Wow, getting some serious deja vu right now. The light coming from the forest canopy only illuminated a small space beyond the doors, and judging from what I could see of it, it was another cave. I peeked around the corner, and confirmed that the cave is darker than my grandpa’s humor. Not creepy at all. “Heeellloooooo!” I said out into the void. I only did it to break the tension, and honestly I really didn’t want anything to respond. I’m not scared. R-Really! I’m not! I like suspenseful things, I watch horror movies all the time! I just would’ve been surprised if something said hey back, ya know?
Plunk.
Ah. A noise. That sounded like water, right? Not some horrible monster.
Plunk.
I decided to make a tactical retreat. I mean, It was probably water, but you couldn’t be too careful, right?
___
With my outstanding intellect, I quickly came up with an ingenious plan to counter my lack of illumination. All I required was the glowing berries that lit up the forest. The berries that were up above the canopy.
Simple.
I had only noticed them earlier because I was curious as to how the forest was so bright, even though it’s underground. I had figured that they wouldn’t be much help getting up to the waterfall and had ignored them. But now that I had to travel through a pitch black tunnel, I knew that they would be perfect for my escape.
“All right, I might be a little rusty, but climbing trees was my one and only talent ten years ago. If a seven year old me can climb an oak, then I can definitely climb this… tree!” I’d always loved the danger and excitement involved in climbing trees, even when I was a kid. My crowning achievement was touching the very top branch of an oak that grew in my neighborhood park. I looked up at the tree, and realized two things. A. This tree was much bigger than an oak, and 2. I was way shorter than I was when I was seven. I might’ve been a tiny bit worried about falling, but a strange feeling of excitement overwhelmed it. My heart was pounding in my ears, and I felt like I could climb Everest, let alone this itty-bitty tree. I latched onto it, and started scrambling towards the light giving berries.
For some strange reason, whenever I looked down to see how far I had climbed, I got a weird wave of vertigo and nausea. Also, by the time I had reached the lower branches of the canopy, my legs had gone all wibbly wobbly. What's up with that?
“I-I d-did it.” I figured my trembling voice and shaky legs must be because I was tired from the climb. Or maybe I was trembling from excitement. What other explanation could there be? I’m scared you say? HAH! As if! Only a wimp would be scared of a tree! I confidently took my first step onto the branches. I heard a snap under my foot. “AAAHHHHH! I’M GONNA DIE! NOOOOOO!“
|Notice: User has stepped on a twig.| I looked down and saw that the snap had in fact been a tiny twig that fell from higher branches, and not the limb I was standing on.
“Phew! That was close. Almost lost my cool there… And I really don’t appreciate that snarky tone, you glorified Siri!” And I was starting to think that this was worse than the darkness of that cave earlier. Silly me! This was fun! I strutted over to some nearby berries, determined to brush that brief embarrassment off and change the subject. They really did glow quite brightly. I squinted against the blinding bushel. Wow! It's like staring at the sun! I guess that makes sense if they light up the whole cave.
|Query: Use special skill, [Hoard]? Yes No |
That’ll be a big ol’ yes from me! What say the council?
Yes!
I concur!
Here here!
Heh. I’m going insane. I really need somebody I can actually talk to. I reached out and touched the berries, squinting my eyes like I had just stepped outside after a hardcore gaming session. This time, instead of just being sucked in and disappearing, the berries were surrounded by a purple and blue haze. Then the light from the berries dimmed as the haze turned into a glowing mystical mist. The berries became completely obscured, and the cloud shrunk and its glowing intensified. It kept shrinking and growing brighter until it was just a tiny glowing ball of gently pulsing light. What just- The ball flew into my outstretched hand and vanished before I could process what I was seeing.
|Answer: The visual phenomenon User witnessed was the effect of User’s special skill [Hoard] storing an object larger than the surface User touched it with.|
“Soooo… Because I used Hoard on something bigger than my hand, the purple mist shrunk it until it could fit in my hand?” I had Query explain it to me more while I gathered more berries. Basically, anything that was smaller than the body part I touched it with could be devoured by my skill without batting an eye. However, anything bigger than that would need to be shrunk down by the skill until it fit, using up some of my spendable quanta. In other words, If I devoured anything too big, I would drain an appropriate amount of magic energy.
