Branches and bright foliage flew by as the four entered the jungle. Kage kept her injured arm close, afraid that the bolt might catch on something.
She glanced behind her, relieved to see Shole was behind her and still in one piece.
"What makes the jungle safe?" She called out behind her.
"Just follow Art, you'll see soon enough!" Shole called back.
Kage faced forward again, focusing on staying on the path. Her eyes caught movement in the trees around her, movement and the rustling of leaves. The foliage was too thick to see through, but she caught the movement of something large, larger than a human.
Her stomach churned at the thought of some strange jungle beast, there was no world where a tropical forest wasn't full of deadly creatures.
Suddenly, it emerged seamlessly from the jungle.
Kage recognized a similar figure to one of the people she had first seen outside of Duurchelm, with shiny black skin, two antennae on his forehead, and blueish beetle-like wings compete with elytra.
He wore a simple cloth around his body, attached at the neck and going around his back in the space between his four arms and above his waist. His black hair was tied behind in a short ponytail, which drew attention to his lack of ears.
His eyes strayed across the group before he matched pace with Artlem, the two of them exchanging words that Kage couldn’t hear.
Artlem turned back and called out, “This is Nephir, he’s going to lead us through.”
They kept up their pace until they reached a junction, the path going in two other directions. Nephir led them down the right path, and Kage noticed more disturbances in the trees, catching glimpses of more of the Ra’bac. A couple of them emerged on the path behind them, setting something up on the path behind them.
“I thought Tobryns couldn’t fight people from Rhoringdall,” she asked Shole.
“That’s true, but we find loopholes,” Shole smiled. “This jungle especially is a stronghold of traps. Out of all the Tobryn provinces, this place is the safest, that is, if you’re a friend of the Ra’bac.”
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37lowzOEDC
After riding for another several minutes, the road opened into a huge space. The trees here were gigantic, stretching far into the sky, but with much more space between them. Sunlight shone through the treetops, bathing everything in a pattern of light. The trunks were at least as wide as a house, and as Kage looked up in awe at the clearing, she could see that they were used for that exact purpose.
Intricate bridges and ladders connected the trees together, connected at doors to the inside. The image reminded her of an apartment complex, with doors and windows every few meters up. The Ra’bac themselves mostly flew between the trees, but she could see some of them crossing on the dangerous-looking bridges. The ladders, however, were most likely for the use of their flightless visitors.
Kage jumped as another Ra'bac swooped down and hovered next to Artlem, followed by two others, who carried themselves proudly, like soldiers or bodyguards. The male's face had a rugged look to it, but his outfit was made up of multiple colours, and several necklaces and decorations hung from his next. His hair was almost completely gold, and Kage placed him at his early fifties.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCJ3GT5Eft
"Greetings, Artlem. It's been too long."146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95zXUpKLX5
"Thank you, sir. I've missed this place."146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0aijbVz9o
The Ra'bac glanced at the rest of the group. "There are some introductions in order, but first, it seems the young lady is in need of some medical attention."146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbosazUMiKA
He glanced at one of his bodyguards, and she swooped over to Kage.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3fR6tC9Eb
"Come on miss, let's get that looked at," she said, voice much kinder than Kage had expected from her tough-looking face.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsXO1QimSi
As the Ra'bac woman took the reigns to Briar and began to lead him away, Kage glanced back at Artlem and the rest.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrnOghgpmR
"We'll meet up later!" Shole called.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtDZyap6u8
Kage grimaced. That meeting would likely involve some explanation she didn't want to give.
ns 108.162.216.150da2
and then Add to home screen.