Chapter 3
The Guild
Ferician Territory - Fericia
Nearly a week had passed since arriving in Ferricia. The wolves were kind enough to escort the two beyond the castle walls and through streets of cobble, barely illuminated by cast iron lamps overhead. They moved quickly on their feet, not allowing Dillan any time to truly take in his surroundings. Truthfully, he didn't care, more worried about the state of his small friend.
The wolves carried the two through the cold night, ducking into alleys whenever they saw patrolling pokemon, and towards a rickety sort of building whose exterior reminded Dillan of old school buildings depicted on book covers. Tall, oak doors stood before them as the roof stretched upwards towards the sky. And within minutes, he found a pink, bear-like pokemon taking Ryan into her arms, and leading them both to mattresses stuffed with hay (though they looked more like oblong bean bags than beds).
Through most of that week, the gabite found himself covered in bandages, his cloak resting in a bundle on the floor (the sapphire still rested against his chest), and confined to the bed (whose plushness accommodated his fin quite well). The bed sat in a wide room between a multitude of other beds, and simply from the smell of soap, he knew exactly what kind of building he was in: a hospital ward.
Being here was difficult for the gabite. Even in this world, without the stench of hand sanitizers or the inescapable roar of pattering feet, he couldn't stand the idea of being here. Everything here reminded him of hearing crying babies and the lifeless beep of the monitors. And every time he woke up from his sleep, he felt like he was going to look to his right and see Grace lying limply in a bed.
He made several attempts already at leaving the building, though not only did the bandages around his ankle make that difficult, he always found himself stumbling from the pain and ushered back into bed by that short-tempered care bear.
"This is the last time I tell you!" the pokemon would snap, waggling a finger in his face. "If you don't give that ankle the time it needs to heal, you'll break it even more, and Arceus be damned if I'm going to fix it a second time!"
At least Ryan was doing better.
The pachirisu sat in the bed next to Dillan's. Lily had been correct: his wounds were not too severe. In fact, the bear - "Audino" Ryan called her - cleared him days ago with a clean bill of health. Yet he chose to lie there, staring at the ceiling throughout most the day as if in deep thought. Dillan couldn't help but wonder if Ryan stayed for him.
He had read stories about people back in his world who underwent some sort of traumatic experience together. In each story, they created a sort of life-long bond together, unbreakable by anything. Could that have been why Ryan stayed?
At one point, Dillan worked up the courage to ask.
"That's dumb." The pachirisu pawed at the air in response to the question, sitting on the foot of Dillan's bean-bag bed while slurping the gabite's berry stew. "I mean, I wouldn't call what we went through, 'traumatic' per say."
"I would," Dillan said with a gesture to his bandaged leg. "That elf thing is gonna give me nightmares…"
"Don't be a wimp," Ryan said with a playful jab to Dillan's leg, eliciting a small yelp. "There are way worse things that can happen to someone. Trust me."
All in all, the squirrel was doing quite well considering. Physically, he seemed to be as good as new… or at least, as good as he could have been.
Dillan had failed to notice it the first night they met (he assumed it was due to the shadowy veil of the night) but his tooth definitely had a big chip out of it. Not only that, three, deep scars marked Ryan's left cheek as if he'd been previously swiped by a vicious animal. Not only that, according to Anna, underneath the tattered, scruffy fur sat a multitude of blemishes, some newer than others, but all sustained over the course of a couple years.
When prompted how he received such an array of scarring, Ryan said simply, "I'm just an adventurer." Regardless of old wounds, Ryan was physically as healthy as could be. But mentally? Dillan had to wonder.
Ryan occasionally splayed out across his own bed in a less-than-attractive way, snoring through the days. When he wasn't sleeping, the pachirisu either stared up at the ceiling above or helped around the ward, as was Anna's condition for using one of the beds (though this never occurred as much as Anna would have liked).
But as he stared upwards at the ceiling, his brow furrowed as if frustrated by his own thoughts. Ryan seemed to think about a great many things that went unsaid. In fact, most of the week, Ryan hardly said two words to Dillan. He seemed to prefer the silence of the ward, one that Dillan didn't mind.
Yet that silence was never constant. There were occasions when Ryan would say something, and the two would converse over very simple things. Not that the conversations lasted very long, as was always the case with small-talk.
Today was no different. They sat in their respective beds for a while until, all of a sudden, Ryan broke the silence:
"I used to live in Castellum Town," he told Dillan with a smirk, "so cities like Fericia are normal to me. Lots of pokemon bumping up against one another, shops on every corner, pokemon trying to take your money - it's something I've missed if I'm being honest.
"That and the food." Ryan licked his lips at the thought. "Damn, they have good food here…" He stared up at the ceiling with wide-eyes and an open jaw, assumedly imagining what kind of delicious delicacies the outside had to offer.
After wiping the drool from his lip, Ryan continued saying, "What about you? You're a gabite, right? Does that mean you were part of the tribe in the Kerrosian Territory?"
"Uh…" Dillan stuttered. Obviously Dillan didn't grow up in any sort of tribe. He didn't grow up in the most stable environment, either. Not because his parents were violent or school was difficult, but because of what happened to Grace, life seemed to stand still for a while. Even so, how much of that did he want to tell?
On top of that, would any answer he gave be met with suspicion? Would Ryan even believe him? Or would he think him crazy?
"It's fine if you don't wanna say," the pachirisu shrugged at Dillan's clear reluctance, though his eyes drifted towards the ceiling with a sort of annoyance to them. "I get it if you're secretive."
"I-it's not like…" the gabite said, still considering whether or not to trust Ryan. Yet after a few more seconds of thought, he took a deep breath, settling on simply being vague. "I grew up in a city, as well… Pretty far from here, actually."
Ryan smirked at the ceiling. "Far from Fericia or Ganderosa?"
Dillan looked towards Ryan with a bit of confusion to his eyes. "Both?" he shrugged.
Ryan slowly nodded at the answer. His eyes traced the bricks in the walls as he hummed to himself. "I would keep that to myself if I were you."
"Really?" Dillan asked hesitantly. "Are pokemon here afraid of foreigners?"
Truthfully, he didn't know if he wanted an answer. Anything negative would mean having to deal with death-stares from everyone they'd meet, and he could hardly handle the image of Hurste's psychotic face. He didn't need to deal with others'.
"Depends on the pokemon," Ryan shrugged. "I'd say most are tolerant at least, but you'll definitely find the odd-ball who breathes down your ass over it."
"C-cool…" Dillan huffed. His brain began to run with different scenarios about what to expect next from this strange world. However, those thoughts didn't last as Ryan spotted his depressed expression.