It took a long time for me to wrap my head around it, so I ended up with a whole lot more glow-berries than I originally intended. Oh well, never know when this stuff came in handy. I guess shrinking something only a bit bigger than my hand doesn’t drain that much magic.
Checking my stat page again, I noticed my “Mp” number now said 7.6/10. I’m guessing that Mp was the amount of quanta I could spend on skills and magic, and my maximum was ten. Ten of what metric? I have no idea, but either ten was a lot, or the Hoard ability barely used any of it.
Finally done with my chore, I took my sweet sweet time descending the tree. Sure, Query pointed out that if I used my Immaterial skill, I wouldn’t be hurt from the fall, but still! No way was I going skydiving without a parachute. I might be an adrenaline junkie, but I wasn’t suicidal.
When I at last touched grass, I took a moment or two to give a hug and kiss to the ground, before getting to work.
I spent the next 30 minutes or so fashioning a torch from the glow berries. It turns out that these things are pretty remarkable, and were called Sanriri berries. Query wasn’t kidding about being able to give me data on things I’ve Hoarded. When I asked, It gave me a well organized spreadsheet on the berries properties.
Object name: Sanriri berry bushel
Item type: berry
Quality: rare
Functions: Light production, Weave concealment /dampening
Applications: Edible,
Non degradable, Juices provide a constant light source.
These things seem pretty handy if I do say so myself. And they were perfect for what I had in mind. After a bit of fiddling around, I figured out how to get back the things I had stored with Hoard. I regurgitated some berries, and found a nearby stick. With that, I had created a torch! Fire sold separately.
___
Now that the show was back on the road, I decided to brave the void beyond the doors. It might have been more than a little weird that a literal shadow was holding a light source, but it didn’t seem to be hurting me or anything, so it was probably fine. I held my torch as high as I could, and tentatively took a few steps into the cave. The torch worked brilliantly. A large tunnel stretched to my left and right, with stalactites and stalagmites breaking up the smoothness of the cave walls. I turned around and looked back at the doors. For the first time, I realized that these sides of the doors were designed to look like they were part of the tunnel I was in. Like, perfect recreations of the cave surrounding the doorway. Maybe the doors had just been cut from the cave?
I shook my head, why was I getting caught up on such a small detail? I was literally reincarnated into an alien world, stuck in a tiny, wimpy body, and trapped inside of a cave. This was no time to be oohing and ahhing over cool rocks. I held my torch out further and strained to see as far as I could in each direction. The tunnel continuing to the left looked exactly like the tunnel to the right, so I might as well go to the left. I made an audible gulp, clutched my light source to my chest, and bravely walked off into the darkness. This was getting pretty exciting.
____
At least the cave wasn’t very confusing. It was just one large tunnel that seemed to be taking a gradual right turn, and it hardly had any offshoots. I couldn’t tell if it was changing in elevation or not, so I decided to stick with my choice and see where it led. The cave was eerily quiet, and even though I’ve been walking for a few hours now, the only sounds so far are my footsteps and the occasional plink plonk of water dripping from the ceiling. There was no sign of life, not even a bug. As far as I saw anyway.
After a long hike, at least twelve hours, I finally found a break in the scenery. It was another massive stone gateway, just as intricately carved as the one that led out of Hero’s Rest. I pushed lightly on it, and just like the forest gates, it opened without so much as a whisper. Stupid spooky giant ghost doors, why are you so intimidating? I peered through the crack in the gateway. It was obviously not an exit. It seemed to be a room. That freakin sucks, I walked for the better part of a day in the wrong direction. My bad luck had struck again, and in a really annoying way. The way out of this tunnel is probably on the other end. I groaned when I realized this, and turned around to start the journey back, shoulders slumped.
