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Description
It seems that children have gone missing in the nearby woods recently. The guild leader suspects it may have something to do with the mistress of Castle Draclugia. However, the forest that surrounds Tao is a veritable labyrinth. It’s plausible they simply got lost.

Either way, those poor little ones must be frightened wherever they might be; we must make haste and find them! To cover more ground, Ezra and I decided to split up. He would head over to Castle Draclugia and see if there might be any suspicious activity, while I checked the nearby woods.

I must say, appointing Ezra as leader of our team was a wise decision indeed. He’s taken to it quicker than I anticipated. I considered that he might not have been confident enough for the job, but he has certainly put my doubts to rest. We’ve been on the road for almost two years now, and he’s changed a lot from the awkward cub I befriended long ago. I cannot lose to him. As his friend, I, too, have to strive to become better!

I wandered through the woods for quite some time. There were clues as to where the children might have gone; footprints, faint scents and the like. But something felt odd about the woods that day. There seemed to be some sort of strange presence in it. I couldn’t exactly put my hoof on it, but something was amiss.

Just as I was gathering my thoughts, I heard something. It was faint, yet somehow clear; as though the sound pierced through the air like an arrow. It was a tune; and quite a lovely one at that. It sounded familiar to me somehow, though I was not sure why. In any case, if there was someone playing music in the forest, perhaps they might’ve seen the children. It just might be the break I’ve been hoping for! As quickly as my feet could carry me, I made my way to the source of the sound. What met me was something I did not expect.

I had found the missing children; they were all there, gathered at the source of the music! They were all seated on the ground, huddling around the musician and her instrument. It did not seem as though they were injured or anything, so I then focused on the mysterious minstrel. She was a Pokemon I had never seen before; however, I recognized the instrument she cradled in her arms. It was a unique instrument I had seen while travelling in the East. I had heard its sound only once before, so although it was familiar, I couldn’t quite remember where I had heard it from. The way she was playing it was quite skilful indeed. The tune was calming and slightly hypnotic.

Did the children disappear into the woods simply to hear this girl’s concert? Or perhaps she drew them into the forest like a Pied Piper draws Rattata? After she had finished her piece, I decided to ask her what she knew. The girl had an unusual accent. It was certainly not one I expected to hear from a Pokemon who played an instrument from the East.

Anyway, she introduced herself as Caroline, a wandering Zorua. It seems she was making her way towards Tao when she chanced upon the children. They were panic stricken for some reason, so she decided to play something to calm them down. Hearing this, I turned to the children in hopes of an explanation.

It seems that not all the children were present and accounted for as I had previously thought. The lot of them were playing near Castle Draclugia when their ball accidentally crashed through a window. One of the children volunteered to go inside and retrieve it, but after some time, he did not return to his friends. The children then began to recount terrible stories about Castle Draclugia; about how the master of the castle would kidnap children and eat them up or turn them into slaves!

At first it seemed like these stories were overly exaggerated cautionary tales parents told the young ones. But then I remembered the guild leader seemed rather suspicious about Castle Draclugia’s owner when he gave us this task. Could these outlandish tales be true? I have spoken with other members of the guild regarding the rumor. According to them, Castle Draclugia’s residents are mostly harmless, even extending a generous hand to the villagers during a very dire time. Perhaps their disappeared friend simply got lost inside the castle?

Regardless of what might have happened, my first priority was to get these children home. With Caroline’s assistance, we headed for the village. Once the children are safe, I should head over to Castle Draclugia and find Ezra. If he is as fortunate as I was, he will have already found the child. Still, he might need some help, if somehow the tales turn out to be true…

…to be continued…

Description
It seems that children have gone missing in the nearby woods recently. The guild leader suspects it may have something to do with the mistress of Castle Draclugia. However, the forest that surrounds Tao is a veritable labyrinth. It’s plausible they simply got lost.

Either way, those poor little ones must be frightened wherever they might be; we must make haste and find them! To cover more ground, Ezra and I decided to split up. He would head over to Castle Draclugia and see if there might be any suspicious activity, while I checked the nearby woods.

I must say, appointing Ezra as leader of our team was a wise decision indeed. He’s taken to it quicker than I anticipated. I considered that he might not have been confident enough for the job, but he has certainly put my doubts to rest. We’ve been on the road for almost two years now, and he’s changed a lot from the awkward cub I befriended long ago. I cannot lose to him. As his friend, I, too, have to strive to become better!

I wandered through the woods for quite some time. There were clues as to where the children might have gone; footprints, faint scents and the like. But something felt odd about the woods that day. There seemed to be some sort of strange presence in it. I couldn’t exactly put my hoof on it, but something was amiss.

Just as I was gathering my thoughts, I heard something. It was faint, yet somehow clear; as though the sound pierced through the air like an arrow. It was a tune; and quite a lovely one at that. It sounded familiar to me somehow, though I was not sure why. In any case, if there was someone playing music in the forest, perhaps they might’ve seen the children. It just might be the break I’ve been hoping for! As quickly as my feet could carry me, I made my way to the source of the sound. What met me was something I did not expect.

I had found the missing children; they were all there, gathered at the source of the music! They were all seated on the ground, huddling around the musician and her instrument. It did not seem as though they were injured or anything, so I then focused on the mysterious minstrel. She was a Pokemon I had never seen before; however, I recognized the instrument she cradled in her arms. It was a unique instrument I had seen while travelling in the East. I had heard its sound only once before, so although it was familiar, I couldn’t quite remember where I had heard it from. The way she was playing it was quite skilful indeed. The tune was calming and slightly hypnotic.

Did the children disappear into the woods simply to hear this girl’s concert? Or perhaps she drew them into the forest like a Pied Piper draws Rattata? After she had finished her piece, I decided to ask her what she knew. The girl had an unusual accent. It was certainly not one I expected to hear from a Pokemon who played an instrument from the East.

Anyway, she introduced herself as Caroline, a wandering Zorua. It seems she was making her way towards Tao when she chanced upon the children. They were panic stricken for some reason, so she decided to play something to calm them down. Hearing this, I turned to the children in hopes of an explanation.

It seems that not all the children were present and accounted for as I had previously thought. The lot of them were playing near Castle Draclugia when their ball accidentally crashed through a window. One of the children volunteered to go inside and retrieve it, but after some time, he did not return to his friends. The children then began to recount terrible stories about Castle Draclugia; about how the master of the castle would kidnap children and eat them up or turn them into slaves!

At first it seemed like these stories were overly exaggerated cautionary tales parents told the young ones. But then I remembered the guild leader seemed rather suspicious about Castle Draclugia’s owner when he gave us this task. Could these outlandish tales be true? I have spoken with other members of the guild regarding the rumor. According to them, Castle Draclugia’s residents are mostly harmless, even extending a generous hand to the villagers during a very dire time. Perhaps their disappeared friend simply got lost inside the castle?

Regardless of what might have happened, my first priority was to get these children home. With Caroline’s assistance, we headed for the village. Once the children are safe, I should head over to Castle Draclugia and find Ezra. If he is as fortunate as I was, he will have already found the child. Still, he might need some help, if somehow the tales turn out to be true…

…to be continued…