Oct 21, 2020
Inktober Day 12. If you haven’t read Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis and you like spooky stories, GO READ IT.
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Inktober Day 12. If you haven’t read Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis and you like spooky stories, GO READ IT.
My canary, Jitterbug, visited the vet today. He did so well! He was sweet & patient while he got his nails trimmed. I'm so proud of him!
My little Jitterbug.
Halls of Stone
His rest was short-lived. Echoed and warped from the wind outside, the cries of panic reached his ears from the lower levels. Gold cascaded like water from his form as he rose, half-buried as he was in the hoard. The meaning of such a disturbance would be met with swift action, he ordained mentally. It had been some time since he'd properly rested and he was not about to have his sleep interrupted yet again. Dragging his bulk to the lip of the cave, he peered downwards. The ravine in which he'd settled was more an Eyrie than a crevasse. Pushing off lazily, he only mustered a slow glide across the hundred meter gap. The din only grew louder, and though his lids were heavy his mind was sharp, landing with some grace upon the lower slope. His presence was announced with a roar, as he descended into the chambers below. Gloom soon took the place of sunlight, and the only source of light were the numerous fungi that cast faint green light upon the walls. The noise continued; he snorted in irritation. How he already grew wearisome of his new mantle, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Within moments the roost came into view, and he came upon the source of the disturbance. Multiple noiverns dove and beat at a small group of sableye; without a moment's hesitation, Phantom was quick to intervene. Like a great cat he leapt, scaly bulk proving a suitable cover for the smaller ghost pokemon. Still the attack continued, though many of the offenders balked at the sudden intrusion. Within moments though, the flock had settled back to their nests, instead resorting to jeers and hissing. A roar silenced them; some distance away, Belladonna slept unperturbed. "What is the meaning of this?!" The new king demanded, head swiveling to glare at each offender. "Do you have such intolerance of those we call allies?!" "Thieves!" One voice cried out, others rising to shriek in agreement. "Not thieves! They are mine to command, not yours to attack." His voice dwindled to a growling rumble, teeth flashing behind thick lips. "The sableye are allies, and served me well when my own kin turned their back. They are bound by oath, and you will do them no harm." Beneath his feet, Jay felt emotion rise within his chest. He'd never suspected his master cared.
The Noivern shifted in his slumber, noting the drop in air pressure that comes with the approaching night. Cracking open a single eye, he saw Mr. Jitters, sitting cross-legged atop a scrap of metal, holding up a small cane in the light of the cave, watching the diamond handle glow in the low light.
“Are you going to continue to call me that?” The dragon rumbled, lifting his body and stretching. The Sableye hopped down from his perch, tapping the cave against the ground as he stood stoically afront him.
“So long as I am humbly in your service sir, then yes,” the sableye spoke politely, tipping his torn hat in greeting. “Come, I shall show the master to the human mines.”
The Noivern felt his stomach gurgle at the thought of humans, but he knew he couldn’t kill any of them. So long as they all survived, no suspicion would fall on him. Following the Sableye deep into the caves, he found himself walking for a long time, the tunnels widening to the point where he could fly if he wished, but knew the Sableye would be left behind.
After some time, the Sableye motioned for Phantom to halt, a shark-toothed frown pasted across his face as he peaked his head around a rocky outcrop. The sounds of picks and machinery could be heard in the tunnel, and Phantom snorted at the scent of diesal.
“They are ahead, taking our precious stones and soiling our home!” Mr. Jitters fumed, his small, clawed hand clenched tight around his cane. “Please Master, drive them out. Them and the Druddigon that feasts on our young.”
“One issue at a time, Jay. One issue at a time.” The Noivern silently padded past, wings rustling like smooth leather in the emptiness of the tunnels. Up ahead, he could see the lights of the human miners, their flashlights and headlamps cutting through the dark, knives of light splitting the void.
Lips curling back in a feral snarl, the noivern thought out his plan of attack, deciding a simple show of force would be enough to drive them out. But right as he felt the flames rise in his chest, a great shadow rose from the floor of the cave, halting the blaze in his throat.
