Scourge of the northern coast
It has been a normal week, well… as normal as a week could be when a godly being takes you from your time one day and dumps you on a beach some 200+ years in the past.
'Well, it could be worse, Kamado might have decided to throw me into prison for being suspicious or out in the wild to survive on my own.' – Akari thought and sighed as she started getting ready for the day.
She folded her futon, put out the small table and started making some simple breakfast of bread and vegetables. She missed modern appliances like stoves, fridges and toasters sooo much! Finally, she sat down to eat and opened her phone.
Whatever Arceus had done, had definitely altered her phone, at firs it looked to be too good to be true but even after a week it still had power. She was thankful for that because she at least had some pictures of her friends and family with her, they gave her strength to push forward.
After finishing breakfast and getting into the uniform she stuffed some essentials in her satchel, after some consideration she also put her phone in it, not willing to leave it somewhere hidden, like she did with the strange flute. She had no idea why Arceus gave it to her or what the flute was for.
Outside, the sun was already rising up in the sky, the soft orange giving way to blue as the bright circle climbed higher. Akari quickly headed for the Galaxy team building, occasionally waving back at a young kid that stopped to greet her- the kids had quickly warmed up to her, the adults… not as much, most still looked at her with suspicion but others like Laventon, Miss Zisu and Beauregard had greeted her with open arms.
'Please let there be some survey work.' she prayed 'I've done nothing but help the professor fill out and sort backlogged reports or watering the fields this past week. I'd do anything to get out a bit!'
She finally reached the professor's office and entered, despite all the cleaning, the place still looked quite messy.
"Ah, miss Akari, perfect timing!" Laventon waved her over from behind his desk "I have a few new requests that arrived this morning and I thought you could help. They're posted there on the board." – he pointed at a big board on the wall right next to the door that connected his and captain Cyllene's office.
"Yes!" she cheered and did a happy wiggle, finally something more interesting "I can barely wait! No offence, professor but sorting those documents was not fun. This sounds a lot more exciting!" – she excitedly approached the board.
"Well, good thing the captain Cyllene suggested I give you some more simple survey tasks to get used to the area around the village. I was actually thinking of letting you stay in the village a week more to get accustomed to how things are here, but am glad you are excited for the new work!"
Akari froze and gaped at him. She had a lot of thoughts swarming in her brain but she closed her mouth and turned back to the board. The man was so friendly, caring, but also oblivious and a bit forgetful- he was too nice for his own good, so she couldn't really be angry at him.
'Hmm… Let's see what we have here- gathering herbs, gathering different kind of herbs, go check the traps around the fields if something was caught, get wood… Ah! This seems interesting! *Something has been disturbing the logging activity in the forest just beyond the river and destroying equipment, please find out what it is and stop it if possible.*'
She picked an herb gathering request and the mystery one and brought them to the professor.
"Here! These two seemed interesting."
"Ah, that, um… Are you really sure you want that?" – he looked a bit uncomfortable while looking at the second quest.
"Yes, it sounds interesting and it is probably some teenagers or some animal passing by that's causing the mess."
"Yes, probably…" he looks away for a moment and rubs the back of his neck "But that's the problem. The wild animals here in Hisui are dangerous. Wild cattle, snakes, hawks, there are even wolves, mountain lions and bears! Not to mention the strange thing that have been happening after the hole in the sky opened. Strange purple domes appearing suddenly, the animals there going crazy and the rumors of strange shadowy figures wandering around them. Don't you want to do something that's closer to the village for now instead of staking out in the forest at night? I won't stop you but…" – he trailed off.
"Sigh~ Alright, alright… I understand professor, you are worried. I promise I will not stay out at night, at least until I get more familiar with this place, but that's it. I know I can do more and don't want to be babied. You heard what the commander said, right? If I don't pull my weight, he might decide to chase me out." – she leaned closed to the man.
"Unfortunately…" Laventon was also not happy with Kamado's harsh treatment of the girl "Well, I won't be trying to stop you BUT I do have a condition of my own. I can't just let you go out all on your own, so…"
Akari gulped, unsure if the professor would make her take Rei or another Galaxy member with her.
