That World Called Zerigoph: The War's End

Chapter 4

The unwanted man snuck out of the battered warship, starved and half-dead, collapsing onto his knees on the muddy beach of one of his enemy states. The line between the kingdoms was marked by the melt forest and the river, but the river was clearly to his left; the ships had pulled in at the edge of Gran. He'd waited until the other soldiers were long gone before leaving, but now he needed to move fast before the ship was taken for repairs. He didn't have time to figure out why they were suddenly breaking Fragile Ally Protocol, nor did he care. His worn boots dug into the mud for a moment before launching him in a desperate sprint towards the dark forest. If he was seen here he'd be killed on sight; it would be even more dangerous in his own kingdom, but at least there people would hesitate in case his aunt wanted to be the one to end him. In stolen territory? Not a chance.

Melt Tree Forests were nearly unique to Gran, minus a small plot that lived just over his border, nearly killed by strict border patrols invading the system and crushing saplings underfoot. Because of its border significance, and the fact that it lay just beyond the wild food hills, he and all the other children were taught about it in detail. It was regarded as a singular entity, but was actually many forests intertwined - a singular nervous system with no one privy to where the heart lay. Children were taught how to survive and abuse it "just in case" they found themselves on the other side of the river. In reality, the only people to cross the river rode cargor, clad in armor and the black symbol of his bloodline.

The lost man threw his body into the forest, landing harshly in a pile of mud moss. He flipped onto his side to check for people, seeing no one. His tracks were slightly visible in the mud of melted snow. He clambered to his feet, quickly moving deeper into the forest.

The forest floor was nearly all wood from entangled root systems. Any place with dirt or moss warranted close examination; opcapka ruled the forest, a fungus strongly mimicking the edible moss covering everything that dripped like cold slime. The entire forest was dark from congealing treetops, everything drooping and growing in curved shapes - hence the name. Solid, unmoving wood was curled with bulbous pieces hanging down, each melted tree covered in fruit bursting from cracks in its bark. Opcapka were all darkly colored and soft, almost like the slime balls that could be collected from the river banks in winter. They were springy, but slime on the hands always felt alien.

The darkness of the forest erased time, and the night skittering of creatures was ever-present. They'd never been taught species, only to avoid them and use distant traps for them. "It was alive, it's all the same technique!" is what they'd been told of hunting and preparing food. Now grown, he scoffed at the assumption. He'd never been in this forest but as he saw in Zerigoph, biomes hold wildly different creatures, each with differing necessary preparation.

The easiest thing to do would be to follow the river. That would land him right at the border of his kingdom, giving him a much shorter walk through the hills to the royal sector. He picked his way slowly to the sounds of water, carefully not to stick his boots in anything that looked sticky or like it might release spores. The water was mostly clear with a silver shimmer that made him uneasy. He watched the slightly foggy water curiously until a large and sharp shadow darted in front of him. He backed up into the cover of the trees again. He didn't want to know what sort of creature hunted in Melt Tree Forests. If he stayed within earshot of the water, he wouldn't be seen by patrols either. Yeah, that was his reason, a patrol. He stopped again, hearing nothing across the river. In political tension it was standard to patrol the river in case Gran got grabby. He pushed down the unease twisting his stomach and marched forward again.

Screaming and boots on hard dirt, James threw his body against a boulder men were backed up against, holding out until the explosive arrows stopped. The men jumped the boulder and rushed forwards with screams, James quickly following. His heart pounded in his chest and his lungs shriveled as he raced towards the forest. Men were shot down around him and explosions shook the ground. He hadn't even unsheathed his sword when spatters of men met the enemy side before him. He unsheathed and jumped into the battle, not slowing long enough for his mind to realize this wasn't his war.