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Auranosa Intrepid Town

Jackie Cat

A cat who writes stories.
Heartache staff
Pronoun
they or she
Settlements are self-justifying. They spring up where there is something that draws people to live and work, and then, because there are people there, yet more people will come, to meet the needs of the growing town...

Intrepid Town was one of several 'adventure towns' in the state of Auranosa. It was hard to say which was the 'biggest', or the 'best', as the competition between them to grow and thrive was relentless in all seasons. Each began as little more than a glorified encampment, a flagpole, and unearned ambition, and Intrepid was no exception. Parts of the settlement were still basically just elaborate tents and gazebos, such was its informal and scrappy nature. Every part of it felt temporary – its main street lined with temporary vendor stalls and street food wagons (the smell of baked goods fairly permeated the centre of town), its outer wall a slipshod palisade of wooden stakes (that clearly migrated further out every few weeks or so).

Many of the actual buildings were irregular, individual affairs, built in and around what stonework and terraces remained of the ancient settlement Intrepid had been built on. Their awnings were brightly coloured to draw attention, many of them styled after the appearance of their proprietor. Here there were lit torches and tangerines suggestive of a fire-type shopkeep; here there were rough-hewn limestone columns framing an entrance paved with cobblestone; here there were creamy curtains patterned with the distinctive triangles of the Togetic line. In the middle of town, a sprawling tower of a building had seemingly sprouted from the ground below without any thought given to planning – this edifice, strung with balconies, raincatchers, rope ladders, planters, clotheslines, windmills, radio antennae and more besides was the Intrepid Guildhall, where dungeon-delvers lived, trained, and conspired so long as they were in the region.

At all times of day, even with the sun down, adventurers would come and go from Intrepid, generally in pursuit of some new archaeological lead, or returning home with injuries and/or treasures. Either would do nicely as a prize to show off to strangers or brag about to friends and rivals while taking leave in town. There was no stopping an Intrepid guilder who'd put their mind to something, and as those with a 'poor attitude' soon found themselves in possession of a ticket home, those that remained were generally a sort one might favourably describe as 'irrepressible'. Or perhaps, 'incorrigible'? The average guilder would take even that as a compliment!

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[Ch09] ~ Arcane Archaeology New
As it turned out, the hours or days of travel they had anticipated proved unnecessary. Not far from the exit to the Walled Gardens was a small campsite hosting a party of dungeon-delvers, easily located by Virga on her initial scouting flight. These other adventurers were all too keen to learn the secrets of the rift, in exchange for the use of one of their spare Escape Orbs. Before long, the Wayfarers had been plucked from the camp and placed just outside the orb's last port of call: the adventure town of Intrepid.

A short distance from the settlement's entrance, Koraidon Sada was conversing with Gladion about their previous tangent...

"But I wouldn't have done a lot of the shit Neo has. Lovrina, one of the Cipher people, she told us she'd traded the ARK Unit with the CDE for some tech. And they also got Leona from the CDE somehow. Was the Leona part not transactional? Neo just give her to them for shits and giggles?"
"Absolutely no shits or giggles were involved," she said, in complete seriousness. "Come. Let us discuss this matter on the move.

"Gladion, I am inferring that you think the exchange with Cipher to be an unscrupulous bargain. Is that more or less the case? It didn't seem that way to me at the time. My understanding was that we were helping to apprehend a dangerous criminal, conducting an otherwise-impossible test of paramount importance, and building a relationship with another human-majority organisation comparable to our own. My own principle interest was, of course, in the scientific discovery."

The dragon frowned, her stride slower than usual. This conversation was something she was not at all used to, and some of the ideas she was considering were entirely novel to her. The process appeared uncomfortable, from how her crest drooped. Perhaps asking what was on her mind would encourage her to share her more personal thoughts...?

