Spacemon: Frontier – Chapter 22: The Hunter

Welcome to another exciting installment of Spacemon, the tale of a Pokemon TRPG campaign! This is a spinoff of the sci-fi space epic played using the Pokemon Tabletop United (PTU) system, this time GMed by yours truly. You can get caught up on the entire Spacemon saga here!

Upon their return to the Maverick, Axel, Cyrus, and Taraka were greeted by Roland. “Ah, my friends, you have returned!” the merchant greeted them. “Were you able to learn anything about the men who attacked us?”

Axel frowned. Roland seemed to be feeling better, but that didn’t make the mercenary any less annoyed with him. “No thanks to you,” he grunted. “I expect the next time we get into battle that you will not run away.”

“That’s completely unreasonable!” the merchant protested. “I am a craftsman, sir, not a warrior.”

“That’s what my Pokemon and flamethrower are for,” Axel said, hefting up his weapon. “And you have Pokemon too.”

“I was caught off guard,” Roland said. “I have not been shot at in … a very long time.”

“I’m just saying,” Axel replied. “We fought a Blastoise and your Leafeon would have been very useful.”

“You gentlemen did fine without me. You didn’t need my help.”

“But he got away,” Taraka said. “Maybe having an additional person there would have helped.”

“He had a bunch of men with him,” Cyrus said. “One extra man wouldn’t have been too useful.”

Axel smirked. “Fair enough, Captain. Like you said, we’ll probably be seeing him again.”

Taraka sat cross-legged on his bed, deep in meditation with his holoscroll. The Maverick was currently docked on the planet Erai, near the Sector 32 warp gate to refuel and resupply before making the jump to Sector 33 and then to Fraxion. While the ship was refueling, Cyrus and Erik were out picking up supplies, Roland was trying to sell his wares, and Axel was browsing the shops for an ice stone to evolve his newly caught Vulpix. As a result, Taraka more or less had the ship to himself.

The monk had chosen to stay on the ship and ponder the next steps of his pilgrimage. Taraka still wanted to focus on finding the mysterious assassin hunting his fellow monks, but he knew he had to complete his journey as well. He wished that he and his crewmates had been able to capture Dane Lory back on Freyeon. He would have very much liked to have known about the crystal he had seen him take. It hadn’t occurred to Taraka when he had first laid eyes upon it, but now that he’d had some time to meditate on it, he could not help but notice the similarity to the glowing gem in his visions. The fact that this gem was found in ruins similar to those where he had received his first vision could not be a coincidence.

It must be the key to unlocking my next vision, Taraka thought. If only we had been able to stop him from escaping with it. The monk couldn’t help but feel discouraged, but he knew he couldn’t give up hope. Maybe the captain was right; perhaps they would encounter Dane Lory again and would be able to find out what he did with the crystal.

“Alright everyone,” Cyrus’s voice suddenly sounded over the comms. “The ship is fully fueled and the supplies are loaded. We lift off in ten.”

Taraka opened his eyes. There were obstacles that remained in his path, but he would get past them in time. In the meantime, there was another set of ruins to visit.

Roland joined the rest of the crew at the front of the ship as the Maverick dropped out of warp space in the Anan system in Sector 33. Having had a few days of rest, the merchant had gotten over getting shot at on Freyeon. He felt bad about completely shutting down during their encounter with those mercenaries and wanted to make it up to his crewmates. Roland was determined to join them for the exploration of Fraxion, whatever dangers might be waiting.

Roland heard Cyrus voice speaking as he arrived. “Let’s be smart this time,” the captain said. “Let’s scan this world before we land. We need to make sure there aren’t any mercenary ships waiting for us.”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea,” Roland said. “Knowing what we’re dealing with will prevent any surprises like last time.”

“Exactly,” Cyrus agreed.

“Scans seem clear, Captain,” Ace reported a few moments later. “Just some volcanic activity.”

“That’s a relief,” Roland said.

“We’ll be careful nevertheless,” Cyrus said. “The scanners didn’t pick up anything on the planet where we encountered the assassin.”

Axel smirked. “You know me, Captain,” the mercenary said. “I’m always careful.”

Cyrus let out a laugh. “Keep on telling yourself that.” The Maverick’s captain then reached for the comms. “Alright, Anya, take us down.”

“You got it,” the Romanov pilot responded. Moments later, the ship began descending into Fraxion’s atmosphere.

Out the viewport, Roland could see vast forests and expansive mountain ranges dotted with volcanoes. Despite the danger presented by the active volcanoes, the view was quite a pleasant one.

Unlike on Freyeon, Anya was able to land a lot closer to the ruins, which were built upon the slopes of a dormant volcano. The pilot set the ship down on a large flat plateau a short ways down from the ruins. Once the ship had settled, the crew gathered in the cargo hold.

“Alright,” Cyrus said. “Axel, you go with Roland and Taraka to check out the ruins. Ace, you stay here and protect the ship, just in case.”

“What about you, my good sir?” Roland inquired.

“I’m going to take a look around,” the captain explained. “I just want to make sure there aren’t any disguised ships or anything like that here.”

“Sounds like a plan, boss,” Axel said. “Alright you two, let’s get moving.”

Along with Taraka, Roland followed Axel as he began walking down the ramp. “It’s quite cold here,” the merchant observed as he stepped onto the planet’s surface. Luckily, his coat was quite warm. “I did not expect that on a world with so many volcanoes.”

“Speaking of volcanoes, how about we check out the volcanic crater up there?” Axel suggested, pointing toward the summit. “I’d like to see if there are any fire Pokemon there. It’s not that much further past the entrance to the ruins.”

“A fine idea,” Roland said. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find many shards there.”

“We may want to visit the ruins first,” Taraka said. “I do not wish to get beaten to the artifacts again.”

“It will only take a little extra time,” Axel replied. “If we don’t find anything interesting we can go right to the ruins.”

Taraka nodded. “Very well,” the monk agreed.

“Aha! Another one!” Roland exclaimed as he fished a red-colored shard out from the volcanic rocks. So far, the merchant had discovered quite a few in the volcanic crater. He was glad Axel had suggested checking it out.

“Hey guys!” Roland suddenly heard Axel shout. He looked up to see the mercenary waving. “I found some Pokemon!”

“I shall be right there, sir!” Roland called back to him. He stood up and began walking over to the mercenary.

Arriving at Axel’s location at the same time as Taraka, Roland found him peering over a rock. The two joined him, spotting a Sneasel and a pair of Swinubs just on the other side. “I want that Sneasel,” the mercenary said.

“That is fine by me, sir,” Roland replied. “I shall try for one of the Swinubs.”

“I will help you with your captures,” Taraka said.

“Alright, let’s do it,” Axel said, getting to his feet. He then pulled out a Pokeball and released one of his Ninetales, this one the fire type. Roland and Taraka followed suit, releasing Duosion and Ponyta respectively.

“Mugi, use Fire Spin!” Axel commanded his Ninetales, directing her after one of the Swinubs. The Pokemon let loose a swirling vortex of flames, completely engulfing the Swinub. When the dust settled, Roland could see the Swinub lying unconscious. He couldn’t help but be amazed by the power of Axel’s Pokemon.

“Woops,” Axel said, laughing. “Sorry about that. Guess she’s stronger than I thought.”

“It is alright, my friend,” Roland said. “I will catch the other one.”

“Blaze, Flame Wheel,” Taraka commanded his Ponyta. The monk’s Pokemon galloped for the Sneasel, surrounded by flames. The Ponyta collided with his target in a fiery explosion, causing the Sneasel to go flying backwards. Angered, the Sneasel sprang back off a rock, claws bared. The furious Pokemon swiped at its assailant, but the Ponyta was much too fast and bolted out of its reach.

“Now is your chance,” Taraka said, turning to Axel.

“Right.” The mercenary pulled out a great ball and threw it at the Sneasel, capturing it with ease.

