PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [19]

  Chapter 71 : Diamond in the Rough

  Hisui Region - Crimson Mirelands

  “Here.” Rei knelt down and gently lifted a leaf of steaming water to Riley’s lips. The Guardian was laying down but he raised his head to drink.

  “I’m sorry about this,” he mumbled, water dribbling down his chin as he lay back down.

  “Nah, don’t be,” Rei said. “Stuff like this is pretty normal in the Survey Corps. Gotta have each others’ backs out in the field, right?”

  Grotle and Sneasel kept watch over their small camp, which was no more than a smoldering campfire in a small clearing. It was night now and shadows danced in the quiet, yet Rei knew the Mirelands were full of nocturnal predators. He moved as little as he could, always staying attentive to the smallest sound.

  The fire had been easy enough to start, but it’d been more difficult to find large leaves that he could coil into vessels to boil some water. He’d messed up a few times, burning a hole through one and tearing two others, but eventually, he’d been able to boil enough water for drinking and for wiping down Riley and Ash’s wounds. Akari was far better at technical things like that and he sorely wished she was here with them. His stomach gurgled but he ignored it.

  Ash lay beside the fire stripped of his ruined clothes. Rei had done the best he could but Ash’s skin was still stained red and blood remained crusted on his face and in his hair. The only upside of his unconsciousness was that Rei didn’t have to worry about hurting him as he furiously scrubbed Ash down with the near-boiling water. And now that he was relatively clean, the extent of his injuries was clear.

  Lacerations of varying depth and thickness covered his chest, arms, and face. It looked like he’d been slashed by hundreds of knives and swords. Most looked like they would require stitches, and when, or if, he awoke, he’d surely find movement next to impossible.

  However, it was the infections Rei was truly worried about. Once upon a time, he’d scoffed at the notion of invisible forms of death, only caring about the danger posed by wild pokémon. After spending a month on the brink following a survey near the Sludge Mound, he’d learned to fear disease. And with how many open wounds Ash had, it was basically guaranteed. Placing him close to the fire was Rei’s way of hopefully staving that off, though it was probably a fool’s task since they had nothing to dress his wounds with.

  Riley had been sleeping for most of the time since they’d stopped. As Rei suspected, the brief healing session he’d provided Ash with had totally drained him, which only lengthened the recovery time for his own injury. However, after thinking about it a bit more, Rei realized that Riley had probably known that fact, yet had healed Ash anyway. That probably meant that without Riley’s healing, Ash may have already died. Upon realizing that, Rei stopped badgering him about resting and let him do as he deigned.

  While Riley rested, Rei had went looking for some Pecha Berries, but the Scarlet Bog wasn’t known for its flora. He had found some berries, though he couldn’t identify them. After giving probably more than he needed to to Sneasel, ultimately, she’d verified their safety and he’d been able to put something in his stomach. Riley ate some too, and Rei crushed some down and emptied the paste down Ash’s throat. Unfortunately, whatever these were didn’t seem to have a lot of protein since the few that he’d found hadn’t done much to banish his hunger.

  “When do you think you’ll be able to search for the others?” Rei asked, his anxiety over their continued absence boiling over for just a moment.

  “Give me three days,” Riley croaked out. “If they’re in the Mirelands, I’ll find them. I promise,”

  Rei tapped his foot rapidly. “What if they weren’t able to get to safety like us? What if they’re…dead?”

  “They’re not dead,” Riley said immediately. “They’re not…”

  Rei rubbed his face. “What about Yura…? What if she’s alone…?” Rei squeezed his eyes shut. We brought her along… Whatever happens to her, it’s our fault!

  “Don’t waste your strength worrying about things beyond our control,” Riley said. “Yura has Shieldon, a pokémon that excels in environments like this.”

  Does she? Rei couldn’t help but remember his own missing Growlithe. Though Rei had been battling with him when Sabrina teleported them, so maybe that was the cause of the switch with Akari’s Sneasel.

  “The others are similarly resourceful,” Riley continued. “None of them would allow themselves to be conquered by the land after everything we’ve already faced.” Riley coughed but stifled it as soon as he could. Once it subsided, he continued. “I’d say you are saddled with the biggest hardship…taking care of Ash…and me. And you’ve done wonderfully. Don’t try and shoulder everything…by yourself…”

  Riley’s words were a phantom comfort for Rei. He appreciated the sentiment, but it did little to lower his anxiety. And they were now so far. For that reason alone, it felt like he’d never see Akari or the Professor or any of the others again.

