Arc 1, Chapter 19: Uroboros

The world around Amadeus was crumbling, breaking, even. The dust in the air made it difficult to see, but he could tell that somehow, everything was falling apart. Death just seemed to be in the air.

 

“This is your doing, isn’t it?”

 

Amadeus whipped around, hearing the unmistakable voice of his father. And there he was, staring down at him, his appearance half-contained in the dust.

 

“To think a son of mine could do such harm. This is terrible for business, you know. You’re a horrendous disappointment, you know that?”

 

Amadeus tried to scream out, saying he was sorry, that he would fix this, but no words came out. Like his voice had broken down. His father’s visage disappeared into the dust, and soon, was replaced by another. This time, it was Haruhi.

 

“Hey, I trusted you, you know. I put all of my hopes and dreams in you! And you went and did this. So screw you, I’m leaving. I never should have brought you inside that day.”

 

Amadeus tried to apologize, beg her to stay, but once again, he could not. Like his father had, Haruhi also disappeared into the dust, this time replaced by Samantha. She looked the same as she did the day he left, still an Eevee.

 

“You’ve changed, haven’t you, Amadeus?” She asked him. “I suppose if you want me gone so badly, I’ll leave.”

 

Amadeus tried to say that he was the same Amadeus she’d always known, that he wanted her to stay, but a third time, no words came out. This time, however, the dust responded.

 

“But you have changed, Amadeus. I mean, look at you!” Samantha faded into the dust, and was replaced by a mirror this time.

 

In the reflection was not Amadeus, but Dumas. Complete with a medallion around his neck, glowing yellow as the dust started to glow similarly. It was—

 

 

---

 

 

Amadeus woke up with a start, panting heavily. He quickly looked around his room, just to be safe, or perhaps looking for a distraction.

 

The only thing he could find was the sound of Fudo’s own restful sleep.

 

I’m going insane… Amadeus thought to himself. He quickly placed his head back down in a vain attempt to get back to sleep. If the window was any indication, it was still well before sunrise.

 

This would prove fruitless when Akihiro slowly opened the door what felt like hours later. In reality, it was less than one. Akihiro put a paw on Amadeus’ back.

 

“I’m up…” Amadeus groaned quietly.

 

“Good, good…” Akhiro replied. His tone was hushed. “Come on, you’ve got to leave early.”

 

Amadeus rushed through his morning routine as best he could, with Haruhi now rushing right alongside him. Everything had been packed the night before, including a small portion of their guild earnings, which would hopefully last them until they could return. In the kitchen, a shiny Magnezone was waiting for them.

 

“Is everything packed?” Akihiro asked, seemingly double-checking.

 

Amadeus looked into the bag one last time to confirm. He’d intentionally left the Guild badges and licenses behind, but everything else was accounted for. “Yes, yes it is.”

 

“Alright. Timur here will take you to Gorod Vershin, and from there you should be able to disappear into the wilderness for a while until it’s safe to come back.”

 

“Hey, why aren’t we just going back to Nōgyō No Machi?” Haruhi asked. “Isn’t that far away enough?”

 

“It’s probably going to be the first place they look, unfortunately,” Akihiro answered. “It’s also well within Hakken no Machi’s sphere of influence. In the worst case scenario, the town might pressure Haya into giving you two up to maintain relations with the Guild. It’s simply not safe for you two there.” Akihiro turned to the Magnezone. “Gorod Vershin, on the other hand, is Hakken no Machi’s greatest rival, with the Gornyy Khrebet Guild there dominating most of Northerner’s Territory. It’ll be difficult for Dumas to get a search going up there. Hopefully, you’ll find some small town up north to hide in before winter comes.”

 

“…What happens if winter comes before we find shelter?” Amadeus asked.

 

“That’s best not thought about,” Akihiro replied, clearly holding some reservations.

 

After an awkward pause, the Magnezone pulled a map out of his bag. “Here. You seem to need this.”

 

“Oh, uh, thanks…” Amadeus took a second to look over the map, with Haruhi peering over his shoulder. By the looks of it, Gorod Vershin sat at the easternmost point of Northerner’s Territory, in a gap in the mountain range that separated it from the other parts of the Daylight Continent. There also appeared to be rivers flowing outwards from in through both Northerner’s Territory and the eastern part of the continent. I guess this city’s like a gateway to the rest of the region, huh? Amadeus stuffed the map into the bag.

