The Eternal Menace

by Robert Gill

  5

  PINK

  That afternoon, Kwon walked down a ramp slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Victor dropped him off on the cliff of a mountain while he stood on top of the submarine. “Be careful in the forests around here, they can be really dangerous.” Victor said. “If the navigation system’s right, Mt. Embor should be somewhere in the direction you’re heading.”

  “Thanks Victor.” Kwon waved goodbye.

  “No problem. Good luck, man.” Victor waved back.

  “Maybe we’ll see each other again one day.”

  “I doubt it, but it’ll be cool if we do.” The ramp folded onto the top of the sub. Victor climbed into the sub and closed the hatch. The ship hovered away with Kwon still waving.

  A few hours later, Kwon stood in the shallow end at the foot of a short waterfall in the tropical forest. He tried to catch fish with his bare hands, since he didn’t think about asking Victor for some snacks. He started getting frustrated as he clapped his hands in the water with no luck.

  A skinny man with a bald head, pink skin, two thin tentacles hanging on each cheek, squinty eyes with no hair on his brows, and a huge double-bit axe strapped to his back, approached the bed of water. Once he spotted Kwon, the pink man touched the metal handle of the axe. A puff of smoke turned the giant tool to a normal size with a black-painted, wooden handle.

  The pink man lifted the bottom of his long cotton bath robe and then stepped into the water with his flip-flops on. He shouted, “You havin’ any luck?” Kwon gazed up at him as he walked toward the middle of the river. “I guess you’re trying to catch dinner too, huh?” He approached Kwon’s side.

  Kwon sighed. “Trying to.”

  “You’re being too aggressive, boy.” The pink man let his robe drop, bent over a bit, and concentrated on the water. “The trick … is to be patient. You have to wait for the right moment. See, the fish can feel your vibrations. The more you move, the farther they run.” The man’s patience grew ageless as he focused on a group of fish teasing each other in the water. Then he reached into the water with one hand and snatched out a meaty fish. Kwon was amazed. The man looked around his robe embarrassed as the fish flopped around in his hand. “I, uh, can’t believe I forgot my satchel.”

  “Oh, you can put it in my backpack.” Kwon turned around.

  “Oh, thanks.” The pink man unzipped one of the smaller pockets and placed the fish inside. “Now you try it.” He took the backpack off of Kwon.

  Kwon did the same as the man, bent over a bit and focused on the water. The bigger fish chased the small ones, and the tiny fish were eaten with no remorse by both the big and small fish. He grabbed for one of the bigger fish, failing to even graze it with his fingers. All of the fish scattered. He grunted with disappointment. “I can’t do it.”

  “Yes you can. Just calm down. Let the fish come to you.”

  Kwon took a deep breath, said, “Okay,” and focused on the water again. He waited as the fish began to play around him again.

  “Watch their movements. Follow every single movement. When they get close enough, watch for that one fish that’ll sit still for a second and grab it. But be quick. It’s only for one second.”

  Kwon listened to his advice. The fish reminded him of trying to catch chickens back on the ranch. They were always too fast to grab. If his success rate for catching a slimy fish were anything like catching a nimble chicken then he’s already doomed!

  They never stopped for even a second, and even when opportunities arose Kwon hesitated too much. The hypnotic flow of the water made Kwon feel like he was drifting away as he waited. Watched and waited. Watched and waited. Watched and noticed a nice-sized fish hesitate for just a piece of a second. As fast as he could, he reached in and grabbed for it with both hands, pulled out the squirmy trophy fit for a non-failure, lifted it over his head, roared a boastful, “Yeeeaahhh,” and then let it slip out of his hands. “Oh, crap!” He fumbled with the slippery critter until he pressed it against his chest. Then he looked at the pink man with a smile. “I did it.”

  “There you go,” the man said returning a smile. “You’re a natural at this.”

  “I know, right? I’m gonna see if I can catch another one.” He put the fish in the back pack with the other.

  Later that night, the Woo’ah Tribe had camp set up near a river. Not too much high grass or trees, so they wouldn’t have to worry too much about sneaky creatures. The whole tribe danced around the fire like maniacs, smoking their pipes and drinking their loopy juice.

