It didn't take long for Seph and Lyra to reach the spot on the shoreline that Noctowl marked. Seph had his head buried in the map he was staring at as he came to a stop.
"Alright, the cave entrance should be around here somewhere." Seph announced. "Let's get looking!"
Lyra stopped and started to take in her surroundings.
This place looked no different from the rest of the coast. White rocks and gentle waves were all that surrounded her. There was no sign of a cave entrance in the rocky cliffs that led inland. The seaside was beautiful, but not helpful for their search. Lyra did notice something peculiar up ahead, though. "Hey Seph," Lyra said, "check out those cliffs up ahead of us."
Lyra pointed to a part of the coast a little up the way from where they were. The coast bent inward, and the rocky path close to the ocean that they were walking along disappeared, swallowed up by the cliffs. They wouldn't be able to go further along the coast unless they swam: there were only sheer walls of rock.
"If I were to hide a secret guild in a cave somewhere," Lyra pondered, "I'd put the entrance halfway up a hard-to-reach place. Like those cliffs."
Seph nodded. "Oh, good thinking! Let's check it out! Can you hold this for me, please?" Seph held out his tote bag with the map sticking out of it, waiting for Lyra to grab it.
Lyra grabbed the bag with her mouth, without even asking what Seph was planning to do.
That was her first mistake.
Seph walked closer to the sheer rock wall, stretching his arms above his head. He started to roll his shoulders and crack his neck from side to side, like he was warming up for something.
Ah. Lyra realized his plan.
He was going to climb up the wall.
She dropped the bag from her mouth so that she could scold Seph properly. "You're not seriously going to climb up there, Seph."
Seph smiled. "Why not? I can probably do it! My older brother is huge on rock climbing. I picked up a thing or two from him. Trust me!"
Lyra sighed. There was no winning this argument. "Just be careful, okay? You only need to climb halfway up, see if you can spot any entrances, then come back down. That's it. Got it?"
"Got it! Now check this out!"
Seph stood on the edge of the rocky path. He backed up, then ran forward, leaping off the edge of the platform. He was on a trajectory to catch onto the cliff that rose straight out of the water.
As Seph reached out with both his paws to grab onto the approaching rock, Lyra watched as his hands phased directly through the wall.
Her and Seph were equally shocked as the rest of his body flew right through the solid rock. Lyra could only see his confused expression for a split second before his head, too, flew through the rock. Seph's twin tails disappeared behind the stone, and he was no longer visible.
Splash!
Lyra heard the sound of something hitting water.
"Holy shit! Seph! Seph where'd you go! What happened?" She shouted, running towards the cliff. Panic started to well up in her throat.
Seph's voice answered her, clear as day. "I'm okay! I'm okay. Haha, that's awesome! You gotta check this out Lyra! Jump through the rock!"
What? No.
Lyra wasn't going to jump into a rock. Even if Seph was okay, how could she know that the same thing would happen to her? For all she knows about this insane place, she might just slam into the cliff, or worse. That's all besides the main point, which is how the hell can someone phase through solid stone like that? Was it another move Seph knows or-
"I can see you hemming and hawing out there! Just jump through! It's safe - I promise."
Fine.
Lyra trusted Seph more than she probably should for someone she met a few hours ago. If he said it was okay, it probably was.
"Alright. I'm coming through. You better be right!"
Lyra leaped towards the rock, bracing for a collision that never came. She opened her squinted eyes just enough to watch herself fly straight through the cliff. . She didn't feel anything as she soared through it. No touch, no pressure, nothing. It was like jumping through empty air.
She landed in water, with Seph floating next to her. She turned around to look at the wall she flew through. From this side, it was transparent, and Lyra could see the outside world. She could see Seph's bag, sitting alone and untended on the rock. They could go back for it later, Lyra decided. There's more important things going on right now.
"What was that? That wall… was it an illusion or something? " Lyra asked her question as she gently bobbed up and down in the water. A million more questions started to fill her head. "How does that even work? There's nothing like that where I'm from…"
Seph whispered back a response. "Uh, Lyra, I think that wall is the least interesting thing here. You might want to turn around."
