Session 26, VP1

 The morning sun could barely be felt through the grey clouds, but our heroes rose nonetheless. A storm was clearly on its way. After working through their morning routines, they mounted up for travel. Unsure if Yr’s mention of “two days” was a request or a deadline, they decided to move as quickly as possible.

Ignoring the various signs of wild Pokemon they came across, the trainers set up camp around sunset. The shapes of Hrungnir’s Lay were visible by now, less than a day’s travel away. Yr approached once night had fallen, once again granting a sense of safety. There was no need to worry about setting a watch with his unblinking eyes present.

The growing storm began to break towards the dawn. Light rain greeted the group when they woke, but they could tell the weather was only going to get worse. Having donned what protective gear they had, the party continued riding South-West.

Lightning & thunder ripped themselves free of the clouds overhead, as the wind & rain increased in strength. Nearing the base of the mountain range, our heroes noticed a strange, horrendous smell. Whatever it was, Saffa was clearly being affected by it, showing signs of poisoning.

The group quickly made rough fabric masks before continuing forwards. From a distance, they could see a figure, nearly hidden behind a large boulder; the stinking fog seemed to be emanating from the creature. Gunnar charged around the rock, coming face to face with a Skuntank. The Pokemon attacked, as its allies sprang into an ambush.

Though they were outnumbered, our heroes managed to fight through the surprise Pokemon assault with little injury. With the attackers taken care of, antidotes were quickly applied to Saffa, Mary, & Stompy. A short slog through the torrential downpour, & the group had reached the base of the mountain they sought.

Gunnar managed to find a small outcropping amongst the stone, with just enough room for the companions to huddle together under. It could not block the wind & rain completely, but offered a small amount of protection from the elements.

Yr made himself known as dusk set in, seeming anxious. He pointed to the peak of the mountain, & began to ascend. Saffa chosen to stay at the camp, still clearly uncomfortable being around a spirit so soon after her own possession.

Our heroes fought their way through the elements, with Yr leading the way. He did his best to stay just ahead of them, but it was clear he wished to move faster. Eventually, he could wait no more, & sped off to the peak. Moments later, the sounds of a fight began to carry down the mountainside.

The song of battle vitalized the trainers, beckoning them onwards. As quickly as they could, they crested the peak themselves. Sure enough, Yr was engaged in a fight with five silhouettes, outlined against the dark of the sky. He seemed to be fending the Pokemon away from something.

When their eyes adjusted, the group could see that the peak was fairly barren, a barren stretch of scrub & stone. The area was more rounded than sloped, allowing decent footing, at least. In the center of the area was a pit carved into the soil; though a dense layer of icy & steel covered the pit, movement could be discerned within. It was this pit that Yr was attempting to defend.

Flanking him on all sides, a flock of owls danced through the downpour. The trainers had seen Pokemon of the Adaptstrix line before, but something about these specimens seemed wrong. Easily twice as large as normal, their feathers were ragged & torn. Torn pieces of flesh could still be seen pierced on their talons from their interrupted meal. Gleaming in the dark, a red light suffused their eyes, giving off a feeling of feral rage.

Not wasting a second, our heroes joined the fray. Luz, & Skeldr launched powerful attacks, but could not put any foes down. Hamilton opened his maw wide in an echoing yawn, making the Strixes, Luz, & Bergie drowsy. The Elecstrix let loose a thunderbolt that seared Luz, while the Blizzstrix embedded icicles in Hamilton’s thick hide.

The Adaptstrix let out a nerve-shaking screech, as the Chromestrix hammered into Skeldr. Yr fired a powerful arrow directly into the Seismistrix. Finally, the Seismistrix landed hard on the ground, causing a massive magnitude tremor to slam into our heroes.

The party rallied against the feral Pokemon, refusing to fall. More blows were traded, & the Blizzstrix was knocked unconscious. The remaining Strixes continued their onslaught, falling asleep one by one. Skeldr was heavily damaged, forcing Gunnar to Revive him. Hamilton & Luz were swapped out for Stompy & Peach.

