Chapter 15
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Storm Island
Chapter 15: The Cursed Castle
Chapter 15: The Cursed Castle
R-Kit, Encyclopedia Stormatica, Version 5.17.14a booting... Please insert query.
Search terms: 'Wolftree Keep'... Five articles found. Accessing main article...
The Ruins of Wolftree Keep, historical home of the now extinct Wolftree Clan, are crumbling ruins situated somewhere within the Blackwood Forest of western Storm Island. Many scholars have debated the exact location of the ruins over the past century, and many explorers have set out to find them. Despite numerous attempts, they have not been found, leading many to believe that they may not have ever existed. However, historical accounts found in the royal archives of the Storm Clan clearly mention Wolftree Keep.
During the Storm King's reign approximately three hundred years ago, the Wolftree Clan was among the most powerful and wealthiest land owners on the island, loyal to the royal family. Their land claim extended from modern day Slate Valley, west towards what is now modern day Azure Ridge. Their control over the Silver Ridge mines, the Slate Valley cave system, extensive lumber fields in the Blackwood Forest and access to the southern oceans fueled their wealth, allowing them to bankroll the kingdom. Their wealth was stated in historical accounts to be the center of much of the island's politics.
Wolftree Keep was important for the history of Storm Island, being the location where the War of the Twin Princes began (See main article: War of the Twin Princes). A summit was held within the halls of Wolftree Keep to reconcile the differences between Prince Torvald and Prince Haynes, twin brothers who had attempted for the past year to secure the crown for themselves after the death of their father. While historical accounts stated that Prince Haynes was born nearly seven minutes earlier and therefore the rightful heir, Prince Torvald had far more support from not just the Lords of the Clans, but from the common people of Storm Island as well.
What started as a summit of peace and brotherhood quickly turned dark and bloody. Prince Haynes seized the moment, attempting to remove his brother from the picture to secure the throne for himself. He ordered his personal guard to attack Prince Torvald and to take no prisoners. A large battle ensued as both of the Twin Princes escaped. In the chaos, armies loyal to Prince Haynes laid siege to Wolftree Keep, killing all inside. The keep lay abandoned after the bloodshed for a month before Prince Haynes claimed it for himself after being driven from the northern lands he held.
Prince Torvald vowed revenge for the act of cowardice and started his own siege on the keep. Many people and Pokémon lost their lives during the following year as those loyal to Prince Haynes held onto the keep. Only through the destruction of a vast majority of the keep was the battle ended and the larger War of the Twin Princess started.
It is thought that not much remains of the ruins of Wolftree Keep. Stories have been told of a band of devout followers to Prince Haynes carrying the remaining rubble eastward towards the Ambervale Mountains, but these can not be verified. The original site of Wolftree Keep has been lost to the forest as time carried on, and there have been no discoveries of any remains to indicate where it may have been located.
The Blackwood Cemetery, situated just north of Blackwood Grove, houses the remains of Lord Janeck, master of Wolftree Keep, his loyal followers and the many brave men and women who died to protect King Torvald during the attack. While originally a burial site for the Lords of the Clans, it has been transformed into a graveyard that serves all men and women, rich, poor, noble or commoner.
- - - - -
Andrea, Kamin, Raven and Dr. Egon and their loyal Pokémon companions continued their journey through the forest, ever cautious, on the look out for anything else that would attempt to stop them as they searched for the ruins of Wolftree Keep. Fortune was on their side, however, as the trees soon began to thin and the feeling of claustrophobia began to fade. In the distance before them were crumbling stone pillars.
"Do you think we might have found it?" Kamin asked.
"This may just be another ritual site," Dr. Egon said. "Miss Dennison, would you care to flash your lantern around?"
Andrea did as she was asked, shining the light around the area. Large marble pillars, most crumbled and fallen over, littered the area. The grass in the area had grown thick, but what looked like the remains of a stone road poked through. Hanging from several trees was the same banner that she had seen in the village several days ago, a golden mountain on black fabric. Even the burlap dolls that hung from the trees in the village were present here.
"We have to be getting close..." she said. "I've seen this stuff before in one of their villages."
"Be on guard, everyone," Raven said, leading the group down the broken cobblestone pathway.
