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- Spirits of Vengeance
The piercing cry of a night bird’s shriek shattered the oppressive atmosphere like a scream in solitary confinement, echoing across the stillness of the shadowy jungle, amplified by the eerie silence of the late hour. It was a time when most living creatures rested their heads to sleep, save for the predators of the night... and those who wished to move unnoticed under cover of darkness.
Two figures trudged deeper into the thick jungle of Kraw, desperately trying to remain unseen in the encroaching blackness and thick foliage. Their clothes were torn, their skin scratched and bruised. Only the faintest of distinct shapes and features could be seen–both young, both dressed in lightweight leathers and even flimsier cloth to combat the tropical humidity.
Within moments, the outstretched branches of the jungle had swallowed up everything but their shadows. The soft, foot-swallowing earth gave way to a carpet of fallen leaves that muffled their footsteps. There was no moon in the sky that night; only darkness, and the nocturnal song of the jungle's inhabitants.
The night bird could be heard squalling once more. Like clockwork, the humans began to move with a newfound sense of urgency, their course now determined by sound more than sight.
The younger of the pair steeled their resolve with a deep breath, the motion mirrored by their companion, only a few inches away from where they crouched in the undergrowth.
“Now,” they mouthed, lurching forward on unsteady, skittish feet. "We have to move now."
The two moved in harmony, knowing exactly what to do with no further words between them. As soon as they emerged from the shadows, they ran faster than before. They were running from the darkness behind them and towards the darkness in front of them—into the unknown. Each gasp for air was audible; soon their lungs were burning for that which was denied. But neither of them stopped; there was no space for weakness, and certainly no time to stop and regain their breath, much less their wits.
They raced through the forest, weaving between towering trees and overgrown shrubs. The ground was damp, and their feet drummed out a staccato rhythm against the soft dirt. Gradually, the ground became more muddy, the air sticky—the buzzing hum of mosquitoes filled the air, along with the mysterious rustling of unseen creatures in the underbrush. Dried plants snapped, disturbed creepy crawlies skittering in different directions.
“I– I can’t run anymore, Matty,” the younger struggled to speak, wheezing as they clutched at their side, footsteps drawing to an uneven, dizzying halt. Every time they tried to move, a sharp, searing pain spread from their rib cage, radiating throughout their entire body. It felt as if the simple act of breathing was cracking them in two.
“Come on, Dell. We're almost there. We can’t get caught now,” their companion urged on, blindly reaching out in the space between them, grasping at the air. He didn’t stop until his hands were laced between theirs. “We’ll move slower,” he encouraged, softer now; reducing his pace.
Matt glanced over at Dell, who gave a slight nod of their head. As one, the two trudged forward, continuing their journey through the dark.
-
It felt like forever since they had heard anything but their own footsteps and harsh breathing, a faint ringing in their ears from the oppressive quiet. The fortified wooden walls of the university were no longer in sight, leaving them truly alone in the darkness.
“Okay. I think we’re far enough out, now,” the man said suddenly, switching on the lamp they had brought along. The small lamp was bright enough to blind them for a few seconds, and as their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they scanned the new territory they had ventured into. The light cast the features of the two humans in a soft golden glow, though every wrinkle and depression was exaggerated by harsh, slanting shadows.
The smaller, scrawnier of the pair, Dell Martin, had dark reddish-brown skin, short curly brown hair, and keen green eyes. The man, Matthew Grayson, was the complete opposite: a brawny young man with mahogany-colored skin, soft brown eyes, and long braided hair. Dell had a knife strapped to their leg, while Matt held a barb-tipped spear in his grasp. His grip was white-knuckled around it as he stared at the jungle closing in all around them, an apprehensive, wary glint in his eyes. By way of contrast, Dell seemed a lot more cheerful—almost fit to burst with excitement.
“Where is this place, anyway?” Matt grunted, raising the lamp. The thick foliage looked much the same as anywhere else on Kraw, he supposed, and with the light he could see the faintest glint of hundreds of tiny eyes shining back at him— silently observing the pair of humans in the darkness. Nothing but frogs and insects, judging by the croaking and buzzing that formed a continuous hum around them. But that didn't mean there weren't other creatures watching from within the impenetrable curtain of trees, invisible to the human eye.
Matt shivered. He sure hoped not, for their sake.
“Hold on,” Dell whispered, rummaging through their backpack. A few minutes later, they brought out a map, along with a compass they had traded a few old books or something for—Matt didn't know about that crummy, dusty scholarly stuff. Dell grinned as they showed Matt the piece of paper. “I prepared for this.”
Swaying the lamp closer, Matt's lantern cast enough illumination for the pair to make out the words on the map.
