Chapter One: Bitter Tasks

Far west of the Tectonic Crusade's residence in a land of unforeseen ice and shadow, the eldritch roar of a dying soul bellowed. Devastation had wracked the entirety of a shambly little town and its populace was now either deserted or simply gone. Whatever disaster took place was blamed for the sudden drop in temperature and a vast stretch of land was now inhabitable.

It was known as the Bitter Chill Incident.

Explorers and researchers brave enough to trek through this new Bitter Chill could never find a reason for this sudden change, nor could they find survivors from that devastated village. Left to the eventual ruin that came for all things destroyed, it was forgotten, written off as a mistake made when a dungeon failed to form.

Months later, back at the capital, Summerween was in full swing. An uncountable cluster of orange and green decorations were spread throughout the pond-turned-square- and holiday enthusiasts, before the event could even start, regarded it as a gross misuse of cultural propaganda. Sunflowers were outfitted with gnarly expressions and pumpkins had summer-skirts tied to their waists. It was weird, it was queer and Raphael supposed that those were exactly the points of the festivities.

"Ralph," Jude huffled. He lugged around a gourd half the size of his leek, and to the uninitiated that meant that it was double the size of a pumpkin. "Help out."

"Why, do you reckon, should I?" noised the Rowlet, who had been both preening and side-eyeing that one Mewtwo he was always at odds with. Luckily for him, Nerevar was definitely staring back. "You beefier folk have it handled."

Thudding the gourd to the ground, Jude flapped his bill.

"We don't," Jude insisted. "You can fly, and we're short, for the most part. Hang the dangle-vines."

"The what?" Squawked Ralph. He was disappointed to follow Jude's gesturing to a building with a rather festive string of orange and purple and green nonsense hanging from it. It looked like a rotted cheese stick, truly. "Can't fly all too well, there, Jude. You're a bird too, aren't'cha?"

"My wings are pure muscle. Chicken nuggets can't fly," responded Jude, who didn't actually change his expression at all.

"You have those here?" Raphael asked.

"We've have Pokemon born for the sole purpose of providing chicken nuggets. Find someway to help out, Ralph." Jude was crossing his arms now. And that fat bill of his was frowning.

"Shit, kid, who do you think got us this job in the first place?" Throwing an astounded wing back, Ralph hopped down from his perch and owl-waddled closer to the pond. There was an animalistic urge to howl at the various bug-types fluttering enough, and he fought these urges by recollecting on the scourge these shit heads were back in the real world.

He'd pretty much given up on returning. Things were made for him here, with this team of fools bringing in the dough. The man figured this was how the owner of Arby's lived.

"Happenstance," Jude said, having finally caught up.

"Hell naw. It was I and my little pies! And I even plundered a little more," the owl waved around that little bundle of candy Elton had given him for being a shithead. "I'd say my job here is done."

The fat yellow duck just stared back at him.

"Don't you ever aspire to be someone more than-" Jude started, only for a hurricane of feathers to discombobulate and distract.

"Nah, don't you put your expectations onto me. Had enough of that in my past life," Raphael said. "You wanting to atone for your shit, that's fine. I'm going to keep doing my own right and righteous."

"Damn it, Ralph," Jude ruffled. Which was a rare thing, as Jude was smoother and rounder than any other bird Raphael had ever seen. "I'm not running this team with someone who doesn't even want to be here,"

"I wanna be here," Ralph nonchalantly countered. "Just don't want to farm till sun up."

"Nor do you want to take any job of any difficulty," said Jude. "Be someone we can rely on and be proud of."

"Shit, Jude, that's not my problem," Raphael huffed, which Jude took as a chance to grasp the Rowlet's shoulder with his freakishly large hand. He gave Ralph quite the jostle.

The two of them stared at each other, for a time. Silent nonsense being screamed between. It didn't solve anything, this silence, though it did unnerve the owl who eventually squeamishly tried to pull away.

"Jesus Christ, man, I'll work on it. Who else do you grip with your hands like that?" Ralph asked.

