Chapter 84 – The Jungle’s Skin

Premier-General Abakwa looked through his reports. Whatever it was, it was approaching them. He started writing a report to the Epan governments, to the UNN, to Guguo.

At the end, he almost forgot, he scrawled a quick letter to Olympiada. It was worth a shot.

It was Hell from when it began. There was no gradual increase of pressure, the moment Kavaa stepped into the Jungle behind Fer and Kassandora, it started to flood onto them. Branches swung like swords, trees became massive clubs, vines became vipers, even the leaves became tiny razor-sharp rain that pelted at them from above.

Kavaa watched Fer and Kassandora plough through the Jungle. Kavaa only had to swing her sword every now and then to cut vines that were attempting to snag at her legs. They moved quickly, too quickly for mortals, but none of them were mortals here.

The moon shone overhead, Kavaa would catch sight of the starry sky every few minutes whenever they came a less dense patch of Jungle. The dark blues were fading into oranges, dawn was approaching. It didn’t matter much to the three inside, the canopy above them blocked most of the light. Kassandora suddenly stopped, turned and launched her greatsword spinning past Kavaa’s head. The Goddess of Health jumped and twisted to watch a massive plant, with maw spilling with acid collapse behind her. “Watch your step.” Kassandora said and then grunted.

The Goddess of War looked down to a vine that had wrapped under her armour. Joyeuse reappeared in her hands, she twisted and slammed the blade down onto the ground. Her armour flashed, it disappeared for a second, Kassandora ripped the vine out of her stomach, threw it away and her gauntlets started to rematerialize.

Kavaa managed half a step, magic already ready to heal Kassandora when the woman grunted. Three wooden roots stabbed through her chest. Of War swung her greatsword again, split them and jumped backwards. She through the spines away, ripped them right out of herself leaving gaping holes and landed at Kavaa’s feet. “Healing, now.” Kassandora said through a grunt. Her armour finished reappearing apart from her back. Kassandora grit her teeth as Kavaa started to heal her, still swinging her to protect the two of them. “Dodge left, from above.” Kassandora said through the pain as Kavaa looked up.

A tree was coming down on them. Its razor-leaves whistled through the air as the wood came down. Kavaa grabbed Kassandora and pulled her left. The tree above moved just as swiftly, something that large should not be able to move so fast. It whipped through the air, changing trajectory immediately, branches shooting out straight at Kavaa and Kassandora. The Goddess of Health raised her shield, ducked, and tried to cover the woman on the ground as Kassandora threw her blade into the air.

Fer came in like a cannonball, Of Beasthood was nothing but a blur. The tree above them exploded into wooden shards as Fer let out a bestial roar. She slammed into and through the next, and the next, grabbed into the ground, dug her feet in, and launched herself towards the two as more vines grew out of the ground. Kavaa watched Fer effortlessly claw through the ground and roots and vines around them. She drew a circle. Grabbed the two, then jumped forwards.

Kavaa grunted as Fer threw them, then grunted when she slammed into the ground. She closed her eyes, bit her tongue and still let out a scream as her magic healed her broken leg. Then she laid her hands on Kassandora’s back, the Goddess of War was already on her feet as she raised her blade and turned backwards. Of War grit her teeth, her knees shook, but her wounds closed, muscle and bone and organ regrew in its place. Kavaa threw the blood of herself as Fer caught up to them.

“That’s the skin done.” Fer commented. She pulled a canteen off Kavaa and drank Helenna’s blood without wasting a drop. Kavaa watched, awestruck. Her body was covered in matted fur that was drenched in blood, but the woman had no wounds on her. Fer stopped, her ears quivered, her hair sat up and she looked down at her leg. “Spiky.” She said to herself and then leaned down to pull out a spine as long as Kavaa’s arm was thick from her thigh. She gave it a look, then flicked it away. Kavaa blinked, then scanned her with magic. The wound had already closed, the muscles had regrown. If there was no blood, there would have been no sign of damage. Fer gave the air a sniff, looked around and pointed. “Iniri’s trail is that way.” She turned back to Kavaa and Kassandora. “Can you two manage?”

“We can.” Kassandora said as Kavaa nodded. Her own sword was barely a toothpick compared to Kassandora’s, and Kassandora was a toothpick compared to Fer. The Goddess of Beasthood towered over the two of them.

“It’s more dangerous now.” Fer said as she set off at a brisk pace. Kavaa had to jog every few steps to keep up, she stayed close to the two of them, jumping at every and any sound from the Jungle, no matter whether it was the wind or some branch snapping in the distance.

“Seems safer.” Kassandora commented. Her sword disappeared, but her armour stayed on. She looked back to Kavaa. “That was good work Kavaa.”

“Thank you.” Kavaa said as she stumbled on another branch.

“Those men described it as the skin, didn’t they?” Fer said as she kept on walking. Thick bushes lay ahead of them. Fer stopped, look back to the two smaller Goddesses, then turned and punched the nearby tree. It collapsed slowly, and then fell on the bushes. “Don’t touch these, they’re poison.” Fer said.

