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Blaguarro Town Abandoned District

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Inkedust

Inkedust

A Murder of 'Krows
Heartache staff
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If there was ever a desired to attain a glimpse of what Blaguarro may have been like in its heyday, then one wouldn't need to look further than the western reaches of town.

The derelict husks of mills and refineries dotted the streets, standing purposeless in the wake of barren mines. Alongside them was what had once been a smithery, made redundant by the lack of any local metal; any use it might've had in the rail's construction was swiftly quashed when the decision was made to import from the east and recycle the minecart tracks. Standing just opposite of these facilities, in similar condition, was a slaughterhouse though the reasons for its abandonment was less clear, the reason given being a lack of sufficient funds.

Hardly anyone came here these days - the buildings had been long raided of anything that held any value - those that did only had the shadiest of intentions, intentions that made even the roughest of local 'mon shudder. Enough to scare them into looking the other way.

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Ch02: Suspicious Lurkers
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    • Bellatrix led the charge for those who wanted to investigate the west side of town, though part of her wanted to go to the watch tower, she felt that her illusionary abilities would hold significantly more value here. If the strange pokémon and the witching beasts were linked, then that would mean that there had to be something here of note and Bellatrix was more than happy to investigate.

    Walking through the streets of derelict buildings, there didn't seem to be much of note at first glance however that was only cursory. If the team were to just keep their eyes and ears sharp...
     
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    • Isidora blew some cool air in front of her as they walked down the streets, relishing in the small reprieve it gave her. Her attention at the moment was split three ways: her ears were upright listening for sudden noises; her eyes were stuck on the abandoned buildings and the eerie vibes they gave off; and her mind was distracted by her thoughts on the group she was currently traveling with.

    She figured this arrangement was the best for her. She had a type advantage against two of the 'mon they were on lookout for, and she avoided being paired alongside the confirmed humans. Not that these three are cleared, she couldn't help but think, remembering the last time she decided to trust someone blindly like that. Every now and then, she'd try to analyze her teammates for some kind of tell, and then stop herself when she remembered what she was actually supposed to be doing. (And she didn't want to be outdone. She was here to be useful, dammit.)

    Isidora went back to scanning the ground, hoping to catch sight of tracks or other signs of pokémon having been through recently. Briefly she tasted the air, then realized she likely wouldn't be able to recognize any of the strange pokémon's scents if she managed to catch one. After all, the only of the three I've actually seen one of before is excadrill...
     
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    Isidora would notice that most of the scents in the area were stale though several fresh, earthy scents could be detected around corners. Paying closer attention would yield an older, more musty scent that went down the main road.

    Bellatrix paused for a moment in her walk, her ears flicking as they seemed to catch something move in the distance. The buildings seemed to rattle slightly. "If the wagons are going anywhere, it has to be somewhere around here," the zorua said quietly, on guard. "But nothing here looks to be in use, so then where on earth could Terminal Two be?"
     
    The silence made any foreign noises easy to find. Their chatter, their steps, everything seemed to echo in this remnant of a time gone by. A sad relic of nostalgia, perhaps even hope for a glorious return a day in the future. A day that always seemed just out of reach...

    And they weren't alone. Just as the silence gave them away, so too did it give away another set of steps--something on four legs--just one street over. When they stopped walking, so did it. Following them. Watching them, observing them...? Or simply cautious of new, chatty visitors?

    But who would make the first move?
     
    The sight of the dilapidated buildings made Andre wonder just what had caused this place to be abandoned. Some funny-guy part of him suggested it was because the place was haunted. It sure looked that way.

    Inkedust said:
    Bellatrix paused for a moment in her walk, her ears flicking as they seemed to catch something move in the distance. The buildings seemed to rattle slightly. "If the wagons are going anywhere, it has to be somewhere around here," the zorua said quietly, on guard. "But nothing here looks to be in use, so then where on earth could Terminal Two be?"
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    "It could be underground with the overground part of it kept looking unused on purpose," Andre suggested. "The earth would... muffle any screams, surely." Of course you'd know to think of that.

    Andre's ears picked up another set of steps. He stopped, and so did they.

    "There's somebody else here," Andre whispered. "I think they're following us. What should we do?"
     
    Isidora shivered at the deerling's suggestion. Morbid... "We could start checking buildings then, or..."

    She caught the sound just moment after he did. Isidora stopped alongside him, claws unsheathed.