Lyra splashed in the water to turn her body around. She looked to see whatever Seph was talking about.
Ah.
Inside the cove, three large sailing ships stood in the water, tied up to wooden docks. One of them was a truly massive, multi-decked ship. Lyra figured it must be a galleon. Several smaller sailboats were also in the cove: cutters, sloops, and catamarans all bobbed up and down with the weak waves, tied together in a corner. Further past the dock, some wooden buildings were in the cove, obscured by the imposing figure of the sailing ships.
Lyra looked up. The cove was massive. She couldn't see the ceiling of the cave, it was too dark and too high up. What she could see were murals painted onto the rocky walls. The walls were battered into canvases of smooth, uniform stone from what must be centuries of weathering. Rows of lit torches lined the cavern's walls, the orange firelight flickering and dancing over the paintings.
Lyra recognized what the mural on the right wall was supposed to be: it depicted a menacing white and orange monkey creature with flames spouting out of its head. That could only be Infernape.
The mural on the left wall depicted an equally intimidating black-furred creature with sharp claws and long red hair, poised as if ready to strike. Lyra reasoned that this must be Zoroark. A pair of portraits; one for the guildmaster and one for her right-hand-man, watching over the entrance of the cove.
"Holy shit." Lyra whispered, trying to stay composed. "Seph, this is it! We found the guild! This is crazy!"
Seph was about to shout an excited response back to Lyra, but caught himself. He realized they should probably try to be at least a little quiet. "I know!" He whispered. "We did it! We made it!" He grabbed Lyra with his hands and playfully shook her back and forth. "You were right, Lyra! You were dead on with the cave thing! Holy shit! Come on, we gotta go say hi!"
Seph started pushing Lyra through the water and closer to the dock, using his tails for propulsion. Lyra decided to just not move, letting Seph push her. Her wool was surprisingly buoyant if the inside stayed dry, so she could float without much effort. Like a built-in life vest.
Seph got to the dock, and climbed up before helping Lyra up.
Once they were both up, Seph looked at the galleon to their left, the hull just a couple feet away from him. He extended a hand, and carefully stroked the side of the ship. He was delicate with his touch, like petting a newborn animal. "The Wayfinder…" He whispered.
Lyra could swear there were stars in his eyes.
"Come on, Seph." Lyra whispered. "You can check out the boats later, once you join the guild. We have to actually find the guildmaster, first." Lyra looked at the buildings that stood further inside the cove. They were all made of wood, and varied in size; from a couple to shacks to a massive building in the far back of the cove. "She's probably in one of these buildings, right? Maybe we can check that out."
Seph was pulled out of his boat-induced trance. "Right, yeah… Guildmaster first, boats later. Alrighty!"
The two of them started to walk through the cove. Lyra moved slowly when they approached the buildings, still nervous about the possibility of a violent encounter. Seph was decidedly less nervous. He walked up to one of the larger buildings and knocked on the door.
"Hello?" He asked. "Anybody there? I want to join the guild? Please? Anybody?" The only response he got was an anxious gulp from Lyra. He was not deterred, though. He approached another building, and delivered the same speech. No response. He was not deterred, though. He approached another another building, and-
TWANG!
Lyra and Seph immediately turned around, where the noise came from. Both of them immediately recognized the sound, despite Lyra's memory loss: that was the sound of a rope snapping under pressure. A lot of pressure. Lyra knew that's the kind of malfunction that could lead to pure destruction. If one rope snapped, the others would probably-
TWANG!
TWING!
TWONG!
Yup.
They could see where the ropes were breaking, now. They were the ropes on the deck of the Wayfinder. They seemed to be connected to the main mast. They were part of the rigging that kept the sails and counterweights in place. If those ropes all broke…
"The mast is gonna fall!" Seph shouted. He started sprinting towards the ship, getting down on all fours to move faster. He was determined to stop that ship from breaking.
"Seph! Wait!" Lyra shouted, but it was too late. His mind was set.
That's fine. That's alright. Lyra figured He'll be okay. Probably.
A loud cracking sound filled the air. It sounded like a great tree groaning and creaking before eventually falling over. It was the noise of wood that was about to break.