They continued down the road, their path dimly lit by torches that appeared to have been burning since a time long forgotten. The pathway took them over a hill and a under rocky overhang before they reached a large, imposing stone wall. The wall had crumbled with time, but the main entrance appeared to be in good order, appearing as if it were freshly built or at least very well maintained. The entrance was blocked, however, by a large, spiked cast-iron gate.
"Hellhound, blast us a way through this gate," Kamin commanded.
Hellhound obeyed. He approached the gate and took a deep breath, exhaling a bright cloud of white hot flames at the gate. The gate stood firm, however, as the flames bounced off, barely even affecting it.
"Well that didn't work... Any ideas?" he asked.
Dr. Egon approached the gate cautiously, grabbing a scanner and his coiled copper antenna from his pockets. He pressed the coil to the gate and clicked a button on his scanner. "Strange energy signatures..." he muttered. "I am no expert, but I believe this gate has been warded from trespassers by blood magic."
"Umm, excuse me? Blood magic?" Andrea asked.
"No problem for us, though!" he replied, putting his tools away. "Illusia, we need to slip by this gate. Help us out."
The Haunter nodded, floating upwards towards the center of the gate. Her facial features disappeared as her body split into a dozen segments of cloudy energy, enveloping large sections of the gate. Dr. Egon walked up to the gate, tapped on one of the metal bars, then walked through it as if it weren't there.
"What the..." Andrea asked.
"There are many perks that paranormal research has to offer. Being able to walk through certain objects is one of them. Be quick, though! This is very strenuous on Illusia!"
Raven and Kamin recalled Tomriin and Hellhound, then cautiously approached the gate. Raven went first, fearlessly walking through, then waited beside Dr. Egon. Kamin approached timidly, but quickly passed through as well, while Andrea was still skeptical of what she was seeing. As she stepped towards the gate, she flinched, assuming she would bump into the metal rods, but passed through just as easily as the others.
She took a step back and watched as Illusia reformed above her. "Incredible."
"Mmm, yes," Dr. Egon muttered quietly. "It appears that we are here... Wolftree Keep..."
Andrea aimed her lantern upward. They had indeed stumbled on the legendary Wolftree Keep, but it was nothing like they had expected. Instead of the dilapidated ruin they had come to expect, they found a grand, almost regal looking structure. The bricks that made up the castle walls were in good condition but showing signs of wear. Choking vines with purple, luminescent bulbs sprouting from them reached from the bottom all the way to the top of the highest, central spire. Despite its majestic appearance, it had a sinister feel to it, both visually and emotionally. Who knew what horrors were taking place inside?
The area was calm and quiet, which was surprising as well. Questions of why no one was patrolling the outside rose among the group. There were no fearsome skeletal constructs or other dark beings guarding the castle. There were no indications that anyone was even here; no camps, no torches, no lights of any description.
"Keep wits with you, we are going inside," Raven said, leading the group to the massive, marble stairs that led to the arched entrance.
As they crossed under the portcullis, a peculiar sense of dread began to overshadow them, chipping away at their bravery and sanity. A sense of anxiety came over them as they continued into the main hallway. The hallway was dimly lit with candles, showing an extravagant collection of treasures, furniture and oil paintings from ages long gone. Golden candle holders caked with layers of melted wax held tiny purple and black candles, while heavy looking sets of armor were stationed at the side of every door. Every painting seemed to be of the same man, a decrepit man with a sinister and mad appearance. The walls were lined with rustic swords and axes, some still covered in the blood of the enemies they had defeated centuries ago.
"This place is horrible..." Andrea started. "Castles are supposed to be majestic, not like... like... this!"
"Majesty in eye of beholder," Raven said. "But I agree."
As they navigated the maze-like halls, they took note of how suspiciously quiet the castle was. If this was indeed a stronghold for the Cult of the Lost, where were all of the members? Where were the sentries, the patrolling guards? The scholars and the studious? There were obvious signs that it was inhabited, however, such as the lit candles and the sounds of doors opening and closing in the darkness.
They decided to investigate the rooms of the castle before going any further. The first room they entered appeared to be a storage room full of jars. The walls were lined with shelves stocked full of the glass jars, each containing a strange green substance. Andrea grabbed one of the bottles carefully, placed it onto a table, removed the lid and scanned it with her R-Kit. A thick, sulfurous odor emanated from it.
"Analyzing..." the R-Kit droned. "Chemical analysis complete. This substance is a heterogeneous compound composed of three parts; Compound one, the main ingredient, is a mixture of tetradecane and butane. Suspended within are two compounds in nearly equal quantities, white phosphorous and charcoal powder. Due to the violently reactive nature of all compounds found within, extreme caution is recommended when handling this compound."