 

“Are you ready?” Timur asked. “We shall go as soon as you give the word. It will be very fast.”

 

“Be sure to wear those scarves I packed,” Akihiro interjected. “It gets unbelievably cold up there.”

 

“We won’t forget. We’ll be fine, right Amadeus?” Haruhi asked. Her tone was peppy, but there was doubt behind the eyes.

 

“…Right.” Amadeus’ own tone made no such attempts.

 

“Alright, you two. Grab onto me. This will be quick…” The Magnezone said.

 

In a flash, they were gone.

 

“Good luck, you two,” Amadeus heard Akihiro say before they vanished in a flash of light.

 

Immediately, the air around Amadeus suddenly felt rather brisk. It wasn’t chilly per se, but it felt significantly colder in an oddly refreshing way. Amadeus looked around, trying to make sense of where they were. They appeared to be in a city of some kind, but certainly much smaller. Also, there were mountain ranges far in every direction. There were also several rivers running through the town. This had to be the place.

 

“Well, what now?” Amadeus asked Haruhi.

 

“What are you looking at me for?” Haruhi asked. “Do I look know where to go?”

 

“Well…” Amadeus trailed off. “No, not really.”

 

After a brief silence, Haruhi decided to speak up.

 

“Well, I guess staying the night here wouldn’t hurt. We’re outside of the Guild’s influence, right?”

 

“Okay…”

 

“But not for long, though…” Amadeus heard Haruhi mutter. She then shuddered a bit. “It’s cold up here. Mind passing me that scarf?”

 

“Yeah, sure…” Guess the weather’s harder on her, huh? Amadeus fished though the bag, finding a much thicker scarf than his own and passing it to Haruhi.

 

“Much better,” Haruhi said, wrapping it around her neck. It looked way too big on her, but it also looked comfy. Amadeus imagined he’d overheat easily in it. “Alright, let’s find a place to crash for the night, yeah?”

 

Walking though the town was a bizarre experience. The streets were much tighter than in Hakken no Machi, and very quiet despite how many people were there. Everyone walked by, rarely speaking to anyone else, even those they were clearly traveling alongside. It nearly distracted Amadeus from the fact that nearly everyone was shiny up here. In hindsight, it was still quite early.

 

Amadeus felt the ground beneath his paws, cold and flat. It reminded him of a factory interior. His mind started to drift…

 

 

---

 

 

“Amadeus?” His father asked.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Pay attention, please.”

 

“I am…”

 

“No, you aren’t.” His father gestured down to workers below them. “You know what? Answer me a question, Amadeus. Those people down there starve. Whose fault is that?”

 

“Uh… I don’t know.”

 

“Answer me.”

 

“I…”

 

“Say it!”

 

“O-Ours?”

 

His father paused, seeming almost impressed. “Hah. Right answer.”

“Uh…”

 

“Listen to me. When you have power, your actions have consequences for others. You must be careful to manage those consequences, so that those you use do not leave you behind. If they starve, they’ll abandon you for someone else, right?”

 

“Right.”

 

“And you have a responsibility to hold onto power. You must use that power to keep them by any means necessary. Kindness is a transaction. That means whatever happens, it’s your fault, got it?”

 

“Yes, father.”

 

 

---

 

 

Amadeus bumped into Haruhi.

 

“Dude, watch where you’re going.”

 

“S-sorry. Uh, why’d you stop?”

 

“This place looks good,” She said, pointing to a cheap-looking inn. “It’s nice and small. Should be safe for a night or two.”

 

“Where are your parents?” The Sigilyph at the desk asked as soon as they went inside.

 

“We’re older than we look,” Haruhi immediately fired back.

 

The Sigilyph squinted for a second, then took in a deep breath. “It’s 500 Poké a night per person. How long will you two be staying?”

 

“Just overnight, that’s all,” Amadeus responded.

 

“Alright, bill’s due at checkout.” The Sigilyph floated over a pair of keys unceremoniously. “Be sure to return these.”

 

“Let’s go, Amadeus,” Haruhi said, only stopping to glance at the number on the room key.

