Post by Vulpix on Dec 31, 2020 21:55:43 GMT -6
(Click the music note for the accompanying soundtrack!)
The apprentices spend the next thirty minutes in a thrilling montage, each trying their hardest to destroy the Relic of Despair. Arcanine uses his strongest Flamethrower, scorching the ground around it but leaving the Relic with nary a mark. Once the flaming grass nearby is extinguished, Samurott steps up with his Aqua Jet, giving it his strongest pressure yet. The Relic sustains not even a scratch! Bayleef excitedly steps forth, to everyone's surprise, and uses his Razor Leaf to try and cut it open. The results are... unsuccessful. The apprentices wonder if it has some kind of intelligence or soul… if so, maybe they could reason with it, or blackmail it! After retrieving Nincada from the hole he'd gotten himself stuck in, they test his Mind Reader and Espurr's Psyshock on it—both are left with a headache, but find no sign of consciousness in the Relic. Ditto continues to be held back by the others for fear of what they'd do if they got their hands on it. Slakoth pumps himself up to use his super-powers to defeat this evil thing, then realizes it's been a long day and has a snooze instead.
After some head-scratching, Sandshrew gets an idea, and they drop the Relic down the sentry tunnel. He reaches down beneath the bars and uses Gyro Ball, making a steel ball as big as will fit, before dropping it on the Relic! There's a sharp clang on impact, but after going down to inspect the damage, the Relic is found none the worse for wear. Not to be deterred, Sandshrew then asks Nincada to dig a hole just a bit deeper than needed to bury the Relic, while he heads to the Dojo. Nincada enthusiastically agrees and gets to work. Sandshrew returns moments later holding HM04. The spirits, watching this whole fiasco with a mixture of worry and bafflement, are asked to retrieve the safe from the guildhouse, which they do. The Relic and the HM are deposited into the hole, the safe positioned nearby, as Sandshrew begins the countdown. On his mark, Espurr touches the HM, causing it to flash red and begin ticking! Nincada and Bayleef shove as much dirt onto the explosive as they can while Samurott and Arcanine use their bulk to tip over the safe, whereupon it lands noisily on the dirt pile. Everyone gets as far away as they can, and… BOOM. The safe launches half a foot into the air as a muted pang is heard, dirt and smoke engulfing the area. After a couple minutes of excavation, the apprentices and spirits alike are thoroughly dejected to find the Relic... completely unharmed.
The apprentices, wiping the sweat from their brows, all sigh and look at one another. If the Relic can't be destroyed, at least not with the tools at their disposal, it has to be hidden away somewhere it won't be found. There's only one place nearby the Relic might be disposed of and sealed away—even though they don't like the idea. Then again, Chatot said they'd be in trouble if they went there while he and Monotuff were watching, right?
The apprentices—nay, the explorers look at each other. Their belongings all packed, they make their way to the beach, standing before the imposing sight of the long, dark cave entrance before them. The now-familiar sight of the crushed body which lay beneath the rocks fills them with a sense of dread. Echoes of long ago flood their minds as they step past Chimecho's body...
"Guildmaster! Guildmaster, wait!"
"Chatot!"
...
"Guildmaster-- Wigglytuff-- what have you done? What have we done?! I don’t understand! Why did everyone-- Why were they..."
"Chatot."
"Nnng..."
"What happened to us down there? All the apprentices, and-- and you! And the treasure, I--"
"Chatot!"
"(Almost… almost there...)"
"Yes, Guildmaster?"
"Everything is fine."
"Everything is… fine?"
"Of course, silly! Look, not a scratch on it!"
"You still have it?! Wigglytuff, we need to put it back! It’s clearly not safe!"
"Don’t worry. We’ll keep it safe! We can’t let it fall into the wrong hands, now, can we?"
"I… I suppose not. But Guildmaster, what about--"
"About what happened back there? I had to protect the treasure! The apprentices had gone rogue, they were trying to destroy it! You saw how they destroyed each other, didn’t you?"
"I did, yes… But what about the cave? What happens if someone finds out about… what happened?"
