[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]While the Ultra Crater didn't hold the same innate appeal for Aurelie as the Mechanical Kingdom had, it certainly contained plenty intriguing mysteries and breathtaking wonders. The foremost of these were the craters, which were linked somehow with the moon and could be satisfied with strange offerings.

Unlike last time, when Jack had done all the work, Aurelie came prepared this time. From her backpack, she drew a stone bowl from a kitchen supply store, as well as a bathrobe printed with Typhlosions from her favorite thrift shop. For the jeweled branch, she offered an eyepatch adorned with leaves made of semiprecious gems.

Together, they toured the other craters to leave the offerings. With each stop, the moon grew larger and brighter overhead. At the last crater, it rose into dazzling prominence, a silver disc shimmering at the zenith of the sky, so huge that it looked close enough for them to reach out and touch.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aurelie caught sudden flashes of white. Turning, she gasped when she saw a group of Kartanas reacting to the sight of the great, luminous moon by leaping away through the fields and into the jungle beyond. She tugged at Jack's arm and pointed.

"Look at that!" the redhead whispered. "Where do you think they're going in such a rush? Maybe we should follow them and find out..."

Planting her feet cautiously to avoid stepping on a twig or rustling the grass, she hustled after the fleeing Pokemon. The jungle was dense and dimly lit, yet the trail left by the group of Kartanas was clear and easy to follow. Aurelie and Jack stayed at a distance, careful to avoid alerting them of their presence.

It didn't take long until they reached what looked like a spectacular emerald-green pagoda rising in the heart of the jungle, seemingly fashioned all from towering bamboo stalks. Dozens of Kartanas guarded the multi-story tower with gradually tiered, gracefully sloping eaves. Even in the celadon-tinted light filtering through the leaves and vines overhead, their blades gleamed bright and sharp.

As the party they were tracking through the jungle approached the pagoda, there seemed to be a guard change. For a few minutes, it seemed like no one was patrolling outside. "Do you think we should explore inside?" Aurelie whispered, catching Jack's eye.

Then suddenly, a single Kartana emerged from the entrance and stared directly at the two of them. Its sword rang free of its sheath as it hissed a fierce challenge at them and charged swiftly forward.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie let out an astonished gasp when Jack's Aegislash swiftly dispatched the attacking Kartana with a single decisive strike, cleaving through not only its arm but even its torso. Realizing where they were, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her reaction. Still, her eye twinkled with delight.

"That was incredible!" she whispered to Jack, her face and tone openly impressed. "After we get out of here, you need to tutor me sometime on using Aegislash! I never knew how many powerful things it can do.

"But right. First things first, let's keep exploring." She took Jack's outstretched hand in hers and squared her shoulders in readiness.

Trailed by his Aegislash, they quickly ducked inside the entrance to the towering bamboo fortress and looked around hurriedly. Instead of the magnificent great hall she was expecting, Aurelie and Jack found themselves inside what looked like a narrow antechamber with low ceilings. I guess this looks very defensible... she mused, when a sudden noise caught her attention.

It was a sound she recognized well: the rhythmic rasping of a whetstone along the edge of a blade. She froze and gaped as another Kartana strolled around the corner, absorbed in sharpening its sword. Then, her eye narrowed and she let out a disapproving grumble as she watched its technique.

The Kartana froze at the sound of her voice and whirled to stare at them with its enigmatic eyes. It did pause in its sharpening, though, and didn't immediately attack them. Aurelie stared back at it, glanced quickly at Jack, and then hurriedly explained herself.

"You're doing it wrong," she told the Kartana, feeling exceptionally odd that she was lecturing a Pokemon, of all things—even one that seemed to speak in a human tongue. "You want to hold the whetstone at a shallower angle to your blade. About 20 degrees or so. That'll give you a better edge to your blade."

To her amazement, the Kartana slowly nodded and adjusted the angle of the whetstone before it began sharpening itself again. Its face seemed to brighten at the change. Aurelie grinned despite herself.

"I know a lot of tricks to strengthen and sharpen metal, if you're interested in learning more," she offered. The Kartana took a step toward her. "I can..."

Her words were drowned out by a growing cacophony of metallic, cymbal-like footsteps. Drawn by the sound of a human voice, a squad of Kartanas raced around the corner and lunged forward to confront the intruders. Seeming just as startled as they were, the receptive Kartana dashed toward her and Jack.

"Crap, are they mad at you? Or us? Or both?" Aurelie exclaimed, her face going pale. "Either way, I'm not sure how much more exploring we can do! Jack, let's get out of here. And you..."

She fished a Pokeball out of her pocket and tossed it at the Kartana with the whetstone. To her fleeting satisfaction, it disappeared into the Pokeball. Pocketing it, Aurelie was already releasing her Golurk to help defend them as they made their escape.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, but Argile, I need you to buy time against the avenging angels over there," she told the looming Pokemon, who planted its feet solidly before the onrushing Kartanas. "Use Deathly Defender, please!"

The Golurk nodded solemnly, and she whirled away to run out the front door. Under its feet, the earth groaned and buckled, rising to cover its massive body in a suit of adamant armor. One stretch of earth expanded into an immense scythe that curved outward from its right hand, gleaming dully.

Just in time too, for the Kartanas struck its earthen armor with their blades and the Golurk staggered under their blows—but its armor held strong. The Kartanas couldn't get past it in the narrow chamber to reach Aurelie and Jack. With a cracking noise, the Golurk struck one Kartana and knocked it several feet back, sending it crashing into a bamboo wall.

Aurelie recalled the Golurk once they were out the door and fleeing the bamboo forest. Right now, the open field with the craters and geysers seemed a lot more inviting than a fortress full of angry Kartanas. At least, she had managed to persuade one of them to come with her, which felt like victory enough.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT