Blaguarro Town Abandoned District

[Namohysip]

"...I have no idea what that is," Alex said flatly. "Who are you all...? Why are you here? I thought you were merely... travelers."

He had a suspicious tone to him, now, perhaps finally suspecting that these travelers had much greater ulterior motives than before. His frown was pensive while his muffled counterpart was growling and saying something challenging to the others. At least, that was the assumption.

"Is it safe to keep going?" Alex asked. "Perhaps I should... go elsewhere if you're delving into abandoned... whatever that is."

 

[canisaries]

Andre followed Bellatrix and Isidora into the building. Once he saw the hooks, he stopped for a moment to wonder what they could have been for... until the realization set in, turning his stomach.

Of course. These mon didn't have artificial meat. They had to get their meat the old-fashioned way.

He was thoroughly glad that he'd been placed in the body of a herbivore.

"I think... I think this is it," Bellatrix said after a few moments. "The way to Terminal Two, I mean."

Every hair on Andre's body stood on end. Here? Now? This was it? They'd found it?

"Is it safe to keep going?" Alex asked. "Perhaps I should... go elsewhere if you're delving into abandoned... whatever that is."

"He's right," Andre said. "If that's the entrance to Terminal Two, there are surely people on the other side. We should report back to the others and make sure we..."

He paused, then brought a hoof to his forehead with a sigh. "Of course, we've already left tracks. Our scents."

 

[JFought]

"...I have no idea what that is," Alex said flatly. "Who are you all...? Why are you here? I thought you were merely... travelers."

Shoot. The downsides of letting civilians get involved. "Those rumors we told you about? We came here to investigate them, that's all." Her claws flexed with anxiety as she stared at the shaft. At Terminal Two, where kidnapped pokémon were likely being turned into witching beasts... "And no, it's not safe here at all."

He paused, then brought a hoof to his forehead with a sigh. "Of course, we've already left tracks. Our scents."

Isidora nodded grimly. "And the broken windows. But there was nothin' for it." She placed an unsheathed claw against her chin. "If we're lucky, no one running the operation here has a good enough nose to follow us. But yeah, I think this is as far as we go."

She walked back to the foot of the stairs, not willing to push her luck much farther. "I think we should investigate any else we think we should and bounce." And the sooner the better. Every minute spent here felt more dangerous than the last.

 

[Namohysip]

"Right... well." Alex nodded, stepping back. "I think this is where I will be departing, from this place for now. I should probably complete my training... elsewhere. I'm sure somewhere more public will be safer. It's almost mealtime anyway."

 

[Goat]

Astrid trailed the others inside, occupying herself with the extraneous details of the upper room and then moving down to the basement. And as they pieced it together--the blindfolds, the tunnel, the rumors--Astrid tilted her head behind her a few degrees, scanning the walls here, too. She knew it was unlikely they were being watched right now, yet something inside her was screaming to get out, that danger was not far. This precious knowledge was now in their hands, in a place with active, malicious throughput.

"Shit," Astrid whispered. "Shit, okay. Yeah. We don't have much time to cover our tracks. But as long as nobody seriously misplaces anything here--um, that we haven't already--we should be good." She hoped.

 

[Inkedust]

"I don't think we should go further without telling Anite and alerting the others about what we found," Bellatrix said, shuffling back further, jumping out of the shaft and back onto the floor. She eyed Alex. On second thought, she should have probably shown more caution or told him to wait outside but it was a bit late for that now. At least he was now aware of the dangers lurking beneath.

She shuddered slightly at the thought of leaving scents. "We'll just need to hope they'll blend in with the others down here," she added more quietly. She nodded at Astrid, "Just ensure that things were left as they were found, but it would be good to take this blindfold and that scarf Isidora picked up."

She made her way towards the stairs. Gesturing at the others to follow.

<><><>​

 

[Jackie Cat]

Don't be daunted by the size of the task ahead of you. Don't wait in fear for the appointed day to come. Don't let your demons breed.

It was hard not to let the jitters take hold as morning came for the mission to storm Blaguarro. Cipher had been at work for years, and the party had been on this world for months, and preparing for only a month of that time. Surely Cipher had been using that time to prepare, too. Quietly, efficiently, and without scruple.

The Wayfarers arrived by train from Frontier Town, as arranged by Lucien. They were to rendezvous with their allies in Blaguarro – without good long-distance communication it had been impossible to coordinate properly on a single, unified plan, but several volunteers had agreed to attach themselves to each of the Wayfarer missions within the Cipher Base, and the Ranger and Escarpa factions had coordinated between each other – with the help of Ranger Cascada Escarpa – to divide the job of holding the town above ground between them.