"I guess we’ll have to seal it up."
"Wait!!! What if someone is still alive?"
"Then this will solve two problems."
"YOOM-TAH!"
"YOOM-TAH!"
"No, w--!"
They swallow their fear and set forth, lighting a torch to illuminate their path. Espurr goes in first as a lookout, backed up by the powerful Arcanine and the brave Slakoth. The cave is dim, the air old and stale from its time having been sealed. Dry sand beneath their feet crunches with every step, and after a while of searching in the quiet cavern, the explorers happen upon a set of stairs headed downwards. Carefully reaching the bottom, they freeze—a dark figure lies still by the wall in front of them. Approaching it with their torches, they find a red, crustraceous Pokémon, clearly dead. Samurott identifies him as a Corphish. His shell is dull and brittle, and one of the legs has been snapped off, though the rest of the body remains intact.
"Hey, hey! That’s mine!"
"No it’s not! Wah! S-stop… Please!"
"Hey, hey! At last, I have the treasure!"
"Nnng!"
"Chime… Chimecho? What did you… do to me? It’s so cold!"
"I’m sorry! I will not die down here. You can keep the damned treasure, but I’m getting out of here!"
"Ch-Chimecho… W-wait for me…!"
"Wigglytuff! Over here! Look, he’s still alive. And he has the Relic! … I don’t think he’ll last long, guildmaster. We need to get him out of here right away!"
"Hmm. I don’t think he’s gonna make it. I've got the Relic, now, Chatot. Let's go."
"P-please don’t go. I'm so c-cold..."
Some of the explorers mutter near-silent words of disbelief or sympathy. The group quickly moves on, winding through labyrinthine passageways. One, two, three more sets of stairs downwards. The explorers stop once more at a grizzly sight—a spray of blood, long dried black along the wall. Tracing the source of the splatter, they find not one, but three heads. A Dugtrio, partially uprooted from the ground, two throats cut and the third head missing entirely from an eerily clean cut.
"My son! Diglett, wake up…!"
"Hey, hey! Dugtrio, come on! Chimecho has the Relic, and she’s getting away!"
"You heartless monster! My son is dead… why don’t you join him!"
"Urrgh! Not today. Sorry, old man!"
Samurott cries out in pain! He looks down and finds a hard, sharpened limb remains partially buried in the ground, the colour that of Corphish' shell. The group is astonished that the sand and bodies have remained undisturbed—there are still clearly visible footprints from the apparent struggle. Not even a stench of rot or decay has plagued the air; it's as if the corpses have been suspended. Nevertheless, the explorers carry on. As they search for the next staircase, they come to an abrupt stop. Before them, they stare into a massive chasm. Espurr's sensitive eyes help her detect that this had once been several floors of the cavern like they'd been exploring, but has since collapsed for some reason. After a brief discussion of what to do, the apprentices nod in unison. Arcanine retrieves the rope he took from the Link Shop, and Slakoth helps tie it around a sturdy rock, having the most suitable hands for the job. One at a time, the explorers carefully clamber their way down the rope, eventually reaching a natural flat outcropping of stone, where they rest. After several careful repetitions of this—with a few near-falls from the less dexterous of the explorers—they finally reach somewhat solid ground, though littered with rocky debris from the collapse. Between Nincada's digging and Arcanine's moving of rocks, the explorers manage to continue on through the difficult terrain. Arcanine suddenly freezes and shouts to his companions—he's found another body. The blue, frog-like Pokémon lies awkwardly atop a pile of sharp rocks, his hands still in a claw-like grip just above his clavicle.
"Meh-heh-heh… Cornered! Now, hand it over."
"Stay back, I’m warning you."
"Meh-heh-heh… If you just give it over, no one has to get hurt."
"It’s mine! Stay away from me!"
"Aha!"
"Ahh! Get off of me!"
"Not until you-- urgh! Urk!"
Ditto suddenly lets out a noise of celebration, saying they've found another body. They're nearing their ideal number of corpses! Ignoring that last part, the explorers follow them to a pair of large slabs of rock which have tipped over, forming a kind of shelter. Within, a giant figure is slumped over on its front, dried blood coating the top of his cracked skull.
