Rise of The Fallen

Kora-

Waking up, I yawned before sitting up to stretch my aching muscles. Sleeping on the ground with only one thin fur blanket under me really wasn’t comfortable, but at least it was better than sleeping in a tree.

The firepit was little more than embers now, but a small bit of light managed to slip through the entrance of the cave, and I could smell the fresh scent of rain that permitted through the air.

Standing up, I walked over to the entrance and moved some of the vines to poke my head out. The blinding light had me blinking hard and covering my face as my eyes adjusted to the bright day ahead. The suns were shining high in the sky, no longer covered by rain clouds, and everything around me was wet and glistening with dew drops.

I smiled a bit, seeing the environment from the safety of my own cave. Something was so calming about the scent of rain, reminding me of Earth when I was younger.

The happy moment didn’t last long, however, as my stomach twisted in pain from the lack of food. Looking around, I was disappointed to see the canteen I had left out last night was knocked over.

Well, that’s just great...

I hesitated for a moment, looking down at my lack of clothing before saying ‘screw it’ and just stepping outside to grab my canteen.

It’s not like anyone is around to judge me anyways…

Unfortunately, there was about half a bottle’s worth of rainwater, but it was better than nothing. Going back inside, I drank what I had collected and groaned in satisfaction as the water quenched my dry throat. With a small gasp, I finished it off and set the canteen back into my bag before heading to the firepit.

Feeding some sticks to the fire to keep the embers alive, I took stock of my suit hanging on the rack. There were so many tears from the dumb lizards, I wasn’t even sure if it was worth wearing. Probably not.

Grabbing my now dry rucksack, I pulled out the spare clothes and put them on, grateful they weren’t wet even though I’d never be caught dead in something like this back home. It was just a simple pair of khaki shorts and a long sleeve men’s blouse. How original. At least they were clean. I grabbed the sneakers that came with the clothes, putting them on next. Once I was done getting ready, I slung my pack over my shoulders, ready to leave.

Time to find some food and more water…

Stepping outside, I hesitated, unsure how I’d find my way back. I needed to leave a sign, or something, as I traveled that would help me get back here. With that in mind, I grabbed the knife from my bag, walked to a nearby tree and carved an arrow pointing towards the cave. Perfect!

With that plan set, I started traversing the forest, marking trees as I went. The ground was muddy so I watched my step, afraid my foot would sink in and I’d lose a shoe.

As I walked through some denser vegetation, it was strange seeing the vibrant greens, blues and grays of Xanadis’s forest. I was so used to the dark, bland concrete streets of Krosa that all the light colors strained my eyes a bit. This place was giving me a sensory overload. The more I focused on my surroundings, the more I noticed just how wild and untamed the forest looked, as well as beautiful. The trees were massive, most of them scaling taller than a two story building, with large roots protruding out of the ground,vines growing up the sides with little white flower blossoms. Moss was almost always at the base of the tree, blending in with grass that was a greenish blue color, as well as most other ferns and bushes I passed by.

One plant in particular had giant leaves sprouted all over it, hanging just over my head. I pushed a leaf out of my way only to have a decent amount of rain water get dumped on my head, drenching me.

“What the hell?!”

There were multiple giant leaves with rainwater collected inside of them because of their cup-like shape.

Quickly grabbing my canteen from my rucksack, I unscrewed the cap. Gently, I moved one of the leaves, slowly tipping it down to pour water into the container. Smiling, I copied the action with a few more leaves, filling the canteen all the way.

Water, check. Now to find food.

After about an hour of searching the forest and marking trees, I noticed something strange just sitting on the ground. Like a giant purple ball or…coconut?

I stepped closer to get a better look at it, spying a few more scattered around the base of a tree. My gaze moved upward, spotting several more purple coconuts growing from high up in the branches. The storm must have knocked some of them down.

Walking around the tree, I found a few coconuts that had been cracked open, the insides practically picked clean from what I assumed were animals, which meant only one thing. Food!

I grabbed a nice plump looking coconut from the ground and turned it over, wiping off any dirt or mud I saw. Satisfied that it was clean enough, I stuffed it in my rucksack and began walking back to the cave, only to stop when I heard the sound of branches snapping to my right.

Immediately, my heart started pounding, and I quickly moved to hide behind some ferns, desperate to hide away from whatever was approaching, as more snapping of twigs and rustling from the bushes got closer. Whatever was coming wasn’t some small tree lizards!

Crouching down, I tried to calm my breathing and peeked through some bushes, waiting. Sure enough, something came running by, a few feet ahead of my hiding spot, and my eyes widened as I realized it was…another human?

The man dressed in some kind of military grade looking suit was sprinting through the area, looking over his shoulder with a panicked expression and wild eye as he passed in front of me unknowingly, like he was being chased. He disappeared from sight as he ran through some more foliage, heading away from me.

What the fuck?

My mind was reeling from what I had just seen.

There’s other people still here…

I’d honestly expected that everyone who had come to this planet was dead, yet that guy was clearly alive. He must have been a convict, but I couldn’t remember how many people had been sent here in the recent months. He’d survived that long?

My thoughts came to a grinding halt as another, very important question rose to the surface. That man had looked extremely panicked, glancing behind him as he’d ran. What if something had been chasing him?