Seph was right.
Lyra turned away from the scene at the dock and started running through the cove, calling out for anyone to help.
"Hey! The ship's falling apart! We need help! Someone! The mast is gonna fall!" She kept running through the buildings. She was near the back of the cove now. She still hadn't seen a single person.
"HELLO?! Anybody?!" The Mareep was panting now, taking shaky breaths.
She couldn't hear noise coming from the ship. The cracking stopped.
Maybe Seph fixed it? She couldn't tell. The ship was obscured by all the buildings.
Still, she should find someone from the guild so they know what's happening. Where the fuck are they? She was deep in the cove now. So deep that the sunlight from the entrance had faded, and the torches lining the walls were the only lightsource. In the darkness, Lyra still didn't see anybody. This is their guild, they should be here. Lyra started walking to one of the largest buildings. She was fed up with this unexplainable ghost town. Maybe some guild members were inside?
As she approached the building, a voice called out from behind her.
"Mareep!" The voice shouted. It was a deep voice. A coarse voice. It was the voice of someone who was used to shouting out orders.
It took Lyra a moment to remember that she was, in fact, Mareep. She quickly spun around to face whoever spoke. From the other wall of the cove, somebody was running towards her. They looked like… a samurai? Kind of? They had what looked like an axe blade connected to their head, and blades on their arms. They jogged over to Lyra, waving a metallic hand in the air.
"Mareep! There you are. I thought you went and got yourself killed, kid. Don't ever pull a stupid fucking stunt like that again, you hear me?"
Lyra was too confused to respond.
The bladed figure continued. "Looks like I found you at a good time, though: Zoroark's entire guild is out right now. Good timing for us. I already got everything we needed. We can leave now, before they come back. Ready to get out of here?"
It took Lyra another moment before she could respond. What the hell was happening here? What is this guy talking about? And, most of all-
"Who the fuck are you?"
Oh. She said that last bit out loud.
Lyra immediately shut her mouth and stared at this Pokémon with wide eyes. She didn't even know she had it in her to say something so vulgar to someone that could so clearly rip her throat out. What was wrong with her?
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Mareep?"
Well, at least this guy agreed with her.
"Drop the act; your mission is over. We need to go, now." The Pokémon turned around and started walking further into the cove, signaling for Lyra to follow.
Lyra spoke to him as he walked away. She did not follow him. "What? No. I don't even know who you are, man. And I'm not leaving. I'm here to talk to the guildmaster with my friend. I'm not going with you."
The other Pokémon turned around. There was a look in his eyes that could only be described as killing intent.
"Say that. Again." He growled.
Lyra suddenly became much less confident than she was moments ago.
"I-I'm not going with you." She repeated.
The Pokémon stepped closer. Lyra stood her ground. She did her best to not show any fear. It was difficult: This guy looked like he could slice her in half if he wanted to.
He was a couple feet away from Lyra now. He crouched down to look her in the eyes before speaking. "What are you, a deserter? A traitor among my crew? I am giving you one more chance, kid." He spoke slowly and methodically. "Come back with me to the ship. Now."
That's not good.
Lyra tried to weigh her options quickly. There was no way she was going with this guy. But if she tried to keep standing her ground, he might indeed want to cut her in half. She needed another out, quickly.
Time to break out ol' reliable.
She held her eyes up to meet the Pokémon's gaze. She slowly opened her mouth as if she was about to speak.
Then, she turned and started running. She broke off in a sprint, getting ready to race towards the ship where Seph must still be.
Unfortunately, she didn't get very far this time. Before she could take a second step, she felt a hand clamp down on her wool and yank her up in the air. Lyra kicked and twisted about in her attacker's grip, to no avail.
The Pokémon rotated his hand to make Lyra face him.
If Lyra wasn't panicking before, she was now. She started shouting, desperate for anything to get her out of here. "Help! Seph! Zoroark! Please, someone!"
The other Pokémon started to laugh as he held her. Lyra couldn't help but notice it was a strange laugh. It was higher pitched than what she would expect from the gruff Pokémon. He began to speak, and the voice that came out was not the one she expected, either. It was a woman's voice.
