30th Winter Moon, 907

The skies were darkened by the passing snow clouds hanging above the Outlands. The snow crunched under the Broken Glass Alchemical Company's carriage as Magni continued the slow jaunt through the greater plains, undeterred by the journey. Evelot sat atop his head, peering through a telescope to take in the surroundings.

"You know, if you don't think about all the murder and blood, the Outlands looks really pretty in the winter," she commented. "Don't you think so, Magni?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Do you like the winter?"

"Not…familiar."

"Oh right, you grew up in Subterra." She lowered her telescope. "What's it like living down there?"

"Rough. Dark. Very hot."

"How big is the Subterra Kingdom?"

"Very deep. I…Highborn."

She gasped. "You were nobility?!"

Magni chuckled softly. "Highborn like…surface's lower class. Deeper in ground, tougher. Stronger. Live in magma."

She gawked at him in awe. "No way. You mean your people are so tough that they can survive living near magma?! Is it just Fire, Ground, and Rock-Types?!"

"All kinds. Just…depend on…" The Scolipede struggled to find the right words. "Blood?"

"Blood? You mean, like, lineage? Bloodline?"

"Bloodline, yes. Live long time in underground, become…resilient to underground."

"Woooow. Subterra sounds so cool~."

Magni smiled a bit. "Not…that fun. Get lonely sometimes. So much space. Family…" He narrowed his eyes sadly. "Leave nest at young age. Survive."

Evelot whimpered. "Oh. So, in the Subterra Kingdom, you leave your family at a young age and make something of yourself on your own?"

"Subterra value…toughness. Independence. Leave nest, find purpose, find mate."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, Magni. I never realized you were so lonely."

He shook his head. "Part of culture."

"Still, no one should be alone." She extended her arms and wrapped them around his head. "But don't you worry, you've got a new family to watch over you! And family up here means we never abandon each other!"

"…" Magni closed his eyes and smiled. "Family…"

"Oi, Eve!" Evelot and Magni looked back at the carriage and saw Phoebe poking her head out. "How much further until we get to Copper Gorge? I'm getting sick and tired of making small talk with Lamecaster!"

"You're no joy yourself, bitch!" Amos shouted from inside.

Evelot groaned. "What happened to you two putting your differences aside?"

The Aipom smirked. "Hey, I'll cooperate this asshole when needed, but I like reminding him who's in charge around here—" She jolted back as Amos tried to snip her face. "Oi! You want to brawl?!" She lunged back inside, causing the carriage to shake.

Evelot grimaced. "Whyyyyyy?"

Magni chuckled. "Fight like…siblings."

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it." She lifted her telescope and peered into the distance ahead. "If you two would stop fighting for a moment…!" she shouted, which caused the carriage to stop shaking. "You'll be happy to know that we're about a half hour away from reaching the gorge."

Amos and Phoebe poked their heads out of the carriage, squinting at the distance horizon. "I can't see shit," the Aipom grumbled.

"It's a gorge, not a mountain," Amos fired back. "Ugh, finally. This crackpot better live up to his reputation."

Evelot giggled. "Don't you worry, Ammo. I have it on good authority that Caractacus will restore you to your former glory and more."

Phoebe smirked. "Zero times one hundred is still zero—" She dodged another snip from his pincer. "Oi! I will stab you!"

"I'll bite your neck open!"

Evelot groaned. "Will you two please sto—" Her eyes widened as a familiar grumbling sound echoed from under her costume, loud enough to catch the ears of her bickering friends. She coughed awkwardly and turned away. "Hehe, um…sorry."

Amos glared. "Since we're a half hour away, we might as well stop and cook up some lunch."

"Hey, a brilliant idea, Lamecaster! Good job!" Phoebe taunted.

"Ugh…"

Magni nodded. "Hungry, too."

Evelot bounced excitedly. "Alright, we'll stop for some lunch!" She peeked through her telescope and peered around. "Now, where's a good spot to set up…camp?"

Amos and Phoebe looked up at her oddly. "Something wrong?" Phoebe asked.

"Um, sort of?" She pointed ahead.

