June 20th, First Year
Ingo didn't think he would ever get used to flying places, especially atop such a loud and vivacious pokémon. The Mandibuzz escorting him gave a hearty squawk as an unsettling turbulence descended upon them, Ingo tightening his grip in the ruff of the pokémon's feathers as they glided through the swirling fog. Curtains of snow raced past them, the mid-afternoon chill settling its clawed fingers into Ingo's skin. He breathed deeply and narrowed his eyes as the waves of mist before them parted. The cold, he was used to. The fog? Not so much. It was not usual weather for the Coronet Highlands in the middle of summer. It was the reason that Ingo was ever so grateful to have his particular Mandibuzz as his so-called "ride pokémon". While Freight was an excellent conductor on the down track from Mount Coronet, his trusty pokémon had wings built for gliding; not for supporting additional weight.
"Take him," Jaku had told him curtly, her smaller frame trembling as they had walked side-by-side along the wooden docks.
"So I was right in presuming that this pokémon belongs to you?"
Silence. Jaku had not responded to his simple question but then, her behavior that day had been rather odd. Ingo had caught his fellow faller holed up inside of her hut, warned by Adaman- the leader of the Diamond Clan- that the solitary ranger had been acting rather strangely since the morning of. He had asked her about it and in turn, the woman had brusquely pushed his questions aside, not quite meeting his gaze.
"Just… keep him for a little longer. I'm sure he could use the chance to stretch his wings."
Ingo was grateful, yes, but also confused. He would be lying if he said that he didn't desire to be closer with his fellow fallers. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about what kinds of tasks the others were given… And he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't all too thrilled to follow his predestined tracks to the Alabaster Icelands. There, in the cold, frozen steppes, was the object that his unknown guardian had sent him after: the Lustrous Orb.
And why do I need that? What is a Lustrous Orb? A tingling sensation burned at the base of his neck. Ingo scrunched his hands deeper into the Mandibuzz's feathers. I should know that item! It's almost on the tip of my tongue what it does! What it's for! Ingo paused. What pokémon it's for.
Whatever the item's purpose was, Ingo was merely satisfied that his journey to and from the icelands would be relatively short due to his newly accrued conductor. Any other time he was summoned back to the Pearl Settlement, it would take an entire week accounting for both inclement weather, wild pokémon, sudden landslides and the like. Flying atop Mandibuzz let him relax and take in the view, albeit with a renewed fear of heights.
Like a visage, the clouds parted overhead and the great rocky expanse of the Coronet Highlands came to light. From up high, Ingo could not discern where the highlands started nor where they stopped. The snow-covered mountains gleamed coldly in the weak sunlight, perilous gales tossing plumy clouds of smoke off into the sky. Ice glittered. The suffocating silence began to set in.
Ingo gently pulled upward on the Mandibuzz's ruff. The large pokémon gave a terrible croaking sound before dipping gracefully toward the closest cliff, extending its large talons as it carefully landed. Ingo had grown used to the jerky gait of the bird-pokémon as it tore across the land kicking up showers of pebbles as it slowly came to a stop.
"Aauurk!"
"Indeed." Ingo carefully hoisted himself off and stood, letting the freezing winds tussle with his coat and haori. He had missed it. The silence. The whistling winds. The solitude. He turned to the Mandibuzz, graciously tipping his hat as the large bird nuzzled its beak into the flaps of Ingo's tunic. "I believe it is best that we rest our engines for the cold flight ahead. You wouldn't mind too terribly, would you?"
The Mandibuzz gave itself a thorough shake, stretching its beak wide before sticking its head back into Ingo's jacket fold. "Auk."
"Of course. Coach, all aboard! Please help escort us to our home station if you will!"
Ingo's routes along the highlands were never quite the same in a given week. Some days, the tracks were covered in snow or mud. Some days, different pokémon would show up and either stall his progress on his surveys or they would follow behind him like a caboose… What is a caboose? A silly, but enjoyable word, he mused to himself.
That day, he had sighted something odd on the Sonorous Path. Something blue and white and yellow meandering around the lower valley just barely hidden by the trees. Ingo had stopped to take a closer look.
It was a person. A very tall person; most likely a merchant from what they were wearing and from the large rucksack that they carried on their person. They limped along a beaten trail near the riverbank, occasionally turning back to stare at two pokémon that followed behind them. One, Ingo immediately recognized to be a Vespiquen and a startlingly large one at that. The other was a small, flying pink pokémon Ingo had never seen before in all his time in Hisui.
He had paused, his hand hovering over his carved flute. He should have called Lady Sneasler to better assist the merchant in arriving at their destination... But he hadn't. He had watched, transfixed, as a gust of wind reached into the valley nearly knocking over the merchant. A white cap had been snatched from the person's head; a hat eerily similar to his. The merchant turned, ruffling their messy silver head before reaffixing their cap, readjusting what looked to be a white-and-red jacket tied around their waist.