  In the main tent, Zembok sat eating a big plate of cooked crocodile meat from a crocodile that the tribe caught earlier that day. The shaman moved to the beat of the drums, wearing the large crocodile skin and head like a hat and cape. He sat with a big jug, pouring and throwing back shots of loopy juice from a tea cup.

  Zembok sucked his fingers and licked his lips, taking a break from stuffing his face. He said, “It’s somethin’ that I don’t get. How can you use people’s souls to create a monster? It just doesn’t seem right.”

  Damali pounded another shot. “To be honest, it’s not right. No one’s soul belongs to anyone on Earth, but I use a special kind of magic that I’ve mastered. Our bodies are shells that house a soul. Every soul is a spirit that connects physical energy with the energy of the infinite universe. It’s our link to our creator that gave us life. Each soul has a life written on it. Every choice that you or anyone makes is already decided.”

  “What? That doesn’t even make sense. If we have free will then how can somebody’s choices already be decided?”

  “Try to imagine a straight road that stretches farther out than you can see. That road bears off into more roads and those roads lead to more. Those roads are the choices you make. Either you make the right choices and find yourself following the straight road or you make the wrong ones and find yourself hoping to one day get back to that straight road before you finally hit that dead end. When I started this tribe I vowed to protect the people of the village. They offered their lives to me and, even in death, I use their souls to help protect our people.”

  “But that seems so wrong,” Zembok said. “Why do you keep their souls? How do you keep their souls?”

  “I don’t keep anyone’s soul. I call upon them when I need to.” Damali ran his fingers down the skin of his right arm with the tea cup cuffed in his palm. “That’s what the symbols on my body represent. Each tattoo is a pact with both the living and the dead. The bigger the tattoo, the greater its spiritual worth. Even when a person’s physical form is dead their spiritual form can still be around to protect us. Take your granddaddy for instance. After your race was destroyed Teepoch’s uncle, who was also one of Zion’s rivals in martial arts, gave his life to help Zion. He was already dying of an illness, so instead of letting me find a cure, he begged me to put his spirit into the pole, and until that pole is used to strike the final blow to Kizm his spirit is trapped. I could release it myself, but then he would’ve given up for nothing.”

  “So, is that how you can sense people’s souls, because you can call them, or whatever?”

  “No, sensing energy is difficult, but anyone can do it once they learn. The big problem is pinpointing a person’s location. You see, sensing a person is like smelling a unique scent, except it’s feeling a unique presence. If someone’s moving all over the world then it’s hard to know what location they’re at unless you meditate and then it’s still difficult. But you’re too young to worry about stuff like that. Go have some fun with your life.”

  Zembok shook his head with a fierce look in his eyes. “I’ve got too much on my mind to have fun now. After I get to Mt. Embor, I’m gonna see if Goopa can help me find Bohr somehow. Then I’m gonna kill Bohr and give him his medallion back.”

  “You’re way too weak to fight Bohr.”

  “I’ll get stronger. Heck, maybe Goopa can teach me somethin’? I might be able to kill Kizm with that pole.”

  “You might,” Damali agreed.
“Have you ever killed someone before?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well let me let you in on a little secret.” Damali poured himself another shot. “Choking a person to death can be one of the most addictive feelings ever. Feeling even the strongest man weaken to the point where he’s no more useful than a toy doll can be an intoxicating thrill. But that same feeling will also cause you to have terrible nightmares for the rest of your life. Now if I were you, I’d get what answers I was looking for from Goopa, if he even knows what’s happening; then me and my friend would forget all about it, go find some girlfriends, and enjoy what little youth we have left.” Damali drank the shot.

  “Then you’d make a terrible me. ‘Cause I’m killing Bohr … then I’m gonna live with those nightmares.”

  Damali stared at him for a few seconds and then he sat the jug and the cup on the ground and got up. He went over to where the pole was behind him. He reached into what looked to be an old doctor’s bag that sat beside the pole case and pulled out a black-stringed necklace with a small, faded, rainbow-colored, metal, circular band as a charm. The metal band held a tiny mirror in the middle space.

  The shaman grabbed the pole case, went to Zembok’s side, handed him the case, and then dropped the necklace in Zembok’s lap. “Wear this for good luck. Never take it off for anything, and I mean anything. In the morning I’ll teach you how to use the pole … since you’ve already chosen your road.”

  Damali left the tent. Zembok examined the necklace before putting it on.