"Everyone, STOP! No, no, no… Sunflora? Diglett? Oh, Wigglytuff! They’re dead! Please, do something!"
"Sniffle… Sob…"
"Sniffle-snivel-snivel-snivel… Urrrrrfffffff… Urrrrrrrr…"
"Sniffle-snivel-snivel-snivel… Urrrrrfffffff… Urrrrrrrr…"
"The whole place is SHAKING!"
"Everyone, take cover!"
"Waa… Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh… Someone… stole… my TREASURE!!!"
"CHIMECHO! Over here, quick!"
"Loudred!"
"Oh, thank you! Loudred, I think you saved my life!"
"Oh, thank you! Loudred, I think you saved my life!"
"No problem! It’s crazy over there. Let’s get out of here!"
"But the Relic!"
"Oh, the TREASURE? I have it right here."
"…"
"Uh… Chimecho? What are you--"
Bayleef urges everyone to leave, and the others agree, save for Ditto, though they begrudgingly follow anyway. They carefully descend several ruined floors, somewhat thankful they no longer have to look for staircases. After a long while of moving debris and finding the best path downward, they finally reach what seems to be the bottom; a smooth stone floor, covered in sand intermixed with stones and rubble, and… another body. A bulbous, green torso with leaf-like limbs and a head like a sunflower. Portions of the arms and head have been torn off in chunks left strewn about. Sandshrew instinctively pulls Sunflora's diary from his bag.
"Eek! What are you doing!"
"I’m taking what’s mine!!!"
"No! I won’t let you have it!"
"Hey! Somebody stop her! She has the treasure!!!"
"I’ve got her!"
"No, wait! It’s rolling away! Hey!"
"Meh-heh-heh!"
"Guildmaster, this is outrageous! You have to do something!"
"Don’t worry, Chatot. Everything will be okay!"
"I hope you're right!"
"Ow! Hey, stop!"
"Oh my gosh! I have it!"
"Sunflora! You put that down, or I’ll--"
"No! Nothing can stop me now. I’ll do whatever I have to. Take this!"
"Dad! Dad, we need to-- agh!"
"Diglett, no!!!"
"Oh my gosh. I--"
"You’ll pay for this!"
"No, please--!"
The torchlight reveals a small archway leading into an adjoining room. At the entrance, another body like Dugtrio's is found—a lone Diglett, pale and stiff. A pair of deep cuts form an X just below his face, dried blood staining the sand around him.
"(Oh, Arceus, what have I done? No… No, wake up! I didn’t mean it. Please wake up! This can’t be happening.)"
"Dad! Dad, we need to-- agh!"
"Dad! Dad, we need to-- agh!"
Carefully sidestepping the body, the explorers find themselves in a shockingly small room, devoid of features or decoration save for a small, stone pedestal near the back, on which sits a small, opened box. In the very centre of the room, however, is one last figure. A large crack splinters out from the centre of the floor, one which seems intent on swallowing the Pokémon whole… Bidoof's left eye has been gouged out, and a trail of blood leads from the pedestal, where a bloodied iron spike lies on the ground.
"STOP!"
"Oof! What is it?"
"Are we there yet?!"
"Oh my gosh! Let’s just turn around and go h--"
"We made it!"
"Wait, so where’s the treasure?"
"Hey, hey! Is it in that little box?"
"Meh-heh-heh. That box isn’t big enough for any valuable treasure. This was a waste of time!"
"Everyone, QUIET!"
"Oh! There’s an inscription on the box! It says, ‘Relic of Despair: Treasure of Tragedy.’"
"Eek! Sounds spooky!"
"Well hurry up and OPEN IT!"
"Patience, please!"
"Guildmaster, whenever you’re ready."
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"Guildmaster, whenever you’re ready."
"Woah…!"
"Golly, I’d like to touch it!"
"No way! Don’t let him get his dirty paws all over it!"
"Wahh! My eye!"
"Oh my gosh! Get away from my treasure!!!"
"Your treasure?! I saw it first!"
