Blaguarro Town The Dragon's Cellar

[Inkedust]

When you lived in a town so rough and rundown, it was hard to find a better reprieve outside of some hard liquor. As a result, the pub known as The Dragon's Cellar stood as one of Blaguarro Town's last bastions of mirth.

Run by Tala, the matriarch of a family of jang, haka and kommo-o, the Pokémon working within had the most stable of incomes in town. They and any other workers lived on the topmost floor for the building and if, for whatever reason, a traveller was to pass through there would be enough room for them. At a price, of course. The place was abuzz with chatter as customers enjoyed a variety of colourful beverages and some cheap, if filling, food at any time of day or night. The size of the place reflected its prosperity with its multiple storeys and its many tables, freely able to accommodate pokémon of many different shapes and sizes. However, most of the fun was reserved for the cellar, where most patrons would drink the night away for little cost. Keeping the drunkards in the cellar had the added benefit of making kicking them out or cleaning up after them significantly easier.

Getting in, on the other hand, was another story.

As per family tradition, Tala's sons would stand at the doors of the pub and cellar to act as bouncers, demanding a display of power or mettle before being allowed in. Perhaps this method to entry was one of the key reasons why Blaguarro's residents so rough around the edges. Luckily, such tests would not be required for the offworlders by the mercy of Anite's good word.

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[Inkedust]

It wasn't hard to find Mav in the slightest. The dodrio was nestled comfortably on a stool, one of their heads gleefully speaking Tala's ear off while the other two were in the midst of downing a shot. The kommo-o, Tala, was leaning against the counter, resting her chin on her knuckles as she traced shapes out on the counter with her spare claw. "Anite's orders," she said. "Can't let you bring drinks outta the bar, especially before watch. You know how things get out there.

"Yeah, yeah," the centre-head drawled. "That old tin can is always going about saying things but she don't know me better than me. Besides, I have 'M and 'V here to keep me sharp."

"Aye, you could say that again," nodded the right. The left simply hollered in agreement. "How 'bout another round?"

Tala rolled her eyes. It was going to be another long night.

 

[Butterfree]

Dave took a moment in the door to just take in the fact he was literally in a tavern run by a dragon watching a fucking Dodrio do shots. What on earth had his life come to.

He stepped inside, glancing warily back at the reluctant bouncers. “Hello,” he said after a moment, approaching the Dodrio’s table. “You Mav? Anite advised us to ask you some questions.”

 

[Inkedust]

"That's us," answered the dodrio's left head. "I'm 'M, that's 'A an' that's 'V. All three of us make Mav," he then added, gesturing to their centre and right heads respectively. "What's a lightweight like you doin' in a place like this?" A then abruptly asked. "This bar ain't for the faint of heart, in more ways then one."

V pecked at A. "He wants to ask questions, stupid."

A pecked back. "Well, what kind of questions? Can't he see we're busy?"

M grumbled, "Oi, stop peckin' already. All three of us feel that, you know..."

Tala sighed and shook her head. "Get used to that," she said, rubbing the bridge of her snout. "They do that often, 'specially after a few drinks."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," interrupted A. "Mind telling me what's got so curious to seek me out, aye?"

All three heads were intently focused on Dave.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Well, the place was actually a bit nicer than Wes had expected. Which wasn’t saying much at all, but it at least didn’t look like it was one puff of air away from collapsing in on itself, so it was already way ahead of most places in Pyrite.

Dave wasted no time in approaching Mav, and Wes was grateful for it. Neither of them were just here to chat or get cozy, after all. He cleared his throat when all three of Mav’s heads swiveled in their direction at Dave’s question.

“Well, we’ve heard you’re a dawn watchman—er, watchmon,” Wes said. “We wanted to ask you whether you’ve seen anything…strange, especially anything that might be related to these, uh, Witching Beasts.”

 

[Butterfree]

"Anite also told us the night watch guy disappeared," Dave added. "Reno. You see or hear anything about what happened to him? We're trying to get to the bottom of what's been going on."

His shoulder itched uncomfortably. He clambered onto the adjacent stool and glanced at Tala, producing some coins out of one of his belt pouches. "Let's try some of what he's having."

 

[Inkedust]

Tala rolled her eyes, "Here we go," she muttered, bracing herself for the long, impassioned speech that was to follow. She gave Dave an unsure look but then let out a small grunt of acknowledgement as her eye fell on the coin. "Brave one, are we?" she asked, sliding the poochyena a shot glass. The liquid inside was crystal clear and it scent was like a punch to Dave's more sensitive nose.

"Aye, you got that right and I sure can tell you 'bout those bastards," M said, turning to address Wes, his voice sobering slightly. "They've been 'round the outskirts for a while but only Reno and I saw them for the longest while. Always 'round the west tower too. No one believed us though. Thought that were were just getting our asses drunk and were seeing things that weren't really there, not until the attacks started, of course. They look like normal 'mon at first glance but there's somethin' off about them. Not to mention the way they move. They don't act right."