  In the tropical forest, Kwon and the pink man sat on chopped logs by a crackling fire. Four hefty fish cooked on a wooden spit over the fire. “The last batch,” the pink man stated as he took the skewer stick off of its tripod frame.

  He slid the fish onto two wooden plates with his fingers. One of the plates was stacked with fish bones. He gave the plate with the bones to Kwon. The pink man grabbed his two pieces and shoved them in his mouth and then used his tentacles to push them further as he munched on the fish, the bones crunching in his mouth.

  Kwon rubbed his belly, breathing with his mouth hanging open. “I don’t know if I can eat anymore.”

  “Well, don’t waste it.” The pink man grabbed Kwon’s plate and dumped the fish and bones in his mouth.

  Kwon gave him a disgusted look, hearing crunching and lip smacking. “So, do you live out here alone?”

  After the pink man swallowed his food, he answered, “Yes.”

  “Don’t you get lonely out here, though? I mean, if you lived with another person that would be fine, but being out here in this huge forest all alone is kinda depressing. Don’t you feel sad out here alone?”

  “It can be lonely sometimes, but I chose to live here alone.”

  “Why?” Kwon asked.

  The pink man shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, I just did. It’s far away from my old life.”

  “Where was that?”

  “Shut up with the questions, boy! Did someone send you here to annoy me?”

  “No, I just wanted to know a little bit about you. I mean, I told you my name, but you won’t even tell me yours.”

  “And I never will. I don’t expect you to stay here long. Be glad I’m showing you some hospitality. Now stop with the questioning!”

  “Alright.” Kwon dropped his head to drop the subject, but then he said, “After one more question.”

  The pink man rolled his eyes and groaned, “Awwww.”

  “Do you know where a place called Mount Embor is? I think it’s around here somewhere.”

  “You’re close. Mt. Embor is a few hours away from here once you leave the forest. You’ll see it standing alone.”

  “You’ve been there before?” Kwon asked, surprised.

  The man stared at the ground. His eyes turned sad. “No, but I once knew a man who’d been there. He died in my arms with tears pouring down his face. He had harmed himself because he was full of fear and regret.”

  “What was he so regretful about?” Kwon asked.

  “He never said.” The pink man looked at Kwon. “He just kept telling me that no one would understand. Now why would you want to go to a place that would do that to someone?”

  “I’m hoping that the person who lives there can help me. Plus …” Kwon grabbed his backpack beside the log he sat on. He unzipped it and pulled out the envelope. “… I have to take this letter there. It’s supposed to change the future somehow.”

  “A letter that can change the future? Who gave it to you, some kind of psychic?”

  “I don’t know. She does magic, I know that. But she told me about this dead witch named Palpa. Maybe the letter has something to do with her.”

  The pink man squinted while he stroked his chin with his fingers. “Palpa, huh? That name sounds strangely familiar. Open it and see what it says.”

  “What? I can’t do that. If I open it, my head will explode.”

  The pink man shook his head. “Don’t believe it. People say anything just to keep you from reading their letters.” He reached for the envelope. “Here, let me open it.”

  Kwon jerked his hand away. “Wha—? Noooo. I don’t want your brains all over me. Besides, I’m so close to Mt. Embor, I’ll just wait to see what it says. Heck, I was lucky to make it this far after nearly being dead twice.”

  “Whatever.” The man stood up. He spoke in a stern tone. “Just know that your luck will run out sooner or later, boy. It’s best to know if your journey is worth the risk. We should get some sleep for now. I’ll show you where to go tomorrow. There’s plenty of room for two up in the treehouse.”

  The treehouse sat high up in one of the trees. It resembled a tiny house built by a professional carpenter, sitting on a platform with windows and all. “Uh, I don’t know. How can I know that I can feel safe around you?”

  “What the hell do you think I am, some kind of creepy perv or something?” the pink man snapped.

  “Well, you do live in a treehouse so …”

  “Fine. If you wanna stay out here and get bitten by snakes then go ahead. I’m going to sleep.” The man started to walk toward the treehouse.

  “Wait!” Kwon stopped the pink man. “What kind of snakes?”

  “The deadliest kind!” The man continued to the tree and climbed a rope to the house.

