Steel Province of Stomana, Capital City of Stoneshear, 1st of Bright Moon, 1st Age of the New Calendar, Year 11.
Malcolm the Riolu looked through the carriage window as the Lairon pulling it passed through the gates to Stomana's capital city, Stoneshear.
Immediately, he was struck by how much of a state of disarray the city seemed to be in. The Merc Madness arena had scarcely been touched since it's destruction, and Stoneshear Castle itself, the former seat of the UGM, fared little better.
He'd always heard tales of the capital from his parents, but despite living in Stomana for quite some time, this was his first visit to such a major city.
The houses and shops were all rather ugly amalgamations of various metals built over the rock and wood that originally constructed each abode, and the roads, while neatly paved, lacked any distinctive names as far as Malcolm could see.
"The city's seen better days, I'll give you that." The Lairon sighed as he looked over his shoulder and noticed Malcolm's expression. "But the people here still have heart. Look at the castle after all. It's nearly complete again! Should only be a year or two now before the royal family can move into it."
Malcolm didn't really care about the royal family though, he was here in the capital for one reason alone.
"I'm looking for the UGM hall in the city, know where it is?"
"I'll take you there, yeah." The Lairon nodded. "As it happens, I've got a bit of a job I want to submit to ol' Rez. I take it you're one of them new mercenary hopefuls right? Apparently someone bungled up all the Dim Month tickets and sent you all to Petrapis on that one cramped ship."
"Don't remind me." Malcolm shuddered. "Thankfully, I didn't have too far to travel, but it must have sucked to be someone headed to Fable or Qaraqan. Talk about time wasted."
"Speaking of time wasted…" The Lairon pulled up beside a building that seemed to be constructed entirely of iron. It had three stories, though that was hardly an accomplishment given the other tall buildings, mainly residential, in the vicinity, but a motif above its front entrance bore the unmistakable symbol of the UGM, a gilded map of the entire continent. "We're here, kid. You go on inside. I've got to make sure the carriage is nice and secure first."
Stoneshear UGM Hall
Malcom walked into a building filled to the brim with tough looking pokemon from all over the place. Some of them had silver stars on their colored scarves, some had golden stars, others had nothing, but none of it mattered, because almost all the teams grabbed jobs from the quest boards and filed out of the building, forcing Malcolm to dance his way to the front desk to avoid being trampled.
Behind the counter was a Dugtrio, her steely hair strands rather immaculately kept for someone with half her body below the ground, and resting right next to her was a Polteageist, donning a denim scarf with five silver stars.
"And here we go, you must be Malcom!" the Polteageist smiled as he hovered over to the Riolu and shook his hand very firmly. "I noticed on your form you signed up for a Mentor Merc, and that's gonna be me. Not many Riolu or Lucario are in the habit of focusing on the destructive power of the black mage. And considering your natural abilities, you're bound to end up in close quarters anyways, but hey, I'm down for the challenge!"
"I am Malcolm, yes." Malcolm nodded. "And thank you for taking the time to mentor me."
"Oh, most of it is going to be you figuring it out on your own." the Polteageist nodded. "The name's Prospero. Here, take this." He handed Malcolm a small pearl brooch. "That there is a mindlink. It'll let you talk to me over long distances if you need advice on anything during your trial mission. Normally, mindlinks, they're not given to solo mercenaries or trainees, and especially not hopefuls that haven't even reached trainee rank yet, but I'm also here on a mission of my own, so I won't be able to follow you around, nor should I, to be honest."
"That's right, you shouldn't!" The Dugtrio chided him. "These first assignments are called trial missions for a reason, Prospero!"
"Aw, come on, Rezzie, it was one time, when are you going to let it go?"
"How about when one of your trainees doesn't blow themselves up?"
"Hey! Not in front of the new trainee! Besides, I teach them the proper techniques! I can't be held responsible if they get too liberal with their use of them!"
"Sounds like they just weren't careful enough." Malcolm shrugged.
"Exactly!" Prospero grinned. "See, even Malcolm gets it!"
"Well, whatever." 'Rezzie' turned to Malcolm. "I'm Rez. I run the UGM Hall here in Stoneshear, and I'll be the one assigning you your trial mission to determine if you truly can be a trainee for the guild."
"Well, I'm ready." Malcolm gestured to himself. "Where am I heading?"
"Look kid," Rez sighed. "We don't know who you are or what you're capable of, and rather than be responsible for testing that out and having it go haywire, we're going to send you off to Stoneshear Castle. It's in the middle of a reconstruction effort right now, still repairing its battle scars from ten years ago. Look for the overseer, a Doublade by the name of Gervasio. He'll carry himself all important-like. You tell him that Rez sent you to help and he'll put you to good use."
"My trial mission is blue collar work?" Malcolm gave Prospero a quizzical look.
"It's important work." Prospero nodded. "And the UGM is more than just delving into dungeons or searching for pokemon with bounties. It's also about helping out where we can. I'll admit, it's not glamorous, but it's admirable, and who knows? You might learn something useful."
"Well, fine, I guess I'm off to Stoneshear Castle." Malcolm sighed, a little disappointed, but politely bowed and headed out the door as the Lairon walked into the building.