"As for the ARK Unit—we did receive a package of computer electronics from Cipher at the time that we entrusted the Unit to them. But it was not a 'trade', so far as I was aware. What Director Parallax told me at the time was that the Unit's Radiance was proving impossible to metabolise, and worse: a serious threat to their continued health. His own efforts to keep the energy in check were not sustainable or reliable. Cipher Admin Lovrina supposedly had a personal expertise in the manipulation of Shadow-type energy, which Director Parallax theorised could be used to provide an effective treatment for the Unit. This was in aid of preserving their life. The arrangement was that the Unit would be returned to us once these treatments were effective and safely replicable. Even so, letting them out of his own care clearly troubled the Director deeply. I confess I never knew what to say to him to comfort him. I simply redoubled my dedication to my own work."

There was definitely more going on behind the professor's eyes, but it seemed she wouldn't volunteer much in the way of subjective impressions without prompting or encouragement. This was a 'report', and she was not among friends (had she ever been?).
 
Jade was grateful that the journey back to civilization hadn't been too long, all things considered. She hadn't been looking forward to trudging for miles through the desert while still feeling drained from the last mission, but here they were on the outskirts of town before sundown. Good thing, too; she was getting hungry, even with the dungeon fruits that'd tided them over.

Her usual winter cloak was slung over her shoulder; she hadn't needed it, what with how far south they'd been teleported. It was nice being able to enjoy the cool, dry air outside of the preserved jungle within the dungeon's time capsule. Even some of the desert greenery had started to bloom (almost as if spring had come early...)

Jade listened to Sada's explanation, trying to get a read on how the professor felt about any of it, but it was tricky. Part of her suspected that the professor didn't much know herself, if the whole concept of 'feeling things' was still pretty new to her. The account of the dealings with Cipher checked out, though. Hadn't Lovrina straight-up admitted that Cipher had scammed the Covenant, way back when they'd confronted her in Terminal Two? No way she'd ever intended to give Sage back at all.

Director Parallax... that Umbreon they'd crossed paths with in the CDE basement. Another one of Neo's personas.

"I'm... guessing Director Parallax wasn't too pleased with how they double-crossed him, then," Jade ventured.
 
“Yeah, that’s what I was saying…”

Gladion turned the new information over in his head. He did believe that the version of him wanted them to cure Sage. Even the evil version of him Nova had mentioned didn’t have a history of callous and intentional disregard for the well-being of Nulls.

But he’d also allowed for the situation that made that necessary in the first place. He’d made a living thing for the Coven to use as a tool, as a source of radiance. And then he’d Faba’d it. And then he’d given away Sage with no way to ensure their return. Gladion didn’t feel great about any of that.

Sada seemed to earnestly believe they’d been taking a “dangerous criminal” out by summoning Leona. But she also… well… Soft social skills didn’t seem to be her forte. The question was if Neo had believed it. (Or Parallax? Gladion got the impression Neo was the one who’d directed the Null thing. Was Neo a radio codename?)

“I am also a criminal. And with my partner, I’d be considered dangerous. Maybe you believed that, but… I’d expect a version of me to know better than that. To take into consideration how fucking bad it would be for someone like us to be handed right over to the people who hurt us and victimized all over again. A risk he ignored. And which came to pass.”

A woman named Leona had been the one summoned when he’d been aiming for a man named Seth. That should have been enough to stop him handing her over right there.

“I can’t know for certain exactly which things he did or didn’t know about what was going on. But what I do know is that he made a lot of choices that led to Sage and Leona being hurt. And he consistently made the wrong ones every damn step of the way. Whatever the balance between incompetence and malice was, he should’ve done better. So now, I gotta find him. Then it’ll be my turn to make some choices.”

He didn’t know what those choices would be yet, or even what the options were, but it was clear from his tone that that Gladion didn’t want to do anything particularly forgiving. Whether he would also make his choices incorrectly would remain to be seen.
 
For his part, Nova mostly followed in silence. Craning his head up and basking in the sunlight thanks to his Fire Memory. Like some sort of weird photosynthesizing birddogfish.

"I think you guys are, like, focusing too much on steps two through five and missing the first step." His cheek bolts turned once. "Why was Sage built? And how? Did your 'employers' find some poor, innocent soul and cram them into a body like this? Or was 'science' used to play god and make the sort of life meant to rival Saints?"
 
"I'm... guessing Director Parallax wasn't too pleased with how they double-crossed him, then," Jade ventured.