 

The room itself wasn’t anything to write home about, just a pair of beds and a nightstand with a lamp. Still, it was nice to have a roof over their heads. Also, the room was heated, which was a plus.

 

“Alright, looks good!” Haruhi remarked. “You wanna explore the city for a bit, or…”

 

“I was thinking of taking a nap,” Amadeus said with a stretch. “I’m exhausted.”

 

Haruhi snorted. “Fair enough…” She then leaped up onto the bed and took a look out of the window. A large building in the center of town was visible. “This place is outside of the Guild of Honor’s reach, right?”

 

“It should be, why?”

 

“Well, now that we’re here, why don’t we give the guys over here a try?”

 

“What?”

 

“I mean, think about it. Isn’t this a great opportunity to start over?” She gestured to the room around them. “There’s a guild right here. If we joined them, then there’d be no need to worry about Hakken no Machi!”

 

“…We can’t do that.”

 

Haruhi’s ears drooped. “Why not?”

 

“We’re still on the run from Dumas. What if they ask us to go somewhere we’d get caught?”

 

“Well, then we can explain—”

 

“Explain what? That we’re criminals?”

 

“We’re not! We just—”

 

“We came here to hide, Haruhi.”

 

Amadeus felt terribly guilty as tears started forming in Haruhi’s eyes. “Damnit, Amadeus, I just want to believe for a minute, okay? I know it’s a stupid idea! But I want it! I want to be someone so damn badly!” She heaved a heavy sigh.

 

Amadeus was quiet for a moment. “…We can still try waiting it out.”

 

 

Haruhi stared longingly at the city center. “I’m impatient.” She leaped down from the bed. “I’m gonna go explore the city. You take your nap.”

 

Haruhi took the keys, and stuffed them into her tail as she exited the room, leaving Amadeus to himself. Unsure of what else he could possibly do in this situation, he decided to lie down on the bed and wait.

 

I’m sorry, Haruhi. We have to lay low for a while. How long, I don’t know. Just hold on, okay? Amadeus tucked himself into the covers and tried to get a little bit of rest.

 

 

---

 

 

The streets of Gorod Vershin were something almost alien to Haruhi. The cold air, the quiet, the way everyone just went about their business was almost isolating to her. I guess weather like this during the warm parts of the year is enough to make anyone closed-off… She found herself letting out little puffs of smoke as she went. She was starting to think she would lose control if she didn’t exhale deeply soon.

 

Quietly, the thought that her old mentor would’ve been killed if she’d stuck around Háo de Xiǎo any longer than she had was starting to creep into her mind far more than usual. The knowledge that Dumas fully expected her to die was probably the culprit. The betrayal of someone she’d started to look up to these past couple of weeks was gnawing away at her mind, and knowing that Amadeus was technically the same person made it just that extra bit worse. Even worse was how she’d felt something that day that she hadn’t felt since the accident.

 

Amadeus wouldn’t do that, right? She wondered, passing a Jynx. Dumas… did the medallion make him that way, or was it…? The answer to that question felt terribly uncertain, and Haruhi worried what might happen if Amadeus gave up.

 

He’s never been super motivated… She thought. What if he— No, stop, don’t think about that. You and him both are gonna be fine no matter what. You know that! She couldn’t help but doubt a little bit, though.

 

She eventually found herself down at the edge of one of the many rivers cutting through town. As far as she could tell, she was alone.

 

She inhaled deeply, and exhaled. For a few seconds, she felt relieved. The flames danced over the water slowly, and fizzled out.

 

I know he’s probably right. All of this will probably blow right over, and it’ll be like nothing ever happened. Her eye was drawn to that same building, now appearing to loom over her from her current position. Even so, I—

 

“Hey!”

 

Haruhi immediately whipped around to see an angry Sawsbuck marching over to her. “You! You little arsonist! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

 

“A-Arsonist? I was just—I swear I didn’t want to cause any trouble!”

 

The Sawsbuck sneered at Haruhi for several seconds, before kicking her directly in the face, sending her flying backwards. “Maybe that’ll teach you.” The Sawsbuck then stormed off, leaving Haruhi to stew in her own painful memories.

 

Murderer!