  “Get some rest yourself, Rei,” Riley said, sitting up. “I’ll take first watch tonight. You’ve been exhausting yourself all day. You need to keep your own health in mind too.”

  “But then you won’t—“

  “Don’t worry,” Riley said, putting up a frail hand. “I’ll wake you when it’s your turn.”

  Rei tried to protest but Riley had already propped himself up against a tree and it was clear he wouldn’t be laying down again. So Rei laid down away from the brightness of the campfire and closed his eyes. Under other circumstances, even without any sort of bedroll, he would’ve fallen asleep like a rock even on the hard ground. But now, his worries about the others plagued him. Luckily, his exhaustion soon overtook him and he finally fell unconscious.

  “You didn’t wake me up,” Rei said.

  Leaning against his tree, bags under his eyes, Riley shrugged. “Whoops. My mistake.”

  Rei sat up and rubbed his eyes. The air smelled of dust and burned wood. The remains of their campfire lay in a blackened pile on the ground.

  He could’ve gotten mad at Riley but he did feel refreshed after his uninterrupted sleep and what was done was done. “So how’s Ash?”

  “Worsening, as expected. Infection is spreading in his body. Sneasel has already gorged herself on as much of his blood as is safe, but if she drained anymore, he’d become a husk.”

  Rei glanced over at Sneasel, who licked her lips and rubbed her stomach. He fixed her with a wooden stare and she smirked.

  “We should get moving toward the Diamond Settlement as soon as possible,” Riley said, standing. “He needs real medical attention and I suspect his wounds will only worsen throughout the day.”

  “Yeah,” Rei agreed. “How about you?”

  Riley rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers. “I’ll be fine. I was able to use my Aura to burn away most of the poison throughout the night and I should be able to use it to sustain my energy, for now. However, I did give Ash a couple more treatments while you slept so I’ll be relying on you again today for combat.”

  Rei nodded. “Leave it to me.” Now that he was at full strength, the only concern for Rei now was Ash’s health and any potential Alpha Pokémon they might come across. He’d crossed the Crimson Mirelands on a number of surveys so the pokémon and terrain themselves didn’t scare him as much.

  After downing their remaining water, they set off into the sticky heat of the bog. Grotle lumbered slowly, careful not to jostle Ash, and Sneasel ran ahead at the front, sniffing around for any potential danger.

  “Keep your eyes open for the others,” Rei said, scanning their muddy surroundings himself.

  “Of course.” Riley walked in the rear at a slower gait, but he kept up.

  “Growlithe!” Rei yelled. “Akari! Professor Laventon!”

  Sneasel rolled her eyes and covered her ears dramatically, and Rei shot her a poisonous look.

  After a while, a Croagunk who’d gotten fed up with the noise ran over but Sneasel dispatched it without too much trouble. A trio of Skorupi attempted to assault them later in the day, but Shellos and Sneasel repelled them together. Eventually, they came across a Tangrowth which Rei had initially planned to avoid, but after some goading from Riley, he decided to take it on.

  “Shouldn’t we be avoiding battles as much as possible?” Rei asked once they defeated it.

  “Well, as dire as our situation may be, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue your training. One could argue that dire straits like these are the perfect place to accumulate greater experiences.” Riley smiled, looking very pleased with his logic. “Wherever she is, I doubt Akari is slacking on her training. When we reunite, it would be a shame to learn she’d far surpassed you in strength.”

  Rei looked at him, unconvinced, but even after a few seconds, it didn’t look like he was joking. It was nice that Riley was so optimistic about the others and that they’d have no trouble finding each other again, but that didn’t stop Rei from worrying.

  They pressed on.

  Dry, nondescript berries picked from bushes of cragged twigs filled their stomachs with their meager nutrients and gave them the energy to continue on. As they were walking, Riley administered another of his Aura treatments to Ash, though it seemed like the only function of the treatments was to keep him alive, rather than heal him. The skin around his numerous gashes was getting discolored and bruised and as Grotle walked, pus seeped out from a few of them and trickled down his torso. A horrifying realization came upon Rei.