White and red? A man that looks almost like me? Jaku said that she had sent the "man" toward the Coronet Highlands. Has it arrived so soon? Ingo balled his fists and quickly shoved the Celestican Flute back into the pockets of his trousers. No. I will host no sympathy for that creature. He turned away from the cliff. He would not fall for that trick again. Not ever. He didn't see that the creature had sighted him too or that it had quickly begun to follow him through the mountains.
The steady sounds of metal striking stone echoed throughout the Chamberclaw Cliffs. Ingo reached one foot down and then the other, letting one ungloved hand carefully strike the side of the cliff to test the holding wall. He hooked his pickaxe back onto his belt and gracefully slid down a section of the cliff. The wind had quieted to the point where Ingo could hear the quiet inquisitive squeaks of Sneaslets as they peered out of their rocky den to stare at him.
"Oh, it's you."
Ingo stiffened. He craned his neck around, catching a glimpse of lavender-hair from his peripheral vision. "Ah. Warden Melli," he responded curtly, taking care to keep his voice low. "To what do I owe the honor?"
"Oh, it is an honor! And it's about time too! I was wondering when you were going to return and do your damned job!" The Diamond Clan warden was glaring, his face swathed by the fur-lined ruff of his tunic. He leaned against a gangly fir tree, his arms crossed and his hands fiddling with the precise embroidering on his tunic sleeves.
"A pleasure to see you as well. Though, it is quite odd for you to make your way down the cliffs. How ever did you come to get down here?"
"By boat." Melli jerked a sharp finger at a spindly-looking canoe. "It's bad enough having to maintain the highlands by myself. Of course, I could and can easily manage these mountains on my own!" the man declared with a flourish of his hands- "But to think I had to paddle all the way here in a rinky-dink canoe of all things just to tell you to get back to work? It's utter nonsense, truly!"
"… You remember where I keep my tent?" Ingo muttered, a sly grin on his face.
Melli quickly shut his mouth. "You- uh- I meant to say- that is- I just have a- a fantastic memory is all! Yes! That's what I meant to say! The Great Melli would easily remember the landmarks of the Coronet Highlands! It is my job to know the territory!"
"My tent is a landmark?" Ingo quipped in an innocent tone, leaning up against the rocky cliff face. "Truly? Is it marked on a map?" Ingo's smile widened as he took a menacing step toward his fellow warden. "On your map, perhaps?"
"Ye- no! No it is not!" Melli grimaced, his face flushing red with embarrassment as he took a cautious step away.
Ingo was having far too much fun as he playfully crossed his arms, tapping a finger against his chin. His silver eyes then lit up. "Ah! You must remember its location from the less-than-fortunate event where you-"
"Yes, yes, yes, I know what you're talking about, warden!" Melli quickly shut him up, covering his mouth with his palm. "You don't need to retell it. I'd rather not remember that, if you'd be so kind."
"But it's such a humorous tale-"
"No, it is not." Melli quickly removed his hand, narrowing his eyes when Ingo's grin remained. "I swear to Sinnoh, old man- if you've gone and blabbered about it, so help me-"
"I haven't," Ingo swore. "...But it is quite humorous."
"Only to you."
"Of course." There was a long pause. Ingo knew how to play Melli's games. He could appreciate a little word play every now and then and let a ghost of a smile play on his lips as Melli huffed from across from him.
"You are the most ridiculous man I have ever met," Melli growled after breaking eye contact with the older warden.
"So you admit that I am of some importance to you then?" Ingo smiled.
Melli made a noise akin to snarling before he attempted to cuff over the head, the pearl clan warden neatly stepping out of the way. "Stop twisting my words, old man!"
June 22nd, First Year
Ingo and his now dearly-beloved aerial conductor were alighting over the Alabaster Icelands, Ingo hunkering down into Mandibuzz's warm feathers as he pulled the collar of his jacket tighter around him, Freight shrieking with glee as it floated alongside them. Not even his specially tailored fur-lined haori would spare him from the bone-chilling cold of his clan's homeland.
The barren expanse of ice and snow shone like a glittering white blanket, forcing Ingo to pull down the visor of his cap as he turned his head away. He would consider himself lucky if he managed to leave without encountering some kind of incident involving snow or ice… or Zoroarks. They were notoriously violent in the icelands.
Lady Irida had once again called for a summoning of the wardens. Ironically enough, flying there would most likely be the first time he was ever on time for a meeting without getting injured in the process.
With a gentle tug on its neck from Ingo, Mandibuzz began to descend through the snow, its head swiveling this way and that way as though it had never seen snow before. It gently landed near Avalugg's Legacy and began sprinting along the snow at top speed until Ingo reared it in just before they hit the edge of the Pearl Clan Settlement.
"Easy now," he murmured, ruffling the pokémon's feathers. He found himself sliding forward at the sudden stop the large bird came to underneath him, his hands feeling oddly exposed as the two came to a complete stop.
Mandibuzz lowered itself so that Ingo could slide down its side and gave him a cheeky nod as he recalled it back into its proper ball. He found himself wishing that he could replicate the shinier, smoother versions of the capsules than the ones the Galaxy Team had taught him how to make. They felt right in his hands. Maybe he would ask Rei next time he saw the boy.