"You'll like this place, though," the pachirisu quickly added. "Really not much different than any other city, though they get a lot of traffic through here because of shipments to Jarondai. The night life is pretty cool, too."
Those thoughts did a good job easing the worry in Dillan's brain. And as Dillan nodded once more, thankful for Ryan's words, the two sat in awkward silence for a bit, both unsure of what more to say to the other. Yet the silence broke quickly as Anna the audino walked into the room.
"Dillan?" she said, walking over to the gabite. "How are we feeling today?" She prodded at his ankle with a finger, and Dillan winced in response at the prickling sensation. "Still hurting?"
"Better," Dillan said.
"Well, that sounds good 'cause you're being discharged."
"Sounds good to me," Dillan sighed, shooting from the bed and onto his feet. Yet the second his feet planted against the wooden floor below, his ankle flared up again, and he found himself stumbling backwards into the bed.
"You can't do that," Ryan said with an accusing finger towards Anna. "He's clearly still hurting."
Anna scowled towards Ryan as she knelt down to Dillan's leg. "Perhaps if you were staying away from his oran stew, Dillan would be in perfect condition. But then again, you kept eating it for him, didn't you Mr. Simon?"
She carefully began unwrapping the bandage, leaving Dillan's leg bare. And to his own surprise, it looked just fine - well, fine in the sense that it was scaly, blue, and no longer crooked.
"Here," Anna said. She held her hand out revealing a yellow berry Dillan hadn't noticed before, puncturing it on Dillan's claw. "Eat that, and you'll be right as rain. After that, I want the both of you out of this hospital. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Ryan said with a wimpy slap to his chest. Dillan was initially confused by this gesture, but perhaps it was some cultural gesture?
Anna ignored the pachirisu's antics, merely rolling her eyes at the squirrel, and exited the room, leaving Dillan and Ryan alone once again in their own silence.
Dillan stared at the berry with curiosity in his eyes. It seemed to be similar to the berry Ryan gave him the night they met. Would this really help him? He shrugged before taking a big bite of the fruit.
He devoured the berry in seconds, enticed to gobble it up by the sweet taste that enveloped his tongue. He didn't know if Anna's words held any water, but he couldn't stand being in here for much longer. And if this berry truly was going to help him escape, he would scarf it down as fast as possible.
"I'd hate to be your next meal," Ryan said snidely, observing the chunks of berry plastered all over Dillan's face
Dillan wiped away the berry saying, "Ha ha," in a fake laugh.
Now for the moment of truth.
He took one step off of the bed and tested his ankle. Amazingly, it felt right as rain. The prickling pain from before seemed all but a memory. With a smile, he stood on one foot. Still perfect. Dillan then crouched down to leap.
"Hey Einstein!" Ryan snapped, grabbing at Dillan's leg. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Did you want to hurt your ankle again?"
"What?" Dillan asked.
"That berry might have made you feel invincible, but it's only numbing the pain right now! If you want it to actually heal you, you need to give it a sec before doing something stupid!"
"Ah…" the gabite said. As Ryan let go of him, Dillan stood back up normally with a sheepish rub of his claw on his neck. "Yeah, that makes sense…"
Ryan rubbed his temples saying, "Jeez. Just… don't go killing yourself yet."
Ryan huffed from the floor, looking towards the exit to the hospital. "Freedom awaits beyond there. Just don't forget your stuff, alright?"
"Right," Dillan said, turning back towards the bed. He grabbed the cloak, which sat in a ball of fabric by the bedside. He tried taking hold of it with his claws but stopped mid-way. "Crap," he said, cursing his luck. "Hey Ryan, mind helping me real fast?"
"With what?" the pachirisu said, hopping over to Dillan. Upon seeing the gabite's claws, but more importantly his lack of thumbs, he sighed aloud. "Alright. Sit on the bed."
Dillan did as he was told while Ryan went for the cloak. Biting down on the fabric, he clambered up to Dillan and draped it over his neck effortlessly. Dillan stared down the flowing fabric with a smirk, marveling at how effortlessly Ryan managed in spite of his size.
"There," Ryan said, brushing clouds of dust off Dillan's shoulders. Yet as he pushed at the shoulders of the cloak, the pachirisu's eyes seemed to wander down towards the string resting on his neck - more importantly, the stone resting against his chest. "Pretty rock," he noted.
"Isn't it?" Dillan said, looking down to the Sapphire Star. "I got it from Howling Plains. One of the pokemon who saved us gave it to me as a gift."
It was at this point that Dillan recalled Lily's words: her urges to keep the stone safe. He stared down into the swirling waters beyond the crystal's walls, how dangerous they looked even if the swirls were only a couple inches long. She urged him to keep it hidden, yes?
The gabite couldn't help but smirk. Even now, he found it easier to dismiss such a claim as the fantastical ramblings of a wolf… yet even that thought held a certain absurdity to it he couldn't just ignore. How true was her claim?
Dillan reached down for the star and set it underneath his cloak, out of general sight. Even if the warnings were merely make-believe, with the things he'd seen recently, he couldn't just dismiss the stone as harmless. Best to keep it out of sight. Just in case.
And as he stood, he turned to a confused-looking pachirisu. "What?" he asked. "I wasn't gonna take it or anything."
"It wasn't like that," Dillan assured with a small smile.
Yet the pachirisu shrugged, emotionless and dismissive. "It's whatever, man. Doesn't really bother me either way if you wanna keep your pet rock hidden."
Dillan was about to say something - a small remark not really worth saying in the first place - when Anna walked back into the room with a stern expression.
"S-sorry!" Dillan apologized with a forced smile.
"We're going, lady!" Ryan huffed, throwing his arms in surrender. "No need to give us a death glare!"
The two pokemon walked out from the hospital and onto the cobble streets. The sun sat high in the sky as its rays heated the ground and blinded Dillan. But when his eyes adjusted to the light, the gabite's face lit up.
The cobblestone roads stretched outward in every direction, winding between buildings of white wood and stone. Cast iron signs hung from some of the buildings with faces hammered into them while pokemon raced along the streets. The rhythmic strummings of a stringed instrument playing from a nearby pub filled the air with joyous feelings. Children - a small, fox-like creature with many tails (vulpix) and a sprite-like child with leafy ears (steenee) - danced through the streets, clapping to the beat of the song. A crowd gathered around them to join in their merry play while other pokemon skirted them, going through minute tasks. Dillan spotted pokemon wearing all sorts of garb from cloaks to literal suits of armor crafted to fit their individual person. Pokemon pulled wooden carts through the streets, hauling bags of goods, while others carried small bags slung over their shoulders.
