{"sf1_id":2112256,"sf2_id":"pnG8W9j1","title":"JIH Chapter 8: Point the Way","author":"Dextrose Overdose","words":4570,"posted_at":"2024-03-07T05:08:36.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Alien","Amphibian","Bug","Fantasy","Female","Human","Insect","Isekai","Magic","Male","Mountain","Sword","Trouble","kaiju","poo"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2112256-jih-chapter-8-point-the-way","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/pnG8W9j1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/95/6d/956dc691-16e0-47d5-8518-2c44273d8959","description":"Jack, an unassuming holiday traveler, makes a solid first impression.","content":"\"Zoe!\"\n\n \n\nI sloshed through a mire with the consistency and color of old, runny pistachio pudding.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The stench was overwhelming and I concentrated on keeping my stomach down. The wide space between several of the ancient fallen trees had become a pool that was filling up fast.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;On the other side of one of them the pressure of twenty feet of liquid dung was finding its way through.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Every second it got deeper and I tried not to think what would happen if the old rotten tree burst like a shoddy dam.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Zoe, can you hear me?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nShe had to be underneath, otherwise she would call out to me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was desperately searching, feeling around blindly with my feet and poking with a long stick.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I didn't want to abandon her, but the longer this took the more bleak my chances of finding her were.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;In a few more minutes this place would be buried, her along with it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My foot hit something hard and I turned my face away as I reached down to grab it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was rewarded with a rock.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nThe flood reached my hips and I unlimbered the baggage from my back and set it on top of a large piece of floating mushroom cap. I pulled Zoe's sheath out of my belt and put it on top.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Pushing the makeshift boat along I continued to hunt.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Bubbles, a glow, anything at all that could give me some idea where she was.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;There were disturbances everywhere as air escaped the ground and currents of fresh sewage rushed through the barrier.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I happened across something moving and pulled it out, finding a small boulder-bug about the size of a softball desperately swimming for its life.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Seeing no reason to let it die in such an undignified way, I put it on the mushroom and kept going.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It wandered around, finding the edge and turning around only to find another edge.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;After a few moments it gave up and just rolled into a ball.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Damn it, Zoe!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Where the hell are you?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The sick feeling that this was futile was starting to settle in; that I had lost her and any chance I had to find her was diminishing by the second.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The deeper everything got the harder it was to move through.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The ground under the muck was sticky and had already stolen my shoes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;If I didn't escape soon I wouldn't be able to escape at all.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;As it reached up to my chest I promised myself that I'd make one more pass.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I wouldn't give up just yet.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nBut I found nothing.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nImmense, sickening guilt swept over me as I started to nudge the mushroom toward the edge of the pool to climb to safety.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I had lost my only friend in this entire damn world.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I should have done more.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I shouldn't have let go of her when I fell.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She needed me and I failed her.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I'd be dead already if it wasn't for her and now she's gone.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;What was I going to do now?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Xog could eat every bit of what I was struggling through and then fornicate itself.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;As I reached the edge of the pool I glanced at her sheath with regret... and I thought I saw something on it move.\n\n \n\nI hadn't paid her sheath much mind.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was just a battered old wooden thing that she slept in.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I picked it up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sure enough there was something under the layer of filth that shifted.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I quickly wiped it off on my shirt.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I could make out barely visible markings in the ancient, worn surface of the wood.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Most of it illegible runes that meant nothing to me, but there was a faint circle with an arrow that looked like a compass.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The arrow pointed directly at me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I turned it and the impression of an arrow magically continued to point at me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I turned my whole body and the arrow stopped pointing at me.\n\n \n\nIt was pointing where I had come from.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI abandoned the mushroom boat and splashed toward the direction the arrow indicated.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The thick muck was getting up to my armpits and the currents were starting to gain strength, pushing at me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I could barely get traction so the going was slow.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I held up the sheath in front of me and paddled with one arm, watching the little arrow dance back and forth.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was up to my neck when the arrow suddenly spun around and pointed back at me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I shifted the sheaths position around to find exactly where it was pointing.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I felt around with my feet and there was nothing.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Just soft mush below me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;That couldn't be!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It's pointing right here!\n\n \n\nI took several deep breaths to prepare for what I was about to do. Then I closed my eyes, squeezed my mouth shut and ducked into the filth.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Fighting my buoyancy and using the sheath as a shovel, I reached down and dug into the muck.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Nothing!