Chapter 32

The Conter Mountains

It had been weeks since they had left the Unseen Forest. Weeks since they had left the safe and comfortable confines of the kingdom that was hidden from the world. That didn't compare though to the nearly two months that had passed since he had seen a familiar face beside Ethan's. For Ethan, it was a similar story.

Cooper never would've guessed that he'd be traveling as much as he did. He figured he would've had settled down in the valley just like everyone else, have pups with a mate, and live a peaceful life farming and raising children. It seems fate had other plans for him, however, as he had left his home after it was destroyed, journeyed to a hidden kingdom in the middle of the Unseen Forest, and then travel to the eye of the storm to meet some three million-year-old being who supposedly kept the storm in place. It was all so bizarre to him.

What surprised him more, though, was the person that he would end up traveling with to the eye was Ethan. Out of all the people to end up finding beneath that rubble and traveling with to the forest and then back into the mountains, he never imagined that it would've been with his childhood bully.

Although they had traveled to the Unseen Forest together, it did not change the fact that they had a bad past with each other. Cooper was not happy when Morton had made him go to the mountains with Ethan. He was going to be stuck with his childhood bully for who knows how long in the Conter Mountains. It was like fate was playing a cruel game on him. Putting him side by side with someone he did not like while also taking his love away from him twice in a row. First with Ana when she left for the capital and then with Elise when they got separated by the attack on Conter Valley.

However, through the weeks of travel that he, Ethan, and the four Valkyries assigned to them had been traveling, an unlikely friendship between the two had formed. Although their past had been unfriendly, they shared a similar joy, being able to talk to a familiar face. Neither of them had been able to see the rest of the villagers of Conter Valley and it almost felt lonely not knowing anybody around you. Cooper believed that it was harder on Ethan than it was on him, though. Ethan was no longer a normal person like everyone else. His body had been twisted and warped into that of a Scourge. Cooper was sure that it would come as a shock and a fright to the villagers whenever they got to see them again.

Fortunately, Ethan was not like other Scourge. From what Cooper had seen and heard, Scourge-turned pokemon were vicious and violent creatures. They were also not very bright. They had eyes for only a few things which included killing, destroying, and ravaging the world. They were like mindless creatures that were brainwashed to follow a single command. Ethan was nothing like them. Although he shared their looks, he did not share their lust for destruction. He retained himself. For that, Cooper was truly grateful, but also curious. Why had he been transformed into a Scourge, yet he was able to resist their commands? It had never been done before. Was he different in some way? Did he have a unique skill or ability that allowed him to resist the Scourge? He hoped it wasn't unique. If there was a way to resist the Scourge, that was an advantage that the Divine Kingdom needed greatly.

The other voice that he had to keep him company besides that of the Valkyries was the voice in his head. That voice in his head being Conter. He had thought that he was going crazy or that his conscience was speaking to him when he first heard the voice in his head. Conter made it clear, though, that he was no imaginary voice or conscience. He was very much real and he existed in the eye of the great storm that had been ravaging the center of the mountains for probably thousands of years after learning Conter's age.

After leaving the Unseen Forest, any privacy Cooper once had was forfeited to the old man as he lived day and night inside Cooper's head. He was in everyone elses' heads as well, but he couldn't speak to them as he could speak to Cooper. Morton had told Cooper that the only people Conter could speak to were those who possessed the unique ability that is Z-Power. He could read the mind of anybody but was restricted to speak to only a certain few whose minds were stronger. Thus, in the group that he was traveling with, he was the only one who could speak with Conter which often lead to him being a messenger between mind and voice in the group whenever anyone had questions for Conter, which the Valkyries seemed to be the ones asking the most which surprised Cooper.

