Episode 36 - Swords

Mort does his job, Walt leads a rescue mission, and Diggory finds their way home. The theme of tonight's episode is Swords.

***Content Warnings:** Abuse, animal death (Bert and Heidi), violence, kidnapping + abduction, death + injury, blood, transphobia and homophobia (Solomon), birds (lots), gun mention, strangulation/ suffocation, static (including sfx), emotional manipulation, body horror, character death, eye injury*

## Intro - Two-Edged Sword

The episode begins with the history of Walt’s weapon: a silver sword. Forged in Northern Europe (wow it’s almost like that direction is important or something /s), it was originally intended to ‘shatter the agents of darkness’. The first owner was a knight who fell in love with the creature she set out the kill. The second was her former squire, who joined The Church of the Hallowed Name and attempted but failed to kill both her and the creature. After, the sword in the castle for decades, and being carried once by its master who is a servant of an indescribable, as known by the fact that she wears black gloves so it doesn’t burn her hands. The sword is then passed around between multiple unknown owners before being given to Walter 'Walt' Pensive.

## Story One - On Holy Ground

The story begins with Polly, Yaretzi and Mort approaching the Church of the Hallowed Name. They have a conversation about visiting a carnival once everything is over. A bell rings, signaling that someone knew they where coming, even though humans should not have access to that sort of information. Three figures from the church appear in the forest in front of them, one of them being Solomon Reed holding a holding an instrument (this is a flute, however Mort does not know that) and another man holding a golden box. Many other Church members surround them from behind the trees. He plays the flute, releasing the ghost of Abigail Reed. The man with the box attempts to cast the trio out off “these hallowed grounds” and “back into the fires of hell”, and the box begins to spin. At the same time, Polly attempts to destroy Solomon Reed for his abuse of power, interference in the economy of souls, and general bullshit “by decree of Syrensyr the Reclaimer of Fire and the industry that burns in him.” The eyes appear on his umbrella and he tells Mort to go do his job. As he rushes to do so, he sees Abigail attempting to attack Polly. While he is able to stop her, someone gets ahold of his umbrella and gives it to Solomon, who breaks it. After declaring the words: “As for you, Apollyon, servant of the devil, die.”, the box unwinds, and the world goes dark. After Mort can see again, Polly is gone (see Episode 39 - Promises). The Church members surrounded the remaining members of The Carnival Gang, in which Mort express his desire to go back to sleep. He notices that the knifes they are using absorb all light, meaning they are void knifes. Just when all seems hopeless, Bert swoops in and saves the day with the rest of his undead seagull hive mind. The blood thirsty birds provide a cover for Mort and Yaretzi to escape and ends with Mort asking if they should wait for Polly, and Yaretzi telling him “I cannot smell him anywhere, Mort. He is gone.”

### Interlude One - Silver Swords

Nikignik talks to us about the strange weapons used in their stories, and about how seemingly simple things can hurt such powerful beings. They point out that the stuff that hurts us do no harm to other animals. He does not think that that humans could have created these tools by ourselves, and that some higher being gave us the secrets. They deny that it was them, then proceed to tell us a way to kill a higher form of life right after. It’s silver, like Irene Mend’s scissors or Fort Freedom’s daggers. There are other weapons, like those at Church of the Hallowed Name, because they had thousands of years to hone their craft.

## Story Two - A Long Day

After waking up from a dream about Daphne, Walter 'Walt' Pensive eats breakfast and prepares to go fight and hopefully kill Solomon Reed and rescue Percy Reed. The group that attends this battle contains Diggory Graves, Jonah Duckworth, Hector Mendoza, Winona Carline and Bern Keene. Walt had tried to get other beings in The Hallowoods to join him offscreen, but was unsuccessful. After everyone gets their weapons, Walt considers waking up Riot Maidstone, but decides against it. They show up at Solomon’s house at sunrise, where Leyland Blooms tells Walt that he needs to go, because “Mister Reed does not permit guests while…”, however they cut themself off when they see Diggory, and expresses surprise that they are able to walk even though Irene Mend did not finish them. Diggory apologizes that they do not know Leyland and tries to convince them to stop working for Solomon, however Leyland tries to tell them that they can’t, and again, Solomon doesn’t allow visitors, and is interrupted by Diggory saying that they aren’t a visitor, but a rescuer. During this conversation, Olivier Song flies into the scene altering Solomon of their presence. It is then revealed that Solomon was at church. Olivier sends a think fog across the lawn, causing Walt to lose sight for everyone else. Then Solomon walks on to his property with a fiddle floating beside him and a bow in his hand.

### Marketing - Calibration

Being one of the shortest marketing interludes (or the shortest) at 22 words, Calibration consists of Lady Ethel Mallory yelling at someone before realizing she is on air.

### Story Two, Continued - A Long Day

Nikignik remarks on how odd the interruption was, then we return to the story. Solomon and Walt have a short conversation that ends with Solomon playing Abigail Reed’s instrument, controlling her to fight. Walt remarks on the fact that he didn’t get some details right in his almanac. The two fight, but because of his injury, Walt is clumsy. However right before Solomon can strike the killing blow, Walt cuts the fiddle with his sword and Abigail disappears. Solomon then reaches into his pocket, so Walt attempts to strike him before he can do anything, and he succeeds, breaking the bone fife that was in has hand, hurting him in the process. So for a final time, Walt raises his sword, and goes to kill Solomon Reed.

Then, for the first time, Nikginik speaks to us during a story. They tell us that if we wish to stop listening, to wake up and believe that the story has a happy ending, we are free to do so. “But Solomon was fast. Faster than any human should be, and as Walt swung down, Solomon raised his arm…And Walt is still standing there with a fiddle bow through his eye socket.”

Walt sees the fog part and feels light, his jaw unclenches. Walt smiled as a large bird, The Grackle came down to him. It takes the Stonemaiden pin Riot gave him a payment and picks him up to the sky. “And Walt fell asleep”.

### Interlude Two - Last Memories

Nikginik apologizes to us for making us hear such a devastating story. They tell us that sometimes he wishes that he could impact the stories they tell. He talks about how it is hard to lose someone, and that the last moments we have with the ones we love are never what we expect. They say that grief is a natural part of existence, and yet they are still sorry.

## Story Three - Cold Head

The fighter’s have returned home after Walt’s death. Jonah helps Hector into the infirmary, who got hurt by one of the Creations of Irene Mend. Riot demands to know where Walt is, and Bern breaks the news to her that he was killed. Because Diggory promised to make sure Walt was unharmed, Riot blames them for his passing. They run away from the scene, going into the woods. They recount the morning’s events, and could swear they heard Percy pleading for help before everything went wrong. They sit on a log at Lurch Lake, wondering why they aren’t crying like everyone else. After sitting for a while, even wondering if they should go to sleep, the hear something come out of the woods. In front of them, is a a building sitting on large bug-like legs with golden arches and spires illuminated by a soft orange light with a thin, tall figure standing in the doorway. Diggory runs to the building and climes up its latter. The figure at the door has a fungal head and introduces themself as Mx Morell and welcomes Diggory to Museum of Broken Promises.

## Outro - Swords

Nikginik talks to us about the phrase ‘he who lives by the sword dies by the sword’. They tell us that Walter 'Walt' Pensive did nether. While he is in the middle of a monologue of questions about good things happening to bad people and vice versa, as well as why we loose the ones we love, they are interrupted by a broadcast from Lady Ethel Mallory. She expresses joy about the lack of static, and welcomes the happy dreaming family to a special Botulus Corporation show called The Morning Hour.