"Warden Ingo. Greetings." The two clansmen at the edge of the settlement bowed as he approached, putting away their bows and arrows. "We've been expecting you. For the summoning of the wardens, right?"
"That is correct," Ingo nodded, tipping his own hat in greetings. "May I enter, gentlemen?"
"Of course," the second scout nodded, perhaps a bit too nervously. "Go right on ahead, Warden Ingo."
The Pearl Clan Settlement had no walls or gates. No moat or border. No. The Pearl Clan Settlement sat at the bottom of a narrow, snow-covered gorge, petrified trees rooted into the sharp walls, catching a meager amount of the snow and hail that often poured down upon the wooden huts and longhouses. Here, snow and ice covered all. The small sections of cobblestone walls beside frost-covered plants, wooden benches and market stalls, roofs and wheelbarrows. Here, snow dampened the sound of everything until all Ingo could hear was the sound of his own breathing and the crunch of his shoes on the ground.
Snow-covered beetroots. Snow-covered potatoes. Patches of frost-covered stones arranged in a neat circle. If there was one thing Ingo remembered about his preferences, it was that he didn't- and never had- liked the cold all that much. And cold was the only thing the Pearl Settlement could be. The choking fog. The unyielding permafrost. He was thankful that it wasn't winter. He dreaded the change of the seasons, feeling his skin shift with unease as the memory of his first, terrible winter in the Alabaster Icelands; memories he knew he shouldn't dwell on.
Ingo had arrived too early. He knew it the moment he saw children playing a game of snow tag between the clustered wooden longhouses, their gleeful faces red from the cold. Children were never allowed outside when the wardens were having a meeting, despite most of the talking taking place in the chief's home. A taboo, from what Ingo knew. No good reason for it.
"Ah! Warden Ingo! You're here spectacularly early! Well, earlier than you usually are." Appearing seemingly out of thin air came a woman, her face and body swaddled in thick furs, an elaborate overcoat shouldering most of the snow and ice as they came to stand before him. The woman smiled and gave Ingo a curt nod. "Welcome back."
"Lady Irida." Ingo reflexively took off his hat and bowed as Irida approached. He gestured toward the small children flittering about."I believe I am too early for the meeting of the wardens, is that correct?"
"Oh yes, definitely. And you don't have to bow," Irida added quietly, shooting him an amused look. "I thought I told you to stop doing that ages ago. Back when I first became the leader."
"My apologies, Lady Irida-"
"Just Irida," the girl emphasized, crossing her arms as she tried and failed miserably to look authoritarian, folding her dark blonde hair back into her hood. "You're too tall. Anyway, we're still waiting another three days for Calaba and Lian to make it up here. Especially Lian since he hasn't recovered from all of his injuries just yet."
"I see," Ingo hummed. He would have to pass time for another three days before he could rendezvous with the other wardens and leave. He never did like the meetings; only ever discussions but never plans to put them into motion. Needless squabbles. Despite his reputation, Ingo was never truly taken seriously due to his persistent amnesia and imposing aura. He cleared his throat. "Should I reappear in another three days then?"
"Well, yes. Absolutely. But you shouldn't leave just yet." Irida gave him a small wave; a signal to follow her. "You should spend some more time here in the settlement." At Ingo's look of hesitance, Irida put more pressure on him, resting one hand reassuringly on his back. "I should think your hut here will rot from the frost. And you've come such a long way down from the mountains."
"It took only a few hours to arrive at this station," Ingo corrected her, righting his twitching hand before it went to grasp at the Mandibuzz's pokéball. "It would seem that I've made acquaintances with a new pokémon that can fly most quickly. They helped escort me to this station- they are the reason that I arrived as early as I did."
Irida balked. "You're not talking about your Gliscor, are you?"
"Freight?" Ingo repeated. "No. Freight is still coupled to me, but no. He was not the one to escort me down here." In a quieter note, Ingo added, "I would love to introduce you to my latest passenger, but I'm afraid they are quite rowdy and might frighten the settlement with their earnesty. My apologies, Irida."
His clan leader only shook her head dismissively. "Another pokémon trapped in a pokéball. Don't you already have six? How many more do you need?"
"My newest passenger was coupled with Jaku of the Diamond Clan first, my lady. Jaku was simply… determined to arrive at her destination and wanted to lend me her pokémon so that I might arrive at my own destination faster."
"...I see." Irida then took on a more frigid tone, ducking low as they passed the dining hall, her feet leading them towards another branch in the gorge; the singular huts. "Well, I do hope you can control your newest passenger because I've got something I'd like you to work on while you're here."
"Is that so?" It wasn't often that Irida took a commanding tone around Ingo, especially considering their age difference, but it was something Ingo took interest in. "Nothing too serious, I hope?"
Irida shook her head. "I don't believe so. More wild pokémon have been approaching the settlement during the night. Mostly Swinubs and Bibarels. Sometimes flocks of Rufflets during the day. Nothing too dangerous or scary for the matter. Nothing the scouts can't take care of on their own. I just- you never quite know what pokémon are capable of. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Would you be able to check around? See if anything has made a nest nearby or see if you could figure out what's causing the commotion? Aina has been pestering me about the villagers being frightened by wild pokémon for some time now. It's starting to become irritating."
