"What the heck has been going on up there?" JoJo grumbled, dragging her Sandslash claws across the dirt walls.

Sid squinted at the ceiling. "It's been quiet for a while. Whatever was going on up there must've ended. Hopefully the entire prison hasn't been leveled."

JoJo shot her a deadpan glare. "Do you seriously think Ragger can level this entire building?"

Sid shrugged. "If you give him enough time, probably. I know I could. Although, that's more sinking than demolishing."

JoJo rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Between all the rumbling and us having to stop, we've been walking for fifteen minutes. How deep is this stupid tunnel, anyway? I think we've already crossed the entire length of the prison."

"We had to take some turns, remember? Whoever dug this out must've figured there were load-bearing areas that couldn't take the lack of support. I don't think these are secret catacomb tunnels. With what we saw in the mines, these were dug sometime recently, maybe in the last several months." Sid felt the judging stare burning into the back of her head. "I'm a Drilbur. I know earth like the back of my claws."

JoJo sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I bothered taking Jason's deal to join you guys."

"We paid you."

"Oh right. Curse my greed."

"You don't have to, you know."

"Call it an investment. Long term benefits may come to me in time. Besides, hanging out with you numbskulls expands my business. More land to explore, more secrets to uncover, stuff like that. I do brag about selling false artifacts, but can you imagine the money I would make if I found something super valuable? Like from the Arbiters? Now that would be a worthwhile investment."

Sid sighed. "You really do just think of money, don't—wait, what?"

"What?"

"What did you say? Arbiters?"

JoJo blinked at Sid. "Yeah. Ever heard of them?"

"Not really. I lived alone for most of my childhood. Plus, I can't read."

JoJo winced. "Yikes."

"Are they anybody important?"

JoJo rolled her eyes. "Where do I begin with that? If you want a detailed explanation, you'd be better off asking Pandora. I'm in it more for stealing their ancient secrets for a profit."

Sid tilted her head. "I'm guessing it's something else that was lost to history after the Great War?"

"Oh, it goes further back than that. See, the Arbiters were the original—" JoJo stopped when Sid ran into something. "You okay?"

Sid rubbed her nose, then patted the space in front of her. She looked up, then smiled. "I think we reached the end of the tunnel. Err, sorry, how about we talk about this another time?"

JoJo shrugged. "Whatever."

"Mind giving me a lift?"

JoJo morphed into a Snorlax and let Sid climb her shoulders. Sid reached for the ceiling and prodded it with her claws. She poked through the dirt until she hit a weak point. A hole collapsed open with dirt and stone falling on top of the girls. Sid covered Rusty while JoJo clenched her eyes shut. The dirt piled up partway up her waist.

Sid shook the dirt off herself, then looked up to see a faint light above them, along with a stone ceiling. "Sweet. Rusty, survey the area." She tossed her bucket over the hole and heard it clang on the floor above. "Are there any guards?"

JoJo sighed. "For Arceus' sake, there's no way a bucket's going to—"

"Rusty says it's clear." Sid jumped, grabbed the edge, and hoisted herself up.

JoJo stared at the dirt wall with a deadpan glare. "…Well, I suppose a guard would've said something about a random bucket popping out of nowhere." JoJo morphed into a Talonflame, grabbed her elementium bag, and flew up to the surface.

She dropped the bag and landed beside Sid. JoJo changed into a Buneary and stretched her arms before taking a gander at their new surroundings. They appeared to be in a prison cell, which thankfully didn't have any neighbors across from them to alert their presence.

"Well, I'll be. An escape tunnel. I've got to admire the effort. If someone dug this out in a few months like you said, they were either desperate or wanted to have some much needed privacy, if you know what I mean." JoJo nudged Sid's side with a wink.

Sid made no response.

JoJo frowned. "Okay, if people don't at least groan at my witty banter, I feel like I have to explain it to them, and no one likes having a joke explain—" Sid grabbed JoJo's face and turned her to the back wall.

JoJo only then realized the horrified look in Sid's face, as her own face shifted in a similar expression as she stared at the familiar looking items scattered far back in the cell, coupled by the rancid smell she was now detecting.