They followed her hand and saw she was pointing out something in the distance. It appeared to be a cluster of rocks at first, but the light mist partially obscured it from the distance. Rather than rock, it appeared to be an arrangement of structures withered from the passage of time. It was the size of a fifty-man village by looks alone.

"Ruins?" Amos guessed.

"I could've sworn those were just rocks earlier," Evelot said. "Then again, I've been staring at nothing but rocks for days."

Phoebe glared. "I've been all around the Outlands before, but I've never been in this area. First time I'm see this. I'm actually kind of curious to see what's over there."

Amos sighed. "Any spot works. Magni, take us to those ruins."

The Scolipede nodded and hastened his pace toward the abandoned ruins. With their sights set on the old rock, the company didn't notice the two figures hovering high up in the sky, watching them with conniving grins.

Evelot and Magni were left to start up their mini camp and make lunch (well, mostly Evelot) while Amos and Phoebe ventured forth into the abandoned ruins. Phoebe kept a hand on her sheathed dagger while Amos spun the chamber of his gunarm.

Without the fog obscuring the details, they could see the age of the stone. Withered rock that chipped away from the lightest of scratches, yet still remained standing after years in the desolate region. Based on the rumble and columns they passed by, there used to be a roof hanging above the ruins, indicating it was once a giant building. It could've been a church, or perhaps something more.

"I'm surprised no one's made a base out of this place," Amos mumbled. "Out of the way from most towns."

Phoebe knocked on a column, causing a crack to pop up across it. "I think they had a reason to stay away." She wiped her knuckles off and continued ahead. "It's not in the best condition from the looks of it. Any idea how old they are?"

"Don't look at me. I never went to school, not that I could tell either way." Amos crossed his arms. "Maybe they've been around since the time of the Great Kingdom."

"That would make the most sense." She groaned and folded her arms behind her head. "Well, it's a load of nothing for the most part. There's not anything worth stealing unless you're into rock and dust—"

As soon as they rounded the corner, their eyes locked onto a peculiar sight collapse along the withered walls, one that made them gasp in awe.

Leaning up against the walls and floor, their bases withered from years of erosion, were rows of obelisks lined up like a pathway leading to a stone coffin. Each obelisk shimmered in a pale, iridescent light under the gloomy atmosphere. Each one seemed to depict images of something, though many were scratched off over time.

However, that wasn't what struck them.

"Are those…made entirely of elementium?!" Phoebe gasped, running over to the obelisks.

"Holy shit," Amos gawked, slowly dragging himself into the dilapidated hall. "This…can't be real."

"We're rich, we're rich! AHAHAHA!" Phoebe bounced and clicked her heels together. "I knew being a graverobber would pay off one day! Lamecaster, help me break these things!" She pulled out her dagger and started stabbing into an obelisk.

Amos let his eyes wander over the structures in disbelief. "Impossible. How could this much elementium be mined out? Moreover, how are these still here? There's no way someone hasn't tried to rob this place."

"Agh!" He glanced over at Phoebe as she tried and failed to break the obelisk open. "You've got to be kidding me! Hundreds of years of erosion, and they're still this strong after being broken apart?! Agh!" She put her dagger away and tried to lift the obelisk, screaming out in pain. "LIFT, DAMMIT!"

Amos knelt beside one of the obelisks and brushed the dust off. "They seem to tell a story."

"Does it say anything on how to lift them?!" she screamed.

He ignored her struggling and traced his pincer over one of the images. It seemed to depict a cluster of stars hurtling over the sky. The image below depicted the stars hitting the ground. Afterwards, an image of miscellaneous creatures bowing to…

A cluster of cubes with eyes?

Amos glared. "Was this made around the time of the arbiters? I wonder what it's trying to say."

Phoebe eventually gave up on the obelisk and threw herself onto her back to catch her breath. "Goodbye, riches and glory…" She massaged her face and groaned. "Maybe we can get Magni to lift one of them."

"Do you see anything strange on your obelisk?" Amos asked.

She sat up and glared at the pictures. "Eh, nothing really. There's one of an obelisk with some creepy eyes on it, but nothing I can make sense of."