Ingo was not looking forward to trudging around in the snow all day but he resigned himself to his fate and nodded. "Of course. It would be no trouble at all," he lied. Only for Irida. Where the rest of the Pearl Clan was cold and excessively ruthless in their nitpicking of him, Irida was nothing apart from accepting. She was like a niece to him; a niece that had a particularly high standing in the clan and who determined his own standing as well.
In less than a few minutes, Ingo had realized that Irida had led them to where his own hut was situated. Quiet and still and cold with its window encased in frost and the wooden steps precarious with ice, it was a place Ingo was seldom to frequent, remembering it only thanks to it being a respite of sorts during his first hard months serving the Pearl Clan.
"Here you are," Irida spoke after a while, her hand moving to his shoulder. "I won't need you to check until tomorrow, so you get some rest. Please." Irida turned to leave but paused, adopting a look of worry that Ingo found unsuitable for a clan leader as young as her. "Also, Rani wanted me to mention that there's been sightings of a strange Zoroark creeping around at night. Black like coal with glowing blue eyes. That's all Aina knows about it from what scant reports the scouts send her way."
Ingo stiffened, not bothering to hide his look of displeasure. Ingo… Ingo really disliked Zoroarks. First, it had been the white-and-red alpha that had decided to target him the second he had arrived in Hisui. Now, a creature unlike its brethren had taken to terrorizing the Pearl Settlement. Perhaps it is a special variant. Same creature, different colors. Same terrible disposition, Ingo figured.
There was one thing that Ingo would always agree upon with the Pearl Clan, despite the numerous discrepancies between them; baneful foxes. Particularly, their shared hatred for the vile creatures. It made Ingo a little nauseous to feel so strongly against an entire race of pokémon, but his feelings were not entirely without cause.
He had made a simple, well-intentioned mistake a long time ago approaching an injured Zorua that had nearly frozen to death after falling under an icy stream. Ingo had managed to stop the small creature from floating off with a large broken branch, his former feelings of recognition and familiarity toward the creature loathsome in retrospect. For two days afterward, Ingo had suffered numerous bites and nightmares trying to take care of the poor creature, the Zorua too weak to flee or fight him fully.
Once Ingo believed that the Zorua cub was well-maintained and ready to depart for its home station- back to its parents, presumably- Ingo had tried reintroducing it to an older Zoroark that was nearby. An alpha Zoroark, when Ingo hadn't registered that some pokémon weren't meant to reach the size of adolescent trees.. He had thought that the Zorua would finally leave him be with his fingers intact and that he might get on to wherever his destination was supposed to be. He had been sorely mistaken and if he had been even a tinier bit unlucky, he would've met his demise.
The alpha Zoroark had attacked him. Ingo had guessed that it might. New parent pokémon were prone to lashing out- a fact that he had recalled from his past- but despite his premonition, his instincts hadn't been all there yet nor had his head injury healed fully at the time. It had sunk its teeth into his shoulder- a hair from tearing through his throat- and had taught him a lesson- a vital one. In Hisui, wild pokémon were not friends- they were foes. Capable and wild in every sense of the word. And lest Ingo forget it, the Zoroark had miraculously taken some mercy upon him, leaving him to bleed out in a snowdrift with scars to remember it by; an incident that Ingo had recovered from thanks to a Blissey finding him in his unconscious predicament.
Ingo did remember the almost-human look of obligatory wrath in the creature's eyes when it had first sunk its teeth into his flesh, drawing blood. A distrust. A righteous anger clear as day in the fox's blistering, golden eyes as it wrenched the torn skin and muscle from his chest and arm. He remembered its claws gripping into the thick skin of his abdomen, clinging on with a persistence and damnation that had shaken him down to his bones as it had held him down in the permafrost with paws larger than his head, its hot, rank breath billowing onto Ingo's face, reminding him of the stench of carrion.
He also remembered- in what little consciousness he had had been bleeding to death in the cold- how the little Zorua had first bundled into the thicker coat of its guardian. How it had whined as the alpha Zoroark's snarls of fury drowned out Ingo's own screams of agony. How the alpha Zoroark had torn him apart after he stopped fighting, getting its teeth into each and every place it could think until not a single inch of Ingo's skin had been left unscathed.
Truly, it really had been a miracle that he had been found by that Blissey. And Ingo would have forgiven the creatures if not for… if not for what they did to him afterwards.
After that terrible incident, the alpha Zoroark had keyed in on him. It had sought after him- to finish the job, Ingo wasn't entirely certain. But it had found him again, and it had been determined to cause him as much misery as it possibly could.
Ingo had gone out alone one day. He didn't remember why, but he did remember that he had gone down to the bridge near the river. There, he had found the alpha Zoroark sitting on the cobblestone walls. Like a person. Waiting for him. It had attacked him, taking a sadistic pleasure in using its powers to peer past the fog in his mind and utilize the broken fragments of his amnesia. It had dragged him out onto the tundra. It had led him around for hours, showing him visions of non-existent paths and bizarre weather that never came. Of voices that called out for him or of a strange, dark place filled with bright lights and loud static noises.
