Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 86 - Titan's Shadow

Wheat fields cut by pale grass paths surrounded Leo and Spice. For a whole day, they had traveled on foot, gathering berries to supplement their rations—Leo refused to hunt for ethical reasons—and taking safer routes to ration Spice's healing supplies further added to their travel time. This amounted to night coming too early, and Leo had offered to take shifts.

Spice, of course, refused, as she was still not even the slightest bit tired.

After a sleepless night, Spice led a drowsy Leo through the last of the wheat fields, asking, "And this is Yotta Outskirts?"

"The wheat district, but yes. Crops must have rotated since I last visited... Used to be sunflowers." Leo suppressed a yawn. "At least the climate here allows for wheat, even as autumn comes in full swing..."

"I suppose the local Grass would help with keeping growth steady," Spice said, careful to keep away from the crops so she didn't accidentally contaminate them with her element. "Leo, did you sleep at all? You seem..."

"I'm fine. We'll use this as a rest stop before..." Another yawn. "What time is it?"

Spice looked at the horizon, where the sun was starting to peek out from the top of Kilo Mountain. "Barely morning. I want to say we're a little past the twentieth kilo." Spice looked back. "You slept right at midnight, with how much you were stirring."

"You kept pacing," Leo let slip.

Spice flinched, suddenly wincing when a loose sprig of wheat flew into her face. "I didn't know that kept you up," she mumbled, flicking the wheat away. "Sorry. I was getting restless again, and I had to chase off some random wild."

"It's fine," Leo said. "But first thing, we're getting you checked. How many days, now?"

Spice was tired of hearing it, so she didn't reply at all and pointed forward. "Where's your home?"

Leo pointed with a limp finger. "Skip the next two acres, then make a left, then a right again, and then it'll be the fifth house to your left..."

"...Remind me again when we get closer."

The brown field of wheat that waved with the breeze was soothingly normal. Occasionally, Leo stumbled over some lumpy part of the ground, or some imperfection in the path, too tired and too used to the paved roads of Kilo Village when not in combat.

"You alright?" Spice said.

"I'm fine," Leo mumbled. "This walk took a lot out of me. Between avoiding Dungeons, the lack of sleep, and whatever's happening in the sky... Oh, this way, Spice."

A little more walking and the fields were behind them, replaced by rows of homes, each one made of some decorated clay, brick, or other kind of cement. Some were larger than others or in odd shapes to accommodate for the residences.

Compared to Kilo Village, it was very low-tech. Leo wondered if they had any technology inside yet. Clocks, or did they rely on the sun? Ovens, or Fire and Orbs? Spice hummed.

Even as they stopped in front of the home Leo had identified as his parents' abode, Spice asked, "Leo, you don't think this place was badly affected by most Dungeon equipment going bad, do you?"

"I'm not sure," he said as Spice knocked on the door. Fine, old wood. Lasted well in the dry climate. She wondered if it had Passho blessings, or perhaps Occa to resist the Fire resident inside.

"WHOZZERE?!"

Spice blinked and stepped back. A low, weak hissing came from the other side of the door.