Chapter Four
"Wake up." Collyn groaned in response to that order, getting up from his light slumber. Knocked back into reality, his paws groggily moved about, finding the ground to push his body up. The crackling of the campfire suggested to him that it was probably still nighttime. His sensitive ear also picked up other signs of various nocturnal life: howls, hoots, chirps, creaking...
Creaking? Collyn opened his eyes. That was the unmistakable creaking of a tree. Natural death doesn't happen in the autumn. The dead wind could not fell a Rogu tree. Lumbering? In the night out here? Why?
Yet the loud rustling of leaves and branches confirmed the oddity: one had succumbed to some unknown force. He got on his hindpaws, now visually paying attention to his surroundings. The stew pot was gone, leaving the campfire to heat only the air around it. Garwin was standing up right in front of Collyn, his head turned to look into the forest, his face demonstrating concern. The pack on the Mienshao implied that he had already gathered everything he needed. A pale streak of white covered the lake as the moon had begun to make progress in its descent.
"What's going on, Garwin?" Collyn rasped, still not fully awake.
"I'm not sure, but something's wrong. We should get moving now. We can rest once we get to Jaklyn." Collyn yawned, grabbing his pack to depart with Garwin as commanded. He then took the remains of the campfire, throwing it into the pool branch by branch. He wasn't in the best mood to argue with Garwin. Besides, it was the Accum's role to ensure his safety, so the decision to depart now was understandable.
As they - as well as Collyn's mind - began to move, Collyn started questioning the situation. Sure, there might indeed be something dangerous out there that had wrecked a full tree... but thinking it through, trying to move through the forest now could prove just as deadly with the large number of nightly predatorial threats. Ariados and Crobat were two of the most well known causes of travelers' death, both active in the night. It wasn't that Garwin wouldn't be able to handle such lethal creatures in case of such an encounter, but why did he felt necessary to move anyway with that knowledge?
So naturally, the inquisitive Houndour addressed this concern to Garwin as soon as his throat fully recovered from its inactivity. Garwin's grim disposition grew even more grave as he was asked on the matter.
"What do you know about the knighthood process?" the Mienshao responded.
"Huh?"
"You know that you're not the only one to undertake the rituals in becoming a knight this season, correct?"
"Yes, Garwin. I remember being told that when learning how the rituals worked. All of us also would be ranked during the ritual by a series of short tests," Collyn simply recited from memory. He wasn't sure why Garwin was asking about this for, but the answer would eventually come.
"Have you heard anything about the knighting rituals that took place this spring?" Collyn gave the question a bit of thought before shaking his head, telling the Mienshao that he didn't know of any details regarding that event. Garwin simply sighed, looking off. He even hesitated, treating the explanation for his actions as dangerous themselves. However, he gave it nonetheless:
"For Spring there were five intended to be knighted. However, only four completed the ritual. The fifth one failed to do so because he and his Accum went missing."
"Missing?"
"The interesting part is that this missing knight-to-be was the favorite among the Council."
"So he was the anticipated High Knight had he not gone missing?" Collyn asked, beginning to understand and dread where Garwin was going with this.
"That is correct. Under the Council's orders, we kept this whole affair quiet, but I suspect foul play..." Garwin continued, trailing off. Collyn remained silent for some time, wondering if Garwin would conclude with his reason for the early leave. Two minutes of silence convinced Collyn otherwise, so he finished the conversation.
"One of the Accums caused it, right?"
"Yes, you're right..."
"So who do you think it is?" Collyn asked, pressing on the matter to speed up this whole affair.
"A Kahan bounty hunter named Karsha. She became an Accum just last year."
"Accums can be foreigners?"
Garwin shook his head.
"No, not under normal circumstances. An appeal to the Council has to be made to waive the native-born requirement. I'm not sure why they allowed her to be an exception, but the Spring incident naturally puts her under suspicion."
"You still haven't told me why it's best to leave in the middle of night."
