Chapter 4: Sweet golden nectar.
The sun was falling.
Luckily, the canopy above had saved Archibald from heatstroke,
but-
‘The lack of water is starting to piss me off.’
“How, in an entire forest, is there no stream, no creek, no water whatsoever!”
*sigh*
‘Shut up Archibald, you don’t have the energy for another tantrum right now, just keep moving.’
Snapping, cracking and rustling his way through the brush of the forest, he headed back the way the demon woman came from, assuming she’d come from somewhere close by.
‘It sounded like a good idea at the time.’
‘It’s been half a day! She certainly didn’t walk all this way! Even the old man made this trek? How!?’
*THUMP*
“Well unless you can miraculously transmute these mushrooms and berries into something that won’t make me shit myself…
Then I don’t see how giving me heart arrhythmia is helping!”
*THUMP THUMP!*
“AH, You know what! You ARE a demon!”
*THUMP!*
“OW!”
*splash*
…
Archibald looked down, a stream had dug a narrow channel that trickled down from over the hill.
‘Ha!’ He couldn’t believe his luck!
“GA HAHAA! YOU DID IT JADE!
IT’S A MIRACLE!”
He fell to his knees, his bundle falling to the floor beside him.
He cupped his hands and scooped up the running water, prostrating so he wouldn’t spill even a drop, he eagerly slurped it up.
*gulp* He let out a satisfied groan, arching his back, softly chuckled in pleasure.
Listening more carefully, he heard odd splashing like a mini waterfall-
‘What in the hells?’
He opened his eyes, and to his utter dismay, he witnessed the most soul crushing event he had seen all day.
Arching down from the canopy flowed a golden stream, directly leading to the stream he was drinking.
Archibald followed from bottom to the source, staring daggers at the sly grin of a fluffy orange monkey, pissing right atop the hill.
The monkey returned the stare, and mimicked Archibald’s act of arching his back and softly chuckling in pleasure.
He held back a guttural scream, swallowing the pain.
Instead he reached down and drew a tiny circle into the dirt, and a small triangle inside it.
‘Ah, damn it!’
Redrawing it a few times, the shallow dirt not holding the ritual circles shape.
‘I’ve been wondering about this all day, and now’s as good a time as any to test it!’
He plunged his finger into the center and thought of Jade again.
And finally, a tiny Green glow, emanated from the circle, and jade light gathered on his fingertip.
‘Ok, the first part is a success! Size control! It should have a lighter strain too!’
He slowly raised his hand towards the monkey, the Jade bubble sat centered on his fingertip.
He carefully aimed at the source of the stream with a devilish smile.
‘Say bye-bye to Mr. Mini me, Monkey!’
He tried to release the bubble and shoot it, but he didn’t know how...
‘Jade? Any tips?’
…
‘No?’
…
Archibald shook his finger, but the bubble stayed attached, he flicked it with his other finger also to no result.
Hmmm, it needs to be centered in a circle and it stays there…
‘It can’t be that simple…’
He tore off a leaf from a weed infesting the tree roots, carefully marking a circle with a triangle on it with his finger nail.
He pressed it into his palm and sent Jade’s energy through his skin into the circle.
A jade bubble appeared, half engulfing his hand.
‘We’ll that’s another idea for later.’
He opened his hand keeping his fingers anchored to the leaf, he pinched it and tossed it at the monkey!
…
To his dismay, nothing was chopped off.
Instead, the confused monkey watched as a green leaf inside a tiny green bubble perched on the tip of its appendage.
It poked and prodded the tiny bubble until-
*POP*
The bubble burst, startling the monkey and throwing it off balance!
*SPLASH!*
Archibald looked at the filthy stream and the dazed monkey now blocking its flow.
Thirst burned in his throat, the promise of water had already stirred his stomach.
Archibald shakily cupped his hands and went to grab some water.
He brought the cloudy yellow liquid to his mouth, but the smell-
“-GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
His echoed cries and curses filled the forest, warding off the nearby group of monkeys, the small pigmy deer, and any chance of a meal in the near future.
“DEMON! THE ENTIRE FOREST IS A DAMN DEMON!”
