calm once more.

He looked at the entire group, before focusing on those so-called pioneers — Pecha and Bluk. Well, if they knew something about the ley lines, it would have been good to get as much information from them.

“Ah. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said Icetales to the Eeveelutions, bowing with respect. “So, you two have ample of knowledge about ley lines, yes?” He tilted his head. “Well, can you tell if there is something unusual about them? Maybe with those Entercards of yours?”

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes, we can tell," Bluk said, turning to point toward the Worldcore. "...It's extremely messed up, to put it to technical terms."

Owen squinted. "Are you sure that's technical?"

"Do you have a better term? Look at it! The stars are all misaligned! It's radiating a sense of dread! I know Dungeons are powerful and mysterious things, but that's not exactly normal!" Bluk huffed. "In any case, if we're going in, we should keep to a close group. If something goes wrong, that will make it easy for an Escape Orb or Maple's portals to pull us out."

"Is there any risk of those not working here?" Owen asked.

"Yes. But if that's the case, you'll have to fight our way out. We have enough Team Spectrum here to do that..."

Peccha flicked her tail, crouching down. "WE shouldn't go too deep into this place if we can afford it. This will be purely for scouting the entrance and perhaps the inner floors. Any deeper, and we might not be prepared."

"I agree," Maple said. "Truffle, maintain your wards. Keep them redundant if you can. No amount of protection is excessive."

"Understood." Truffle was already making signs in the air with his wing, several barriers quietly appearing around the team's general area.

"I thought granting wishes was Jirachi's domain...

"Pop seems to be fond of redundant roles," Maple said. "It makes sense. If one fails, perhaps the other can take over while something can replace it." She shook her head, then continued.

"Onward," Maple said cautiously, taking the first steps up the mountain. The Worldcore's entrance loomed over them like a never-ending night. It was... silent inside.

 

[Cresselia92]

Well, that sure sounded reassuring! Misaligned stars, twisted ley lines and a sense of dread? Just a Tuesday like any other.

“Hm, right. Beware, everyone.”

Icetales placed himself between Truffle and Cabot, using his own power to cast a protective aurora around the team and add an extra layer of defense.

Nobody knew what was hiding in that ominously silent firmament of tension, and indeed. Caution was never too much.

Wearing his courage in his heart, he marched forward alongside the cortège, staring curiously at those strange stars. He wondered why they had changed place, or who or what did that.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Soul stared up at the stars. She'd been pretty sure they were underground... so where did these come from? Was there a second sky beneath the world here?

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I wonder if the arrangement of these stars means anything. For someone like me that spends more time under the sun instead, reading constellations is way outside my range of experience. I ought to get into stargazing sometime," Cynthian said, her eyes similarly glittering while she observed the starry patterns.

"Say, what do you suppose would happen if we were to use an Entercard in one of the inner floors?"

 

[Namohysip]

"They either won't work," Pecha said, "will help us escape... or trap us in a completely different plane of reality." She winced, looking away. "That happened to us once. It took a while to figure out how to escape. Let's not risk it."

The tunnel was wide and yet it was hard to truly describe it as a tunnel anymore. It would remind Owen and a few others of what Spirit's Edge had looked like, with stars seemingly all over. It was very hot--but while it felt like there should have been lava based on the Worldcore's description, there wasn't any. Like it had been drained away and only the heat remained.

By the time the tunnel's entrance was a distant light, all of the stars suddenly went out.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"This place feels an awful lot like that weird plane Sunny put in me in when I wanted to learn Giga drain months ago," Cynthian mused out loud while taking photos of the walls, ceiling and ground on her Badge.

"Hope this heat isn't bothering you too much, love," Cynthian muttered while moving beside Icetales. She uncomfortably as she walked and wiped her cheek every now and then. The encompassing heat felt like a milder form of the forest fire's from that night. At least she could distract her thoughts by watching the starry lights... until they fizzled out like shattered luminous Orbs.

"Wow, this isn't ominous at all!" Cynthian said as her flowers began exuding a cold minty scent.

 

[Virgil134]

"Well, that can't be good..." Cabot murmured, using Radiant Barricade a second to prepare for whatever was about to happen.

 

[Cresselia92]

How very reassuring. So, from what he gathered, the ley lines were so messed up that any attempt to bend them would have probably trapped them somewhere or who knows what else.

Indeed, there was always the chance that things would have been worked nicely, but that was still a risk that that not worth taking.

Not for the time being, at least.

"Hope this heat isn't bothering you too much, love," Cynthian muttered while moving beside Icetales.

“Fear not, I can tolerate this. I am accustomed to far worse,” he replied, fanning his long tails and spreading a fresh mist around the area.

But golly, it was indeed very hot! Good thing that he brought plenty of tea to keep himself hydrated, and he had enough inner energy to keep himself and the group fresh with his frost magic.

Aside from the heat, he wondered if that was going to be a simple mission, after a—aaand the lights went out!

Of course. Because things could only improve, right.

“By the stars that aren’t here anymore!” cried out Icetales, looking around the now obscure environments.

At first all he could see were the faint flickers of Radiance cast around them and the glowing eyes of Keo’Keo, but as his his crepuscular sight emerged and settled in, he began seeing more and more details.

