The next morning, the team returned to the Guild once again for an assignment. They were ushered to the meeting hall along with the rest of the Guild members, where Flynt congratulated everybody on their recent successes. Remy, Pyren, and Amelia hadn't been the only ones who'd noticed something was wrong with their maps. Without the traitor cartographer misleading everybody, the Guild had managed to locate and rout three bands of Xorans in separate locations surrounding the town.

What worried everybody, however, was a lack of Amalgamations, normally a staple of Xoran activity. That three entire parties of Xorans were traveling around the village without any Amalgamations appearing was reason to believe the Xorans were hiding something. People started whispering about the possibility of an Amalgamation attack, and how just a dozen or more of the monsters could mean the end for the whole town!

Amelia remarked how it could also mean that the Xorans didn't have any more Amalgamations beyond the ones they'd already found and defeated. "If they wanted to protect themselves, wouldn't they have used those things? Seems to me like they fight pretty well in the dark." Amelia observed. Some Pokemon agreed, some did not; Amelia didn't care, as long as she got her bracelets back soon.

"Didn't we order a bunch of Voidmetal a while back?!" A Guild member shouted at Flynt. The fox answered by saying a shipment should have been here already, and that its absence indicated either a lack of sympathy for their plight or some greater danger to the shipping routes they were ignorant about.

Perking up, Pyren remarked, "Oh yeah, that's right. We saw that one Amalgamation deeper in the Tutella Hollow, right? Isn't that a shipping route between the city and a few of the towns further inland?"

"Oh yeah, and we saw that encampment in the caves too!" Remy replied. "Now that I think about it, the people making campsites like that are usually traveling merchants. They were carrying that cool sword around, too."

A Gumshoos approached the podium and asked: "Guildmaster, I would like to request that my team forgo today's assignment to delve into the Hollow and the paths beyond. Given our current predicament, we should ensure the route is secure and that nothing is delaying our shipment of weapons."

"Very well," Flynt replied, permitting the team's spontaneous mission. He looked into the crowd and spotted the rookies standing off to the side. "In fact, why don't you take the newbies with you since they're familiar with the route."

There was an audible groan elsewhere in the crowd, along with another Pokemon exclaiming, "Oh, come on!" The lead Pokemon profanely told them to be quiet and said to the Guildmaster, "We'll be happy to take them with us. They could use the practice, anyhow." 

And so Remy, Pyren, and Amelia were all gathered into the main hall to wait for their more experienced comrades to join them. Before much else happened, Remy was handed his staff to use for the mission. The Munchlax eagerly accepted his weapon and sat down to inspect it. The others had been smudging the chargestone head, which he began to clean up.

Pyren and Amelia meanwhile took the time to examine their partners. One was a Golisopod, a rather blunt and brutish bug warrior who looked capable of smashing walls down but was more of a dodger than an assaulter. Even so, their personality spoke to somebody who rushed into things head-on with little regard for safety. On his shoulder was an Emolga that looked ready to start bouncing off the walls, so eager were they to get started with the day's activities. Addressing the two was the Gumshoos, evidently the leader of the trio. He was straightforward and clear with everything he said, indicating a calculating mind that was quick to start analyzing a situation and employing a solution. 

Seeing these three made Pyren remark how the Guild of Dungeoneering must have been full of different Pokemon with all sorts of quirks and personalities. Amelia shrugged, caring only about how well they did in the field. She was determined to keep up with these more experienced adventurers.

When Gumshoos was finally done addressing his teammates, the three came over to speak to the rookies and head out. "Alright, we've got an extensive team on our hands," Gumshoos remarked. "Six is usually the maximum the Guild recommends we travel with, and even then, they advise having three Pokemon take the lead while the remainder serves as backup or adjuncts." Amelia began to complain when Gumshoos explained: "The whole point of an adjunct is to bolster the endurance of a traveling party. Everybody has their limits, so having somebody to take your place in the middle of a fight is crucial for avoiding strain or injury that would force a smaller party to turn back. But we can't all fight at once, not unless the situation calls for it. After all, if six people are trying to punch the same rock, then they'll end up getting in each other's way. Too many cooks, as it were." Amelia sighed and accepted his argument after some prodding from Remy.

On their way towards the mountain caves, Golisopod made it abundantly clear how he preferred going at the mission with just his own partners. "We don't need to be dragging three kids along with us." He groaned, provoking frustrated arguing from Amelia and eventually Pyren too. Remy and Gumshoos eventually had to get between the three of them and demand they all behave.

They eventually learned the names of these three adventurers. Flip the Gumshoos, Bine the Golisopod, and Harlow the Emolga. They were adventurers of about 8 years' experience and had only recently formed their team. They all took their roles very seriously. When Remy asked what their specializations were, they were noticeably confused. "Well, that's what Malatet called it..."

"Ah, that shut-in..." Bine remarked, rolling their eyes. "They act big, but they don't know jack about the world outside their little arena."

"That's no way to speak about a disabled person." Flip replied.