“We are currently… here,” Dell said eagerly, pointing to a spot on the map, a little north of New Abraxas. “It’ll take five days for us to get to the ruins. Seven days, max.”
“Seven days?” Matt repeated incredulously, scratching the back of his head. “If that’s really the case… well, us being gone’s probably gonna get noticed, Dell. I don't think we'll get a warm welcome when we get back.”
If we get back, was what he didn't say.
“We just have to come back with something that’ll smooth things over,” Dell shrugged, feigning a lack of concern. Matt could see how they shifted uneasily, though, and he once again wondered if it was too late to go back—it had been a stupid idea to let Dell convince him of this harebrained scheme, anyway.
Matt stared at Dell for a few seconds, biting the tip of his tongue to stop from saying the words he wanted to. Finally, he shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the map to look out over the jungle.
“Okay, then,” he said, sighing heavily through his nose in assent. “Where we headed to now, then?”
Dell scrutinized the map for a moment longer, the thin parchment paper shuddering in the breeze, the illustrations on it shivering under the firelight’s pale golden glow. Finally, they looked up at Matt, a smile brimming on their lips. “North. We keep moving... north.”
They began to move once more, the lamp and compass their guide. Although they had each other, the dangers of travelling through unfamiliar territory in the darkest of nights continued to weigh heavily on their minds. Anything could happen at any moment, really. They could be discovered by the night guard, or even attacked by the creatures that lurked outside the walls of New Abraxas, always eager to find their next meal. But they had no choice, now. As bad of an idea as this was, it would be even worse to get caught trying to sneak back in. They needed to commit.
Matt tightened his hold on Dell’s hand, silently vowing to protect them as best as he could. Dell was like a younger sibling to him—the brains of their little clique, while he was the brawn. Their thirst for the knowledge outside the walls had made them come this far– breaking the rules of the university, sneaking out during the dead of the night... yeah, they were in deep shit.
“Matt! Matty!” Dell’s voice abruptly broke into his thoughts, snapping him back to awareness with a jerk.
“What?” Matt asked, gaze darting around wildly. Were they under attack?
Dell sighed heavily, rolling their eyes at Matt's sudden anxiety.
“I've been calling out to you since, like, forever,” they muttered, sullen.
“Yeah, sorry.” Matt said, clearing his throat. “What were you saying?”
“I said, we need to find a place to sleep tonight. We can continue on in the morning, once it's daylight out."
“Right,” Matt muttered, staring into the darkness that stood before them. "Right."
Two figures trudged deeper into the thick jungle of Kraw, desperately trying to remain unseen in the encroaching blackness and thick foliage. Their clothes were torn, their skin scratched and bruised. Only the faintest of distinct shapes and features could be seen–both young, both dressed in lightweight leathers and even flimsier cloth to combat the tropical humidity.
Within moments, the outstretched branches of the jungle had swallowed up everything but their shadows. The soft, foot-swallowing earth gave way to a carpet of fallen leaves that muffled their footsteps. There was no moon in the sky that night; only darkness, and the nocturnal song of the jungle's inhabitants.
The night bird could be heard squalling once more. Like clockwork, the humans began to move with a newfound sense of urgency, their course now determined by sound more than sight.
The younger of the pair steeled their resolve with a deep breath, the motion mirrored by their companion, only a few inches away from where they crouched in the undergrowth.
“Now,” they mouthed, lurching forward on unsteady, skittish feet. "We have to move now."
The two moved in harmony, knowing exactly what to do with no further words between them. As soon as they emerged from the shadows, they ran faster than before. They were running from the darkness behind them and towards the darkness in front of them—into the unknown. Each gasp for air was audible; soon their lungs were burning for that which was denied. But neither of them stopped; there was no space for weakness, and certainly no time to stop and regain their breath, much less their wits.
They raced through the forest, weaving between towering trees and overgrown shrubs. The ground was damp, and their feet drummed out a staccato rhythm against the soft dirt. Gradually, the ground became more muddy, the air sticky—the buzzing hum of mosquitoes filled the air, along with the mysterious rustling of unseen creatures in the underbrush. Dried plants snapped, disturbed creepy crawlies skittering in different directions.
“I– I can’t run anymore, Matty,” the younger struggled to speak, wheezing as they clutched at their side, footsteps drawing to an uneven, dizzying halt. Every time they tried to move, a sharp, searing pain spread from their rib cage, radiating throughout their entire body. It felt as if the simple act of breathing was cracking them in two.
“Come on, Dell. We're almost there. We can’t get caught now,” their companion urged on, blindly reaching out in the space between them, grasping at the air. He didn’t stop until his hands were laced between theirs. “We’ll move slower,” he encouraged, softer now; reducing his pace.