The girls tried to hold it in for as long as they could, but the sight was worse than the bones they found in the mines.

A sharp inhale of breath. Then, in a moment of dead silence…

They screamed.

Minutes earlier...

"So, we're cool?"

"Aye, we square."

"Cool."

Valentine and Shale shuffled through the prison in search of their teammates. Though they were previously focused on their own battle, they knew of the vibrations traveling further down, indicating another fight breaking out. Valentine took the lead, one arm raised and on guard, while Shale followed behind with her arms tucked behind her head.

"Not that many guards inside," Shale said.

"They must've been drawn to Ragger and Caz's fight. They were causing quite the ruckus. I imagine more guards are stationed at the cells in case there was a prison break."

Shale shrugged. "Eh, makes sense. Don't want another one of those."

"So, you knew the Dukes broke out of prison?"

"I didn't know too much about them. I was just going after the bounty like our pal TG offered. Who am I to say no to sweet, sweet moolah?"

"So, you have no idea where they are and decided to go after our bounties when your friend, Caz, found us."

Shale nodded. "Yep. Got to say, you guys really went out of your way to search a prison they wouldn't be caught dead hiding in right now. I have no clue where they scurried off to. Could be anywhere in Virdis right now."

"Well, we need to find Althalos as soon as we can, otherwise we may never crack the secrets to the poison he's been shipping."

Shale frowned. "That poison you were mentioning. Wraith, was it? What does it do?"

"Not entirely sure. We know it's poison, but we don't know why these guys went to extreme lengths hiding it. We can't test it without an antidote, and we don't want to inject the stuff into someone."

Shale smirked. "I could do it. No skin off my bones, and you pretty thieves keep your hands clean."

"I rather not be involved in an assisted murder."

"Oh, who says the stuff will kill? Maybe it gives stomachaches, or messes with your taste buds so that everything tastes like moldy cheese."

Valentine gagged. "Doubt it, though that does sound horrible." He glanced up at Shale. "Who else is after these bounties, anyway?"

Shale counted off her fingers. "There's the old lady, her manservant, the funny guy, and the weird one."

"Very…descriptive."

"Thanks! Oh, and there's my boy, TG. He's a laugh riot! Way too serious with the cowboy shtick, though."

"I see." Valentine looked ahead, then held his arm out, stopping Shale. "Wait." He shushed her, then pointed down the hall.

They both stuck their ears out and listened down the hall, detecting a couple voices, though they sounded mumbled. They squinted and saw unconscious guards scattered all over the hall covered in bruises and tattered clothes. Based off the damage found through the hall, Valentine and Shale deduced this was, or rather is where their friends are.

With a nod, they shuffled down to the end of the hall, taking in more of the damage of the severity of the guards' injuries. The worst of them all appeared to be a Metang who had dents and cracks surrounding his body. The floor was ripped up like a hurricane passed through.

Valentine and Shale peeked around the corner of the hallway, then spotted two individuals among the unconscious bodies.

Ragger and Casimir, sharing a bottle of alcohol.

Casimir guzzled on the bottle, sighed, then passed it back to Ragger. "S-So then, the bastard decked me across the arena, then had the nerve to follow it up with Body Slam. He flat…flattened me good and deep into the ground. Couldn't feel my arms after that. Or my legs. Oh, but…hehehehe, he made the mistake of turning his back on me. I got my second wind, then BAM! Sent him flying into the audience!"

Ragger slapped his knee and howled with laughter. "Hilarious! Did you say something witty after you did?"

"Oh, I wish, but I passed out after I was announced the winner. That jerk deserved a serious taunting if you ask me. I couldn't…I couldn't—wow, has this place always been this big? Phew!"

Ragger drained the entire bottle down his throat, then smashed it over his head. He hooked his arm around Casimir and pulled him in, bellowing hearty laughs. "You crack me up, Cazzy! I can't wait for our rematch!"

"Don't call me Cazzy."

"Hahahahaha!"

Valentine and Shale walked up to the drunk duo, sharing amused looks with each other. "Never expected Ragger to share drinks with the enemy."

Shale snorted. "I never knew Caz could laugh or smile this long. He really is drunk."