  He was starting to smell like a corpse.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Rei increased his pace and gave his labored throat a rest from yelling, now fully focused on getting them to the Diamond Settlement as fast as possible. The healers there were experts in poison and disease, having called the Mirelands their home for centuries. If Ash had any hope now, it was them.

  He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that when Riley yelled behind him, he jumped.

  “Hey!” Riley yelled. “Over here!” He waved his hand in the air.

  Across a lake of mud, a small group of people were coming toward them, kicking up dust as they traveled. Rei couldn’t make out their faces, but upon hearing Riley, he saw them start to move faster. As they got closer, it became clear these people were not the missing members of their group, but were instead members of the Diamond Clan.

  A ferocious Purugly skidded to a halt in front of them, and immediately locked eyes on Sneasel. Sneasel glared at the fat cat and extended her claws.

  “No, Purugly!” its rider scolded before hopping off its back. She was a short woman with mussy red hair and she wore the characteristic navy blue furs of the Diamond Clan.

  “Call off your Sneasel,” she ordered.

  “Wait, Sneasel!” Rei said, putting his hand out, but Sneasel hissed and took a step forward.

  “Call off your Sneasel!” the woman said forcefully.

  “She’s not mine!” Rei said, moving between the woman and Sneasel.

  “Enough, Sneasel,” Riley said softly, and his eyes flashed dangerously.

  At that, Sneasel sneered, but she retracted her claws.

  The woman between the two of them, but her attention quickly refocused on Rei. “Where are you all from? Not from the Diamond Clan, it seems?”

  “No. We’re from the Sanctuary. Please, our friend needs medical help, immediately!” Rei gestured to Ash.

  The woman looked over Ash’s mangled body and scowled. “I see.”

  Her compatriots jogged up behind her on foot.

  “Vesper, get this man on Honchkrow’s back and get him to the village as fast as you can,” the woman barked.

  “Ma’am!” One of the men behind her snapped a salute and released his Honchkrow. Together with Riley and the help of the other two Diamond Clan members, they lifted Ash’s body from Grotle’s back to Honchkrow’s, and the man called Vesper mounted his pokémon.

  “Be careful!” Rei called, as Honchkrow beat its wings and rose into the sky. Before long, they were just a black speck in the muggy sky.

  The woman turned back to Riley and Rei. “How did that happen?” she questioned, her eyes full of suspicion.

  Riley sighed. “It’s a long story. Thank you for helping us.”

  The woman nodded. “I’m Arezu, the Diamond Clan’s warden of the Crimson Mirelands. Yesterday afternoon, we saw a bright flash of green light over the Scarlet Bog. Our investigation yesterday turned up nothing, but today, we found you…” Her eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

  “That was us,” Riley said. He frowned, disquieted. “You said your investigation yesterday turned up nothing? We were separated from our friends… Are you sure you didn’t see any signs of them? We had a child traveling with us.”

  Though Rei could sense Riley’s agitation, the Guardian kept his tone level.

  Arezu glanced at Rei and scowled. “No, we found nothing. The light was only there for a split second, like a flash of lightning, so it was difficult to pinpoint its exact origin. Where were you three hiding?”

  “We camped in a small forest…” Rei murmured.

  “That would explain it,” Arezu nodded. “Our focus was on the central bog where we had the widest vantage. We thought it was the appearance of another Alpha Pokémon. If we’d known it was travelers, we’d have performed a more meticulous search. My apologies.”

  “No,” Riley said, waving his hand. “On the contrary. We’re thankful you found us when you did. Our friend…his name is Ash…wouldn’t have lasted much longer if you hadn’t appeared when you did. Even still…” He shook his head. “My name is Riley.”

  “I’m Rei. We’re in the Survey Corps.”

  Arezu cocked a small grin. “Rei, huh? I think I’ve heard of you. Well, Rei, Riley, let’s start heading back to the Settlement and we can chat on the way there. No sense in hanging around waiting to get burped on by a Hippowdon.”

  “Wait!” Rei said, looking around frantically. “I-I’m missing a pokémon too! A Growlithe! Did you happen to see one during your investigation.”

  Arezu’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid not. Growlithe aren’t native to the Mirelands so we would have noticed if we had. I’m sorry.”