Malcolm didn't want to wait. The castle was visible, and he could find his own way there. He also didn't want to have to pay that Lairon for another ride. The price was a little steep for his liking. He headed down the road towards the castle, and towards his trial mission.
Stoneshear Castle (Under Construction)
The clanging of Hammer Arms on nails resounded through the air almost as much as sawdust and mineral particles.
A Doublade stood from a small wooden platform, looking over a blueprint in one of his eyes, and using his other to psychically deliver notices to distant workers about their next tasks.
"Excuse me." Malcolm walked up to the pokemon. "You're Gervasio? I'm Malcolm. I'm here on a trial mission. Rez sent me."
"Oh, perfect!" Gervasio's eyes shone brightly as he gave his attention to Malcolm. "Help is always appreciated here, especially UGM help. Legends know I can't trust these oafish workers to get the job done themselves. Take these for instance." Gervasio gestured to three crates full of stone bricks. "I've already sent notices to the workers responsible for these boxes to come get them, but they've been putting it off all damn day. They probably think they can get away with an 'I was too busy' excuse, but we're behind schedule enough as it is. If you could, can you bring these boxes to them? They won't be able to excuse the work if it's sitting directly in front of them."
"Uh, sure." Malcolm shrugged as he picked up one of the boxes. "Who exactly am I looking for?"
"There's a Durant up on the battlements, a Ferrothorn in the courtyard, and a Steelix 'round back. The only one of each of their species in our workforce, so it shouldn't be hard to miss them."
"But what are their names?" Malcolm wondered
"We'll whatever their names were, when I hired them they were inmates #037, #155, and #181. All served their time and showed signs of readiness and willingness to integrate back into society, so, don't worry about it too much."
Malcolm didn't.
He made his way round back first, dropped the crate of bricks off as the Steelix's base, and almost immediately the Pokémon began using them, not even realizing what had happened.
The Durant's delivery required climbing quite the length of stairs with a heavy brick crate, but Malcolm knew he could handle it.
"Aw, shit. Gervasio called my bluff, did he?" The Durant didn't seem too upset about being saddled with the bricks. "Guess you'll have to enjoy the view from up here in my stead while I get to work on the Farawayan side of the battlements."
Malcolm looked over the battlements and saw the entire capital city of the province sprawled out before him, but his view stretched out past the city gates and into the hilly wilderness before it arrived at the Southshore strait, glistening beautifully in the late afternoon sun.
"A much better view than the endless Farawayan sand over on my side!" The Durant's shouted broke Malcolm out of his trance. While he was somewhat curious as to what the view of The Faraway looked like, he still had a third package to deliver.
The trip down the stairs was much faster without anything weighing him down, and with a very short jaunt into the courtyard, he was able to deliver the final crate to the Ferrothorn.
"Ah, fine." The Ferrothorn sighed. "I guess it'll beat being fired. I don't want to end up like the last courtyard worker and be stuck here with no job and no money."
"Is the work that bad?" Malcolm wondered.
"No." The Ferrothorn replied. "It's the bloody symbol we're building up again that's bad. This province put us behind bars, and we were basically forced into unpaid labor their ten times as bad as this, but now that we're out the only job we can land is rebuilding their fucking castle for them. If it was still the UGM headquarters, it'd be a different story. For all its faults, at least it's politically independent. Anyway, you can tell Gervasio not to worry. I'll get the work done."
Malcolm nodded and returned to his employer.
"They're all working." He informed the Doublade. "That's great. If you got those three working-"
"Well, two." Malcolm replied. "The Steelix really was just focused the entire time, so he was always working."
"Well, four pokemon I recently hired are not." Gervasio got to the point of his next task. "They're this group of Machop brothers. Immigrants from Rumahutan, of all places. It wouldn't surprise me if they simply got lost in the city, so I'm not mad at them, I'm mad at the slow pace this project is taking due to their absence. Please locate them and point them in the right direction. They ought to all be wearing Gervasio Construction braces on their arms."
"Okay." Malcolm nodded, and dashed out of the construction sight.
Downtown Stoneshear
Realizing that the capital city was a rather large search radius for a single Riolu, even one with his exceptional aura sensing abilities, Malcolm determined that this would serve as a good time to pick Prospero's brain over the mindlink. He wasn't quite sure how to work it, and had to concentrate on the image of Prospero for it to work, but soon-
"I don't care if she says he's heading there, he's rogue and we took the mission!"
"Uh, hello?" Malcolm asked.
"Ah, shit, one sec." Malcolm heard a click. "Hey Malcolm, how's your trial going?"
"I won't get lost if I'm ever in Stoneshear again after this at least." Malcolm responded. "I need to track down some immigrant Machop brothers for Gervasio. He thinks they might have gotten lost in the city, but it is a whole city so I was wondering if you had any idea where they might be."
"Hey, congrats kid, you used the mindlink exactly for its intended purpose. As a matter of fact, I do have a good idea for where to look. You said they're immigrants right? Then first place I'd check is the Grand Embassy. That's probably where they're staying before they can find a house. Next, you might want to head to the central marketplace, since most roads lead back to it. Finally, try looking at Gervasio Construction's main office building down by the city gates. Sometimes a new job rattles you and you head to a place that feels right only for it to be wrong."