 

Fire witch!

 

Demon!

 

Slowly, Haruhi pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she rose to all fours. Slowly, she started trudging forwards. This is why I always have to hide it…

 

As she walked through the town, it gradually became more and more lively. Everyone started opening up their shops for trade that conspicuously had souvenirs for the most part, and others went out to buy, clearly not from around here. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been terribly surprising to see that the place was a tourism hub, but it was very much a new sight to Haruhi.

 

Man, that’s so weird…

 

Eventually, she found herself trying to walk around a large crowd. They were watching some kind of demonstration, and she couldn’t be bothered to care in the moment. So, naturally, she was called upon.

 

“You there! Young woman, in the back!” A Sawk up on a stage called out to her.

 

Suddenly, all eyes were on her.

 

“Uh… yeah?”

 

“Step right up, why don’t you? See if you can burn the Amazing Plank!”

 

“…What?”

 

The Sawk brandished what appeared to be an ordinary wooden plank, with a perhaps unearned gusto. “It can stand up to even the greatest of flames, without the need for an enchantment! Behold!”

 

Haruhi was frozen in place for a second. “…Are you sure?”

 

“Hah! No need to fear! The Amazing Plank can stand up to the toughest of flames! You are no match for it!” The Sawk held up the plank, seemingly goading Haruhi into burning the thing.

 

Well, here goes nothing…

 

FWOOM!

 

The flames just barely passed by the head of the Sawk, who maintained a confident grin throughout the exchange. Right up until it became apparent that the ‘Amazing plank’ was on fire, and now falling apart.

 

Chaos ensued.

 

“You conman!”

 

“I had my house made out of those! Is my Flareon boyfriend gonna end up burning the house down after a hard day’s work now?”

 

“Grifter!”

 

“Bastard!”

 

Haruhi rather quietly tried to sneak away from the scene. She wanted no part of this mess. After walking through the town for a while, she eventually bumped into the very same Sigilyph that was running the inn.

 

“Oh. Hello there. I trust the room was suitable?”

 

“Uh… yeah.”

 

“Good. I use only the finest materials for those rooms, you know. They’re made of that Amazing Plank stuff, and—”

 

“You mean the stuff that conman in the square was selling?”

 

“Conman? That stuff is made from blast seed tree lumber, it’s quite good. It stands up to fire quite well, it—”

 

“But the guy selling it challenged me to burn it, and it burned super easily.”

 

The Sigilyph blinked. “Is that why there’s a Sawk getting beaten in the middle of a square right now? Huh. Well, good job, I suppose. That material really is tough to burn.”

 

“Is it?”

 

“I tried to burn it myself, and I could not, so… You have talent, then. Anyways, good day. Enjoy the room.”

 

Talent, huh… Haruhi, deciding she’d seen enough of the town for the time being, headed back to the inn. After some difficulty navigating the city, she went inside to see Amadeus helping himself to some bread in the lobby.

 

“What are you doing? You ate already.”

 

“It was complimentary,” Amadeus responded. “Might as well help myself while I’m still here. You want some?”

 

“I’m good, thanks…” Haruhi sat down next to him. “How was your nap?”

 

“Good. I kinda forgot you took the keys, so I’ve just been sitting here for the past hour or so.”

 

“And you’ve been eating bread that whole time?”

 

“I didn’t eat that much bread…” Amadeus said through a mouthful of food. After swallowing, Amadeus suddenly looked concerned. “Why do you look all beaten up?”

 

“I tried to let out some flames near the river, and some Sawsbuck kicked me in the face.”

 

“…Ouch. You okay?”

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

There was a pause in the conversation as Amadeus took a bite out of some bread. “Uh, sorry for snapping at you like that earlier,” Amadeus apologized.

 

“What?”

 

“It was mean.”

 

“Y-you’re fine, you don’t have to apologize.”

 

Amadeus sighed. “So, other than getting kicked in the face, what else did you see around town? Anything interesting?”

“People were selling souvenirs in the square.” She paused for a moment. “Also, I’m pretty sure I singlehandedly ruined someone’s reputation by being too good at fire?”

 

“…Elaborate?”

 

“I set fire to something that was supposed to be fire resistant.”

