Scouting For Romance

Entry 13

Day 3, Month 15, Year 572

We climbed a tree today.

Jovaisa and his staff brought out the whistles again, but this time we were expecting it. After bolting to our feet, an impressed Jovaisa put away his whistle and had his men bring out a box of calorie chews as a reward. We were given one each, which wasn't nearly enough, and before long, he put us in a double file column, and we marched to the far side of the volcano. My legs were stiff, and my feet hurt, and I wasn't the only one sore from yesterday, but we knew better than to complain.

We jogged across farmlands and said hello to a few farmers as we passed. We traveled along narrow dirt paths, with the farms sitting in lowered divots in the ground about three meters deep. It was arranged in a grid, with there being a dirt path separating every divot. The crops shined a bright, vibrant mixture of pink and orange, and the divots cut down on light pollution. It's an old tradition that technically isn't needed anymore, as back before Pelda brought peace to the planet, having a massive farm that shined for miles was a huge signal that there was food to be had and people to kill.

A few times, the farmers came out and tried to give us a sample of what they were growing, but Jovaisa respectfully declined, and we went on our way. It wasn't long before we made it to the northern side of the volcano, and there was something odd. A great spot of blackness sat ominously on the horizon, blocking our view of the stars.

"As I'm sure none of you noticed yesterday because you were too busy dying, there's a whole forest of massive trees over here!"

None of us knew what he was talking about (except for me because I know history), but as we approached, we saw the faint glow of bioluminescent birds fluttering and tweeting high off the ground. As we got closer, their glow reflected off the branches that sat impossibly high in the air. A dense cluster of huge trees. The trunks wide enough that it'd take a dozen of us to wrap our hands around it, and high enough to rival the volcano just beside them. The first branches were so high up and they just kept going. The tree had no light of its own, only the birds and forest creatures gave it a faint green light.

"Whoa." Tytus said.

Someone whistled.

Linda gulped, "this won't be good."

Anatol struggled to stay upright, but he smiled. "Would you like us to chop one down?"

"No." I said, forcefully. "These are a cultural landmark."

"Exactly right, Opolka. Why don't you explain to everyone a bit of their proud history?"

I cleared my throat. "The vampire war. Vampires tried to take over Piekachowice. Vampire armies did not bring siege weapons because they grew their own. They planted tree seeds on the far side of the volcano to protect from peldak raids. The vampires used their arcane vampire magic to make the trees grow to full size in days. The vampires assaulted the walls without siege weapons due to their vampire hunger. The peldaks won the siege. The vampire army left. The trees continued to grow for the next 700 years."

"Correct, though I would have said it in a less boring way." Some people laughed at that, and I wanted to die, but Tytus patting my back eased my embarrassment somewhat. "So, everyone, you'll be climbing this tree. All day. Up and down. Have fun!"

One of the soldiers raised his hands. "We'll be climbing a tree, sir?"

"That's right ____." Jovaisa said the man's name, but I forgot it. "Basugio is a planet of jungles and forests. If you don't understand how developing a good climbing skill will help you evade the millions of enemies who would like nothing more than to hunt you down, I simply don't know what to say to you." He pointed to a series of boxes by the trunks, and the staff who held torches and stood beside them. "You'll find your harnesses there, let's get to it!"