Escape

Morning came far too soon. Dawn light trickled into the makeshift prison, dappling Haru’s face. Despite getting relatively decent sleep, exhaustion clung to her bones. She wished she could get some more rest, but the branches shifting overhead indicated otherwise.

Susana’s long claws reached into the pit, scooping her up before unceremoniously dropping her beside it. The zoroark leaned in again, dragging out Nip, who hissed and spat at her.

He looked about as good as she felt, though he’d clearly attempted to groom and clean himself in the night. She wished she’d done the same. Her complaints about him grooming in public seemed so far away now. So inconsequential.

Further down the path, the other three explorers gathered together, eating and conversing. Umbra sat beside them, her attention slipping in and out of the conversation as she took opportunities to glare at Nip. Even from a distance, Haru caught some of their chatter.

“How much longer do you think this is going to take?” Remer asked. “I pinged the camp to give our location this morning. Our Lady is requesting a status update.”

Skorch puffed a ring of smoke. “Your guess is as good as mine. The stories we found refer to another mystery dungeon. We’ll probably have to go all the way to the peak.”

“I’ll bet we’ll get there in no time flat!” Topaz said, jumping to his paws. “Come on, we’re the best scouts of the gang.”

“You know Our Lady doesn’t like referring to our alliance as a gang,” Skorch huffed.

“Yeah, well, she’s not here!”

Umbra tore off a bite of jerky, chewing. “Do you seriously plan to make me wait that long to get my side of our deal?”

“Susana will decide when your end of the bargain has been fulfilled,” Remer replied. “But if you prove your worth, I’m sure it won’t be that long.”

Umbra let out a low growl, clenching and unclenching her claws. “I will do what I must to get rid of him. I do not care what happens to this village. Once my role is done, I plan to wash my claws of the situation and return home.”

Skorch tilted her head. “You don’t live here?”

Haru would have listened to more, but an apple bonked her head, shaking her out of her thoughts.

“Hurry up and eat,” Susana grunted. “Or don’t. No skin off my back. We’re leaving soon.”

Nip sat beside her, scowling at his own fruit before leaning over to take a bite. With a sigh, Haru gave up on eavesdropping and dug into her own.

The path became dilapidated as they traveled further up the mountain. Grasses and bushes sprouted up in the middle of the otherwise open space. In one spot, the remnants of a landslide forced them to scramble over piles of stone and rotting wood, slowing them down. It felt like they’d barely made any progress by sun high, but Haru already wanted to drop and take a long nap.

They still had a long way to go, the peak visible in the distance. Ahead, the path curved away from the cliff they’d been following, veering into a stretch of woods that sloped gently upwards.

“Susana!” Remer called from the back of the group. “This seems like a relatively sheltered area. Should we stop here for lunch and try to gather more supplies? We may not have another opportunity as good as this.”

“I thought we were in a hurry!” Topaz protested. “We brought plenty of supplies. Let’s stop for lunch, sure, but we shouldn’t waste any more time than we need to.”

“Easy, Topaz,” Susana said, her tone placating. “You both make good points. We don’t know how many days it will take to reach and research the peak, and Our Lady will want updates. But we also cannot afford to run out of food.”

The gorochu’s cheeks sparked with indignation. “Then why are we wasting our food on them?” He gestured sharply in Haru and Nip’s direction. Haru flinched, but Nip remained stoic.

Susana took a deep breath. “I’ll concede your point on the sneasel. But we need Haru in good health if she’s going to guide us.”

But you’ve made it clear I won’t survive this either, Haru thought, involuntarily shivering. Her gaze dropped, staring blankly at the pebbles in front of her, but a nudge from Nip made her look up again.

She glanced at him, confused, but he said nothing. Instead, he stood at attention, ear swiveling, nose twitching, and mouth slightly parted to take in scents. Looking for an opening, maybe?

Raising her head, she sniffed at the air, only to freeze as she picked up a musky scent. Someone else was nearby. A wildener, she suspected. And a big one at that. She tried to think back. Had she smelled this before? It reminded her a bit of ursaring scent, but it wasn’t quite right. As she squinted at the tree line, she could just make out gouges in their bark, likely territorial markings.

Nip turned his attention to her and hissed in a low voice, “This could be the opening we need. We need to draw their attention. Get loud. Argue with me, or something.”

“What?”

But before she could get clarification, Nip let out a growl and spoke in a loud, disgruntled tone. “Ugh, don’t you get how tired I am? I could hardly get any sleep with you snoring all night long.”

Well, she had to say something now or this wasn’t going to work. Letting indignation color her voice, she replied, “I don’t snore!”

