With their incredibly short starting mission wrapped up, Slowking gave Team Giantslayers the go-ahead to begin accepting new assignments.
This wasn't the end of their orientation or training, he was quick to point out, but in the meantime he saw them suitably prepared to take on smaller missions.
Their first was rather dull- a job from Rhydon, who asked for help felling trees at the edge of the town. Ronan was the one to pick it out, much to Ignis' dismay.
"All I'm saying is that-" Chop. "You could have picked-" Chop. "One with a dungeon!-" Chop.
Ignis swung time and time again at the side of a young pine tree, only a quarter of the way through its trunk. With one last swing, she took out another chunk, and she reached halfway.
"Alright, ready."
She stepped aside and plopped down next to Nona, panting. Ronan stood a good ways away, his stance low and his head facing the tree. Pushing off, he sprinted skull first and slammed into the trunk. The wood crunched and heaved as the last bit connecting trunk to stump snapped off and it toppled to the ground.
"Timber!"
"You don't need to shout timber every time it comes down," Nona said.
"I know," Ronan replied, unbothered.
Ignis took a sip from the team water flask as she looked over the other four stumps they had made. "Just five more to go, great mission choice guys, really. I mean, we've done dungeons before twice now, what harm would it have been if we just chose like an item mission or something?"
Ronan plopped down next to his sister and swiped the flask, taking a long swig. "Because, we need to toughen up! Slowking says that moderate to vigorous physical exercise is the best way to stay in exploring shape. Plus we need the money. Look at Nona, she's not complaining."
Nona pursed her lips in a quarter smile as she dragged the tree over to the pile of others. Really, Nona wanted to complain, but they had already accepted the job, and she saw no reason to bitch about it.
She was more upset by the fact that she could have been at the library reading about humans and been halfway to finding a way to restore her memories, but instead she was stuck being a part-time lumberjack.
"Hey, you know this might go faster if you used some of your fire to burn down a few trees," Nona proposed with a grunt.
Neither of them answered her, Ignis instead electing to stare far off in the distance. Ronan just twiddled his thumbs.
With a huff, Nona went to ripping away the branches, tossing them off into the brush.
Maybe it was insensitive to bring it up, but Nona had wondered why she couldn't make fire ever since they had met, yesterday's events just bringing those questions back into focus, and her avoidance of the topic made her want to know even more.
Nona wiped her brow- really just out of habit at this point, her skin was always damp anyways.
"I'm done. Hand me the axe."
Nona and Ignis were taking turns doing the chopping and the hauling, a system Nona suggested when she saw Ignis' form. Granted, she wasn't all that much better at it, but it at least gave something that could tire her out. In a couple of swings, she was at the center, so she took a seat next to Ignis and let Ronan do his thing.
"Hey… why is it that you don't do fire?" Nona asked. Immediately she could see Ignis tense, but she let the question stick anyway.
"… I can do it, technically," she began, drawing in a deep breath, "but when I try to create fire or spit it out like other Charmander do, I burn myself."
Nona nudged her with her shoulder. "How do you do that? I thought you'd be immune to fire- or at least your own."
There was another pause before Ignis answered. "I'm not entirely sure, but it just does. It always has, and because of that I can never make my own."
Looking over her scales now, Nona saw the burn marks there in a much different, more unfortunate light.
"Uh… sorry."
"It's okay."
"Hey guys, I'm done," Ronan said as he walked over. Ignis handed him the flask again and went to drag the trunk.
By the time they had fell and stripped all of the trees, the sun had just started its descent, and it was mid-afternoon when they had hauled all of the lumber to Rhydon's by wagon.
They made it to the guild shortly after, making a pit stop at the front desk to turn in their completed mission and to get their reward. Smeargle greeted them warmly, despite their ever growing stack of forms needing filled.
"Giantslayers! So good to see you- I actually had an errand for you to run if it wouldn't be too much trouble?" They twirled their tail in their paw like a pen.
Ignis opened her mouth to speak, but Ronan interrupted. "Sure!"