The trio paused, staring at Gumshoos. "Sorry, she's what?" Pyren eventually asked.

Bine was about to go into more detail before Harlow stopped them. "Maaaaaaybe best not to go into detail about that." He told them, leaving Remy, Pyren, and Amelia in the dark.

They soon entered the caves, and Remy instinctively took the lead. After some complaint from Golisopod was dismissed, the Munchlax was permitted to lead and did so with bravado and expertise. His staff turned out to be an excellent light source. With Pyren taking the rear, they could see potential threats both in front of and behind their group. Good thing too, as a threat quickly emerged: A pair of Geodudes. Golisopod marched up beside the Munchlax and said, "Alright, kid. Let's see what you've got." He clenched his hands and prepared to attack. "Just remember, first impressions..." The warrior charged forward and slammed his claws into the leftmost rock, sending it careening into a wall. "... count for a lot!" He quickly retreated before the other rock could attack him. 

Remy steeled his nerves and charged forward, stepping between Golisopod and the feral Geodude as the latter began to attack, blocking a number of punches with his staff. Finding an opening, Remy swung his weapon and managed to stagger his foe. Golisopod followed up Remy's success by crossing his arms, drawing upon his affinity for water to generate two aquatic blades on either arm and swiping at the Geodude. The rock was crushed in one mighty blow, sending its fragmented remains hurling across the cavern floor. 

The other Geodude was still up and coming back for more. It rolled across the floor towards the two of them. Knowing the Golisopod bug would be vulnerable to the rock affinity of the Geodude, he stood his ground and prepared to defend them. Before the Geodude's charge could meet its mark, Gumshoos stepped in kicked at the ground, slamming the Geodude with a thick spattering of mud. The attack caused its rollout to wobble out of control and send the Geodude rolling past the group and slamming into another wall. Remy saw an opportunity and charged, leaping upwards and bringing his weight down on the rock. A crack formed in its head and it fell unconscious.

The party took a brief moment to rest after the confrontation, but they were soon moving again. "At least you're not worthless," Golisopod said to Remy, commenting on his performance. "You could have done more than just be a meat shield."

"Sorry..." Remy apologized. 

The party continued pressing forward through the caves. Having explored the caves many times before, Remy knew the quickest route to the other side. There, the light of day greeted them to the far side of the mountain: they'd reached the Tutella Slopes. "Well, here we are," Pyren remarked, taking in the environment. This region of the world was more stable than others, preventing the world from rapidly shifting. Nature flourished because of this, and roads were well marked and better packed.

"Don't relax yet, monkey boy," Golisopod remarked as he took the lead. The party descended the slopes down into the forest below, following the trail leading west. The path would stretch for miles until it hit a nondescript village, which marked the fringe of the Tutela province where the Great Savanna began. The party's goal was to ensure travel between the village and the city was safe, and that meant traveling the path and keeping an eye out for bandits and signs of a skirmish.

Thirty minutes into their journey, it became evident that they would be traveling for a long while. It'd taken them a mere hour to cross from one end of the mountain caves to the other, but they knew the caves were safe. Out here, the rookies expected some excitement but were met with boredom. Pyren, in particular, had been expecting a bit more action this far from home. After having traveled through a serene forest so many times, he wanted an opportunity to prove himself. 

"It's not going to be that easy, finding bandits. We'll have to be lucky to find them." Golisopod remarked with a smirk.

Gumshoos huffed and remarked: "We'll be lucky not finding bandits in the first place. Remember, we aren't out here for a fight; we're here to make sure travelers are safe. More importantly, we need to make sure those weapons are on the way." Gumshoos remarked how the village would be the most likely pit-stop for any merchant looking to deliver a shipment of goods to Tem'Cael, as most goods moved down this path and through the mountain. "It would be unfortunate, but it's completely possible the merchants carrying our goods were simply attacked on their way through the Savanna. It wouldn't be the first time a shipment was lost."

"Yeah, but insurance wouldn't be much help..." Amelia remarked. "I'm not even sure the Guild could afford insurance for a shipment of Voidmetal weapons at a time like this. The demand is probably through the roof, assuming word is spreading."

"It absolutely is, but the Guild couldn't have afforded insurance on the weapons even without this situation. We bought weapons made from the cheapest alloy available, yet it was still thousands of Poke. It absolutely dried up our coffers."

Remy looked at his staff, thinking about how expensive it must have been. "I'm surprised the Guild can afford stuff like the cafeteria after everything that's been going on." He suddenly felt a little bad about taking extra food from the cafeteria, knowing that the Guild was super low on funds.

Golisopod scoffed. "The food was a lot nicer before those bastards came along..." He remarked. "We can't afford to lose this shipment."

"Couldn't you have just bought the alloys raw and forged them yourself?" Pyren suggested, intrigued by the idea of these alien metals. "My dad runs a forge, and I know there are plenty of other forges like them throughout the city."