    Morbid deerling said:
    "There's somebody else here," Andre whispered. "I think they're following us. What should we do?"
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    She kept her gaze forward and whispered back. "You think it's one of the strange 'mon?" She placed a claw protectively over her left shoulder. "We could try engaging them. If we're feelin' lucky." The slight pause communicated her thoughts on their chances.
     
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    "Likely," Bellatrix whispered back. "Do we try to hide?" she proceeded to ask, mane flickering with illusionary power. She looked between the others, they all seemed quite agile. However, her curiosity got the better of her and her head turned towards the source of the strange sound.
     
    The source... appeared to be a creeping Zweilous. He was sniffing the air and moving carefully down the road. He didn't seem to be all that threatening... Perhaps just a curious onlooker?

    The left head had a calmer look about him, tilting his head to hear better in certain directions. The right head... seemed to have a muzzle tied around his mouth. despite that, he was still snarling, muffled by the covering.
     
    Isidora found herself following Bellatrix's gaze as it lingered, until it finally reached the zweilous. She swore under her breath. "It is one of them." The way he moved and observed his surroundings... Isidora remembered reading once that zweilous were supposed to be blind. Has he been following our scent and footsteps?

    She whispered tensely in reply to Bellatrix. "He's definitely looking for us. We could try hiding, but it'd only buy us time, unless you can stop him from smelling us..."

    Her gaze narrowed as she observed him some more. "But is it just me, or does he seem almost... nonchalant about it?"
     
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    Bellatrix continued to eye the zweilous, watching the muzzled head with curiosity. Interesting, just like Odette. She nodded at Isidora's comment. "You're right. He'd sniff us out before we'd get anywhere, though I'm certain we as a group could outrun him. Should we take our chances?" she asked. She stood in place. "He doesn't look to be in the mood to fight, maybe we can try to get some answers out of him and run at the first sign of danger."
     
    The muzzled head started flailing and the calmer head muttered, "Hush, already. I'll dig in my half of the heels if you try running."

    The flailing head stopped, though he did butt heads against the calmer one's neck a few times.

    "Hello?" Zweilous called. "I think I can sense you're closer... Are you from around here? I don't recognize your presence!"
     
    Bellatrix's paws clenched when the zweilous started speaking. Too late now she thought. She looked to the others before calling out herself.

    "We're just passing through," she replied, her mind switching gears into interrogation and gathering intel. Act natural, make him think we suspect nothing. "What about you? What brings you all the way to this part of town. Are you a traveller like us?"
     
    "Oh... ah... Well, yes. Traveling. And I was looking for a quieter place," explained the Zweilous with a polite bow. "My name is Alex. And this, errh..." He glanced at the snarling head. "I suppose you can say he's my suppressed aggression. I apologize for him. He'll behave. I was a troubled child. I wanted to do some training, but he yells too many... things aloud for it to be a good time in public."
     
    Isidora warily eyed the muzzled head. Half of him seems friendly. Almost like Odette... But still, if Anite was suspicious of him, there had to be more to his story than that.

    "I guess this is as good a place to train as any," Isidora remarked. "You don't see-- er, find, anyone else around here? I've heard rumors lately about some strange 'mon sightings."
     
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    "I've heard of that. I've been trying to avoid them. Though..." Alex seemed guilty in the way he turned his head away. "Half of me--er, not literally, so I suppose it'd be more three-quarters--believed that we would get a lot of strength from properly fighting one. Hydreigon are hard to come by, you know. We need a lot of power and training."
     
    "You too, hm?" Alex said, shaking his head. "No, no. They didn't like me all that much either. This one didn't help." He jerked his head to the glaring, muzzled head. "...But I kept to myself. They didn't bother me since."
     
    Bellatrix tilted her head at Alex. She supposed that checked out however, before she went to ask another question, her ears picked up on something and her head turned towards the buildings to follow the sound. They were rattling again, but there was little to no wind to do such a thing. A small frown. She lowered her head closer to the ground, her ears alert and erect. As she did, her gaze seem to trail to a particularly large building further down the street.

    "How long have you been training here?" she finally asked Alex. "And how much do you know of this place?" she added.
     
    It was beginning to sound like Alex didn't have anything to do with the other two. Guess he just got lumped in with them. Though there were still some lingering questions surrounding his circumstances here.

    It was then that she heard the rattling sound. She noticed Bellatrix listen closer, then followed her gaze towards the building that must've been its source. A chill ran down her back as she remembered what the deerling had said earlier.

    Y'know what, let's get to the point. "I've been wonderin' about those rumors myself. They say it's an excadrill and sandslash. Have you found any signs of 'em?" Isidora glanced back at the building. "Or anything else strange?"
     
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