Session 60, VP2

(These notes were written by the player for Sylvie, from Sylvie's POV. Sylvie is currently in disguise as "Erika".) 

Where can I even begin?

We did a fair bit of “divide and conquer” today, so I heard a lot of things secondhand. We met at the base of the mountain at Hysterig's gym. I’d given Reinhold the timepiece Ilvri gave me, and Bronze and I decided we would also take the gym challenge. I’m pretty nervous about it, but hopefully all three of us will split his attention. Especially with how interested in Reinhold’s ancestry he seems to be. 

Lauren decided he couldn’t go up the mountain, so he stays in town with Donner and Talullah. I assured Donner I would be okay. After the pep talk in the dungeons, I actually …do feel okay. If things go badly, I can back off. We need the prophet rune in order to free Hestr, and a little part of myself wants to be able to defeat the old fart in a battle. Especially without using my powers to command Poppy and the others. 

We made it to the gym, and had to sit for like, ten minutes? Hysterig takes any opportunity to waste people’s time, but Reinhold and Bronze don’t say anything about it. Without much to say, we begin. Bronze seems really focused, and it makes sense once I see she brought King along after all. The Kingler dispatches a Natu, but refuses to return to Bronze when a Future Sight attack is approaching. Bronze lets him be defeated before taking care of the Xatu. I’ve also lost Rafflesia but Poppy is trying to cheer me up with her theatrics. With his first two Pokemon defeated, he doesn’t release his third, raises his hand and makes us wait. I start to feel that nervousness again, because I’ve heard of what is to come, but we wait for Reinhold’s battle to reach its conclusion. 

From what Lauren and Donner said, he wanted to check out Hysterig’s house. Unfortunately, when they knocked, Ingeborg was inside. They just left when she answered, and if Talullah’s deadpan explanation was accurate, it was hilarious to see. Instead, they headed back up the eastern peak to see Hestr again and warn him to get a bag ready. Lauren showed him some of his old photos he’d taken, of which were a lot of birds, and even showed him Ohmslo. I was glad to hear that it made him feel better. Though in between the photos, Lauren asked more about the changes that happened in the Valley. I’d only known what happened up to my leaving, and then what Gunnar and Bergie shared from recently. 

Evidently, he and his family were hard at work managing the fog in the Valley…so much that Hysterig almost never let any outsiders inside, and no one to leave. Even if we don’t know how the chain was put on Hestr, he was clearly the only one physically prevented from leaving. On top of that, being punished for seeing the rare outsider, which we knew. The others were just through threat. That meant mail was even being intercepted. I guess I was lucky in the end giving it to Bergie, because it wouldn’t have made it to Hestr after all. Brunick’s grandparents mentioned they couldn’t stay in contact with him due to this. So truly, Donner and Reinhold getting his attention was the only reason we even got close. 

Then, Talullah told Lauren that Ingeborg was spying, and Donner followed her. Lauren knew that it wouldn’t end well for Hestr if she blabbed, so they headed back down the mountain. Apparently everyone uses my the red tree to meet up, because she and Donner are there. As Talullah says, she was attempting to blackmail Donner into buying her silence for talking to Hestr. That price being a kiss. (Explains the stomach ache I got). As Talullah remarks about the extortion, she volunteers as tribute and plants one on Ingeborg. With her clinical description she says she did an admirable job. Per Lauren, everyone was speechless, including Ingeborg, so that is hopefully one problem solved. Talullah is sure that the contract was fulfilled. I should buy her a nice meal in the next town for getting anywhere near that woman’s toxic mouth.

Figuring they could get some more information, they return to the market. Mister Eltholl Vedr has set up his charms (I figured he liked swindling any outsiders for them) and catches up with everyone. He’s also not great at hiding the disdain for visitors, just like his wife. He gives Lauren a charm for his ‘confidence’ (whatever that means). Apparently, instead of wanting money, he wanted to know if they’d run into (scribbles) Sylvie Lovas. Since it’s part of the questions Lauren wanted to figure out, he presses. Just a girl that got a silly idea in her head about her responsibilities at home, and that she’s missed very much. Lauren asks about any other younger people in town, and Vedr mentions a few near our age, but not even his own son. Talullah says she doesn’t need any charms for her now blossoming love life, and it gives them the exit they need to go see the fields where everyone congregates. 

So by now Reinhold has defeated the new Pokemon in the gym battle with Shadow. Hysterig releases his “daughters” which definitely gave me the chills. He uses all three Gardevoir at once. Poppy steps up and offers her hand to the Gardevoir, and uses Nuzzle. She probably is playing up too much like me with how she wants to ‘prank’ the imposing Pokemon, and she misses a couple of moves afterwards. Bronze uses Amy the Tinktaon, and her Gigaton Hammer ends the battle before it even starts. Shadow, now evolved and just as imposing, cuts down his opponent almost immediately. Now it’s just me and Poppy’s stage fright. I call her back and Jasmine, now even stronger from Morphada’s gym battle, defeats the paralyzed Gardevoir quickly. It’s a huge weight off our shoulders.