  “Ah, booooo. I’m not afraid of snakes anymore. I’ll be just fine down here.” The man went in the house and shut the door. “I guess he thinks he’s gonna scare me,” Kwon mumbled. He stared at the envelope. What was so special about it that it could actually change the future? Jasmine probably lied about the whole exploding head thing, so reading just a little bit shouldn’t be a problem. Or would it? Risk brain eruption or wait just a little bit longer? The curiosity mesmerized him. He took his index finger and tucked it under the corner fold. He began to slide his finger across to unseal the envelope.

  A snake with red, orange, and blue stripes dropped on Kwon’s head. He cried a high-pitched squeal, slung the snake on the ground, grabbed his backpack and ran to the rope. As he climbed the rope he whined, “I’m sorry, Mr. Pink Man. Let me in!”

  After he went inside, a strong wind came from nowhere and blew the fire out.

  The next morning, Zembok woke up on the back of a wagon again, with a stabbing headache … again. “Crap! Why do I keep drinking that stuff?” he asked himself.

  This time, the whole tribe stood in front of a massive forest. Teepoch and two other younger tribe members had large, empty burlap sacks with them, while Teepoch looked worried in front of the shaman. Zembok overheard the conversation.

  “Escort Zembok through the forest after you attain enough of the plant,” Damali ordered Teepoch.

  “What about the man in the forest?” Teepoch asked.

  “Be cautious of any traps or sneak attacks this time. You’re better than that, Teepoch.”

  “But this man is scary.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Grow some stones, Teepoch! You’re the second in command of
the Woo’ah Tribe. If you run this time, I’m demoting you. We’re not going all over the world to get this plant again.”

  “Are you still gonna teach me how to use the pole or what?” Zembok shouted, leaning over the side of the wagon.

  “What?” Damali turned around.

  “The pole.” Zembok held up the case and pointed to it. “You still gonna teach me?”

  “Oh, yeah. Come down here.”

  Zembok hopped off of the side with his belongings. When he landed on his feet, he shouted in pain with his eyes shut tight. “Ahhhhhh! It feels like my brain crashed into my heart.” He staggered his way over to Damali.

  “Listen carefully, because I’m making this quick. All you need to know are the commands. The first is the ‘spear’, the second is the ‘double spear’, the third, ‘extend’, and the last, ‘retract’. Be firm with your command for whatever the situation calls for. But you have to at least be touching the pole to give a command, that is until it gets used to you, then it will react to your voice alone. I guess the best advice I can give you is to just trust the pole. The spirit knows what to do.”

  “That’s it?” Zembok asked, surprised.

  “Yeah. What did you expect? You saw me use it.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I was expectin’ some sort of secret technique you can give me.”

  “You’ll have to come up with your own. Now, before you go, I have to warn you again to not take that necklace off.”

  “What’s it for, anyway?” Zembok asked.

  “If it gives you enough luck, you won’t have to find out.” Damali placed his hand on Zembok’s head. “Take care of yourself, and avoid any encounter with Ditan if Bohr succeeds. Trying to fight it would be stupid.”

  “Okay.” Zembok nodded.

  “We should get going,” Teepoch insisted.

  “Right,” the shaman agreed. “We’ll wait for you.”

  Zembok waved goodbye. Damali nodded to him. Then the troll followed Teepoch and the two other members as they ran into the forest.

  Kwon came out of the treehouse yawning and stretching his arms out. He tossed his backpack down to the foot of the tree and then started climbing down.

  On the ground, the pink man stacked a long, neat pile of fire wood from a big tree that he had just finished chopping. The axe lied on the ground amidst the scattered, shredded remains. Kwon reached the ground and made his way over to the axe. The pink man heard the footsteps approaching from behind.

  “You’re finally awake. You ready to go?” he asked Kwon as he turned around just in time to catch Kwon touching the handle. “Don’t touch that! It’s not a toy.”

  “I know. I know.” Kwon waved for him to calm down. “Don’t worry, I know how to use an axe. I used to help my grandpa chop wood sometimes.”

  “You don’t understand, boy, that’s not a normal axe. You’re gonna hurt yourself trying to pick it up.”

  “Look, no disrespect, pink sir, but look at me and then look at you. I have more meat on my bones and I’m only eleven. You look like a twig someone painted pink. So I know I can pick this thing up. So why don’t you just point me in the direction of anymore of these massive trees you want cut down and watch me do my thing.”