"Huh?" Casimir blinked, then looked up at the Cinderace. "Shale? What are…when'd you get here?"

Shale snickered. "Oh Caz, have you been getting into drunken death matches? So uncool. I didn't get to watch."

Valentine grabbed Ragger's hands and pulled him to his feet. "I take it the situation has been neutralized between you two, too?"

"Neutralized? HAH!" Ragger stumbled over his feet and slumped onto Valentine. "We just had a minor disagreement about something. No big deal. Something, something, friendship…"

Valentine rolled his eyes, then smiled. "Well, glad to see you're in high spirits. I take it you didn't learn anything new about the Dukes?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, we were for something, right?" Ragger straightened up and rubbed his eyes. "Eh, I don't know. I was too busy punching faces or something."

Casimir pushed himself against the wall and stood up. He glanced at Shale and asked, "What happened between you two?"

Shale shrugged. "Fighting, fighting, then we got bored and called a truce."

"…Yeah, that sounds about right."

Shale slugged Casimir in the shoulder. "You're one to talk. You're over here getting drunk. Though I must say, I approve of your company. He looks like a fun party guy."

Valentine stepped back and faced the bounty hunters. "I suppose it's been made evident that fighting is useless among us right now. Shale filled me in about the circumstances of your…wager."

Casimir waved it off. "Yeah, that. Some stupid bet for property in the Umbra Clock Kingdom."

Valentine raised his brow. "Property in the Umbra Clock Kingdom?"

"Yeah, he had a deed and everything."

Valentine glared off to the side. "Strange. How would he be able to acquire that with the war going on?" He mulled it over for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll worry about that later. We should find Sid and JoJo. Maybe they found something on the Dukes."

Casimir scoffed. "Assuming these maniac guards didn't have a surprise execution."

Valentine's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"These guards scattered over the hall here? They tried to kill your friend and me just because we were moderately invested in the Dukes. They wanted every trace of the Dukes erased, even people looking into them."

"That's…" Valentine looked down at the floor with a frown. "Oh, that explains so much."

Ragger squinted. "What do you mean?"

"When I went to the record office, I found information on the Dukes. Apparently someone visited the prison specifically to see the Dukes. Someone named Dr. Underhill."

"Underhill?" Shale mouthed the name under her breath a couple times. "Nope, doesn't ring any bells."

Casimir shrugged. "I got nothing. But why did they visit the Dukes?"

Valentine bit his lip and turned away.

Ragger rubbed his eyes, then looked at his Spinda superior worriedly. "Uh, what happened?"

Valentine stroked his arm, then growled. "We may be leading ourselves into danger. When I read the reports, one of the Dukes was confirmed—"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Everyone tensed up as two shrill cries sounded through the hall. Valentine's and Shale's ears pricked up and twitched in every direction for the source of the screams.

Ragger raised his brow in bewilderment. "Wait, was that—"

"That was Sid and JoJo!" Valentine gasped.

"They came from that way!" Shale pointed out. "I think that's where the prison cells are located."

"We need to hurry!" Valentine grabbed Ragger and Casimir by the wrists and dragged their drunken forms along with Shale springing behind them.

The prisoners were startled by the shrill cries coming from the nearby cell, plugging their ears with the hay that made up their cots. They ducked their heads as footsteps echoed down the hall, anticipating the arrival of guards. However, when they looked up, it turned out to be a misplaced group not of guard or prisoner.

Valentine and company scanned the cells as they raced down the aisle, with the Spinda ahead of the pack. He glared ahead and spotted a red cloak poking out from the bars of a cell up ahead. He nodded to himself and raced toward the red garment.

"Sid! JoJo!" Valentine slid to a stop in front of the bars, finding the girls pressed back against them, quivering with fear. "What happened? Did the guards throw you in—"

"That!" Sid and JoJo cried, pointing at the back of the cell.

Valentine squinted at the darkness, spotting a lump in the very back. He took one whiff of the air, and the lump became visible to his senses. His eyes widened in alarm, and his gag reflex nearly got the best of him when the pieces fell into place.

