Disclaimer: Kaijuu/pokemon are not my creations. Paws off my original characters and ideas!
The Adamant Key
By Trivnar Silversword
Chapter five: Pewter
Kepa gave Tess the promised piggyback while Liz and Scott watched on.
After, Rowan sent Kepa to help Scott and the boys with the farm chores while she helped Liz make some food for the road.
"Your blaziken is a remarkable kaijuu," Liz said, smiling. "Good with children, with heavy work and so well behaved!"
Rowan blushed, remembering the previous night and crying on his shoulder. "Yes... he's a great travelling companion. I couldn't ask for better."
"You have a long journey ahead of you. It's good to have friends you can trust. Keep them close."
Rowan blinked. For a brief minute, the cheery farm wife had been completely serious, her face drawn. It vanished so quickly she was left wondering if she had truly seen it.
Liz passed her a bag and dusted her hands. "There! Those provisions should be enough for the both of you until you reach Pewter! I do hope you have a safe trip and don't bump into those bandits again!"
Rowan laughed. "I doubt it. We don't have anything of value with us this time. Anyways, Kepa won't be tricked twice."
"I believe it. He's very smart."
She hastily steered the subject away from Kepa again. "What would you say is the best path to take between here and Pewter?"
"Oh heavens," sighed Liz, flopping her apron. "I haven't left the house in so long... There is a trail that the boys use when they need to get some more supplies. It's very faint, but you should be able to follow it readily enough. I'll have Iva show it to you."
As if summoned magically, the girl appeared at her mother's elbow. "Yes, I'll show you the way. Are you leaving now?"
"Yep, as soon as Kepa gets here..."
"Here he comes now," commented Liz, peering out the window.
"Well then... thank you very much for your hospitality, Liz. You and your family were blessings to stranded travellers."
Liz blushed and pushed Rowan out the door. "Nonsense, it was nothing special. You get going, young lady, so you can make the most of the daylight."
Rowan smiled and bounded down the stairs waving good-bye to Tess and Liz. Iva led them to the beginnings of the path and watched them until they vanished from sight among the grass.
Rowan fairly bounced along the path; her heart was light, the sun was shining, her cuts were taken care of and she was well rested. Kepa caught her smiling foolishly and poked her gently.
"Someone is in high spirits."
She grinned and skipped two steps forward before turning around and walking backwards, so she could look at him. "I am!"
He shook his head. "Any reason why?"
"Dozens!"
He shook his head again. "You're going to walk into something, or trip and fall ... on our food! Maybe I should carry it."
Neither of the two noticed a single beedril circle overhead then head off south as fast as its wings could carry it.
"If you carry it, the food will get too hot. If I had an ice kaijuu I'd let them carry it, but you'd just spoil the food."
"Hey, come on, I can regulate my body temperature! It won't spoil unless I want it to."
Rowan was about to counter when the day darkened, as if a cloud had passed over the sun. She turned towards it, glaring in fake fury.
"Hey, cloud, get away from my ... sun..."
Rowan froze as she saw the swarming mass of beedril gathered in front of the sun. Kepa's reflexes, however, were not similarly affected. He lunged forward, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward.
"Run!"
She found her legs were listening to her again and plunged headlong after the blaziken, her bag thumping against her back with every stride. The buzzing noise behind grew louder and louder with every passing minute, warning her that the enemy was closing the distance between them with surprising speed.
"We can't outrun them!" She gasped out.
"I know! We're going to have to make a stand."
A particular plant caught her eye and she snatched it up as they ran past it. She shoved half the plant into her mouth and passed the rest to Kepa.
"Chew this; protection against the poison in their stings."
The blaziken did as he was bade, mouth twisting at the bitter taste.
"How come none of this stuff ever tastes good?"
A beedril dove, which Rowan barely dodged.
"Alright, here is good!" Kepa grabbed her arm and pulled her down behind him. He crouched, flames gathering in his palms in expectation. "The best thing to do is to present a small target."
The beedril swirled once, above them, then dove. Kepa grunted and held up his hands, shooting a wave of fire at the beedril. The first row peeled off but the ones behind kept coming, faster than Kepa could incinerate them. Rowan gasped and buried her face in her hands to protect her eyes and then they were on her.
Their sharp, cone-like legs tore at her clothes, trying to score blows to her bare skin and inject her with poison. Kepa was faring better as the beedril seemed unwilling to hurt him gravely, obviously under orders to bring him back in one piece.
He ducked and wove, using his fists and fire alike to drive them back from Rowan, although greatly outnumbered. Their numbers are too great, Rowan thought frantically. No matter what we do, we'll lose. An old trick that traders sometimes used suddenly occurred to her.
"Kepa! Light the grass on fire! Beedril can't stand large quantities of smoke!"
"Smoke?"
"Yes, smoke! Do it!"
Kepa was willing to give anything a try. He shot a string of fire along the ground around them, then shot it forward through the dry grass. Billows of dark smoke rose upwards, sending Rowan into a spell of coughing. Kepa, unaffected, watched the bug kaijuu fly upward in alarm, circling away from the black clouds.
"It's working!"
Rowan was coughing too much to reply, but she waved a hand in acknowledgment. The blaziken scooped her up and started to run across the fields, burning the grass as he went and making sure to extinguish the flames behind.
The grasslands, long and flat, slowly became more hilly as they started gaining on the foothills. Kepa continued to run, his long legs and powerful stride eating away the miles.
"You can stop now, Kepa, I don't think they're following us anymore."
He looked up and saw she was right; not a single beedril in sight. Groaning with relief, he pulled to a stop, setting Rowan back down. Her eyes were red and irritated from the smoke, but her coughing had stopped, for which she was thankful.
"Any injuries?"