  The pink man shrugged his shoulders. “If you insist. Try to cut that little tree over there.” He pointed to a pitiful tree a few yards away from where the other tree stood.

  “That little thing?” Kwon asked, disappointed. The man nodded. “Watch this.” The man crossed his arms. Kwon lifted the handle. When he tried to lift the head he began straining, grunting non-stop. He stopped after trying a few times. The man started laughing. Panting, Kwon said, “Wait a minute.” He tried to pull the axe, even yanking it a few times, but the head wouldn’t even budge.

  “There’s a reason why I don’t keep my axe in the treehouse.” He continued laughing.

  Kwon gave up. “Is it stuck or something?”

  Suddenly, the pink man stifled his laughter. He closed his eyes and stood very still. His actions confused Kwon. The man just stood there, not saying anything, moving or opening his eyes as more than a minute passed. Kwon wanted to say something, but the man was in deep concentration; either that or he fell asleep. Then Kwon noticed something. A faint vibration came from deep below the ground.

  As another minute passed by, the vibrations got stronger but stayed faint. The man opened his eyes. He picked up his axe and started running through the forest. Kwon looked even more confused. He went and grabbed his backpack, then he followed the pink man.

  Teepoch led the way as he and his men searched every direction with extreme caution as they tip-toed through the forest.

  “What are y’all lookin’ for, anyway?” Zembok asked.

  “We’re looking for a special plant. It comes out of the ground like a bush, but it can grow as high as an oak tree. Its berries can be used to treat illnesses, but the leaves are the real prize. If you burn the leaves and inhale the smoke you’ll feel like heaven is lifting your body toward it. Nothing on Earth can bring you down. All you will feel is pure joy,” Teepoch answered.

  “Is that why y’all act like a bunch of dumbasses?”

  “Noooo, that comes naturally to us. Anyway, the plant should be close by.”

  Meanwhile, the pink man and Kwon arrived at a humungous yellow flower. There was something very familiar about this flower to Kwon.

  The flower shook terribly until the pink man went to stroke its stalk, easing its anxiety. “Someone’s been here,” he growled, his brows lowered to a frown.

  “I’ve seen a flower like this before,” Kwon mentioned, gazing up at it.

  “I’m sure you have. It’s designed to give off a vibration within four hundred meters if any unfamiliar presence walks past it. Which direction did they go?” The flower pointed in the direction opposite of where they were standing. “I know exactly where they’re headed.” The pink man continued running through the forest with Kwon close behind.

  On Zembok’s end, he and the tribe members made it to where the plant was. Wild bushes occupied one large area. The plants’ size rivaled some of the larger trees in the area that touched the sky. Their stalks were thick in diameter and their leaves notched on the edges, folding upward to grasp white, blooming flowers with purple-red berries nestled in the flowers. The berries were bubbly like raspberries, and the leaves drooped over each other all the way down.

  Teepoch scanned the ground around the area with his eyes. The other tribesmen did the same from different sides of the area. After they were done, they nodded to each other to show that the area was clear. The others came back to Teepoch and readied their sacks.

  Teepoch turned to Zembok and whispered, “Keep an eye out and stay quiet.”

  “Eye out for what?” Zembok whispered.

  “Anyone.” Teepoch ran and jumped fifteen feet into the air, wrapped himself around one of the plants, and climbed to the top. The bush leaned a bit once he reached the top but was strong enough to hold his weight.

  With his legs locked around the plant and one hand holding on tight, he reached down and pulled out his machete and then chopped the top off. The tribesmen were ready to pick up any fallen pieces. He climbed down a bit and chopped off another piece. The two men separated the stems from the stalk and then bagged the plant.

  The pink man stayed stooped low to the ground, hidden by the large leaves of smaller bushes near the area. Kwon was close behind, also stooped low.

  Glaring up at Teepoch, he held his hand up to signal Kwon to stop. Kwon halted but stepped on a twig.

  Teepoch heard the snap. He stopped and scanned the ground. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, so he continued chopping the plant. He climbed down a bit more and then heard quick footsteps approaching their location. Before he could look down, he heard a loud thud with a crackle. The plant tumbled to the ground. Zembok and the tribe members ran out of the way, almost being hit. Teepoch pushed himself off at the last minute, still hitting the ground pretty h
ard, but having a chance to roll out of the way.

