Fire and Darkness

First topic message reminder :

Kari had no idea why he decided to come back here, it wasn't good for him last time, as the scar over his right eye proved that point. Alas, the large, white furred, four legged, Absol. was probably fueled by the want for treasure and riches, which always seemed to lead him into the harshest of situations, as his past so clearly supported. He decided to venture into the mountains again, but what he didn't expect was the task of survival that lied ahead, and the trust he must put into a Pokemon, he doesn't even know.

Ares, though quite used to harsh languages, had been so alienated from such vocabulary that it had evolved a stun factor. He hesitated as this creature that he regarded as civil promptly turned to vulgarity, but who could blame him? Perhaps if Ares had the stones, he would also be cursing like a mighty, drunk, pissed off sailor. He would concur with the Absol with a simple nod of his head, saying, "That does suck."

When the question was returned to him, he would simply shrug, "I'm here because I'm looking for raw ore. I have a hypothesis about its uses."

"Raw ore, eh?" Kari said skeptically "Now what kind of use might you have for that?" Kari started shifting around the room looking for anything of interest to calm his boredom.

The darkness that slowly warped the produced light from the tip of Ares's tail began to increase in intensity as the cave began to slope upwards. Though it was gradual and hardly noticeable, the Charmander began to find it difficult to concentrate on forming his words. There was a slight chill that began to build in the atmosphere, and, though concealed from his polluted sight, his breath was producing vapors on the chilled air.

He shrugged in reply, preferring to remain slightly mysterious in his intentions like any true inventor. He would hate to see his idea plundered and complex mystery solved by another, and thus it was simplest to both give and not give an answer. "Well," he would begin nonchalantly in an attempt to seem unsure about the whole process himself, "I figure that there has to be something useful with it. It's there for a reason; I'm not sure what."

"Staying vague, I see. Well, to each his own, I guess." Kari said while looking around further for items, or a way out, unfortunately he found none of either, and gave up in frustration and in favor of laying down. Kari found a smooth bit of rock near Ares and lied down, curled up and closed his eyes, still staying awake in case something happened.

His ploy had been discovered? This simply would not do! "What?" he would exclaim, his eyes widening in faux shock, "I genuinely have no inkling. For all I know, it could be used for toothpicks or extravagant jewelry." Perhaps there were some seeds of truth in that: his own hypothesis could be very wrong. There might not be a grand design intended for it, and it might simply be there to support the weight of the surface world. That seemed like a particularly good use to him.

As the incline grew slightly steeper, Ares was left with a slight ache in his legs. Where were they headed? "Hey Tsukiakari," he would say, "how much farther do you think 'til something happens or we find something interesting?"

Kari heard the shock in his voice and Kari felt as though he had cracked the hard shell around Ares. He was asked a question he didn't know the answer to. Kari said from his laying position "To be honest, I have no freaking clue, Knowing my luck however probably after a nap or two." he said yawning.

He couldn't help but chuckle at this notion. It was quite a true assessment of their situation: this cavern could connect to several other labyrinth like tunnels, and then those could lead to even more. This was Mt. Frostmeer, after all, and local myth held that the mountain was a giant maze meant to ensnare souls and cause them to wander aimlessly for eternity. There was a simplistic beauty to that notion - being trapped in a mountain - that gave the very Earth a sort of sentience.

Ares adored it.

He would shrug at the nothingness, agreeing with his companion's remark, "Probably."

The silence in the cave was calming in a weird way, Sometimes it felt nice to hear nothing and be left to the sounds of your own thoughts and the occasional dripping of cave moisture.

Kari yawned once more and asked Ares a question to break the silence and give the two something to talk about "So, If you don't mind me asking, Where do you come from? Originally I mean."

Ares would hesitantly look up towards the white-furred figure that walked beside him. He was not usually inclined to revealing much about his past, simply because of the fact that he felt he could not. Why should he when he was nowhere near accomplishing the goal he had originally set out do? As his footsteps echoed through the dank cave, he would allow a slight exhale to slip past his lips as he attempted to explain his origins to the best of his abilities.

"I come from the Far North," he would answer, "past Mt. Frostmeer and beyond the mountain range. What about you?"

Kari was intrigued by the answer Ares gave him, he had never been out of the regions had been born in. And didn't plan on venturing to far from them, but this trip to Frostmeer proved he didn't even follow his own rules sometimes.

Kari gave an honest answer, but he wasn't too sure how much Ares trusted him at this point. "I was abandoned by my parents in Shadowhue, as an eggling. I hope to find my parents someday and find out why." he said with a sigh.

A nod was given in affirmation, his eyes cautiously observing his partner as they continued to progress through the hazardous catacombs that zigzagged throughout the interior of the mountain. He had not anticipated encountering another who had experienced less than satisfactory parents, particularly parents that were negligent enough to abandon their offspring right off the bat. He would empathize with Tsukiakari, a light wisp of smoke exhaled as he stated his conclusion about the matter of parents:

"Parents blow."

Kari gave a slight chuckle "Aint that a fact? I want to find my parents and get their side of the story because all I've concluded is that either my parents were too weak or too uncaring to raise me, But I push these thoughts aside, you see?"

Kari continued along side Ares through the cave confused as to where to go, but this was the only way to advance further, so they pushed onwards.

A nod was given in approval of Tsukiakari's observation, his eyes sliding shut momentarily as he performed the action. Leaving newborns and eggs in the woods was not something completely alien to Ares. His society practiced eugenics, which meant that children who were not at a certain level physically had to be abandoned in the barren landscape of his homeland. These children either miraculously survived and proved their strength, or were easy meals for the feral Pokemon that roamed there. While this might not be the case with his Absol companion, he did find himself experiencing great curiosity around the subject.

As they continued their walk, it appeared that they had come to a fork in the road. The tunnel that they had been traveling along had branched off into two separate tunnels, each as equally ominous and dark as the other. Ares would swap gazes with both entrances before asking, "So, which one?"

Kari stared blankly at the two corridors that lay in front of him, he thought about which path to take for a longer amount of time then he should have. "Well.." he said puzzled "I don't feel danger from either, so I guess it doesn't matter, its more of a chance." Kari started walking to the left, hoping it was their escape.

Tsukiakari had a point. Though both tunnels looked equally foreboding and quite possibly disastrous, there was no way in knowing if the correct path had been selected if they did not attempt to investigate. It appeared the Absol wanted to go down the left path, and thus Ares would follow promptly. Hopefully something along the lines of an exit or escape route lingered down this selected trail.

As the Charmander walked beside his companion, a glint in the corner caught his attention. Naturally inquisitive as to what had caused the shimmer, he would reach into a groove in the wall and withdraw an item. What could it possibly be?

This dice is not existing.