Just as I was about to walk away, I felt a cold breeze across where my neck would be. That was the first time I’ve felt an uncomfortable sensation since I reincarnated, even the river and lake had only been pleasantly cool. But this… this was icy… this made me shiver. If I had any hair on my neck, it would’ve been rigidly standing to attention. After turning back to the tunnel, I kept turning. I was intrigued now.
If you’ve ever seen a horror movie, then you may know the term ‘white person syndrome’. This refers to the common and cliche way that characters in horror films who happen to be ethnically white, tend to do really stupid things. For example, the characters may have just narrowly escaped the murderer, and are catching their breath, when Brad realizes that he dropped his wallet. Most people would say, “oh well, I guess I got robbed by an ax murderer.” and happily leave it at that. But Brad is in a horror movie and suffers from white person syndrome. He will inevitably decide to face mortal peril in order to rescue his collection of coupons and receipts. This furthers the plot of the movie.
I am here to let you know that I have white person syndrome. I was born and raised in America, after my mother convinced my grandfather to move with her. I grew up doing stupid things that seemed exciting, like exploring the haunted house on Wilson Avenue with the neighborhood kids. It wasn’t like I was extra brave, I still soiled my pants as often as the next kid. But whenever I’m in a dangerous or scary situation, my heart starts beating too loud for me to hear my common sense. A strange smile spreads across my face, and I become the subject of much stupidity.
The icy wind wafting from the room behind those imposing doors made my heart race. What's back there? Why does it need to be protected by the stone doors? Is there treasure? Is there a monster? What is it? I tentatively walked through the doors.
The instant I stepped across the threshold, the whole vibe suddenly changed. It felt like I was underwater. The air itself seemed heavy, and it was harder to breathe. Even though the room felt so oppressive, it also felt…
Empty.
Dead.
It was like a graveyard, the sterile emptiness of the place was almost palpable. Somewhere deep in my soul, I felt a twinge of sadness for some reason.
|Notice: Atmospheric Weave density has increased significantly.|
The flashing words broke me out of my trance, and reminded me that there could still be danger. I walked forward into the pitch black room. Unlike when I exited Heroes Rest, the torch barely penetrated the darkness ten feet in front of me. The only landmark in this void was the small bushel of glowing Sanriri berries I left at the entrance. After carefully making my way forward, I stumbled across a lever on a small dias. Don't do it! That is so obviously a trap! I’m gonna pull that lever, and the door is going to close and I’ll be stuck here! No way I’m falling for that! Unfortunately for the little voice in my head screaming not to do it, my heart was pounding in my ears too loudly to hear anything resembling common sense.
Ker-chunk.
Suddenly I was blinded by an ungodly amount of light. Of course, I had been in the dark tunnel for so long that you could’ve turned on a desk lamp and I would’ve been seeing stars. But these were overhead lights that lit up the entire room. I had effectively been flashbanged. I dropped the torch and was knocked on my butt, squinting to block out some of the light. My vision was blurry, but I could make out some large round thing in front of me.
I managed to stand back up, shaking off the daze and rubbing my eyes to try and adjust to the light. Whatever’s in front of me, it's definitely big and round. It looked like… A snowglobe? In the very center of the room was a giant glass sphere on a pedestal. Besides that and the lever, the room was completely empty. Two whole basketball courts worth of smooth floors and vaulted ceilings.
But the sudden ability to see had done nothing to disperse the gloomy vibes this place was giving off. I still felt like I had just gotten back from the front lines of a war.
This was seriously creepy, especially that giant glass ball. I was totally getting dungeon boss room vibes, straight from a video game.
Getting reincarnated was totally the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I giggled a bit, something about this place was scratching every fantasy nerd itch I didn’t know I had.
I walked up to the sphere. Every step towards it made the air feel a little bit heavier. Like someone was putting a small weight on my shoulders with every movement. I climbed up the stairs to peer into the ball.