Sonora and Seth travelled with the party. Each of them masked their fears with their own brands of bluster and banter – Sonora's being cheeky and flirtatious, Seth's being boastful and insulting. It seemed like they'd get along with each other.

Zeraora Luz, the Wandering Light, had told the Wayfarers who met her that she had business with the Escarpa first, but that she'd 'be there'.

As the train pulled into the station and the offworlders moved towards the abandoned district, few civilians were out on the streets. Instead, the town was patrolled by badge-wearing Rangers and Escarpa warriors with chalk markings streaking their fur. The Wayfarers were allowed through without fuss.

It was nearly time.

 

[MintyMimix]

A certain Mismagius floated along with a polite smile and light sway from side-to-side. Those that knew him though could tell he was putting on airs; there was less spring to his "step", and his lidded eyes were more furrowed — more focused, than usual. The lives of those in Forlas were in their hands, after all.

"I'm sure whatever they've got cookin' down there's gonna be fouler than the south side of a northbound Skuntank," Ghaspius remarked with a lightly forced bounciness to his cadence, "If y'all ever find yourselves in a bind, remember to holler for help. We're all in this together." His stance relaxed just a smidgen as his own remark.

"Oh, and I got some jasmine here to help with anxiety, if any of y'all want me to pass ya some," he said, pulling out a small vial with a clear liquid and a cork top. Based on the light clanking of glass with each step, it was clear that wasn't the only thing in his bag of tricks.

 

[Magyk]

Grace was positively  buzzing in anticipation. This was it. She could finally start contributing to the team on a bigger level. After all, what good was a raid without a healer to keep everyone going? She couldn't be in three places at once, but she could at least put all her focus on helping those that needed it most.

She had to save those prisoners.

And just maybe... she'd find Owen there, too.

With her gaze like steel as she focused on what was ahead, those that had met her before may have noticed that she was currently a far cry from her usual, cheery self. Grace was far too focused on the mission.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova stayed silent, scanning the area around the train station for signs of friends... and foes. After all, with Cipher having tailed them into the Oasis, a part of him expected an unwelcome wagon to roll out for them immediately. So Nova was on guard, fur prickled and stance wide in case he needed to dive in to body block one of his allies.

 

[Weazel]

It really was a shame. Riding the train had an almost nostalgic feeling to it, but the Oshawott wasn’t able to enjoy it. They were here on business, after all, a proper raid on Cipher’s base of operations on Forlas. If this went well, it could well be the end of their time on this world, mission accomplished, back to their previous lives with no memory of this whole adventure. Not exactly a welcome thought, but at least one that would mean the people here were safe, and the damage they’d done to reality here was minimal. If they failed… Well, best not to think of that possibility too much.

Archie had stuck near Seth during the ride over, and hovered somewhat near the red Lycanroc still on the platform. He hadn’t needed any convincing to come along, and likely would’ve found out from, and tagged along with, someone else had the Oshawott not asked him specifically. But still, as the one that did ask him, as far as he knew, Archie felt responsible for the Lycanroc. He’d been through some pretty horrible stuff at Cipher’s hands already, and had a personal stake in finding his old teammates; the Oshawott didn’t know if he could forgive himself if something worse were to happen to Seth.

 

[Inkedust]

"So here we are again," Bellatrix said quietly, having been mostly contemplative on the way to her third visit of the town. This time, she was here to strike for the jugular, to show why she was more than worth her salt

She looked at the dodrio who had run up to greet them. "You've memorized the layout of the tunnels, I take it?"

All three of Mav's head nodded. "Aye, we have," answered A, shockingly sober. "We mapped out a different part each so there'll be no confusion on which way to go. Wouldn't believe how complex it gets down there."

"Ol' Anite and Tala are waiting for us outside that old slaughterhouse," continued V. "Better hurry up before the two demolish the place on their own."

"And we'd better make damn sure that Tala is gonna be alright," interjected M. "She owes us a drink on the house tonight." He shot a confused glance at A and V who both looked like they were about to peck him.

"What?"

 

[JFought]

The apprehension in the air was palpable, and it left Isidora with a sort of reflective mood. This wasn't her first raid. But it was her first for a properly noble purpose, and against a foe bigger than she had ever faced. She couldn't stop thinking about that former aspect. Of the trouble the town was in, and the pokémon who were suffering down there, and the danger Cipher represented. It'd be so much easier if my life was the only thing at stake.