"How's that for proof, Milo? 'Working for Bisharp' my arse! I told ya you should give her the benefit of the doubt!"
Lyra heard the door behind her squeak open. She couldn't turn around to see who it was on account of her still being suspended 3 feet off the ground, but she still recognized the voice that spoke next.
"Ah, shit. You were right as rain, guildmaster. I'm sorry for getting all worked up over nothin'. I shouldn't have been so quick to act." That genteel Southern drawl could belong to only one Pokémon.
Lyra watched as the skin of the blade-Pokémon holding her started to shift. It looked like the skin was rippling and morphing. Their body became blurry, like they were out of focus. Then the silhouette of the Pokémon changed, still blurry and unclear. Their sharp blades morphed into more natural body features, and a large plume of hair stuck out of the back of their head.
Wait a second.
Lyra finally understood what was happening.
She watched as the rest of the transformation quickly finished. There, holding Lyra off the ground, was Guildmaster Zoroark. She had a leather eyepatch covering her left eye, and held a clever smile on her face.
The guildmaster slowly lowered the ruffled Mareep to the ground, then let go of her.
"I appreciate it Milo," Zoroark said, "but I'm not the one who's due an apology here, you oaf." Zoroark looked at Lyra, then behind her at Infernape.
Lyra turned around so she could see Infernape again. He was standing in front of the open door. Through the doorway, Lyra could make out at least a dozen other Pokémon inside the building. A couple of them sheepishly waved at her.
Infernape cleared his throat and directed his attention towards Lyra. "Right. I'm real sorry about what happened earlier, miss. I just… I dunno, I jumped to conclusions when I shouldn't have. I didn't even give you a chance to explain yourself. And you coulda died, for Arceus' sake! It's a good thing that little fella was there to catch you, miss. I hope you can forgive me, eventually."
Lyra was still a bit too confused to give Infernape a response. Besides, she was still angry at him for chasing her off a cliff. Instead, she turned to the guildmaster. "So, I'm guessing the boat breaking apart was an illusion as well?" Lyra asked.
Zoroark gave a hearty laugh. "Ha! You catch on quick Ms. Mareep. Yes, I must admit that we staged your entire arrival. I do apologize for the trickery, but we had to make sure you weren't what my hot-headed friend here suspected."
Lyra nodded along. This was definitely a peculiar way to test someone's allegiance, but she somewhat understood. Then, she remembered something rather important.
"Oh, hang on! Guildmaster Zoroark, where's Seph? Er, Buizel, I suppose. The Pokémon I came in with. He's safe, right?"
Zoroark pointed towards the opening of the cave. "Don't worry, Ms. Mareep. Your answer's right there."
Lyra saw Seph, with both his hands and feet tied, being carried by a Pokémon that vaguely resembled a bipedal dinosaur. A small white and blue bird wearing a bag hopped alongside them. When Seph saw Lyra, he perked up in his captor's hands.
"Lyra! Hey! You're okay! And you found the guildmaster! Good job!"
Zororark pressed a hand into her face when she saw the binded Buizel. "Ah, for Arceus' sake!" She exclaimed, "Mr. Fraxure, I told ya to not do anything to him! Just keep him quiet, I said. And then you went and done everything but keep him quiet! These folks are guests, not criminals! Unbelievable. Put him down and untie him." She looked down at Lyra. "Apparently, my guild is home to a bunch of violence-prone maniacs."
Seph got untied and went up to Lyra, as Zoroark moved over to the center of the buildings. Seph was about to whisper something, but the guildmaster interrupted with a shout before he could.
"EXPLORERS, LINE UP! ARE WE MANIACS, EXPLORERS?"
The Pokémon in the building piled out, lining up in front of Zoroark. Some more came out of other buildings. There were way more than a dozen, Lyra realized. About 40 Pokémon were lined up in rows in front of the Zoroark. Infernape stood by her side.
"NO MA'AM!" They shouted back.
"Then prove it to me by giving our visitors a warm welcome! Say hello to Mareep!"
"HELLO MAREEP!" The crowd responded.