Inside the orb was a skeleton, laying down in the fetal position. It was as if someone had fallen asleep inside there and hadn’t woken up. The skeleton was almost human, but not quite. It had large canines, and incredibly sharp fingers. I reached out to touch the sphere. The glass looked so perfectly smooth and clean, but there was a faint pattern imprinted on it.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
When I brushed my hand against it, ripples spread across the glass, like I had just touched a still pool of water. Suddenly the silence became deafening. I hadn’t even realized there was some ambient buzzing noise in the background until it disappeared completely, along with every other sound. The air took on a different kind of heaviness. It flipped from a depressing weight to an imposing sense of doom. It actually felt like death was caressing my shoulder. So much so that I spun around, expecting to see the reaper standing there.
Instead, a robotic voice rang out from seemingly nowhere.
“Intruder Detected. Deploying countermeasures.”
“Intruder? You talking about me? I swear I wasn’t trying to break your shiny glass ball! I’ll leave now! No need for countermeasures!”
|Notice: Atmospheric quanta density is decreasing rapidly.| Suddenly a glowing light appeared near the door. It started expanding rapidly, and changing shape. Two seconds later, a giant lizard was standing there. Because why not? Anything goes at this point. One second I’m walking through a cave, the next I’m trapped in a room with a giant snow globe and a dragon. A really, really big dragon. Its scales were a dark brown, its eyes, horns, and wings a burgundy red. It exuded a regal and menacing air as it eyed me, smoke wafting out of its nostrils.
Yeah that’s a dungeon boss alright. But damn, a real freaking dragon… so awesome.
I don’t know why I was paying so much attention to detail, I should have been running for my life. The dragon narrowed its eye slits, and roared at me. That's probably not good- Its roar suddenly turned into a bout of flames that rushed straight for my head.
I threw myself to the side, watching as the fire literally melted the stone floor I had been standing on. I scrambled to my feet.
Forget I said anything, this guy is absolutely not awesome! The dragon began stomping towards me, tail lashing back and forth. “Uh oh, this guy is pissed.” I said that one out loud, and apparently the dragon heard me. It let out an annoyed huff. Then it let out another flame breath.
Why does he have to be directly between me and the door!? Fighting a dragon while being smaller than a toddler seems even more insane than getting around him and escaping. But I was going to die if I didn’t get out of this somehow.
What the hell am I supposed to do!?
The dragon didn’t give me much time to think it over. I was scrambling back to standing from the last attack when it stood on its hind legs. It began to flap its wings so powerfully that it generated hurricane level winds. I flew backwards and crashed painfully against the snowglobe. Curled in pain, I briefly wondered how a shadow could be affected by wind.
|Answer: Although User’s body absorbs light in a manner that makes it appear similar to a shadow, the user does in fact have a physical body. User’s body is a single cell, with a thin membrane on the outside and a central core on the inside. This makes it incredibly light-|
“AAGH! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!” The messages were completely obscuring my vision, I couldn’t see a thing. I managed to make them disappear after a second or two, but in that short amount of time, the dragon had completely disappeared. I frantically looked around, trying to understand where it had gone.
What the hell?! no way it gave up that quick, I’m easy prey for something like that…
Just as I was starting to calm down and consider that maybe it had left, the room suddenly got a lot darker.
Oooooohhhhhhhh….
…
…….
Shit…..
I looked up just in time to see twenty tons of scales and teeth descending on my head. With barely a second to react, I somehow managed to instinctively activate Immaterial and not get flattened. The impact of the dragon was enormous, shattering the floor and sending chunks of it nearly across the room. Even in my Immaterial ghost like form, I was flung several feet. Thankfully the dragon lost sight of me. It probably thought that it had completely pancaked me. I slithered my way through the oblivious dragon's legs as a shadow. I popped out of Immaterial form and started gunning for the exit as quietly as I could manage.
I wasn’t totally sure I had a heart, but I could feel my chest pulsing with adrenaline and excitement. I got back to the lever, and looked over my shoulder to check if the dragon had seen me, but it was totally distracted trying to find my splattered body among the rubble. I grinned to myself, watching this giant idiot play with rocks, and took another confident step.
Crack!