It was a scene that belonged in an Arthurian legend, and it played out right before Dillan's eyes.
A smile spread wide across Dillan's face. He remembered reading about fantastical worlds in stories before. Part of him always wondered how much simpler life would be in those worlds - how much more fantastical it could be. And now, he watched as dragons walked out of a tavern with golden drinks that glistened in the sunlight. He couldn't help but feel elated.
"This place is amazing…" Dillan said in awe.
"What?" Ryan smirked. "They don't have cities where you're from?"
"Not like this."
Dillan stepped off the front steps of the hospital and took in a deep breath through his nose. Smells of fresh bread and burning wood absorbed his senses. There must have been someone stoking a fire somewhere nearby - probably a bakery.
He could stand there for hours, just taking in the surrounding area, observing the array of pokemon as they darted around between shops and going about their daily tasks. However, Ryan pulled him back to reality by the hem of his cloak.
Dillan glanced down towards him with a joyfulness to his smile, but he found it fade upon spotting the pachirisu's pensive scowl.
"What?" Dillan asked.
"I know this is out of nowhere, but…" Ryan began rubbing his knuckles. "I may have… uh… What I mean to say is…" He heaved a sigh. "Would you mind… coming with me to the Guild?"
Dillan tilted his head at the question. "The Guild? Is that a place here?"
Ryan squinted up at the gabite. "Man, you really aren't from around here, are you?"
Dillan chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck with a claw.
"The Guild is what we call the government here in Ganderosa," Ryan explained. "They also help maintain the peace. If you have a problem - say, you were kidnapped by some freaky weirdos a few days ago - you report it to them so they can sort it out. We call the building they operate out of the Guild as a sort of short-hand of the Guild's Building."
Dillan nodded, somewhat understanding what Ryan was getting at. "The Guild" was a broader term for the government but also the building they worked out of. A bit confusing at first but he guessed he'd understand with time.
"Okay," Dillan went on. "So you want to report what happened to the… Guild? Where do I come in?"
"I just… need your help confirming my story," Ryan continued. "See, the pokemon who work for the Guild… They're not the greatest pokemon you'll meet. But they're all I have for getting back at those kidnappers.
"I could have gone by myself, but that wouldn't work out well considering it's one thing for someone to walk in out of nowhere and report a mass kidnapping with no proof. However, for two pokemon to do it, there's another story. You can't deny it outright."
"Okay," he said with a nod. "That makes sense. In that case, I'll go with you… wherever this 'Guild' is."
Truthfully, Dillan couldn't think of anything better to do, and it wasn't like he had obligations in this new world. If anything, going with Ryan would give him a chance to get a better look at the city and its inhabitants.
Ryan looked up at Dillan with a light smile. He never said it, but a light punch to Dillan's ankle told him the pachirisu was thankful.
Ryan stepped lightly ahead of Dillan and pointed a finger ahead. "We're going to that tower."
Dillan followed Ryan's finger (something he found a bit difficult due to their vast height differences) and found the tower in question. A cobblestone structure arcing over the city adjourned with a purple flag laced in gold that swayed in the wind.
"That's the Guild?"
"That's the Guild." Ryan started down the path with a quick wave of his fuzzy tail. "It shouldn't be too long a walk."
Dillan nodded, saying, "I'll follow you," and the two started off down the warm, cobble road towards the tower ahead.
The walk was just as informative as Dillan had hoped for. This world seemed inhabited by such a vast array of pokemon that he hardly ever saw the same species twice. They had shops and markets and homes to live in. Taverns to drink from and each other for company. There were even the occasional jewelers or black smiths (though Dillan wondered what creatures that breathed fire needed with swords) that sold jewelry or weapons respectively.
This place felt not too unlike Dillan's own world, just with more bronze-age and less mobile devices. Pokemon even seemed friendlier towards one another.
He managed to catch passing conversations about an older, draconic pokemon taking care of their plants, or a fiery monkey that just bought a new scarf for their child.
Though as they say, all good things come to an end as Dillan and Ryan walked from the city, finding themselves faced with a small hill. Atop the hill sat a lone tower, stretching high into the sky, just beyond a courtyard of hedges and a giant pond outlined with a stone wall. A statue sat in the center of the pond of a proud dragon with great wings and curly horns, wearing a suit of jagged armor. The dragon also had in-hand a sword of thorns which it embedded within its base.
Just behind the fountain stood the tower, which sat atop a lonely hill: the same tower with the purple flag Ryan had previously identified. Only on closer examination did Dillan notice the massive, purple banner emblazoned across the front with a black graphic of a dragon's skull wearing a crown, pierced by the same sword of thorns the statue displayed.
"This is the place," Ryan said. He took a deep breath, perhaps to steel himself, before stepping up towards the building.
And in no time at all, they arrived at a set of open doors, revealing a great hallway that led to a set of stairs in the back. Red carpet lined the hall, with stone pillars stretching upwards towards a wooden ceiling, and glass windows set in the cobble walls, allowing natural light to illuminate the carpet in an array of colors. Standing on either side of the doors were a couple quadrupeds, whose stoic expressions stood gallant behind iron masks.
Dillan and Ryan stepped into the tower, walking towards a desk near the front Dillan had previously overlooked. Behind the desk sat a very bored looking ferret with zig-zagging stripes running down the length of its body (zigzagoon). It fidgeted with papers that lied atop the desk as if prodding at future work to test for toxicity.
"Hello, Ziggy," Ryan said to the creature.
The ferret, apparently "Ziggy", looked towards Ryan with the same bored expression. "It's 'Hans,' Mr. Simon," it addressed with a sort of annoyed laziness to its voice. "Haven't seen you in a very long time. Nice scar."
Ryan crossed his paws together. "Thanks," he said simply.
"How is Adelina doing by the way?" The ferret asked. "Is she here with you?"
Ryan's composure seemed to falter at the question. "She's in Castellum," he said, though to Dillan it felt like something forced out. "Listen, I need to talk with Guild Master Staudt about something that's happened."
"You know the Guild Master is a very busy mon, Mr. Simon," Hans said, going back to his paperwork. "And today is especially not a good day. He's currently upstairs meeting with a friend from the Alkan Territory."
"This is a matter of life or death, Hans," Ryan insisted.
"You're not the first to tell me that, and you won't be the la-" Hans stopped as Ryan jumped up onto the desk with a "thump". Looking up into Ryan's scowling eyes, he drooped over the desk in a huff. "This isn't going to help with anything."