"Hmph." Amos stood up. "Well, we at least know these things are stupidly heavy, so no wonder they look to all still be here."

Phoebe's eyes wandered over to the stone coffin at the end of the decrepit hallway. She flipped onto her feet and approached it. "Maybe there's some gold in here or something."

Amos glared. "Must you disgrace ancient architecture?"

She smirked. "Aww, I wasn't aware you cared so much about preserving ancient history, Lamecaster~."

"I'm worried you'll open that and awaken some ancient curse."

"Pah! You believe in curses?! You're so pathetic!"

"With my shitty luck, anything's possible."

"Well, with my amazing luck, I'll find enough jewels and gold in here to set me for life!" She pressed into the stone lid with her hands and tail and pushed with all her might. "MOVE, DAMMIT!"

Amos watched with disinterest as the Aipom struggled to get the lid off. Fortunately, unlike with the obelisk, she made gradual work of sliding the coffin open. Little by little, the lid moved over the edge until it finally slipped over and shattered apart across the floor.

"Phew! Ha! Totally worthy it!" She jumped onto the edge and peered down with a greedy twinkle in her eyes. "Come to Mama—" Her eyes widened. "What in the—"

Amos rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you found bones? I could've told you that."

"That asshole!"

He raised his brow. "Excuse me?"

Phoebe jumped in for a second before popping back out with a piece of parchment in hand. "I've been cheated!"

"To whoever it may concern,

I am terribly sorry that you wasted your time trying to get this coffin open, but that's what happens when you try to go for the big prizes first and not open an ancient coffin. Very sad, I know, but don't worry. I'll keep the treasure safe and sound in my possession. What was it, you may ask? Well, that's none of your business.

Oh, and don't even bother trying to lift the obelisks. Doesn't matter how strong you are. They're completely immobile…well, unless you're a genius like me. So, sucks to suck. Screw you, hope you die, and have a nice day.

Sincerely, Caractacus MacGyver."

Evelot blinked at the note in astonishment. "Wow. He's a lot ruder than I last remember him, though I don't blame him."

Phoebe furiously pulled at her ears. "That jackass is hogging all that valuable loot for himself! We hit the motherload of riches, and we can't even move the damn things! What kind of elementium are those obelisks made of?!"

Amos sighed, picking at his bowl of cooked beans. "I'm not even the least bit surprised no one bothered opening the coffin after they saw the obelisks. A single one could set you for life."

Magni nodded, looking a bit winded. "Very…very heavy."

"You tried your best, big guy." He glared at Phoebe. "Makes sense Caractacus got to the obelisks first. If he is living out in Copper Gorge, he would close by."

She scoffed. "As if I believe that jackass somehow found a way to move those stupid pillars. He's probably just pissing people off again like he usually does."

"That's normal?"

"Do you know how many people seek out his expertise? Actual gang wars started over him. He's a living, breathing genius compared to the dimwits making up the Outlands' population. It's likely the reason he had to go into hiding."

Evelot nodded. "It's been some time since I last saw him, but I know he had some trouble with bounty hunters constantly trying to drag him into gang disputes and make them weapons. He stopped doing business with my family a year before…well, you know."

Amos took a small bite of his lunch as he stared at the snow-covered ground. "What do you suppose he was doing mucking around in the ruins?"

Phoebe growled. "Well, considering that flattering note he hid, I imagine salvaging the elementium obelisks and hiding the secret to moving the damn things!" She shook her head. "However, that doesn't matter, I suppose. If he has a stash of elementium on hand, that means he's made himself a living target. Anyone would want a cut of that prize."

Evelot glanced at the ruins. "Speaking of which, did you find anything interesting in there?"

"Not much. Just some strange drawings on the obelisks," Amos said. "Any idea what that's about, Rags?"

She squinted at the ruins for a moment. "Hmmmm…sorry, no. My specialty is potions, not architecture."

"…Although—" Phoebe muttered. "Those drawings did remind me of something." She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky. "Back when your parents' company was still running."