“Oh yes, you do. Like a hibernating snorlax. Not to mention how much space you took up splayed out like one.”

“Oh my god, shut up.” Susana stomped over towards them, making Haru shrink back. She raised a claw as if to strike them. But before they could, Remer called out.

“Susana?” The mutant girafarig’s voice quavered. “We’re not alone.”

Just as he said it, Haru felt the ground tremble. Pebbles jumped and clattered as it lurched, the trees swaying. She yelped, dropping to her belly as she rode out the shock waves of the earthquake.

Before she had time to recover, two massive ursaluna barreled out from the trees, claws glinting in the sunlight.

“Shit! Evasive maneuvers, team!” Susana called over the wildener’s threatening roars. “Skorch! In the air. Topaz! Non-electric attacks! Remer! Focus on range! Umbra, do whatever you can to help!”

Then the zoroark launched herself at the nearest ursaluna, whispy tendrils of dark-type energy dripping from her mouth before she let out a vicious snarl.

Haru cowered in place, trembling as the clearing broke out into a flurry of battles. How strong were these explorers, if they were willing to take on not just one, but two angry ursaluna?

A sharp nudge to her side made her flinch, shaking her out of her thoughts. She whipped her head around. Nip stood alert, eyes still on the battle. But when he spoke in a low hiss, he was clearly addressing her.

“This is our chance! They’re too distracted fighting for their lives.”

Their chance…? Clarity hit Haru like a snorlax. Nip was right. They likely wouldn’t get a better opportunity than this. She sprang to her feet, fighting full-body tremors. “R-right. Let’s go.”

“Head for the trees,” Nip said, spinning on his heel. “The undergrowth looked thick. We might be able to lose them.” Then he dashed away, head low. Haru raced after him as quickly as she could, left in the dust.

She’d made it halfway to the trees — Nip nearly swallowed by their shadows — when she heard Skorch roar, “Susana! The prisoners!”

Haru didn’t dare look back, but she could hear the zoroark’s yelp well enough, followed by a loud curse. “Topaz! Stop them!”

Haru stumbled over her paws. She couldn’t see Nip anymore. It was just her. Just her in danger. Just her outpaced.

An odd scent hit the back of Haru’s throat, almost like the smell of burning. A heartbeat later, before she had a chance to think, a thunderbolt struck. She collapsed, her limbs seizing and convulsing. Instinctively, she tried to let out a terrified squeal, but couldn’t.

Then, as suddenly as the pain started, it was over. She slumped, panting, the burning scent still stuck in her throat. Her paws felt like jelly as she tried to stumble forward. But she’d gotten hardly more than a pawful of steps before a heavy weight slammed her from behind, sending her tumbling.

The gorochu’s claws dug into her back, drawing blood as his weight forced her to the ground. She screamed and struggled, hind legs churning in the dirt, but couldn’t drag herself free.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears welling. Was this it? Was she going to die here while Nip escaped? Why? Why was this happening? What did she do to deserve this?

Something cold nicked her ear. Topaz grunted, his weight shifting. The pressure on her back lessened. She peeked one eye open.

Nip?

The sneasel was racing towards her, shards of ice accumulating on his legs. The scent of electricity flared in her nostrils again. But before Topaz could release his charge, Nip pounced, striking him in the head with a single, spinning kick that threw him off balance.

Haru scrambled to her feet, staring with wide eyes. Nip… Nip had rescued her.

“Stop staring, idiot,” Nip snarled, giving her a shove with his shoulder. “Run.“

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Haru dashed towards the trees. Behind her, she heard the sound of another dull strike and a yelp from Topaz. A heartbeat later, Nip dashed past her once again.

The shadows of the trees swallowed him. She dove under the nearest bush, finally daring to take a look back. Topaz clutched at his head, glaring into the bushes. He shook it, then dropped on all fours and dashed toward the trees.

They weren’t safe yet. They had to keep moving.

“Stick to the densest undergrowth,” Nip hissed from somewhere nearby. “He’s bigger. It’ll slow him down more than it will us.”

That made sense. Haru took a deep breath, pressing her belly against the dirt so that she could shimmy under a tangle of brambles. Thorny stems scraped her pelt, tugging loose strands of fur. But she emerged on the other side of the patch unharmed. The crashing sound of Topaz kept her moving.

She completely lost sight and sound of Nip, but she could still smell him nearby. Silently, she cursed herself for not bringing any battle supplies, though she doubted Susana would have let her keep them.

