Migrating through the Marsh

//Continuing from Destiny's Calling

Energy: 5/20 (-15 from entering)

Carrying (no bag yet):
+Power Band


After their struggle at Black Mist Mountain, Milt the Aron and Lapis the Goomy were finally allowed to continue on their journey. Milt's destination was Grassveil Town, where he would sign up to join the guild, but for now, the closest landmark was Rainfront Town. All they had to do was go through Cattail Marsh.

After a well deserved rest, the duo stood at the entrance to the marsh. They didn't have much daylight left, and if they wanted to make it to Rainfront before dark, they would have to hustle. Milt looked over to Lapis. Even though there were still some signs of fatigue, determination shined in his eyes. "You ready for this Lapis?" he asked her, excited.

Lapis: {19 - 15 (entry) = 4}

Straining a little in order to move, the blue-colored slug trailed behind the iron-eater as fast a pace as she could go. She was still weak after the rough battle at the mountain, but she still pushed onward, although it was a little tough to move for someone who didn't have any legs. Perhaps attempting evolution could fix that, and maybe even make the slimy creature a little less gross.

The Goomy sat besides Milt and rotated in order to look at him courteously as he spoke. Her answer, however, was less so.
"It's our only way back, after all, so we might as well start now."
Everything that had gone down only just a while ago was astonishing in so many ways, it left Lapis in a sort of shock. Despite Goomy being notorious for being weak, it was strategy and courage that brought down the mighty shadow. If the winged one ever had the chance, she would thank the Archen for its tremendous help in battle.

As for the task at hand, Lapis had never been to this marsh before, and the swampy terrain was already turning out to be difficult to traverse. All it did was make her feel slimier and more disgusting: not at all what she wanted. In order to keep the grimy muck off her slippery body, she'd have to ooze more slime, which might actually make the ball of goo feel worse. The membrane Pokemon supposed that it wouldn't hurt to do, especially if Milt really did accept her for who she is.

The Soft Tissue pokemon wasn't wrong. There was only one way to get to their destination, and that was forward. Milt happily lead the way for them, weaving through tall marsh grass and sticking to solid (or rather the least wet) ground. However he suddenly came to a halt. Nothing really seemed to be in their way: just a bit of water that would just about reach their necks. So then why did he stop?

Lapis: {4}

The near-water-type slid into the water, which went up just to her cheeks and mouth. It was fortunate that it wasn't any higher, otherwise she'd look like a pair of antennae slowly making its way across the mucky water. It felt odd under her foot, as if the mud were both granulated bits of dirt and a thick liquid at the same time, with the thinner water layering the top, of course. It felt as if the earth itself were trying to suck her in.

Wanting to check on how Milt was dealing with this bizarre terrain, she turned around to see that he had halted just before the shore, immobile and hesitant.
"What seems to be the problem?"
A number of possibilities crossed Lapis's mind as the possible answer. Maybe it seemed to gross, much like herself whom the Aron had lied to about not minding her sliminess, or that he couldn't swim and was uncomfortable around water. While the slug didn't know it, this was highly likely since the steel Pokemon was also part rock type. But she continued to ponder with an inquisitive look.

Milt blinked several times as he snapped back into focus. "O-Oh nothing. Everything's fine. I'm ok," he told her as sincerely as possible, although Milt wasn't the best liar. But before she could doubt him, the Aron began to walk forward. He seemed to shiver once he hit the water, but as tense as he looked, he seemed to be doing alright. He hurried up through the deepest part, where the water was up to his chin, and scampered out on the other side, shaking himself dry as best he could. Cleaning the mud off his feet wouldn't make much of a difference since they'd probably just get dirty again. He would walk right past Lapis, avoiding her gaze. "Let's keep going..." he said calmly, hoping there was only semi-solid ground from here on out.

Lapis: {4}

Upon watching Milt's attempt to enter the water, Lapis's expression changed from concern to a mix of which with sympathy. It seemed the Aron had a fear relating to the marsh. Perhaps this wasn't the best path to get to Rainfront. That was only the first obstacle, too; there would be many more dips into the deep swampy area before making it to the end. Each one would be as difficult, if not more so, for the Goomy's steel-type friend. The very thought of this made Lapis shrivel with guilt. She could've told Milt about the shortcut, but she was too excited to travel with him down here.