She was momentarily distracted from her thoughts by the strange, three-headed bird. Dodrio, apparently? What a strange... But the situation was too pressing to waste time gawking at him. She needed to remain focused.

Isidora kept her arms crossed. "Find any signs of activity?" she asked him.

 

[Cresselia92]

On the way to Blaguarro, Silver busied himself with an activity that would be extremely unusual for someone like him: meditation. Eyes closed and arms crossed, he inhaled slowly and exhaled deeply, steadying his buzzing mind and racing heart — just like the monks at the Bellsprout Tower and Obstinea Abbey.

Breath. Mental clarity. Breath. Inner peace. Breath. Bubbling venom.

‘…I can’t fail,’ he reminded himself, his ears twitching when he paid some vague attention to the others. ‘I’m not allowed to fail. They count on me… I can’t let ‘em down! I can’t!’ He nodded to himself. ‘C’mon! It’s not gonna be much different from the raid at the Rocket Game Corner! Same filthy scum! We… can save those ‘mons… yeah, we gotta…’

Then came the loud clank of the train, signaling that they had reached their destination, and his trance broke. His eyes snapped open, burning with unbridled determination, and he ventured into the hostile land alongside the others, his eyes narrowed and his ears twitching in alert.

‘…Let’s do it!’

 

[canisaries]

Andre forced himself to breathe deeply for possibly the hundredth time on this trip, and like each time before, it barely did anything for his nerves.

It wasn't the first time he had fought - there had been Ignatius - and it wasn't the first time he'd been in mortal danger - there had been Owen - but that didn't make it any easier. Oh, right, and it was the first time that he had to go through both of those things while also needing to make sure he didn't feel too bad or some kind of demonic force would take away his rational thought. And if the Wandering Light was coming and bestowing Radiance upon them like he'd been told she would, he'd have to worry about that, too. Radiance was crucial in fighting against Shadow opponents, but it was something one could lose themselves to just like with Shadow... so should he try to wield it on purpose or not? Andre was nothing if not driven, and if being driven was what fueled Radiance, how was he going to stop himself from burning up?

Maybe he should just stay back and support the others through energy like he'd done during the battle with the mayor. It's not like he was very good at attacking, anyway, having only trained a few times, alone.

He glanced around again, eyes lingering on his allies for only fleeting moments. It sure would have been nice to talk to someone about this, but he didn't feel like he had the right. Not when he'd possibly - oh, stop fucking kidding yourself, most certainly - leaked their secrets to the enemy. At least he hadn't said anything about Terminal Two.

"Oh, and I got some jasmine here to help with anxiety, if any of y'all want me to pass ya some," he said, pulling out a small vial with a clear liquid and a cork top. Based on the light clanking of glass with each step, it was clear that wasn't the only thing in his bag of tricks.

Andre hesitated for a moment, but realized soon that he shouldn't miss a single chance to fortify his mind against Shadow. He trotted next to Ghaspius. "I'd like some, please," he said, extending a vine.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes had found himself traveling alongside both Seth and Sonora on the way over. At first, he’d tensed up and wondered whether it was a good idea for the two to mix or not, but they seemed to hit it off rather quickly, thank the stars. He supposed that between the three of them, they all had quite a lot in common, and Seth had graciously toned down his dickishness for the time being. He chuckled at their banter and made some half-hearted attempts to join in, but his mind was all over the place.

Wes spotted Archie, too, but found he could do little more than give him a nod. He’d never been much for chitchat anyway, but nerves and poor sleep the night before made him even less so today. There was…a lot at stake this time. What if something went horribly wrong? What if not everybody made it back safely? Wes tried not to dwell on these things too much, but he was doing a miserable job.

He perked up at Ghaspius’s offer and quietly raised a paw. “I’ll take some,” he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Normally he’d hate making such a show of his vulnerability, but what the hell. Couldn’t hurt to stay extra sharp. He wasn’t anxious, anyway, just…concerned. Just wanted things to go well, that was all.

Then, in an attempt to further mask his definitely-not-anxiety, he nudged Seth and smirked at him. “You should get some, too. For your delicate constitution.”

He figured if there was ever a time he could be extra cheeky with the smug bastard, it was now. Even Seth knew it was bad form to maul a teammate before a mission. Hopefully.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Seth's muzzle wrinkled with irritation, and he jabbed Wes in the side, (just hard enough for plausible deniability if it hurt).

"I'm tougher than you, Wesley," he retorted, adjusting his trenchcoat with a light growl. "Or any Wayfarer, last I checked."

Wes would know by now that this was a good sign. Seth taking and dishing out banter meant Seth without spiking Shadows.