Kepa glanced himself over. "Nothing serious. Some grazes, but there is no burning from the poison, thanks to your plant."
"Good." She looked about, trying to pin-point their location, then grimaced. "Well, thanks to those bugs we've got half a day's advance."
The town of Pewter was bustling and prosperous. Traders displayed their wares from brightly coloured cars while merchants tried to outshout them. Rowan felt instantly at home, although she was tired from the rough trip. Thankfully nothing more had occurred after the beedril attack. Ignoring rude comments from male merchants towards her torn clothes, she waved to the traders she knew.
Kepa Nur, on the other hand, didn't seem to enjoy being surrounded by people. He kept his gaze on the ground, trailing after Rowan. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, not without a little amusement.
"Rowan! Why didya trade yer ponyta for that one?" One of the traders, a large fat man shouted after her.
She winked at him. "Well see, that blaziken is special. He's my personal bodyguard. He cooks whoever I want him too. Useful for getting rid of annoying competition."
The trader laughed ruefully, scratching his chin. "Aye, it would be, at that."
"Do you know if Thavron is in town?"
"Thavron? Yep, I've seen him. "'Cin find him 'round the inns, probably dead drunk." The trader spat, showing his opinion of that certain trader.
Rowan only smiled and waved at him as she turned down a side street. "The inns are this way."
"Who is this Thavron?" Kepa asked, curiously. At least, Rowan decided to take it for curiosity.
"A trader friend. He'll have all the supplies I'll need."
Sure enough, in front of the Prancing Pig Inn, a colourful trader cart was parked, guarded by a big, shaggy, dog Kaijuu.
"That's an Entei!" Kepa exclaimed in surprise.
Rowan nodded distractedly, pushing open the inn's dark door, remembering at the last minute to hold it open for Kepa. Thavron sat at a table, an untouched mug of ale beside him. The trader was tall, shoulder length brown hair setting off piercing blue eyes that took in the slightest detail. He was dressed in trader clothes and, like Rowan, wore two blue articuno feathers, although his were woven into his hair. A vulpix slept on his lap.
As Rowan sat down at the table, Thavron's face split into a smile.
"Rowan! Long time no see, my girl. What's been keeping you?" The vulpix rose from her slumber to jump on the table and sniff her fingers.
"I need some supplies, Thavron."
"Bet ya I can guess which ones." He rose and held out his hand, helping Rowan to her feet. "I'll get you set up. Who's this guy?"
"This is Kepa Nur. I got him after I lost Mist and Coal. You haven't seen them, have you?"
Thavron frowned, "Lost both your Kaijuu? I wouldn't have thought you so careless."
"We got separated," she explained.
"Ah, I see. I'll keep my eyes out for them." Throwing his arm around Rowan's shoulders, he led her out of the inn and to the cart, missing Kepa's angry glare.
Thavron's cart was more than a simple cart, more like a enormous wagon than anything. The entei moved aside so they could climb the ramp into its interior. Rowan gestured for Kepa to stay with the Kaijuu. Angrily, he complied.
Safe from prying eyes, Thavron hugged Rowan fondly. She hugged him back and kissed him on both cheeks. Pulling back, she went to a window and peered out. He opened a heavy wooden chest and started pulling out clothes. "Suppose you can't tell me what this is about."
Rowan sighed, "I'm sorry, but if you don't know then you can't answer any questions."
Thavron scowled, "You're not in any trouble, are you?"
"Goodness no! Not like you're thinking, at any rate. I..." she hesitated, wondering how much to tell him. "I am in possession of something that several people want." In response to the clothes he held up: "No, something heavier, that can stand a lot of cross country. Thick leathers, if you have them."
Thavron neatly folded the outfit that he had displayed and started rummaging again. "Well, I hope you're careful. Can I help you in any way?"
She moved off and picked up a leather backpack. "You're helping me now, Thavron."
At that moment, Kepa barged in, throwing himself at Rowan, flattening her against the floor. "Damian." He whispered in her ear.
On cue, someone knocked against the wagon's side. Rowan winced, holding a finger to her lips. Nodding, Thavron dropped the clothes he held beside her and left the wagon. Kepa let her go, crawling over to the door so he could hear the conversation.
Seeing his back was turned, Rowan hastily changed into the leather breeches and jerkin. Picking up the leather bag, she began to shove supplies in it; rope, a compass, a map, food, bandages and two daggers, which she strapped to each leg, under her pants. The trader then crawled over to Kepa.
"Are you sure? The other trader said they asked about you." Damian's voice was cold.
"I told you; they came and they went. The girl wanted some new clothes, hers were all torn up." Thavron grinned lewdly at the henchman. "I can see why you want to find her again, pretty little thing that she was."
Damian scowled, "do you know where they went?"
"Now how would I know that? Didn't even see them leave."
Damian took a threatening step forward but caught sight of Thavron's entei rising to his feet. Shrugging, Loth's henchman moved off.
Thavron watched him go with poorly hidden distaste. Turning, he closed and locked the wagon door, winking to Rowan as he did so. The trader then hooked up the entei between the wagon's two shafts, picked up the vulpix and setting her between the fire dog's shoulder blades and started to lead them out of town.
The traders watched him go with surprise. "Leaving already, Thavron?"
"Ale's too damn thin in this town," Thavron retorted, shooting a black look over his shoulder. "Tastes like potato water!"
In the wagon, lying on her belly, Rowan grinned. "I missed him. Don't ask me why, but I missed him." Sighing she rolled on her back. "Won't be able to have that bath now," she said wistfully.
(A/N)
Kaijuu
-Entei: dog-like kaijuu, very big, with brown shaggy hair and a white mane. Element fire
-Vulpix: a fox-like kaijuu, with a tail split into six separate parts. Brown with a white belly and dark brown paws. Eyes are a yellow-amber colour. Element fire