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Nothing!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Nothing!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;As much as I dug it just kept filling in.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI came back up gagging, coughing and spitting.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I wiped my eyes and checked the sheath again.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Still below me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Down I went and again I found nothing.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I had to hold my head high to keep my mouth above the \"waterline\" to catch my breath.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The fatigue was burning through my body like a fire but I refused to give up when I was this close.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I went down one last time, digging frantically.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My lungs felt like they wanted to pop and my stomach was on the verge of mutiny when the sheath hit something solid.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Just before I ran out of air I reached into the sludge and grabbed a metal blade.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Fortunately was not very sharp.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I burst through the surface and held Zoe up victoriously.\n\n \n\n\"EEEEW!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;This is SO gross!\" she shrieked.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI wheezed and retched.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"H-hey, Zoe.\"\n\n \n\n\"Master!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;You found me!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I couldn't leave my sword behind.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Thank you, thank you, thank you!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI managed to grab a fragment of floating mushroom, but it was too small to offer much in the way of a life preserver.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My vision was trying to blur and safety looked so very far away.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I had been through too much.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Every part of my body was in full revolt and in need of recovery.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My legs didn't want to kick and my arms didn't want to tread. I was never a strong swimmer to begin with, and it wasn't like I was in water anyway, more like quicksand.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was at the mercy of the currents and movement of the sludge.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI had seriously screwed up.\n\n \n\n\"Zoe, I can't... I can't reach the bottom anymore and I don't have any strength left in me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;C-can barely move.\"\n\n \n\n\"You can make it, Master!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I know you can!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I think...\" sewage tried to get in my mouth and I spit.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I think I might be done for.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nShe grew cold in my hand and flits of light danced over her.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Master Jack, you can't die!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Not yet!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;If you do, I'll never forgive you!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"It's o-okay, Zoe.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;When you wake up y-you'll have a new master.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"No!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Please don't give up!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I N—\" her final comment to me lost as I slid her into the sheath.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I tucked her into my shirt to keep her safe.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;At least if someone ever happens to find my body they'll find her.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;A magical talking sword found with random dead nobody that was too stupid to survive.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I had a lot of close calls since I arrived on this world, but you can only flirt with death for so long before it claims you.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Given a choice, I'd probably go with getting eaten by a monster over drowning in excrement.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Not for the first time I cursed Xog for being such a stupid, backward, senseless world.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Turns out it wasn't for the last either.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nAs I vainly struggled to keep my head out of the filth, something slapped me painfully in the face.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I took it as yet another indignity that was heaped upon me, brushing away what had struck me before I realized it was something like a rope.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;In fact, a thick vine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It extended away from me all the way to the edge of the pool.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Through the murk clouding my eyes I could make out someone there, holding the other end.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;They appeared to be shouting something, but I couldn't hear with all the fluid blocking my ears.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;With a weak hand I grasped the vine, but it slipped from my fingers and the current carried it away.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was having trouble keeping my head up and became disoriented.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I could no longer see the person anymore, nor the vine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;For a moment I considered that I had simply imagined it in fatigued delirium.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My mind attempting to give me hope where there was none.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nThen something splashed down next to me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was the vine again.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;This time the end of it had a loop knotted into it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Hands that seemed to no longer be connected to my mind grabbed it and an arm slipped into the loop, then the other.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The vine cinched down on my chest as it was drawn taut and I was getting dragged through the slime.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I didn't have enough strength to assist whoever was pulling me, barely able to keep my head turned upward to breathe.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was hauled out of the sludge and dragged bit by bit up the steep slope.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;All I could do was struggle to recover my breath.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI was dragged on the top of an ancient decayed log and someone was over me, leaning down to examine what they had found.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I gazed wearily at a strange blue face with markings that glowed brightly in the black light.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The skin was glossy and smooth.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It had a wide mouth and two large, jet-black eyes that blinked at me curiously.