"What does that mean in words I can understand?" Kamin asked.
Andrea replaced the bottle in an even more delicate manner than she used to grab it. "It means we should leave this room. Do you understand that?"
"I do."
The group left the room in a hurry, taking care not to disturb any of the shelves or bottles on them, then moved onto the room across the hall. This room was particularly grisly, bathed in a red glow from the numerous candles lining the walls. This room was also filled with jars, but the jars contained suspended organs of all types and sizes. The smell of rotting flesh was very profound in this room, as discarded samples littered the floor. It was enough to make even Raven sick, who was the least impacted by anything he had seen in the rest of the castle so far.
"What kind of sick bastards are these guys?" Kamin asked.
"I think it's safe to say that they are a band of murderous psychopaths..." Dr. Egon said.
Andrea reached into her purse and grabbed her phone. "Nobody will believe us without proof." she said. She took several photos of the room, as much as it sickened her. "If I get these pictures to my father, they'll have to respond."
"I have brought proof to them before and they do not listen. But this far more compelling." Raven added.
The group left the room, checking each door as they passed through the hallway. Most were locked or led to empty rooms, but they eventually found another storage room. This room was significantly colder than any of the other rooms, smelling faintly of hickory incense. The room was filled with tables, barrels and shelves, each stocked to the brim with gemstones of all colors, shapes and sizes. They decided to investigate further.
Dr. Egon picked through the crystals like a child in a candy store. Some were icy cold to the touch, while others were hot. When pressed together, they reacted violently by giving off smoke and a shower of sparks. "Interesting..." he said, grabbing a few and placing them in his numerous pockets. "I'll bring these back to my lab and study them further."
"Any idea of what they are?" Kamin asked.
"I've seen the cold stones before in my travels to Kanto... they're an important part of a ritual employed by spiritual mediums in Lavender Town, and I imagine in other places as well." He passed one of the heated crystals to Raven. "I haven't seen anything like this one, however. Have you seen these in your homeland?"
Raven grabbed the crystal and inspected it. "No. It is curious."
Andrea was looking through the crystals as well, spotting a beautiful, almost spherical cluster of black quartz. It shined with a purple luster that seemed to morph depending on the angle she looked at it. She grabbed a hold of it, immediately feeling a stinging sensation on her fingers, but she couldn't let it go. She gazed deep into it, watching the luster shift into the twisted shape of a face.
"What have you found over there?"
"It... It hurts..." she said, struggling to pry her fingers away from it, but they held firm like magnets. "I can't let it go!"
Raven rushed over, grabbing one of the other gemstones. "Place on table and do not move."
Andrea did as she was asked, fighting the strange sensation to lift the crystal higher. She closer her eyes as Raven lifted the gemstone, bringing it down with enough force to not only shatter the crystal, but split the aged table in half. She felt the strange grip of the crystal immediately vanish as a cloud of dust and mist rose from the fractured remains. "What the hell was that?" she asked.
"I do not know. Please be careful. We do not know what foul things Cult of the Lost keep in these rooms."
After taking more photos, the group continued through the hallway, looking through more rooms. Most of these were empty as well, filled with dusty books, cobwebs or other uninteresting things. The repetitive layout of the castle caused the halls of the castle to seem as if they would go on forever. However, the further they travelled, a sense of despair began to creep over them and the light from Andrea's lantern began to fade. Suddenly, screaming echoed through out the hallways.
"Get that thing away from me!" shouted a feminine voice. There was silence for a moment before another scream echoed through the hallways.
"We must hurry!" Dr. Egon said, bolting down the hallway as fast as he could, leaving the rest of the group behind.
Before long, another scream radiated through the hallways, followed by a string of expletives and threats by whoever it was. The scream sounded closer this time, and now muffled words could be heard, but not understood. Dr. Egon followed the sounds through the twisting hallways, down a crumbled, stone stairwell, where he waited for his partners to catch up.
"Miss Dennison, you seem to be the most interested in the history of our island out of all of us. Have you by any chance studied the layout of the castles of the island?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"Ah, very well. I can't say for certain, but if this castle was rebuilt brick by brick, it will likely share traits with Castle Selgarde, residence of the Royal Family. On one of my previous visits to speak with King Matthias, I was privileged to visit one of the most sacred places on Storm Island, the royal catacombs. I fear that this castle's catacombs are where we will find what we are looking for."