"I want you to take one of my little friends here with you!" he smiled brightly while pointing at the two dogs and cat "As you know, I've been training them to help the Galaxy team and you having a companion will not only bring peace to my mind but also help with their training- going out in the field, using the taught skills in real-life situation. I've also trained them to return to Jubilife on command, so they can also carry messages. A win-win I say!"
"Really?! I get to take one of these cuties with me?" – she squealed in happiness, this was much better than what she thought was going to happen!
As if on cue, the 3 animals ran over to the girl and started pawing at her feet.
"Oh, you guys, and gal, are the cuuutest!" she cooed at them "If I could, I'd take all of you, but I know you'd just end up playing all day and I won't be able to do a thing. So, I choose Oshu. He's the fastest and doesn't fear getting wet. I remember there being many small streams coming from and into the river, so I bet he'd have a good time, won't you buddy?" – she made a kissy face as she lifter the small white puppy with black spots.
"Woof!" – Oshu barked excitedly and wagged his tail even more.
The other two gave him the stink eye or at least the animal equivalent of it.
"Aww, don't worry you two, I promise to bring you some treats when I come back!" – Akari promised and lifted their mood quite a bit.
She put the dog down and was about to head out when Laventon stopped her.
"Ah, one more thing. I've been preparing this for you for the past few days." he handed her a thick hand-made book bound with string "It's your very own research journal! I made Rei one too when he became my assistant, so I think it is time you finally get yours. I included a rough hand-drawn map with some natural and man-made monuments that'll help you finding your way easier, I made it myself. (She promised herself to never tell him her phone had a GPS with much better map) I also included a short list with descriptions of herbs and edible plants, not to mention some entries of animals you can meet in the fields near the settlement to get you started on your research. As my assistant, you're expected to not only go out but also document notable flora and fauna you see. Especially all the animals, the way they look, how they behave, what they eat and do. It is very important to learn about the world around us. I think that once one knows how the world around them works, they'll be able to not only live without fear, but also live comfortably while in harmony with nature." – the professor concluded with a bright and gentle smile.
"…so bright…" – she mumbled.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Ah, no, I'm going to go now, see you later, prof!" – she waved and ran out of the door, Oshu following her closely.
…..
"Aaaand that's the last one!" – Akari put the last herb she needed to collect from the fields, she couldn't remember their name but they kind of reminded her of the leeks she used to buy from the market back home.
*Tfweeeet~!* - she whistled and a few birds nearby scattered.
"Oshu! Come here, boy! It's time to go!" – she shouted and the dog quickly came to her, a stick in his mouth.
She finally headed for the river, specifically the small bridge she saw on her map. It was quite the relaxing walk.
A few birds pecking the ground and looking for food in the nearby grass, butterflies fluttering in the air, a few rabbits could also be occasionally seen darting in and out of the tall grass. When she finally laid her eyes on the river, she was a bit stunned- it didn't look as big on the map but it was quite the river, much wider and deeper than she expected. In its waters big fish with white stripes could be seen swimming, the many small streams seemed to be home to some otters with bright light-brown fur and beavers could also be seen dragging logs and sticks into the river.
Akari stopped and quickly took some pictures with her phone to capture the beautiful sight.
'When I get back, I'd have to fill the journal with some sketches and observation notes. If only I could have stayed out longer to properly sit down and fill this book properly…' – she sighed as she pocketed her phone.
"Let's go Oshu, I can see the road to the forest camp from here. We're really close now."
"Ruff!"
When she arrived at the camp, she saw only 2 men and they were busy loading a cart with wood to bring back to the village.
"Hello, I am Akari. I saw the request on the board today and came to investigate." – she greeted.
"Ah? What are ya talking about young gal? This is no place for young children. You should go back to the village- it is safer." – one of them said in his gruff voice.
"Yeah, when it gets dark the real dangerous stuff comes out- mountain lions, wolves, strange monstrous noises and ghosts! It is no place for humans like us. This place is haunted!" – she other one added and quickened his work of securing everything in the cart.