"That was one option, but that would be too expensive," Gumshoos explained. "We weren't confident in the experience of our local metallurgists shaping Voidmetal. It's said to be a notoriously difficult alloy to work with."

Amelia groaned. "Well, surely you can convince the town to toss you a few coins when their survival is at stake? I mean, come on! The Guild's the only thing standing between them and devastation."

"We could do that, but we've not been as prominent in Tem'Cael as the Guild has been in other cities. People don't feel the need to put as much faith in us as other towns do."

"But we just chased away a bunch of Xorans. We could easily get the whole town behind us with victories like that. C'mon, we should be running this headline like propaganda!"

"People don't shift their opinions overnight, kid." Golisopod snapped, glaring at the Mawile. "You think we wouldn't be trying to get everyone behind our backs already? The fact is, this ain't a dungeoneering town. It's a city of artisans and merchants. Sailors, too, but not dungeoneers. We're often forgotten about, and it's harder to get donations because of that. Doesn't matter if the whole world's going to hell; not enough people believe we can save them."

Remy, Pyren, and Amelia stayed quiet for a little while. They kept looking around for any signs of trouble or hostility, neither of which manifested. Then they came across something suspicious: a number of scrape marks in the road, a clear sign of a scuffle. There were no signs of a skirmish anywhere else, indicating the victim wasn't dragged anywhere. An investigation of the surrounding area did not reveal anything further.

Disappointed but with a lead to grasp, the party continued down the path to the village as evening was beginning to fall. After questioning the villagers, it became obvious that the shipment of voidmetal weapons had indeed passed through the village. Therefore, something must have happened to the weapons between here and Tem'Cael. They brought up the topic of banditry and the signs of battle they found along the trail, to which the villagers were oblivious. 

"Doesn't look like we'll learn much here," Amelia remarked. "We should probably head back home for the day."

"I dunno... I feel like those marks back on the trail are an indication of something important." Remy said with a look of contemplation. "You don't suppose that our hypothetical bandits can fly, do you? If so, they could ambush from high above and carry off their victims without any sign of origin or destination."

"Flight, hmm..." Gumshoos pondered matters for a moment. "I hadn't considered that. It's rare that a bandit is able to remain hidden when airborne, but I suppose it's possible in this rural area. We may even be attacked on our way back home."

Pyren glanced around the town. There were not many services apart from some inns and a supply store. The village was based entirely around the passage of traders. "Maybe we should stay here for the night, then? Let's not walk into an ambush, everybody."

"Sorry, monkey boy, but the Guild's gonna want us to report in as soon as possible. We can be confident something happened between here and Tem'Cael, so we can rally more Guild members to investigate further."

The party agreed to the plan and started on their way back. They arrived at the scene of the attack and inspected the area once more, while they still had some daylight. Nothing new turned up. Continuing on their way, Pyren took the lead as sunset fell to dusk. The light of his tail would serve to guide them. High above, they could see the stars glimmering behind the sunlit Ringworld above. Though the sun was hidden from view by the planet, the light was still able to reach the far end of the ring. Visible at night, the luminous landscape of the ring above the backdrop of the twinkle of space made for a surreal contrast that all in Statera had grown to accept.

"Hey, you guys?" Remy said to the older Guildmembers. "You've been exploring for a while, right? Have you ever thought about what's up on that Ringworld?"

The Emolga jumped up and exclaimed, "Of course, we have!" She looked eager to talk for the first time since they left the town. "Oh, imagine the treasures that must be up there! What kinds of powerful monsters are waiting to be faced? What kinds of history is there for us to discover? Oh, the possibilities are endless!"

"I know, right?" Remy shouted, taken aback by Emolga's enthusiasm but happy to reciprocate it! The Munchlax was just about to start babbling about the Ringworld when Pyren held his arm out, urging them to be silent. In the distance, a fluttering noise. It was faint, and its direction of origin was hard to discern. Emolga lifted her ears and gasped, pointing at something moving through the air. The darkness made visibility difficult, but Gumshoos could make out the figure: a segmented body with six wings fluttering rapidly, circling the party closer and closer. Then, the mysterious figure swooped down, charging the group! "Look out!" Gumshoos exclaimed. In a flash, Remy stepped up and fired a bolt of electricity at the attacker. It broke off from its dive and flew just overhead, swooping away into the forest.

Remy's attack created a brief flash of light. It wasn't much, but the basic features of the creature could be distinguished. Amelia was the most observant, asking, "Did you guys see that? That had to be an Amalgamation!"

Gumshoos nodded in agreement. "There is no doubt. We must pursue it."

Pyren interjected: "But it's getting dark. We'll be at a disadvantage if we try to attack them now. Maybe we should retreat, and come back when we have light to aid us."

Amelia shook her head. "But if we retreat now, we may not be able to follow its trail again, or it may move on from this location. We should find out where it's going, at the very least."

The debate did not go on much longer. The party agreed to follow the insectoid, in case they would be led back to its lair. Even if they couldn't attack it, finding its lair would make it easier to attack later on