Scene Three: The Keeper
The rain we'd seen forecasted in the clouds was quick to follow our departure. A gentle pitter-patter at first, but it slowly hastened until even the shelter of the thick trees could hardly keep us dry.
Another scream pierced the humid, wet air. Will's face paled a shade. He quickened his pace, only slowing when the mud caused me to slide back several feet on the path, and he started showing me how to find my footing even along the trudging uphill hike.
I kept Snacks tucked under my cloak, sheltering her from the rain as well as I could, but I could feel her shuddering even tightly wrapped under my arm. I tried to keep her as close as possible, offering my body heat to fuel her.
Atop the hill from where we'd stopped to rest, a small imp-like Pokemon darted out onto the path. It was so quick, I could hardly note its arrival before Will sent Valor out. In a single strike, Valor lanced the little Impidimp with its steel wing, sending the little creature packing back into the woods. Will quickly recalled Valor and kept trudging on.
Will kept repeating his call every time we entered a new little area, but there was no response from his soldiers. The ground slowly evened out, but the rain worsened. I kept a solid pace for Will's sake, but my lungs and chest ached with every stride. I feared that if we ran into whatever he was scared of, I might just keel over at its knees. Presuming it had knees. I didn't know what to imagine in this forest.
Will finally slowed at the bank of a steady river, capped with the excess runoff of the storm, which only seemed to meet us at this corner before veering off deeper into the trees. Further in, I saw that the extra water crested the bank of the river at the corners. Runoff forged little streams of muddy water throughout the woods.
As we approached, I studied the water with scrutiny. A couple Quagsire paddled in the river near a small clump of Lotad. Further down, a Surskit danced across the surface of the choppy waves, seemingly unbothered. Deeper underwater, even with how wild the current was, I could spot the glowing antennae of Chinchou and Lanturn clinging to the bottom.
Will found a spot where the water skipped over a small ledge and lowered his canteen to it. "We will stock up on fresh water here. While traveling, it is always a good idea to collect fresh water at any given opportunity – you never know how little you could find pure water." He ran his finger under the steady flow. "At a ridge like this, it tends to be its cleanest. Probably not perfect, but the best you might find in the wild. It keeps cold, too. You should find a canteen in your bag."
I found one, and knelt down next to the water to fill it after Will filled three canteens. Snacks ventured a little closer to the water to sniff at it, and a frisky Goldeen popped up inches from her. I grabbed her just in time to avoid a narrow horn attack.
Seeing how frigid and soaked Snacks was, Will offered another cloak from his bag, this one dry. Together we wrapped it around her, pulling the hood taut over her ears before I tucked her back under my arm. Despite the rain, Will took a swig of his water and capped his canteen, lowering it to his belt. I eyed him warily for a moment, more than a little worried. With his comrades disappeared into the woods, and those horrid screams, could we afford this small respite?
"We should keep going," I said, putting my canteen back at the side of my bag. But Will's hand stopped me.
"Give yourself a moment," he warned. "Take a drink of water. You may feel clammy and cold now, but water will not entirely stave dehydration – especially at our pace. Drink it now, while it remains cold. And catch your breath."
As he spoke, he pulled an apple from a side pouch on his bag and split it clean in half with his fingers. He tossed me the other half. "We did not break for long. An extended trip could kill you, even if you think you can persevere. Were I alone, yes, I might trek through these woods until I found some evidence of my friends. But I am not alone, and I do not wish to have another life on my hands. So give yourself a moment, Ryoku."
He even knelt and offered a small blue berry to Snacks, who greedily accepted. I didn't call her Snacks for nothing. Seeing the rationality in his voice, I let myself rest but for a moment. My legs did ache, though I feared far too much for his soldiers to worry about such a thing. I consumed the half of an apple and took a few hearty swigs of water, waiting for Will's go-ahead.
We resumed our path before long, and trudged along the path for well over an hour. Still, we saw no sign of his squad, nor any signs of a struggle on the path. No discarded armor, no blood, nor any baggage spilt across the path. I dared to think they might still be alive, but I wondered if we went the wrong way. Will seemed certain that wasn't the case. They knew these woods like the back of their hand. Getting split up like this should only assure we met further down the trail.
Later on, we came to another bend in the river that jutted out into the path like a scar of the woodlands. Shortly off the path, a short tumble of falls turned into a roaring soundscape in the storm. Will zeroed in on the riverbank, and I had to jog to catch up as he knelt to examine a set of rushed tracks in the mood. It looked to be at least five sets, but they were so marred it was hard to be certain.
To my surprise, Will reached for another ball on his hip, and a different Pokemon was released. This one was a shaggy brown and blue-haired dog – a Herdier, if I wasn't mistaken. It knelt down and sniffed the tracks, then barked twice up at Will. He nodded, thanked the dog, and brought it quickly back into its ball before it could get too drenched. I wished I could do the same for Snacks.
