"This city is so gross" Mia exclaimed and she kicked up a storm of dust from the tan, dirt road. Bennett shrugged his shoulders back as he casually strolled with his hands placed on his head. Gus quietly napped on Mia's shoulder. Araveer walked a few paces ahead of the group and the Roserade looked just as disgusted as Mia did. "Its so dirty."
"And dull" added Araveer.
"Iron Islands were bad but that was an island that one person lived on so its forgivable. This is a whole city" Mia continued to whine. Bennett shrugged again as his head rotated around to take in the city.
"Its charming" he commented with a smug smile. Mia and Araveer instantly reared their heads towards Bennett with their jaws dropped in disgust.
"No, I'm charming. This city is a dump" mentioned Mia. Her loud comments attracted sneers from the occasionally civilian walking around the street. The brown city was spread wide but almost every building was just one story tall. Oreburgh was constructed of mostly bricks and stone but there was plenty of metal still involved in the buildings. It wasn't as busy as Jubilife but there were faces walking around. The only vibrant colors in the town came from people's clothing, there wasn't a single tree or flower around. "Let's just get to my sister and get up to Eterna. They were several reasons why I wanted to go up to Florama instead of this. Now I'm sure you get why." Mia took a turn to the right and snatched Bennett by his short sleeve woven to drag him the right way.
"You know where you are going? How many times have you been here?" wondered Bennett as he straightened on the sleeve that Mia crumpled. Araveer had kept going straight as well but quickly realized her mistake and jogged to catch up. Mia's lips puffed out as she went into thinking mode.
"Uh, I've been here like twice? My memory is good but its excellent with remembering directions. If I've been there once, even like five years ago, I can get there again" bragged the red head. "And here it is." Up front of the group was a white building coated with dust and dirt. The doors were golden oak and several white pillars surrounded the building.
"Its pretty" mumbled Bennett. "You said she was an archeologist right?"
"Yeah. The building only looks nice because the Oreburgh Museum funded this little team. Its just her and her boss and they go through the Oreburgh Mine trying to find valuables in the dirt." Mia's fists clenched as her pace immediately increased. Her movements were stopped by Bennett's hand on her bare shoulder.
"Let me handle this. You're a bit too emotionally charged. If your sister really is being held hostage just going in demanding to see her isn't going to work. I'll go in and smooth talk our way to get her location." Bennett gently moved Mia out of the way and danced his way up the two stairs to the front doors. With a solid fist he knocked on the door twice. He could hear rustling and voices come from inside but couldn't make out any of the words. After some screaming and a few moments later the door inched open. A woman with short, black hair stuck her head through the opening.
"We are in the middle of an extremely important discovery. So leave" barked the woman in a gruff voice. She followed up by slamming the heavy door but it would not shut. There was a muscular hand holding the door open just an inch. Bennett glared at the girl who was glaring back. A blast of wind blew through Bennett's ruffled hair and forced his feet back an inch. The door was firmly shut. Mia looked at Bennett intently, watching his cheeks flush up with red. She was curious on how he would react to this. Immediately the red head began to burst up with laughter as Bennett cocked back his right fist. Chunks of wooden door flew into the building as Bennett's poisonous jab blew a hole in the middle of the door. Purple liquid remained on parts of the wood and it melted the oak away. Mia's legs shook from the laughter, barely holding her body up.
"Yeah, that was real smooth. Good job" teased Mia in between bursts of laughter. Her hands were firmly clenching her gut that felt like it was going to burst.
"We just need to speak to Layla" demanded Bennett. He peered in the hole but he could only see a glowing, marble floor. The voices had stopped and he couldn't see anyone inside.
"We are really busy, come back in a few hours" shouted the female. Another blast of wind was summoned, pushing through the hole and hitting Bennett in his chest, making him stumble back a few paces. Poison dripped from Bennett's fist again as he clinched it one more time. Mia's rough hands grabbed onto his shoulder and drug him away from the door.
"Come on Mr. Smooth. Man your temper is worse than mine. Let's leave them be for now" ordered Mia, frustration was present in her voice.
"What about your sister?" wondered Bennett, walking on his own now.
