by Peter Hall
After another arduous day of trekking uphill through the barren and unforgiving Dim-Rakul, she made it to the top of a rise where after about two hours walking through a deep crevice between two mountains, she came to a clearing. As her eyes adjusted, she could see the whole southern expanse of the continent and she was awestruck at the incredible view. Lush green jungles as far as the eye could see to the south. To her right she could see in the far distance, the Great Western Sea. It was the first time she had seen the ocean and it was bigger than she had ever been able to imagine. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she looked across this new world in front of her. A huge mass of fluffy grey clouds were rolling in from the east, covering much of the land but way in the distance she could see huge mountains, the giant megaliths like claws reaching up through the clouds. The fiery orange sun was setting over the sea, the light began to fade and Bryn decided to set up camp for the night, before making the journey down the mountainside. She built a small fire and sat down. Her feet were cut to shreds from the sharp rocks she had been walking through all day, barefoot.
She took a small deerskin flask from her rope belt, held it above her mouth and tried to squeeze some water out but it was empty. So thirsty. Her lips were cracked and dry and she hadn’t had water for about a week now. On her journey through the Dim-Rakul she had been eating small creatures like lizards and snakes, whatever she could catch, but this night she was too tired to hunt down anything. As she laid beside the small fire, high on the mountaintop, she stared into the flames trying to forget the horrors she had endured in the desert. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
She awoke the next morning, shivering in the cold. Her little fire had gone out and gale force winds were howling across the mountain. The first light of day spread across the sky and as the stars began to fade into the clear blue sky, she made her way down the mountainside towards the Southern Wilds with her rusty sword in her hand.
She cleared the Dim-Rakul by nightfall and could see swamplands stretching out for miles infront of her. Huge, ancient trees as far as the eye could see. The ground was softer and there were green plants growing here and there. Large insects buzzed around as she set up camp near the edge of the swamps. She heard all kinds of strange noises echoing in the night. Growls and hisses, branches twisting and snapping, wings flapping and bushes rustling. She laid there listening to the sounds of the swamplands for hours until she finally dozed off to sleep.
The next morning she woke to pouring rain beating down on her face. She sat up and laughed aloud and held her mouth open, drinking it in. This was the first time she had seen rain in years. She filled her deerskin to the brim, gathered her things and set off into the swamplands to the south. As she moved deeper and deeper into the twisted, murky swamp, the rains continued to pour down without respite. The trees became larger and more expansive, long green vines and huge exotic plants and flowers were growing wildly amongst tall grasses, insects were buzzing and birds were flying through the treetops. Bryn felt like there was life all around her. It was a stark contrast to the desolate ocean of sand dunes in the Great Desert, and the barren and rocky Dim-Rakul.
The ground started to become softer and softer underfoot, the further Bryn journeyed through the wilds and after some time she was ankle deep in mud. She could see the swamp was completely flooded in all directions, the pouring rain dancing on the mirror green surface. She wasn’t going to turn around now, she had come too far. She pressed on into the flood waters which for now were only about knee height. The mud was getting deeper underfoot, every now and then Bryn would stand on something sharp and wince in pain. There were many broken branches, spiky plants and flowers beneath the water that were making life difficult. Her feet were throbbing with pain but she kept pushing on through trees and vines. The further she went, the deeper the waters got until she was up to her waist. She kept moving and finally, she could see that the waters ended up ahead in the distance. Then she froze.
She heard movement behind her. It was hard to tell over the pouring rain but it sounded like a splash. There was a loud crack of thunder and a flash of lightning lit up the swamp. Slowly, she turned around as the rain poured down. Then a glistening, black, scaly head emerged from the water.
Huge yellow eyes with black slits stared straight at her from the monstrous head. A cloud of mist sprayed out of large nostrils in it’s long snout as it chuffed and bared the rows of white, razor sharp teeth in its jaws. It was a beast! It started to make a low pitched growling sound that echoed through the trees for miles. Bryn shuddered and stepped back as the terrifying creature dipped back under the water. She braced herself just as the beast sprang from the water with its jaws open wide. It slammed into her sword, almost knocking her over. It snapped its jaws and pushed her backwards, sliding in the mud. She held on as the beast kept pushing, then it stopped and disappeared beneath the surface. It came again but this time Bryn was ready and the sword came up into its snout when it lunged at her. The beast recoiled and turned with a huge splash, roaring thunderously and whipping its massive tail around before going back under the surface. She made her way towards the shore as fast as she could. She was about ten feet away when the beast attacked again.
It lunged up from the water behind her with a splash and snapped its jaws, sinking its sharp teeth into her waist. She screamed as the blood sprayed out. The beast clamped down tighter and tighter, lifting her up into the air. She cried out in pain as she lifted her sword and stabbed it into the beast's bulging eye, blowing it up in an explosion of yellow slime. It let out a deafening shriek and let go of her, turned around and swam off into the distance as she fell back into the water and went under. The rain poured down on the murky green surface of the swamp waters and a large pool of blood expanded out from Bryn’s body. She fought to stay conscious and found her way to the surface. The pain was unbearable. She managed to make her way to the muddy shore but was only able to drag herself a short distance before she had to stop. The pain was too much and she was about to pass out. She laid there crying in the mud and rain, blood gushing from the bite marks in her stomach and back, then she rolled over, let go of her sword and closed her eyes. Just keep moving...