"And let's give a big 'welcome home' to Buizel here!"
"WELCOME HOME, BUIZEL!"
A few Pokémon clapped or gave a wave to Seph as they shouted.
Lyra wondered what 'welcome home' meant in this context, but she figured now was not the time to ask.
"Now," Zoroark continued, "I need to make an announcement. Crew, if we're suspicious of a Pokémon we don't know, are we going to chase them off a cliff?"
"NO MA'AM!"
"Are we going to tie them up and parade them around like a trophy?"
"NO MA'AM!"
"Or are we finally going to have some fucking common sense in this guild and report the sighting to me?"
"YES MA'AM!"
"There we go. See, folks? That wasn't too hard." She looked right at Infernape while she spoke that last sentence. "Alrighty, dinner in one hour. If anybody managed to scrape together some info about the new Dungeon on Marton, come talk to me. Otherwise, dismissed!"
The group of Pokémon broke off, some heading back into the buildings and others heading towards the docks. Zoroark turned towards Seph and Lyra, who were standing next to each other.
"Now then," Zoroark continued, "what brings you two to our guild?" She looked at Seph. "I figure you're looking to join up, eh? You too, Mareep?"
Seph was the first to respond. "Yeah! I'm looking to join up. My friend isn't, though: She's looking for information, and I thought your guild might have what she needs! Wanna tell her, Lyra?"
Lyra nodded, getting ready to speak. She wondered if telling people that she is from a different world and was transformed into a Mareep with no memory would sound insane.
It probably would.
She decided it would be best to skirt around the truth. "Right. Uh, Guildmaster Zoroark, have you ever heard of humans before?"
Zoroark closed her eye and started to scratch her chin, lost in thought.
"Humans… Let's see… Heard the word before, that's for sure. Though, I can't remember where I heard it from…" Zoroark opened her eye. "Ey, Milo!" She shouted.
Infernape, who was rifling through a wooden crate, snapped to attention.
"You ever hear the word 'human' before?" Zoroark asked.
Infernape did the exact same chin-scratching pose for a moment before responding. "I think so. Reckon something in the archive mentions it. Want me to go fetch the list?"
"Yes, please." Zoroark replied. Infernape ducked into a building, and Zoroark gave her attention back to Seph and Lyra. "It does get me to wondering though," Zoroark continued, "where did you hear that word if you're asking us about it?"
"It's, uh, a pretty common thing where I'm from. I don't remember where I'm from, though. We think that I have amnesia of some sort. I woke up on this island without much memory. I was hoping that you might know where humans are from, so that I could get back there." Lyra decided she wouldn't lie to Zoroark. She would just tell half-truths.
Zoroark spoke back to Lyra, a tinge of sympathy in her voice. "Amnesia, eh? That'd explain why you didn't even recognize my Bisharp disguise. We'll do what we can to help you out, Ms. Mareep, but unfortunately for you I believe our hands may be tied."
Lyra pondered on what that could possibly mean as Infernape emerged from the building and delivered a rolled-up scroll to Zoroark. The guildmaster unfurled it and peered at whatever was written on it. She stepped away from Seph and Lyra so that they couldn't get a look at the text. Zoroark's gaze stopped half way down the scroll.
"There we are. That's why the word sounded familiar. 'Concerning Humans: Creatures From Another World'." That's the name of a book."
Lyra's ears perked up. Creatures from another world? So she really was on her own, then. But, if somebody wrote a whole book about them, maybe they knew how a human can suddenly appear here, like how she did. Even if they didn't, a book about humans was still a good place to start.
"That would be perfect." Lyra said. "Does your guild have a library? Where can I get this book?"
Zoroark lightly grimaced. "There's… a bit of a catch, Ms. Mareep."
Lyra sighed. Of course there's a catch.
"This book… it's hidden in an important place. A mighty important place, I'd say. And I cannot just tell you how to get there. That'd be endangerment of classified information, ya know."
And there it is. Another dead end. Lyra's ears drooped down as she felt defeat take over her.