"No," Ryan said flatly. "But I'm not leaving until you let me through."
Hans rolled his eyes, mumbling, "I don't have time for this" before returning to his paperwork. "Fine. You want to interrupt the Guild Master? I guess it's your funeral.
"He's up the stairs on the left. Just know that today is a very bad day for you to bother him, and he won't be happy you did."
Ryan gave a quick nod to Hans before facing Dillan. "Just wait here and I'll be back with the Guild Master. You can tell him your side then."
"Guild Master?" Dillan questioned.
"Ah," Ryan said, realizing Dillan was out of the loop. "He's like the leader of the territory. He's in charge of the guilds around here and reports directly to Ganderosa's King."
"King…" Dillan said slowly. This place really was like some sort of renaissance-fair monster land. So that made the Guild Masters like Lords of the land. They made the rules and took care of their subjects. "Cool."
Ryan didn't wait for Dillan to say anything more. He leapt from the table with a light "tap" of his feet against the floor before walking off towards the steps. "Don't let Hans get to you," he said before disappearing up the stairs.
Hans looked towards Dillan and sighed. "Take a seat right back there," he said, gesturing towards the opposite side of the building.
Dillan took a quick look around and found the bench in question. With a thankful wave of his claw, he passed between tall columns of stone, walking over to it and taking a seat. He found a sudden release of pressure in his leg, a sort of "thank you" for giving it a rest. The bench also provided him a place to think.
He couldn't decide whether it was terribly bad or terribly good luck he found himself in this world. His eyes darted around the castle-like interior of the building with child-like wonder.
Torches lined the surrounding walls, filling the air with a calming, burning smell and illuminating the halls where the sunlight couldn't. Pokemon all around him were conversing with each other, talking about "missions" or "jobs". Each pokemon seemed different in their own physical appearance, but each wore an article of clothing - hats, scarves, buffs, and bandannas - all adorned with a silver, glistening badge in the shape of the dragon's skull from before. It reminded Dillan of a police officer's badge, and he wondered if that made these pokemon some sort of law enforcement.
Just then, a group of pokemon passed into the building - the first, a small, green pokemon with a cotton-topped head and flowers for hands (roserade); the second, an angry-looking jellyfish that walked around on its tentacles (toedscool); and the third, an orange lizard with a single horn and a flame lighting the end of their tail (charmeleon) who wore a satchel around her arm.
Opposed to the other surrounding pokemon, these three did not wear any sort of clothing articles, nor did they have badges. The former two walked right past the desk and deeper into the building as the fiery lizard chased after them.
"Guys!" it pleaded. "Come on! Just talk to me! We can work this out! We're a team!"
The jellyfish sighed into the air. It turned to the lizard with a short, "Hazel, we're not a team until the exam! So face it."
"Face what, Leon?" the lizard retorted.
The jellyfish eyed the lizard with an insistent look. "How can you expect us to be a rescue team when you can't even have our backs? And what happens if some gengar outlaw has us cornered? What then?"
The lizard gritted their teeth but still kept a calm voice. "Don't do this, please."
"We don't have a choice," the flowery one said, stepping up to the lizard. "The fact is, we can't trust you to have our backs: not anymore. That's all there is to it."
The two pokemon stepped away. The lizard reached out briefly as if to stop them but stopped itself. It stood there for a good while as confusion attacked her face. Then, as if accepting its own defeat, it walked slowly towards Dillan's bench and slumped over opposite him.
The pokemon began scowling hard at the floor while the flame on her tail pulsed violently. And then, a few tears escaped the corner of her eyes - tears she vigorously rubbed from her cheeks.
Dillan watched her with both wonder as a bipedal lizard that was lit aflame had just sat down next to him, but also with sadness as she seemed especially hurt by the other pokemon… whatever they'd just done.
Dillan pursed his lips, his eyes drifting down to his cloak. He reached down with both claws and attempted to grip the fabric, though he found it slipping through them with ease. Attempting the feat again, he met the same result, cursing himself lightly.
"Was this really going to be a recurring problem?" he thought. And looking at the surrounding pokemon, a new thought came into his brain: "Why couldn't I be a creature with thumbs?"
He heard a light chuckle coming from the other side of the bench: the lizard. Dillan felt his cheeks growing hotter as he turned to face her. "S-sorry…" he said.
"For what?" it asked with a little joy behind a pensive look.
"I was gonna offer you my cloak to wipe your face, but…" Dillan held up his claws to the pokemon. "No thumbs."
The lizard laughed a little more as a smile made its way to its face. She blinked out the rest of its tears and wiped its face with an arm, only managing to smear the wetness against her scales. "You're a strange gabite."
Dillan smiled nervously. "So I've been told."
This time, Dillan just pushed the hem of his cloak across the bench towards the lizard, saying, "I'm Dillan."
"Hazel Prince," the lizard introduced, taking Dillan's cloak and wiping her face with the cloth. "Thanks."
"So, what brings you to Fericia?" the gabite asked.
"Well, I live here for one," Hazel smirked.
"Ah," Dillan said with a claw to the back of his neck. "That would make sense."
She chuckled once more, handing Dillan his cloak back. "But I'm also trying to start a rescue team."
"Is that why everyone's wearing badges?" the gabite asked. "They're all on one of these, 'rescue teams'?"
Hazel eyed Dillan curiously, leaning in closer. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"Uh…" Dillan's eyes drifted away from Hazel and towards the surrounding area, recalling what Ryan had said earlier: "Most pokemon here aren't exactly fond of foreigners." He wondered if Hazel was one of those pokemon.
Yet she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she looked intrigued by the prospect - fascinated even. Her eyes glistened as she leaned in for a response.
"...What gave me away?" Dillan asked.
"That's awesome!" Hazel cheered, scooting in closer to Dillan. "I've read about foreign nations in my books, but since we're an island continent, of course we wouldn't meet them very often!
"What's it like where you come from? Do they have the Guild System in your home? Do they have a king? What kind of foods do you like?"
Dillan's blood began to race through his body from the sudden barrage of questions. He raised his hands in defense, pushing at the air from Hazel to back up a little. "One at a time," he pleaded with a nervous smile.
"O-oh," Hazel said with a short laugh. "Sorry. I tend to get carried away sometimes… I'm just really excited is all."
The two sat there in silence while Hazel regained her composure. Though Dillan had a question of his own.
"This might be a stupid question," he admitted, "but you said you have books?"
Hazel looked at Dillan as though that were, in fact, a stupid question. "Don't you guys?"