What is this....? Phantom mused, eyes narrowing. Great, purple eyes glowed from the darkness, as a gengar took a stance before him. Phantom felt a rumbling grow in his throat, and he spoke to the ghost, stifling his growl.
“Spectre, why do you block my path? Let me pass, and I will leave your haunt unharmed.”
The gengar grinned a chilling grin as pure black void filled Phantom’s vision, throwing him into total darkness, from which not even his eyes could see.
“I am stationed to guard the humans......” a wavering voice called from all directions. “You.....you shall not passs.......”
Phantom snorted, the claws of his wings glowing a faint purple. “Bah, I shall tear apart your illusions, and then I shall tear apart your form.”
The noivern’s Shadow claw ripped through the void, dissipating the darkness as the walls of the cave came back into view. The gengar looked shocked, slipping into the wall as his form disappeared.
But the Noivern, having faced against ghosts before, released a gout of flame, the sudden light casting away shadow and darkness as the searing blaze threw the tunnel into light. The Gengar shrieked in pain, hurt by the light source, as Phantom leaped forward with Shadow claw, slamming the gengar against the wall.
The ghost fell, unconscious, to the cave floor, but by then it was too late. The humans had taken notice of the commotion, and beams of light turned as men investigated the uproar. Phantom thought quickly, releasing a savage roar before filling the tunnel with flame again, sending the humans back with panicked cries.
Phantom grinned, progressing forward as his flames forced the humans out, working his way through each tunnel. Occasionally, he ran into a pokemon sentry, but dispatched them as they came before returning to his work. By the end of the night, all the humans had been forced from the entrance of their mine, congregating in a group as confused murmuring spread through the crowd.
After forcing the men out, Phantom slipping into the sky, perching atop the mouth of the cave. Great wings of shadow unfurled from his form, casting void onto the miners as the moonlight was blocked from the ground. Outlined by the full moon, Phantom released a piercing shriek, using his hidden ability to address the humans.
‘HUMANS!’ His voice boomed, causing the group to wince in pain at the noise. ‘Leave this mountain! It is under my protection. Should I find any of your kind within these caverns, their fate shall be grim, and painted in red.’
Without awaiting their reply, phantom took off, twisting in the sky before diving into the cave, releasing a subsonic frequency that broke the rocks of the entrance, casting up dust and debris as rocks sealed the mouth. The tunnels were now safe, and Phantom was almost done with his deal.
Phantom awoke just shy of dusk, passing by his ill gotten goods to the entrance of his lair. The golden orb of the sun hung low over the horizon, painting the sky an extravagant pallet of oranges and reds. Feeling the temperature lower, he stretched in the cooling air, hunger gnawing at his innards.
He hoped he would come across a sleeping trainer or adventurer, but then scolded himself. He needed to be discreet, at least for a time; he’d spent too long on the move, and would very much like to enjoy his home range for a short while, at least.
Taking to the wing, he soared high over the treetops, listening for any sort of activity below. The chirping of insects and soft calls of hunting Noctowls met his ears, but he couldn’t detect any big game suitable to his tastes. But the night had not yet come fully upon the world, and he had much time to soar.
By the time night had veiled the world in shadow, Phantom had covered many miles in his hunting, having caught a few sleeping bunnelby but nothing large enough to ease his hunger. A small school of goldeen pooled near the surface of a river he passed, but he had no taste for aquatic creatures and flew by without a glance.
The breeze shifted, bringing to him the scent of fresh blood, his nostrils flaring. Tilting his head, he viewed in the pale moonlight an injured zangoose below, dragging one foot behind. Spilling the air from his wings, Phantom glided down to soar just above the trees, ears at full attention, eyes locked on the pokemon.
“Damn....seviper,” the zangoose was muttering, pausing to lick the wound on it’s leg. “Way too many of them....”
The pokemon seemed completely unaware of his stalker, much to Phantom’s advantage. The trees that lined either side of the path barred the noivern from quietly descending behind the zangoose, but he could slowly glide the night currents until the trees widened.