"...However," Zoroark continued, "there are some things that I can tell you. Things like how all guild members that have proven themselves are told how to get to that important place. And that we are always eager to take on more members, if you would suddenly be so inclined." It seemed like Zororark was trying to wink by closing her right eye, but with her eyepatch it just looked like she was scrunching her eyes shut.
Lyra was picking up what she was putting down. "And, if you don't mind me asking, how long does 'proving yourself' usually take?" She asked.
Zoroark had that sly smile again. "Ah, shouldn't take much time at all if you apply yourself! Only a month of guild work, I'd wager. And, you already have yourself a mate here." She gestured at Seph. "That month'll fly by! What do you say, miss? Care to join our humble little Exploration Guild?" She extended her hand towards Lyra, offering a handshake.
Lyra looked at the outstretched hand, then at Seph. If his eyes could shine any brighter it would be blinding. He was clearly ecstatic at the thought of having Lyra joining the guild with him.
Lyra decided it was a pretty obvious choice. This place would provide food and housing for her, and give her the info she wanted, eventually. It was a much better option than aimlessly wandering around this island. She raised her front hoof and placed it in Zoroark's hand. "Fuck it. Let's do this."
Zoroark shook Lyra's hoof. "Now that's the kind of attitude I like to see! The two of ya can follow Mr. Infernape; he'll get all your paperwork done and get you registered. It's the least he can do for almost killing one of you. Isn't that right, Milo?"
Infernape had nothing to say at this point. He just sighed as he accepted his verbal abuse. He knew that the guildmaster would not be letting go of this one for a while.
"Alright folks," he muttered, "let's get your Exploration Team registered. Come on and follow me."
As she followed Infernape, Lyra felt Seph put a hand on her back. His face was flush with awe and wonder. This was a lot for him. Step one of his dream was finally coming to fruition. He squeezed tight on a patch of Lyra's wool and whispered to her, trying to not let the guild's higher ups hear his excitement.
"We're gonna be an Exploration Team! We're gonna be an Exploration Team! Holy shit Lyra, we're gonna actually form an Exploration Team!"
Both Infernape and Zoroark chuckled as they clearly heard Seph's exclamation.
The soon-to-be Exploration Team entered the registration building, their newfound ambition burning as bright as the suns.
In the middle of the cove, a small Wingull hopped closer to Zoroark. The guildmaster was reading through the dusty scroll that Infernape handed her. She didn't even see the Wingull, with how close to the ground they were. The Wingull cleared their throat and tried their best to speak with a steady voice.
"Uh, excuse me, Guildmaster Zoroark. I'm really sorry to interrupt whatever you're doing and I really don't want to be a bother or anything but-"
"Oh, Alex!" The guildmaster interrupted them. She rolled up the scroll and tucked it away. "I almost forgot you were here! I'm so sorry my lovely, you're all good to go! Thank you for telling us those two were coming. You made everything here move a whole lot smoother. And just remember now; if your old man ever treats you too harshly at the post office, you'll always have a spot here in the guild. Now off you go, little one! I bet you still have a long night of deliveries left!"
Alex saluted the guildmaster with their wing. "Yes guildmaster! Thank you so much, guildmaster! I'll be on my way now!" They were about to take off, before remembering one more thing. "Oh, and if you see my cousin let him know I hope he's doing well!" Alex didn't wait for a response before taking to the air and quickly flying out of the cove and towards Alkai. Zoroark was right: they still had a long list of deliveries for the night, and the sooner they got started they better.
Alex allowed their mind to wander as they prepared for the long flight. Maybe joining Zoroark's Guild could be fun…
There would certainly be a lot less flying. Less getting shouted at by customers. Less time stuck on the same island with no time for travel. Less dropping letters into the sea. Less being reprimanded for being five minutes behind schedule.
But then again, who's to say? Maybe Alex would actually like it less than their current job. There's an awful lot of drudgery and danger involved in guild work. It would probably stress them out more than a simple mail delivery job.
Yes, Alex decided, it was probably just a 'greener on the other side' type of situation. They were quite happy with being a mail person, actually. They didn't need such a sudden career change.
They spent the rest of the hour-long flight to Alkai dreaming of forming an Exploration Team with their cousin.