"Oh. They double-crossed him?" asked Sada, cocking her head. "That would explain why he was always so frustrated, I suppose... I had previously hypothesised that this was simply his baseline emotional state, and had thought my initial observations of Gladion to have confirmed this, actually."

From the sounds of it, Gladius hadn't been too forthcoming with anyone about his feelings and concerns. It was hard to say that this would be out of character for Gladion, either...

“I am also a criminal. And with my partner, I’d be considered dangerous. Maybe you believed that, but… I’d expect a version of me to know better than that. To take into consideration how fucking bad it would be for someone like us to be handed right over to the people who hurt us and victimized all over again. A risk he ignored. And which came to pass.”

“I can’t know for certain exactly which things he did or didn’t know about what was going on. But what I do know is that he made a lot of choices that led to Sage and Leona being hurt. And he consistently made the wrong ones every damn step of the way. Whatever the balance between incompetence and malice was, he should’ve done better. So now, I gotta find him. Then it’ll be my turn to make some choices.”

Sada blinked owlishly at Gladion, thinking through what he'd said as best she could. Her scaley jaws parted to reply.

"...Leona Lycas spawned inside a holding cell Cipher had prepared," she said, at length. (So, they hadn't 'handed her over' as such?) "She reportedly admitted to using explosives in an incident similar to those the intended target had committed. At the time, this was enough for me to consider the matter satisfactory..."

She frowned. This was a more difficult conversation than she was used to. Engineering, biology, metaphysics? Trivial. Ethical frameworks and interpersonal interactions? Unfathomable.

"Should I trust you?" she asked, after a moment. "I have freely done so, notwithstanding our previous hostilities. From what you are saying, it seems I should be more sceptical of other people's motivations. This is... not something I am accustomed to considering. From what I can remember of my previous life, I had only two close associates, one of whom was the personality I was patterned after, and the other of whom was a young child. I have no relevant experience of judging the personal character of others."

Put like that, it might not seem so surprising that Sada had taken the word of everyone she'd come across with minimal scrutiny...

"I think you guys are, like, focusing too much on steps two through five and missing the first step." His cheek bolts turned once. "Why was Sage built? And how? Did your 'employers' find some poor, innocent soul and cram them into a body like this? Or was 'science' used to play god and make the sort of life meant to rival Saints?"

Sada nodded, her face brightening up considerably.

"Yes, we used science to create life," she replied, with evident pride. "Director Parallax was not forthcoming about his personal motivations, but their utility to the Covenant was said to be the creation of Radiant Knights who could protect the world from any evil. Speaking for myself, I simply found the project an engaging one that taught me much about the fundamental nature of pokémon life. Deep within my mind, I feel sure that the pursuit of greater knowledge is the highest calling there is..."

She frowned, again. Deeper.

"...I had not intended or anticipated that my work would lead to suffering."

The party were nearly at the town centre, it seemed. Sada and the chimeras were drawing a few looks here and there, but they weren't the only impressive-looking 'mon around, and everyone was plenty busy, so they didn't draw a gawking crowd just yet.
 
"That would explain why he was always so frustrated, I suppose... I had previously hypothesised that this was simply his baseline emotional state, and had thought my initial observations of Gladion to have confirmed this, actually."
Gladion barked out a dry laugh at how honest she was about it. “No, Gladions are otherwise categorically healthy and well-adjusted humans in every way.”

Wait, if she worked with a version of him, she was going to be familiar with the dry humour… right? Probably best to play it safe. “That was sarcasm.”

"...I had not intended or anticipated that my work would lead to suffering."
He heard out her explanation of how Cipher got their hands on Leona, trying to keep a level head about it. While doing so, he was quiet. Uncomfortable. Worried, because he could see the silhouette of how someone could reasonably be persuaded by that but still couldn’t bring himself to forgive Neo for allowing it to happen.

It was only when Sada spoke about Sage that he regained his composure. “I understand. It was all pretty new to you. But every version of me I know comes from a world with Nulls. You know, failed projects like that one. It fails, it always fails, and then I’m supposed to rescue them. He should’ve known better, he should’ve known how it ends. It always ends that way.”