"Karsha was the one that felled that tree." Collyn froze in fear and astonishment, unable to even say anything in response. Garwin started to give further details: "The thing about Kahan sorcery is that it's noticeable. Most of their spells releases large amounts of light in a short burst. You were still asleep, so you didn't see it. However, she only used a weak one, so it took time for the tree to fall."
"W-why did she do that?"
"To test me perhaps. Had I not left, I could be sending a challenge to her. As Accum, I'm not here to engage in combat, even if for self-defense as it would put you in danger. The best choice was to peacefully leave and let her have her way." Collyn gritted his teeth, mentally disagreeing. Sure, Garwin would want to avoid conflict, but perhaps to Karsha (if Garwin was right in the first place), they were retreating, showing signs of weakness and lack of superiority. What if they were encouraging her to go for the kill right now?
"Garwin."
"Yes, Collyn?"
"How cautious do you think Karsha is?"
"I've heard that the living conditions in Kahan were unforgiving. If she lived there, she no doubt would at least be somewhat cautious in her movements. I met her in the Spring rituals. At the least, she's extremely patient." Collyn almost struck himself in the forehead. That's right! Everyone gathered at the temple so Garwin would have seen all of the Accums at that time, including Karsha.
"What else do you know about her?"
"She's rather quiet. I'm surprised she's the killing type, but appearances are deceiving after all. Does not eat much like I do, but drinks rather often. I don't think she realizes my position among the temple, but she's wary enough to know I'm special among Accums."
"How so?" Collyn asked, particularly interested now.
"Well, I am an Arch monk."
"Wait, Arch?!" Collyn simply froze. The people of Rogu never cared for titles, so rather than using such pompous words such as "Legendary" and whatnot, the Council settled with giving away the title of "Arch" for the best of Rogu. As far as Collyn knew, the last person to rise to that status was a paladin over fifty years ago. And here Garwin was, claiming to have that same honor!
"It's nothing. They wouldn't let me turn it down, so I just asked them to not let the news out," Garwin sighed, stopping alongside Collyn. "Fame is a terrible curse, perhaps worse than loneliness. At least loneliness doesn't constrain you to false company and pointless interactions that mean nothing to your heart."
"..." Collyn just wanted to say something, but nothing sounded right in his head. Asking more about his quietly-gained position would be disrespectful to Garwin's wishes. In fact, best he tried to forget this entirely, for fear of unwittingly revealing it to others. His lungs took in fresh air from a deep breath done in an attempt to calm down.
"Why did you tell me that, Garwin?"
"Because I believe in you, Collyn."
"I find that faith of yours unsettling," Collyn admitted. Garwin could help but laugh at the Houndour's honesty.
"It's best we get moving now."
"Yes, Garwin."
~~~
Things look differently from another perspective. Now on the other side of the canyon, Collyn could spot the broken bridge at the opposite side, hanging completely straight down, dangling planks and rope freely shaking about in the wind as they pleased, no longer tied to the oppressive pole at the end of the bridge they were on. Upon looking at the scene once again, the width of the canyon looked fairly small, yet Lynette's ordeal felt ridiculously long.
Collyn blinked a few times when he noticed a pile of ash by one of the wooden posts of the bridge. Was that a black speck or a mere trick of the eye? Garwin watched Collyn curiously as the Houndour bent down, using his paws to brush away the ash, turning that black dot into a piece of cloth. Collyn could only gaze at this miraculous thing: it survived the fire. How?
Upon pulling it out of the pile, he frowned as the "cloth" proved itself to be much heavier than expected. And with a firm grip on it, his paw held something of a much rougher texture. Leather? That would explain why it didn't burn away with the rest of the cloak. When he completely separated this leather object from the ash, his paw held a thin rectangular case with one side extending over to the other, attached by a snap fastener.
Given his prying nature, Collyn used his other paw to grab and tug at the strap in an attempt to unfasten it. Instantly, some sort of complicated, circular symbol appeared, brightly shining yellow. Accompanied with the glow was a brief electric shock that ran through the dog's body. Yelping in pain, Collyn instinctively let go of the leather case, letting it drop to the ground. By the time it reached the dirt, the mystic design circumscribed by the circle had faded away and disappeared.