"Are you going to be okay with this? If you're not, we could always go back and find a new route..." Lapis asked sincerely, her eyes clouded with worry for her travel-mate. She hated seeing anyone in pain or struggling to do something. Perhaps there would be a solution to this, like being able to press down the cattails and other plant species to create a sort of bridge that could handle more weight. The Goomy would have no problem doing that whatsoever; her goo could hold the vegetation down and glue the fronds together. Any possible solution to help Milt across, Lapis would most likely attempt at least once.

Now he'd gone and made her worry about him. As sweet of her as it was, Milt didn't want that. "I-I'll be alright," he told her with a warm smile. "You don't have to worry about me." Although finding a new route seemed sensible, it would also be rather time consuming. On top of that, Milt knew that once he became part of an exploration team, he would probably have to face this fear more frequently than he would like. It would be best if he could desensitize himself to that fear, even if it would be difficult.

As kind as Lapis's idea was, it probably wouldn't work. Even those plants wouldn't be able to hold over 130 pounds of iron that was the little Aron. "C'mon. Let's keep going," he said, waving her on with a foot before continuing through the marsh.

Lapis: {4}

Hearing Milt's semi-solemn tone while trying to be happy gave Lapis chills. She could tell he was miserable from a slight glint in his eyes, one everyone had when they were hiding an emotion. Just something a Pokemon can feel in the essence of another. The Goomy's clay wings trembled as the shiver erupted up her body and ended at the tip of her antennae, just barely visible. She then bared a smile of pity and concern, which she held as Milt advanced ahead.

As the duo trekked onward, it was highly apparent how large the marsh was; the viscosity of the liquid and the height of the plants gradually increased the farther in they strode, which was somewhat intimidating as the thin stalks towered over the small dragon and her partner. Her eyes became pools, reflecting what she gazed at as her heart sunk and lungs stuttered at the inexplicable fearsome sight. It wasn't nearly as terrifying as the humongous mountain was, but for some reason the sharp appearance and head-like tips of the fronds made things all the more worse for the minuscule slug. Lapis was tempted to cower besides the Aron for comfort, but then he would know that she, too, was uncomfortable here and might call of the journey, stranding the two of them without a place to return to. The Goomy truly didn't want that, and so she continued as if there was nothing to be bothered by.

Energy: 5/20

Milt did his best not to worry as well, for Lapis's sake. He forced himself to focus on other things, like forming an exploration team when he finally got to Grassveil Town! He still had to come up with a name, find a partner. What kind of partner would he even want? Milt knew he couldn't be picky, but still, this was a daydream after all. He'd probably want someone more offensive than he was, it just seemed logical. On the other hand...

Milt looked back at Lapis, but lost his train of thought when he saw how nervous she was. However, she eventually surpressed her feeling before Milt could ask about them, so he decided to keep quiet and carry on.

TheRussBuss carried out 2 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

,

Lapis: {4}

A single hind antenna twitched once as her mouth scrunched in self-disapproval and her eyes veered away from Milt's direction. She wanted to blame herself for this mess, even if it wasn't her idea to pass through here. Yet at the same time, she was inexplicably angry at Milt. Why? Perhaps because he wasn't telling her the truth, perhaps because he wasn't trying to help and comfort her like she did to him. Trying to forcibly shake off the feeling only made it worse, so Lapis concentrated all her attention to the mud.

The mud in a way could represent the Goomy. Slimy, insignificant, looked down upon both literally and mentally, and most of all, easily tread on. While Lapis didn't know it, Pokemon could easily take advantage of her helpful personality. It has even happened before, and the Goomy didn't even truly care. She knew she was the lowest of the low, but she never once thought that she was digging herself deeper.

Energy: 1/20


Milt just didn't want to be a bother to Lapis. Of course he cared about her, but he didn't want to annoy her by constantly cheching in on her. He he felt as if something was amiss again, he would stop and bring it up with her. Anyway, back to the matter at hand: getting through this marsh.