"…" Evelot's eyes widened briefly. "Oh, you mean…" She whimpered quietly and placed a hand over her right eye as it ached.

Amos raised his brow. "What are you two talking about?"

Phoebe waved her hand nonchalantly. "Well, you see, Evelot's parents had these two—"

"Pheebs, no! Shhhh!" Evelot immediately hushed. "You promised never to bring them up!"

"Them?" Amos asked.

"Eep!" She covered her mouth and shied away from the campfire.

Phoebe groaned. "Right. Sorry Lamecaster, but I promised Evelot never to talk about them. It was sort of a secret I was forced to keep when I started working for the company…mostly because I accidentally saw the secret."

"Annnnd why does this need to be kept secret?"

Phoebe glanced warily at the ruins. "Reasons, I suppose. The Fauchers were pretty secretive people." She nodded at Evelot. "Even she won't tell me everything. She swore to keep all her family secrets hidden from me. Her best friend, I should add!"

"…Yeah." Evelot gripped her costume for a moment. "My parents…had a lot of secrets."

"…" Amos glanced back at the ruins. "So, without telling me anything compromising, what can you infer about that ruins?"

She took another look back at them before shrugging. "Well, if I had to guess by the age, it was made over a thousand years ago."

Phoebe raised her brow. "Over a thousand?"

"Yeah?"

"But the arbiters came here roughly a thousand years ago. Are you saying—"

"That this structure was built before they ever set foot on Virdis? Yes, that's what I'm saying."

Amos shot another glare at the structure, curious at the Mimikyu's assumption. Even for someone like him who never went to school, he knew the history of the arbiters and the Savage Era. The very idea that the denizens of Virdis at the time had the mental faculties to build a structure this complex and even make detailed pictures on intricately made obelisks seemed…

Absurd.

Then again, there was so much they didn't know about Virdis at the time. They say it was a land isolated from the civilized world as it started to evolve. A land of savages until knowledge was brought to them. A land that would stay isolated for hundreds of years in a supposed state of peace before the greatest invasion ever recorded in history was unleashed.

How much did they truly know about that blank point in their history? There wasn't anyone to record those times…

No one that wasn't a savage, at least.

If Evelot's claim was true, then…what was so special about those shooting stars that touched down on the land that was worthing of being immortalized for thousands of years? Who made them? And were they savage or civilized?

Or both?

"…Ugh." Amos massaged his head. "I'm not in the mood to be thinking about this crap."

Evelot shrugged. "I don't mind pondering unknown history. Sounds fun, if you ask me."

"Then maybe you can enlighten me of your secrets."

"That, I can't do."

"Uh huh."

Phoebe waved it off. "Why do you care? Is it that you actually treasure our company and wish to learn more about your two bestest friends in the world~?"

"I'd sooner throw you over a cliff."

She smirked. "Fair's fair, because I'm not unloading my life story onto you. You're not worthy to know anything about me, mostly because you would be so ashamed to know how awesome I was growing up in the Outlands compared to your sad, pitiful upbringing."

"I told you about that in confidence—"

"And that was your mistake."

"…" Amos picked up his bowl and marched over to the carriage.

She raised her brow. "Where are you—"

"Eating alone." He opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"…" Evelot glanced at the Aipom. "I think you made him upset."

She scoffed. "He's a guy. He'll get over it."

Evelot glared. "Guy's have feelings, too. I don't know what Amos told you while you two were trapped together, but it sounded like he let you in on a part of his life. If he hated you more than anything, he wouldn't have said that, but he trusted you enough to listen to him. You're just being a jerk to him."

"That's how we get along—"

"There's a point and time where bantering just becomes bullying."

"…" Phoebe frowned at the sky. "Well…now I feel like shit."

Magni nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Thanks for your input, big guy." She pinched between her eyes and groaned. "Arceus dammit, I didn't…I didn't mean to act like an insensitive…ugh!" She sat up in a huff. "I'll go apologize to him—"

Evelot stuck her arm out. "Maybe give him a moment or two to cool off."

"…" Phoebe held her face in her hands and shuddered. "I…didn't mean to upset him. I wasn't thinking."