Well this feels familiar… I looked down to see the torch I had dropped earlier, cracked cleanly in two underneath my foot.
Wait! Didn’t you just say I was incredibly light!? How does this keep happening!?
|Answer: The odds of User breaking the stick are 1 in 297,048|
So my bad luck followed me to this life… yeah, that explains a lot actually. I turned around slowly, cautiously, to see two reptilian eyes staring back at me from on top of the rubble. They did not look amused.
“OHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT!!” I sprinted for the doors like my life depended on it. Oh yeah, it does.
The dragon, hereby named Rian, (Based off of a really mean uncle who worked in demolition) roared in anger at being tricked, then bounded after me.
I only got brief glances over my shoulder, but man that guy could book it. It was terrifying how far a single leap could get him, and the ground shook every time he touched down. If I was still human, this is the point where I’d have soiled my pants and have tears in my eyes.
I was running as fast as my tiny legs could possibly manage, yet he was definitely catching up quickly. My chest was pounding.
I could feel Rian’s intensely hot breath on my back, and I heard the gnashing of very large teeth. I didn’t have the mental capacity to think about whether or not I was going to make it to the door first, all of my mental energy was being used staying ahead of the snapping jaws and flames that were behind me.
Suddenly the dragon stopped stomping after me, I looked over my shoulder to see his face outlined in a hellish red, flames spilling from his clenched teeth as he sucked in his breath. He wore a confident and menacing look, like he was saying, “Caught you…”
I turned back to see the doors just five paces in front of me, but I knew that the flames would be faster. The orange glow behind me that was growing ever brighter was clear confirmation that there was an inferno riding on my butt.
Somehow, someway, I managed to reach the door before the flames reached me. I threw myself between the cracked gates and slammed them shut. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking myself safe. I leaned against the doors and chuckled quietly.
“DAMN that was close. Jesus christ. Pheeeew. Ok. Wow.” I rubbed my face and continued muttering as I waited for my nerves to settle down and the thumping in my chest to slow.
|Notice: Lesser Dragon [Rian] is approaching rapidly.|
Suddenly the doors exploded, literally blown off their hinges. I was sent flying into the curved wall of the tunnel. Cracks appeared where I hit the wall, and a sharp pain spread across my body. I saw the giant stone doors crash nearby through my now blurry vision. And the shaking ground meant that Rian was stomping towards me. I shook my head to clear up my eyesight, and looked up at the fire lizard that was approaching. I was trapped. There was no way I was going to escape this. I was going to die again, and less than a day after getting a second chance.
NO! You can’t do that!
I got another shot at this! You are not taking this away from me!
I was livid at this dragon, at myself, at the universe! Why would you dangle a miracle in front of my eyes just to snatch it away!? A mix of fear and confusion and anger was swirling in my mind. My back was to the wall and my chest was pounding. I looked around for anything I could use to defend myself, to protect my new life.
I felt something cold and hard, something heavy. A weapon.
A rock.
My rage instantly died as I faced reality.
Yeah, I’m screwed.
Rian had lost all patience, and was now bounding towards me at a terrifying speed, jaws open. I knew it wasn’t going to do anything, but I desperately flung the rock at him. I don’t know, maybe he’d choke on it? I was dead meat anyway, so I figured I might be able to get a tiny bit of revenge.
Then an honest to god miracle happened. I might be an Atheist, but I’m willing to believe for right now that something was looking out for me. That tiny rock sailed straight into Rian’s eye. It didn’t puncture it or stab it or anything, but it probably hurt like hell. He flinched, briefly closing both eyes in pain. He tried to slow down and reorient himself, but twenty tons of dragon made inertia kick into effect. He slid forward and tripped on a jutting rock. He had already been within ten meters of me before I threw the stone, but when he tripped he was basically right in front of me. So he faceplanted the wall. Hard. He took a step back, dazed and disoriented.
Then a second miracle happened.