He would see visions of himself in the foliage. Crouched low. Clothed in all white. Smiling ear-to-ear. An outstretched pair of arms. A quiet soothing voice, so familiar and so calming and so welcoming that Ingo would always stray closer without thinking too much about it. All tricks, cruel and selfish and damning. And the alpha never attacked him. It simply took joy in deceiving him. It took joy in the tears of frustration that Ingo would shed whenever the illusions were removed, its fanged grin the last he would ever see of the horrible creature.
He had gotten better at avoiding them. At avoiding leaving the settlement alone or approaching too far from the walls. It was one of the reasons he had been so eager to become Lady Sneasler's warden: getting away from those foul creatures. The smiling man- Emmet, Ingo remembered- his terrible visage occasionally resurfaced in Ingo's dreams but not nearly as much as before. The scars still ached, though.
Ingo made himself comfortable in his dust-covered hut, lighting a fire in the hearth as he kicked off his shoes, hung up his coat, and wrapped himself in a thick fur blanket, drawing the fur close to his face. Ingo figured that the black Zoroark that Rami saw was most likely just a variant of the creature. Parlor and Chandelure would make quick work of the beast.
June 25th, First Year
In three days time, the wardens were finally scheduled to meet. Ingo was more inclined to focus on locating the Lustrous Orb. The strange device on his wrist had provided an expansive map of the icelands, a black triangular marker on a section of woods to the west of the Pearl Clan Settlement. He would need to conduct his search there, but that would unfortunately have to wait.
He calmly made his way along the incline, noting with satisfaction that there were no children milling about. Wardens often discussed things that were not suitable for the ears of children. A possible famine. Merchant or outlanders found torn apart on the trails. Suspicions and rumors from the other clan settlements. Let the adults worry about that, Ingo supposed. No need in exposing them to the horrors that wait beyond this docile tent city.
He had been the first to arrive at the leader's hut, quickly removing his shoes and placing them by the door. He spent no time admiring the intricate woven tapestries along the walls, having seen them all before during his many previous meetings. He carefully approached the stone hearth in the center of the hut, taking a seat on the floor with his legs folded underneath him. As soon as all of the wardens were seated, Irida stood and began the meeting.
"Thank you all for your attendance," Irida started. She waited when each and every warden bowed their heads and clasped their hands in front of their chests. "I apologize for my sudden summoning, but it is urgent that we discuss this so that we are better prepared for the future."
"I take it, we're discussing either the catastrophe in the Crimson Mirelands or the issues with the nobles becoming frenzied," Calaba rasped, straightening her posture, her eyes locked on Irida.
"We are not getting involved with Lady Lilligant," Gaeric interrupted, crossing his arms. "That issue belongs to the Diamond Clan. They threw their troubles upon the shoulders of an outsider. We should not bear a similar shame."
Ingo stiffened at the title. Outsider. It was a similar title given to him when he had shown up to the Pearl Clan some time ago. As a matter of fact, Gaeric had been by far the most hostile toward him when he had first arrived ,but it had mellowed out to a mutual dislike of one another. If the meeting had been called to persuade anybody, it would be Gaeric.
"Harmful thinking," Calaba retorted, her sharp gaze zipping over to the man. "So I suppose if Lord Avalugg started killing people by triggering avalanches and landslides, you would sit by and do nothing? We of the Pearl Clan are prideful, but we are also not blithering idiots, nor do we leave innocent people to suffer meaningless deaths. I should think you'd be ashamed to say such a thing aloud."
"It's not shameful," Gaeric insisted. "We need to look after ourselves. The Pearl Clan has always been self-sufficient. We grow our own food despite the harsh climate we make our home in. We fight our own battles." He reached into a pocket on his pristine, white haori, pulling out a roll of damp paper. "The Diamond Clan has suffered the most casualties. Yes, I'm aware that the Droning Encampment was flooded but that wasn't caused by Lady Lilligant. That's just the weather of the wetlands."
"And what would you know?" Calaba snapped back angrily. "You don't live in the mirelands. I do. And the waters have never reached as far as Droning. In all my days of living there, they scarcely travel further than the riverbank. Now, there's nothing but debris and mud-"
Gaeric snorted, cutting off Calaba with a dismissive wave. "There's mud all over the mirelands, Calaba. It's what the mirelands are known for being: a swampland. From what reports you've sent Lady Irida, almost all the people of Droning relocated to Oreburrow and Suncrest. Even you relocated. It's the Diamond Clan that's choosing to stay- and it's Clan Leader Adaman that's choosing to subjugate his people to suffering."
Ingo felt his fingers twitch. "If I may?"
Irida nodded toward him. "It is Ingo's turn to speak."
"Ahem. I have had the rare chance to be welcomed to the Diamond Settlement on an errant quest," Ingo began.
"Care to share, then?" Gaeric challenged him.