— — —
Despondent, Archibald walked onward, red strained eyes sunken into his pale face, sweet yellow sticky liquid caked around his mouth.
Jade nudged his senses and presented an unwelcome image into Archibald’s mind.
‘No Jade, just no.
I’m never talking about that ever again.
I did what I did, but it never happened.
Ok?’
The sky had turned as red, the temperature began to drop, and Archibald was distracted looking for a place to rest for the night.
Following along side the hillocks, Archibald expected to have found some sort of cave or outcropping by now.
‘Luck really isn’t on my side today.’
*THUMP*
Jade once again presented the image of the monkey resting on a tree branch into his mind.
“JADE! I said-“
…
Archibald looked up at the tree branches above, judging their size and elasticity.
“No, I think they’re too brittle, good idea though.”
“How do you know how to do these things anyway? I mean like with the ritual circle?”
Jade responded by guiding his thoughts to her visage, then overlapping it with the golden-jade light of the white void.
“Makes sense I guess.”
It made Archibald consider what the ethereal voice actually was, it probably wasn’t a demon, it saved him and gave him Jade, but it was certainly not normal.
“Jade, was that mind demon actually-“
*SNAP*
He paused, made an internal decision and quickly drew a ritual circle around himself.
But too late.
*GAAAAWWWRRR*
A giant paw slammed Archibald’s ribs with crushing strength!
*CRACK!*
Archibald spun, launched into forest, crashing through a bush!
A giant moving pile of green moss rose onto its hind legs, its black toothy maw on full show.
‘OH, HELLS!’
*GRRAAAWW!*
Archibald panicked and froze!
The giant bear began hurdling towards him!
*THUMP*
Jade nudged his mind, forcing him up into action and out of his panic.
He rolled out the way, scrambling to his feet!
The bear screaming past him took a wider turn, unable to squeeze through the two trees Archibald had.
The image of the ritual circle appeared in his mind.
‘Yes! I have time!’
He spun on his foot, keeping focus on the incoming bear, making a shaky circle around him!
‘Outer circle done!’
The bear had closed in, just a few trees away!
He could feel its footsteps reverberate through the soil beneath them.
Wasting no time, he kept his legs motion going, drawing an intersecting line in the circle.
Archibald could see its eyes locked onto his bloody wound!
He shifted his feet and dragged back behind him, reaching the other end of the circle.
‘Almost there!’ He witnessed the hefty beast launch itself off its back feet, set on colliding with him again!
Archibald instinctively ducked and threw himself to the floor, messing up the lines!
*WHOOSH*
The beast careened over him! It’s lumbering form narrowly missing Archibald.
With a grunt and a huge quake, it growled in frustration.
But, just as it turned, lunging again-
Archibald’s hand slammed into the center of the hastily fixed circle, and jade light shone.
The green bear smacked its head into the bubble, staggering back.
*DONG!*
Archibald felt Jade buzzing with joy!
His own sense of urgency surged along with his adrenaline, he got to his feet trying not to break the circle, and did the only thing he could think of!
“JADE!! JADE!!” He called for help!
Furious, another mighty paw came crashing down, the bear put all its weight into the strikes, standing on two feet before letting its upper body come crashing down!
*DONG!*
He felt Jades confusion, an invasive memory of himself shaking his head arose.
“THEN, DEMON?! HELP! SOMEONE!”
…
His breath hurried, his back against the Jade bubble, Archibald sank to the floor, clutching his bleeding side and was met with a sharp pain in the butt.
He jumped up wincing, and saw his bundle, the tip of the demons horn jutting out, almost tearing the cloth.
“Right! Ok! Yes!” He shoved aside the gory memory of her death as soon as it arrived.
He undid the bundle, grabbing the two finger-like tips of the black horns, barely able to hold them properly, having to crane and pinch his fingers to get a good grip.
He sank into a squat, putting most of his weight on his back foot.
‘Ok plan, let’s make a plan-‘
Jade began flooding him with a series of images, different body parts of the demon that were strewn about the mud and crater.