“How do you know?” Kavaa scanned them with magic. They were indeed poison, but she hadn’t felt Fer use any of her own energy.

“I can smell it.” Fer replied as she jumped onto the massive log and then kept walking. Kassandora jumped up, and then gave Kavaa a hand to lift her up. “So Kavaa, you’re a doctor?”

“I am.” Kavaa said as the two caught up to of Beasthood. The bushes around them spread out into the darkness of the Jungle, they even continued further than the massive tree had fallen.

“Wait here.” Fer said. She jumped. Just like that, simply jumped, and smashed into one of the nearby wooden trunks. It collapsed next to them. “Can you make that?” Fer shouted from the distance. Kavaa looked to Kassandora as they both looked down into the poison brambles around them.

“I can.” Kassandora said. Her armour disappeared.

“I can’t.” Kavaa said the words and felt her pale blonde hair be swayed by wind. Fer picked her up.

“You too Kassie.” She said just before Kassandora set off. “Keep your armour on, if you can’t make a jump, then call.” The world briefly became a blur, and then it stopped just as suddenly. Fer dropped Kavaa onto the fallen tree as Of Health collapsed to her knees. Kassandora picked herself up and her armour reappeared. Fer bent down to Kavaa. “Are you alright?”

“That was too fast for me.” Kavaa mumbled as she healed herself again. It was two ribs this time, she wanted to roll over and cry. “I…. AHHH!” Kavaa screamed as her own magic healed her. Rib was spliced with rib, born reformed, and she lost consciousness.

Kavaa awoke to Fer and Kassandora kneeling down besides her. Fer merely stared curiously at her, Kassandora was holding onto her hand, those big red eyes of hers shining. “How long was I out?”

“Half a minute.” Kassandora replied with a sigh. Kavaa got to her feet as she felt her hand. Was Kassandora really worried about her? She didn’t know what to do with that image of Kassandora’s eyes in her mind. It couldn’t… Kassandora was the Goddess of War… Fer set off again, strolling down the massive piece of fallen wood.

“Are we going the right way?” Kassandora asked.

“We are.” Fer answered as the two caught up to her. “These plants are fresh. Six, maybe seven hours they’ve been here.” She looked around again as they kept walking. “So, Kavaa, as I was saying, you’re a doctor, aren’t you?” Kavaa gave a questioning look to Kassandora, how could the woman be in a chatty mood now? Kassandora merely shook her head.

“I am.” Kavaa replied.

“Mmh.” Fer answered. “I’ve met doctors before, you know?” They came to the edge of the tree again and Fer sniffed the air. “What hurts less? Being carried or being thrown?” Kavaa took a moment to reply.

“Thrown?” Kavaa answered. Fer grabbed Kavaa’s stomach and threw her underarm as if she was a ball. Kavaa flew the air, spinning, she saw Kassandora being launched behind her in the same gentle manner, on her next spin, she saw Fer disappear as the wood cracked underneath her. Kavaa closed her eyes, curled up into a ball, and wished for this to end already.

She landed into something soft. Kavaa opened her eyes to Fer’s face smiling down at her, those cat’s eyes then looked away, Kavaa was dropped onto the ground, and Fer caught her sister. “That was easier, wasn’t it?” Fer laughed and scratched her head. She turned to point again. “Iniri’s trail is that way.”

“Then let’s set off.” Kassandora said. Fer harrumphed and began her brisk pace, giving the air a sniff. Kavaa saw the fur on her arms standing at attention.

“So as I was saying, I met this doctor once, he tried to walk into my lands.” Fer began as if reminiscing a good memory. “He tried to explain the human body to me I remember.” Kavaa did not want to know what happened to that doctor. She kept silence as she walked through the vines on the grass. It really was easier here, now that they were past what the Arikans referred to as skin. Fer rounded a tree and continued. “So, he tried to explain it to me, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really understand it.”

“It’s not easy.” Kavaa felt she had to say something, but she picked her words carefully. Fer famously had a bad temper in the Great War. She looked at that mountain with its mane of gold walking ahead of her. It was hard to imagine a bad temper on that.

“It wasn’t.” Fer agreed. “But I remember, he talked about the skin being like fur, and then inside, you have wolves running around you that hunt everything down.”

“You mean white blood cells?” Kavaa asked.

“Don’t bother explaining, she’ll forget anyway.” Kassandora whispered from the side.

“Very funny little sister.” Fer said. “Don’t be rude now, but to continue Kavaa, I think so, I don’t really remember.” Fer stopped, her ears rose, they grew and pointed and turned independently. “Something about an immune system.”

“Yes.” Kavaa said.

“Yes, composed of tiny little wolves that eat everything.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Kassandora asked.

“Well, don’t be scared now, but wouldn’t that make us illnesses here?” Fer said. She pulled out another canteen and quickly drowned it.

“I think the word you’re looking for is bacteria.” Kavaa said gently.

“Well, I think there’s tiny little wolves chasing us.” Fer pointed forwards. “Iniri is that way, but it knows we’re inside it.” Fer took a step forwards as Kavaa came to a stop.

The Jungle began to speak.