Irida turned and fixed her warden with a scathing glare, Gaeric shaking his head before reclining back. When she was sufficiently satisfied, she spoke again. "Please continue, Ingo."
"As I was saying, I had the opportunity to look into the happenings within the Diamond Clan. When we last spoke, Leader Adaman was discussing with his clan whether or not the Diamond Clan should leave for another station. There were a few members of his clan who openly disagreed about the perilous situation around the lake." And when Gaeric opened his mouth to interrupt him, Ingo spoke first. "Adaman and a few of his scouts have made it blatantly clear that while most of the mirelands have been covered in dangerous spores, Lake Valor is still safe to drink and fish from. Most of the Diamond Clan wish to remain in the heath. There have only been a few deaths resulting from spore-inhalation. As we speak, Clan Leader Adaman is planning to have Lady Lilligant's warden, Warden Arezu of the Diamond Clan, use a different version of the method myself and Young Akari of the Galaxy Team used when we previously quelled Lord Kleavor."
"Ah, yes," Irida nodded absently, her eyes focused on the sliver of knotted rope poking past Ingo's haori; the rope belt that held Ingo's pokémon. "Your method of using calming balms and battling?" Irida sat forward, her pale blue eyes sharpening. "I remember reading your reports on the subject- yours and Lian's." She ultimately sighed. "I can't say I support the method fully. The battling portion, that is- I believe it to be barbaric, but it solved the issue in the fieldlands."
"It wasn't my first choice either," Lian admitted from his position at the other side of the hearth, his tiny frame dark with shadows. "I thought it was a good thing at first; Lord Kleavor gainin' even more power from Almighty Sinnoh. I was so proud. He was so energetic. So full of life." The boy shook his head, taking off his well-worn hat. "But that wasn't power- that was pain. The forest still hasn't fully recovered from the incident an' a good chunk of the Scyther population was lost in the frenzy. Most of the females were slaughtered. It's gonna take a long time fer them to recover."
"I couldn't imagine having that much energy," Palina spoke up. The slender warden, draped in bulky furs, their pack leaning heavily against their back, had her own eyes casted on the flickering fire. "Just thinking about it- having so much energy that you can't control- to the point in which you turn feral and start culling your own children and then innocent travelers... So much energy that you even hurt your own warden." Palina regarded Lian warmly, her tone softening ever so slightly. "How are you, Warden Lian? I recall that the Galaxy Team took care of you after you were attacked by your noble."
"Yep. Them folks made sure I was doin' alright. Those nurses there know what they're doin'. Thanks fer askin', Palina. 'Preciate it. But you know, Lord Kleavor hasn't made a full recovery either," Lian pointed out. "He's still got them scars on him from when he was hurtin' himself." He then glanced guiltily at Ingo. "He don't blame you, Ingo, but Lord Kleavor has a few cuts and scrapes from your battle." Lian smiled faintly. "I think he likes 'em. I don't think he blames you for what you and Akari had to do either. I know I've said it a million times, but thank you again for you and Akari did. You covered for me when I couldn't handle Lord Kleavor. And I think that's what counts the most right now." Lian turned and fixed Gaeric with an accusatory glare. "Helpin' others is right. We shouldn't jus' leave the Diamond Clan to fend fer themselves. We oughta do something to help 'em."
"We already are," Gaeric retorted. "We're sending them a hefty chunk of our medicinal herbs; resources that we ought to be rationing. Winter tends to kill off our herbs before we can even get to them. What use are they in the hands of the Diamond Clan if they're just getting wasted on an affliction where they have no use? You are all not listening. Putting the needs of the Pearl Clan first is all that I'm asking." He then glared at Irida. "You're overextending the Pearl Clan. You're overextending our resources."
"We're doing no such thing," Palina argued, "and like it or not, the Pearl Clan is being assisted by the Diamond Clan. It was the Sandgem Encampment that readily accepted our brethren after Oreburrow was overcome by floodwaters during Lord Kleavor's frenzy. And it was also the Diamond Settlement that came to Droning's aid when Leader Sang sent the request for immediate aid."
"Then that makes the Diamond Clan a bunch of bleeding hearts," Gaeric huffed. "They're choosing to stay-"
"Because they have pride in their clan and love for their home," Calaba croaked. "They aren't on their last legs yet but they are preparing. And who would we be to turn our backs on them when they've so readily helped us in the past? I may not like Clan Leader Adaman. I think he's impatient, rude, immature, and unsuited for his position." And then Calaba, sighed, casting a glare at the fire in the hearth. "But I do know that he has proven his worth in coming to our aid. He doesn't waste time, that one."
"So what do you propose, Calaba?" Gaeric asked plainly. "Here you are going on and on about the Diamond Clan sticking their nose into our business and helping. Sure, they're a bunch of humanitarians. Sure, they've lent us aid in the past. But we don't owe them. What do you suggest we do then?"
"I propose that the Pearl Clan should send one healer from each settlement to the Diamond Settlement's aid." Calaba aimed a begrudging look at Irida. "They don't want to leave their homeland- I can understand that to a point- and so I think that giving them more helping hands alongside our herbs might grant them a better chance at fighting the spores."