*DONG*
The bubble shook, Archibald’s racing heart skipped another beat and strained.
‘No time to plan!’
“Jade! Lower the bubble the second I say!”
Time almost slowed when Archibald watched the big, green, mossy bear stand towering above him!
*GRRRR!*
It growled and brought its full weight down, its left paw screaming towards the bubble!
“NOW!”
*POP!*
The bubble disappeared, and the paw the size of Archibald’s head hit nothing!
Off balance, it barely caught itself, exposing its side!
Archibald picked out a few of the gory images Jade had pushed through, and aimed for those spots.
He launched into action, and thrust one of the horns into the bear’s eye, the other under its arm, shattering under the pressure.
A sickening squelch and the resistance of fatty muscle jolted his hands.
Archibald pushed himself back, shaking with terror and adrenaline the second the horns left his hands.
*GRAAAAAAAWW!*
The bear’s mighty voice rumbled, pawing at the horn stuck in its eye, the other horn nowhere to be seen!
‘Run! Run time! Go, go go!’ He was up and darting off the second he could, head pounding, heart aching, and his entire left side bleeding and torn.
‘Exhaustion be damned!’
Leaping over bushes and logs he darted through the tree line.
“Never again! Bloody bears! I’ll never look at one the same ever again!”
Jade brought up the image of the grinning monkey again.
“Alright! Bear and monkeys! Damn both of them to hell!”
— — —
Crickets sang.
Bats chirped.
Night had fallen, wing beats and insects were all one could hear in the forest at this time of night.
Fortunately for Archibald, he didn’t have to listen, he’d found a shallow cave!
Unfortunately, he’d also found its resident.
Archibald held a sharp rock, staring down another Green, mossy bear!
*graw!* *grr!*
This one though, was only a young cub.
It’s big wet eyes looked in fear at the towering figure stood over it.
‘Jade…’
Archibald’s stomach growled.
He clutched his glowing green side, he’d used the cloth from the bundle he’d unwrapped to cover it up, and Jade was healing the rest.
‘Jade, I’m hungry. It would be so easy.’
…
Archibald got no response, no guiding image to tell him what to do.
*grraw!*
The little thing kept threatening to charge and rushing back to the cave wall.
‘Jade, you saw what it turns into.
It’s my life or the cubs.’
He took a hesitant step forward, sadness in his eyes, and even more guilt starting to tear at his heart.
‘This doesn’t get easier, does it..’
*grrrr!*
Another step, he had to crouch to not hit his head on the cave ceiling.
*GRrrrr!* the little beat panicked and nipped at Archibald’s feet.
*THUD*
“Ow!” Archibald looked up at what he’d hit his head on.
‘Insects, lots of them?’
Thousands of tiny winged insects swarmed a spherical structure clinging to the low roof of this cave.
That’s when something caught his eye, just where he’d hit his head, the sphere had cracked open, and a golden gooey substance had started to leak.
‘It smells, good?’
Archibald reached up to his hair, and took a swab, the thick gooey stuff clung to his fingers.
‘What the hells, it’s worth a try.’
He put it in his mouth.
‘Oh, my, heavens!’ Eyes wide he looked down at the little cub, and back up at the gooey sphere.
‘I see!’
He punched straight into the sphere, sending chunks flying!
He grabbed a few hanging pieces and gingerly sat down, clutching his side.
Chomping away at the sweet golden nectar, the little bear fearfully shook, watching his every bite.
Gradually, it built up the courage to sniff at a piece close by.
Halfway through his third chunk, Archibald watched as the little bundle of moss eyed him, and then the chunk next to itself.
Archibald deliberately ignored it.
In one quick swoop, it bit down on the gooey chunk and darted off into the night.
A coy smile graced his sticky lips.
‘See Jade, I had no choice!
The little cub’s life, or the insects’ home!
I had to destroy that insect nest, as guilty as it made me feel.
It was an easy decision really!’
*THUMP*
‘Preposterous! Me?!
Kill and eat the little thing?!
I would never!!
Really Jade, I thought you were better than that!’
…
*THUMP* *THUMP*
“Ow!”
— — —
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