He listened to the pokemon mutter angrily about a horde of seviper for quite a while, before the winds shifted, pulling his scent towards the prey. The Zangoose perked up, twisting his head to see the Noivern looming in the sky behind, and bolted into the underbrush.
BLAST! Phantom cursed, folding up his wings and landing cat-like on the path. He stood completely still, knowing the hunt not over yet, ears rotating to pick up every bit of noise. The scent of blood still lingered, but it was too heavy for him to get a bead on the direction.
Closing his eyes, he diverted all attention to his hearing, blocking out the background noise. After a few moments, he picked up on the stifled, laborious breathing in a bush some ways away, and a fanged grin spread across his face.
He released a boomburst, sending frightened noctowls and zubats into the sky. The Zangoose cried out, tripping over his injured leg as he attempted to flee. Pouncing, Phantom scooped the pokemon into his jaws, clamping down quickly as he felt something break. Relaxing as his hunt had ended, the Noivern now put all his attention into protecting his meal, preferring to feed in the solitude of his den.
He knew the sounds and scents of a kill soon would attract other predators, and he had past dealings with rogue Pyroars and mightyenas trying to muscle their way into his kills. Exposed as he was beneath the trees, he picked up the zangoose in his jaws and hurried to an opening between trees, not wanting to risk a skirmish.
Winging his way back to his den, he relaxed in the comfort of his central chamber, making short work of the kill. It didn’t fill him, but it tided him over some, and he was content for the moment. A slight scuffle drew his attention to the springwater tunnel, and he growled a warning.
“Oh, oh.....excuse me for startling you,” A high pitched, albeit calm voice said. “I meant no offense.”
Phantom leered, head raising some. “Show yourself.”
“Of course, sir. As you wish, sir.” From the darkness, a Sableye stepped into the dim light of the crystal-lined cavern, sporting a rather musty old tophat. “I have known of your presence, but thought it was unwise to show myself until now.”
“You mean, ‘we’?” Phantom corrected, gazing past the Sableye to see the dim glints of light in the darkness beyond, reflected from the eyes of many sableye.A shark-toothed grin spread across the Sableye’s face, and his eyes seemed to glow brighter.
“Ahh, so you can see them?” He cooed. “Yes, Many of us live deep inside these tunnels, deeper than this chamber you dwell. However, we’ve come to notice your....collection, and many of us would risk your wrath to steal from it.”
Phantom’s nostrils flared at the thought, but he stifled the growl in his throat. “But not you?”
“No, not me. I proposed a more...diplomatic solution. It seems the both of us are attracted to objects of similar value, albeit for different reasons. Many of us have quite often found ourselves chased off from our usual feeding grounds by human miners, and more recently, a Druddigon has moved within the deep-wells, feeding off our young.”
Phantom nodded, head tilting. “You wish me to....persuade them to leave then, in exchange for...?”
“It seems you greatly enjoy hoarding gemstones and precious metals. It so happens we feed almost completely upon such objects, and have quite the knack for finding them. If you help us,” The sableye concluded, eyes glinting, “We will supply you with as many precious stones as you desire.”
The Noivern eyed the Sableye with suspicion, although he was definitely interested in the creature’s proposal.
“How am I to know you won’t, after completion of my end, simply devour the precious metals of my hoard and leave?” He asked, voice filled with skepticism.
“Oh but you wound me sir,” the sableye pouted, feinting insult. “Once our feeding caves are cleared, we shall have enough gemstones to feed us for generations. How is it, you think, that so many of our kind, as sparse as we are, accumulated here?”
Phantom sniffed, looking past the sableye to the small sea of them behind, and ceded to his point. “Alright then, sableye, we have a deal. I clear out your feeding grounds, and you shall do my bidding.”
“Please sir, call me by my name, Mr.Jitters,” the Sableye spoke, bowing extravagantly before turning on his heel, striding back into the shadow as his brethren dispersed.
Pah, what a silly name, Phantom thought, curling into a ball before drifting off to sleep.
Couldn't submit audio. So a properly tagged post and an Ask will have to work.
Stream 3 of the new tracks here! EP release date is 3-27-12. Order here: http://nvy.gd/zjtsIH