Sure, it might not be a full nocturnal vision and seeing the layout didn’t make the tunnel any less threatening, but it would have sufficed.

“We are still swell, everyone,” he said with an encouraging tone, keeping his tone steady and controlled. “We are swell.”

He glanced at the others, even if he didn’t know if they could glance back at him. “Does anyone know Flash or have some luminous source? That would be most helpful right now.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh, I can do this," Cynthian brought her flowers together and conjured a speck of light. When she tossed it up, it grew in size and brightness till it lit up their surroundings like a mini-sun.

Sunny day sure came in handy in various situations. With the newly lit light source radiating the cave, she browsed their environments to see if she could find anything out of place...

 

[Namohysip]

The cavern seemed to eat away at the light, but not enough that it was gone completely. The stars were still there as glimmering crystals, but the source of their glow had gone away, perhaps intentionally. Maple took the lead again and motioned for Truffle to stay behind her. She conjured a Radiant blade, looking left and right. "A shame Joule isn't fully restored," she remarked. "he would have been able to light the way easily..."

Her blade was flickering.

"Maple," Truffle said lowly, "there appears to be suppression auras about. Your blade is weakening."

Maple cursed under her breath. "Then we should--"

The crystals turned a malevolent red, and suddenly the starry sky was like thousands of tiny meteors raining down on them. Fire! It was suddenly fire, raining upon them and the ground to form a great, fiery field. Truffle swiftly conjured a barrier to block the barrage. The suppression aura weakened it and a stray, scorching rock struck him on the shoulder--he shouted in pain and stumbled to Maple.

The entrance, that last light, was gone.

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot hastily formed a green, translucent barrier above him to shield himself from the fire.

"Gah! We must have walked into some sort of trap!" the Rampardos shouted. "If you know Protect, use it! If not, stay close to the ones that do!"

 

[Cresselia92]

Despite Icetales having grown to be much more attuned to the darkness than to the light, he felt instant relief when the warm glow of the Sunny Day illuminated the tunnel.

The only downside was that it made an already hot cavern even hotter. If it felt like being in a oven before, now it felt like they were treading nearby an active volcano.

…Huh. Was Sunny Day really that strong? It was way too hot, and his fur was starting to become soggy due to the layer of frost on his pelt turning into water and mixing with his sweat. That forced him to push out even more frigid energy, even if that tired him more and more, and it became much harder to preserve the ideal temperature.

What was going on?

Then, there was the ominous red light. Many red dots adorning the ceiling and projecting crimson glows. Icetales felt his blood chilling despite feeling like melting.

He looked up, and his Shadow snarled. Gone was the calmness in both their expressions, twisted into horrified grimaces.

There was fire on the ceiling, and it rained down on them like lapilli and meteorites.

The Ninetales blew out his strongest Blizzard, trying to deflect the incandescent projectiles. He was partially successful: the smallest pebbles were blown away, but the most fiery stones cut through his attack.

A medium-sized crystal zipped by his side, making him yowl in a panic. His heart drummed at top speed — there was a hole in the floor. A smoking hole.

“We must skedaddle! Now!”

Icetales was about to repeat was his panicky Shadow said, but his words died in his throat when they turned around.

The entrance was gone.

Trapped.

The entrance was no more.

They were trapped.

Fire. A ring of fire around them. Blazing stars still falling toward them.

Trapped in a physical hell.

“…I’ll be damned.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

Everything happened so fast. One second Cynthian had been standing cautious and uneasy, and then fire rained from above before she even had time to think.

Cynthian shrieked, wincing as a fiery rock grazed her arm and exploded behind her. Her cape singed from the burns, but she didn't have time to rest. More kept falling, and falling. She fumbled awkwardly to her feet, eyes darting around as a sea of burning amber filled her vision.

No.

Not again.

NOT AGAIN.

Cynthian struggled to breathe through her burning throat.

"This isn't Billow woods. This isn't Billow woods..." she muttered to herself over and over while struggling to bound back to the rest of the group. At a time like this, she couldn't afford to lose her composure!

 

[IFBench]

Burhalla ducked under the Rampardos' barrier, avoiding the flames coming from above.

Just stay calm. Everything is going to be

...where did the entrance go.

"...this isn't good at all," Burhalla said, staring at where the entrance used to be.

 

[Namohysip]

The fireballs stopped and Truffle let down his barrier to recover. Maple eyed the way further into the caves, sensing even more distortion further inside. "If we go further, we won't be able to escape without clawing our way back," Maple reported. "We should go. This place is too dangerous on our own--"

Uhuhu... huhu...

It was the loudest they'd heard Sword in a long, long time. And suddenly, the crystals in the cave shifted to a sky blue. Faded eyes started appearing randomly in all directions like a swarm, obscuring vision even further.

Wind came next. Whipping vortexes of wind swept through the tunnel, pushing several of the team deeper into the Worldcore. Maple shouted for them and Truffle conjured a barrier to catch them just in time, but the wind was howling. It was impossible to hear anyone.

Charmander and Mew were forming from the walls, both of them giggling and drifting through the air. Something about their laughter permeated more than the ears. Even over the wind, they could hear it, rattling their very minds...