Meanwhile V, still focused on Dave, said "Ah, that ol' feather duster? Yeah, he disappeared one day during his off-hours, so in broad daylight. I met with him to change shifts one day and then the next, Phina's telling he that he didn't show up to work the next night. He was one of the first disappearances if I'm rememberin' things right, though it was after the first few attacks."

With his other two heads on speaking duty, A helped himself to another shot. It appeared that one of the greatest benefits to having more than one head was that Mav could simultaneously speak to both of the questioning puppies while continuing to enjoy their drink.

 

[Butterfree]

"Aye, you got that right and I sure can tell you 'bout those bastards," M said, turning to address Wes, his voice sobering slightly. "They've been 'round the outskirts for a while but only Reno and I saw them for the longest while. Always 'round the west tower too. No one believed us though. Thought that were were just getting our asses drunk and were seeing things that weren't really there, not until the attacks started, of course. They look like normal 'mon at first glance but there's somethin' off about them. Not to mention the way they move. They don't act right."

The Charmeleon's hunched-over form, eyes glowing in the darkness. The flame, particles of dark purple instead of light. Charging towards them on all fours, wisps of dark flames leaking out of its mouth.

"Yeah, they're pretty fucking off."

Dave's shoulder tingled with an odd numbness. He grabbed his glass and downed the shot in one gulp to shut down his growing nausea, and fuck, that hit like a sledgehammer. He slammed the glass back down as the liquid burned its way down his throat, dissolved the knot in his stomach into a paste, blurred his vision into a haze.

Yeah, that'd just about done the trick. He shook his head, blinking rapidly, taking a moment to even get the purpose of the conversation back into his head. "Jesus. Okay, so Reno just poof, vanished, not during the shift? Ever get a good look at the 'witching beasts', enough to tell species, identity? Any of them resemble any of the people who've been disappearing lately?"

 

[Inkedust]

M took a drink to that. At Dave's reaction to taking the shot, he chuckled. "Aye, don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"Yeah. It ain't easy to get up on those towers, and it's especially hard to dispose of someone discretely up there when they can just fly off. Anyway, Reno was the one who got the best looks at them given that they were more active during his hours," A answered. "But from what he told me and what I saw, it started out with the local feral species. Though as the days went on Reno started yelling about how the beasts have started impersonating the missing but you know it just ain't them. So yeah, that's been happenin' more often these days. We've even seen 'mon that you don't find 'round these parts at all. I swear on my other two heads that I once saw a charmeleon with no flame once."

V sighed. "It's the rail's fault, I tell ya. None of this woulda happened if we still had things to mine here."

 

[Butterfree]

A Charmeleon with no flame, huh. Dave clenched his paw on the counter. And 'impersonating the missing', too. Pokémon not found around these parts would presumably be the ones Voclain had shipped over from Frontier Town. And the Charmeleon, then, had probably been one of them.

"Has there been any pattern to when and how they've been showing up? Around the west tower - what's west of here?" He gestured at his glass for another. "And what's this about the rail? Did it start at the same time they started building the railway, then?"

 

[Inkedust]

"West side of town is all abandoned since that was where all the mining stuff was done. Nothing to mine means nothing to refine, so no point in the upkeep," V answered. "The mines themselves have been similarly abandoned - though nobody notices given that they're all underground. Nobody goes there unless you have some real shady dealings, shadier than your usual Blaguarro fare, which is why there's such a stink about those weird strangers loitering at that side of town."

M took another shot as A eyed the empty glass. "A bit after the fact, actually, once we got a solid connection out east. Things looked to be goin' fine when those city folk came in with their propositions of building that rail and then this whole witching beast business started up. Can't say I notice a pattern, they just appear. Sometimes after someone goes missing, other times when things seem peaceful for once. All the local ferals have been scared off by it though."

 

[Butterfree]

Dave's ears perked. "Oh yeah? What kind of city folk were those?"

Abandoned underground mines, huh. In other words, the sort of place where you might build a secret illegal lab where you turn people into fucking monsters.

"Another shot," he said to catch Tala's attention. "Okay, so let me get the timeline straight here. Blaguarro's a mining town, survives off mining and refining... precious metals? Coal? Other stuff? Then these railway barons from the city show up, convince you all to build a railway between Blaguarro and the Commonwealth. You dry up all your mines building the railroad, and once it's connected you to the Commonwealth the witching beasts start appearing, clearly nothing fishy, definitely a coincidence? Is that right?"

 

[Inkedust]

Tala was happy to oblige, sliding Dave another glass of the same clear liquid. Mav seemed to visibly perk at having a drinking buddy.

"Mainly metals. Had some real precious stuff here that brought in the cash," M answered. "'Course, when you have something so valuable, there's always folks who are more than happy to get their mitts on them."

V then shook his head as Dave continued. "Happened well before the rail came though, town would've probably been abandoned sooner rather than later before the city folk came but the rail let folks who would have never otherwise visited come into town. If them beasts are the fault of those commonwealth folks though, it sure would make a lotta sense that they started showing up after the deal was made," he snorted.