She opened her eyes and slowly rolled over onto her stomach, wincing in agony. She grabbed her sword and crawled further away from the water. She kept going, dragging herself through the mud and by nightfall she found a small cave to take shelter in. The rain had not stopped all day and the wind was freezing cold. The trees swayed and the jungle shook as the winds ripped through the treetops without mercy. The sky was rumbling and every now and then there would be a loud crack of thunder and a flash would light up the sky. As she laid in the cave, covered in mud, shivering and afraid, she reached into a pouch she had on her belt and took out a small figurine made of bone. It was a simple carved figure of a little boy with his arms out. She gazed at the little figure until she fell asleep and the storm raged all throughout the night.
When she woke up her wounds had stopped bleeding. I’m still here... The mud had saved her, but she had lost a lot of blood and was pale and weak. The beast had cracked her hip bone and it was too painful to walk. She sat up against the wall of the cave and cried. After another day and night in the cave, she got to her feet and hobbled out. She cried and fell over many times but she got back up and kept going. She found a branch and used it as a crutch. She eventually came to a small, flat hill next to a river that was flowing steadily through the deep jungle and decided to set up camp there for the night. The following day she built a rudimentary shelter out of branches and leaves to sleep under and keep somewhat dry.
A month passed and Bryn had constructed a small shack out of branches, grass and leaves. She made herself a bow and arrows and hunted the local creatures for food and hide. She made herself shoes and clothing from the hides of various beasts she had skinned. After about six months her hip bone mended and she could walk normally again. She returned to the lake where she had almost died. She slaughtered
the beast and from then on wore a necklace with a long, sharp tooth hanging from it, to remind her of her victory. She still remembered who she was, but for now, life was about survival. Bryn lived that way in the deep jungles of the southern wilds for years before she saw another person.
It was hot and humid that day in the jungle and Bryn had been tracking a wild boar for about an hour but every time she got close, the boar would bolt. It was a huge black beast of a pig and would provide more meat than she could store but she fancied having a furry black carpet for her little hut. She was travelling light. Her hair was tied back and she was only wearing a short hide skirt, her body was covered in mud and she was barefoot, carrying only her bow and quiver of bone tip arrows on her back. She was a shadow creeping through the thick overgrowth, she had become one with the wilds.
She slowly approached the beast again and carefully raised her bow, lining up the arrow and slowly drawing the string back. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she aimed just above the boar’s shoulder blade, then her eyes widened as she saw a spear sail out from the trees and hit the boar directly in the neck. The boar bucked in the air and spun around, blood spraying from the wound. It took a few steps and roared loudly before it collapsed to the ground. Bryn was still aiming the bow at the boar, in shock. She looked up and scanned the area. It was still. She listened but all she could hear was the trees rustling in the wind and the sounds of the various creatures of the jungle. Then something cold and sharp touched the back of her neck.
She carefully lowered her bow and turned around. There was a tall, muscular man standing there holding a spear at her neck. He had dark skin and was wearing a simple hide skirt. His skin was painted with white lines and symbols. He was wearing a necklace made out of human teeth. Bryn was terrified. She dropped her bow and stood there staring at this huge tribal warrior that had materialised from the jungle. She looked around and she realised there were more of them, all around her. One of them was holding her sword which she had left back at her hut. The fearsome tribal warriors bound her hands and took her captive as they headed south into the deep jungle.
They walked for hours in the heat until they came to an area filled with massive trees that stretched high into the jungle canopy. Bryn was taking note of her surroundings and trying to formulate an escape plan when she saw there was a tree ahead that had a rickety wooden spiral staircase wrapped around it. She followed it up with her eyes she saw a platform surrounding the trunk of the huge tree high above the jungle floor. There was a bridge connecting it to another tree. It was some kind of treetop village.
They led Bryn up the winding staircase and when they reached the top, she looked out at the incredible view. The tree was hollowed out at this height and there was a large room inside it. One of the tribal warriors put her weapons in the room next to some baskets, as the others led her around the treetop platform. There were many trees like this connected by wooden rope bridges that were swinging slightly in the wind. She was led along a couple of these bridges and they came to a group of round wooden cages that were sitting on the edge of one of the platforms. They pushed her inside one of the cages and closed the door, tying it shut with rope. The cage had a rope tied to the top that was connected to a post on the platform.
The tribal warriors pushed the cage with Bryn inside and it dropped over the edge, swinging wildly. Bryn gripped the cage tight and after a few moments it slowed down. The hanging cage swung gently back and forth in the wind, creaking and groaning as it slowly turned. Bryn sat in the cage and looked down at the jungle way below, terrified the rudimentary wooden cage would drop or break at any moment. She sat there watching the sun set over the jungle. Night fell across the wilds and she closed her eyes, shivering as the cold wind howled through the treetops.