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;On top a tall, spiny fin stood up like a mohawk.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It had similar fins on the sides of its skull where ears should be.\n\n \n\nOh good.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Instead of drowning in shit I get to be eaten by the Creature from the Black Lagoon.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Ch-chirp shir chirp,\" the creature said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"What?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Chirp?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI shook my head.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I'm... I'm sorry, I can't understand you.\"\n\n \n\nThe creature didn't appear to be threatening.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Which was good because my body had the consistency of jelly and I was in no shape to endure yet another danger.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The fin on top of its head dropped down and it pressed a hand over its nose, clearly offended by my smell.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Only a few hours earlier seeing something like this thing standing over me would have caused a bladder malfunction, but it wasn't even in the top ten crazy things I've seen on Xog.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It appeared to be a person that was a cross between a frog, a fish, and a spider monkey.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Two arms and two legs like any other person, but it had large webbed feet and hands, each possessing one less digit than I did.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Behind it swayed a whip-thin tail over twice as long as it was tall. The tail ended with three finger-like tips with webbing between.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The creature's glossy skin was dark blue and had glowing spots where the blue reacted in the black sun. It was clothed in a loincloth made from animal skin, and a furry, lavender wrap around its shoulders.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;A wide sash of intricately woven patterns of assorted colors was wrapped tightly around its belly up to the armpits.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Tucked into the sash at the hip was an odd weapon akin to an oversized ninja star with three curved prongs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The creature had a metallic blinking tag in the center of the chest in a similar position to mine.\n\n \n\n\"Um... I guess thank you?\" I said.\n\n \n\nIt's cheeks momentarily inflated as it gagged and it gave a series of clicks and chirps, which I assume was revulsion.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The creature's gaze fell upon Zoe's hilt sticking out of my shirt.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It made a shrill whistle of excitement, forgot its disgust and snatched the sword from my clothes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Wait! No, give her back!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I reached for Zoe but what I had assumed was a furry shawl on the creature's shoulders suddenly came to life.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I recoiled as the fur sprouted a toothy mouth that snapped and hissed at me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It wasn't an article of clothing, it was one of those striped ferret/snake animals I had seen before.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;This one purple instead of green.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nThe amphi-person turned Zoe over in its hands, examining her.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Ch-hir shir chi–\" it drew Zoe from her sheath, \"–ake this as payment.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"—EED YOU, MASTER JACK!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Zoe shrieked.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nThe creature's reaction to a talking sword was much like mine, dropping Zoe like she was molten.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It made an astoundingly long leap backward, landing in a crouch twenty yards away.\n\n \n\n\"That thing talks!\" it blurted in shock.\n\n \n\n\"You can talk!\" I observed.\n\n \n\n\"You can talk?\" it made the same of me.\n\n \n\n\"I was talking the whole time!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"You were only grunting at me!\"\n\n \n\n\"You were tweeting like a bird!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"No I... What's a byrd?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Wait, what's going on?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Who's talking?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Master!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;You're okay!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Zoe cried out.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nIt dawned on me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;So _that's_ why the robot and Rockie had inexplicably spoken English.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I picked Zoe up. \"Why didn't you tell me you could do that?\" I asked.\n\n \n\n\"Do what?\"\n\n \n\n\"We can understand anyone that touches you.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Really?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Yes, really.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nThere was a pause as she processed that.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Neat!\"\n\n \n\nThe amphibian eyed me warily with one of its hands resting on the weapon at its side.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The furry snake coiled around it had grown agitated by the situation, growling with flattened ears.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Quiet, Charea.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It stroked the snake and it appeared to calm down.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Who's the blue woman?\" Zoe asked.\n\n \n\nI frowned.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She's been saying everything is female and I'm starting to think she couldn't tell any better than I could.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"That's not a woman.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It doesn't have breasts.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I'm a woman and I don't have breasts,\" Zoe pointed out.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Which unfortunately put me in the position of being educated by a moron.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"You there!\" the amphibian—who I had no reason to presume wasn't female—called out.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Are you a jambi?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI propped myself on an elbow, wiped a hand across my face and flicked away the gunk.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I didn't know what a \"jambi\" was or if it was good or bad to be one.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Not so far as I know.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My name is Jack.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I've never seen your kind before. What tribe are you?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Um... American?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Are all from your tribe able to speak with knives?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nZoe vibrated sharply. \"Knife?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I'm not a—\"\n\n \n\n\"Shush, Zoe.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I, uh, can't say it's common,\" I admitted, groaning as I sat up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Where did you come from?