Evelot patted her shoulder. "I know you've been through a lot yourself, but…your views and your experiences shouldn't mean you have the right to belittle others, even if you don't understand them. I know you two don't get along, but…just remember that he has feelings, too."

"…" She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Right…"

With lunch wrapping up, the girls packed the supplies and made their way back to the carriage. Evelot hopped onto Magni to help him into his harness while Phoebe hesitantly stood outside the carriage door. Amos hadn't come out since he stormed off, much to her annoyance and…discomfort.

She teetered back on her heels, feeling like her throat was clenching up at just the thought of having to apologize to the Gligar. It felt stupid getting worked up over nothing, yet…did she actually feel bad whether or not she upset him?

She bowed her head and groaned. "Good grief." Deciding to bite the bullet, she rapped her knuckles against the door. "Lame…Lancaster, open up!"

No response.

"Are you still mad at me, or are you drowning in your beans—" She bit her tongue and grunted. "Ugh, look…I'm coming in." She pulled the latch and let herself inside.

Almost immediately, she saw the Gligar sitting in the far corner, his empty bowl sitting off to the side as he stared into the window with their blinds drawn. He didn't face or acknowledge the Aipom's presence.

Phoebe glared. "Are you seriously going to ignore me? Come on, you know I didn't mean any of that shit."

Not even a twitch of acknowledgement. He just continued to stare at the covered window.

"You know, I'd almost believe you were entranced by the scenery if you bothered to open the—" Again, she bit her tongue and stopped herself from going on. "Okay, I admit, I'm not a people person. I made a career out of pissing people off by finding all their dark secrets and publicizing them so the morons would beat each other up on the streets. It's kind of in my nature to be a jerk. Can you at least look at me?"

He finally looked away from the window…only to turn deeper into the corner.

She grunted. "Okay, now you're just doing this on purpose." She stepped inside the carriage. "What do you want me to do? Trauma dump about my life and make you feel better? What did I even say that upset you? You didn't seem to care too much about your parents, so why would that upset you?"

"…" She got a quiet grunt out of him, which was some progress.

She stared at his back for a moment, contemplating the possibilities, before frowning. "Or this has something to do with when you became a criminal? I…heard the stories, but I suppose I don't know everything." She crossed her arms and awkwardly leaned against the doorframe. "Okay, so…the past stings for you more than I realized. I don't see what the big deal is. I don't give a fuck about the shit that happened to me. I got over it."

"…"

She glowered. "You're pissing me off. What more do you want me to say?! This is hard enough for me as is!" She slapped herself in the face and groaned. "Ugh, do you just want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness? Yeah, fuck that. I'll just come right out and say it so Evelot will leave me alone. I'm sor—"

BOOOOM!

Amos and Phoebe gasped as the carriage suddenly got turned over. They heard Evelot and Magni scream from outside just before the entire ride got flipped onto its side. Amos landed on top of Phoebe, both of them hitting their heads against the wall.

"Agh, shit!" Phoebe yelled. "What the hell!"

Amos pulled himself up. "We were being followed!"

"Oh really?! We're in the middle of nowhere! What gave you that fucking idea?!"

He pulled her to her feet before blasting himself into the overturned window above them. Bracing his body, he smashed through the glass and landed atop the toppled carriage. His eyes widened, spotting Evelot and Magni collapsed on the ground covered in singe marks.

Phoebe pulled herself out of the carriage and gasped. "Eve! Magni!"

Amos' ears twitched, then he turned his attention toward the sky. He clenched his teeth as he raised his gunarm. "Look alive, Burkhard."

She glanced up and saw two figures hovering above the overturned carriage. One was an Alolan Raichu wearing a dusty coat, goggles around his neck, and blue face paint resembling lightning bolts coming out of his eyes. The other was a Flapple, dressed similarly, but with red paint in the form of flames across his apple shells.

The Alolan Raichu smirked as teal electricity crackled off his cheeks. "Oops~. Sorry, we were going to let you finish your conversation, but I just remembered: I don't care."