Sadly, on more than one occasion, Milt and Lapis hit dead ends. There would be nothing but water before them, and unlike before. The water here was a lot deeper, and land was far away, so they would have to find another path. Every time they did, the Aron couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He was leading them after all. Once they hit their 4th dead end, Milt leaned his head back to the sky and groaned. They were wasting so much time! "S-Sorry," he said to Lapis. She could probably swim until she found land. He was the one holding them back.

With her antenna, the Goomy could hear a fain buzzing overhead before Milt could. It seemed to be coming from their left, but the cattails blocked out the view.

Lapis: {4}

The traveling and patterns of the marsh were becoming a bit tedious. Not only did the trek feel extended by an awkward atmosphere perceived by Lapis, but also because almost anywhere they went led to the deep dips into the water, making impossible for even Lapis to cross. She couldn't think of what hopelessness Milt could be feeling, which he expressed in a single stuttered word.

"It's fine, truly... I mean, it's not like you know this area, anyway. We're doing this together, both of us for the first time. It's not like either of us can know--" she said, interrupted by something swimming in her hearing. Her hind antennae picked up on a buzzing sound that might've been agitating if she wasn't so startled by it, whipping her upper body towards the source. Her reaction was entirely physical, as she was unable to speak any more. Her mind was too focused, trying to understand what it was, how close it was, and when it would strike. The other mental recognition was on her own fear, which made her hearing percepters roar with the heightened rate pulse of her blood.

Milt found some comfort in her words, but her sudden stop threw him off. He looked rather confused as she whipped around. "... Lapis?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, watching her antennas twitch.

It was most likely a but type with that buzzing sound. It took Milt a while to hear the sound, but when he did, he became much more alert, standing right by Lapis's side, ready for whatever was coming their way. Suddenly, a Volbeat would fly overhead, showing up briefly before being lost behind the cattails behind them. However, the buzzing came back around, and the Volbeat stopped above them, hovering in place.

"... Well howdy!" the bug-type said with a smile and a wave, oblivious to their defensive posture. "I never expected to find a couple like you wanderin' this here marsh. A dragon and a steel-type. Whoda thought?" the Volbeat mused to himself.

Lapis: {4}

The frightened Goomy's heart suddenly filled with panic, the dread settling uneasily at the base, especially when Milt detected this unnerving feeling. The buzz of an insect unseen was literally bugging her, especially with the thought that the duo would have to deal with it. Lapis shuffled closer to Milt as he stepped by her side, glancing about nervously. As the insect approached and hovered there, the dragon-type slug had to suppress a scream. She nearly leapt into the air as soon as it spoke.

"Um... I, uh..." The Membrane Pokemon completely blanked out, surprised it didn't simply attack them. As relieved as she wanted to be, it was a little hard to believe it wasn't hostile, especially considering what was going on with the sky. It was rather suspicious to say the least, but it was awfully rude of the blue winged one to be as silent as she was. And did he just call them a couple? What could she possibly say in response. Her only reaction was to look bewildered at Milt, hoping he could handle this before the slug slipped up.

Milt would follow the Volbeat as it flew overhead and came back around. Thank goodness they were friendly. After the bug-type spoke, the Aron lowered his guard. He would place a foot on her.... where her shoulder should have been, hoping she would calm down some. The Volbeat meant them no harm.

The Aron took the "couple" comment as "two pokemon together," not the way Lapis might have, so there was no awkwardness there. "Hello there!" he called with a happy wave. "We're actually kinda lost, and I can't swim. Can you help us find a way through the marsh?" he asked, getting right to the point. He knew Lapis was feeling rather overwhelmed and awkward, so he'd try to make this brief, for her sake.

The Volbeat crossed its arms and nodded in understanding. "Mm, mm. I can see why you folks would have trouble with that. Plus, ya can't really see over all the tall grass 'round here. I can be yer eyes in the sky!"

Milt would nod in thanks before looking at Lapis and giving her a happy smile. Things were looking good for them.