He turned to his group and yelled, "Stop!" Ragger, Casimir, and Shale stumbled over themselves and stopped in front of Valentine. "You don't want to look at this."

Shale rolled her eyes. "Wow, a prison cell. How traumatic." She giggled and pushed Valentine aside. "Please, I wouldn't be scared even if it was some bastard…" Shale smelled the air, then gagged. "Ugh, what's that rancid odor?"

JoJo squeezed through the bars, then transformed into a Chinchou. "Uh, see for yourself." She flashed her antennae and illuminated the cell.

Ragger and Casimir joined Shale's side and looked inside. Their hearts immediately sank to the bottom of their stomachs at the horrific sight rotting inside the cell. Valentine stared at it with a solemn look, hiding the disgust he felt.

"Oh…Oh, that is just sick!" Shale covered her mouth and backed out of view of the cell's insides. She collapsed to the ground and groaned into her hands. "What the actual hell?!"

To spare the details of the sight, the best that can be described was that of a disgusting sight unbefitting to any facility, not even a dingy prison. For if the smell wasn't any indication, what lay before the group was a rotten corpse baring melted flesh and bone. No one wanted to acknowledge the mess that accumulated around the corpse, what was no doubt festering flesh left unattended for months.

Sid kept her eyes clenched shut. "Please someone get Rusty and me out of here."

Ragger, only a little bothered by the sight, grabbed the bars and bent them to let Sid out. She slid on through and joined by Shale's side to appease her mind of the grisly sights and smells burned into her memory. The guys and a reluctant JoJo stared at the rotting remains.

Ragger narrowed his eyes on the skull and its uniquely shaped horn. "That's…an Absol's skull."

Valentine nodded. "Wicked Winds Ainsley. She was executed months ago."

Shale shuddered, then glared at Valentine. "Executed? This doesn't look like a regular execution to me!"

"Wasn't she on death row for her charges?" Sid asked, still looking a little queasy.

Valentine nodded. "Yes, but…I've never heard of an execution performed like this. From the way her corpse was disposed of, something…liquified her flesh."

JoJo gritted her teeth. "Oh great, that explains what we found in the mines."

"What do you mean?" Valentine looked down at the cell floor. "Also, what's with this hole?"

"An escape tunnel. The Dukes must've used it to break out of prison. Ainsley must have been too slow to escape with them or something." JoJo closed her eyes and growled. "Something sealed off the entrance with the same corrosive gas or whatever was done."

Valentine rubbed his chin. "A Skuntank was a part of the group that came with Dr. Underhill. He seems like the likely candidate for this type of execution."

"You're telling me someone came to this prison and tried to execute all the Dukes?" Ragger asked, unable to take his eyes off the corpse. "This is…so screwed up. I've seen some screwed up things, but this?"

Valentine bared his teeth. "We really did bring the Dukes to their own execution. Althalos warned us what would happen if we interfered. He was trying to save his team from this fate. Because we stopped his plans in the village, Last Autumn saw him as a liability."

Casimir's eyes widened. "Last Autumn? Weren't they disbanded a few decades ago? What are you talking about?"

Valentine sighed. "The Foresters have been involved in a particular conspiracy in the last several months. They were the ones that hired the Dukes of Buzzard to distribute their poison across the region. We've been hunting down their trades ever since we struck, but to discover this is the consequence for failure…"

Shale pushed herself against the wall and stood up. "I expected this type of shit in the outlands, but why would anyone allow this in a prison?"

Valentine glared. "I think the Wick Kingdom might have some hidden connections to Last Autumn."

"What?" Sid gasped. "That can't be true. Why would the Tetrarchs align themselves with criminals? That kind of scandal would lead a revolt from their people."

"We don't know what the Tetrarchs have with Last Autumn, or how they actually run their kingdom. But unless the warden's corrupt, we have to assume the Tetrarchs know what's going on inside the prison. Anything that happens here would eventually reach back to them." Valentine crossed his arms and sighed. "It just makes no sense."