Hysterig offered Reinhold something extra for winning,and shoos Bronze and I away. With a quick check that Reinhold is okay to be left alone, we return to town. From what he says, Hysterig led him down this secret passage (imagine how much trouble I could get into there), to basically what could be a gallery. He didn’t think any of the tablets were like the one we know he took from the cave, but he didn’t pay much attention. Kuze, his Yamask, appeared suddenly because Hysterig had a piece of the keystone it carries. It’s been so long since we’d found a piece like this. Hysterig said it would be his prize for winning, and the Yamask’s stone map became larger. Reinhold knew the leader would manipulate him, but still…he wanted more answers. 

The pieces he kept down there were like the ones from the Ohmslo museum. We have no idea where he could have ever found them. He had information about all of the Swordthanes, confirming a lot of what we knew, and more about the Adelbrand sword. Reinhold looked pretty pleased that his legacy was that of a Dragonslayer, and the only surviving weapon. We know about the Dragon type swordthane when Hysterig doesn’t, or at least, he didn’t say anything about the woman we’d met. Aegson had said that Gyda doesn’t seem like a threat, that she’s small. That’s because of the dagger she stole; it actually makes her seem nonthreatening and trustworthy. I guess I can’t be as angry at Skirlic for believing her, but there’s more than enough reason to be furious at her even without that proof. 

Hysterig told Reinhold there was to be a day that the Gods needed to be defeated, and he wanted his assistance after his sword was recovered. Reinhold doesn’t know what to think of it all, and neither do I. So much of what he said was the truth based on our own findings, but I always knew something wasn’t right. I just wish he was so drastically wrong about everything that it’d be obvious the lies he was telling himself and everyone.

We meet up with Donner and Talullah, where they fill us in on their afternoon. Lauren is talking to Sylvie’s father, but joins us shortly. We let Reinhold know we’re going to meet up for lunch at the Afl house. Now that we have the Prophet rune, we had to make our plan. I let Morphada take a break from concealing me. I wanted to be able to get her to meet with her daughter once Hestr was free, but it’s starting to look like it won’t be possible if she continues being difficult. The mother just says that at the very least, if she is useful to Hysterig, she will be safe in the Valley. I say it out loud so I can prepare for the inevitability that no matter what happens, this likely isn’t the last time we come to Harbinger Valley. Donner had said any battle we can walk away from is a win, right?

Over comparing our notes, Odd and Bronze are able to discover how to use the rune to manipulate the binding on Hestr…kind of. He thinks they can inverse it? Instead of harming Hestr for leaving the Valley, it would harm him for being within it. He’d not be able to return home, ever. I don’t even know if this would fully free him from Hysterig’s scrutiny…but the other options were things that would be difficult, or impossible, to achieve. Reinhold says before the others that we need to let him choose. He’s right…(scribbles) I made myself have a choice to leave, even when this place was my entire world. 

Realizing Nattvig, Hestr’s Noctowl, was able to recognize me, I say I can convince the Pokemon to bring Hestr to us when no one will be around. That way Hysterig won’t be able to read what Hestr is planning until it’s happening. Bronze is going to help Odd with the rune crafting that can be prepared ahead of time. If Hestr agrees to leave, we have to exit. We have to prepare for that. To make the most of our dwindling time, Reinhold offers to take Lauren with him to the summit and try to glean any more knowledge from the elder. I know he doesn’t want to bring up his visions, but he might be the only one who knows about these powers we have, and Donner’s as well. It’d give us another moment where we know Hysterig can’t spy on the rest of us, too. 

Since Hestr was still at the mountain for work, and his Noctowl was with him, I brought Donner and Talullah into the forest. Duna is able to fly into the sky, and it was crazy to see a bit of it from her view. She leads Nattvig through the clouds and around to us, I rub his cheeks like I’ve wanted to, and he wants to play. I stay on track and get his attention by how serious I must look. The bird is keen, after all. 

Tonight, when the moon is highest, wake Hestr. Show him this, so he knows where to come. I tuck a small branch of the red trees' vibrant leaves into his wing feathers. He has to keep our secret. All my trust, the entire plan, is on this Pokemon’s feathered shoulders, and I’d do it again without another thought. He returns to the skies, and I silently pray to Shaymin that the message was received, and the heavier message we’d have to deliver at midnight too. 

Talullah questions our next objective, and when I’m at a loss, she jokingly offers to show us the Lovas’ home. I can already see it through the foliage and after bumping into dad Ciel, it doesn’t sound too ridiculous. Smart? Oh hell no, it’s not smart at all. But curiosity is clawing at me. I agree to get up to a little bit of trouble.