Finally realizing what was happening, the remaining Swinub let out a terrified squeal. It then spewed a torrent of mud from its mouth at Axel’s Ninetales. Despite being a fire Pokemon, the Ninetales remained unfazed by the attack.

While the Swinub was distracted by Axel’s Pokemon, Roland began creeping up on it with his Duosion. “Pride, use Psyshock,” the merchant commanded his Pokemon once they were close enough. Unfortunately, the Duonsion’s psychic strike missed the mark. Turning to Roland and Pride in fear, the Swinub unleashed a powdery blast of snow at them. Roland held his arm in front of his face to protect himself from the biting cold, but, fortunately, the attack didn’t cause much harm or his Duosion.

“Mugi, use Ember!” Axel then ordered his Ninetales. The fiery fox spit out a lick of flame at Swinub, doing a real number on it and opening it up for a capture. Roland seized the opportunity and ran up close to the Pokemon. He pulled out a Pokeball, then pressed it against the Swinub, successfully capturing it.

“Ha ha! Well done, gentlemen!” Roland exclaimed with a chuckle. “Well done indeed.”

“Well, we got what we came for,” Axel said. “Now, let’s head down to the ruins.”

“This place seems familiar,” Taraka said as he and his crewmates stepped out of the entrance corridor of the ruins into a large open chamber.

“It looks exactly like the last one,” Axel said.

Taraka nodded. He stepped up to the guardrail on the edge of the terrace they stood upon and gazed down to the floor below. Indeed, these ruins were much like those the Maverick crew had visited on Freyeon. The same upper terrace wrapped around the entire perimeter of the chamber, with the same two flights of stairs leading down to the lower floor. Unlike the Freyeon ruins, however, this place seemed empty of any life.

“Fortunately, there is no one shooting at us this time,” Roland commented. “That’s a good sign.”

“Or a bad one,” Axel said. “Maybe Dane Lory and his men cleared this place out too.”

“I hope that is not the case,” Taraka said. If there were any artifacts that could potentially aid him on his journey here, the monk wanted to get to them first.

“Only one way to find out,” Axel said. “Come on.” The mercenary nodded in the direction of the stairs, then started walking toward them.

The three explorers descended the stairs to the lower level, then crossed the chamber to the corridor entrance on the far side. Based on his experience on Freyeon, Taraka’s intuition told him that this passageway would lead to a set of stairs and, eventually, to a room similar to the one where he and his crewmates encountered Dane Lory.

Sure enough, that is exactly what happened. After ascending the stairs, the trio came to a fork, with one corridor leading to a balcony overlooking the main chamber, and the other leading further in.

“Man, this place is exactly the same,” Axel commented as they walked down the passage leading deeper into the ruins.

“So it would seem,” Taraka agreed.

“I bet there’s another one of those crystals at the end of this hallway,” Axel continued.

“Perhaps.” Taraka hoped the mercenary was right. He very much wanted to get his hands on a crystal like the one on Freyeon, especially if it was indeed the gem in his visions.

As they stepped out into the room at the end of the corridor, Taraka noted the familiar surroundings. The room had a hexagonal shape to it, and a pedestal stood at its center. Unlike the one in the Freyeon ruins, this one was bare.

“So it was kind of a waste coming here, wasn’t it?” Axel asked, taking a look around the room.

“No,” Taraka said. “Something feels off.” As the monk gazed around the room, he noticed that the walls seemed to be lined with what looked like some sort of equipment. It was hard to tell exactly what it was because it was so run down and worn away. Thinking back, Taraka remembered how barren this room had been in the Freyon ruins. It had likely been cleaned out by Dane Lory’s men. These ruins, however, appeared not to have been disturbed in a very long time … except for the pedestal. Something about it just seemed off to the monk.

Approaching the pedestal, Taraka reached out with his senses. He closed his eyes and shut out the world around him, focused only on the pedestal. As he concentrated his energies, a vision filled the monk’s mind. He saw the room just as it had been when he and his crewmates arrived, except a crystal sat upon the pedestal. It was the same size and shape as the one Dane Lory took, except it was a deep but vivid shade of blue instead of red.

