Malantau Wight Barrens

[Chibi Pika]

"Were you watching us this whole time—?" she started, then shook her head. "Wait, first, should we hunker down here or make a break for it? We need to find a dungeon somewhere around here. Any dungeon, I think? Probably. We'll explain later."

After affirming that she was uninjured with a nod, she approached the dragon and said, "Though I appreciate the aid I must ask, what are you doing all the way out here and do you have any idea what that thing that attacked us was and why?"

He tipped forward in a small bow, before peering outside one more time. "Would be even better if we don't have to face that rampaging ice Saint again."

Latios bowed back in reply to Steven, glancing between all of them before answering. "We were following the coast of Tyrrier when we spotted the steamer. A bit of an unusual voyage for this time of year, so we decided to follow. I'm glad we were able to help." His voice was soft and time-weathered, and gave Jade the impression of an old librarian.

"I said it's called a fucking Glastrier," seethed Laura, coping and malding.

"Glastrier, huh... has a nice ring, doesn't it?" a new voice added, punctuated by a spray of snow being shaken loose from invisible feathers. Once the powder had settled, Jade was unsurprised to see a red-jetlike dragon, joining the blue one already present.

"It shouldn't know that we're here," Latias added, scratching behind her earlike feather-crests. "Best we lie low for a while, while it's searching."

Latios turned back to face the party. "The Wight's Bane attacks anyone who strays too deep into the barrens—most local travelers know to avoid the wastes for that reason."

Jade was beginning to understand why Terminal One was practically cut off from the rest of the continent. "Do you know how long it's been out there? Years...?"

Latios shook his head. "Oh, it's been patrolling this land since the start of the modern calendar."

Latias cocked her head with a wry smile. "You mean you don't know the precise date?"

"Much as I wish I did," Latios began with a sigh, "the historical records for this region are spotty at best. I'm sure you know well from how many times I've lamented that fact." He held up a claw. "Ah, but I do know much about Tyrrier's trade records from that era." Jade wasn't entirely sure how useful such a dry topic was, but the dragon sure seemed excited about it.

"We were overseas when the kingdom fell," Latias clarified, as if sensing that the group would be wondering. "Heard about it... hmm, I want to say seven or eight years later, after following a voyage to the new world."

 

[Phoenixsong]

[I... I guess? If it'd actually be safe for everyone to get in and out while that thing is stomping around...] Leaf supposed it was manageable enough; they really only needed this for one run through the Barrens to stop Alexander and Cipher, not regular sightseeing trips. Boy it sure would suck if someone got mauled when they all needed to be at the top of their game, though. [Could you mask us from it if we needed, kind of like you did with the wilds in Silver Ravine?]

She shook off the telepathic concentration and watched the legendary—legendaries, two, plural, yep, super normal—with curiosity. "Do you know why it's here?" An angry giant warhorse monster that stomped on everyone who so much as looked at a mountain funny sounded a little less than ideal for a magic savior king, so probably not that?

 

[Chibi Pika]

Latias gave a bit of a sheepish half-smile. “Given that the only words Blue and I have ever heard it say are ‘GET OUT’ …I’d venture it wants us to stay out of the barrens.”

Jade sat down, taking the moment to warm her paws. “Well, we really would prefer to stay out. We were just passing through since, uh… long story, but we needed to find a dungeon on our way further north from here.” She hoped that this one would do the trick, and then they could leave.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Well, I could try...

...Although, lingering Aura signatures in the area would seem to suggest that Glastrier specifically patrols this mountain as far as the immediate perimeter of other dungeons. It may be that you can make a straight shot from another of this dungeon's exits directly to Eremus Rift.

Alternatively, perhaps an ally of yours could distract Glastrier while you make your journey?​

Laura cleared her throat and started to address Leaf and the rest of the group without confusing the Aeons, then realised she could just use the goddamn telepathic network, and switch to that.

<Well, uh... Lord Articuno is part of this expedition, technically, and... I've been thinking that there's not really much chance they can be of use in the fight itself? They don't have Powehi's protection from the Shadow energy in the Rift, and there's no way they'll fit into the Cipher base if it's built similarly to Terminal Two. So maybe they can hold off Glastrier for us?>

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix cleared her throat, as if indicating that she still had her illusionary abilities on standby in case they needed to hide again. "I wonder why," she said. "With its appearance and behaviour it feels less like a Saint and more like a force of nature. Desperately trying to cling onto the past, perhaps?

"Or maybe its guarding something, but what out here is worth this aggressiveness?"

