Life 36 Day 89

  Yet another day I live. Another day travelling thought this savanna. Our recent meeting with hunters has left me shaken, and my partners on edge. To think even with the constant threat of the raids there are some that would rather fight with one another rather than work together. And for what? My friends' lives? I owe them my survival!

  Still, we had to do what had to be done... I am not proud of what I was forced to do. What I was forced to ask of my friends. I have reread the previous entries, as I had skimmed through the parts about humans hunting pokemons. Now that I have done so, I realize I had left many hints and blatant warnings about other humans. The Sanctuary for example: I wrote about the hunters during its creation.

  Yet through all my lives upon the Ezian planes, at least the ones written in this journal, this is the first time I have been forced to kill. I It I tried to talk it through, I really did!

  Future me, do not judge my actions too harshly just yet, for if you read this on your first day, know that you have yet to experience what this world is truly like. Please always try peace first, but be warned it might fail anyway.

  Life 36 Day 92

  Princess writes for me, as I dictate my words to her.

  The raid was bad, I am still healing. Princess healing abilities are great, and combined with kirlia's owns I should survive it. I have once more witnessed magic, and once more we were almost found wanting. Yet we prevailed. Knight and Princess were able to approach and kill the sorcerers, while kirlia and Hound protected me. Still one fireball managed to slip through. Still I survived, and we have continued east since yesterday.

  We have reached the sea I believe. Although the air lacks the salty tang that should accompany the coast, we have made camp atop a high cliff above the water.

  Here is the composition of the thirteenth week raid:

  -twenty cultist armed with short swords,

  -five knights with light armor,

  -three mages or sorcerers.

  Be warned the sorcerers might work in tandem to create greater spells. That is how I got injured.

  I close the journal, and we look around us. We might be standing on Aster's footsteps here, literally.

  We have left the savanna behind one and a half day ago, and have been travelling through a gentle meadow. Flowers of many hues cut through the green grass, giving the place a rainbow hue. Trees sprout intermittently and bushes hide curious pokemons all around.

  And a buzz fills the air. Insects and insect types pokemons seems to live together in harmony, undisturbed by the world around them. Yet, under the peace, we feel it, something watches, something stares.

  The moment we set foot upon the meadow, we felt an intense gaze lock on us, yet even Mewtwo was unable to locate its source perfectly. It is as if the meadow itself watches us.

  Yet this did not deters us. and we continued through. And now, even with the gaze still on us, we have reached Raging Lake shores, and as I read through Aster's journal, I found out he might have once lied here, getting treated by his friends and companions.

  Raging Lake, a lake so vast many consider it an inland sea. We stand atop a tall cliff encompassing as much of the lake shore as we can see, going far into the distance left and right. I can understand how the first humans that found it may have confused it with the sea.

  The edge of the cliff opens to an abrupt drop of many meters if we were to jump. We will have to either traverse through the lake, or go around it to reach our next landmark, and what a landmark.

  As the sun sets at our back, we can see it in the distance, the tall, and imposing peaks of the mountains considered as the tallest upon the Ezian Plane. The Ice Cap mountain range shines orange against the setting sun, and rising tall at its center, is Icen Sky peak, the tallest peak. As the sun sets, we ware lucky enough to witness the ice mirror flash, as the peak light brightly for a couple seconds.

  We gaze at the humbling sight before us, taking in all the distance that still needs to be covered, all the dangers that we still need to overcome. And yet, the sight fills us with determination. For it makes us realize that we want to travel for more than our survival, and to have our questions answered. We want to see what is beyond the horizon. We want to see from the top of the world, and what lies in its depths.

  The nether may have been a bust due to our unpreparedness, but we will return there at some point, and we will explore it to our heart content.

  But for now, we observe the peak slowly disappear in shadow and mist as the sun dips below the horizon. Once night falls, we sit at the edge of cliff, observing the stars being reflected upon the calm surface of the lake as they appear.

  Mewtwo yawn, and I cannot blame him. He decided to travel non-stop until we reached the lake, and well, here we are.

  He chooses a spot to sleep, and quickly summons a large bubble around himself. I shout at him a few times, and he nods satisfied. He closes his eyes, and he quickly falls asleep.

  The bubble is new, as I have discovered something new. During the last day of travel, I have looked for a weapon that could help me deal with hordes of enemies, just in case the next raid happens to be a horde again, and while looking through my available materials, well... I realized I have a lot of gunpowder... and I can just make sand whenever I want... And it just so happens that one may combine with the other to create TNT... And well... That can be attached to arrows... and hordes do not do too well against explosives...

  But it is a bit loud, hence the sound cancelling bubble. We tried it yesterday and the result was pretty conclusive. So now I just need to make a tower and let the monsters come to me.

  And thus the night passes, along with many an explosion. A single arrow is enough to instantly kill or at least completely cripple most monsters. So I get a lot of time when I just wait for them to come to me. It is during one such waiting period that I spot something.