The room was still and otherwise empty, but a sudden movement caught Taraka’s attention. He saw a familiar shadowy figure slink into the room and approach the pedestal. It was the assassin he was seeking. The figure grabbed the crystal and stashed it away. The assassin’s head then turned at the sudden sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor. Just as in the ruins where he first spotted this mysterious individual, the figure simply vanished. Moment’s later, Taraka saw himself, along with his two crewmates, run into the room.

“He was just here,” Taraka said, opening his eyes.

“Who was?” Roland asked.

“The assassin,” the monk explained. He then quickly relayed what he had just seen to his crewmates.

“Damn it,” Axel cursed. “You were right, Taraka. We wasted time trying to find Pokemon.”

“Nothing can be done about it now,” Taraka said.

“Hmm, do you find it odd that this assassin and those mercenaries both took crystals from ruins right before we arrived?” Roland asked.

“Do you think the assassin is working with Dane Lory and Maelstrom?” Axel asked.

“I do not think so,” Taraka said. “But it is certainly possible.”

“Stupid invisible man,” Roland said. “We have to find him and get to the bottom of this.”

“If you saw us get here right after him, then he might still be here!” Axel shouted in realization. “Come on!” The mercenary ran for the exit, his armored boots clanking loudly along the floor.

Taraka and Roland followed just behind, just barely keeping up with him as he rushed back down the stairs and out into the main chamber. Taraka watched as his compatriot rapidly scanned the room, searching for any trace of the assassin. “I command you to show yourself!” Axel shouted. “Turn off your cloaking device and face us!”

The chamber fell silent for a few moments, then Taraka heard the distinct sound of laughter echoing in the large open space. The voice sounded digitally distorted, but it was unmistakably Human. Taraka focused, trying to pinpoint where the laughter was originating.

“I think it’s coming from up there,” Taraka said to his crewmates, pointing up to the balcony that overlooked the chamber.

Sure enough, the shadowy form of the assassin materialized before the monk’s very eyes. “How perceptive of you,” the voice said. The figure then pulled out the blue crystal. In the darkness, Taraka could see it faintly reflecting the light. “Looking for this?”

“Yes I’m looking for it!” Axel shouted. “Give it to me now!”

The assassin laughed, not intimidated by the mercenary in the slightest. “If you want it, you’re going to have to take it.”

“I think we can do that!” Axel shouted back. He then grabbed his Charizard’s Pokeball off his belt and sent her out. Taraka and Roland followed his lead, releasing Togekiss and Duosion.

Another laugh echoed down from the balcony. “If it’s a battle you want, then it’s a battle you’ll get.” With that, the assassin pulled out two Pokeballs and tossed them down to the ground below. As the metallic spheres hit the floor, releasing the Pokemon within, the Assassin jumped down, landing gracefully behind the two Pokemon, a Malamar and a Charizard.

“So, you’ve got a Charizard too,” Axel said as he stared the assassin down. “Just turn over that crystal and maybe we don’t have to fight.”

The assassin just laughed and stepped forward, out of the shadows. In the light, Taraka could see the assassin clearly. The figure was hooded and garbed all in black. The skin-tight ensemble left very little to the imagination when it came to the unmistakably feminine form of its wearer. Her hood obscured most of her face, only allowing Taraka to catch a glimpse of her mouth as she spoke. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Then we’ll just have to make you!” Axel shouted. “Ritsu, use Flamethrower! Fry that Malamar!” The mercenary’s Charizard let out a mighty roar before lifting off into the air. She flew above the assassin’s Pokemon and let loose a surge of flames. It looked to Taraka that the attack hurt the Malamar quite a bit, but he could tell it was fierce and well trained.

The assassin laughed. “You’re going to have to do better than that,” she said as a psionic blade extended out from her wrist. She took a step forward as her two Pokemon stared the Maverick crew down. Her Charizard let out a menacing growl and bared its claws.

“Well gentlemen,” Roland said nervously, beginning to back away. “This is the part where I run away.”

Axel shot the merchant a sharp glance. “Don’t you dare,” he said threateningly.