"Well, y-yeah," Dillan stuttered awkwardly. "But… there are probably places in this world that don't have books yet? Places that haven't intended them or something… So I thought I'd ask if this was one of those… places."
Hazel's eyes drifted towards the ceiling as she set a claw to her chin. "I guess I never really thought about it before…" she admitted. "In that case, yeah. We have books: though most of them are about our history or human legends, so-"
"Wait." Dillan found his body lurch towards Hazel of its own accord. "Did you say human legends?"
"Yeah," Hazel said as though this were a common fact. "Do you guys not know about humans where you come from?"
Dillan had to bite his tongue from saying something along the lines of, "If you knew where I came from" or "Of course I do". He instead settled on, "What kind of legends are they?"
Something about the question seemed to instantly bring joy to Hazel's face. Her paw quickly dove into her satchel while she excitedly said, "The ones I've read are just short, little poems about their heroics in other lands. I have a book with a couple of them. I could even read one if you want."
"Please do," Dillan insisted.
Hazel retrieved a leather-bound book from her satchel, declaring, "Found it!" before setting it on her lap. She opened the book and flipped through worn pages - a multitude of which Dillan noticed creased at the top corner as though dog-eared to save a place. From the look of it, Hazel must have gone through this book several times.
Eventually, she stopped on a page filled with strange lettering - each one a sort of orb with straight or curved lines coming off them. Her finger went towards one of the paragraphs in the book and she started reading aloud:
"In ancient realms of mystic lore, A tale of Pokémon, heroes of yore. Explorers of Time, they heeded the call, To save the world, in dungeons tall.
"A noble human, transformed to kin, With partner loyal, a quest begins. Through realms enchanted, they dare to roam, To rescue lands from doom's dark tome.
"In dungeons deep, they face the test, With partner loyal, a quest begins. Through realms enchanted, they dare to roam, To rescue lands from doom's dark tome.
"In Hidden Lands of ancient lore, Heroes rise, true legends soar. With friendship's bond, their strength displayed, They conquered Time, the world saved."
"Human poems…" Dillan thought aloud.
"This one is about a group of two who stop the destruction of time and save the world from complete darkness." Hazel held the book out as she stared wide-eyed at the passages within. "Just think! Rescue teams from other lands saving the realm from complete destruction! They helped those who needed it most! Just truly… heroic!"
Yet as Hazel giddily looked through the book, Dillan's mind wandered to other things.
The implications of this single poem made his head rush with possibilities. Did that mean there were other humans before him? Hazel mentioned more legends. And if their stories were considered legends, did that mean those other humans were dead from age? Or were there others still here within the world?
Then a better question came to him: "Does the poem say why the human came to this… realm to begin with?"
Hazel laughed at the question. "It doesn't need to. All the legends have one thing in common: a human comes to our realm when the world needs them most. They're the heroes that stop world-altering events, saving everyone."
Yet as Hazel said this, he couldn't help but sink into the bench in thought. Did that mean he was brought to this world to stop some world-altering event? That didn't sound like him at all. He spent days lazed out under trees, not fighting off bullies - let alone time gods.
He felt like vomiting the blue stew from before, spilling it all over the floor. His eyes drifted towards a pokemon that made him shrink deeper into his own scales: a giant pokemon with three, serpentine heads and piercing, red eyes. The aura of the room shifted to one of a darker nature. Its teeth dripped with saliva as it scanned the room as if searching for prey.
Dillan's shoulders stiffened as his eyes sunk behind his skull. Was he expected to fight something like that? Or would he fight something worse?
"Dillan."
Hazel placed a paw on his shoulder, shaking him back into reality. The gabite looked towards her through the corner of his eye with a slack jaw, as if expecting to fight. Yet she wore a calm, understanding expression.
"Are you okay?" she asked, compassion filling her voice.
"Y-yeah…" Dillan admitted, relaxing his shoulders a bit. He planted his arms on his lap and leaned forward. "I'm fine. Just… stuck in my own head, is all."
Hazel smiled lightly towards him and pushed his arm playfully. "I get it," she said. "It happens to me, too. Don't worry about it."
Yet Dillan didn't respond. He set his eyes on the ground beneath.
"You're fine," he thought to himself. "You don't know everything yet. It's just some silly poem. You don't really know whether you're here by some fluke accident or divine intervention: not yet. You need more information."
Dillan took a deep breath and steeled his nerves.
"Hazel," he started. "Do you guys have libraries?"
The charmeleon smiled at the question. "Not here," she admitted. "Fericia's more of a trading town. We get all the imports from the other territories before they go out to Jarondai: our capital territory. But Kerrosia prides itself on knowledge, so they definitely have the biggest library in Ganderosa."
"Kerrosia…" Dillan repeated, nodding to himself.
Just then, he found a shadow looming over him. Looking towards the source, Dillan found himself face-to-face with a gigantic dog pokemon whose fur poofed out at every angle, like a wooly mammoth with a muzzle and a giant, fluffy mustache of fur (stoutland). The dog wore a purple scarf decorated with silver vine-like lining and a golden, dragon-skull emblem on the front.
"Forgive me for intruding," it said with a cheerful voice that reminded Dillan of a grandfather. "But are you, by chance, Dillan?"
"Guild Master Staudt!" Hazel declared, shooting up from her seat. She beat her right fist onto her chest and bowed towards the pokemon.
"Guild Master…?" Dillan repeated, looking over the pokemon once more. This was the pokemon Ryan wanted to see?
"Please, Ms. Prince," the dog laughed. "I've told you before to call me Lawrence."
The dog, Lawrence, ushered Hazel to her feet with a nudge of his paw and gave a wrinkly-eyed smile. "Besides: I'm only here for Dillan." Lawrence turned to Dillan, wearing the same smile, reminding Dillan of a warm grandfather. "Mr. Simon says you have something you wish to explain?"
Dillan's face shifted into an awkward smile. "Mr. Simon…?" His eyes drifted downward, spotting the swish of a white, fluffy tail belonging to Ryan. He crossed his arms at Dillan, nodding towards the dog. "Oh, you mean Ryan?
"Well, y-yeah, I guess I do. It's about-"
The stoutland smiled softly, but cut Dillan off with a firm whisper: "Why don't we take this to my private quarters? This seems like a matter best discussed away from prying eyes."
Dillan looked around the room, noticing all eyes set on the hound as if studying his every movement. Dillan then nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. Okay."
He then turned towards Hazel and gave a small wave of the claw. "It was nice meeting you, Hazel," he said.