In other words, with Sage now as with Leona before, Gladion took chagrin with Neo’s mistakes because he was version of him.
 
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Speaking for myself, I simply found the project an engaging one that taught me much about the fundamental nature of pokémon life. Deep within my mind, I feel sure that the pursuit of greater knowledge is the highest calling there is...
"...I had not intended or anticipated that my work would lead to suffering."
"That's so often how the story goes," Nova said, his gaze drifting toward the ground. "There's a certain... idea. A very human idea, I believe. That just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do something." He poked at the ground. "It sounds so silly. Childish, even. So maybe that's why science-y types don't mull over that idea enough."

"There will always be people like you, regardless their origins," he continued. "People who strive to break new boundaries, forge new frontiers, and, yes, 'pursue knowledge.' But that kind of idealism doesn't move the needle. Too often, science requires... sponsors. And sponsors come with agendas." His crest tightened. "Doesn't matter how benevolent they sound on paper. Details can get left out. Or sponsorships will change hands, into the custody of those that are... less than benevolent."

He stared silently at his various onlookers, like some sort of bizarre birddogfish statue. "Offworlders... we should all be treading cautiously with how much we influence the world around us. Think about it. We tried to work with the folks from Sunward. The Covenant went around them."
 
Gladion barked out a dry laugh at how honest she was about it. “No, Gladions are otherwise categorically healthy and well-adjusted humans in every way.”

Sada nodded, satisfied at the confirmation.

Wait, if she worked with a version of him, she was going to be familiar with the dry humour… right? Probably best to play it safe. “That was sarcasm.”

Then she blinked rapidly, updating her understanding of Gladion's tone.

"Ah... I see," she mumured. "Then you are not entirely healthy or well-adjusted yourself..."

“I understand. It was all pretty new to you. But every version of me I know comes from a world with Nulls. You know, failed projects like that one. It fails, it always fails, and then I’m supposed to rescue them. He should’ve known better, he should’ve known how it ends. It always ends that way.”

Sada put a claw to her chin as she recollected.

"I do not know how things ended for him," she admitted. "He was reluctant to discuss his past, or what he could recall of it. It would appear your memories are more fully intact than his. Perhaps things went the same way for him, but I do not know for certain either way."

"That's so often how the story goes," Nova said, his gaze drifting toward the ground. "There's a certain... idea. A very human idea, I believe. That just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do something." He poked at the ground. "It sounds so silly. Childish, even. So maybe that's why science-y types don't mull over that idea enough."

"There will always be people like you, regardless their origins," he continued. "People who strive to break new boundaries, forge new frontiers, and, yes, 'pursue knowledge.' But that kind of idealism doesn't move the needle. Too often, science requires... sponsors. And sponsors come with agendas." His crest tightened. "Doesn't matter how benevolent they sound on paper. Details can get left out. Or sponsorships will change hands, into the custody of those that are... less than benevolent."

He stared silently at his various onlookers, like some sort of bizarre birddogfish statue. "Offworlders... we should all be treading cautiously with how much we influence the world around us. Think about it. We tried to work with the folks from Sunward. The Covenant went around them."

Sada listened carefully. As Nova spoke, the party came to a stop in the middle of town, passers-by moving around them as if used to this sort of thing. (At least thoroughfares on Forlas were plenty wide.)

"...An interesting position," she said, at last. "Albeit lacking in specificity. It is true that I have worked in service of agendas other than my own—agendas which I often do not concern myself with. Perhaps we can discuss this matter further after our present business is concluded?"

It sounded like a genuine offer.

Before Nova could respond, a familiar voice broke through the train of conversation.

"Hey! It's you— Gladion! Wayfarers!"

A dust-bathed Lycanroc skidded to a halt just inches away from the chimeras, wolf-nose snuffling near Gladion's face.

"Where the fuck have you people been??" demanded Leona Lycas.
 
The professor really hadn't understood how badly Leona and Sage had been affected, had she? It felt strange to hear someone who sounded so mature talking like this, struggling this hard with it. (Was she even an adult, technically? She was a copy of an adult's personality, however that worked, but how long had she actually been around?)