Other than being asked questions, Conter had been training Cooper in his Z-Power for at most three hours every night which led to Cooper being slightly tired in the morning. Conter made it clear that he didn't have as much time as he wanted to teach Cooper everything he knew about Z-Power which Cooper came to find out was an expansive amount of information. Furthermore, the lessons Cooper was being subjected to were mostly to do with more history about Z-Power and how it affects the mind and the body. He had not been allowed to apply it to practical use yet, for Conter forbade him. Mostly because Cooper had so little understanding of Z-Power, but also due to being in the mountains where the Scourge now roamed. They didn't want to grab the attention of any parties in the area as they traveled.

Otherwise, the journey had been mostly uneventful. The group traveled as far as they could making sure to find a safe spot to rest for the night, sleep until sunrise while members in the group took turns keeping watch, and then travel again. There had been a few moments where they had seen groups of Scourge close by, but fortunately, they were able to keep themselves hidden from the beasts. Although they had covered so much ground in the weeks that had passed, they were still at least a week away from the storm which would also take Cooper and Ethan a significant amount of time to traverse because of how abnormally large it is.

One thing Cooper was disappointed about on the trip was not being able to see Conter Valley on their way to the storm. Conter Valley was slightly southwest from the portal they had come through to get to the mountains. The storm, and in turn Conter, was directly south of the portal which meant that they would miss Conter Valley by a dozen miles or so. Ethan shared the same disappointment as Cooper as they both missed their home and wished for nothing more than to return. Fate had different plans for them, however, as they continued their way south.

Cooper withdrew himself from his thoughts as he took a deep breath of the cold and spicy scent of the mountains around them. It was late in the afternoon, so the Sun was hiding behind the mountains at this point, but that did not stop the group from continuing to move along towards the storm as they had been doing for several weeks. Several large, wide, steep, and tall mountains towered over them as they walked through a valley that was about half the size of Conter Valley. A forest full of thick and tall trees grew in the valley while an assortment of flowers and fruits grew on the forest floor giving it a vivid splash of colors that any flying type would miss as the trees blocked the view. A cool, but gentle breeze traversed the massive forest giving Cooper a comforting feeling of nostalgia.

"Tell me," Tyra shouted back to Cooper and Ethan who were following behind the Valkyries, "how are you able to stand these wretched mountains? The Sun barely comes out over these large rocks, the cold here is withering, and to top it off, this environment is rather harsh to navigate."

Cooper chuckled to himself and answered, "Call it adaptation. We're used to sleeping longer hours when the Sun vanishes, the cold is like a small breeze to us, and you'd be surprised at how easy it is to walk around these mountains without getting lost or getting stuck somewhere."

"Plus," Ethan added, "we didn't tend to leave the valley for which we grew up in. If you saw it for yourself, you might be shocked at how big certain valleys can be in these large and fantastic mountains."

"I call it a nuisance. The Valkyries are put through tough and rigorous training that heightens are skills and adaptation to battle and harsh environments. And yet, these mountains best me in ways that I did not think possible," Tyra responded, kicking the ground with her hooves.

"These mountains can best even the toughest of people. Everybody who is not a villager of Conter Valley has always had trouble getting used to this place. The fact that we've been able to cover this much ground in the time we've had is a surprise to both me and Ethan. Be proud of that fact," Cooper said.

Tyra look prepared to say something, but Lyra spoke first, "I think Tyra is just a little tired, we all are. We'll be fine though. Say, why are the mountains so big? If history doesn't fail me, the West mountains where Zulev was are not even half as large as these and they were there first. It doesn't make any sense. Can you ask Conter that for me?"

Before Cooper could ask the question himself, Conter spoke in his deep and wise voice. If you would believe it, carving these mountains has been a pastime for me these last three million years. It is a rather soothing form of meditation and has allowed me much time to dwell on my thoughts. Furthermore, they act as a hindrance to the Scourge that wishes for nothing more than to charge through and slay me. It is… entertaining, to watch them trip and fall over my creations before I remove them from my home.