  Rei stared down, crestfallen, but he felt Riley’s hand on his shoulder.

  “Chin up, Rei. Have faith in your pokémon. Have faith in the training you underwent together. Have faith in the bond that ties you two together.”

  Rei nodded, steeling himself. “He’ll be fine, wherever he is. Let’s go.”

  Arezu nodded. “We’ll continue our investigation for your missing friends based on the information you can provide us.”

  Arezu’s companions introduced themselves and they started back north toward the Diamond Settlement. According to her, Honchkrow would be able to get Ash back before evenfall, but they would likely have to camp for the night and complete their journey tomorrow.

  As they walked, Riley and Rei regaled them with the story of yesterday’s events. First, Riley told them that he was a Guardian and that Sabrina was a human psychic, and from there, he tried to sell them on the truth that just twenty-four hours ago, they’d been in the dead center of the Alabaster Icelands. However, as expected, Arezu’s companion’s dismissed them outright, though the Diamond warden herself kept quiet and asked them to continue.

  Riley told them about the massive Alpha Avalugg, but instead of identifying Volo by name, he elected to refer to him simply as an “unknown man.” That seemed to arouse Arezu’s disbelief even more than the Icelands statement had, but the reason was obvious. Volo had dealings across Hisui, including with the Diamond and Pearl Clans. Selling the Diamond Clan members on their teleportation from hundreds of miles away was already difficult enough, but trying to sell them on the idea that the friendly Hisuian merchant was actually a bloodthirsty psychopath wielding a mythical artifact that granted him inhuman supernatural abilities seemed basically impossible. Rei wouldn't have believed it if he hadn’t witnessed it himself. And either way, that wasn’t the sort of reveal to be callously dropped on their hike back home. It’d have to come eventually, but there was no telling what sort of prep work Volo may have done across Hisui to prepare for the shedding of his false identity. They’d have to navigate the waters ahead carefully in order to keep from falling into Volo’s web.

  By Rei’s estimation, none of the Diamond Clan members believed them fully by the time they finished their story, but all they had was time now as they waited for Ash to recover.

  Sneasel and Purugly continued to antagonize each other throughout the journey, though a Girafarig that belonged to one of Arezu’s comrades took it upon themselves to walk between them so they didn’t disrupt the group’s pace. The equine pokémon was saddled with packs and bags, and Arezu offered them food, water, and first aid from within for Rei and Riley to treat their now-minor debilitations.

  As warden, Arezu knew how to path them through the Crimson Mirelands so they needed to fight as few wild pokémon as possible. Only a Tangela and a Yanma took interest in them, but both seemed to decide against attacking after seeing their numbers and the numerous pokémon that walked alongside them.

  When night fell and they stopped to camp in a sparsely wooded area with soft soil near the Bolderoll Slope, Arezu revealed that they only had enough bedrolls for the three of them, and though she offered her own, Rei and Riley both declined.

  Rei was quiet over a supper of hard bread and some sort of vegetable boil, his thoughts constantly drifting back to Growlithe or Akari or Ash or Yura. And Volo. Behind every thought, the shadow of Volo loomed, and as much as Rei tried to push hatred from his mind, knowing he could do nothing about it now, he could feel it festering, worming its way into his heart. He wanted to lash out at how unfair everything was, though luckily, his exhaustion kept him from doing so.

  Rei smelled the Diamond Settlement before he saw it. He’d been here a few times before, but for some reason, he always forgot about the strong incense they kept burning at all times to cut through the odor of mud and poison. The smoke from rich herbs and sweet wax assaulted his nostrils fully ten minutes before he could make out thin streams of smoke rising through the bright sky.

  Unlike the Sanctuary, the Diamond Settlement did not maintain walls of any kind. However, the concoction of incense that seared Rei’s nostrils and burned his throat as they got closer was more than just a haphazard conflagration of nice smells. The Diamond Clan’s herbalists and perfumers carefully selected which scents to burn so the local pokémon steered clear of their own accord. For as long as Rei had been alive, which wasn’t that long, admittedly, he’d never heard of a wild pokémon even coming close to messing with the Diamond Settlement.