Is my room the same as when I left it? Were there bars on the windows now, or were things replaced? Did she even make the bed when she left, all those months ago? 

All the thoughts I was thinking as I put into practice all I used to do-- the rope I brought along on the adventures is the same one I loop over the tree branch, long enough to get me up onto the thatched roof and ease open the window overlooking the forest. I nod to Donner and Talullah, both concealed in the brush to act as lookouts…along with that bird thing. No one had been outside earlier, so I sneak inside.

Because they were inside, now. I can hear the muffled conversation through the door. I step around the creaky floorboards. The desk is made; I took the apothecary set with me, but even the incense remains even if the workspace is cleaner than it ever looked. The bed is made, the rug straightened. Not a bit of dust is in this place…it’s like I never left. It’d look occupied if it didn’t feel so loudly empty. Loud like the conversation…the argument, occurring downstairs. It feels like each step takes a minute each to get to the door. Even slower, I hold my breath to turn the knob and open it just a crack-- it creaks, as it always does, but it's hidden by the raised voices downstairs. 

Mom is clinical, loud, but firm: when she returns, they have to tell Hysterig immediately. That everything would work out fine. That once she was kept like Hestr, they wouldn’t worry. That he wasn’t thinking rationally.

Dad talks low, watery, fluctuating in intensity: It was too much, they went too far. That he couldn’t trust what would happen if, not when, she did return. He missed her.

Before, I remember how often I’d stick my ear to the doorframe and eavesdrop on party plans or secret gift ideas. From this place, I couldn’t see if I was caught, but it felt like a detective hearing the juiciest story to break the case. Later, Talullah will tell me that Ingeborg has heard them argue all the time. This was never the time I knew. Even though I was not able to see them downstairs, I could see just another sign that my leaving has ruined even more people…if I’d stayed, done the thing that m-my mom wanted, would things be like this still? Would--

TAILLOW

It screeches at the window. It shatters that moment in time just as it quiets every voice. The next screech is the one of a chair against the floor downstairs. 

I shut the door, probably too loud, and back away. Looking around the bedroom, the walls feel like they’re closing in, just like before. I have to get out. I turn to the window, and look at the rope…there’s no way to get out and retrieve it in time. The footsteps approach and I close my eyes, letting it all fade away…

Snap! 

I fall next to Talullah, now in a bush, and wince. She isn’t surprised but Ingeborg (the snake) is taken aback. There’s leaves and heavy branches everywhere.

Oops! I tried to sneak up on her, but I fell, sorry Talullah. 

Ah yes, the prank, the trouble I was getting up to…Ingeborg leaves, but she’s watching us as much as I’m trying not to watch her, or the house just to the east. I don’t know how I’m going to tell the others about this lapse in judgment. 

When we meet again at nightfall, I say Ingeborg is suspicious of us again. Talullah starts to hint that I got up to trouble. When I ask how their diversion went, both Reinhold and Lauren brusquely say they will tell us later. They don’t even ask for more information from us, and shut down on their own. The upset stomach from earlier is starting up, and we are all feeling troubled. All we can do is ready our bags, clean up the spaces we took up in the older folk’s home, and…wait. 

I’ll take the agony of waiting over anything that follows.

I’m so sorry. I’ll try my best.

Thirty minutes to midnight, none of us are sleeping. Bronze takes the lead and scans the forest, calling us over one by one when the coast is clear. My eyes are everywhere except the others; I trust Bronze’s vision but it doesn’t stop the idea that anything can be lurking.

 

Lauren calls out to Donner. When we look he’s…he’s so unwell. He’s sweating and flushed, barely standing. He can't even talk! We try to catch him and make him sit, I pull my hand back. It burns, like I touched a hot stove. Lauren winces, but he makes him sit by the tree trunk. “What the fuck is happening?” I ask Lauren. He says it must be Hysterig, doing something to Donner, to that thing that haunts him. If it’s Hysterig, maybe Morphada’s magic could break the connection? So soon after I’m already waving her off of me, asking her to please try to help Donner. She (scribbles)

Gods, I’m sorry.

I’m so sorry.

It’s not any of our faults. Even gasping, choking, intact but broken in front of me, she pleads. It’s like she can read my our minds. Bronze won’t let Reinhold take the arrowhead she offers; it’d put him in danger, but they vow to bestow it to her heir. 

We can’t focus on that. As she stops breathing, Donner erupts into fire. It catches the hanging red leaves, and the old tree with names scratched into it starts to catch fire unnaturally quickly. Lauren is reaching through the fire, burning, and I can’t hear anything over the shouts of townspeople waking to the commotion. He takes Donner’s hand, he looks terrified, and starts to hurry him towards the lake just outside the treeline, trying to control the fire in the rest of the growth. Right, the rest of the forest…the red tree dwarfs them all and if it burns, the rest will follow. 