"Y-yeah," Hazel stuttered, taken off-guard by the sudden intrusion. All the same, she waved towards him. "Good luck with the Guild Master."
"He shouldn't need it," the Guild Master stated. He then gave a quick nod towards the stairs. "This way, please."
The group of three stepped up the carpeted steps of the guild and found themselves on the second floor: a circular one with a multitude of doors in the walls. The first one to the left was left ajar, adorned with a gigantic, golden dragon skull. Inside, the gabite could hear the faintest music, its sound similar to a violin.
Guild Master Staudt walked to the door and opened it, beckoning Ryan and Dillan inside. "Don't mind the mess," he said as they entered. "Hans hasn't had time recently to straighten up the room."
Just as he implied, the room was in disarray with papers scattered all over the floor. A great bed much like the ones in the hospital - though this one tripled the size with a more plush look - sat at the back of the room against a stone wall which hung another purple banner. To the left sat a desk with many more papers scattered atop, as well as a bottle of black liquid (ink perhaps?).
On the other end stood a yellow, bipedal pokemon whose eyes were closed as if sleeping where it stood. In one hand rested a long, shafted instrument with strings that stretched all the way to his feet, while he had a bow gripped in the other. The pokemon's striped tail swayed softly through the air to the music whilst he dragged the bow against the strings. A glowing orb on the end of its tail pulsated with a calming, orange light, somehow enhancing the music's beauty (Ampharos). It also wore a similar scarf to the Stautland, though it was missing the golden dragon skull, instead displaying one of the silver pins.
It did not stop at their entrance, still lost in the melody of its instrument. In fact, Dillan didn't want it to. The music seemed to calm his nerves the instant he heard it. He felt like he was under his tree again, looking up at the blue sky through the holes in the leafy canopy while the wind blew softly against his cheek. He felt at peace.
Guild Master Staudt walked up to the pokemon and said, "This is Guild Leader Garth Amoux of the Polando Guild."
The ampharos smiled at Guild Master Staudt though he did not open his eyes. "Did your mother not teach you it's rude to interrupt a musician, Lawrence?" he said snidely. "How you became Guild Master with such blatant disregard for formalities is beyond me."
"Come now, Garth," the Guild Master laughed. "We were gone for merely a minute before you decided to strum your Bowaire once more. And my guests are waiting."
Garth smiled sadly before setting the bow down, ending the music.
"It was very beautiful," Dillan said to the yellow animal.
Garth merely smiled with a small nod of understanding towards the gabite: "I like this one, Lawrence," he said. "He has an appreciation for music, I can tell."
Lawrence gave a forced smile to Garth. "We're getting away from the point," he stated.
Garth pursed his lips but nodded all the same. "Yes yes," he said, taking a seat on a wooden chair behind him. Lawrence walked up to his side and came to rest on the floor there. "Mr. Simon tells us you both were kidnapped somewhere near Snow-Point Caverns?"
"I… guess so," Dillan nodded, his mind going back to that horrid night a week ago. "I'm not sure of all the details, but I'll tell you what I remember."
Dillan found it harder to speak about his experience than he originally thought, especially recounting the abusive nature of his captors. As he went on, his ankle seemed to flare up with phantom pangs while he shifted his weight onto his left side.
He left out the parts about him suddenly waking up in the middle of the field, and summed his injured ankle up to the nuzleaf purposefully breaking it. Talking about him being human was off the table, as well. He even left out the part with Lily gifting him the crystal that hung beneath his cloak, recalling her urges to keep it safe. And even if these pokemon were some kind of governmental big-wigs, he didn't think they needed to know.
As Dillan finished relaying his story, he watched the two pokemon in silent anticipation.
During the tale, he found Garth invested entirely in the events, prodding Dillan along with question after question with his paws pressed together in front of his maw. His tail swished back and forth on numerous occasions as if it were some instinctual response to his thinking.
Lawrence, on the other hand, remained exceptionally still, watching Dillan through the entirety of the tale with a serious expression. He scanned Dillan, from his facial features to his bandaged ankle, and even his tail. Perhaps he looked for signs of dishonesty? He couldn't blame the big dog. Even retelling it, he found the story difficult to believe. I mean, mass kidnappings weren't even something that came on his Dad's news programs. How could he blame these pokemon for having doubts?
"What happened to the kidnappers?" Garth questioned.
"I'm not sure," Dillan admitted. "After the… lycanrocs helped us out, we didn't see them again."
"They were headed south-west towards Veiled Woods," Ryan chimed in. "I don't know what they're gonna do there, but I'm sure that's where they were headed."
Lawrence finally stood up, his face strained while doing so, and walked straight towards Dillan. He began breathing on the gabite as he looked him dead in the eyes. "And the shiftry," Lawrence stated. "Their leader. Do you recall his name?"
Dillan nodded, remembering it clear as day. "Hurste, the one who attacked me, called it Arlon."
Lawrence nodded his head slowly before walking back to Garth's side. "Arlon…" he repeated, and he smacked his lips at the name. "It isn't a name I am familiar with here in Ferician Territory. Perhaps he is an Alkan criminal? Mr. Simon did say that they came from the North when they abducted him."
Garth shook his head at the statement. "He's not one of mine. Though there have been some strange happenings in the area surrounding Castellum Town as of late. Perhaps it would be prudent to correspond with Guild Leader Annette."
"In that case," Lawrence nodded, "a letter will be drafted after our meeting."
"And what about Veiled Woods?" Ryan asked, stepping up towards the Guild Master insistently. "Those creeps are out there with innocent pokemon right now. We need to find them."
Lawrence pursed his lips at Ryan's forceful attitude. "Perhaps if you reported this a week ago when you first arrived in Fericia, we could have sent a party in time. But by now, I suspect they have fled the area."
"Cmon," Ryan scoffed. "We both know the Guild would have sat on their hands if Dillan wasn't here, and your town's doctor refused to let him out until today."
Dillan stepped up: "I don't know much about how these things work, but can't you send a search party to the place anyways? They might be hiding out there."
"I am aware of the possibility," Lawrence started with a nod. "And rest assured we will be doing just that. Although I would not hold my breath."
"Guild Master Staudt is correct," Garth sighed, his tail swishing back and forth as he looked between Dillan and Ryan. "Pokemon like these normally take their targets and sell them off overseas. That isn't to say it's impossible for them to still be within Ganderosa's borders, but we shouldn't get our hopes up.
"Just try and be thankful you escaped with your lives."
Dillan looked towards Ryan with a pensive stare, not exactly fond of what was said, but the pachirisu simply looked towards the ground with a twitching upper lip. Did he blame himself for what happened?