"No, wait!"
"Hey, hey! Stay back, or I’ll knock you out!"
"Meh-heh-heh! As if you could ever-- hey! Get off!"
"Everyone, stop! Please!"
“It’s mine!”
“No!”
“Take one step and you’re dead!”
“Eeek! What are you doing?!”
“Go to hell!”
"Diglett, w-we need to get out of here, yup yup...! (Ow…)"
"Something’s… something's come over everyone... Come with me!"
"Something’s… something's come over everyone... Come with me!"
"Wait! You’re just trying to lure me away so you can stop me from getting my treasure!"
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"What? N-no! I promise, I--"
"Diglett!!!"
"Diglett!!!"
The group waits anxiously for what comes next. Sandshrew takes the Relic of Despair from his bag, and the entire group shudders and recoils. The spirits find themselves almost forcefully pushed away, but hold their ground enough to witness. Ditto slowly reaches forward to grab it, but Samurott steps on their goo to hold them back. Sandshrew slowly steps towards the plain-looking box, inlaid with a hemispherical divot perfectly sized for the Relic. Step, step, step, Sandshrew inches slowly towards the box, fear and apprehension causing him to shiver more with every footfall, memories of the last several days flooding his mind. Sheer doubt seems to almost cloud his vision, but he shakes it off, the spirits lending him strength. With herculean effort, nearly on the verge of collapsing, Sandshrew manages to place the Relic of Despair in its box, shakily removing his paw from it. The box suddenly slams shut under its own power, then… nothing. The nerve-wracked explorers are left uncertain as to what they've actually accomplished.
A long, uncertain moment passes, before a feeling of relief begins to wash over them. Rest, they each think. This feels restful. Turning back, they begin the long journey back to the surface, their hearts all the lighter. The higher they climb, the greater spirits in which they find themselves, and before they even realize it, sunlight shines in through the cave entrance. The spirits of the fallen apprentices, for their part, begin to feel themselves grow lighter. The former guild members, crowded around the cave entrance, turn to them and wave, their eyes full of gratitude, as they gradually fade away. The remaining spirits nod to one another and undertake their last act for Treasure Town's sake: drawing together the last of their willpower, the earth and stone around the cave rumbles, clashing together rocks and boulders and once more sealing the entrance to Beach Cave. The explorers look on at the scene in amazement, and soon, after what may as well have been a second, or perhaps hours, the explorers collapse onto the sand, exhausted, their nervous energy finally leaving them. Like releasing a breath you didn't know you were holding, they feel a terrific sense of relief as they lie languid about the beachside. Somehow, they feel the spirits of their friends put to rest at last. The truth of what happened to Treasure Town revealed, the scourge of the Relic of Despair sealed away as it always should have been, and finally, their freedom—
"Everyone!"
The explorers blink, fear taking hold of them anew. Monotuff and Chatot stand before them. Monotuff remains completely still.
"You…"
Chatot lunges forward at them, they flinch and make ready to defend, when he suddenly takes them in a wide embrace, hugging them all as tightly as he can.
"…You did it! Oh, thank you, my friends! Thank you!"
The explorers look at each other warily, putting down Chatot as he sheepishly clears his throat and regains his composure. He steps back over to the guildmaster. The explorers wait for Monotuff's reply, as he looks at them. Or… maybe through them? His gaze seems distant. His lip quivers.
"......"
"*sniff* What… what did I do?"
"Erm, guildmaster… No, Wigglytuff, I'm sure we will all have much time in the future to process what has happened these last months. We… ought to decide what we should do from here on out."
Monotuff—well, Wigglytuff, nods his head weakly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"Our friends… Our town..."
Chatot puts a comforting wing on his friend's back, taking a deep breath. The explorers remain unsure, knowing what Wigglytuff has been capable of. Their trust in him is… limited. Chatot finally looks back to them.
"...Wigglytuff and I have a lot of work ahead of us. It's our fault Treasure Town became the way it is, so it's only fair we took the first steps to restoring it."
A pause.
"As for you, bright young explorers… where will you go?
you got this