As if on cue, a thud caught my attention and I peered through the bushes again, only to see a fucking humanoid monster standing in the clearing. I shrunk back down on instinct, feeling the need to hide even as I stared at the creature more closely, incapable of looking away. I was frozen in fear as a chill crawled down my spine, holding my breath as my heart pounded in my chest.

Their skin was dark grey, and they looked fucking massive even while crouched on all fours. Their head was turned away from me but I could still see a head of long black hair, and horns that rose from their forehead, curling back. Another major detail that caught my attention was the long ass tail with a blade attached to the end.

Holy–

The humanoid glanced around the area before standing upright, and my eyes widened in shock. Shit, he’s tall! I had to cover my mouth to muffle a surprised gasp as two more monsters came into view, carrying spears and knives. They barely wore any clothing, just some animal skins that covered them enough to hide their extremities, tails whipping back and forth as they glanced around.

They spoke to each other in a smooth yet harsh language before one of them pointed to the human man’s tracks on the ground. They spoke quickly, inspecting the ground before their heads snapped in the direction the man had run. They were swift as they moved, taking calculated steps in specific spots as they disappeared out of sight. Were they hunting him?

I remained frozen in place for a few more minutes to make sure they were long gone before coming out of hiding. Stepping out into the open area, I looked at the shoe marks pressed into the mud that were left behind by the human man, relieved that I hadn’t left any myself. I looked around for any tracks left behind by the monsters, finding only one. And damn, that footprint was big. They seemed to have been using the rocks and roots around them to move, avoiding leaving much of a trail behind.

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded from the direction they’d all just traveled, and I jumped, a small shriek escaping before I could stop it. Holy shit, was that a gunshot?!

I gulped, deciding it was time to get the hell out of here. I copied those monster humanoids, doing my best to avoid leaving tracks behind so they couldn’t follow me either.

There was no telling why they were hunting that convict down, but I had a feeling they wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to me.

The idea of facing one of those fuckers head on was kind of scary. They were tall…like, seven feet tall. Not to mention those giant dagger-like tails that looked like they could cut through a person’s flesh with ease, which was something I didn’t want to test out.

After what felt like forever, I finally made it back to the cave as another thought came to mind. Those things had spoken…like, actually conversed with one another. Not only that, but they had weapons and clothing. They were intelligent beings who could hunt and track. Was it possible this cave belonged to one of them?

I stared at the cave entrance, hesitant to enter. Creeping towards the entrance as quietly as possible, I reached out towards the vines, pulling them aside to peer inside.

To my relief, the place was empty, and exactly how I had left it earlier. I sighed, glancing back at the forest once more.

Yeah no, I think that’s enough exploring for today…

–Hours Later–

“Piece of shit!” My voice echoed in the small cave as I gritted my teeth, slamming the purple coconut I’d found earlier onto a stone. I’d been trying to crack this damn thing open forever but nothing had worked yet, and I was starving.

My knife hadn’t even left a scratch on its outer shell, and I’d used every bit of strength I had to try and smash it open on the rocks. At one point I even went outside, climbed a tree and threw the coconut down in the hopes that it would at least crack open from the impact, but there wasn’t a crack. There wasn’t even a dent.

Grabbing my knife and wedging the giant nut between my knees on the ground, I held the tip over the top of the shell and grabbed a rock in my other hand. Taking a deep breath to prepare myself, I lifted the rock high above my head.

“Open sesame!” I slammed the rock on the bottom of the knife’s hilt, and the blade practically snapped from the pressure, leaving me dumbfounded and furious.

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!

What the hell was this thing made of? I tossed the blade aside, kicking the stupid purple coconut into the firepit angrily. I just wanted to scream, but instead, I sat down on the furs, hugging my knees to my chest and glaring at the coconut. I needed to focus on something else before I lost my shit, and before long, my mind wandered to what I’d seen in the forest earlier.

I had so many questions about this place. How long had that convict been surviving here on the planet? Were there other humans, or was it just us? And what were those humanoids that had been chasing him… Natives? Why hadn’t I heard anything about natives on Xanadis? And what about that gunshot I heard? Had that convict managed to smuggle a pistol when he was exiled? Or had the sound been something else?

My stomach growled loudly, interrupting my thoughts, and I winced from the tight pain in my stomach before sighing. My glare softened as I sulked, laying down on the furs. I’m going to starve to death at this rate… So much for rubbing my survival in the faces of those corrupt officials…

Turning away from the fire and curling up into a tight ball, I closed my eyes to drift asleep. It was still hard to believe I was stuck in this kind of situation. It felt surreal. Looking back on everything that had happened, I couldn’t help but feel angry. Angry at Krosa and their false promises. Angry at the government and their corrupt ways. Angry at this planet and how hostile it was. Angry at myself for being so stupid.

God I’m so tired of all this, both mentally and physically fighting for my life at every turn. Where was that happy ending everyone talked about? My fairytale prince and a loving home full of people who cared about me?

Ha… I must be really exhausted if I’m thinking like this.

My surroundings began to fade away as the warmth of the fire against my back lulled me toward sleep. I was drifting, and could hardly register anything else as my exhaustion took over.

My mind was so far gone I didn’t even notice the cracking sound coming from behind me.