Leaf couldn't pretend she wouldn't've been eager to help capture a "dangerous criminal", if that was what she'd been made to believe. Even before it was literally her actual job. But...

"...I had not intended or anticipated that my work would lead to suffering."

"I get being set on a goal and doing what you think is right, and I get not wanting to worry about every little side detail when it feels like you're this close to it. Really. But once other people are in the picture, you can't really do anything without it affecting someone else somehow. Just how... living works, I guess." And now she sounded like her dad. Weird. Must've been opposite day. "If everything was perfect, you'd never hurt someone you didn't mean to. But it's not. And focusing on how awesome your goal is doesn't... it doesn't make the bad things that happened while you were chasing it any better." She chuckled bitterly. "Sucks, don't it?"

(Crystal-friggin'-clear that Neo-Parallax had a hell of a lot more to make up for than Sada did, though.)

Not the worst idea to table it for later, anyway. This place was really bustling now, and it was getting harder to talk about all this touchy stuff without having to shout. Somebody sure was shouting, at least. Somebody familiar—

"Leona!" Leaf brightened immediately, reared up a little in her excitement. And also confusion. "How'd you even get all the way—" Wait. If Beetle's freakout had affected the professor, then... "Did you, uh. Did you travel here, or did you get turbo vertigo out of nowhere and then bam, here you are?"
 
Gladion was excited to see Leona, but a moment later a cold dread began to seep in alongside it as he tried to reason out how she could have beaten them here.

“Hey, Leona. It’s good to see you. Didn’t know you were headed up here so soon…”

He spoke it like a question, running over in his head the distance between the Ranger HQ and Auranosa in his head and comparing against the last time he’d seen her. Maybe it wasn’t implausible for her to have beaten them here, he hadn’t really looked into the travel options to Auranosa to be certain one way or another…

But he suspected it wasn’t the case. She was asking where the fuck they were as if she’d expected them to return. From his perspective it felt like they were missing for, what, a few hours late at this point? She wouldn’t even have noticed that they hadn’t returned to Frontier Town if she was already en route to beat them to Auranosa. Which meant that…

How long have we been gone for?”
 
Virga fluttered down to land alongside Jade. "Another of your group?"

Jade turned toward her. "Uh... kinda? She's the one they were talking to Sada about--the one that got summoned here as a test, and then was imprisoned by Cipher."

"Hm," Virga replied noncommittally. She'd mostly tuned out the complex recounting of untrustworthy human organizations.

Jade had been vaguely aware that some of the Wayfarers, Gladion in particular, had been planning to meet up with Leona to look into some things in Auranosa--another fact that make the sudden teleportation feel all the more surreal.
 
"I get being set on a goal and doing what you think is right, and I get not wanting to worry about every little side detail when it feels like you're this close to it. Really. But once other people are in the picture, you can't really do anything without it affecting someone else somehow. Just how... living works, I guess. If everything was perfect, you'd never hurt someone you didn't mean to. But it's not. And focusing on how awesome your goal is doesn't... it doesn't make the bad things that happened while you were chasing it any better." She chuckled bitterly. "Sucks, don't it?"

Sada stared at Leaf, processing. One might imagine a loading wheel superimposed on her forehead.

"...I didn't know," she said, at length. "It wasn't... something I had awareness of. It isn't something I've ever had to be aware of. Except, of course, in the most abstract terms—how my creator's work would affect the ecostasis of entire ecosystems. Or..."

She trailed off. It was the first time Sada had ever left a thought... incomplete. Perhaps she was thinking about one of those rare subjects about which she felt strong emotions. Some other time her actions had – directly or indirectly – affected someone else.

"Playing a rousing game of 'get yeeted across the planet then party it up in a random oasis dungeon,'" Nova flatly said.
"Leona! Did you, uh. Did you travel here, or did you get turbo vertigo out of nowhere and then bam, here you are?"
“Hey, Leona. It’s good to see you. Didn’t know you were headed up here so soon… How long have we been gone for?”