Eat your heart out bad luck. The shockwave of Rian’s epic faceplant reverberated through the tunnel, shaking the floor. Apparently, that was all it took to bring down a gigantic stalactite conveniently hanging above Rian’s head. A five meter skewer fell from the ceiling and impaled him straight through the noggin. Twice now, quick thinking and a handy skill called Immaterial stopped me from becoming pudding under a falling dragon.
I extracted myself from under the lizard shish-kebab just as he was breathing his last, and took a good long moment to soak it in.
Wow. I actually just did that. High fives all around. Aisage the dragon slayer. I will never say I have bad luck again as long as I live, promise.
I started laughing hysterically at the absurdity of everything that just happened, until I felt like I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
Wait, I don’t need to breathe. So why do I feel so-
Suddenly I could barely keep my eyes open.
Whoa, w-what's happening? My vision was going blurry, my head was spinning. I really wanted to lie down.
|Answer: The User has been bestowed a title, and is going into hibernation so that physical readjustments may be performed and skills may be bestowed.|
I didn’t even register the bright message imprinted on the insides of my eyelids, I was already unconscious.
[][][]
Uuggghh…. My head…. W-what’s going on? Where am I? Something was definitely wrong. Iris had been sleeping in her bed last she could remember, but she had woken up to the jostling of a wagon, and her hands were tied to a wagon support next to her. She scanned her surroundings through bleary eyes, and saw her mother was similarly tied up across from her on the left side of the wagon. She also saw a person ruffling through some crates towards the driver end of the vehicle.
D-Did we get kidnapped? How is that even possible? There’s no way that someone broke into the- The person found what they were looking for, and stood up with a grunt. Iris quickly hung her head and pretended to be asleep, one eye cracked open. The person walked over and crouched near her.
“Oi, I know yer awake. It’s been days on the road. You need to eat so we can deliver you nice and healthy.” The person’s rough voice and thick accent made her guess that it was a man. And now that he mentioned it, Iris realized she was starving. Even with the gnawing pang in her stomach, she didn’t move, and acted like she was still sleeping soundly.
Her stomach growled loudly, betraying her to her captor.
“Hrah-ha-ha-ha! Sound’s to me like yer stomach ain’t wantin to wait for you to stop pretendin, so I’ll give you to the count o’ ten to wise up, otherwise you won’t get none till tomorrow.” Her eyes popped wide at the thought of having to wait another day without food, and she quickly realized her error.
“A-a demon!?” she gasped out loud in terror. What is a demon doing so far from Dethe? What is happening? The demon crouched in front of her had gray skin and a set of tusks. That’s an orc, right? Aren’t they savages who can’t speak common?
“Yeah. That's right, you got yerself kidnapped by demons. Pretty scary ain't we?” He said with a disgusted snarl on his face. He put the bread in her hands and moved away. He looked over his shoulder at her, wearing a grin. “Not so much as the Demon king though, 'cause that's where you two are going. Them Royals must want you pink haired wenches for somethin real special. Say yer prayers now, yer god won’t be able to hear you no more when we cross the border.” He lifted the flap and jumped out of the wagon with a chuckle.
So many questions were spinning through Iris’s mind, and not nearly enough answers.
What happened to brother and father? Why does the demon king want us? Did the kingdom fall? Lord Akme save us, how did this happen!?
“Thank Akme, I was so worried you were hurt. I’m glad you’re alright.” Iris looked up to see her mother smiling at her, and she felt a sudden and brief sense of relief. Her mother had obviously played possum better than she had, and probably had been awake longer. She might know what happened.
“Mother! What happened to us? Have we really been kidnapped?” She was on the verge of tears, and was frantically searching for good news.
She nodded, “I’ve eavesdropped on some of them talking. We were sedated and taken from our bed chambers somehow, although these beasts don’t seem to know all the details. They are merely smugglers who agreed to deliver us for a high price. Eat your bread for now, you’ll need your strength.” She wore a gentle smile, but Iris knew it was just to make her calm down.
“Yes mother.” Iris looked at the floor and sheepishly ate her bread, her mother sounded so serene and calm that even hearing the harsh reality made Iris feel a little better. After all, her mother was the smartest person she knew, and if she was talking like everything was fine, then everything really was okay.