The Flapple snickered. "Looks like you won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Amos and Phoebe noticed the back wheel had been utterly destroyed, plus a portion of the carriage by whatever they fired at them. They raised their guns, backing to the edge of the toppled wagon. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say these two are part of the Deadly Seven," Amos said.

Phoebe sneered. "I'd put money on that."

The psychic mouse laughed smugly. "What? You don't know who we are? Am I seriously not that popular? Oh, what a shame, but that can be rectified soon enough." He ran his hand through his hair coolly. "Ulrich Hise, the Winds of Pride!"

The Flapple proudly splayed his wings, briefly suspending himself in the air. "Vilgot Frisk, the Daredevil of Envy!"

"We are…the Dynamic Terrors—"

Amos and Phoebe immediately fired on them. Ulrich dodged Phoebe's shot while Vilgot deflected Amos' behind his shell. Ulrich huffed. "Now that…was just rude."

Evelot and Magni finally picked themselves up, the former instinctively hiding behind the Scolipede and trembling atop his back. "W-What do you want with us?" she whimpered.

Vilgot grinned. "It's quite simple, actually. We're here—"

"We're here for you, Evelot Faucher!" Ulrich interrupted, much to Vilgot's immediate annoyance. "Oh, you thought you were safe for the time being? Please, we've been keeping track of you ever since you left Crimehallow. We saw everything that night, and we know that you killed Alibrand and Wigbrand. We even buried their body there."

Phoebe glared. "And you just let us leave? Wow, you two must be the newer members. Only a complete idiot would not take advantage of an easy victory like that."

Ulrich smugly rubbed his chin. "You'd think so, but it was a perfectly calculated risk. After all, why bother attacking you when you can just show us to an even grander prize?"

Amos checked his withered gunarm before aiming it. "If you're after the elementium in these ruins, good luck! They're virtually impossible to move."

"Oho, we're not after that…yet. Actually, you already gave us a clue on how to get those obelisks, and it has something to do with what we're really after."

"…" Amos and Phoebe's eyes widened. "Caractacus!"

"Ex-actly!" Ulrich cheered. He clenched his fists, electricity crackling wildly out of his cheeks. "Oh, I've been looking forward to this day. That mutt has a lot to answer for. He dared to wrong me in our first encounter, and all I've ever desired was to hunt him down and make him pay for the transgression he lay upon me! Vengeance will be mine!"

"…" Vilgot glared at him. "You do remember we need him alive, right?"

"I'll make sure he can still breathe through a tube."

Amos growled. "Hate to break it to you, but Caractacus isn't going anywhere with anyone except us! You want him? You're gonna have to get through us, first!" Phoebe aimed her rifle while Magni got into a defensive stance, scuffing his foot across the dirt.

Ulrich's smirk grew wider. "Did you hear that, Vilgot? It seems they want to fight."

Vilgot laughed. "Oh, it's been a while since we've had an actual fight. This could be fun."

"Indeed." Ulrich slowly raised his hand above his head. "If you lot wanted a brawl so badly, you could've just asked." Sparks flowed out from his eyes. "5% Psycho Core—"

The air stirred around the company, their eyes drawn to the swirling mass of teal electricity flowing from Ulrich's cheeks and into the tip of his hand, condensing into a tightly compressed marble of sparking power that distorted the air around it. It balanced within the Raichu's hold, the light shimmering intensely off his fur.

"Blooming Force."

The company took aim to fire on the duo, but Ulrich casually swiped his hand across the air, slashing the earth with a laser that scarred the ground in front of their overturned carriage. The energy swelled up beneath the earth before erupting into a massive electrical explosion that blew the company and their carriage backwards.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" they screamed. They skidded off the ground, then covered their heads as the carriage went flying over them and rolled several meters away from them.

Black smoke laced with teal light wafted through the air as Ulrich and Vilgot hovered closer to the ground, grinning at the fallen group as they struggled to pick themselves up.

"Since you all so kindly showed us to where Caractacus is hiding, I'll do you the honor of giving you the slimmest chance of survival. Fight me at your full strength, and I'll gladly remind you fools of your place in the criminal world."