"Oh, shush! There are no such things as ghosts! It's probably some weird beastie that lives in the woods. Remember that weird beaver you thought was a river monster? It's probably something similar…" the man looks at the woods with a scowl "Wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of it though, with what it did to the equipment and the trees."
Akari stood there, bewildered for a moment as the adults bickered.
"Well, I don't know about you but I have decided to look at it either way. You said it did something to the equipment. Can I see?" – she asked and approached the cart.
"Huff… Suit yourself, kid. Don't tell us we hadn't warned ya." – the first man put another crate in the cart and motioned her to follow him.
She trailed behind him as he led her to a simple shed made of a few planks put together and a tarp stretched above it as a roof. He opened the door, which wasn't even locked, and moved to the side to let her see inside. She froze and gasped- there were wheelbarrows, saws, axes, ropes and other equipment, all of it looked like it had been chopped to pieces and badly scratched. Who… or what… could be able to cleave a wheelbarrow in half?!
"Ya see what I mean by saying it is dangerous out here. Better go back home kid, we certainly aren't staying here for the night." – the man huffed once more and went back to the cart.
Akari nervously gulped, Oshu came and put his paws up on her leg, sensing her worry.
"I-I'm alright boy. Just, not what I expected."
She then closed the door and headed for the forest, she was going to just… check out the area nearby, nothing serious could happen by just having a quick look… right?
The forest no longer felt as cheerful as it looked on the way there, now that she knew how serious it was, she felt a constant sense of unease, making her look around almost constantly. She was so busy looking around that she ran face-first into a low-hanging branch.
"Wah!" she batted at the foliage before stepping to the side "Bleh, I got some of it in my mouth, hope I didn't swallow a bug or something." – she wiped her tongue and spat a bit to the side.
"Arf-arf!" – Oshu barked and tensed in front of her.
She looked at the direction the dog was looking at and saw some scratch marks on a tree but…
"These are different, smaller, almost look like my cat…'s…"
The bushes rustled and Oshu started growling and barking even louder, Akari tensed in fear and slowly pulled out the long stick Rei had given her the second day of her stay. He stated it was an essential survival tool and now she was starting to believe it. She clutched it tightly in her arms and tensed.
From the bushes… emerged a fox. It looked smaller than the foxes she saw at the zoo back home, so it must have been young, its fur was also quite dirty and matted, from the distance she couldn't be sure, but she could swear its ribs were showing a bit. She relaxed a bit, since it turned out not to be a mountain lion, but didn't let go of the spear because the fox didn't run away, it was crouching and looking intently at her dog companion.
'Is it… trying to hunt Oshu? It must be quite desperate to not have run away when we saw it.'
She knew she souldn't do it, but she felt sorry for the poor thing, so she pulled out the leftover sandwich she had from lunch and tossed it at the animal. The fox was startled ad darted back a bit at the sudden movement but it soon recovered and approached the tossed food. It sniffed the sandwich cautiously, then quickly bit down and ran off with it.
"Wow, it really must like sausage sandwiches, eh, Oshu?" she smiled at the puppy "Come now, let's not stay here for too long, if there's really a mountain lion living nearby."
She headed away from the scratched tree and back towards the river. Nothing else seemed to happen, she was a few trails going through the forest, she took pictures of a few more birds, a roosting owl in the hollow of a big tree and a colorful orange butterfly almost as big as her face. No unusual tracks, no strange marks on trees, there was a bit of logging activity here and there but it was normal thing to see when the whole village ran almost entirely on wood.
"-krrkaah! Shaaa!" – a strange cry sounded from the distance.
She hesitated for a bit but decided to go and check how what it was.
"-ord- vor-…back with- offering- time." – someone, a young boy was speaking?
"Kshaaaaaah!" – the thing hissed out once more.
Twigs snapped and branches rustled, strange loud skittering and chittering noise followed, going deeper into the forest and then a loud splashing from the river in the opposite direction. Akari had quickly laid down not to be seen, clutching Oshu close to her. When no more sounds were heard, she peeked from her hiding place and carefully crept towards the river. As expected, there was nothing, just the flowing water and the singing birds.
'What was I expecting to even see?'
She let Oshu to also wander around and sniff a bit, maybe the pup would have more luck.