\"\n\n \n\nI pointed up the mountain.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"There.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"It's dangerous to be in the mountains.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Yeah, we noticed.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The cave wasn't a picnic either.\"\n\n \n\n\"You were in the caves?\" she said with dismay.\n\n \n\n\"Not by choice, I can tell you that.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I hung Zoe on a convenient branch of the shrub next to me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"You know, in my tribe, usually when we tell someone our name it's considered rude for the other not to do the same.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nThe amphibian appeared shamed by the accusation and its hand fell away from the weapon.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I apologize, Jack of Tribe Ummerican.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;My name is Sei'la.\"\n\n \n\n\"And uh, your tribe?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I don't have one.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"You're alone?\" Zoe asked.\n\n \n\nSei'la pet the snake around her neck.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I have Charea.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Charea is soouper cute!\" Zoe fawned.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Look at that little face!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;And she looks so pretty on you.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;We have to get one, Master.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Or maybe two?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;One for both of us.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Do they come in pink?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;That's like my favori—\"\n\n \n\n\"Zoe!\"\n\n \n\n\"Sorry, Master.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Are you from here with all the snails, flying eels and underground octopuses, or were you brought here by demons?\" I asked Sei'la.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nShe shook her head in confusion.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I don't know what you mean by any of that.\"\n\n \n\n\"I just thought since you had a run-in with the robot, maybe you came here the same way I did.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Row-butt?\"\n\n \n\nI pointed up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"The box from the sky?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;A big red eye and lots of arms?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It came down and had its way with me before pinning this on.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I opened the front of my shirt and indicated to the device on my chest.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"You have one too.\"\n\n \n\nShe touched her tag and I notice an elaborate tattoo on her chest that accentuated it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I've had the holy mark my whole life.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Everyone has one.\"\n\n \n\n\"It's new for me.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I loosened the vine looped around me and pulled it off.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;If she had it her entire life it's reasonable to assume she was born here. If she's native that means she knows how to survive and her expertise could be invaluable. I should do what I could to make friends with her.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;This was surreal.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was engaged in a conversation with an extraterrestrial being on an alien planet.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It wasn't like I had expected.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Although I wasn't sure what I expected.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Maybe brain-melting or face-huggers.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I suppose those parts might come later.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She was keeping a respectable distance, so perhaps she had the same reservations about me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Either that or it was my smell.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Well, Sei'la, we're grateful you and Charia came along when you did to pull us out of that mess, we owe you one.\"\n\n \n\n\"The debt is accepted, but I had hoped you would be one of my kind,\" she confessed.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;That made sense.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Splashing around in feces I was likely to be recognizable as any particular creature.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I tried to stand up and grunted when I failed.\n\n \n\n\"In that case, thank you for not dropping us back in when you realized your mistake.\"\n\n \n\n\"I couldn't.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Your mark was calling mine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Ar'kivist sent me to find you.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Ar'kivist?\"\n\n \n\nShe pointed up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Ar'kivist who lives in the sky above Kalkal.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI assumed \"Kalkal\" was the thing that took a kaka on me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Godzeela was still visible heading toward another mountaintop to make a run for more plankton.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Not surprising, considering how fast they run through her. I examined the tag on my chest.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was blinking a particular sequence of lights.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The tag on Sei'la's chest was blinking an identical sequence.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I didn't care for what that implied.\n\n \n\n\"You mean these things can control us?\"\n\n \n\nShe blinked dully, perplexed by my dismay.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"We have to obey.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Ar'kivist protects us.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI grumbled: \"I could do without that sort of protection.\"\n\n \n\n\"You kinda did need to be rescued,\" Zoe quipped.\n\n \n\n\"Zoe...\"\n\n \n\n\"Right.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Shush.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI managed to get to my feet even though I was still jittery from fatigue.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I wiped my face and hands off on the large pink and blue spotted leaves of a nearby shrub.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;They were inadequate for the job.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Searching around I found my baggage was below still floating on the mushroom in the pool.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was caught up on the edge in some of the bushes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Great,\" I sighed.\n\n \n\n\"I'm concerned your mark is still calling mine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I don't understand why.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sei'la paced and the serpent/ferret thing on her shoulders slithered around her neck, keeping its mistrustful eyes on me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I don't hear anything at all.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"It's not a sound, it's a feeling.\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah, I'm not getting that either.