"You alright?" Garwin asked, only slightly concerned.
"Y-yeah..." Collyn muttered, looking at his paws to make sure they were fine. On the outside, no damage was evident, though each digit suffered a slight tingling sensation.
"So he's a sorcerer," Garwin mused. "It seems that we'll have to open the case later. How stiff is your body?"
"It's fine," he replied, groaning as he forced his numb body up, taking the secured leather container as he got on his hind legs. So strange, the existence of this case. Why didn't the Persian pick this up before his departure? Was it not worth the trouble? If not, why did he spend the effort to protect the contents?
"You want to hold onto that?"
"I might as well. My pack still has space," he sighed, disappointed with the results. Looking down the road, he could see Jaklyn in the horizon, mostly thanks to the gradual decline the road took from here.
Indeed, just twenty minutes of walking did the trick. The sun had barely risen to their left by the time they set foot on the small town. In contrast to the forge at Yokkon being isolated from the rest of the buildings, Collyn noticed one located at the entrance to the right. However, given the poor condition of the house with the peeling wood and broken stairs, it was more likely vacant than not. Just diagonally across the road from that forge was an alley with a manhole to collect rainwater. Collyn watched a few children walk into the alley before looking back at Garwin.
"Do you know the person that worked here?" Collyn asked Garwin.
"In the forge? I used to work here."
"Oh... did you take out everything from there?
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"I was hoping to get some sort of oil lamp." Garwin tilted his head, confused as to why Collyn would want such a thing. Better to not ask. The Houndour would have his reasons. He would find the method to the madness sooner or later anyhow. Despite that, he didn't remember of an oil lamp in the old forge, and even if there was one, the likelihood of it being clean or usable simply made the prospect of simply buying a new one far more desirable.
Most - if not all - Rogu towns have their market hours start by sunrise. Such an early start allowed vendors a longer rest period in the second half of the day. The only exception was the restaurants, stuck with bustling demand for as long as the sun reigned the sky (and even some time in its retirement). The fervor of nightly excitement made lanterns the most desired commodity besides food, especially for the festivals.
Even in the less celebrative weeks, lamps still sold well. Collyn could spot at least two stalls along the same side of the road with the item he requested from Garwin in stock. Only a silver coin for a simple terra-cotta lamp, handle and wick included. No lid to cover the pouring hole? Fraid not, sir. No matter; better to buy now with the price so low. Aye, a silver it is.
What a small price for such minute light! Its width barely exceeded that of Collyn's paw, the handle impossible to be utilized by anyone moderately large. Garwin couldn't fathom why young'un wanted the trinket. Even more absurd was what Collyn did upon receiving the lamp: he lit it. Immediately, he poured a bit of paraffin oil into the fuel chamber and lit the wick at the nozzle as soon as he was sure the oil was being properly drawn. In broad daylight!
"Ah, let the lad have his fun," the seller laughed. Garwin was sure that "having fun" was the very last reason Collyn would have gotten the lamp for. Yet what was the intended purpose for getting this tiny thing?
As they walked from the stall, a Scyther - rushing in from one of the other stalls, rammed into Garwin, the two beings involved in the incident crying out as Collyn watched. He observed not the colliding bodies, but some minuscule article flying across the air, across the street, and down the uncovered manhole. Groaning, the Scyther looked around, becoming alarmed when he saw his belt, an attached small pouch undone.
"Wha-" he exclaimed, quickly brushing across the ground with his blade-arms. Collyn turned to look at the Scyther.
"You won't find it there."
"Then- You have it, don't you?!"
"If whatever you lost went to me, it would have hit Garwin first. Take another guess," the Houndour replied harshly. The Scyther bristled at the flippant response.
"I'm not here to play games! That ring is an important delivery! You're paying for it!"
"You lost it."
"Why, you," the Scyther growled, stopped by a raised arm of Garwin's.
"Collyn, did you see where that ring go?"
"Yes, it went down the manhole."
"It's fine. I'll pay for it." The unexpected answer lead to a startled Collyn, somehow able to keep his mouth open despite the leather muzzle.
"Garwin?!"