  An arch of blackened teak wood coiled tightly together greeted them after a trek up a shallow hill of hard-packed dirt. Torches burned in sconces on each side and clear jewels that looked like frozen glass crusted the arch. Rei did not think they were real diamonds, yet he stared up at them in awe nonetheless as he passed beneath. It seemed that now that he was older, he was beginning to notice details about this place that he hadn’t before.

  Such as the shaded stares from a number of cloaked clan members staring at them as Arezu led them through the Settlement. Their gazes were dull, like old brass, and Rei found himself growing anxious as they headed deeper in. After Volo, it’s like I can’t trust anyone anymore. Though the Diamond Clan wasn’t known to be too warm to begin with.

  The Settlement was filled with what appeared to be large tents made from some thick material dyed a dark blue. Each one looked heavy and stout, but Rei knew from staying here in the past that each one was far larger on the inside than how they looked from the outside. Each one was like one of the Sanctuary’s cottages in size and comfort.

  “Ordinarily I’d get you set up with lodgings first, but I assume you’re both worried about your friend,” Arezu said. “So I’ll take you to him first.”

  “Thank you,” Riley said. He walked just barely behind Arezu and seemed to be restraining himself from rushing on ahead.

  After they’d encountered the Diamond Clan yesterday, truthfully, Rei’s worries about Ash had substantially decreased. Due to their long history with the diseases of the swamp and the maladies of the many poison-types in the Mirelands, the Diamond Clan’s healers were second to none in all of Hisui. Truthfully, there was nowhere Rei would rather have Ash be given his state. The prowess of the Diamond Clan’s healers rivaled or even surpassed the Sanctuary’s own Medical Corps.

  Arezu led them through the bustling mud paths of the Diamond Clan, only offering a curt response to those who greeted her, and those that did called her ‘Lady Arezu’ and dipped their heads. A haze of multi-colored smoke hung in the air, drifting from iron pans of burning incense that littered the entire Settlement no matter which direction Rei looked in. Though his eyes watered, the smell was pleasant, and he knew he’d get used to it soon enough.

  Arezu brought them to a long tent with vents cut through the thick fabric of the walls to allow for ventilation. She pulled the flap of the door aside and ushered them in.

  Riley surged ahead and Rei followed after.

  In the candlelit darkness, a series of sparsely-made beds lined the edges of the lofty interior. Cabinets of assorted glassware, herbs, and pouches sat between the beds, with carts of precision medical implements, no doubt sanitized and sterilized, carefully pushed out of the way.

  At the far bed, seemingly the only patient in right now, lay Ash, and Riley hurried to his side. Dark leaves and thin cloth covered his body, and beneath, Rei could see the vibrance of multiple different kinds of herbs and salves resting over his wounds.

  “Don’t touch him,” a voice said. From the gloom of the corner opposite Ash, a figure dressed in the dark leather garb of a doctor rose from where they’d been sitting. A beaked mask covered their face, their eyes hidden behind tinted lens . “The infection is still in his body. Even the slightest jostling could stimulate the poison through his body further.”

  Riley stopped his hand on its descent and turned toward the doctor. “You were the one who treated him?”

  “One among others.”

  Riley bowed. “Thank you, truly.”

  The doctor nodded. “We did what we could. His fate lies in Father Sinnoh’s hands now. Lady Arezu,” they said, turning their beaked frame and bowing as Arezu swept in behind them.

  “All good?” she asked.

  “Good as can be.”

  Arezu nodded, satisfied. “Good.”

  “First, you assail my Settlement with a stench of blood and death from one, and now you bring two more who smell like they haven’t bathed since the Great War?”

  Rei and Riley both turned back toward the door.

  The tall man with long indigo hair tied messily sauntered toward them, and somehow, he had a distinct smell separate from the rest of the Settlement. The fruity and flowery aroma of scented oils wafted off his body, and Rei wrinkled his nose.

  The man grinned, his dark eyes flitting between them. “What am I to do with you, Lady Arezu?”

  Arezu smiled but bowed. “Leader.”

  Riley furrowed his brows at the insult but the man raised a hand. “Apologies, I’m only joking. I am Adaman, the leader of the Diamond Clan. I hear you three have gotten yourselves into quite the spot of mischief.”

  Next — Chapter 72 : Pearly Gates

  I’m not thrilled with the pacing of this chapter…