"That makes sense. Dark arts strongest where bonds between physical and spirit world are weakest, correct?" Raven asked.
"Exactly," he replied. "Steel yourselves. We're about to visit a place worse than hell. Can I count on all of you to give it all you have, to not succumb to the darkness, to never give in to your fear?"
Raven pounded his left fist on his chest. "The Brave know no fear."
"I have to do this... There's no turning back for me." Kamin followed.
Andrea pondered the situation. She was already overtaken by her fears, and the absolutely dreadful atmosphere did very little to help. But at the depths of her heart, she felt the spark of duty burning within her, telling her that she had to do this to ensure the safety of not just those in the forest, but possibly the entire island. Her emotions battled each other as she agreed to go along with them. "I don't have a choice, do I? I can't get out of here on my own..."
As they ventured into the dark depths, all light sources began to dwindle to nothingness. Andrea's lantern shined brightly, but the light seemed to fizzle out just five feet ahead of them. She and Dr. Egon tried to come up with an explanation, but neither could. Raven theorized that it was the presence of Sheor-ath, the god of darkness that his tribe back at home reviled. Whatever the case, all they could guide themselves with were the crumbling walls to either side of them and a strange, mumbling voice.
After fumbling through the darkness for what felt like an eternity, they finally came across a large room that was much more brightly lit than the dark tunnel they had suffered through. There were six men and women, cloaked in dark robes with elaborate golden patterns monitoring what appeared to be a blood magic ritual. In the center of the room was a large, black obelisk, very similar to the one south of Blackwood Grove, only much larger and with many more jagged spikes at the top.
Surrounding the obelisk appeared to be a pool of blood, which drained via channels from the platform around it. Adorning the platform were six runes scrawled on the floor with chalk. Above the obelisk was a large, gaseous orb that gave off a bright, golden light. In front of the altar lay a stone pedestal which seemed remarkably clean compared to the rest of the bloodstained room.
"The room contains the prisoner once more, yes?" one of the men asked.
"Correct," another replied.
"Such a collection of life essence she has given us..."
"Power of which will return the true king to the world."
All six of the individuals droned together, "The true king!"
"What the hell are they gibbering on about?" Dr. Egon whispered. "Did these ingrates fail their language lessons?"
"It's Clanspeak, dialect ancestors of island once spoke," Raven said. "Perhaps if we listen more, they will reveal plan."
The group watched the cultists as they carried on with their ritual. They all dressed the same, but a superior member soon became evident as he ordered the others around and did little of the work himself. He asked two of the other cultists to 'place the reagents upon the altar', which they did quickly and obediently. One wiped down the altar while another grabbed a large collection of random bones from a box. The bones were placed on the altar as the leader approached slowly, a jeweled dagger in his hand.
"Blood for blood. The armies of the true king require it. Let this be a worthy offering." the leader recited, raising his hand upward. He raised the dagger as well, cutting his hand open and dripping some of his own blood onto the pile of bones. "I implore thee, darkness!"
As the blood covered the bones, glittering sparks from the central obelisk began to lash out at the altar. The bones began to rattle and shake, taking on a similar shape to the small skeletal creatures the group had battled before. However, the creature struggled to stand, falling over and returning to a lifeless pile of bones shortly afterward.
The leader looked down at the failed ritual with disgust. "Purity of the heart is not what she had... She is of no use, her life essence must be extinguished."
"I do your bidding, my lord," another of the cultists said.
As the cultist grabbed the dagger from the leader, Raven stood up and shouted. "What is purpose of this senseless bloodshed?!"
All six of the cultists slowly turned their attention towards the group and raised their fingers to point at them. "Outsiders..." they collectively said in an unsettling, creepy voice.
Expecting a battle, Andrea reached into her pocket and grabbed Sorrow's Pokéball, calling her out. Much to her surprise, however, the cultists didn't do the same. Instead, they grabbed swords and knives that were scattered throughout the room and took up defensive stances.
"If that's the way they want to play..." Dr. Egon said, a crooked grin appearing on his face. He reached into his vest pocket and grabbed Illusia's gem-studded Pokéball, summoning her. "We have no choice but to fight them directly, Raven. I hope you have no personal hang-ups with that kind of thing."