  The pink man stood with his axe, his right arm still extended after the chop. His sudden approach surprised everyone. His murderous eyes worried Teepoch. “I warned you more than once, but you didn’t wanna listen, did you?” the pink man said. “Now you’ve seen my face.” He got a glimpse of the W on Teepoch’s chest. “You can’t leave this forest alive.”

  The pink man charged at them. He swung his axe at the two tribesmen and Zembok. They scurried around frightened, barely escaping his quick attacks. “Run that way, Zembok,” Teepoch shouted, pointing past the special plants.

  “Zembok?” Kwon said to himself, surprised. He stood up just in time to see Zembok running as fast as he could deeper through the forest. He started chasing after him.

  Teepoch pulled a second machete from under his robe. He rushed at the pink man, swinging at the head to legs to torso to legs to head. The pink man blocked them all with his axe. He front-kicked Teepoch, sending him stumbling backwards. The pink man swung and hit the ground as Teepoch rolled backwards-sideways on the ground, avoiding him.

  He swung again, missed Teepoch, and chopped down another plant cleanly. Teepoch swung with the left hand to chop the man’s arm off. But when the blade pressed against the man’s arm it didn’t slice clean through the robe and arm like it should have. Instead, some sort of energy force repelled the machete.

  This worried Teepoch even further and he found himself on the defensive. The pink man swung and swung with Teepoch dodging the attacks as he moved around in between the towering plants. The swings caused more of the plants to be sliced down. Four plants fell before the pink man stabbed at Teepoch with the flat top of the axe head. When Teepoch blocked with both machetes, the force sent his feet sliding across the ground, back toward his men, until his back smacked a tree.

  Then the pink man charged at him and swung his axe. Teepoch ducked. It’s a good thing he did too, because the axe broke straight through a tree as thick as a school bus. Then the man turned around, lifted his axe, and came down with a one-handed chop to Teepoch’s head. He blocked with both machete crossed above his head. When the weapons clashed, a wave of force pushed the tree to fall away from his comrades.

  “Go get the plants and regroup with the others, now,” Teepoch ordered as he struggled to hold his ground. The men moved toward him to help. “Do it now! I can handle this.” The two men gathered the plants, stalks and all, then dragged them back through the forest with haste.

  The pink man applied more pressure and, with little effort, pushed Teepoch to one knee. “What did you do to me, boy?” he asked.

  “What are you talking about?” Teepoch grunted as he replied.

  “My movements have slowed severely and my strength is weak. Now what did you do to me?”

  “Nothing. I guess you’re just imagining things.” Teepoch began to sweat, but the pink man didn’t even strain a bit.

  “Do you really want to lie to me after intruding several times to try to steal my plant?”

  Teepoch didn’t answer. He looked the man up and down.

  “I know what you’re thinking. But you can’t do anything because my axe will chop you in half as soon as you try to shift your strength.”

  “Who the … hell are you?”

  “It’s a shame you don’t know who I am. You’re wearing my name on your chest.” His words caused Teepoch to become perplexed. “I’m Damali … Woo’ah.”

  Something built inside of Teepoch. He grit his teeth and then pushed his way back to his feet. He pushed the man away with his foot. “That’s not true. Stop lying!”

  “Why would I lie? I know the truth of the tribe. You all have been brainwashed. You don’t even know who you’re really following, do you?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Teepoch asked, frowning.

  “The man you call Damali, if he’s still alive, is an imposter. Soon after I started the tribe, that man turned on me. He stole my identity and then changed everyone’s memories so that they would see me as a stranger. Luckily, I escaped after he ordered everyone to kill me. If he finds out that I’m here … well I’m just gonna make sure he doesn’t. But since you’re from my tribe I’m gonna have some fun first.”

  Teepoch shook his head. “No. You can’t be.… You can’t be.… You can’t be!” He rushed at the pink man with wild attacks. The pink man dodged every attack without even bothering to block. Teepoch ran through the group of the special plants.

  “Zembok! Zembok!” Kwon shouted as he chased and chased. But Zembok never turned around. If he were closer maybe he could hear.