"Great!" They spun around, scooping up a stack of envelopes wrapped with twine and plopping it down on the desk. "These need to be delivered to Leavanny's house today, at the Guildmaster's request. Do you know how to get there?"
"M-hm." Ignis nodded as Ronan scooped the stack into the bag. "We'll go do that now."
"Thank you!"
"I know this town like the back of my hand," Ronan boasted as he guided them down one of the wider streets, "Leavanny's is just this way, past the apothecary."
They arrived at the doorstep of a tall, rustic building, sidewalls crawling with ivy. Compared to the surrounding houses, it appeared mostly the same, but the small lawn space out front and the slightly taller, wider stature gave it the individuality that stated someone important was living there.
Too short to reach the iron knocker, Ignis rapped her knuckle against the doorframe.
"Hello?" She called, "It's Team Giantslayers; we're here with a delivery from the Guildmaster."
The inside was quiet for a minute before they heard scuffling on the other end and the black wooden door creaked open a slit.
"Who for?" A flat voice asked.
"Leavanny," Ignis answered.
Slowly, the door creaked shut, and Nona heard the chain unlock before it opened fully. A Swadloon hunched in the doorframe, a pink fleece blanket draped over their cocoon and a silent distaste just behind their angsty expression. Stepping back into the house, they let the door slowly swing shut as Team Giantslayers filed in.
Through the mudroom, Swadloon led them through the front of the house, which was split down the middle by a short, stocky staircase to the second floor. To the left was the kitchen, with a window to the outside letting in the dusk, and to the right a dining room lit by candle. There was a doorway just past the table where it was too dark to see.
Without sparing anyone a glance, Swadloon climbed the steps and disappeared into the second floor.
Just as the waiting was getting uncomfortable, another pokemon walked into the candlelight from the dining room doorway, a Beautifly whose blue eyes flickered with the flame. They startled for a second and almost turned back.
"Oh- hello, nobody said we were having company…"
"W-We're just here for a delivery," Ignis reassured her, "-be gone before you know it."
Ronan smiled and waved. "Hi Beautifly, how's Wurmple? Is she here?"
"Hi Ronan," she waved awkwardly, "Wurmple's been fine. Now that the weather's warm I've gotten her to go outside a little bit. Wish I could say the same about Swadloon…"
She blinked a few times, staring pointedly into the candlelight.
"I just put Wurmple to bed. Leavanny is home though, so she shouldn't be long. Would you like some tea while we wait?" Beautifly offered.
Leavanny descended the stairs with rhythmic tap accompanying each step, Swadloon scuttling behind. The short ceilings in the house only made Leavanny tower even taller above everyone, an intimidating feeling to accompany her eternal scowl.
"Good evening," she greeted.
Without meeting her eyes, Ignis nodded and held out the envelopes, which she briskly accepted. She swiped the tops of each with her bladed hands and flicked through their contents, the whole time her shoulders relaxing. She handed them to Beautifly, who didn't look as excited.
"These missions look… difficult."
"That's to be expected. Work is supposed to be difficult." With that, she turned to Team Giantslayers. "Thank you. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help."
Ronan and Ignis both waffled around the praise, but Nona followed with a question.
"Why are you getting those delivered? There are mission boards at the guild, ain't there?"
Leavanny and Beautifly both looked like they were going to answer, but Swadloon scooted into the conversation between his mother's lanky legs.
"Guildmaster picked them out for her. Mom asked him to."
"It's just… Just until she gets a steady flow of work," Leavanny answered reluctantly, giving Swadloon a look.
Leavanny, whether out of distrust or an attempt at friendship, walked Team Giantslayers to the edge of the yard after they said their goodbyes.
It was as they reached the street that a Pidgeotto dove down to land on Leavanny's mailbox, panting for breath.
"Leavanny… there was an attack… an apprentice is hurt…" They explained between heaves.
One moment, Leavanny was frozen, her stare a thousand miles away. The next, she was off and running.
Nona exchanged glances with Ignis and Ronan, both looking just as shocked and confused, and with hope for answers, they all ran off after her.