She woke during the night, there was a commotion going on above her. There was scuffling and talking in a strange language, then one after another, three cages dropped down over the edge of the platform, not far from where Bryn’s cage was hanging. She looked over at the swinging cages and there were men inside them. They were all three dark skinned, tribal warriors much like her captors, yet Bryn noticed they had yellow body paint and they were wearing red feathers on their skirts and jewelry. The man in the closest cage to Bryn looked over at her, then calmly looked off into the distance. Bryn’s wrists were starting to hurt from the sharp bindings her captors had put on her. She began to rub the strings against the cage. She looked over at the man in the cage and he looked back at her with a puzzled look. She nodded to him and continued to rub her bindings against the cage. The man sat up and watched her, then began to do the same.
As dawn broke over the jungle, Bryn’s bindings finally snapped. Her wrists were badly cut up, and her hands were shaking from the pain. The man in the cage beside her was still struggling to break his bonds, blood was running down his arms, he was sweating and wincing in pain. He looked across and saw Bryn had broken her bindings and it gave him hope. He began rubbing his wrists against the cage even faster. Bryn picked up one of the torn strings and wrapped it around the rope that was keeping the cage door shut. She started pulling the string back and forth, sawing at the rope. She heard the man in the cage gasp as his bonds fell off. He looked over at Bryn and saw what she was doing and again followed her lead. Bryn had almost cut through the rope when she heard footsteps approaching on the platform above.
She stopped working on the rope and listened. They were above them now. She looked down and saw there was activity down on the jungle floor. It looked like a hunting party was gathering for something. Then the furthest cage from Bryn jerked and disappeared up to the platform. She heard them take the prisoner out of the cage and then she heard footsteps walking away. Bryn and the man looked at each other and then continued to work on their ropes. Bryn looked down below and she saw them leading the prisoner in front of the tribe. Then she saw a giant tribal warrior carrying a massive stone sword walking towards the prisoner. The huge warrior raised the sword and brought it down on the prisoner, splitting him in half from head to toe in an explosion of blood. The tribe cheered. The rope snapped and the door to Bryn’s cage swung open. She heard footsteps approaching again and she grabbed the door and pulled it back shut, holding it in place. The man next to her was still working on his. The cage next to him jerked up and the other prisoner was taken away. He finally cut through the rope on his cage and looked over at Bryn. She was climbing up the rope to the platform. Bryn heaved and pulled herself up, then laid there on the platform for a moment, catching her breath.
A scream echoed through the jungle and she heard the sickening wet crunch of the stone sword split the prisoner, followed by the cheers of the hunting party below. She sprang up and moved over to the edge of the platform. The man from the other cage was climbing up the rope from his cage. She held out her hand and helped him up. He looked at Bryn, grabbed her shoulder and smiled, then he began to laugh. He tapped his chest and said “Kesi.” Bryn tapped her chest and whispered “Bryn.”
They got up and Bryn gestured to Kesi to follow her. They headed around the platform to the bridge that led over to the room where they had left Bryn’s sword and bow. They heard shouting and then footsteps approaching from behind them. They made it halfway across the rickety rope bridge when they felt it start to rock underneath them. They turned and saw the group of warriors coming across the bridge towards them. Bryn looked below and saw more of the warriors shouting and running towards the winding stairs ahead of them. The two escapees kept moving and when they got to the other side of the bridge, Bryn ran inside the room and grabbed her weapons. Bryn put her hand on Kesi's shoulder and said “Follow Me.” She gestured for him to follow behind her and they ran back out to the bridge.
The group of warriors were just about to reach the platform when Bryn came charging at them swinging her sword. She hit the first warrior directly in the side of his head with a crushing blow. Blood sprayed across the crisp morning air as he toppled over the side of the bridge and fell, h
itting the ground moments later with a distant thump. She swung the sword with a backhand stroke and hit the next oncoming warrior in the head, blood spraying in her face as he spun and toppled over the edge. The next one stabbed at Bryn with a spear. She deflected and stepped forward, swinging the blade down and landing it on the warriors skull, blowing his head to pieces, the body slumping to the ground. Bryn walked forward into the remaining two warriors. She could hear the rest of the hunting party coming up the winding staircase behind her. Her new friend was with her on the bridge, crouched and panicked.
The first warrior stabbed at her over and over with his spear, each blow deflected with her sword. She swung the sword with perfect timing and knocked the spear out of the warriors hand as he struck. He watched his spear fly out of his hand, the blade connected with his face and as he was blasted over the edge of the bridge, he saw Bryn flick the blood off her sword and charge at the last warrior. The last one stumbled backwards and dropped his spear. He dropped to his knees and was begging for his life. Bryn wound up the sword and cut his head clean off his neck, blood spraying straight up in the air. His body slumped as the head sailed to the ground below. The horde of warriors were now at the bridge and coming for them. Bryn gestured to Kesi to follow and they ran to the other side, their captors in close pursuit.
As they ran around the tree platform, high in the canopy of the jungle, they came to another rope bridge leading to another tree. As they rounded the platform there was a warrior holding a torch that had just crossed from the other side. Bryn caught him off guard and before he knew what had happened he was falling to his death. Bryn picked up the torch as the body thumped on the jungle floor and gestured to Kesi to go across the bridge. He understood and started to run across.