"They were split up," Will murmured. "Five came this way, traveling fast. Something intercepted them here, but there is no blood. They must be safe, for now."
Will knelt next to the water and dipped his hand in. Some feet from his hand, a long blue Pokemon wriggled in anticipation, but Will didn't get any closer. When he spoke, it was hard to hear him over the short roaring falls. "The rain is heavier up ahead. The normal flow of the river is accelerated more than it should be. Much of it is warmer rainwater, not glacial runoff as it should normally be at this elevation. I pray the bridge ahead is still intact."
I gulped. Something about his wording made me fearful of this bridge.
"They crossed here either way," Will told me. "I would rather we take the bridge, for multiple reasons. It should be safer on the other side.
He led the way alongside the rapid river and past the screaming falls. The mist from the falls sprayed us with a cold shower as we passed, and I wrapped myself and Snacks tighter in my cloak for warmth. The slope was muddy and tougher to climb than the path had been, but Will helped me after making short work of it himself. It was becoming harder to see as, true to Will's word, the rain already started to pick up.
When we came to the bridge ahead, I halted in my tracks. It was a rickety old thing straight out of the worst kinds of movies. It crossed the river and was only about narrow enough for a person astride. I picked up a faint creaking noise on the wind, and realized it belonged to the ropes currently swinging from the force of the waves. Churning waters rammed the bottom of the footbridge. When it tossed, I could see the boards stretching quite far apart. All too easy to tumble through.
"It is our only option," Will said firmly, speaking loudly over the churning river. "This bridge has seen worse weather, I promise you. If we can cross it, we will sever the rope behind us. Perhaps then we can shake our pursuer."
I hesitated, both surprised and alarmed at his words. "Our pursuer?" I echoed hopelessly. "What of your squad? There were only five sets of tracks. We don't know if everyone got across, or if they even head the same way…" I gripped my knife at my hip, more of out of self-reassurance than anything. "Will, if you think we can face… whatever it is, I will stand with you."
"I do not believe the option exists," he replied in a tone that immediately sent a chill down my spine. The idea had occurred to him, and he sounded like he'd realized it was out of our hands a long time ago. "Besides, there are other ways to cross the river, even to those not as resourceful as my group. Perhaps we will find them after we cross, or else they are further ahead. There are many crossroads in these woods, but they know where we were going."
He cast a haunted glance over my shoulder – I looked, but saw nothing but darkness and rain. I thought I could hear some distant noise amid the storm, but it was impossible to tell if it was alien or not. When I turned back, Will looked grave. "Besides, I assure you that battling this entity is impossible. Escape is our only chance of survival."
"Are you certain?" I asked. "You mentioned something about bounties in the woods earlier…"
He searched my eyes. "Ryoku, you have a goal, do you not? A lofty one, and something that places this little one's life in your hands. I do not know what it could be, nor do I dare guess, but I wager it must be truly valuable." He smiled at me – it couldn't hide the gravity in his eyes. "I believe in you. I believe you can accomplish whatever you set out to do. You have the heart for it, but I am unsure you have the mind. Can you accomplish your goal if you prowl these woods aimlessly for days? Seeking out friends that may beat us to the Capital's Pokemon Center, sitting with cups of hot cocoa?"
"I…"
I hesitated. Will's words hit home. Still, what if we pressed forward with his friends lost behind us? I couldn't voice that opinion now, not when it looked like he was trying his hardest to think about anything else. I had to swallow my hesitation. Here was Will, but one of his squad, able to guide me seamlessly through the woods even as panic nipped at his heels. Surely his friends were capable of the same level of skill. They had to be able to find their way, especially the ones banded together.
"Come," he told me, and he stepped onto the first rung of the bridge. "It is sturdier than it looks."
That was the first time I didn't fully trust the words coming from Will's mouth. Still, I didn't have much choice. Tucking a grumbling Snacks under my arm, I followed Will to the first step of the bridge.
"Do not let yourself get frazzled! Think of stairs – they creak with age, but they do not collapse so easily! We still have multiple nights to spend in these woods, my friend!"
It took his last comment for me to face him as he started out further onto the bridge, strolling as easily as though he headed to the Fallen Unicorn for a round of beers. I thought back to our banter about drunks in the woods, and almost chuckled aloud at the idea. What I wouldn't give for there to just be angry drunks in these woods. If only a bustling inn and a warm fire in the hearth awaited us on the other side of this bridge. I'd take on all those drunks myself if Oliver, Leif, Alex, and the others were all waiting at the other end.
I surged forward, not considering our combined weight on the bridge until it swayed vicariously. Cool air and mist throttled me as I flailed, sure that I was about to plummet – but a strong hand grabbed my arm. "Steady yourself! This is not a tightrope, Ryoku – just a bridge! Here, let me take your bag and things. Just hold Snacks – there, unburdened! Come on!"