"I do, but not with creeps like these," he said. He reached into his tribal satchel and grabbed one of his Pokéballs, then continued. "Fight with me, son. I know you have waited long time for this moment." He tossed the Pokéball forward, summoning a monstrously large scorpion. The scorpion was formidable in appearance, covered in thick, sandy brown plates. At the front of its body were two massive claws, and at the end of its tail was a wickedly sharp looking stinger that was dripping with no doubt toxic venom. It was almost unconceivable that Raven could command such a large creature, one that was even larger than he was.
Kamin called out Hellhound. "It's time we finally get our vengeance..."
"We must keep leader alive!" Raven said as he jumped down into the ritual chamber. He ordered his Drapion to directly attack one of the approaching cultists, which it did without question, while he fearlessly and stoically charged at another cultist himself.
All of this was happening too fast for Andrea to take in. As the battle raged on beneath her, she was still having a moral dilemma. With her small level of experience, she figured that Pokémon should only be used to defend oneself against another Pokémon. But at the same time, she watched the cultists recklessly swing their weapons around without any care for safety, and figured that this was a proper excuse for self defense. Yet further, she couldn't bring herself to justify hurting another human being, and found it horrible that her partners were using their Pokémon not for defense, but as an offensive weapon against fellow humans.
Raven, Kamin and Dr. Egon, however, were far less merciful. They realized that the stakes were unbelievably high should they fail, and they were determined to do what they must, no matter how morally questionable, to stop the Cult of the Lost here and now.
Kamin and Hellhound cornered one of the cultists who raised her dagger threateningly in hopes of scaring them away. Hellhound responded by leaping at her, chomping down onto her arm and thrashing about violently. The dagger dropped to the floor as she screamed loudly. Hellhound returned to his master's side, waiting for the next order.
Kamin looked away, not wanting to see what was about to happen. "Go on, boy... Do it."
Hellhound approached slowly once more, snarling as he did so. It watched the cultist snivel as she collapsed to the floor, accepting her fate, then directed a burning cloud of flame breath at her.
Meanwhile, Dr. Egon was facing off against two of the remaining cultists, dodging their attacks as best he could. Illusia was by his side, using her ghostly powers to deflect several of the attacks that he wasn't able to avoid, saving his life numerous times. The two worked together as a single unit, with Dr. Egon providing the distraction while Illusia attacked from behind.
"Illusia, let's end this! Reaper's Grasp!" he shouted.
Illusia grew in size, her mouth stretching wide and large. She charged at the two cultists, enveloping them in a cloud of smoke before chomping down. Where they were standing before, nothing remained.
"How are you doing, Raven?"
"Very well," Raven replied, watching as his Drapion picked up one of the cultists with its massive claws, tossing him skyward towards a wall. The cultist bounced off and dropped a considerable distance to the floor. "Let us clean up remaining cultist, then take leader, Nito!"
Nito approached the final cultist, who held her sword outward in defense. With a swipe of its claws, the sword was snapped like a twig. Another swipe of its claws left the cultist on the floor, bleeding heavily.
"End like this? It shall not!" the lead cultist said, looking at his fallen comrades. He held his knife in both hands, pointed directly at his chest.
"Illusia!" Dr. Egon called out.
Illusia stretched her claw-like hand outward and it began to glow with golden energy. Before the lead cultist could end his own life, the knife was bathed in the same golden energy, then yanked away forcefully.
"Nito, attack with paralytic poison! We must return him to Blackwood Grove for questioning!" Raven ordered.
The lead cultist was determined to put up a fight, raising his fists as Nito approached. He was no match, however, as Nito lashed out with its massive stinger, injecting him in the leg. He tried to fight it off, but the poison was quick to paralyze him.
As the dust settled, Raven looked around at his friends. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.
Kamin nodded. "Didn't think it would end like that... But I'm glad it did."
"Sometimes you do as you must, Kamin," Dr. Egon said, patting him on the shoulder. "You did good."
Andrea was struggling to find a safe way down, slowly making her way down the shelves of a bookcase. As she reached the floor, she couldn't help but curiously stare at the lifeless bodies of the cultists, but what she saw sickened her to the core. "What have we done?"
"We did the world a favor," Dr. Egon said. "While you know what these people have been doing, it's still a shocking thing to kill someone. You'll understand shortly why we had to do this."
"If it makes you feel better, at least you didn't join in," Kamin said.