  The thick vegetation caused Kwon to stumble with every other step. He slipped on wet ground but caught himself. Now Zembok was even farther away. Kwon continued on. Then Zembok lifted in the air, snatched up by a net. He suspended from a tree. Just as Kwon started toward his direction the ground collapsed beneath him. He slid down a mud chute until he shot out on a hill, tumbling down it until his head slammed into a tree stump. His eyes became heavy. He noticed a nest of yellow and orange birds on a high branch; the largest one tilted its head as it stared, as if it was trying to figure out what Kwon was.

  Kwon’s eyes got heavier. But he couldn’t lose consciousness now, not while Zembok was in trouble. He lifted himself up with a mighty roar, fighting to stay awake. But even after all that roaring he still passed out.

  When he woke up, the bird still stared at him. He picked himself up and staggered in the direction opposite of the nest, but then his fuzzy memory returned and he remembered the bird’s nest was right above the hill with the hole in it. He tried to run up the hill but kept sliding back down. After having his clothes and backpack all muddy he decided to take another route to reach the top.

  At the forest entrance, the two tribesmen regrouped with the tribe. Some of the members helped load the plants onto the wagons. “Where’s Teepoch?” Damali asked. One of the men shook his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  One of the tribesmen answered, “The guy in there attacked. Teepoch is fighting him now.”

  Damali sighed. “Let’s give him twenty minutes to return. If he hasn’t by then, we’ll assume he’s dead.”

  Where was Teepoch? “This is embarrassing,” he said, dangling upside down from a tree. His machetes were on the ground below him.

  The pink man strolled toward him. “I bet you thought I only had traps around the meegoo plants. I actually have them hidden all around this forest.” He let out an arrogant laugh. “What would your Damali say if he knew you fell victim to such a simple trap?”

  “Shut up!”

  “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Because you won’t make it out of here alive.” The pink man raised his axe to strike but lowered it when he heard Kwon’s voice.

  “Hey, pink guy! Pinky!” He rushed to their location.

  “Be a good boy and wait patiently for your death,” the pink man whispered to Teepoch. He snapped his fingers. The tree limbs curled over, wrapped around Teepoch, and held him in a tight grip.

  “How did you do that?” Teepoch asked. “I’ve only seen one person ever do that.”

  “Let me guess, Damali,” the pink man said as he walked away from Teepoch. He engaged Kwon well before he got close to their position.

  “Stay away from him, kid! He’s dangerous.”

  “Who’s that?” Kwon asked.

  “No one. A thief.” The pink man placed his hand on Kwon’s back. “Come. Let’s go before he tries to hypnotize you with his slick tongue.”

  “Okay. Well, look, I need you to help me with my friend. He’s trapped way up in the trees.”

  Kwon took him to where Zembok stepped in the trap. And there Zembok was, still squirming to get free. His back was turned, so he didn’t see them approach. At the moment, he tried to reach the pole case but his tangled body prevented that from happening.

  Zembok was less than sixty yards away, but the pink man stopped Kwon from going any further. He informed him t
hat more traps lied around the area, so he took him on a different route to reach Zembok’s location. In Kwon’s eyes they were going further away from Zembok. But every question he asked was shut down by “Shut up, boy, I know where I’m going.”

  The man took him to a giant hole in the ground surrounded by signs that read BEWARE and WATCH YOUR STEP. “What are we doing here? We should be going to save Zembok, not stopping at some hole.”

  “Kwon, have you ever heard of a giant lazy frog?”

  Kwon frowned. “Who cares about a frog right now? We have to—”

  “Lazy frogs lie and wait for their prey to approach them, then they snatch ‘em up and crush them with their powerful jaws. Would you like to see one up close?”

  “No.”

  “Well that’s too bad.” The pink man shoved Kwon into the hole. Thanks to the shirt in his backpack, the forty foot drop didn’t even stun him. “I changed my mind. I can’t trust you either. Say goodbye to your friend.” He laughed a maniacal laugh.

  Kwon raised his fist in the air as he shouted at the opening. “You betrayer! I thought we were friends. I even slept by your smelly feet last night.”

  “I put one of my toes in your mouth while you were sleeping,” he shouted as he ran off.

  Kwon began spitting on the ground. “That’s where that bitter taste came from. Disgusting! Disgusting!” Kwon jerked back. An adult human skeleton lied on the ground beside him; beside it was a towering pile of bones. He stood up, dusted himself off, and contemplated his escape.