"I wasn't watching where I was walking. How much is the ring worth?"
"Twenty gold coins... if you can afford it."
"I can-"
"Wait!" Collyn roared, smoke erupting from his mouth. "I'll get the ring."
Time passed in silence before the Scyther managed to utter a "what?" quietly. Garwin was equally surprised, but not for the same reason. However, neither of them reacted fast before Collyn ran over to the manhole, looking down before he jumped right down, his right paw holding the lamp.
~~~
Collyn sneezed from the fetid stench of the sewage. He didn't have much time at all. At least a minute was wasted from that Scyther's outburst. Finding the ring at this point would have been impossible if he didn't catch on to what happened. He stood on the sidewalk, sloped downwards to the sewer gutters that collected all flowing water. A small current of air followed the water in the sewers as well.
Quickly, he forced himself to sniff. Even in the midst of the putrid air, he would be able to catch the scent of anyone moving windward. When he picked up nothing, he turned around and headed leeward, following the current of the water, using the puny flame from the oil lamp to reveal the way ahead.
"... hear that?" Collyn stopped immediately, trying to hone his ears on the voices. Children? He expected someone other. There's also at least one present given the few words he picked up. Silently prowling along the sidewalk, he listened in to get more info. His left paw went over the lamp to quench the flame. Best he remained undetected...
"What? I didn't hear anything."
"It's just the wind!"
"Is not! I heard something!"
"Prooooove it!"
From the banter, Collyn started to suspect that they were all indeed children. At least three different voices not far from where he was... If he approached them, they could flee and probably would split the moment there was a fork in these sewers. Was there a way to keep them from trying to escape? Maybe if he knew where a corner was.
"F-fine! It came from this way!" Clearly audible footsteps echoed along the sewer, indicating that they were coming towards him. Collyn sighed to himself. If he surprised them, they would more likely flee, so it was better he just confirmed his own existence. As the result of his thoughts, he relit the lamp.
"There! Someone's there!"
"Don't run to it, Sasha!"
"I'm going to prove you that I did hear someone! Hey, it's a Houndour!" Collyn watched as an Emolga ran up to him. "Hey, what are you doing here?! Sewer's off limits! Bad things happen to intruders like you!"
The "intruder" sighed, tempted to draw his sword to intimidate Sasha. The Emolga had no weapons nor exterior source of light. The only light the children appeared to use was the flame of a Charmander's tail. To the side of the Charmander stood a Chatot, simply watching with from a distance. Both the Charmander and the Chatot clearly had doubts about Collyn. In the end, best to go along with the conversation.
"Bad things? Why? Is it dangerous?" he asked. The Emolga opened her mouth, obviously stuck on how to answer.
"Well - ah, um - yes! Yes, it is dangerous!"
"So why are you-" Collyn bit his lip. Bad reaction there. He really needed to fix that habit. Quickly, he cleared his throat, getting back to the actual topic at paw. "I mean, I came down here because I lost a ring down here."
"Huh? You lost a ring? Hey! Paco!" Sasha turned around to face her friends. "Get over here!"
"B-But!"
"No buts!" she answered, stamping her left foot against the cold sidewalk. Reluctantly, both of the flying squirrel's partners moved forward. The Chatot held out a small ring in its wing, which was promptly taken by the Emolga. She took it up in front of her eye, scrutinizing the piece of jewelry. She glared at the gold and examined the emerald center before saying:
"Look, kid, you lost this thing. I found it, so I'm keeping it."
"Now see here!" Collyn growled, officially losing his temper, his paw grabbing the handle of his sword, which was out of range from his lamp's light. "I know not what joke you're trying to pull, but I advise you to quit it!"
"Or else what?" Sasha retaliated boldly, crossing her arms. Collyn would have threatened her had he not thought of some other way to peacefully settle to problem.
"... How about I pay you for it?"
"... Huh?"
"Six gold coins. That's two for each of you, more than enough to last you all quite some time." The Emolga hung her mouth open at the sheer mention of gold coins, shocked at the offer. She tried to answer hastily.
"W-well, um... that's... Twelve."