 

Amadeus looked nervous. “You didn’t–”

 

“It was a demonstration,” Haruhi quickly interrupted. “Or, it was supposed to be, anyway. I think he got beat up for being a conman or something?”

 

“Oh, shit.”

 

Haruhi chuckled. “You swore.”

 

“Haruhi, your mouth isn’t exactly squeaky-clean. Last I checked, you swear in every other conversation.”

 

“Yeah, but that makes it more special when you do it.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“C’mon, you know what I mean. Your mouth’s always nice and clean, so that makes it special when you swear, right?”

 

“…Do I really not curse that much?”

 

Haruhi giggled like a little kid. “You should swear more often. It suits you!”

 

“Uh, okay…” Amadeus grabbed another piece of bread, and handed it to Haruhi, who accepted it after a moment. “Do you feel bad about the Sawk?”

 

“Honestly, it felt good,” Haruhi said after a deep breath. “I needed a bit of release after what happened down by the river, you know?” Haruhi took a bite out of the bread. It was admittedly pretty good. After I just said I didn’t want it, too…

 

“I see…” Amadeus muttered. “We’ve still got a ton of daylight left before we hit the hay tonight. Anything you had in mind?”

 

Haruhi stared at the large building in the center of town, still visible through a window. “Nah,” she said, shaking her head. I guess I’ll have to ignore what I really want a bit longer…

 

 

---

 

 

Later that night, Dumas was sitting at the desk in his private study. With his house now a crime scene, he hadn’t been allowed inside, so sleeping in the study it was. He loathed sleeping here as opposed to his bedroom, but he’d have to make do. Besides, most of what he had to hide was here. In the very least, the locks on the door and window made it easy enough to speak with Dexter without being caught.

 

“That was a real shitshow, huh?” Dexter asked.

 

“Indeed it was,” Dumas agreed. “Now the whole Guild knows about the Ultranecrozium thanks to the investigation, and they also know someone died.”

 

“Well, in the very least, this makes things more interesting, right?” Dexter pointed out. “What’s life without a little danger?”

 

“Easy for you to say, Pride.”

 

Dexter chuckled softly. “Ouch, stone cold. This is really getting to you, huh?”

 

“…”

 

Dexter slowly opened the drawer where Dumas’ Ultranecrozium shards would’ve been. “Getting the small handful of shards you had back shouldn’t be too bad, right? Just gotta steal those from the cops, yeah?”

 

“It’s not ‘the cops’, it’s members of the guild who put them in a secure vault.”

 

“Same difference,” Dexter replied with a shrug. “My point is that it can be done.”

 

“It would also not be enough to level the city,” Dumas reminded him. “I would like to think that the man who needs right around a million people dead would want very few survivors in a city of barely over a million.”

 

“So you’re actually going with the needle-in-a-haystack approach? Trying to find where those two brats ran off to?”

 

“Actually, I don’t think there’s very many places they could’ve gone,” Dumas said with a stretch.

 

“Really? Alright, let’s hear it.”

 

“Most likely, Akihiro aided in their escape somehow. I imagine he got a long-distance teleporter for them. Crucially, since he heard the whole story secondhand, he’s likely to be thinking of getting away from me in particular, rather than any shady connections he might’ve gleaned from Haruhi or Amadeus’ account. And since I am the Seer, getting away from me largely means getting away from the Guild. Do you follow?”

 

“Yeah…” Deter was giving Dumas an almost curious look, as if this was amusing to him.

 

“Therefore,” Dumas continued, “He’s likely to send them somewhere where the Guild of Honor has little influence, not necessarily me. With that in mind, let’s look at the options.” Dumas pulled out a map of the Daylight continent. “Obviously, all of teardrop island is out, since that’s largely where Hakken no Machi has the largest influence. Most of the Eastern kingdoms and Trader’s territory are also out, since they’ve been places where the Guild has had a large influence in recent years. We have an outpost in the Eyelash Isles, so that’s also a no go. Most of the Western Kingdoms might seem like viable candidates, but the Guild has been working to influence those regions as well, so it’s no guarantee. But the Northerner’s Territory? That’s where the Guild lacks influence, so it’s a prime candidate to send them off to, and that’s especially true of Gorod Vershin. If I had to get someone away from the Guild, that’s where I’d send them.”