Leona scoffed, her muzzle wearing an incredulous grin. "You're fucking kidding, right?" she asked, rhetorically. "I trekked over here days ago— The journey was— Look, you've been gone, what, something like a couple weeks? Yeah."

She shook her head.

"I took a goddamn blimp. I paid travel fare for it."

Sada cleared her throat. It was a conspicuously deliberate sound. Like she was trying it out having read about clearing one's throat in a book.

"It is good that you may reconnect with your friend, but I intend to go now to restock and to seek out a means of repairing Betel. Will anyone accompany me?"
 
Jade blanched. Weeks? They’d been gone for several weeks? What? How…?

"It is good that you may reconnect with your friend, but I intend to go now to restock and to seek out a means of repairing Betel. Will anyone accompany me?"

Right, okay, guess they were shelving that one for later.

Jade coughed and raised a paw. “Right, well, I’m definitely coming along. And, uh…” Her voice trailed off as she threw a sideways glance at the Rookidee beside her.

Virga ruffled her feathers. “I imagine I should accompany you, as I have no business here.”

Jade exhaled through her nose. “Eh, right…” She grabbed the vine that’d been wrapped around Betel’s middle so that she could tow them along, still hovering just above the ground.

Jade exchanged a glance with Gladion and Nova. “You guys were thinking of checking out the temple of Auriga, right?”
 
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"Weeks? No way! We only just left this morning, how—" Had they been lying in that fancy dungeon that whole time? No, if they'd been unconscious for that long they'd be dead, probably, and yeah she was kinda starving right now, bet she could eat that whole garden back there, but she wasn't, like, starving. Or, or maybe in that astral... thingie Beetle had taken them to when they'd first got there? (Did this mean Beetle had been out cold for that long?)

Leaf shook her head, tried to restart the gears that'd ground to a halt. Couldn't really do anything more about this than the fact they'd been punted across state lines in the first place. "The Coven tried to do the thing that summoned you here to someone else, and Beetle tried to stop it, but something... happened? and we got scattered. It's, uh, a long story." Sure would've been nice if someone could've filled her in on the rest.

"It is good to see you again, though! At least somebody had a nice trip here." She snorted, but then looked between Leona and the chimeras. "If you're going to look for Auriga, can I come, too? I said I'd help find a way to get you back home, and I still mean it."
 
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“Right, well, I’m definitely coming along. And, uh…”

“I imagine I should accompany you, as I have no business here.”

"Acknowledged," replied Sada, with a friendly smile. "Everyone else—it was a pleasure making your acquaintance. I wish you the best of outcomes as you pursue your objectives. Let's go, Jade and Virga!"

The dragon dipped her crested head in a sort of bow, and then lumbered off, her eyes fixed on the dirigible mooring tower. It seemed she might be headed some other place, if that was where the requisite resources and expertise were to be found.

“You guys were thinking of checking out the temple of Auriga, right?”
"No way! We only just left this morning, how— [...] If you're going to look for Auriga, can I come, too? I said I'd help find a way to get you back home, and I still mean it."

Leona skewed her mouth and nodded grimly. "Well, things have help together okay since you lot vanished. Brisa and Sonora rounded up a few folks to fill in after the sudden drop in staffpower at Ranger HQ, and we sorted out the situation in Sunward without any real disasters. But yeah, it's been a couple weeks, something like that. I've only really just arrived here, I did my first 'real' expedition for the Temple yesterday. Figure it's my only lead on getting home, so."

She nodded to the Guild building, then to the west, in the direction of the Auranosan 'Uncanny Wilderness'.

"I'm registered as a delver now. You guys can tag in on my next trip. Just, uh. Buy your own shit first, yeah? I'm not exactly flush with cash at the moment. We set off first thing in the morning. So get some rest while you can."

She glanced up and to the east, grimacing.

"If we find Auriga, maybe you guys can ask her about that ominous fucking star that showed up around the time you vanished."
 
Nova was about to make a comment about how they'd literally basically all their possessions, including on-hand cash, in the kerfuffle, when Leona dropped that last comment. "I beg your pardon?" He followed her gaze to the eastern sky.
 
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