…
At the end of the day, just as the sun was setting, Akari returned to Jubilife village, hungry, tired and muddy from slipping into the river on the way back.
"Miss Akari! You are back! I was worried and was just going to ask to send a search party for you." – Laventon greeted her.
"I am back, as you can see. And I came back before the sun set, like I promised."
"Indeed, you did. Let's go back and get you some warm water to clean up, it must be uncomfortable in these muddy clothes."
"Oh, you have no idea! It was not fun having to walk back here in them, especially when one of the otters decided to chase me. That was not fun."
The professor just nodded in agreement as they walked back to the Galaxy team building.
After changing into clean clothes and handing the collected medical leeks to Peselle, she, Rei and Laventon sat at the Wallflower to eat some potato mochi.
"Oh, sooo good! I'm starving!" Akari exclaimed as she bit into a mochi "I thought I'd die from hunger."
"Hmm…" Rei hummed as he also took a bite "So… how was it? I heard from the professor you went on a mission to the forest today."
"Oh, yeah. It was awesome! The scenery was so pretty and the forest was so big! I got a bit of a scare when a fox came out of the bushes and that one otter chased me when I fell in the water."
"Interesting, the river otters here don't usually attack people. They run away most of the time." – the professor mused.
"Yeah, I must have startled it quite a bit when I splashed close to it." – Akari rubbed the back of her head.
As they continued to eat, she noticed the streets getting livelier than usual, men gathered with glasses full of beer or other alcohol, women and children coming out of their houses to set up small tables and stools out in the village square, setting up tables. The men settling around to rest after a tiring day od working at the fields, mine, fishing boats or logging in the forest. Children excitedly bustled from place to place, either helping their family to set up the table or to hopefully steal a snack.
"Is there a celebration or some holiday I didn't know about? It's much livelier than usual." – Akari asked her companions.
"Ah, no, no, nothing like that. Earlier, while you were outside the village, a merchant ship came to the docks and the crew is staying the night." – Laventon explained.
"Yes, it is something of an event here in the village!" Rei was also very excited "Since we are the first people settling here, there's not that many ways to get news that the whole village hasn't heard about by the end of the hour. So, when sailors stay for the night, they always tell stories of their travels or legends from their homeland. People are especially excited if the ship comes from their homeland. Like how the professor came from Galar and the commander and Beni are from Kanto and so on."
"Wow, that's great. Now I also want to hear some interesting stories from the sailors." – Akari was also excited, wondering what might be happening around the world at this time.
Finally, as they finished eating, a big, burly man with an eyepatch strode to the center of the village square and all people quieted down. Everyone was waiting for what he was going to say.
"Ahoy, people of Jubilife, I am called Big Ben, and I am the captain of the Blue Hound!" – he proclaimed proudly, his voice carrying easily across the square.
Akari gasped- she recognized this person, well mostly the name of the ship. While learning about the great exploration and sailing age back in school, the biggest sea trade union between Unova, Kanto, Kalos and Sinnoh aka the Great East Blue union was founded by the man standing before them. The captain of the Blue Hound, the first man to not only trade between the 4 countries but also establish the fastest and safest sea route between them (still used in modern day) was famous everywhere. Well, most people just remembered him as just 'The captain of the Blue Hound' but still, that man made history and helped shape the world to what it'll be in the future.
"Me and my crew have sailed all the way from Kalos to bring you not only quality products but also great tales. The first story I'm about to tell you is the tale I heard from a dear friend of mine that frequently sails these parts of the ocean. It is a tale and a warning, a great sea beast roams the waters up north, lurking in the depths and sinking any ship that passes anywhere near Hisui's northern coast. Its name – The scourge of the northern coast!"
The children gasped in excitement, leaning closer to hear more, some of the fishermen on the other had scowled. Women looked around nervously, the topic obviously a touchy one.
Akari also knew the gist of it, how risky it was for the fishing boats to sail north every time fish became scarce in their usual fishing grounds. How sometimes boats sailing too far sink and men die, the lucky ones return injured and cold, the unlucky ones die in the freezing waters or never surface to begin with.