___
“Somebody help! Please! My mother is dying!” A desperate shout rang out from the wagon early in the morning, and several of the escorting guards ran over. They opened the tent flap to find the younger girl crying, desperately trying to free her hands from her bonds. Across from her was the middle aged woman, she was very pale and was moaning softly.
The orc from earlier broke through the crowd of guards, a cold sweat visibly appearing on his face.
“Dear gods, we’re in a world of trouble now boys.” The other guards, –all demons of various types– agreed. None of them wanted to fail the Demon King. Two of them scrambled into the wagon, questioning the girl and trying to figure out what had happened.
“Her illness, she hasn’t taken her medicine in days!” Iris said between sobs. “Please, I can keep it at bay with my magic, but she needs medicine!”
The guards quickly cut the girl free, and she rushed over to her mother. She touched her mother’s chest and started chanting, her hands glowing softly. The guards asked her what kind of medicine she needed, and she described a plant they could use as a substitute. Thankfully, the caravan was traveling through a jungle region, which it commonly grew in.
Half of the guards went into the jungle to search for the plant, the other half staying behind to help with whatever they could to make the woman more likely to survive. They were dutifully following Iris’s every instruction, hoping they wouldn’t disappoint the demon king. They all shuddered at that ominous thought.
___
Later in the morning, a cot had been set up and a large fire had been built for the woman, who had started coughing badly. Iris had said that they were running out of time, and they needed to find the medicine quickly. All but one guard had gone in search of the plant. Unfortunately for them, they would never find it. After all, the plant Iris had described grew in tundra regions.
When the last guard went on a patrol, Iris whispered to her mother that they were safe. Her mother dispelled the illusion magic that was making her pale, and they quickly and quietly slipped into the jungle unnoticed.
They were almost out of sight of the caravan when the orc stepped out from behind a particularly thick tree and caught Iris’s mother by the arm.
“Tricky little humans, you thought you could make a getaway? Where you gonna go? Yer in the middle of the jungle, a week's journey from where you came from. Me an’ me boys gotta deliver you to the demon king or we’ll be payin with our heads.”
“Iris. Run. I’ll catch up.” her mother was dead serious. Iris knew what that tone meant, and she almost felt sorry for the poor demon who made mother angry.
Iris turned and ran through the underbrush, dutifully following her mother’s instructions. She heard the orc cry out in pain, and she didn’t doubt for a moment that the demons would have to pay dearly to make her mother get back in that wagon.
___
After what she guessed was a safe distance, she started wondering what she should do next. She remembered reading that the only jungle within a week's traveling from the capitol was the Arashin jungle.
There are many human settlements in Arashin. If I can orient myself, I might be able to find one. At least, I would probably be able to find one. Maybe. It’s noon now, so if I can get somewhere high up I should be able to see the lights of a town when it gets dark. Maybe I can climb a tree and figure out where I am. That's probably what I should do… Right?
She wandered through the jungle for a few hours, and found a clearing with a tree that was quite a bit taller than the rest. She was awed at the massive display of nature, and knew that it would be perfect for scanning her surroundings. Thank Akme her mother had taught her so many things. Like climbing.
She expertly clambered her way upwards, worrying about what she should do once she found a town.
She reached the top of the canopy a few hours later, and took a while to appreciate the view. She noted a warm glow and small billow of smoke in the distance. Then she immediately started second guessing herself again.
What if that's the demon caravan? No, that's the other way. Right? But will I be able to make it there? Oh, mother, why did you have to stay behind? Should I go back for her? But what if-
A barely audible shout rang out from down below.. Iris climbed down among the crystalline branches and searched the ground, she saw someone approaching the tree, so far and away that they were barely visible.
That’s not Mother… A demon! How did they find me!? No, that doesn’t matter, if they know I’m here, I won’t be able to climb down without them catching me. But they’ll have to climb all the way up here to get to me… so maybe I can set up a surprise for them. Thankfully, her mother had taught her many things, not just how to climb, but also how to tie simple knots.