Will let go after robbing me of my bag, bow, and quiver, and he easily strolled ahead with all of it. I still stumbled as soon as he let go, clutching a whining Snacks close to my chest, but I steadied myself this time. I dared not look down at the waves that sloshed over my already-drenched boots, or the waves that reached up at us like giant hands trying to take me to an underwater lair.
I tried to step in a rhythm, keeping my feet slower than my racing chest, but it was hard to keep my footing on the slippery bridge. Holding Snacks tight to me with one arm, I kept one hand gripping the rope bridge until my hand bled, dragging myself forward. If I could've snapped my fingers to get off this bridge and land in a circle of angry drunks, I'd be snapping up a beat right now.
A distant noise caused me to lift my head. I felt Snacks stir against my chest. Will, standing near the end of the bridge, froze entirely. His neck craned, and he turned to face upstream with an expression I couldn't see.
My ears picked up the strange note in the air again, something I'd batted aside with the assurance that it was just some normal ambiance of the woods. Now, however, it began to pick up, ringing between the sloshing waves and the torrential downpour in oddly clairvoyant tones. It almost sounded like a flute, though there was an odd atmosphere to the sound that made my hair stand up on end. Even against me, Snacks bristled.
It wasn't until I saw Will break into a dead run ahead of me that I clued in.
The noise elevated somehow above the din of rain and waves – and it closed in, fast.
Run.
The ice shattered. I forced myself into a run, clutching Snacks with both arms now, and could have easily broken my legs if I couldn't time my pounding steps with the huge gaps between the boards. The sound ascended in volume. There was a beautiful, haunting tone to it at first – but as it grew in volume, it slowly began to sound more like a harrowing, bloodcurdling shriek.
If I briefly felt I was overreacting, my mind resolved itself when Will jumped the last several steps of the bridge, and he freed his lance from over his back like an unleashed scorpion tail. In the same movement, Valor ripped free from her Pokeball, her arriving shriek deafened by the noise of whatever approached.
Then I saw something else. A shape, some sort of entity that caught my eye from upstream. For a moment, it looked only like a dark green cloak hurtling from somewhere in the trees. But it flew with purpose and horrific speed – straight at me.
The shrieking elevated until I couldn't even hear the water. I wanted to cover my ears, but I couldn't let go of Snacks. In fact, I realized, I couldn't move – not once I saw the hooded red eyes amidst the green cloak-like entity, or the twin sets of ivory claws that appeared on either side.
One single noise shot out now, briefly above the shrieking. The splitting of rope, the snapping of wood. Before I could fully comprehend what happened, Snacks and I hit the water like ice. The force of my fall sucked us down, and water filled my lungs at an alarming rate. I saw Snacks emerge from my arms, and her form shifted like seconds into a long, scaly Vaporeon once more.
I struggled to free myself of the icy clutches of the river, reaching for Snacks as she propelled herself with all her might toward me, but I only sank deeper. I knew the current had me, latching onto me as if the river was a dangerous monster of its own. Every frenzied attempt to pedal back to Snacks only served to drag me deeper. Pressure built up into my chest, only forcing more water down my lungs. A Huntail shot past me, garbling its angry warnings. A couple Magikarp parted ways for me to sink into the dragging abyss.
Unwittingly, I thought of what Will said moments ago, just before clambering onto that forsaken bridge. He believed in me. I hadn't told him much – hardly anything, really, just enough to feel some of my inner guilt wash away – but he believed in me.
Here I was, unable to reach Snacks, thrown from the bridge into the relentless river by some mysterious cloaked creature, worlds away from anything close to more clues about my goal.
Faces flashed across my vision. A strawberry-blond girl, her blue irises like the clearest summer sky, her freckles like sunspots in my vision. I could almost feel the warmth of her smile. My redheaded friend, his grin contagious, his golden eyes warm and bold. And Snacks, the little Eevee who'd become my fast friend. Was I to let them all down so early? Should I have taken the forest more seriously?
It was no use. Despite my best efforts to rouse myself and free myself from a watery grave, my arms felt pinned by the current. Not even a giant could free themselves from this vicious undertow, and I certainly wasn't even a giant.
I tried to scream out at Snacks as she propelled herself toward me, struggling against the water, but it was no use. She was no aquatic Pokemon, even though she could turn into this form at will – she didn't have knowledge of how to swim with the current. It was hopeless, and if she pursued me, she'd only die as well.
My arms felt like lava ran through them, and my lungs much the same. My chest seemed to sink with me. The waves would swallow us both here and end our journey as quickly as it had begun. The clear water would now be our grave as it became black as night, swallowing first me, then Snacks, into its unforgiving darkness.
The last thing my mind conjured up was the slightest, most infinitesimal touch of human skin – and the water turned to fire.