Ingo found himself nodding. "I'm certain Leader Adaman would find your proposal much appreciated," he commented. "Their current cleric is under a concerning amount of duress. I don't suppose with your expertise on the subject matter, you might be able to lend them a hand as well?"
Calaba snorted, her tone without comedy or enjoyment as she switched positions on her cushion. "Perhaps, if Irida takes my proposal into consideration."
"But do we have clerics to spare?" Irida asked at last. "And if I should send them, they might risk getting sick themselves." Irida grunted. "I will consider your proposal, Calaba." She turned to the hearth, her eyes catching on every other warden in the room. "Any other ideas?"
When nobody had spoken up, Gaeric clapped his hands to his knees, signaling his desire to speak. And speak, he did. "I see now that all of your ideals are against my favor," he sneered. He turned to Irida, scowling. "This is not what our previous leader would have supported, but I won't stoop so low. Tell me, what then if we send our people to help take care of the Diamond Clan's problem? What of those who get injured? Of those who get sick? What then of the people who die from the illness that's crippling the Diamond Clan? Do you think they'll be as supporting of this?"
"We're talking about all the nobles, Warden Gaeric," Palina retorted. "Lord Kleavor and Lord Wyrdeer were miniature headaches compared to Lady Lilligant. The ways things are going, I'm almost certain that all the nobles will become frenzied at some point. Three for three is not a good ratio, especially considering the nature of pokémon and what atrocities they're capable of. Lady Lilligant is giving us a good look at what's to come if the nobles keep becoming frenzied; more people die and many suffer. But as a result, the clans are working together, united amongst disaster. That's got to count for something."
"And sure, we're tough on our own," Lian piped up, "but it's better to have support and people you can count on. I sure appreciated havin' Ingo help me out. I think," Lian raised his voice, "that being prideful right now ain't the way ta' be. If we wanna minimize how much we get hurt and how much other people suffer, we should work together. The more we do, the faster we help our lords an' ladies. The faster we get back to normal."
"Lian is right," Irida acknowledged. "And so is Calaba and Palina. Warden Gaeric." She enunciated every syllable. "The Diamond Clan has shown the Pearl Clan a gratuitous act of trust and solidarity during our ongoing crises of our nobles turning savage. We owe it to them to show our own solidarity in turn. While the Pearl Clan of old has been steeped in a tradition of fending for ourselves, the clan is under new leadership now," she spoke calmly. "There is no shame or dishonor in taking help if it is proffered nor is it shameful to extend help to those who need it. And while I control the Pearl Clan-"
"Long may you reign," Lian interrupted respectfully, causing the entire table to bow.
"- I will ensure that my people are being taken care of. The traditions that we've upheld for centuries still remain and so too do our values. We are still strong. We are still masters of our home and of our land. But we will not reject the call to help."
"Warden Ingo." Gaeric found his eyes across the table, his lips turned down in a nasty scowl. "You were first to witness Lord Kleavor's frenzy. You battled Lord Kleavor. You have been present for nearly every frenzy that's happened since the start of this year. Do you believe it to be righteous, quelling a gift given from Almighty Sinnoh?"
There was a lot Ingo could fault Gaeric for. Being short-minded was one of them, something he had little patience for. "I would not call 'harming innocent bystanders, culling descendants, and harming the warden that cares for you' a gift." His voice was sharpened with a cold anger, causing Gaeric to lean forward defiantly on his cushion. "You are essentially stating that the death of many does not matter until it is your lord that becomes the cause of death for your people."
Gaeric recoiled, his eyes narrowing in fury as he balled his hands into fists, his face turning red. "I did not-"
"I implore you to travel to the mirelands," Ingo cut him off, drawing out each word slowly as he glared at the man across the table. "You don't tend to leave your station often and so I can't blame you for remaining ignorant to the perils of the other regions of Hisui. But I can if you continue to cover your ears and pretend that what is happening in the mirelands and what has happened in the fieldlands will not eventually happen here- here where you will not be able to avoid it." And then Ingo himself leaned forward, the heat of the hearth tickling his face, casting his eyes in shadow. "I have heard the tales of the previous Avaluggs. Their powers. What they could do."
"Of course, you would," Calaba commented not unkindly.
"And so tell me- Warden Gaeric- what will you do then, if Lord Avalugg goes on a rampage? What will you do then if Avalugg drowns the icelands in a sea of ice beyond what a bad winter could hope to make? What will you do when winter storms make it impossible to start fires? If frost and snow freezes all the pokémon and all the crops and all prey to death? If the cold finds the sick, the elderly and the young and kills them in their beds? What then? What will you do when your noble leaves its arena and flattens forests and hills under its massive feet? Because I don't think you're equipped to handle such a task," Ingo challenged him. "There are no pokémon wielders skilled enough to handle a noble alone. None within the Pearl Clan. Certainly not myself. What makes you think you can deal with your noble on your own? Lord Kleavor nearly decapitated his warden. It was only by some sheer amount of luck that Lord Wyrdeer remained in its arena but even then, that didn't stop the lord from claiming victims as his own. Lilligant's frenzy has made it nearly impossible to approach their arena without immediately succumbing to dangerous spores. But please- do tell me what you will do when your brethren are freezing to death in their beds."