JoJo laughing quietly to herself, gaining everyone's attention. "Hey, uh…quick question, nothing big. While you guys are so busy theorizing an extra web to this tightly knit conspiracy of yours, I think we're overlooking a pretty glaring question staring us in the face. Ahem…" She pointed at the cell and yelled, "Why the hell would they leave a freakin' corpse here?!"

Everyone recoiled from JoJo's cry, then gazed hesitantly at the cell. Casimir frowned. "I must admit, she has a point. Someone should've cleaned this up by now." He winced and covered his nose. "It's not exactly helping with the air."

Ragger shrugged. "Maybe the guards got lazy and forget about it."

"I think they would remember a rotting corpse in the prison hall."

Valentine looked around at the cell's interior, inspecting every inch of the visible surface. He glared, then stepped through the bent bars. "JoJo, can you increase the light in here?"

"Valentine?" Sid peeked her head around the bars, focusing on Valentine's back and not the body. "What are you doing?"

"Looking." Valentine knelt down beside Ainsley's body and carefully moved it. He heard JoJo gag before the cell brightened up.

He checked through clumps of fur spared from the corrosive attack. The blood and flesh were dry, caked over the floor. The skull was almost pristine and clean, like the corrosive gas burned off all imperfections before Ainsley's demise. Valentine had to assume it was a gaseous attack based off the warping in the walls. An attack nearly impossible to avoid, especially in a closed space. He couldn't begin to think of what sparked such a volatile attack. Moves like Acid and Acid Spray could harm flesh, but not with enough potency to melt flesh off in seconds. A combination move had to be the key, but there had to be some other factor involved in the execution. Regardless, the manner of execution told Valentine that Dr. Underhill worked with a team of expert killers, perhaps even himself.

Valentine looked under Ainsley's body and glared at the dried blood underneath. There were stroke marks in the ground, like someone smeared their finger across the stone in blood no different to a paintbrush.

Those brave enough to look inside the cell nearly turned away when Valentine slid his hands under the corpse and flipped it over. JoJo clenched her eyes shut and covered her mouth. "Oh, what the hell, Val?!"

"What are you doing?" Ragger asked.

Valentine stood up and brushed his hands across his jacket. "They knew."

Sid peeked her head over again. "Who knew?"

"Last Autumn. Dr. Underhill." Valentine pointed at the ground, revealing bloody letters smeared over the stone.

Let this be your last warning, Foresters.

-L.A.

Valentine glared at the message. "They knew we would eventually come after Althalos and the Dukes for answers. They knew we were going to figure out what Wraith was, so they prepared for our search in advance. They purposefully left Ainsley's corpse here as a message for our arrival. A scare tactic to what will become of us."

Casimir covered his mouth. "Brutal."

"And the guards just…went along with it?" Shale asked in disbelief. "Yeesh, I know you can't trust the authorities, but still."

"If the guards were told to execute anyone digging into the Dukes, I'm guessing that was their first message. They don't want us finding out what the Wraith is for."

"But why?" Ragger asked. "It's not like busting their trade rings will help us find them. These guys are keeping their distance so no one can find them."

"It's because they don't want us knowing how to make the Wraith," Valentine answered. "Shade doesn't know what its core ingredients are. If we found out what went into making the poison—"

"We would be closer to finding them," Sid finished. "A super secret ingredient the region doesn't know about, and only Last Autumn knows anything about obtaining it." She pressed the back of her head into the wall and hugged Rusty close. "They played us. We went on this wild goose chase to find a taunting message written in our own mistake."

Valentine stepped out of the cell. "Stopping the Dukes wasn't a mistake. Not heeding Althalos' warning was." He closed his eyes, growled, and punched the bars. "Dammit. Jason's going to be furious when he finds out about this. We could've done something to spare them."

Ragger shrugged. "Well, it's not like that bitch wasn't going to be executed."

"True, but that doesn't mean all the Dukes deserve to die. They're out there somewhere running for their lives, and they might be good and dead by now."

Shale looked at Casimir and asked, "Do you suppose that's why TG said finding the Dukes was a guaranteed win on the wager?"

Casimir stroked his chin. "If he knew anything about this, maybe. But why would he care to put that stipulation on the wager?"

Sid lifted her head. "Who's TG?"