As she dived under a bush, she felt the ground slope beneath her. Down was good. Down was towards home. Or it would be if she didn’t suddenly emerge at a steep drop-off, eye-level with the tops of the trees in front of her. Swirling mist rose around their branches. In spots the air wavered, revealing flickers of dead branches.

Nip emerged to her left, panting. His eyes darted wildly. “A… A mystery dungeon?” he gasped.

Behind them, the crashing came closer. Nip whipped his head around, then he turned to Haru. “We have to chance it.”

“What? You want to just go running into a dungeon — a dungeon we have no information on?”

“Have any better ideas?” He didn’t wait for a response. Walking to the edge, he stood precariously before taking a seat with his legs dangling over. Then, with a deep breath, he pushed off, half sliding, half falling down the slope. Loose pebbles skittered around him before he lost control and fell, disappearing into the mist.

Haru glanced at the forest behind her. He was right. They had to chance it. She could either enter the mystery dungeon or face Susana’s wrath.

She took a single step…

And pitched forward, tumbling down the hill. Head spinning, she had just enough sense to tuck into a ball, rolling out as she bounced off stone and spun through dirt, fog rising around her.

She came to an abrupt stop when she crashed into a snowdrift. Stunned by the sudden cold, it took Haru several heartbeats to uncurl, backing out of it. Powdery snow clung to her back in clumps. She shook it off, thankful for her water-resistant pelt.

Snow crunched behind her. She froze, then whirled around.

It was just Nip, staring at her with wide eyes. “We need to move. If he jumps in now, he’ll find us.”

Right. Topaz.

Haru turned to get a good look at their surroundings. They were in a small clearing, ringed by holly bushes and tall, gnarled, leafless trees, their branches creating a web overhead. Pale sunlight trickled between them, dampened by dungeon fog. On the far side, the bushes parted, creating an open, winding path broken by the occasional tree. As far as she could tell, it was the only way forward.

She took a few steps, then paused, looking at the tracks she left behind.

Nip followed her gaze. “We’ll just have to move quickly. Look for oddities that could suggest a zone shift. Do you know anything about this dungeon?”

“Nothing,” Haru replied. “I didn’t even know it was here.” Maybe Anu did. Maybe Toshi did. Maybe her grandfather would have. But she’d never seen a reason to memorize any dungeons except for ones that might actually matter to the average merchant. A part of her regretted that now.

“I see. Well… hopefully it won’t be a long one. I don’t suppose you have any food stocks if we’re here for a while?”

“Just oran berries,” Haru said as they exited the clearing.

“I see,” Nip mumbled. “All the more reason to move quickly.”

They lapsed into tense silence, trudging through the snow as they pushed deeper into the dungeon. For the most part, it had the typical layout that Haru was used to, with small clearings and winding paths, though these paths were wider than what she was used to. She noticed Nip constantly checking over his shoulder, ear swiveling as he remained vigilant. There was no point in small talk. Only in pushing forward.

Several empty clearings later, they found the entrance to the next zone, a small ring of holly bushes, the trees around them almost forming a cage. A beam of sunlight shone down on the center. Haru and Nip wasted no time in entering the ring, the fog closing in around them, then parting to reveal a new clearing.

“That should be enough distance for now,” Haru said, slumping. “Let’s rest for a moment.”

“This would be a good time to deal with these bonds,” Nip said, gesturing with his head to the arms behind his back.

Right. His bindings. Haru felt her heart skip a beat, the smallest seed of doubt in her mind. What if he used this opportunity to make a break for it? What if he ran as soon as they were safe and went on to hurt someone else?

She pushed the thought out of her mind. He just saved her when he could have left her behind. Right now, they both needed to be able to run and fight freely. She could put aside her misgivings.

Taking one of his paws in hers, she pulled him down so that his arms were at mouth level and began gnawing on the rope, crushing and splitting the thick cord of fibers in her jaws. Several tense heartbeats passed as the knot frayed and loosened. And then, all at once, Nip was free.

He wasted no time springing back to his feet, rubbing at his sore wrists. “Thank you. Let’s keep moving.”

The next zone went by in tense silence. The one after that, as well. Nip finally broke the silence on the fourth.

“Once we find our way out, it would probably be beneficial to keep to the shadows. How well do you know the mountain?”

“This part?” Haru asked. “Not at all. I’ve never been this high.” She glanced at the twisted branches above them. Snow flurries filtered from the foggy sky. “I… believe there’s a river that cuts through the mountain a bit off the main path. I could hear it yesterday evening, not long before we made camp. Otherwise, I’m clueless.”

Nip sighed. “That may be our best option.”

As they entered another empty clearing, he took a quick look around for food or the exit before pointing to a path out. “If we can follow the river, or even swim in it, we may be able to lose them. We could mask our scent.”