Matt glanced over at Dell, who gave a slight nod of their head. As one, the two trudged forward, continuing their journey through the dark.
-
It felt like forever since they had heard anything but their own footsteps and harsh breathing, a faint ringing in their ears from the oppressive quiet. The fortified wooden walls of the university were no longer in sight, leaving them truly alone in the darkness.
“Okay. I think we’re far enough out, now,” the man said suddenly, switching on the lamp they had brought along. The small lamp was bright enough to blind them for a few seconds, and as their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they scanned the new territory they had ventured into. The light cast the features of the two humans in a soft golden glow, though every wrinkle and depression was exaggerated by harsh, slanting shadows.
The smaller, scrawnier of the pair, Dell Martin, had dark reddish-brown skin, short curly brown hair, and keen green eyes. The man, Matthew Grayson, was the complete opposite: a brawny young man with mahogany-colored skin, soft brown eyes, and long braided hair. Dell had a knife strapped to their leg, while Matt held a barb-tipped spear in his grasp. His grip was white-knuckled around it as he stared at the jungle closing in all around them, an apprehensive, wary glint in his eyes. By way of contrast, Dell seemed a lot more cheerful—almost fit to burst with excitement.
“Where is this place, anyway?” Matt grunted, raising the lamp. The thick foliage looked much the same as anywhere else on Kraw, he supposed, and with the light he could see the faintest glint of hundreds of tiny eyes shining back at him— silently observing the pair of humans in the darkness. Nothing but frogs and insects, judging by the croaking and buzzing that formed a continuous hum around them. But that didn't mean there weren't other creatures watching from within the impenetrable curtain of trees, invisible to the human eye.
Matt shivered. He sure hoped not, for their sake.
“Hold on,” Dell whispered, rummaging through their backpack. A few minutes later, they brought out a map, along with a compass they had traded a few old books or something for—Matt didn't know about that crummy, dusty scholarly stuff. Dell grinned as they showed Matt the piece of paper. “I prepared for this.”
Swaying the lamp closer, Matt's lantern cast enough illumination for the pair to make out the words on the map.
“We are currently… here,” Dell said eagerly, pointing to a spot on the map, a little north of New Abraxas. “It’ll take five days for us to get to the ruins. Seven days, max.”
“Seven days?” Matt repeated incredulously, scratching the back of his head. “If that’s really the case… well, us being gone’s probably gonna get noticed, Dell. I don't think we'll get a warm welcome when we get back.”
If we get back, was what he didn't say.
“We just have to come back with something that’ll smooth things over,” Dell shrugged, feigning a lack of concern. Matt could see how they shifted uneasily, though, and he once again wondered if it was too late to go back—it had been a stupid idea to let Dell convince him of this harebrained scheme, anyway.
Matt stared at Dell for a few seconds, biting the tip of his tongue to stop from saying the words he wanted to. Finally, he shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the map to look out over the jungle.
“Okay, then,” he said, sighing heavily through his nose in assent. “Where we headed to now, then?”
Dell scrutinized the map for a moment longer, the thin parchment paper shuddering in the breeze, the illustrations on it shivering under the firelight’s pale golden glow. Finally, they looked up at Matt, a smile brimming on their lips. “North. We keep moving... north.”
They began to move once more, the lamp and compass their guide. Although they had each other, the dangers of travelling through unfamiliar territory in the darkest of nights continued to weigh heavily on their minds. Anything could happen at any moment, really. They could be discovered by the night guard, or even attacked by the creatures that lurked outside the walls of New Abraxas, always eager to find their next meal. But they had no choice, now. As bad of an idea as this was, it would be even worse to get caught trying to sneak back in. They needed to commit.
Matt tightened his hold on Dell’s hand, silently vowing to protect them as best as he could. Dell was like a younger sibling to him—the brains of their little clique, while he was the brawn. Their thirst for the knowledge outside the walls had made them come this far– breaking the rules of the university, sneaking out during the dead of the night... yeah, they were in deep shit.
“Matt! Matty!” Dell’s voice abruptly broke into his thoughts, snapping him back to awareness with a jerk.
“What?” Matt asked, gaze darting around wildly. Were they under attack?
Dell sighed heavily, rolling their eyes at Matt's sudden anxiety.
“I've been calling out to you since, like, forever,” they muttered, sullen.
“Yeah, sorry.” Matt said, clearing his throat. “What were you saying?”
“I said, we need to find a place to sleep tonight. We can continue on in the morning, once it's daylight out."
“Right,” Matt muttered, staring into the darkness that stood before them. "Right."