[ti]private[/ti][C/Alicia] LEVEL-2: Wing Dungeon

"Could be their Internet connection," Josh speculated aloud. "Power outage, anything. I imagine they'll--" Before he could finish his sentence, she was gone. "Yep, that looks like a disconnect to me. What else could it be, after being idle so long?

Granmarg returned Pearl's greeting with a humble one of his own. "Good day, Pearl. Just giving Josh a hoof with getting some more experience. Maybe then, I'll stop being a choke point for him."

Josh had to do a spit-take. Was that the noble earth emperor taking a jab at him? "What's that supposed to mean?!" he snapped back at his mount.

"I noticed you're one to rely on your Pokémon for travel. While it's not a bad thing, I'm just a bit concerned. All it takes is one misplaced grass-type critical hit, and you'll be the one hoofing it across UNOVR."

The horse did have a point, though it would be a moot one once his rider got to about level 10 and he had enough trusty steeds to power an entire cavalry brigade. Shaking his head and turning toward Alicia Westfield , Josh gave her a thumbs-up. "Yeah, let's see what's inside. It should be pretty relaxing compared to the Moonlit Grotto. Says it's recommended for level 7 characters. Though it says here it's more puzzle oriented."

"Better get on the grind, then," Josh jeered as the two horses galloped through the Timberland, the Whimsical Woods appearing in order for once. Perhaps the fae weren't feeling tricky like they did with Shalin Nariya ... or were still recovering from her Beta Tester-fueled nonsense. Being flicked and flung around faster than the eye could see had to be tiring, particularly when they themselves didn't have the abilities she did!

"It's not unexpected," Granmarg humbly accepted the apology. "I'm sure Ares would do the same to Tikani, given the chance. It's also part of why I'm happy to have you as an ally this time instead of an adversary."

"Sometimes I wonder if he's too formal..." Josh trailed off as the Instance came into view. Instead of being underground, it was a wide-open valley, though he imagined it would be as maze-like as the Gnarled Root was. As Granmarg trotted toward the entrance, a red zone line stopped them, along with an orange UI message:

Warning> You must dismount your Pokémon in order to proceed.

The young man looked distraught. "Again?! This one isn't even indoors!" he whined as he slid down from the saddle. "I could understand if the Instance wasn't underground, but this one's open-air. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to ride." Perhaps the reason would be evident once they entered. Once he was off, another series of prompts flooded the top of his UI -- and Alicia's, if she was formally in Josh's party:

Discovery> A new Instance has been discovered! LEVEL-2: Wing Dungeon
Information> Recommended LV: 7

With Josh off his Pokémon's back, the young man led the way into the cave mouth in the corner of the Whimsical Woods. No sooner than they loaded into the dungeon proper were six statues of humanoid fairies staring at them, their eyes seeming to follow them wherever they stood. More unsettling, and perhaps repetitive, was the music; it was one of the simplest themes he had ever heard. "Lazy. Sounds like an intern composed this dungeon's music," the Kindler remarked as he stepped behind the statues, where their eyes stopped following them. Touching the feathers of an ARTICUNO statue, its eyes and beak seemed to come to life with blue light as it spoke a message in a noble voice:

"Good defense is the best offense against spikes."

Josh repeated the message to be certain Alicia heard it. "What do you think it's referring to?" he asked, walking up to the opening room's boundary but not stepping through into the next one.

{Map}