He had a point. Haru couldn’t help but be surprised, even though she knew she shouldn’t be. The plan seemed like something a wildener would come up with. Of course, he almost was one. But his logic was sound, and she couldn’t come up with any better ideas.

Humming an affirmation, Haru turned her attention back to the sky. It was hard to judge what time of day it was. The sky of a dungeon rarely synced up with the real world. They could have been here a quarter of a day or an entire one, and only her tiredness and hunger would give any indication of which was correct.

Suddenly, Nip put his arm out in front of Haru, forcing her to stop. He held his other paw up to his mouth, gesturing for silence. Then he took a few hesitant steps forward before stopping again.

But the sound of crunching snow continued. A moment later, Haru caught a glimpse of a dark orange pelt racing past.

Topaz was here.

Nip remained still for several heartbeats, then raced ahead. “Come on. We need to hurry. He must be following our tracks.”

Haru chased after him as fast as she could, spraying snow behind her. Ahead, the path opened into a clearing. They’d already passed through here once, their paw prints now mingling with Topaz’s. Nip wasted no time dashing to the only path they hadn’t taken yet, Haru trailing close behind.

They didn’t dare talk, afraid that Topaz would hear them, running in tense silence. Only the sound of crunching snow broke the monotony. The twisted, gnarled branches of the trees bared down on them, reminding them that there was no place to go but where the dungeon took them.

Panting, Haru struggled to keep pace. The snow numbed her paws, her hot breath coming out in puffy clouds.

“There,” Nip hissed. “There’s the next exit.”

Sure enough, Haru could see the now-familiar ring of bushes and branches, heralding them to a new zone. Nip waited just outside for her to catch up. Then, together, they stepped into the space.

Every heartbeat they spent with their vision obscured by fog felt like torture; Topaz could catch up at any minute, and they’d not know it until too late. But finally, the fog cleared, revealing a copse of scattered trees and deep snow drifts. A small handful of wildeners were scattered about the field. A few raised their heads to curiously or warily stare at Haru and Nip, but none bothered to approach. And that was just fine, as far as Haru was concerned. The sooner they got out, the better.

“This must be the stable zone,” she said, taking a few steps into the snow. “Look for a path winding out of here.”

“Like that one?” Nip pointed to their right, past a dozing furret, and to a spot where a trail almost clear of snow disappeared into the mist.

“Exactly like that one,” Haru agreed, taking the lead. “Come on!”

The mist swallowed them up, thick enough that Haru couldn’t even see her nose, her footsteps muffled to silence. But just as quickly as it engulfed her, it left her standing next to Nip, brown and gold leaves falling around them.

She took a second to orient herself, sniffing at the air. The wind was blowing towards her and into the dungeon. Not good. But the air seemed moist, perhaps a sign of the river. A narrow dirt path weaved through the undergrowth ahead of them, winding through the woods with the occasional dip. Most of the bushes and plants along the side were barren of leaves, picked clean.

“This looks like it might be a sawsbuck path,” Haru said. She pointed one paw down the path. “I think there’s a good chance we’ll find the river if we follow it.”

Nip tilted his head. “I’m surprised you recognize it.”

Haru scoffed, taking the lead. “The nearest village is more than a day’s walk away. We need basic survival skills to travel. Just because I don’t live like a wildener doesn’t mean I know nothing.”

“I didn’t intend to say that,” Nip growled, shaking his head. He dashed forward, passing Haru. “Come, we cannot afford to waste any time. Topaz could exit any heartbeat now.”

Nip was right, Haru silently admitted. There was no time to dawdle. Against the aching protests of her limbs, she broke out into a sprint, twigs whipping at her fur along the edge of the path as it narrowed, widened, and twisted, meandering through the forest.

They traveled without speaking, afraid to alert any prying ears to their presence. Occasionally Nip would stop, sniff at the air, then dash off again.

As time passed, the sound of rushing water grew louder, louder, louder, turning eventually into a roar. Far louder than a river should be. The forest petered out, giving way to grass nearly as tall as Haru.

She stopped and stood on her hind legs, just able to make out the far side of a river. Or the bank, at least, which sharply dropped off at least a couple body lengths above the water. Dropping back onto all fours, she pushed through the grass until she reached the near bank. Nip came to an abrupt stop just behind her, a growl in his throat.

Instead of the gentle, swirling currents they’d hoped for, the water raced past, white and frothy. To their right, the roaring was louder. The sound finally clicked in Haru’s mind. A waterfall. They were near a waterfall.