The assassin let out another taunting laugh. “Oh, you’re not going anywhere.” With that, she leapt forward at Roland’s Duosion, blade raised to strike. As she landed on her feet, the assassin brought her arm down, jabbing her blade into the Pokemon.

“No, not Pride!” Roland cried out. “Quick, use Psyshock!” he shouted to his Pokemon. The Duosion let loose a psychic blast at his assailant, but she was too quick on her feet. She jumped back as the psychic energy exploded the floor where she had just been standing.

“You may be dodgy, but what about your Pokemon?!” Axel shouted before unleashing a surge of flames from his flamethrower at the Assassin’s Malamar.

“Sirius, you too!” Taraka shouted. “Fairy Wind!” The monk’s Togekiss let loose an attack of her own, blowing the Malamar backwards. It was a devastating attack, but the Malamar wasn’t going down that easily. The psychic squid Pokemon floated back into place, both of its tentacles raised. It then flew forward with surprising speed, moving between Sirius and Pride, swiping at both Pokemon with its tentacles. Fortunately, both were able to maneuver out of harm’s way.

Meanwhile, Axel directed his Pokemon after the assassin herself. “Get her, Ritsu! Use Fire Fang!” The Charized flew forward and latched onto the assassin’s arm with her fiery jaws. Ritsu would have surely drawn blood if her flames hadn’t instantly cauterized the wound.

Even with her arm clamped between the Charizard’s jaws, the assassin remained calm and composed. She simply maneuvered herself as her own Charizard rushed in and ripped into Ritsu with its razor-sharp claws, forcing her to release her jaws. As she yanked her arm back, she spun around and slashed at Ritsu with her blade, driving her back into her own Charizard, which then stomped her to the ground.

“No!” Axel shouted. The mercenary ran over and recalled his wounded and unconscious Charizard, then sent out his Shinx. “You’ll pay for that!”

Taraka could only look on with shock at how easily the assassin and her Pokemon had brought Ritsu down. He began to worry that he and his crewmates might not make it out alive. Suddenly, the assassin turned to look at the monk. Under the hood, all Taraka could see was a taunting smile on her face and her eyes, glowing bright with psionic energy. As her eyes lit up, Taraka could feel her mind probing his own. No you don’t, the monk thought, snapping back to his senses and focusing his will. He drove her mental probe back, then threw up a psionic barrier.

“Alright, Krieg!” Axel shouted. “Take care of that damn Charizard! Use Spark!” The Shinx began glowing bright with electrical energy as he rushed at the enemy Charizard, then leapt at it. As he flew through the air, the Pokemon began changing form, evolving into a Luxio. As the newly evolved Krieg slammed into the assassin’s Charizard, his sparking electrical discharge dissipated the illusion surrounding it, revealing it to be a Zoroark!

“Aw, you ruined the surprise,” the assassin said tauntingly. “No matter.” Her eyes flashed again, and Taraka realized she had been telepathically commanding her Pokemon. Her Malamar floated over and took a swing at Axel’s Luxio, but Krieg dodged out of the way. The Zoroark then darted to Roland’s Duosion, claws raised to strike.

“Hang in there, Pride!” Roland shouted. “Use Reflect!” The Duosion threw up a psychic barrier of his own just in time, but the attack was still devastating, leaving Roland no choice but to recall him. “Your turn, Gluttony,” the merchant said as he sent out his Swirlix instead.

As her Pokemon made their attacks, the assassin deftly maneuvered around the room, avoiding the licks of flame Axel was spewing at her. As she hopped over the mercenary’s Luxio, she ran her psionic blade through him, doing a real number on the Pokemon.

“Hold on, Krieg!” Axel shouted. “Charge up and prepare for another attack!”

“I don’t think so,” the assassin taunted as she stabbed the Luxio again, bringing him down before he even got the chance to store up any electricity. She then jumped away, landing beside Roland’s Swirlix right as her Malamar flew through, slashing through the Pokemon with one tentacle and Sirius with the other.