"What?!"
"I want twelve of those coins for the ring."
To hell with this! Collyn drew out his sword, startling the Emolga. She gave out a fearful squeak, falling to the ground. Her wide eyes stared at the armed teenager, her body shaking with fright. Her two friends quickly walked back in reaction.
"Alright! H-here!" Sasha cried, tears already leaking out of her eyes. Her small hands held out the ring for Collyn to take. "Just don't hurt me!" she sobbed, scared witless. Collyn watched the crying child for a few seconds. Bending down, he first placed the lamp to the ground before moving to Sasha, who could no longer take it and shut her eyes, preparing for the worst.
She felt the ring then from her... and then something cold and smooth placed on her hands in return. The Emolga couldn't help but look to see what it was: six authentic gold coins stacked delicately on her small hands.
"Take care of those," Collyn sighed, standing straight up. "A good friend gave me those... so I don't want to see you losing any."
"..." Sasha just stared at the coins as if they were some sort of hallucination, capable of disappearing. The Charmander was the one that spoke up.
"Thank you, sir," he said, staring at the Houndour. Collyn said nothing in response, only just sheathing his sword. Children. Quite bothersome they were.
~~~
Garwin could sense the anxiety of the Scyther, and he suspected that it wasn't the fear of losing precious time to deliver the ring as he said.
"Think he'll actually get the ring?" the Scyther nervously asked.
"Collyn is experienced and informed. He probably knows what's going on," Garwin cryptically replied, looking up. Both of them had already gotten up, waiting at the alley near the open circular storm drain. In contrast to the still Mienshao, the Scyther was subtly figdeting, nervous over something.
"What do you mean 'what's going on'?" the Scyther asked. Garwin chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm not sure, myself. Strange things happen these days."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Well, perhaps the strangest thing I'm wondering was why you suddenly ran out like that."
"I already told you; I was in a rush to deliver that ring." Garwin bursts into laughter from that answer. Though ostensibly joyous in tone, the Scyther felt those dreaded chills running down his spine. Something about this Mienshao just troubled him greatly, haunted him, tormented him.
"Ah, so which way were you supposed to go to make your delivery?"
"I don't see why I should answer any of your questions," he stammered. Garwin grinned at the Scyther.
"Let me put it this way to you, sir. If the Council finds out that if you've been... concealing anything that deserves punishment, if you quietly turn yourself in, you could face far more merciful consequences. What say you?"
"You're just an old geezer! Y-You can't threaten me like that!" the Scyther blurted out, losing his composure.
"For the benign future of Rogu, I do what I need to do," Garwin responded. "Do not force an aged Accum to rouse himself. It is tiring for an old being."
"Shut up!" the Scyther retorted, immediately using his right sword arm to swing at Garwin's neck. The Mienshao swiftly pulled up his left arm, catching the blade in his hand. The Scyther was initially surprised at the fast reaction, but then downright spooked when he saw absolutely no blood drawn from the fighting ermine. He attempted to swing with the other arm blade, but Garwin had forsaw the move, appropriately yanking the Scyther's blade (and consequently the Scyther himself) in his unharmed hand. The force coupled with his own swinging sent the Scyther to the ground, his right arm blade held awkwardly in the arm. And still no blood. He was at least a monster, maybe even a demon. As if to confirm his fears, Garwin slowly clenched his hand around the blade... and it was the Scyther crying out in pain.
"St-stop! Please!" he begged. Garwin didn't change in his facial expression. He raised his foot, bringing it down onto a pressure point he had memorized. The impact forced the Scyther unconscious, letting Garwin drop the blade arm with the assurance that this con man couldn't escape. Even though he has been more or less staying in Yokkon for the past few years, he had heard of such shameful scams like losing a ring and blaming others on it happening recently. Collyn no doubt had heard of it considering his father had to keep up with the news, and the important information would have passed down to the teenager. He's not sure how Collyn predicted this to happen. Perhaps he noticed someone snooping around the manhole? In any case, it was best to send this Scyther to the Council for questioning.
Picking up the Scyther, Garwin walked off to do exactly that...