"Then again, that don't explain the wagons," A interrupted, his bill getting looser with more booze in him. "Now those I always see 'cause they always arrive right around dawn. Nobody knows what's in them and nobody has found out without getting themselves disappeared. I can't shake the feeling the two are connected but why not use the rail if you're already got a line there?"

 

[Butterfree]

Dave furrowed his brow. "Okay, so when you said it's the rail's fault and none of this would've happened if you still had things to mine, and that when they proposed the railway everything was going fine, you meant... the mines ran dry first, town was dying out, then the city people came to propose the railway and you all agreed because it was a way to breathe life back into the town?"

He took the glass and downed the next shot, grimacing. "I may actually know why the wagons. See, wagons like that have been coming out of Frontier Town, and you haven't got a railway to there. So I'm betting some supply runs come from the Commonwealth by train, and others from Frontier Town by caravan. As for what's in the wagons, it's trafficked Pokémon. People no one would miss. Really fucking shady business. Any idea exactly where the wagons have been getting taken to?"

 

[Inkedust]

A nodded at Dave's first question. "That's the one. If only we knew, if only we knew." He took another shot.

M and V looked at Dave skeptically. "What kinda business would the city folks have with Frontier Town beyond extending the rail there?" V asked. M seemed to take his words more seriously, however.

"Aye, that would fit right in with the westside dealings," M said. "Those wagons always end up in that abandoned district but nobody knows where they end up. It gets wheeled in, you look away for a second and then poof! Gone like the rest of the vanished folks. Probably gets hidden in one of them abandoned buildings but you'd hear a building full of pokémon, especially ones as run down as those. You might need to search them yourself if you wanna get anywhere with that though."

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes had been perfectly happy to let Dave do all the talking. He nearly asked for the same drink Dave did, until he saw the guy do a full-body shudder at the first sip and thought better of it. “I’ll take something a little more mild, thanks,” he said to Tala.

Former mining town past its prime…hells, this really was just a Pokemonified Pyrite, wasn’t it? Wes listened intently, occasionally sipping from his drink—it wasn’t as good as that sweet concoction Gerome had, but it was decent enough. He nodded along here and there, until Mav made a comment he couldn’t ignore—about the Charmeleon.

“You weren’t crazy about that one,” he said quietly. “We saw it ourselves, too.”

He then flicked an ear at Mav’s other comment on the disappearing wagons. “Lots of spontaneous disappearing acts around here. But a whole wagon…that doesn’t seem like any old Teleport job. Unless some insanely powerful psychic is behind that.” He paused to take a swig of his drink, then looked up at Mav—or, well, one of the heads, he had no idea which—with a frown.

“Are there any underground shelters in that area?”

 

[Butterfree]

Dave nodded as Wes spoke, raising an eyebrow at Mav. “What do you think, as someone who lives here? How strong of a psychic would you need to disappear a Pokémon, or one of these wagons? Think something like an Escape Orb could do it? Or when you say look away for a second, would it be enough time to enter a hidden tunnel to the underground?”

He glanced at Tala, too. “And how about you? Any thoughts?”

 

[Inkedust]

All three of Mav's heads looked at each other, all looking deep in thought. "Been a good long while since those buildings were abandoned but I don't remember any shelters down there," M answered.

V pecked M. "Oi birdbrain, I'm certain there was something down there. Folks didn't enter those tunnels by thinking hard about them—"

"Basements!" A exclaimed, interrupting his fellow heads. "Lotta those buildings had basements!"

Tala straightened up and crossed her arms, her scales clinking like glass as she did so. "A good teleport takes a lot outta a mon. Disappearing a 'mon like that would take a lot of effort, 'specially at the rate folks are getting disappeared at. A wagon is out of the question. Escape Orb is more plausible but with how many folks have vanished, there'd need to be a pretty hefty supply hidden somewhere. Someone's bound to notice something like that."

"Aye, what were those 'mons that tin can was getting all up in arms about anyway?" V asked.

"Sandslash and excadrill, I believe," answered Tala. "Also a zweilous but that one doesn't feel as linked given that he wasn't wearing the same scarves as those two. Sometimes even Anite gets caught up in the town's hysteria," she added with a shrug.

 

[Butterfree]

The hunched Charmeleon, diving into the earth like a fish into water.

Dave exhaled through his nose, rubbing his forehead. “Does the move Dig by any chance sound like something that’d get you underground in a flash?”

 

[Inkedust]

Mav snapped their talons, it seemed that a lightbulb just went off behind all three of their heads.

"Aye that's right, ain't it?" asked A. "The move was a staple among workin' mons around here with how efficient it was in getting folks underground. Those holes were always super easy to patch up after the fact so folks could walk over those spots again good as new. If they're working in teams of at least two..."

He trailed off but the line of thinking was clear: One would dig, the other would patch it up after the target was grabbed.