Meanwhile, Sonora jogged up ahead, turning to look the town up and down, her eyes everywhere. She gave small bows, her hat to her chest, when she came up to a patrol 'mon or a civilian still out of doors, twirling as if she were in a dance.

"Why, I ain't been to Blaguarro in a season or few," she drawled, "but dearie-me if it don't seem like it's a li'l run-down these days, least 'round this part o' town! I guess we'll have to do somethin' about that once we're done plantin' our paws up Cipher's backsides, ain't that right?"

All performance, all meant to keep up morale and give her a chance to map out the surface in her head without looking nervous.

Near the centre of the Wayfarer party – a couple dozen 'mon strong – Laura walked with Jade, going over the plans they'd made with the allied factions, over and over.

The Rangers had flown in first and set up temporary patrols and stations, liaising with the townsfolk and keeping watch. The Escarpa had surrounded the town with sentries, then moved in their warriors to take control of the streets. With the Rangers there to talk down anxious locals, it became an 'emergency peacekeeping action by clan volunteers', and not an invasion by warrior savages. And now the Wayfarers were here to enter the Terminal Two intake and occupy the Cipher base. They'd go in, complete their missions, and make their way out – and if Cipher had anything planned above ground or tried to make a getaway by rail or road, the Escarpa and Rangers would handle it.

It was a solid plan.

Too bad they didn't have much idea how good their odds were...

"Clear skies, offworlders," called an Escarpa warrior – a Braviary with a Ranger badge pinned to her bandana – from atop the boarded-up slaughterhouse that concealed the intake. "The town is held and watched, and all here stand ready. Has the Wandering Light spoken with you already?"

 

[Namohysip]

"I can Teleport," Mhynt said as her opener. "That will be useful in the tunnels if anyone needs an escape. I can probably determine where most of you are, so that will be my focus when I'm not disrupting their general rhythm..."

The Grovyle tested her Teleport just then, disappearing and reappearing on the opposite side of their allies. "My stamina for these things has increased considerably. I'll be able to do this reliably going forward. Call out to me if you need a relocation."

Meanwhile, it seemed that Purple was along for the ride with the Rangers' assistance. According to them, Purple was going to help with civilian evacuation and relocation.

Somehow.

Apparently, he was good at it?

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix went from acknowledging one bird to another. "We have," she answered. "The Light said she will show us how to 'carry the lantern' once we arrived here. I image she is on her way?"

She looked around, frowning at the buildings around her - murkrow perched and watching the forces below - remembering the time she had walked these streets. Did Alexander manage find his way through the tunnels? Had he already breached Terminal Two? Bellatrix supposed that they were going to find out one way or another.

Near the slaughterhouse's entrance stood the imposing figures of Anite and Tala. "I ain't gonna be waiting much longer," growled the old aggron. "This whole place is gonna be reduced to rubble before the day is out."

Tala crossed her arms and snorted, her gaze seeming to linger slightly longer on the Escarpa. "Got quite the collation here. Don't think there's gonna be much to break after these folks have made their rounds down there."

"I'll take what I can get, so long as I get part o' it," replied Anite.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Ow. Damn. Wes grinned despite the acquisition of a new bruise on his rib cage. It was a good sign that Seth was taking everything in stride so far. Now all that mattered was making sure he stayed grounded.

Will we find his boys down there? The question had been nagging at Wes’s mind all morning, and no doubt it was on Seth’s mind, too. Salt and stars, he hoped they’d find them. Rescue them, bring them back to safety. But another part of him was terrified of what condition they might be in, if they’d been made into Shadows already, of what that would do to Seth. Not for the first time, Wes sent a breath of thanks to whatever god might be listening that his boys hadn’t been dragged into this mess with him. He missed them fiercely, and it was true he’d been all out of sorts without them near, but at least they were safe from all of…this.

And they’ll stay safe from it in Orre, too, he told himself with ferocious determination. Cipher will have to take them over my dead damned body.

It was reassuring to see so many familiar faces, at least, even if he didn’t recognize all of them. Escarpa warriors, Anite and Tala, and apparently a bunch of Ranger folks. They had quite the task force all together. Cipher wouldn’t know what hit them.

He took another deep, steadying breath and squared his shoulders, staring hard at the slaughterhouse entrance. (Gods, of course the entrance was through a scorching slaughterhouse. As if Cipher weren’t a bunch of sick, depraved bastards already.)

“I’m ready,” he breathed quietly, more to himself than to anyone else. He hoped nobody else could see his legs shaking.