“This… This is no good,” she huffed, barely audible over the roar. “I’m not sure even I could swim that…”

Nip watched the swirling water for a moment, then nudged her side. “What if we go downstream? Maybe it’ll let up if we get past the fall.”

He turned and pushed his way back into the grass, blades parting around him. Haru turned to follow but hardly made it a dozen paces when a shadow suddenly blotted out the sun. Heartbeats later, a blast of fire rained from above, combusting the grass in front of them.

Haru froze, panic seizing her. Nip gave her a shove, shaking her out of it. She turned to race away from the fire.

Only to skid to a stop as more grass burst into flame ahead.

She yelped, turning again, but there was only more fire. “Shit!” On three sides, flame closed in. Behind them, the river rapids roared. They were trapped.

“Do you know any water techniques?” Nip yelped, focusing and trying to form ice shards on his pelt. “We need to cut a path through!”

She didn’t. The best she had was rollout, which could get her through the fire fast, but she’d still be putting her body in harm’s way.

Before she could try, the shadow swooped by again. Claws dug into the nape of her neck. She squealed and struggled and tried to twist and bite, but the charizardthe way the charizard held her, she couldn’t. She could hear Nip hissing and spitting nearby. But her vision was too blurred to locate him, smoke burning her eyes.

Skorch dragged her across the ground and through the fire. Pain blossomed across her side as flames licked at her fur. Then the charizard suddenly let go, sending her tumbling across the ground.

Haru tried climbing to her feet but her legs gave out and she collapsed; she couldn’t move. She heard Nip growling and spitting, a pained roar from Skorch, then a dull thud, a sickening snap, and an agonized screech. Grass and smoke blocked her vision. The acrid stench of burning filled her nostrils. Somewhere nearby, she could hear Nip gasping for breath, a pained whine accompanying every exhale.

They’d failed.

She had no clue how long she lay there under the charizard’s careful watch, but it was long enough for some of her strength to return. Not enough to run, but enough that she managed to sit up.

The fire had either been put out or burned itself out. She wasn’t sure which. But a dark patch of scorched grass still smoldered. The charizard nudged her towards it with one foot. Ashy dirt, still hot but starting to cool, burned her paws. She danced on them, trying to spare her feet as much as possible.

A moment later, Nip was ushered over to the grass, his left arm hanging at an awkward angle and his eyes glazed with pain. He stank of scorched fur and fear. She felt somewhat sorry for him.

Haru looked away, only to squeal in panic. While she’d been preoccupied with him, Susana had emerged from the tree line, the rest of her fake explorers and Umbra accompanying her. Her maw was twisted into a scowl, eyes narrow.

“I see now why you insisted on killing him before we traveled,” the zoroark growled, gesturing a paw toward Umbra. “Thanks to these two, we’ve lost over half a day of travel. And on such a time-sensitive matter.”

“Our lady isn’t gonna be happy with that,” Topaz mumbled, speaking out of the corner of his mouth.

Susana’s nostrils flared, a puff of spectral energy bursting from her mane. “Topaz. Stop.” She took a deep breath. “You’ve proven your point, Umbra. These two have outlived their usefulness.”

No. Haru shrank in on herself. No. No. No. No. No. She wanted to take a step back. To turn and flee. But she felt rooted to the spot.

The mawile took a step forward, undisguised glee and malice twisting her face. Haru always knew Umbra was dangerous from the moment they first met. But now she could see the side Nip feared. Umbra had no reason to mask it anymore. The only people around her didn’t care… or were about to die.

“S… stay back!” Haru squeaked feebly.

But for the moment, Umbra ignored her. Haru wasn’t her prize. Instead, she raced towards Nip, knocking him to the ground with a hard strike across the chest. Haru heard a quiet “oomph” as the wind was driven from him.

He writhed on the ground, trying to get back to his paws, but Umbra pinned him with one foot, her second jaw arced towards him. He lashed out with his good arm, but her thick, wiry leg fur kept him from doing any damage.

“Face your death with dignity, coward,” Umbra spat. “Or don’t. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to do so, even before fleeing, and yet you still struggle.”

Pink sparks of fairy energy swirled around her claws as she raised them, aiming for his throat.

Something whizzed past Haru’s ear. The projectile smacked Umbra on the side of the head, knocking her off her feet. Haru blinked as the aura sphere burst apart, eyes wide. A loud yelp from Susana followed. She turned her head towards the source.

In the distance, the zoroark tussled on the ground with an absol, who’d bit down on her arm. Not just any absol — Muse.

And behind her, racing from the tree line, were Shimmer, Toshi, Anu, and Whisper.