They burst through the guild doors and were met with a swarm of panic, apprentices and staff darting around like the building was on fire. In the hall's center, the crowd circled around a collapsed Manectric tended to by Smeargle and a Shiinotic Nona didn't recognize.
Slowking stepped in to block the view just as Nona caught sight of the blood-soaked bandages wrapped over Manectric's body.
"Stay calm everyone, and give space!" He barked, "all who are able, grab bandages and hot water. Feraligatr- Scyther- finish getting her into the infirmary!"
The apprentices scattered immediately.
"I want to help," Ronan said, standing expectantly at Slowking's feet. Before he could sputter an answer, Shiinotic spoke.
"Can you handle blood?"
Ronan looked at Manectric as she was carried off, reddened bandages trailing onto the floor. Slowly, doubtfully, he nodded.
"Good. Follow me and listen to everything I say."
"Yes ma'am," he responded, marching obediently behind her.
Ignis sputtered. Nona shouldered past her into the medbay, a bucket of water cradled in her arms. Ignis was left behind, frozen in the center of the guild hall, feeling both incredibly responsible and incredibly useless.
"Ignis," Slowking's voice boomed, "go to the general store and gather all their aspear berries. I'll pay them later." Even with the order, she hesitated.
"Now!"
Ignis bolted past the closing shops. Ronan wrapped off another wound. Nona dunked washclotch after washcloth as they all returned again covered in blood. The buzz of tragedy made time a thick sea of tar, and all three of them sank.
The sun was just starting to rise when Shiinotic finally declared the patient stable enough to excuse her impromptu nurses. The crowd was still just as lively in the main hall, panicked voices whispering of frostbite and stab wounds.
Ronan and Nona stumbled out of the infirmary, dazed and sleep deprived, to the sight of Ignis slouching against the wall opposite to them. She hadn't left, and it was clear to see she hadn't slept either.
Wordlessly, they slogged over and collapsed next to her, Ronan resting his head in his sister's lap, a few tears staining the inside of his skull.
"Residents of Ambersap, as you all know, last night there was an attack." Slowking's voice boomed over the chatter and silenced the room. Nona only then noticed that there were far more pokemon there than just the apprentices. This had everyone shaken to the core.
"Let me first assure you that despite being very hurt, Manectric will survive, my many thanks to Shiinotic for her assistance. Without her, our apprenctice could have very well been lost."
The audience gave a sparce and somber applause. Shiinotic's eyes remained fixed on the Guildmaster.
"…Last night, Manectric was sent to prepare the Featherfall Wood for the next day's test. It was just after sunset that we found her outside of the dungeon. We don't yet know how this attack happened, but whatever it was left her in… a critical state."
To Slowking's visual dismay, the crowd rumbled with whispers.
"After consulting with the town officials and my staff here at the guild, we believe that the Featherfall Wood may be once again producing pokemon- powerful ones- and we have made the collective decision to suspend any further exploration until we are able to send in a team to scout. To all of the teams here, I will be reaching out privately to those we deem fit for the task. I ask all gold ranked members and above to remain on standby until mid afternoo-"
"What are the rest of us supposed to do?" A Pidgeot cawed from the rafters, "what if this isn't even a dungeon pokemon? They could come after any one of us next."
Slowking turned to address him. "I know this is a tense situation for all of us, but all we can do for now is wait. Manectric will wake up at some point, and we can ask her what she saw. Until then, all I ask is for you to remain calm and in your homes. We don't need any more injuries, gods forbid."
Nobody looked gung-ho about any of this. Gazes frittered from one pokemon to the next as everyone evaluated the risk of attack. Whether or not their neighbors were next was a question on everyone's mind.
On Nona's however, a pair of glowing blue eyes almost white with light, a suffocating aura and a chill in the air. Whatever she thought she saw- or now more likely did see- was real. The thought made her blood run cold. She looked between Ignis and Ronan, their claws clasped together, and wondered if she could have been the one to prevent this.