  In the distance along the cliff, I spot a flickering light. I try to concentrate on it, but the growing horde of monsters distract me. When I look back, it is still here. It remains for another dozen minutes, then disappears. What it was, I have no clue, but now I know where we are going in the morning.

  When the sun rises, it is at first hidden behind the distant mountain, and so the monsters continue to appear. I am forced to wait another two hours before the sun finally ignites the monsters, and they stop appearing. Mewtwo joins me during that time, and I tell him about the light.

  Curiosity lights in his eyes, and we set our gaze south of our position, toward the mysterious light.

  As we travel, Mewtwo informs me the pressure from the hidden gaze is growing stronger. It does not stops us, and we continue along the cliff edge. After a quarter of an hour of walk, we see it.

  Some short distance from the edge of the cliff, is a wooden cabin. The structure is surrounded by fields of flower. In the front yard, small wooden structure can be seen, although I am not sure what they are from the distance. Surprisingly, most insects and pokemons are gone, only bees and combees remain instead.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  One notices us and looks at us in curiosity. We prepare ourselves for an attack, now aware that not all pokemons might be friendly, and our reaction scares the poor comb pokemon. It flies away with haste.

  The pressure that had accompanied us since our entrance into the meadow suddenly reaches an all time high, and we almost buckle against its strength. A loud buzzing fills the field, and we look around for what is coming.

  Mewtwo find her first, and I behold her soon after. She is massive, far bigger than my knowledge tells me they should be. Towering at two meters in height, the vespiquen descends upon us. Colored a warm yellow and black, the pokemon looks like an helmeted bee with a long skirt. Her red eyes stare us down imperiously, and the pressure she exude brings us to our knees.

  She buzzes at Mewtwo, and my friend attempts to reply, only to be shut down by louder buzzing. The queen bee pokemon points back to the way we came, and buzzes angrily.

  "Lil' Bee?" A faint tremulous voice calls over the buzzing, "Do we have visitors?"

  The vespiquen freezes and urges us away, now looking more scared than dangerous.

  "Hello? Is Lil' Bee bothering you? She can be a bit overprotective but please, don't take that against you." Coming from behind the large bee pokemon, an elder woman walks slowly, helped by a wood cane.

  We look at her with even more worries, as if she has managed to live this long, then the vespiquen is even stronger than we might have expected. And the four digit number atop her head confirms it soon enough.

  "Oh wait. You're not one of those league persons right? I told you before, I-" The old woman start to cough, which quickly devolves into a painful fit.

  The vespiquen drops her pressure and rushes to what is clearly her companion. A faint flowery scent fills the air and I notice a tiny puff of pollen being passed to the woman. Her cough stabilizes, and she takes a wheezing breath.

  "My apologies, I am no longer as young as I once was." She offers, leaning on both her cane and the vespiquen.

  Finding we are once more able to speak and move, I take a step forward. This earns me the glare of the vespiquen, but a quick whack from the woman has her drop it.

  "Hum... Hi, I am Astra, and my companion is called Mewtwo. We apologize for coming in unannounced. I noticed some light coming from the direction of your house, and we got curious." I tell her, making sure to not attempt to approach any closer.

  Greetings. Mewtwo offers as well, earning a shiver from the woman.

  "Oh... A psychic, it has been so long since I felt the touch of one. Last time must have been that young trainer. You sound a bit like him." She rambles. "Oh but where are my manners! I am Lena, Lena Kurrow. I am a humble retired apiarist. Although my dear Lil' Bee still takes care of the hives. Would you like to taste some? It has been so long since we had guests."

  I look at Mewtwo, and he looks at me. Do we follow the old lady? Do we excuse ourselves?

  She did mention an trainer with a psychic type sounding like you... Mewtwo notes.

  I nod at that, and give the apiarist our answer. "If your companion is alright with us staying for a bit, it would be our pleasure."

  "Oh, how delightful, I can tell you are young. Keep that kindness in your heart, it will serve you well." She intones.

  The vespiquen sneer at us, but relents before her companion can catch her. She escorts Lena, and we follow.

  We pass the fields of flower, soon reaching a meandering dirt path going from the little cabin into the distance.

  As approach, the wood structure in the front yard turn out to be beehives. Combees and bees mingle together in and out, although we notice some of the bees are a bit strange. I could swear one of the bees that just passed us had a hat. It did! Mewtwo confirms as the hatted be flies away somewhere.

  Once we reach the door landing, Lena stops, and Lil' Bee opens the door for her. She steps into the gloomy interior, and collides with the the door frame. Lil' Bee is quick to stabilize Lena, and then guides her to an armchair. Once she is seated, the vespiquen seems to relax slightly, and then moves to another corner of the small cabin.

  "Tell me if you need help with anything Bee." Lena tells her companion.

  The vespiquen rolls her eyes, but she cannot hide the smile that fills them.

  We awkwardly stand next to the door. Mewtwo turns to the vespiquen and asks her something. Whatever it is, it seems to gain the bee pokemon approval as she motions for him to join her.

  Mewtwo joins the oversize pokemon, and they start to prepare something in what I now realize must be the kitchen corner.