Shale waved it off. "It's just my nickname for the guy who told us about the bounty. He said we were to hunt either you guys or the Dukes and win some land. I didn't care about the deed too much, but I was bored and wanted to have some fun."

"I only went along to keep you out of trouble," Casimir grumbled.

"D'aww, Caz~!"

"Not really the time for that."

JoJo changed into a Buneary and crossed her arms. "So, that's it? Do we just stop hunting Last Autumn? I mean, they sounded pretty serious about you guys continuing to pester them, and I'm not sure I want to get involved with that."

Valentine closed his eyes. "Jason would want to deliberate on the matter first, but…I don't know. We still don't know what Last Autumn gets out of all this. What's their goal? And what does Althalos know that warrants this much erasure? Does he know something about the Wraith?"

Ragger growled. "Well, like hell I'm letting these jerks scare me off. If they want to pick a fight, then so be it."

"It's not that simple, Ragger. We can't go swinging into a fight we're unprepared for. We don't know what Last Autumn has prepared for us, or what to expect from their forces." Valentine stepped away from the cell and massaged his temples. "They've been gone for thirty years. They had all the time in the world to coordinate a masterplan. Either we keep mindlessly pursuing the Dukes as Last Autumn expects, or we have to go about this at another angle."

Ragger growled again, but didn't argue back. He slammed his fist into the wall instead. "Dammit!"

Sid sighed. "Guess all we can do now is report back with Jason and see where we go from here. Hopefully we can still find Althalos and the others."

Casimir raised his hand. "Shale and I could try getting details out of the other bounty hunters. Doubt they will if they're fixated on the wager."

Sid shrugged. "It'd be worth the try, right?"

"Maybe." Casimir scratched his cheek. "I could ask Ghost or something. He didn't care too much about the wager."

"No, no, no!" Shale scolded with a finger wag. "The Ghost. He made that very clear."

Valentine stopped massaging his head and stared at the floor with a wide, vacant stare. A chill ran up his spine. "W…What?"

Casimir rolled his eyes. "Don't ask. Some weirdo who organized the wager. Pretty stupid name, stupid outfit, and really stupid mannerisms I can't even begin to explain without sounding like a fool myself—"

Everyone nearly jumped out of their skins when Valentine grabbed Casimir and slammed him against the wall. Blood dripped from Valentine's nose. Casimir, with lightning reflexes, socked Valentine in the cheek without thinking. The Spinda didn't seem fazed, even with the fist pressing against his cheek.

"You met…The Ghost?" Valentine asked slowly, barely able to hide the tremor in his voice.

Casimir lowered his fist, now looking at Valentine with growing concern. "Yes? In Algus at a tavern. He arranged the bet for us."

Valentine let go of Casimir, dropping him to the ground, then stepped away while stroking his ears. "Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

Sid stood up and slid to Valentine's side, touching his shoulder. "Val, what's wrong?"

"This changes everything. If that psychopath is involved in all of this…oh no, oh no, oh no." Valentine seemed to ignore Sid, too wrapped in the fear whirling through his mind.

Shale glared. "Wait, you know TG? And…psychopath? He seemed pretty chill when we met him."

Valentine clutched his ears and took a deep breath before facing everyone. "I've heard stories of The Ghost, and you do not want to cross paths with him. Like on the crossroads to the devil, you find yourself meeting the wanderer without an identity. A myth without a written history. A folktale that travels with the winds. A nightmare glittering in gold."

JoJo glared. "Stop speaking in riddles! Who's this Ghost fellow?"

"He's not a ghost. He's The Ghost." Valentine bit his lip. "Nobody knows who he is, but I do know one ultimate fact: everything he does is for the sole purpose of his justice, and no one will ever reach the truth to that justice. Time will fade into oblivion, and he'll still be there until the last specter passes on. He is a memory that surpasses remembrance."

Sid frowned worriedly. "Valentine, what are you talking about? What's the problem?"

"The problem?" Valentine clenched his eyes shut and shuddered. "I think our new friends here just got played by a thousand-year-old bounty hunter."

Meanwhile

The markets bustled with activity despite the light snowfall raining down on the Pokémon. Bundled in winter clothes and perusing stands for the latest fresh produce or timber to make it through another chilling winter.