The hall was silent for a long time after Ingo finished speaking, fighting to control himself from loudly gasping. He didn't remember ever speaking for such a long time.
Gaeric said nothing, instead rising to his feet. "I am returning to my own settlement," he spoke quietly, though Ingo could hear the tones of angered resignation that dripped like honey in the man's words. "I will think upon this meeting. Thank you for having me. May Almighty Sinnoh light each of your paths." He bowed low to Lady Irida and without another word, left the hall, his shoes clicking on the wood as he went.
Calaba clicked her tongue. "I can't believe you just allowed him to leave like that, Irida," she admonished. "You should've forced him to stay."
"I should've," Irida admitted. "But it's not my place, even though I am the leader of the clan. I admit that I've only led this clan for a short time, but I'm leading it at an uncertain time where I can't make all the decisions on my own. Gaeric either will or won't accept that we- all of us- have come to terms that allying ourselves with the Diamond Clan would be our best chance at getting through these rough times. And if he fails to perform his duties- to restrain his noble or to protect his people-" Irida balled her hands into fists before visibly relaxing. "...Should Warden Gaeric fail to fulfill his duties, than he will be held responsible for whatever follows in the wake of his decisions." And before the other wardens could shake off the tension of the conversation, Irida regarded each of them in kind, her gaze scathing. "The same goes for all of you. As the leader of the Pearl Clan, I will not condone any act of needless neglect toward those in need of help. I trust that I shouldn't need to elaborate on that."
After checking that all of the remaining nobles were in good standing, the meeting was finally dismissed, leaving Ingo a bit of time before he took up Irida's request of seeking out the variant Zoroark.
Aina hadn't been too far off. Ingo remained stiff a ways away from the edge of the settlement, his eyes narrowed against the fierce winds of the oncoming snowstorm. He would have to perform more safety checks than usual. Zoroarks were notorious for blending in with the snow. Tricky little creatures, they were. He moved past where the stone fencing to the crops were, watching them disappear in a cloud of snow as he turned and faced the barren tundra. There wasn't any other better way to draw out a Zoroark than to appear alone and helpless. Ingo's pokémon shook in their pokéballs, Ingo fighting to keep them contained as he postured himself by the icy river where he had first learned about his target's species all that time ago.
The creature didn't try to camouflage itself at all. A lanky black shape wandered through the snow, its sharp snout sniffing at the air as it slowly approached the settlement. It hobbled closer, holding its left paw close to its chest as it recovered from sliding into a snowdrift. It was covered in long, tangled black-and-red fur, its pelt studded with blue stones. A heavy coating of snow stuck to its undercoat, causing the creature to shiver pathetically. It wobbled, trembled, stumbled on its three working paws toward the cobblestone fence.
Ingo had been expecting it to change form. To hobble in circles as the species usually did when it wanted to draw attention to itself. To draw in an unsuspecting victim. Parlor and Chandelure hovered behind Ingo, ready to defend. Chandelure bumped her crystalline frame up against Ingo's side as if confused by the task at hand.
Before them, a loud whine pierced through the low drone of the snow. The black Zoroark turned its head in Ingo's direction, its glowing blue eyes widening as it clumsily stumbled toward him the way a newborn pokémon would seek out the warm body of its parent. The pokémon whined again, low but hopeful, still trembling. Still shaking like a leaf in a blizzard. Like the Zorua cub had all the time ago when Ingo had pulled the small pokémon out of the freezing water.
The Zoroark looked first toward Parlor and then toward Chandelure, its whines growing louder and more harried as it picked up its pathetic pace, stumbling over its own paws to reach Ingo. Its one good eyes was glittering, the other shut tight from a nasty wound. Its nose and ears were encrusted in frost. Blood dripped from several wounds on the creature's body, forming tiny puddles in the snow.
Immediately, the Mandibuzz exploded from its pokéball and surrounded the baneful fox immediately. It hemmed and hawed. And then, it put its strong, muscular neck under the belly of the creature and hoisted it upward, its beady eyes crinkling in disgust as blood dripped onto its face. The Zoroark huffed, its paws quivering, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.
The creature licked a slow, shaking stripe of the Mandibuzz's neck, its whines quieting into a discordant hum as it nuzzled into the Mandibuzz's downy feathers in an attempt to get the frost off of its thick coat. And then, it raised its muzzle, its teeth flashing as it stared directly at Ingo. It fell from atop its perch atop the Mandibuzz's back, its horrible whine starting back up at a fever pitch as it attempted to drag itself the remaining distance toward him, its muzzle stretched wide in a threatening toothy snarl.
What a farce. I didn't know these illusions to work on pokémon but this is yet another obstacle on the tracks. Ingo called orders for his pokémon without an edge of sympathy for the desperate pokémon before him. "Parlor, Sunny Day! Chandelure, Overheat!"