Cooper tried to laugh to himself as to hide it from the group, but he couldn't control himself and the rest heard him as they looked over for an explanation. It took Cooper a minute before he could tell them, "Conter has a pastime and it's apparently making the mountains as big as they can because it's soothing and also so he can, and I can quote, remove the scourge from his home."

Isabelle was the first to laugh and after that Lyra, until the whole group was laughing with each other, even Tyra seemed to get a laugh out of it. The group continued to laugh together until Isabelle said, "I guess it should come as no surprise, everyone has a hobby. But for some reason, his hobby is oddly funny."

Being as old as I am, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that I need something to entertain me. Furthermore, when you know as much as I do, few people can come to understand you. In my eyes, everyone seems young. Even when Fenna visited me the few times she did, it was not easy for her to understand me from a friendship point of view. Conter told Cooper.

Cooper stopped laughing as he began to ponder how that must've felt. To live in a world where no one else can understand him because of his old age and vast knowledge. He also wondered what it must've felt like to lose his family, friends, and those close to him who couldn't live as long as him. It must've been lonely for him.

The peace and silence are often comforting enough. Conter responded to Cooper's thoughts.

It's nice to have somebody to talk to, though. I mean, sure. You've lived a long life and it's hard for people to understand you personally. But living a long life such as yours without having anybody to talk to must get lonely and boring. Cooper said.

Trust me, this life is not as boring as you think it is. Conter said. Also, do not forget that I said that few can understand me, not that no one can understand me. I am not as lonely as you think.

That caught Cooper's attention. Conter had never mentioned anyone else besides those Cooper knew who could hear him. He was sure that others had Z-Power like himself that could speak to Conter. However, they would have to be close to the mountains or perhaps…

Take it as you will, Cooper. Do not question me any further on it. Conter sternly said. Although Cooper had more questions about Conter's loneliness, he knew that he wouldn't get the old man to talk any more than he had. So he decided to drop the question and save it for another time.

"Hey. Knock knock," Ethan said while lightly hitting Cooper's head. "Are you still there? Or has Conter taken over your mind?"

Cooper batted him away saying, "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Just having a quick conversation. Nothing to get crazy about."

Cooper noticed that they had reached the end of the forest where they were attempting to walk around a mountain with a peak that was so high up it was impossible to see. Luckily, it wasn't as wide which meant that walking around it wouldn't take as long.

"Be on your guard, Cooper. We still have a ways to go before we reach the great storm. It will take persistence and focus," Salif said looking back at him.

"I know, I know. It's not like this is my first time moving through the mountains. Plus, Conter ends up talking to me a lot more than I mention. It's kind of difficult to focus on two conversations at once. Especially when they're in two different forms," Cooper sighed. "I want to know something. About the Valkyries that is. Why are there only eighteen of you? I mean, I know there are eighteen types that the Valkyries correspond to, but why were you chosen specifically? Are the Valkyries special in their own ways? Do you guys have special abilities similar to Z-Power?"

Cooper had wanted to ask the question for a while now. Their journey had been their main focus, however, and he didn't have time to ask all the questions he had boiling in his head. It also didn't help that someone else was constantly talking to him trying to teach him so many things at once that it was overwhelming.

Isabelle was the one to answer his question, "We don't have anything like Z-Power. In fact, we're not unique in our abilities. We've had tougher training which has honed our skills, but nothing was given to us that makes us any more powerful than a similar pokemon to ourselves who has had special training. Our uniqueness comes from our pasts. Each of us has faced some hardship in our past that has caused us to lose everything that we ever held close. When that happened, Sphyn, Fenna's brother, found us and took us in under the rule of Fenna Nightfall. We were trained around each other and were only allowed around each other. We do not possess any friends or loved ones besides the eighteen, Fenna, and Sphyn. This was done to ensure one thing. That we are weapons who had nothing to lose. Nothing to live for besides the queen and our duties to her. To some, that is a cruel fate. To us, it is our lives and our purpose. We honor that purpose and if one of us were to fall, we would continue in her name, not taking time to mourn for we know we will meet them again one day when we also fall. That is the reason for the eighteen. That is the purpose of the Valkyries."