The Chromestrix drew itself back from the fray, & flapped in place high above the peak, preparing for something unknown. Even as their foes fell asleep, they used an innate power to continue attacking, lashing out at random. Still, their lack of strategy gave our heroes an edge, allowing them to take down the Seismistrix. For whatever reason, Yr was no longer firing his shadowy arrows. All eyes were suddenly drawn to the Chromestrix.

Whatever it had done, the Chromestrix’s metallic feathers seemed to be drinking in the light & color from the area. Each flash of lightning, each burst of flame increased its glow to a blinding pitch. In seconds, its body could no longer be seen through the silvery sheen. The owl let out a booming call, before it fell to the ground unconscious.

Yet the light that it had gathered remained hanging in the sky. Taking the spectral form of outstretched wings, the light careened across the battlefield, plunging directly into Skeldr. The Pebbagon whimpered in pain, his breath cutting short as huge chunks of his stony hide shattered. Dark blue blood began to pool around his broken form…as an azure light began to pulse & glow between the cracks of his skin.

The strobing blue lights raced like a heartbeat, suffusing Skeldr’s entire form. The sound of a landslide washed over our heroes, as the azure light flashed, then faded. Pushed to the brink of death, Skeldr had evolved.

With blazing eyes, he slammed into the Elecstrix, nearly knocking it from the sky. His new claws swept across the Adaptstrix, sending it tumbling down in a bloody heap. There was a brief second where victory seemed guaranteed, before the trainers felt their hairs stand on end.

The storm raging overhead had not abated in the slightest. Each Electric attack, from both side of the fight, had added to an increasing amount of charge ionizing the mountain peak. Galvanized by these conditions, a bolt of lightning followed nature’s course.

A massive blast of electricity Thundered down onto the peak, directly onto the defeated Adaptstrix. Gunnar & Bergie fought through the pain, as they too, were caught in the explosion. Injured, but still standing, the party saw proof that a knife can cut both ways: mirroring Skeldr, the Adaptstrix had become an Elecstrix.

Taking advantage of the surfeit of power still crackling across the arena, the first Elecstrix hovered above two of its fallen siblings. With a mournful cry, it channeled an incredible amount of electricity into the bodies of its kin, before crumpling in a heap of feathers.

Though they were clearly still injured, the Blizzstrix & Seismistrix were once more up & ready for battle. Despite this resurgence, Skeldr’s new powers still tipped the scales towards our heroes. He grabbed hold of the Blizzstrix’s outstretched wings, before pummeling its body with a cavalcade of rocky bullets. There was a sickening rending sound as the Blizzstrix’s body went sailing off into the storm, its wings still in Skeldr’s mighty grasp.

With the numbers finally on their side, the trainers managed to finally put the Seismistrix & Elecstrix down for good. The group was battered & bloodied, but they had survived. As one, they turned towards the pit.

Immediately, they could tell why Yr had stopped aiding them in the battle: as the moon rose higher into the sky, his form was becoming increasingly intangible. His ephemeral hands were desperately trying to free the figures trapped in the pit, to no avail.

Stompy & Flamon carefully melted away the ice & steel, freeing the captives. Nestled together, weak & shivering, were 15 young Rowlets. The babies let out cries of recognition at the sight of Yr, attempting to hug him. Barely visible, Yr turned his gaze to the party, pulling back his ghostly hood.

For the first time, they saw the face of an old man, weather-beaten & hard-travelled. His tattoos spoke to his life as a hunter, living amongst the forests & mountains. Unable to speak, his mouth painfully shaped the words “thank you”.

A flash of lightning sped across the sky. When its light had faded, so too had Yr. Our heroes were not entirely certainly of what tale they had taken part in, but the lingering sense of Yr’s gratitude let them know that they should be proud.

Their actions would have no effect on the grand scale, were not as legendary as striking down Gudbrund, but this battle still mattered: to the baby Pokemon, now huddling around them in the storming night. To themselves, growing & coming together to fight as a team. And to the lingering spirit of the Rowlets’ protector, finally able to pass on in peace.