"I... I... I couldn't! I couldn't fight my conscience..." she said sheepishly.
Dr. Egon rested his hand on her shoulder. "A conscience is a good thing to have. It's what drives compassion. Never forget that."
"So now what?" Kamin asked. "What do we do next?"
"We will stay here and attempt to disrupt the ritual. You and Miss Dennison should examine that hallway and see if you can find any survivors that are being kept prisoner." Dr. Egon said. "Be very careful, we don't know how many of these mad men remain in the castle, and they probably know we're here now."
"Alright, let's move. We might not have a lot of time." Kamin said, grabbing her by the hand and yanking her down the hallway.
- - - - -
The two were passing through the hallways of the catacombs, inspecting each door they came across. As they peered through the dungeon-like windows, all they found were empty rooms, or more rooms filled with strange objects they didn't dare investigate or touch. They intended to stick to the task at hand, and that was to find any survivors that the Cult of the Lost were keeping prisoner.
At last, they came to a room with a peculiar groaning coming from it. The door to the room was locked, however, and there was no window to peer through.
"We need to get inside..." Kamin said, fiddling with the rusty chain that locked the door.
Andrea banged on the door. "Anyone in there?" she asked, receiving no response.
"I have an idea..." he said. "We can probably break the door down if we push hard enough."
"It's worth a try..." she said, taking a position next to him.
"One... two... three!" He shouted. The two pushed against the door with all of their might, snapping the feeble, rusty lock off and knocking the door to the floor. The room inside was dark, lit only by a few discolored candles. The stench was unbearable and undescribable. There were about a dozen blood soaked tables scattered throughout the room, with five people laying on top of them. Two of them were uniformed officers of the Storm Island Police. Another wore the signature male uniform of the Storm Island Scouts. The fourth was a young woman in tattered clothing, barely conscious, and the fifth was a gruff, powerful looking man wearing hiking clothes.
Kamin walked over to the man in the Storm Island Scout uniform and placed his fingers against his neck to check for a pulse. "Nothing. He's gone."
Andrea tried to compose herself, taking in a deep breath. "Maybe we're too late... For all of them."
"N-Never... never take me..." one of the survivors rasped. The voice came from one of the police officers.
Andrea approached and checked for injuries. There was a large, deep cut running from her elbow to her wrist where it looked as if her blood had been drained. As she looked for more wounds, she found the officer's badge, 'Officer Eliza McKenna, Silvermist PD'.
"B-Back!" the injured officer tried to warn.
"It's okay, we're here to help! We're going to get you out of here." she replied. She struggled with the chains that bound the officer to the table, then noticed a key conveniently hanging on the side of the table.
"You... You're the girl we were sent to find..." Officer McKenna said weakly.
She didn't care. Regardless of what the police might do now that they knew where she was, she felt like she had to help. She thought that helping a member of the Storm Island might even get her off easily. "Can you walk?"
The officer struggled her way off of the table, but stumbled over. "My partner, Travis... we... we have to find him."
"There's another one over here..." she said, guiding Officer McKenna over to the other police officer. He laid motionless on the table with a large gash on the side of his neck, but he was breathing.
"Travis... Come on, wake up..."
Kamin, who had tended to the other two survivors, walked over and placed his fingers on the other side of Travis' neck. "He's still got a pulse, maybe he lost too much and passed out," Kamin said.
Officer McKenna pounded her fist on the table. "Don't you die on me, damn it!"
"Is there anything we can do?" Andrea asked. A light bulb lit in her head as she thought, thinking back to the day she met Dr. Spruce in Azure Ridge. She reached into her purse, retrieving the small purple bottle that Dr. Spruce had given her. She sprayed the syrupy, silver liquid onto Travis' wound, causing it to hiss like boiling water. The liquid reacted quickly with the exposed flesh, cleansing the dried blood away and sterilizing the wound. The wound closed quickly, mending itself almost to the point where it was gone.
Officer Travis lurched up in pain. "Owwwwwww!" he said, slowly lifting his head and looking at Andrea as if she had just done something wrong. "Wh... where am I?"
"Are you insane?" Kamin asked. "That's powerful stuff! It might have worked here, but promise me you'll never use that on a human again!"
"Shut up and help him, Kamin," she ordered, wrapping herself under Officer McKenna's arm. She turned to the other two. "Are you two alright?"