"Mr. Simon," Garth said as he got up from his chair. He walked straight up to Ryan but did not kneel to his level, instead standing straight and tall above him. "There is nothing you could have done against that many nuzleaf. Even if you tried to save the others, they would have overrun you. You would have been recaptured, perhaps killed in the attempt."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Ryan snapped.
Yet even at his shortness, Garth merely smiled softly. "I don't expect it to," he admitted. "But try and keep in mind that, because you escaped, you made us aware of a greater issue. We now have the opportunity to stop these savages from hurting others at a later date." He beat against the left side of his chest once - a firm slap of his fist. "For that alone, you should be commended."
Ryan's expression softened at Garth's words. He stared down at the ground for a long time, but eventually, he nodded slowly.
Garth then looked towards Dillan with that same smile - a smile that seemed to Dillan like that of an old friend. "I suppose we should also thank you for bringing this to our attention, Mr…?"
"Guerrero," Dillan said. "My name's Dillan Guerrero."
"Mr. Guerrero," Garth said with a friendly paw on his shoulder. "Thank you for your help in this matter, both of you. We, as leaders of our fine Guild System, will do our utmost to find the criminals who committed these horrid acts against the helpless, and we will continue to defend all in the future."
"We shall," Lawrence assured.
Garth smiled towards Ryan who met his gaze. "I give you my word." He then beat on his chest - at his heart - with his right fist before bowing to them both.
Ryan took a deep breath and stood proudly towards Garth. "Thank you, Garth," he said firmly.
"Now then, you two should get a move-on," Lawrence stated, ushering the two towards the door with his head. "We will be sending a team to look into the kidnappings."
Dillan nodded at Guild Master Staudt, satisfied with this venture. "Thank you, as well, Lawrence," Dillan said with a wave. But upon seeing Ryan bow to the two pokemon, Dillan quickly followed suit. Then, the two exited the room, leaving Lawrence and Garth alone.
Garth walked over to the door and shut it behind the two pokemon. He stood there, waiting, listening for their footsteps on the stairs, before heaving a sigh. "Damn it all, Lawrence," he said with a grim shake of his head. "First we have growing tensions with Thalvernia, then Team Armageddon's riots. And now this?" He shook his head again. "What in Ganderosa is happening in our world?"
Yet Lawrence's mind drifted to other things as he walked over to a window on the opposite end of the wall. He stared outside it, watching as the sun started to set behind the city below. "What a wonder our world is…" he said slowly.
Garth eyed Lawrence incredulously, crossing his arms. "This is a serious matter, Lawrence. We now have mass kidnappings happening directly under our noses."
"I'm well aware, Garth," Lawrence glowered from the corner of his eye. "Do not talk to me as though I intend to ignore the issue. You know me better than that. I have every intention to write King Judah himself requesting a group of royal guardsmen to investigate the Veiled Woods.
"With that said, even if we wrote a letter, it wouldn't be sent until early morning. Which means all we can do at present…"
The stoutland strode over towards the bed. He leaned over and gripped the stringed bow lightly in his mouth before ushering Garth to take it.
Garth sighed aloud, slumping back into his chair and taking the bow. "You're right… of course. Apologies. I just didn't expect something like this to come up now of all times. I mean, with Team Armageddon doing everything but battering down Polando's doors, I was hoping to get away from the stress. To have two pokemon barge in claiming something of this magnitude… This is troubling to say the least…"
"There is much to do indeed, but to succeed, we must be firm with our trust in each other and in Ganderosa to do what is right." He heaved a heavy sigh, sitting on a cushion next to Garth's chair. "Something is going to give out very soon, my friend. And when it does, the Guild will come through."
Dillan and Ryan walked down the steps and out into the Guild's courtyard. The sun was already setting in the sky, casting a multitude of oranges and reds overhead in a painting of light. Dillan walked over towards the fountain and took a seat on its edge to watch the sky.
"You sure like nature, huh?" Ryan noted.
"Mhm," Dillan nodded. "I liked watching the birds in the park where I'm from. Seeing them soar above with the clouds, not a care in the world… I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be so free."
But as he said so, Dillan felt his heart sink. He knew that freedom always came with a cost, and for him it was his sister. He heaved a sigh, wondering how he was ever going to get back to his world.
Was it even possible? Did the human from that myth ever get to go back, or was he forever trapped within this world, living out the rest of his days like an animal?
Dillan looked back at Ryan, who joined him upon the ledge to watch the sun set. He couldn't help but smile. Because he knew, like the human from the myth, that he had a friend by his side.
"So, what's the plan?" Dillan asked, turning back to the sky.
Ryan raised a brow at Dillan. "What do you mean?"
Dillan shrugged, not really sure how to answer. "Like… Now that you told Guild Master Staudt about the kidnappers, what do you want to do next?"
Ryan hummed aloud before shrugging. "Hadn't really thought that far ahead," he said. "What about you?"
Dillan thought about the question as well. Truthfully, he wanted to find a way home, but doing so would require knowledge. He'd need to research how he ended up here to begin with, or at least into a way home. With that thought in mind, his next goal would have to be…
"Do you know where Kerrosia is?"
"The desert city?" Ryan asked. He stuck out a tongue at the mere idea: "Yeah, I know that place. Big castle with snobby pokemon inside. Why there?"
"I met someone who said they had a library," Dillan explained. "I thought, since I'm still a foreigner and all, it might be a good idea to read up on a few things there."
Ryan gave a half-laugh. "Did your 'someone' also tell you that the library's reserved for Guild members?"
Dillan's smile fell at the statement. "N-no…" he said, scowling pensively at the horizon. "They left that part out, actually…"
Ryan shook his head. "The Guild keeps their knowledge reserved for its members, claiming it's to keep people from running off with 'precious materials'." He stuck his tongue out at the statement. "It's damn stupid if you ask me."
Dillan shivered as a cold breeze blew through the courtyard. Perhaps the world was taunting him for thinking it would be so simple as walking in and picking up a book. After all, even in his world, libraries required a card to take anything.
Ryan nudged Dillan's arm playfully. "Don't look so down," he said. "Ganderosa's not that great a place, anyway. Why anyone would want to learn about it is beyond me."
Yet even as Ryan said it, Dillan perked up. A new idea had begun to take root in his brain, one that overshadowed his own doubts and brought life back to his body. Dillan stood up and turned to Ryan with a smile: "How hard is it to join the Guild?"