She looked further into the cave. "If this is a dungeon, then this will just have to do for now. Moving further when that thing is already on high alert feels borderline suicidal, even with my illusions and these two." She gestured to the Latis as she said that. "We can push further another time if need be."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Wouldn't be the first Saint we've met that prefers to act like a force of nature," Steven muttered. They'd at least managed to have a conversation with the Roaming Cyclone. Talking to this Glastrier seemed solidly off the table...

"Which, thank you again for your help," he said, this time to Latias with another small bow, before bringing a claw to his chin. "A shame the history has been lost, though. It certainly feels like more than pure coincidence that the kingdom vanished and this hostile Saint moved in. Either way, I think we're all in agreement that the sooner we can be out of its way, the better."

He followed Bellatrix's gaze towards the deeper parts of the cave, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "So, what do we need to do to with this dungeon to get things ready?" He'd never been a part of setting up a waypoint before.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf twitched for a second at the name "Blue". Just a name, just a coincidence, that's all. Ignore it. (If Latios was Blue then that meant Latias was— nope, just gonna put the brakes on right there. Didn't matter. Not them. Not even not-them the way Mew was not-him. Just totally unrelated people. Sure would be super great if Forlas would quit twisting the friggin' knife about it, though.)

So. Right. Setting up the waypoint. The reason they were actually here. "Last time I helped with this, back at the Ravine, we needed to find the dungeon's heart," she explained to Steven. "Shouldn't be too bad if this really is just a baby one. We—" meaning Betel "—need a connection to the heart so the anchor will work. Just takes a little time to fully establish it after that." And then to let Articuno know where they'd need cover.

As for Latios and Latias... "You two wouldn't happen to be familiar with this dungeon, would you? Or any of the others around here?" She paused for a sec, but pressed on. This was a big deal, and they needed any help or info they could get. "If you are, have you noticed anything... weird about them, lately?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Latios tilted his head. "I'm gathering that you need to reach the dungeon's heart?"

Jade nodded. "Right, uh... long story, but if we can reach the heart, we'll be able to warp a safe distance away, and then we shouldn't have to worry about Glastrier."

The blue dragon drifted forward, glancing up and down the cave walls. "Let's see... Ah, this one's just Frostforge Hollow. It shouldn't give you too much trouble."

Latias held up a claw. "Ah, I remember hearing about this one. Pretty benign, all things considered. There are steam vents deeper in the tunnels that you might need to watch out for. Strange temperature gradients, cool colors on the walls, that kind of thing."

Now that Jade was paying closer attention, she could see the walls shifting color deeper into the cave. It probably would be more obvious under a direct light source.

"We don't go dungeon-delving much these days, but we do pick up tales from travelers," Latios added. In other words, they probably wouldn't have seen if any had been recently shadow-corrupted.

Latias glanced at Leaf. "If you want to know about weird dungeons, then Eremus Fault is the picture of weird. Not many people have seen it firsthand, especially not with our 'friend' out there skulking the barrens. But it's not called the place where the world collapses into the sky for nothing."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven brought a claw to his chin again, eyeing the depths of the cave with increased interest. "Steam vents and interesting colors on the walls, you say?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, well, that sounds pretty alright to me. We can make our waypoint here, and it might even be, uh, kinda pleasant compared to, like, everything else about the Barrens."

It hadn't always been the Barrens, though, had it? Frostforge Hollow might once have had visitors from nearby villages, looking to explore...

She shook her head clear, and bowed lightly to the Aeons. They really did look old, maybe not quite so much as Articuno, though the bird wore their years a little better. And they watched over countless travellers across the Commonwealth... No wonder the Saints couldn't keep up.

"Thanks for bailing us out of that fight. We'd better head through this rift – we're kindof in a hurry to, uh, save the world, kinda? – but if we run into you again after all that's sorted out, then it'd be great to, like, talk to you both some more? We could trade some tales of our own for anything you can tell us about the eastern Commonwealth. We're definitely gonna find ourselves over there sooner or later."

She laughed awkwardly – this was absurd, talking to a pair of demigods in a mystery dungeon in a post-apocalyptic wasteland like they were an amiable elderly couple she'd met on the streets of downtown Circhester. But such was the vibe.

Laura took a glance down the throat of Frostforge Hollow. With her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, she could already see cyanobacterial films coating the interior surfaces, green-blue where vents brought up geothermal heat, and yellow-orange where it was cooler. Yeah, this'd be picturesque. She could already see Steven's eyes lighting up.

Just a quick jaunt into the earth, and they'd have their waypoint.

Then just a short hop from the exit to the dungeon where the world collapsed into the sky.

"Let's go," she said, braced herself, and began the descent.

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