"I think I can walk on my own," the gruff man in the hiker's clothes said. "C'mere, lass. I'll help ya." He lifted the young woman off of the ground with relatively little effort.
"Officer, do you know if there are any others being held here? We couldn't find any." she asked.
"I don't."
"Let's get back to my father. He'll know what to do next." Kamin said.
- - - - -
Meanwhile, Raven and Dr. Egon were still in the inner sanctum, trying to understand the complex ritual that the Cult of the Lost were attempting.
"Perhaps we should wait for Andrea to return. Her wrist machine may be able to determine cause of energy." Raven said, scratching his chin in thought.
"I can do that as well. What are you interested in looking at first?" Dr. Egon said.
Raven led Dr. Egon over to the pool of blood in the center of the room. "We must determine which parts of ritual are safe to interrupt first. Central pillar may be key."
Dr. Egon raised his R-Kit to examine the obelisk at the center of the pool of blood. His glasses turned bright green as he scanned it. "Not surprisingly, this shows the same type and wavelength of energy that Miss Dennison found south of Blackwood Grove, but there's more..." he said, standing up. He kept his R-Kit raised as he slowly traced a straight line away from the obelisk. "There appears to be a directed energy beam coming from the pillar, concentrating on this spot on the wall... But why?"
"Perhaps energy from ritual being redirected somewhere?"
"But where?" he asked. "It couldn't be... I'm curious... do you happen to have a compass with you?"
Raven reached into his satchel and grabbed a small, metallic compass. "Let us hope strange energies do not interfere."
"I doubt they will. My R-Kit is telling me that the magnetic field here is stable..." he said as he grabbed the compass. He rotated until he was facing north, then followed the energy stream again, once more ending at the wall. "This energy stream appears to be travelling north east... Could it be?" he pondered.
"What is on your mind?"
"Are you familiar with the War of the Twin Princes? While it started here in Wolftree Keep, those loyal to Prince Haynes were eventually exiled to the Ambervale Mountains, on the north eastern side of the island. He was a man so evil, so twisted... if he had been victorious over his brother and won the throne, I can think of nothing worse. They created a stronghold in those mountains, where eventually Prince Haynes was killed."
"I had heard about that, yes."
"What if this isn't the only stronghold of the Cult of the Lost? Castle Ambervale suffered the same fate as Wolftree Keep did at the end of the war, being dismantled brick by brick and all of the inhabitants slaughtered. Is it possible that Castle Ambervale has been rebuilt?"
"Ambervale Mountains do not have thick forest to hide entire castle!"
"That's true, yes... but the jagged peaks of the Ambervale Mountains are so treacherous to cross that it's possible nobody could have found it." Dr. Egon turned his attention back to the central obelisk, shining brightly under the glittering sparks. "It will require more research on my part, perhaps even an expedition to see if this is true. But for now, we must interrupt whatever was taking place here."
"Let us examine runes on floor, next," he said, leading Dr. Egon over to a golden, circular drawing on the floor. Inside the circle was the widely recognized rune for the weather, possibly referencing the Storm Clan.
Dr. Egon knelt down to scan it. "Hmm... a small electrical field, not too dangerous to us, though. This one seems to be gathering energy from the canals carved through it that directs the blood flows. I believe it's redirecting that energy to the obelisk."
The two moved onto the next rune, which was recognizable as a symbol for fire. A small amount of residual heat radiated from it as the blood inside the canals bubbled. Dr. Egon came to the same conclusion as the other one. There were several other runes scattered around the obelisk, some identifiable and others that weren't. There was another that represented cold, and another that represented water. The remaining two couldn't be easily identified and had no other indications of their symbolism.
"Disabling the power transfer should be as simple as erasing the runes," Dr. Egon said. "The question is..."
Raven approached the rune of flames and knelt down, running his finger along the edge.
"Wait! Before we do anything, we must think carefully. There may be a certain order to this ritual, just like there is for contacting the spirits of those who have passed."
"Ah, yes. What is risk if we make mistake?"
"We risk overloading the delicate balance of energy, which would likely result in an explosion. It would definitely destroy the ritual site here, but we would die in the process. That is not ideal, I like living." The two circled the pillar, inspecting each of the runes, trying to decide which one was first to be destroyed. They were both equally stumped, unsure of where to begin.