It did sound like a cruel fate to have. Cooper wondered what it felt like to live every day knowing that you can't have friends or loved ones besides the group you trained with. Of course, there are eighteen of them, so they weren't short on friends. He wondered if any of them had anyone they wanted to fall in love with, but couldn't because of their duties to Fenna Nightfall. It actually made Fenna sound like a cruel person, but he wasn't going to say that as to not insult the Valkyries.

"Or at least it's supposed to be," Tyra continued after Isabelle. "There is one of us that has grown some kind of affection for another. I shall not mention her name, but we will have to give her a stern talking to whenever we see her again if Mono hasn't already."

"Can't imagine why she would do that," Ethan remarked sarcastically. "I mean, it's not like she's forbidden from loving anybody else. Shame on her."

Something else Cooper had come to learn on their trip to the great storm was that Ethan and Valkyries didn't get along that well. Especially Tyra and Ethan. Those two were always going back and forth with each other often not stopping until one of the other Valkyries or Cooper tells them to stop. Sometimes even that doesn't stop the two and the group is forced to listen to them for what could be hours.

Tyra growled at Ethan, "If you understood our ways, you would know why we have these rules set in place. Unfortunately, you have a tendency to be just as dumb as you look."

Cooper was sure that the other Valkyries had grievances about letting a Scourge walk freely with them, but they never said anything and were good at hiding it. Tyra, however, didn't shy away making her displeasure with Ethan's form known to everybody. The first time she had made some insult on Ethan's appearance, he did not take kindly to it and Cooper had to hold Ethan back while the Valkyries held Tyra back from killing each other. It didn't stop, though, as she continued to make comments on his appearance throughout the whole trip and at some point, Ethan just stopped caring about the insults she made.

"Even if I understood your ways," Ethan retorted, "I'd still disagree with what you're group is condemned to. To me, Fenna doesn't sound as nice as she looks."

Cooper nearly winced. There was the one thing he was trying his best to avoid. Insulting Fenna was like being stabbed in the heart to the Valkyries. They loved, honored, and respected Fenna with the highest regard. To them, there was no greater person in the world. The Valkyries proved this point as they all spun around and glared at Ethan with a fury and hate so vile, he was sure the gods in the heavens were turning away.

Cooper feared for Ethan's life, so he stepped in front of him with the most innocent smile he could muster as he offered, "Hey. We're all allies here. As Lyra said, we're all just a little tired. Maybe it would be best to find a place and settle down early today so we could all could get some more rest. Conter, what do you think?" Cooper waited impatiently as he said those last words out loud. He wasn't sure Ethan would live to tomorrow if Conter wouldn't allow them to rest earlier than they usually do.

After a few more seconds when the tension was growing increasingly fast, Conter finally said. Very well. But remind the Valkyries of their duties and remind Ethan that he is only alive because Fenna saved him from being slain the moment he walked into the forest. Finally, remind your party that I can become impatient rather quickly and if I am forced to wait any longer than the time constraint I have given you, I will remind all six of you of who I am and what I am capable of.

Cooper grimaced as he heard those last words enter his mind. He didn't want to even think about what Conter would do to them if he held to his threat. He was sure to be as precise as Conter was in explaining the mutual doom that awaits the six of them if they annoyed Conter any more than he usually is.

That seemed to alleviate the tension that had been building in the group for the last minute. Although no words were spoken and Cooper was sure that the Valkyries were still upset, they all decided it was best to find a spot to settle down for the night as soon as they could to avoid the impending calamity that was Conter's rage.

Puerto Rico is rather hot this time of year. Can't put my finger on why.

Anyways. Criticism and reviews are appreciated as always. See you next time in Angels and Demons.

"Make the leap" - Nice Guy Wolf