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I gathered up the vine that had been used to rescue me, contemplating how I could use it to get my baggage back.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I wasn't feeling up to rappelling down for it.\n\n \n\n\"It's only that I don't know what Ar'kivist wants me to do.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I had assumed I was supposed to help you, but why is it still calling?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Look, this is interesting and I don't mean to be rude,\" I said, \"but this is literally the most disgusting I have ever been in my entire life.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I just want to get my luggage, find someplace to take a bath, and brush my teeth about 800 times.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"What's a luggage?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"My baggage.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I pointed down into the pool.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"The white bag.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I can get it.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sei'la scrambled down the slippery slope of the log with ease.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Her large hands, feet and prehensile tail effortlessly grasping any handhold.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;In a few seconds she returned with my baggage grasp by her tail like a third hand.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I brought your food too.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She said as she gave me the small curled up boulder bug.\n\n \n\n\"Oh... thanks, but—\"\n\n \n\n\"Aww, don't eat the baby Rockie!\"\n\n \n\n\"No!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Zoe, don't fall in love with this one,\" I warned.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I'm not going to eat it, I was just rescuing it.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Her.\"\n\n \n\n\"Will you stop that!\"\n\n \n\nSei'la cocked her head.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Rescuing?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It's just a di'mirk.\"\n\n \n\n\"Seemed like the right thing to do.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was helpless.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I turned the small creature in my hand.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Under the mire covering it there was a blinking tag.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;A \"di'mirk\", huh?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I think I prefer \"boulder-bug\" even if it didn't fit in this instance.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I put it down to set it free.\n\n \n\n\"And dee-marks are cute,\" Zoe insisted.\n\n \n\n\"Di'mirk,\" Sei'la corrected.\n\n \n\n\"That's what I said!\"\n\n \n\nSei'la's tail handed over my suitcase and I opened it up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Despite the hole that the snail had bitten into the bag it had done a good job of keeping the contents clean and dry.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sacrificing the socks on top to wipe myself off as best I could, I dug to the bottom to retrieve my dress shoes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The previously polished black shoes were bleached back to natural leather and ruined, but still something to wear.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;They were slip-ons without laces which were worse for the situation I was in than the shoes I had lost were, but I wasn't going to go digging for the other pair nor go barefoot.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"That is an interesting bag.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;How did you make such material and that closure?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sei'la asked.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI closed the luggage and slung the belt over my shoulder.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I bought it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It's just nylon and a zipper.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I considered taking the vine since a rope was probably useful, but the vine was just another thing that had been in a pool of crap. Sei'la didn't seem interested in recovering it so it must not be much of a loss.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Since you're from here, do you know where I can find some water to get cleaned up?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Water that's safe to drink maybe?\"\n\n \n\n\"There's water not far away.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I could lead you to it.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"We're not leaving Dee-Dee behind, are we?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Zoe fretted.\n\n \n\nAw, jeez, she named it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Dee-Dee\" was wandering around my feet, her thin antennae prodding at my legs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I carefully stepped over the creature.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"She'll be fine,\" I assured as I took Zoe off the branch and picked up the scabbard.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"And if you start crying again I swear I'll put you in this stinky sheath.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nShe sniffed but stayed composed. \"I wasn't gonna cry.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"You two are the strangest things I've ever come across,\" Sei'la said before motioning toward the jungle.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"This way, and hurry, Tro-Brinma is drying me out.\"\n\n \n\n\"Tro-what?\"\n\n \n\nShe pointed to the dark sun in the sky.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"You're lucky Tro-Sular is hidden behind Ja'kar-sil-ko or it would have been too hot to come out here at all.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nOkay, yeah.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I'm not going to be bothered to remember those names.\n\n \n\nI trotted along the top of the log, my feet squishing into the rotten old wood with every step.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sei'la hopped ahead but kept her pace low.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Even if I wasn't sore and exhausted I would have been incapable of keeping up with her and she was irritated by my lack of speed, wanting to get out of the sunlight.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;On her shoulder Charea's head bobbed as she kept suspicious, cat-like eyes on me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;We zigzagged along on top of the tangle of ancient dead trees.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Occasionally Sei'la had to help me climb where trees had fallen over each other, letting me grasp her long tail to be pulled up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The tail felt odd and was more like a tentacle than a tail.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was cool to the touch like a three-fingered, boneless hand wearing a rubber glove, and had an incredible gripping texture.\n\n \n\n\"Your skin is hot,\" Sei'la noticed, \"and your face is leaking.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Are you unwell?\"\n\n \n\n\"I'm fine.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;This is all normal.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Perfectly normal for someone that's out of shape.\n\n \n\nWe made it close enough to the jungle that the canopy was shading us and Sei'la slowed her pace.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The trees that had fallen hadn't been lying as long, and were less decayed into the ground.