Frontier Town Grand Station Construction Site

[RJr3:2]

Aige's pace slowed a little, the Roggenrola turning around to watch the sun through the fog. The shadow trail undulated slowly as she looked at it closely.

That they would break out now and leave a trail would suggest that this shadow ability is new to them, she thought. Multiple trails are indicative of at least some foresight- and inherently that they didn't want to be followed, lowering the possibility of a trap. Unless they were hoping to lure anyone smart enough to follow the correct track.

Or lucky enough I guess.

Aige moved diagonally towards the buildings to her left. Finding a stone, she gingerly removed her hat and weighed it down with the rock so it wouldn't be blown away. She started to make her way along the same direction as the shadow path, staying a distance away from it and keeping her eyes alert and her back to whatever walls she could find, checking around each corner as she approached.

Block out extraneous thoughts. Listen carefully. Just like Lyluoyv always said to do.

 

[Namohysip]

Her small size made it easier to creep closer. The way forward was clearer. A long straightaway only a little further... And then it'd be wilderness and fields where Aige wouldn't be able to hide. Nor could they.

Was that better, or worse?

But now, she was close. A shout would get their attention, as would a stumble.

The sun lit up who it was with clarity. A Zweilous, both heads upright and going forward... Zweilous? Then one with good senses, aside from sight. His scales were very dark.

Good thing Aige didn't give off much of a scent. Sound, however...

Well, so far, it seemed she wasn't heard.

Floating over Zweilous' shoulders were two motes of darkness. They seemed to move on their own, tied to the Zweilous by an incredibly thin, black line like a balloon. There was also something else resting on Zweilous' back... Something red and reptilian. A dark red like a dusty sunset. It seemed to be asleep...

 

[RJr3:2]

Looking over the two, Aige slowed her pace, adjusting her footfalls slightly to try and match the Zweilous. She alternated her gaze between the retreating figure and the ground in front of her.

Not the ones locked up? Unless those things they have were those... poke balls or whatever they were called.

Aige thought back to the group meeting briefly.

So supposing the method of transportation is as such, why not carry the other one too? Zweilous can’t see if I remember correctly, so maybe that one is his eyes for any enemies at range.

Aige continued to follow.

With the sun coming up, the other one might wake up soon. It might have worn itself out from attacking the jail- but any closer and it may sense me.

The Roggenrola resolved not to close the distance. Yet. Her goal was to see where they’d head.

Her own words from earlier echoed. She knew who was the culprit and that they were leaving town. If she could tell what direction they went in, it would be more than enough.

In her mind, she planned worst case. If it wakes up, stop in place and try to lay down. Any wide ranging attacks hopefully would just knock me away like a stone. No bleeding, no breathing.

 

[Namohysip]

They seemed to be heading out of town and going on a normal road. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it at all. There was a road that led to a few familiar areas... Aige would have to take a very risky follow to know precisely where he'd be going, but as it stood, that road led to the Grand Quarry...

 

[RJr3:2]

Aige silently weighed her options.

What was the saying? Nothing ventured, nothing gained?

The Roggenrola continued to follow.

I shouldn't smell like anything, I hope. If this is the road to the quarry, then I might actually have a better chance. Sound then?

Aige paid close attention to her own steps. She varied her pace, stopping, starting, long steps, short hops, sliding her feet along the ground slowly. Every so often, she would let herself fall behind, then pick back up.

Supposing they already know I'm following, what would that mean? Maybe they want to create a false impression. Maybe not, they already tried to throw us off with the trail, a trap within a trap after breaking out of jail seems unnecessarily complicated to put together on the fly.

She sighed internally.

I won't overthink it. I'd get fired for a stunt like this back home. And after everyone else has been getting themselves beat up left and right, I guess I have to make up for having fun in the meantime.

As she walked, Aige started to look for stray pebbles, wondering if she could leave a trail for someone to follow.

 

[Namohysip]

The trail would be long. Gathering rocks, being stealthy, and keeping up with Zweilous was an impossible task. Ultimately, Aige would have to focus on one... gamble on two, but achieving all three was downright impossible.

Zweilous was getting further away... Aige would have to decide.

 

[RJr3:2]

Aige quickly arranged the rocks she had picked up into a crude arrow and threw the rest away, save for a small pebble she put in a small crevice in her face.