  I remain in front of the door for another minute, before the vespiquen angrily signal for me to do something. Mewtwo helpfully translates for her. Get in and close the door.

  I do so, and plunge the entire cabin in obscurity. Although it only lasts for a second before my eyes acclimate themselves to the gloom, and the few rays that are passing through the closed curtains soon become enough for me to see.

  "So young man... What brings you to Raging Lake?" Lena asks.

  "Oh, we are only passing through. We are travelling east." I answer her.

  "East? Ah, I wonder if my previous visitor reached east. He was talking about a possible solution out of this world. Back to the old... Ah... I was so curious as to what he meant by that." Lena once more rambles. "He told me we were no longer on earth, but I just told him, what's beneath my feet then? Clouds?" She lets out a wheezing laugh at her joke, and I give her an honest chuckle. "But then he told me he was sorry. Ahh... I was young then, how young was I Bee?"

  The vespiquen buzzes at her, and Lena chuckles. "Ah yes, I was starting to wrinkle. How old would that be... Thirty? Thirty five? Oh how long has passed since then?"

  She then starts to ramble about her bees, the hill and the beach some distance away. She tells of the frequent excursion her and Lil' Bee go on, where she gets to enjoy swimming with some big sea serpents. They go once a week, even in winter. Although in winter, she only holds onto the some sort of sticks on top of the sea serpent she rides. Even in her old age, she still eagerly awaits those occasions, why just three days ago, they went and did maybe four hours of swimming. They had to take a few breaks, as her body is not as resistant as it used to be, but still, she still enjoys it.

  At some point, Mewtwo and Lil' Bee join us with a plate filled with little honeyed toasts, as well as four mugs of herbal tea.

  We thank the cooking duo, and enjoy the food. Well, I only eat a couple of toasts, as any more would be a waste. The tea I fully drink though.

  Lena continues with her stories, of how she rarely has visitors, yet is happy for Lil' Bee presence. She was always here. Always...

  She loops back to her last visitor, a man accompanied by many friends as she describes him. Young at the time, with six friends, although she only interacted with four. She wished she could have seen them. Just like she wishes she could see us. This has her take a tangent about how she wishes she could behold the world around her. Only for her to suddenly rise in panic.

  "Oh gosh! But you can see!" She declares, as she reaches for her cane.

  The vespiquen rises to support her, and then guide her back down.

  "Do not worry, we both have pretty good dark vision." I attempt to reassure her.

  "Oh no! That will not do. Bee! The curtains!" Lena continues to fret, attempting to rise once more.

  Lil' Bee softly buzzes and a faint breeze traverses the cabin. Every curtains open, filling the cabin with light. Late afternoon light actually.

  Lil' Bee, upon noticing the time, buzzing softly at her companion once more and goes to exit, motioning for us to follow.

  "Is it so late already? Oh my, I must have put quite the damper on your travels. I am so sorry. You should have told me, I would not have bored you with so many stories." Lena starts, "The least I can do is offer you my home for the night. There is no shelter around here, and my home is well protected."

  The vespiquen buzzes her disapproval, but Lena waves her refusal away. "Come now, I made the mistake, I have to own up to it." She declares, before sighing. "Oh all this talking has tired me a bit. I apologize, but I am going to take a short nap. And do not chase them while I sleep Bee!" She threatens the vespiquen with her cane, although if she actually had been aiming at the door, it would have been more effective. The vespiquen still buzzes in resigned agreement, and goes outside.

  We both get up as well, and join the large bee pokemon out, leaving Lena to rest. As we close the door, we can already hear faint snoring.

  Once outside, the vespiquen towers above us once more, her arms crossed upon her chest. She buzzes at Mewtwo and he nods. Live translation incoming.

  I nod, and Lil' Bee talks. "You have been gracious hosts. You are still unknown, and dangers. What do you plan with us?" She starts.

  We both look at her in confusion. We... plan nothing. We just came here out of curiosity. We followed the light. Mewtwo answers and I nod alongside him.

  "Young indeed, you lack the cunning of your peers. What of the rest of your group?"

  The rest of our... group? What is she... Oh! "Well, I guess you were right. We are being followed." I congratulate Mewtwo.

  And we guided them to an old lady and her guardian. Mewtwo laments.

  "We are sorry for that, we did not know for sure. Have they come close?" I inquire.

  "They have not. They remain outside my domain. They await. They are not with you?" Bee asks in suspicion.

  "No! No. We... there is only the two of us." I explain.

  "I shall trust you. For now." She reluctantly declare. "If you wish to stay here, do so under the porch. I protect from monsters. How long until your next challenge?"

  Five days, but we will be gone by then. We are sorry to impose.

  "I wish you go now, but Lena will be sad, and think I made you go. Tomorrow, once she wakes up, you go."

  We agree to that, and settle ourselves beneath the porch as the sun sets. Mewtwo goes starts meditating continuing his training, and I start reading and doing research for our future endeavors.

  LobsterJonn