They need more protection, Taraka thought. The monk poured more energy into his psionic barrier, hoping to harden it against the onslaught. He then issued a command to his Togekiss. “Sirius, Fairy Wind! Bring down that Malamar!” Sirius unleashed her attack immediately, finally taking out one of the assassin’s Pokemon.

“Gluttony, use Fairy Wind as well!” Roland then ordered his own Pokemon. His Swirlix launched her attack against the Zoroark, but she wasn’t yet strong enough to be that effective of a combatant. The Zoroark, unfazed by the attack, rushed Gluttony and swiped at her several times with its claws, bringing her down with merciless efficiency.

“You’re going to need to do better than these weakling Pokemon,” the assassin said as she recalled her Malamar. “At least make it so I have to try.”

Seeing that taunting grin on the assassin’s face filled Taraka with anger. She’s just toying with us. As his rage built, Taraka felt a swell of psionic energy within him. That energy manifested itself as a glowing red orb that looked almost like a flame. Focusing on this ball, Taraka willed it to fly at the assassin. As it made contact, her suit began sparking and she stumbled backwards.

“What the hell?” Taraka heard her say. Whatever he had done had caused some damage to her systems and he was able to hear her actual voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, but in the heat of battle he couldn’t quite place it.

Although he was surprised by what had just happened, Taraka quickly snapped back to the moment. He couldn’t get distracted now. “Sirius, use Fairy Wind on that Zoroark!” he commanded his Pokemon. The Togekiss flew over to the Zoroark and unleashed her attack, finally landing a significant hit on it. Finally, it seemed to be wearing out.

Axel and Roland were quick to follow up. The mercenary set the illusion Pokemon aflame while the merchant released his Lileep beside it. “Sloth, use Ancient Power!” Rolad commanded.

In response to this onslaught of attacks, the Zoroark let out a loud shriek, then rushed its assailants. It swiped through the Lileep with one set of claws, and the Togekiss with the other. Fortunately, Taraka’s barrier kept both safe.

“Alright, Sirius,” Taraka said. “Hit it again and take it out.”

“Oh no you don’t,” the assassin said. She jumped up and slashed through Sirius as she fired off another Fairy Wind attack. The psionic blade inflicted a pretty serious wound, but failed to prevent the Togekiss from bringing down her Zoroark.

“Not so tough now, are ya?!” Axel shouted, firing off another stream of flames as the assassin landed. She quickly rolled out of the way as the fire rushed past.

“Hmm, you’re stronger than you look,” the assassin said as she recalled her Zoroark. She then pulled the crystal out again. “You want it? Catch!” She then chucked the gem high into the air.

“Sirius, grab it!” Taraka shouted to his Togekiss as he tracked the crystal with his eyes. The monk watched with bated breath as his Pokemon flew to retrieve the crystal before it hit the ground. He let out a sigh of relief once she safely retrieved it. The relief was only momentary, as when Taraka turned back to the assassin, she was gone.

“Damn it, she’s gone!” Axel shouted angrily.

“She must have cloaked herself again,” Taraka said.

“I think we managed to fight her off,” Roland said, looking nervously around the room.

“For now,” Taraka said. “She knows of me now, so we’ll have to keep our guards up.”

“Don’t worry, pal,” Axel said, walking up to the monk. “We’ll keep you safe.” The mercenary playfully patted Taraka on the back. “Now, let’s have a look at that crystal.”

“Right,” Taraka agreed. “Sirius!” His Togekiss flew over and presented the crystal. Taraka reached out to grab it, and, as his fingers closed around it, the monk was struck with a vision.

Taraka found himself standing in the center of a room. It was a room that was quite familiar looking, with six evenly sized walls and a pedestal at its center. Taraka knew it to be the same room at the heart of the ruins on Fraxion, except it was not in a ruined state. The walls and floor were immaculately clean, and functioning machinery lined the walls. Wires and cables ran along the floor, connecting the machinery to the pedestal, upon which sat the blue crystal, protected by a glass dome.

The monk watched as people moved about the room, fiddling with the machinery. He couldn’t tell for sure, but he guessed that they were scientists, and this was a lab of some sort. The crystal seemed to be at the core of their project, whatever it was.