"What," Jude said.

"It's weird, son," Ralph responded. "What do you want me to do? Find us more work? That's Nerevar's job, innit, now? What then? Go fight God? Shit, I suppose you do, with these stubby legs of mine, I-"

"I want you to hang the rest of the decorations," Jude said with the most tilted look a duck of his stature could give.

-

An hour passed by the time Team Hierophants had finished the grand decoration efforts of the capital. At that point, the square looked positively swampish. What sunflowers around were newly accompanied by clusters of cardboard cats and crows pokemon-ified. Little paper mache boats drifted about the central pond with tiny Yanma and Cutiefly taped to their hulls.

Outside of the pond, along the twee ramshackled housing made with human eyes, a nigh endless supply of dangle-vines and bramble-leaves hung from roofs and windows. Though the outskirts of the capital were less involved with the festivities, the heart and soul of the town was yassified into a bumpkin oddity.

All of the present members of Team Hierophants helped. Dionys and Pandora saw to both the vast reaches and smallest details of the most peculiar decorations. Lily and Ralphael bound the hanging decals while Anthony carved pumpkins. Jude carried in whatever supplies and Nerevar distributed-

And Kera cooked. Most of everyone wondered why, as the actual celebration was days away, though no one actually complained.

Days later, after the soul of summerween was proven to be there to stay, the head honchos of the Hierophants were shoving boxes through the town. Crates of goopy stuff, melted chocolate and sundried gummies.

"It's appreciated, Ralph," Jude flicked the sweat from his brow with a solid turn. They were by that central pond again, on the market side- and Ralph was once again preening while sitting on the edge of a crate.

"Pheh. Talk about being better than myself," Ralph said with a dull razor's edge.

Though Jude frowned and had more to say, stuck on his bill, the croak of a sheeted salamander sliced through the proverbial privacy bubble.

"Ah, Heirophants!" Elton, who Raphael never thought much of and who he certainly didn't see as very masterly, approached them with raspy urgency. Nerevar was with him, almost expectantly. She was the team's bootlicker, after all. "The whole of the town is- pissed!"

"Oh," Jude replied, with his eyes wide open. Elton was the only one present who didn't jolt at that spectacle.

"Some miscreants vandalized our hard work!" Come to think of it, the streaking blots of shitty colors were certainly new. And some of the paper cats were smushed too, which was just rude.

"Doesn't that just jack off," Raphael gasped, palming his forehead with a cluster of finger-feathers.

"Uhuh," Elton looked and said disapprovingly. 

"Do we have any leads?" Nerevar asked, as she played with a coffee cup, eyes wide open. "Could any one in the town have…"

"Doubt it. Everyone's pretty well-behaved and respectful," the Clodsire whispered, as though he was deep in thought.

"Team Ferrine?" Nerevar pushed.

"Nah, because why would they?" Elton's frown intensified. "We checked the… red. Earlier. And it's not blood. And Team Ferrine tend to act far more violently than ruined decorations. I can't say that we know what the colors are."

"Guys!" While the gang was in thought, a minute cluster of boxes and rocks waddled towards them. Pandora the Dwebble. He flinched a little at seeing Raphael- but that only lasted a second. "S-Someone slashed the! Gourds!"

"Yup," Elton echoed and for whatever reason Pandora did not get the response he was expecting.

"We'll have to find them then," Nerevar said, flicking away a flame she had conjured for her grounded beans. "Perhaps we should split up?"

"Now hol' up- what's in it for us, guild man?" Raphael asked.

"Uh, no. Not this time. You'll have to do it to avenge your work," Elton's brows danced in a very un-dancer way.

"Drat." Ralph squinted about, and when he made eye contact with Jude, he rolled his eyes and charged off. "Fine. Jude, let's go."

The duck shrugged. 

"We'll get it done. Could you check to the East of town, Nerevar?" Jude asked.

"On it," nodded Nerevar.

"I'll go with!" Pandora said.