Ryan blinked a couple of times at the question. "To join the…" His brow tensed as he just stared at Dillan like he'd suggested suicide. "What are you talking about?"
"It's actually not that hard," a voice chimed in, one Dillan found to be very familiar. Walking with a skip to her step through the grand doorways and into the courtyard was the fiery lizard from before: Hazel Prince.
The mere sight of the lizard girl brought a smile to Dillan's face: "Hey," he said with a wave.
Ryan followed Dillan's gaze and looked at Hazel with an upturned lip and a jab of his thumb. "Whose this?"
"Hazel Prince," Hazel said with a quick bow. "Aspiring Guild member."
"So you know how to join?" Dillan asked.
"H-hold the phone," Ryan stammered. He threw his arms at his side in protest. "You're not seriously considering joining, are you?"
Hazel scoffed at Ryan, setting a hand on her side and a short flick of her tail. "What's so bad about the Guild?"
"Well, for one, they take half the reward," Ryan began, counting reasons on his fingers.
"And they give you a place to stay for free," Hazel countered, crossing her arms.
"They have you running around the whole country on missions."
"Which isn't a problem for those of us who love to travel."
"You're essentially King Judah's pet. And no one makes a pet out of Ryan Simon."
"Well, we don't need you," Hazel said simply.
Ryan laughed aloud. "Of course, you do!" he countered. "I know as well as you do that to form a Rescue Team you need to do it with three pokemon. Not Two.
"And what makes you think there's a 'we' now?" He looked towards Dillan as if to find him laughing at the situation right along with him but found himself staring dumbfounded.
"They let you board with them for free?" Dillan asked.
"You went upstairs, right?" Hazel asked with a smirk. "All those other doors were Guild member rooms with more on the higher floors."
"Dillan," Ryan insisted with a clap of his paws. "I'm begging you: don't join the Guild."
But Dillan's mind was already set. Not only would he have access to a free bed and breakfast, but to Kerrosia's library too. With that, he could research all the humans who came to this world. And let's not forget the ability to travel the world. Perhaps there was something out there that could get him home?
"You could always join, too," Dillan said to the pachirisu with an insistent nod. "You did say you weren't sure what to do next."
"Not this," Ryan insisted. "I did the whole 'teamwork' thing once. It didn't go well."
Hazel pawed at the air. "Give yourself a little credit," she insisted. "How many nuzleaf did the two of you take on together?"
Ryan blinked a couple times at the question. "How do you know about that?"
Hazel visibly winced. Her gaze drifted towards the sky as she began twiddling her fingers together. "Ah… W-well… Rumors about a gabite and pachirisu… may or may not have been floating around Fericia…" But Hazel pawed the question away. "Doesn't matter in the end! The point is that I know you can work on a team, so don't even try that excuse with me!"
"She makes a fair point," Dillan said, recalling how Ryan stood with him when he could just as easily have left him for dead.
The pachirisu opened his mouth to say something else, yet the words seemed caught in his throat. He looked back at Dillan, then at Hazel, then back at Dillan.
"Come on," Dillan insisted with a small push to Ryan's shoulder. "We're trauma-bonded, right?"
Ryan took a wide-eyed blink at the statement. However, a small smile crept its way across his face, followed by a jolly laugh. Eventually, Ryan shook his head in defeat. "Hazel, you said you were an aspiring Guild member?"
Dillan leaned in closer to Ryan with excitement. "Does that mean you want to join?"
Hazel also leaned in with anticipation, to which Ryan just shrugged. "I guess so."
Hazel raised her fists in front of her and began shaking them in pure excitement. She seemed to be shaking more and more in a passing second, like an active bottle rocket shuddering from the building pressure, until she exploded up onto the fountain with a cheer.
"Yes!" she shouted. "You two will not be disappointed!" She began celebrating atop the fountain's edge, howling up towards the sky and drawing the attention of every pokemon in the courtyard.
Dillan looked around with a nervous wave at the surrounding eyes. "She's really excited…" Dillan whispered out the corner of his mouth to Ryan.
Ryan rolled his eyes at Hazel. "Ecstatic," he said with an upturned lip. "Mind toning it down a bit?"
But Hazel seemed lost in her own world. "I'll have to go home and pack my things!" she said, and quickly dismounted the fountain before turning to Dillan. And within a second, he found himself being hugged tightly by the charmeleon.
His cheeks turned a rosy shade as he felt himself panicking. All reason left his brain in a single moment. Why was she hugging him? What did he do wrong? What next? Did he hug her back? Was that socially acceptable? Why in the hell was she hugging him?!
She quickly broke away, though still unaware of Dillan's dazed state, and turned to Ryan. Yet as she attempted to hug the pachirisu, he quickly got down on all-fours and leapt above Hazel, dismounting off her head and leaving her to dive head-first into the fountain water.
She quickly came up with a gasp, clutching her tail-flame in one hand above the pool with a look of surprise. And as Ryan landed a couple feet from the fountain's base, he brushed himself off saying, "I don't hug, alright?"
"C-cool," Hazel said with a chattery smile, probably from the chill of the water. "I c-can work with th-that."
Ryan stared back up towards the sky. "It's getting dark, so if we're headed for Kerrosia, we should wait until morning before we leave."
Hazel made her way back to her feet, and found Dillan reaching out for her hand. She took it eagerly saying, "W-we should m-meet up at the e-eastern entrance to Fer-ric-c-ia," before leaving the pool.
"Sounds good to me," Dillan said with a nod. "We set out tomorrow."
(A/N)
Hey everybody! Hope you're doing swell :D
Would you look at that? Chapter 3? Does that mean...? Yes, yes it does!
It's time for Ganderosa posts to start on a weekly basis!
What this means: starting Saturday of next week, every week (unless stated otherwise) I will be releasing a chapter of Ganderosa sometime in the evening (US time zone evening)for the current section! There are still a few things I have to sort out grammar-wise (and if you see something in the posted chapters, let me know), but otherwise we're all set for consistent postings!
If you haven't yet, Follow the story to know when exactly the updates go up, Favorite it to let me know you're enjoying it, and while you're at it comment your favorite character or your theories as to what's going on! (Unless you've read the old one in which case please keep that to yourself and just comment, "Ooh! That thing with the thing you did? Sweet!")
Otherwise, I hope you all have a great day, and I'll see you next week!
P. S. I've got this story posted on AO3 as well, and DAMN it looks better - got all sorts of art to go with the chapters and a map for you to feast your pretty eyes on, not to mention the story cover FRONT-AND-CENTER at the end of Chapter 3. If you like art and wanna see it with the story, go check that OUT!