Suddenly, the man who appeared to be in charge gave a signal, and another man flipped a switch. Power began coursing through the wires and cables along the floor to the pedestal. The crystal began glowing with a fierce light that completely blinded Taraka.

When his vision cleared, the monk found himself standing in the main chamber of the ruins once again. His arm was still outstretched and his hand was still clutching the crystal tightly. Both Axel and Roland were looking at him with expressions of concern on their faces.

“You alright there, Taraka?” Axel asked.

“I …” Taraka trailed off as he retracted his arm. “I am fine,” he said, a slight smile appearing on his face. “It was just a vision.”

Taraka placed the crystal into folds of his robes and pulled out his holoscroll. Another of its sections was glowing with pale purple light. The monk’s smile widened. He was halfway there.

Notes: Well then, this was certainly an interesting session to write up. For whatever reason, my audio didn’t record, so the only things I could hear while listening to the session were the players and the music and sound effects in Roll20. Fortunately, I could rely on the video, the context provided by what the players were saying, and my memory of what happened to figure everything out. If I hadn’t mentioned it here, you probably wouldn’t have even known! It was actually a lot easier to do it than I expected.

Onto the events of this chapter, we opened up with some RP to resolve Roland not participating in the previous session’s events now that we had all the players again. To the credit of Roland’s player, he did a great job of taking us making his character essentially run away and incorporating it into his character. He even made his character want to run away in this session’s combat encounter.

After that, I added a little scene with Taraka to remind everyone about his pilgrimage and to provide some context to the events of the previous chapter as well as this one. It was a simple scene, but it definitely adds a lot.

The party decided to hit up the second planet they learned about on Khalimuck this session, so that’s what we did. Learning about the planet’s climate and environment, Axel really wanted to catch some Pokemon, hoping to catch a particular one from a previous campaign, but no one rolled really well, so I just threw some random stuff at them. Then it was onto the ruins. I was a bit lazy as a GM and reused the same layout as the previous ruins, and even the same object to collect at the end, just a different color, but I think I did a solid job of improving most of the events outside of that.

I kind of decided on the spot that they would fight the assassin this time because I’d had her built for a while. I found it funny that the players had kept referring to her as a him when they didn’t know much about the character, because it made the reveal more satisfying. All the times I’d referred to her as a him in the writing before this wasn’t intentional deception on my part, it was them not knowing. So when Novi used his abilities to scry the pedestal I was just oh like you see the assassin come take the crystal and then you see yourselves enter the room. There was some good tension there. Axel needed to leave a bit early, a couple turns into the fight, so he left instructions on what his next few moves would be and I ran his character and Pokemon for the rest of the fight. I was a bit sad that he missed the Zoroark reveal because I know he would have had the strongest reaction of the three players, but it was still fun. The fight was tough at first, but the tide turned in their favor toward the end, but they certainly haven’t seen the last of her.

Novi had also picked up the Hex Maniac class after the last session, and we sort of just glossed over how he got new powers, but for the writing I sort of wrote it as new abilities starting to manifest, triggered by the dire situation. Taraka will be studying these new powers and honing them in coming chapters.

And at the end they claimed the crystal and it triggered Taraka’s second scroll vision! How mysterious. The plot progresses. This also ended up being the last session Roland’s player attended before dropping out of the campaign. Life stuff came up, it happens sometimes.

Post-Chapter Challenge: Taraka got another scroll vision this chapter, so let’s see what you’ve got for theories. What do you think the crystal is? What do you think the vision means? What could the future visions bring?

That does it for this chapter. As always the Spacemon gang and I will be monitoring the comments to foster discussion and answer any questions. Feel free to give feedback and critiques of the writing so I can improve it for the future, or just leave a comment with what you think about what went down in this chapter or what you think might happen next! You can also revisit past chapters, check out the rest of the Spacemon saga, join the Spacemon Discord server, or like our Facebook page to stay updated on all things Spacemon! Click here for the next exciting installment of Spacemon: Frontier!