"We aren't giving up, we are just trying a new tactic. Something weird is going on. Only my sister and her boss work there yet that girl wasn't either of them. They could've hired someone new but her behavior was obviously odd. We are going to find the other person that could offer some information before we knock down doors, we have to be somewhat civilized. We are going to find the Skeleton Clash Master of Oreburgh." Bennett grunted as Mia chewed on her lip and the two went back into the middle of the city. Mia's pokemon continued to tag along silently.
Back in the archeology building the voices were back again, bickering loudly. The inside of the building was just one circular room with four white doors, all of which were closed. The black haired girl from earlier was still in the room with her back leaned against the front door and her arms crossed. A black, cotton robe was draped along her entire body, completely covering even her hands. There was a hood on the robe that hung off her back. In the room were two other men from which the bickering was coming from. One of the men was dressed in a white tuxedo with black buttons and a black tie. Despite the heat he seemed completely comfortable. His deep, green eyes were filled with passionate anger. He was Mandon, the same Mandon that Mia had met at Jubilife. Across from him was a small, scrawnier bald man with large glasses. This man was Isaac Norton, Layla's boss. He was dressed in a torn grey shirt and just as damaged brown shorts. Dirt danced around his entire body, from his toes to his face.
"Someone is already investigating into Layla. We have no idea who they are, how strong they are but they had a skeleton" shouted Mandon. He took a step back and placed his palm over his disappointed face. Deep, soothing breaths were inhaled but they had no effect on his anger. "Because you're the idiot that took a hostage, took her skeleton and her pokemon, but didn't take her freaking phone." Mandon's hand was still covering his ashamed face but the other hand was waving around maniacally.
"They left though. Your other two associates are already loading the product. You should be long out of here before anyone interferes" defended Isaac. He couldn't even look at Mandon. Instead his dull brown eyes stared at the muddled, marble flooring.
"We better" Mandon barked.
"You won't get out of here" shouted Layla's voice. It came from behind one of the doors. From the sound of it she sounded completely healthy, just very frustrated. "I called my father. That man that was just here was just scouting the situation for him. He went to go report to my father, the Champion of Sinnoh. Who will be here shortly. Your thieving days are over Isaac. That discovery we found belongs to the region, not to one man." Mandon glared at the door as his hand slide down his face back to a normal position. He rotated his head over to this black haired associate.
"Find them and slow them down. And if you see Champion Zan or Master Sky, run. Do not engage. Is that understood stefani?" ordered Mandon in a strict tone. His black cloaked associate stefani nodded before flipping on her dark hood and slipping out the front door. "Thanks for the information Layla, you just helped order that man's death, whoever he is. All you had to do is keep silent. I just want to take my treasure and leave. You had to call people here to rescue you yet I'm not going to hurt you. But now there will be some death on your hand. Good luck sleeping at night." Mandon didn't even wait for a reply, he moved forward, gripping Isaac by the arm and entering the one door that was straight across from the main doors.
"You won't get away with this. My father will destroy you thief!"
Bennet and Mia stomped through Oreburgh at an alarmingly quick pace. Mia darted her head from side to side panicky as she slid to a halt in the middle of an intersection.
"Are you lost, Direction Queen?" wondered Bennett with a smug smirk overtaking his angry face. Mia instantly flicked her wrist into Bennett's shoulder.
"I've never been to his place before alright" Mia defended while glaring at the smug Bennett. "I just, thought I could figure it out on the go. But I was wrong alright. You'd think the Skeleton Clash Master's building would stand out." A passerby stopped as he heard Mia's words. The blonde male slowly approached Mia's group by a few steps.
"Sorry to eavesdrop but you said you are looking for the Skeleton Clash Master of Oreburgh?" he wondered with a soft, gentle voice.
"Yeah?" Mia replied with a glimpse of hope brightening up her eyes.
"Well you're looking right at him. I am Clash Master Orick."
Mia and Bennett have located Orick but what does he have to say? Is he the protector of Oreburgh or does he not care? He and Mia get into a heated conversation. While they argue they have an assassin on their trail. Will stefani strike the heroes down? All on the next Iron Fist: Big Coward.