A cloak ghost floated past the bustling crowd, adjusting his hood every so often while glancing over his shoulder. His red eye gleamed with a fervorous caution, scanning every little thing that moved through his sight. Young or old, big or small; every creature around his set off alarm bells like they were strapped with lit dynamite.

Althalos darted out of the crowd and flew towards a stand devoid of a line. A Beartic manned the stand while polishing the counter. He looked up as Althalos approached the counter. He threw the rag away, then smiled at the nervous Dusknoir.

"Salutations, friend. What can I do for you today?" Beartic asked.

Althalos fiddled with his hood again, his eye staring down at the counter. He hesitated on answering before producing a scroll from his cloak. "Bulk order. Lots of food."

"That so?" Beartic took the scroll and unfurled it. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Sweet Mew, that's a lot of food you're after, friend! Feeding a family of twelve or something?"

Althalos looked away. "No. Just traveling with a small group of mine. I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Well, this is a lot of food, friend. Forgive my skepticism, but this would cost you a lot of bits—"

A sack of coins slammed down on the counter. Beartic pulled the scroll down and stared at the large bag. It had a sharp hook skewering through the knot. The hook was attached to Althalos' left hand. Althalos pulled the hook out, then hid his left arm back inside his cloak.

"I have enough," Althalos said in a low growl.

Beartic blinked, then grabbed the coin bag. "L-Let me just count these up real quick, then I'll get your food prepped." Beartic scurried off to the back of the stand.

Althalos drummed his fingers on the counter. His eye bounced around in its socket, searching the crowd for any suspicious characters. He nearly jumped when a couple of kids brushed by his cloak. A Ponyta drawing a sled with a Smoochum on it, both laughing as they sped through the snow.

Althalos relaxed his shoulders, then sighed. He used to love watching the children in Snowbound Village goof off through the streets. The act of innocence distracted him from the hardships of his job, and the fear regarding his team's safety. How far has he gone to where little kids could nearly scare the daylight out of him? He would be a disappointment to his deceased family. A ghost scared of the living.

He couldn't help it. Every little sound irritated him, but in a way that had him on edge. The crunching of snow under feet, the rustling of clothes, the clicking of fingernails on wood. Every insignificant, mundane sound was like a gong blaring against his ear. Each sound burdened him with a growing weight that crushed his shoulders, sinking him further to the ground. Never enough to flatten him, but to leave him tense and straining in anticipation for when the weight would finally crush him at the worst possible moment.

How far would he go before the burden got him? How long can he go before the weight crushed his spirit? How far was he willing to run before it became too much? How much more can he take? How—

"Sir!"

Althalos snapped out of his trance and gasped. "W-What?!"

Beartic flinched under Althalos' tone, then gestured to the food crate sitting on the counter. "Your order."

"Oh? Oh." Althalos scratched behind his head. "Sorry, didn't expect you to finish so soon."

"Soon? I mean, I suppose fifteen minutes is pretty fast with the list you gave me."

"Fifteen—" Althalos stopped himself from shouting, then took a deep breath. "I mean, thank you." Althalos raised his right hand and aimed it at the crate. He activated Poltergeist and lifted the crate in his ghostly aura. "Thank you, really. I should get going."

"Of course, sir." Beartic smiled and waved. "Have a wonderful day."

"Yes. You, too—" Althalos started to move away, but froze as a tumbleweed bounced past his cloak, rolling with the breeze. He watched it roll down the street, disappearing behind the crowd.

Beartic leaned over the counter, then whistled. "Well, wasn't that a strange sight? How often do you see a tumbleweed rolling around these parts like that?"

Althalos looked around, masking the terror in his face. He searched every visible face in the crowd, but none belonged to the subject of his anxiety. Was it perhaps a regular tumbleweed that just happened to pass by for whatever apparent reason? Could it be?

"I…y-yeah," Althalos muttered. He pulled his hood over his head, then quickly darted down the street with his food crate hovering close behind him. "Just a regular tumbleweed, just a regular tumbleweed, just a regular tumbleweed…"