 

“So you’re going there?” Dexter asked.

 

“Not me, no. If I leave now, the entire Guild will be on high alert. I’m too suspicious. I’ll send a few trustworthy spies up there in my stead. If you could convince Greed and Sloth to send a few spies of their own to the region, that would be great. Let Jack know, since he’s up there too.”

 

“She’s your sister, and you’re still gonna call her ‘Greed’? Brutal. I can understand Steven, but J— Arceus.”

 

“Shut up,” Dumas curtly replied. “By the way, you left your shitty Human punk rock music on when you broke into my house. I would’ve had to explain what that was if yesterday went well.”

 

“Screw you, Offspring is an amazing band. You just don’t get it because you didn’t grow up with it.”

 

“Neither did anyone else in this entire universe except for you, Dexter! Are all humans like you?”

 

“You could check my memories and find out using Self Esteem, you know,” Dexter said with a shit-eating grin.

 

“I already have, and I didn’t get a solid answer for that.” Somehow, the fact that Dexter was human had become utterly mundane to him. To a certain extent, it made Dumas wonder if he really did go insane. “I can’t believe you based your entire personality around a single band.”

 

“Kiddo, it’s good music. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

 

“Whatever. Getting back on topic, I need to get my spies moving by tomorrow night.”

 

“Gonna leave me out of the search?” Dexter asked, walking up to Dumas slowly.

 

“Something tells me you’re more interested in watching than helping.”

 

“You know me too well,” Dexter said, leaning back just a little. “Well, I’ll get going then. Good—”

 

A knocking at the door. “Hello? Dumas? I wanted to talk to you, sir.” The voice belonged to Fudo. Well, that works out, so long as Dexter leaves…

 

Dexter looked at the door with a sideye, and then back to Dumas. He mouthed ‘I was never here’ before creating a portal behind himself silently and jumping backwards through it. Dumas sighed and opened the door.

 

“Excellent timing, Fudo. I was wondering where you were.”

 

“Can we talk about what’s going on, sir?”

 

“Of course,” Dumas replied. “I’m sure you’re full of questions. Come, take a seat.” This should be interesting…

 

Fudo sat down on a nearby chair, looking more than a little nervous. “I haven’t heard a whole lot, but… did someone die?”

 

“Yes. Unfortunately, Teru Minccino died due to a head injury after he took a tumble down the stairs.” He took in a deep breath before continuing. “He was the youngest of the three. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I invited Amadeus over to my house to show him what I’ve been working on for nearly a year now with the Ultranecrozium, and he brought along Teru and Haruhi. Still with me?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Alright. I explained that I was going to harness the power of the Ultranecrozium to produce an enormous amount of energy, creating practically infinite energy for Hakken no Machi to use. I pointed out that it was volatile and could be weaponized, to which Haruhi accused me of trying to weaponize it, and, well, the situation spiraled from there.”

 

“…Is that it?” Fudo asked, seeming unconvinced.

 

“What’s the issue?”

 

“Well…” Fudo trailed off.

 

“It makes sense, right?”

 

Fudo looked down. “I didn’t really get to talk to them, but they seemed… scared.”

 

“Their friend died. It’s only natural for them to be a little on edge.” Dumas handed Fudo the same map from earlier. “And I need your help to find them. I’m fairly certain they traveled to somewhere the Northerner’s Territory, so starting tomorrow I’ll be sending you to various parts of it to go looking for them. I need you to bring them back here in, at most, three weeks from now, when they need to appear in court. Talk some sense into them for me, alright?”

 

“…If that doesn’t work?”

 

“Bring them in by any means necessary, Fudo. The severity of this matter is very high. Failure may impact your ability to continue on your path at this Guild. Do you understand?”

 

Fudo was silent for a while. “Yes, sir.”

 

“Be here first thing tomorrow. If you have no further questions, you’re dismissed.”

 

Fudo silently nodded and left, leaving Dumas alone again. Well, that went smoothly. Hopefully Fudo gets me the results he normally does.

 

Dumas glanced out of the window, and reflexively fidgeted with his medallion. He saw nothing in particular.

 

It’d be a shame if Jack got to them first, he thought.