You’d think they would slow down a bit once they got out of town. I’m surprised they can keep that pace carrying someone else.

She looked around for any elevated positions.

If I can follow from above, maybe I can throw myself down a hill like a falling rock, she thought. Unlikely, but it’s something to keep in mind.

The Roggenrola steeled herself and pressed on, picking up the pace and trying to close the distance.

What’s the best way to play dead?

 

[Namohysip]

Unfortunately, it seemed to be mostly flatlands to worry about. And as Aige continued to follow, the ability to hide became more and more difficult, save from hiding behind some brush or burrowing in the sand. Her being small made this matter easier, at least...

But as they advanced, the thing on Zweilous' back stirred. It opened one eye... and growled. And Zweilous stopped walking.

 

[RJr3:2]

Aige stopped in place behind them.

End of the line.

As she waited to see what happened next, she wondered if somewhere in her heart, she wanted something like this to happen.

 

[Namohysip]

"Do you hear something?" Zweilous asked. "I didn't hear anything."

"I heard... something..." The voice was rattly and rough like it constantly screamed and snarled. But now, it was coherent.

"Do you sense anything?"

"I don't... know..."

"Hmm..."

 

[RJr3:2]

Aige didn't move.

Her job was something like this. Arrest the bad guy, protect the innocent. Bear and define the line that separated the two and decide who is punished accordingly.

Walk forward, receive acknowledgement. Walk away, selfsame result.

She thought a little about her conversation with Koa a while ago.

I wonder if a god would decide if I am doing the right thing.

The Roggenrola thought it over. If she ran and they heard her, would they be on guard knowing someone had followed them? They might change their destination or move their base. The flipside was that it might disrupt their plans.

The quickest way to finish this would be if they noticed me and attacked. All I have to do is let them beat me up enough such that they think they've killed me, then they'll be confident in their secrecy. Then we can make a plan.

Easier said than done.

But I can't make the first move. The assumption has to be theirs.

 

[Namohysip]

The seconds passed. Could have been minutes. Waiting for something. But Aige was just a rock in the sand. No scent, no movement. Nothing, supposedly, for these people to pick up on.

"...Nothing," the thing on Zweilous' back said.

"Hm. We don't want to make any noise and clean out anything... Let's just go. Keep watching."

Zweilous continued ahead down the same path.

"...I'm bored..."

"We'll find you someone later," Zweilous said gently.

Whatever the rest of their conversation was, Aige was too far to hear it.

 

[RJr3:2]

I suppose asking for more would be inviting death.

Aige let herself relax, feeling a little more lucky than usual.

“Guess I can follow the road now until I hit a dead end,” she said to herself, speaking to no one for what felt like the first time in ages. “They’re a bit more alert now, but if they couldn’t find me then, I can base my expectations off of that.”

Aige looked around, examining the landscape for any potential landmarks or formations. Then she started down the path the two had disappeared down, looking if there were any footsteps left to follow.

“Was that a Charmeleon?” she muttered, “A few of the others ran into one recently I think. Interesting connection to think about.”

 

[Namohysip]

When Aige thought about it, considering the general body shape... yes, that was definitely some kind of warped Charmeleon. And it was with Zweilous? That alone could be important information...

There were few landmarks. In some ways, that was useful; it meant that the road to the Quarry would be easy to predict. So far, Zweilous did little in terms of diverging from that path. They must have been confident in not being followed.

At this point, there seemed to be little point in pursuing at this distance. The Quarry wouldn't be far now... Following him into the Dungeon, in such an unknown, would be a big risk.

 

[RJr3:2]

“That’s enough for today,” Aige said, looking around idly. Gathering a few stones, she made a small cairn to mark her place and started off back towards town.

Time to sort through what I learned.

As the Roggenrola walked, she wondered if anyone else from the jail had run in to anything.

“I should meet up with someone to let them know how it went.”

 

[Namohysip]

And so, Aige returned to town to report to the others on what had happened. It seemed that while it wasn't a lot of information, it was new information, and quiet confirmations on things they'd speculated on.

That Zweilous... was indeed up to no good. And while there was little reason to attack him before... if he was behind the jailbreak, he was most certainly an enemy to deal with once they found the strength and strategy.

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