Dr. Egon approached one of the two unidentified runes. "This one is sending the most energy... I don't know if that means anything, but I believe we should begin with this one." He cautiously placed his finger in the center of the rune and began to rub back and forth. The chalk used to draw the rune lifted off of the floor with relative ease, and when much of the rune was gone, the sparks emanating from the central obelisk began to diminish.
"Good choice, doctor," Raven said.
"The water rune had the next highest energy level... I hope I'm correct with my theory." he said as he continued onward. The water rune lifted as easily as the previous, and the same reaction occurred. The brightness of the sparks coming from the central obelisk diminished and the orb of light above it shrank in size.
They continued with the destruction of the ritual; next, they moved onto the rune of flames, followed by the rune of the cold, with the rune of the storm being next. One last rune remained before all sources of power for the ritual were destroyed.
"This is it... Hold onto your pants!" Dr. Egon said as he began to erase the final, unidentified rune.
With much of the rune erased, the glowing orb above the central obelisk fell apart and evaporated upward. The sparks emanating from the obelisk intensified briefly, kicking up a furious wind as it unleashed pure energy into the surrounding area. The keen sense of despair that had been permeating the area began to lift, as did the darkness; the candles and lanterns around the room slowly began to shine with growing intensity, illuminating the room brightly.
"Well, I'll be! I can see!" Dr. Egon proclaimed. "It's just as I suspected... the ritual here was consuming both the light and the sacrificial blood and converting it into pure energy... But for what purpose?"
"I do not know. What I do know is that we must do what we can to prevent this again." Raven said. He walked over to the obelisk and studied it. "Perhaps we destroy obelisk? Or would be too risky?"
"It's hard to say..." he said, approaching it to scan it with his R-Kit. "Regardless of the risk, it would be a good idea. There's no telling how quickly the Cult of the Lost could resume their activities once we leave, we must strike at the heart of their operation... Destroy it."
Raven reached into his satchel for a Pokéball, calling forth Tomriin. He ordered Tomriin to raise his massive drill-like claw and destroy the obelisk. Tomriin obeyed, drilling a large hole into the center of the stone, then working along the edges to cause its collapse. As the massive stone fell over, it shook the ground and shattered into dozens of pieces.
Dr. Egon was examining his R-Kit. "Energy levels are stable... I don't think destroying that was of any danger to us. Good work! We've dealt a monstrous blow to these scummy cockroaches today."
"Our work not finished, however. We must round up remaining members of cult and work to heal forest."
"Another battle for another day, my friend," he said. "We should find your son and Miss Dennison, see if they have found anything interesting."
"Just in time, they return," he said, waving to greet the two. "Survivors!"
Kamin let Travis down onto the floor as he informed his father of the situation. "We searched a lot of rooms, but these are the only ones we've found. The young lady here looks to be in really bad shape, we have to get her back to town and fast."
"Let me see her," Raven said, walking over to the hiker and the injured young woman. He inspected the wounds running along her wrists and up her arms, finding them to be infected and swollen. "Yes, we must. First aid supplies I have will not help her."
"What about any other survivors?" Kamin asked.
"We know location of castle. We can round up townsfolk for larger rescue when we return." he said. "The rest of you, are you able to make hour long journey?"
There was a collective yes shared among the injured survivors.
"The road may still be dangerous, we must be cautious," Dr. Egon warned. "It's odd how few of these cultists we've run into in here, there must be more lurking in the darkness."
As they were leaving, Officer McKenna looked at the fallen cultists. "Good. Those bastards got what they had coming to them."
- - - - -
Author's note: The description of Raven's Drapion in this chapter varies wildly from the established depiction of Drapion in official works. I count Drapion among my favorite Pokémon, but I absolutely despise its appearance. As such, I have chosen to cop out by basing this one on a real world scorpion instead. My explanation? It's from Unova, of course! Here are the notes I had written down to formulate the look of this Unova variant, in case the description in the chapter was not enough to accurately draw a picture.
Drapion's Unova variant: Raven caught his Drapion in Unova. Much like Shellos, Drapion has a unique appearance based on location; The Unova variant is more reminiscent of a real world scorpion. It has brown, desert-like tones to it rather than purple, and is covered in thick plates. Its head is lower in comparison to its normal counterpart. It has six legs rather than four, and its tail ends in a standard, real-world stinger. The arms on the normal variant's head are placed on its shoulders, much like a real world scorpion. In size, Nito is approximately five feet tall, with its stinger reaching a height of thirteen feet.
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