"Thanks. Before I go though, I have to ask, is tracking down a rogue mercenary your mission?"
"Can't answer that kid, guild orders. But hey, you pass the trial mission, I'll let you in on some special techniques I've picked up to make it up to you."
"You have to do that anyways as a mentor though, don't you?"
"You got it wrong kid. Mentor mercs give advice and manage trainees' missions. To train you personally, that's on me as a fellow black mage, not a mercenary."
And with those words, Malcolm's entire awareness snapped back to himself and himself alone.
Following Prospero's advice, he was able to locate each Machop brother with ease, and escorted all four of them back to the castle as they regailed him with tales of the matriarchal jungle cities and extended families of Rumahutan, along with a number of songs they would sing as they made their journey across the continent.
Stoneshear Castle (Under Construction)
"There you are!" Gervasio beamed at the sight of Malcolm. "That's a whole seven workers now you've helped out! Eight including me! You're on your way to a successful trial mission, kid! I just need you to help me deal with one last problem."
"What is it?" Malcolm asked. "Does it involve another worker?"
"Maybe. It actually has to do with another trainee hopeful, like you. A rather shy young Yamask named Megan. She hasn't seemed to respond to any of my notices all day, and I'm wondering if this might be too much for her. I'll probably have to fail her mission, but if she can't handle basic work, it's best she live a safer life than that of a mercenary. Please find out where she is and bring her to me so I can deliver the news in person. She hasn't left the castle grounds so if anyone knows where she is, it'll be the workers, and I'm sure at least six of the seven you've helped would be willing to share what they know with you. It's best to let that Steelix keep working. He's on his way to a promotion if he keeps up that efficiency."
"Right." Malcolm nodded.
The Machop brothers, of course had no idea.
"I wish I knew." The Durant shrugged. "She might be shy, but she's also very smart, you'll see it in her eyes. Seems weird to say it as an ex-convict but even without mercenary work, she'll make a great detective or at least a coroner. She did a great job yesterday, too! Apparently caught a thief red handed in a trap she set. Turns out it was a worker. Needless to say, Gervasio was quick to fire him. Anyways, wish I could be more help. Tell Megan not to worry when you do see her. She'll always have friends here."
"I'll do that." Malcolm nodded.
This day had been shaping up to be one of quite a lot of walking around for Malcolm, but he hadn't minded all that much. It was clearly a trial mission meant more to teach procedure of other missions than anything else. He did somewhat wonder why a trial mission didn't include any form of combat. His best guess was that the guild wanted to train the new recruits only if they knew they would adhere to UGM policies.
"Oh Megan?" The Ferrothorn in the courtyard seemed familiar with her. "Yeah, I saw her today. She said she wanted to sneak a peek at the old UGM Senate Office before she reported to Gervasio for the day. I was under the impression that he sent her off to go on supply runs though, since I haven't seen her since then. Guess not though. If she did just leave though, I'm sure she didn't run away. Shy as she was around other pokemon, she wasn't lacking in bravery. If she went somewhere, she either would have told someone, or at least left a note."
"Well, thank you for your time." Malcolm nodded.
He had passed by the door to the old UGM Senate Office many times that day, but this was his first time realizing just how close he was to a truly historic place. Since the UGM's founding up until only a few years ago, Stoneshear was its base of operations, and he was about to enter the very room where powerful pokemon from all over the continent would come and talk about provincial and guild issues.
He prepared himself to meet another mercenary hopeful.
If all went well, perhaps they would form a band together after all.
He opened the door of the room and walked inside.
Dust lined the furniture and the once wondrous paintings of tales of epic mercenaries and mercenary bands had fallen into disrepair.
And there, right in front of the fireplace, was Megan.
Dead on the ground.
To be continued…
Trainee Hopeful: Malcolm Orsow
Male Riolu
Black Mage
Class Based Ability: Inner Focus
Move Tree 1 (Utility Arts): Feint → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 2 (Aura Arts): Vacuum Wave → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 3 (Void Arts): Payback → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 4 (Elemental Arts): Mud-Slap → ? → ? → ?
(A Move on the tree of OC's choice will be unlocked upon successful trial mission completion)
AN: What Malcolm does next, that's up to his creator.
RKType-0, thank you for submitting Malcolm! Send in how you want Malcolm to tackle this problem and I'll get on the second part of his mission! If I don't get a plan of action by the 14th, I'll just go with the default actions I've got him doing in my mission outline.
AN2: While this chapter focused on Malcolm, the next chapter will not be his second part. The next chapter is the next OC that was submitted and the beginning of their trial mission. This is how it will likely go until all the trial missions of the ocs I received in December are complete. I'm working on those chapters right now, so if you submitted an OC before January, rest assured that you'll see them very soon.
Any OCs I receive this month can expect their first trial mission chapters sometime in February.
AN3: I have a discord for those that wish to join! You can find the link on my profile page.
AN4: And as always, thank you for reading!