As Bronze and Reinhold break away, to …get help? Cover Lauren? Strike down that fucking psycho? I place my hands on the charring trunk of the tree and…breathe in, and out. The coughs aren’t fake for this smoke, but I don’t move, not until I can feel the tree stretch, move, writhe to shirk away from the other trees, trying to keep the fire from spreading. It grows taller as it snakes away, like the funeral pyre it becomes. Behind me, Hestr calls. He’s here. 

“What have you all done?”

Not enough.

I tell him what to do: use his winds to help contain the fire before we’re burned alive. Talullah is starting to approach the townspeople to keep them away or steal their buckets of water. Hestr, blessedly, trusts me, even though Erika has never said a word to him before. Prophecy be fucking damned. We work well together. It doesn’t choke the fire but it encapsulates the tree and forces the smoke away. I’m sweating, and nature’s powers are draining the strength from my limbs. I stand before I can’t anymore. The gloves on my hands are burned off at the palms, I wipe my face. In the dark, the oily texture makes me think of blood, but worse: it’s pink. The hair dye Donner had found was made from pollen, and the fire had melted away the last protection I had left. 

The tree stops growing as I pull away, and Hestr double-takes at me. I see the recognition plain as day on his face. As Lauren, Donner, Reinhold, and Bronze stumble back into the clearing, I can’t deny anything anymore. I’m exhausted. I wasn’t sure how I would face Hestr, but I didn't even hesitate taking his hand when the time came.

Hestr, you have to choose. If you come with us, you can never come back.

The others start shouting: we have to leave; Hestr come with us; it was Ingeborg, that bitch! 

No! Forget everyone, what everyone else wants. Not our parents, not Hysterig, not a prophecy. If you want to leave, it has to be now, and you have to be okay with that.

Choose yourself.

Please

Bless him, I see his heart breaking, but he nods. A broken heart has to be better than a caged one. I hold him as Bronze approaches and gets to work. The minutes pass too quickly and too slowly, as I hold Hestr when he reacts in pain. The valley must be watching, but I don’t want to think about anything else outside of this place. Finally, the tension snaps as he heaves. The magic is inverted, and it’s punishing him for being here. I released Basil the Girafarig, and it’s only seconds until he takes Hestr and Bronze’s Sneasel, Sel, onto his back. He sprints off to the cave entrance without me having to say a thing. 

Everyone else’s voices get louder as they break through the treeline. Lauren is helping walk Donner, Talullah and Bronze run ahead in case the Girafarig is impeded. I don’t feel so well, and don’t move quickly enough because Reinhold does the strapping thing again and carries me. Doesn’t even let me talk. I’m stuck watching the tree go up in flames and how we’re leaving Morphada until he turns and runs. He at least doesn’t tell me “I told you so”. If we followed his lead things could have been different; kindness didn’t solve problems that required violence. I hadn’t wanted to watch the Valley burn, except for right that moment. 

I don’t see Basil anymore, and everyone is waiting at the entrance for us to catch up. Hestr’s made it out and I…Suddenly the wind rushes out from the tunnel and around us. After a second, it’s not normal wind, it’s too precise and grasping and my heart sinks. Reinhold is ripped away, thrown. But instead of falling when he lets go, I’m hovering, then pulled in the other direction of the entrance. Nonononono

Hestr’s parents Ritha and Vedr had to be masters of weather too. The wind drops me behind them and light screens set up by…my parents. They’re only half watching me, considering the way Reinhold is shouting and ready to make good on his promises to disarm someone. The Eltholl’s at least are giving me looks that could kill, which would be partly satisfying if not for how drained I am, nor for who else is making themselves known just by presence alone. 

Hysterig approaches and each step sends the dread higher, blood colder, the lingering breeze of the air adepts brings with it a smell of death. 

He’s …something else.

A monster. Definitely a monster.

I can practically see my reflection in the thing’s teeth, and they hardly move even when it speaks: “At least I still have one,” in that boring droning normal voice I remember. He It raises its hands and the mountains themselves rattle and arch skyward, forming the shape of a rapidly solid dome of pointed rock. The entrance too trembles as it closes in, and everyone …everyone looks ready to climb back inside.

Weirdly I don’t feel…anything. I’m tired. I put all of myself into the tree and I’m not even bothered by the oversight. I think I stumbled all the way through the stages of grief and ended on Acceptance here, like this. I led them in here because I wanted to pull one more prank, get one more moment where I could outsmart the scary village elder. He outmaneuvered us. All I wanted from this, like I told Morphada, was to get Hestr out.

So, you can win this one, old man. I got what I wanted.

(There’s a lot of starting and stopping of writing for the next page except for: The Maw )

I forgive you, dad. Thank you.

I won’t let that thing take anything else away from me.