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It was easier and safer for me to switch from walking on them to walking under them, picking our way through the gaps where they propped up on each other.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Some only a few feet high and some large enough to sail a yacht under.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Knee-high hairy blue ferns and giant mushrooms grew throughout, and small balloon-like jellyfish fluttered around in the sheltered calm within the fallen trees.\n\n \n\nSei'la periodically hopped to higher vantage points to keep a lookout for trouble. \"We have to be careful when going under.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sei'la warned.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Gholts sometimes use them for an ambush.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Usually I go over to avoid them.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Gholts?\"\n\n \n\n\"Big and ugly with lots of teeth.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I could escape, but since you can't climb or jump...\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Right.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I'll keep an eye out for big and ugly,\" I promised.\n\n \n\nSatisfied that there was no imminent danger, Sei'la walked nearby, although staying upwind from me.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Charea had grown accustomed to my presence and was snoozing, her head tucked under the alien's chin.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Walking wasn't an ambulatory state Sei'la appeared suited for, the large feet were better for hopping and climbing so she was forced to walk on her toes. I took the opportunity to observe her closer.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She was almost as tall as I was, but much thinner.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Her black eyes were expressive, but the rest of her face didn't appear to have much articulation.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She couldn't smile or frown.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Or at least she hadn't felt the need to do either so far.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Her mouth didn't have lips and I could see small, needle-sharp teeth when she spoke.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The mouth movements didn't correspond with the words spoken, like watching a dubbed foreign movie.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I expect that was due to the limitations of Zoe's translation magic.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The fins on the sides and top of her head raised and lowered in relation to her mood, but I hadn't deciphered the positions yet.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Her tail moved constantly and apparently without her conscious thought.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The fingers grasping and touching what she walked by, always seeking a handhold.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Her sleek skin lacked any pores or hair, and in the shade the spots nearly disappeared, only to burst brilliantly when black sunlight managed to stream through the treetops.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;The coloration reminded me of those bright, South American frogs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nShe caught me examining her.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"What?\"\n\n \n\n\"Sorry.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I was just wondering if you were poisonous.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nHer eyes narrowed.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Why?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Were you planning on eating me?\"\n\n \n\nI chuckled.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I wouldn't do that.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;You're the only friend I've got besides Zoe.\"\n\n \n\nShe stopped in her tracks.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"No, no.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;We are _not_ friends,\" she stated firmly.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I'm only helping you because Ar'kivist wants me to.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;With that she walked past me and stepped up her pace.\n\n \n\nI jogged to catch up.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.\"\n\n \n\n\"I'm not uncomfortable.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;That's how it is.\"\n\n \n\n\"What is Ar'kivist anyway?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Zoe piped up.\n\n \n\n\"Ar'kivist is... Ar'kivist.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sei'la was mystified by the question.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"We are all connected to Ar'kivist because we come from Ar'kivist.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I don't know how else to explain that.\"\n\n \n\n\"But we have seen Ar'kivist,\" I insisted.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"It's a robot.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It's made of metal and circuits.\"\n\n \n\nShe shook her head.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"The \"row-butt\" as you say was just a herald.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;There are many of those—more than can be counted.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;They watch and protect us.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I've had... contact with them many times.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;They are simple servants, no more Ar'kivist than Zoe is you.\"\n\n \n\n\"I'm not simple!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Zoe objected.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I had to resist the retort to that.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I wonder why Ar'kivist is interested in protecting me?\"\n\n \n\n\"I've never seen anything like you so that means you're rare,\" Sei'la speculated. \"Ar'kivist takes more interest in less common creatures.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"Are your kind rare?\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I'm going over.\"\n\n \n\n\"What?\"\n\n \n\nSei'la pointed to a tangled wall of vines which marked the edge of the jungle.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"There's no way I'm going through there and you're too heavy for me to carry.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;I'm going over.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\nI balked at the wall of foliage.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"Shouldn't we look for an easier place to get through?\"\n\n \n\n\"This _is_ the easy place,\" she said as she sprang to the top of a fallen log.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\"There's water on the other side and this is the only way to get to it. I'll meet you there.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She hopped up to the top of a towering root that had been torn upright when the tree fell.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;From there she jumped to a standing tree that made a sequoia look like a sapling, clinging easily to the bark.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She scurried around and jumped to the next tree and was gone.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n \n\n\"I don't know if she likes you,\" Zoe said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;","series":{"name":"Jack's Incidental Holiday","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2112021-jih-chapter-7-in-deep.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2113539-jih-chapter-9-jungle-for-the-trees.json"}}