"My dear friend, a sailor of many years once came across an unfamiliar land. Back then he was young, unexperienced in sailing, not yet a captain of his own ship. He was a deckhand, polishing wood all day, when the watchman yelled 'Land ahoy!'. The captain was curious because before then, no one had stumbled across this land. The coast with glittering sands, the lush forest, the emerald green fields and no human seemingly had stepped foot on the land. They sailed north, keeping the coast in sight, the cartographer putting it on a map for everyone to see, he named this land Hisui.
As they sailed north, the winds grew cold, the water rough and icebergs started to form. The northern winds started to blow and it became so cold everyone had to put on several coats to keep warm. The waves beat at their ship, the wind almost extinguishing their lanterns as the sky grew darker. Unease spread amongst the crew, it was like nature itself was trying to push them away from that place. The captain, however, ignored their concerns and ordered them to push forward. They did as ordered ad continued sailing. Soon Giant glaciers surrounded them, looming over their ship like silent giants. And then… the boat shook! Something hit the side of their boat, making them stumble and quickly grab on to the closest object to not fall into the freezing depths. Then the ship was hit again and again. Something was attacking them! The crew quickly scrambled towards the cannons, some grabbed long spears, then got ready to defend themselves. At first they thought it was a big whale, it was not uncommon for angry whales to sink boats but then, the watchman saw it. 'A sea beast!' he shouted and pointed at the creature. It was a beast like no other, a long body and as black as night, with razor sharp fins and claws that split the wood! They started shooting at it, but it was too fast and agile to be hit by any cannonball or harpoon. Then, it dove beneath the waves. The crew momentarily had relaxed, thinking they had chased the beast away, but that was their mistake. With a horrible screech, the ship's hull was ripped open in an instant and they started to rapidly sink. All of them scrambled to the rowboats, trying to save themselves from falling in the freezing waters below and into the beast's gaping maw!" – he clasped his ands and moved them to make them look like a jaw opening and closing.
People started muttering, some of the younger kids huddled close to their parents, feeling scared.
"Most of them managed to get into the boats and started rowing away from the sinking ship, its mast and the bubbles the only thing showing where the once proud vessel once was. In their panic, they all rowed in different directions. Some boats disappeared among the glaciers and my friend never saw or heard of the men on them returning, others, he saw the sea beast hit with its tail, toppling them over. His boat and the two other boats following them rowed away from the land and into the sea, with no compass and only the stars to lead them, they were afloat for several days before a passing merchant ship picked them up, they were cold, thirsty, hungry and sick. From the whole crew, only 20 men survived to tell the tale. Now, 40 years later and the beast still is sinking ships that come close to its lair in Hisui's northern waters. So heed the sailor's warnings and beware, if you sail north avoid the northern coast." – the captain finished the tale with a short bow and sat down, another sailor going up to tell a different story.
Akari, however, didn't hear what he was saying. The story reminded her of the first time she went to help Peselle in the medical wing.
The disheveled man was still sitting in front of the door, like she had seen him do every day since she arrived in Hisui, the difference this time was than one of the nurses was outside with him, checking him over before giving him a bowl of warm soup before leaving. The man slowly ate as his hands were shaking, she could still hear him mutter quietly between bites. When she asked Peselle what had happened, she was told how the man outside was a Survey corp member that went north with a small ship to collect the nets from a new fishing spot and write a review on the results… unfortunately something had happened and the ship sunk, only he and another man (still unconscious) were the only ones surviving.
Cabal had actually been found by Ginkgo merchants as he was dragging his injured friend down the road to Jubilife. Gora had barely survived and was in a coma since, but thankfully he was much better and would hopefully wake up soon, Cabal on the other hand… he had been hurt not as severely but by the time he'd arrived, he was feverish, his hands cut up and bleeding, one badly dislocated shoulder and raving about monsters and flying fish that were out to get him. He had been like that ever since, just sitting there and only moving to go and clean himself. Peselle had warned her not to ask him what had happened, to not even mention fish around him and generally leave him alone.
Was it really possible a monster had also sunk the boat Cabal had boarded, was it the same monster? If so, then what was it doing so far south?