  “Help me,” a low, slow, rough voice came from the darkness. “Come here. I need your help.”

  “What’s wrong?” Kwon took a few steps forward. “Did someone—” He halted and pointed at the darkness. “Nooooooo! You’re not gonna get me to come close just so you can eat me.”

  “Why would I want to eat you …” A bright-green frog rolled on its fat stomach into the light. Its breath was winded and sweat poured down its slimy face. “… when I’m already dead?” Blood drooled from holes and gashes all over his sprawled body.

  “What happened to you?”

  “I only ate to survive, but they didn’t like that, so this happened to me.”

  “Welp, that’s my cue to get outta here right now!”

  As Kwon began to turn around the frog uttered, “No. Please. Come help. I need water.”

  “I don’t have any,” Kwon replied.

  “That leaf near you with the dew drops in it, will you put that in my mouth?”

  Kwon sighed. “I don’t have time for this. I have to find a way out of here.” He took the leaf to the frog and placed it in its mouth. “There. You feel better? Well of course you don’t feel better, you’re dying.”

  “Are there any more leaves around?”

  “I don’t know. Let me see.” Kwon looked around. A glistening leaf lied by the frog’s torso. He tripped over the frog’s leg as he went for the leaf. While falling to his knees he pressed his left hand against the frog’s belly for support. “Oh, sorry. You’ve got your limbs laying everywhere.” He noticed he’d gotten some of the blood on his hand, but then he noticed his hand had smeared not only the blood but the gash from which the blood flowed. But not just blood … the actual gash itself smeared onto his hand.

  Kwon smelled his hand. It smelled sweet. Like berries. Then he remembered what the pink man called the frog. This liar wasn’t breathing heavy because it was dying. It was breathing heavy because it’s a big, fat, lazy frog.

  The frog’s tongue latched onto Kwon’s head. It began pulling him toward its mouth. He tried to grab onto something but the only thing around was the frog’s slimy body, which didn’t help at all.

  Sliding into the frog’s mouth was the ickiest thing Kwon’s ever experienced. Its jaws were like a vice squeezing the strength from him. But Kwon didn’t allow that first bite. He stretched out as much as he could to keep the frog’s mouth from closing.

  The frog detached its tongue and started smacking Kwon in the face with it. He hollered with disgust. It grabbed one ankle with the tongue, prying his foot from the already slick mandible. The other foot began to slip. His shaky leg burned.

  This was it. He failed the world. Why was he chosen to give Goopa the letter? Why would anyone believe in him? No one was around to save him this time.

  No! He had to throw away his fear. Being swallowed was inevitable, so Kwon did the only thing that could possibly make sense: He pulled his pants down right before the other foot slipped. The frog’s mouth slammed shut as Kwon slid down its esophagus.

  The frog started gagging. It regurgitated Kwon all the way over to the skeleton and then it started coughing. “You little crud!” it groaned. “You peed in my throat.”

  Kwon laughed as he stood to his feet and pulled up his pants. “Doesn’t taste too good, does it?”

  The frog moaned. It shot its tongue at Kwon, but he rolled out of the way. The tongue whipped back to his mouth, then it shot at Kwon again; this time Kwon lifted the skeleton to guard himself and the tongue latched on to it. The skeleton whipped toward the frog and hit it in the face, falling apart upon impact—except the leg bones, which Kwon held in his hand.

  The frog moaned again. “I hate standing. Every time I stand I get dizzy.” It moaned again as it rolled onto its belly and then stood on its feet. It staggered a bit, crashed into the earth wall but regained balance.

  Daylight was too high for Kwon and the frog was approaching pretty fast for such a big guy. Kwon had to do something. Could the leg bones hold him off? Nah.

  The frog was almost as tall as the pit. It shot its tongue at Kwon again. This time, Kwon couldn’t escape. Once in its mouth, Kwon glanced at the opening again. If only he could jump just about six feet he could make it. Those jaws were getting heavier by the second. He didn’t have a choice at this point. He had to make the leap.

  Kwon used the skeleton leg to hold the frog’s mouth open as he focused all of his strength in his calves and thighs and jumped to the daylight. He didn’t make it all the way, but he did reach the surface. All he had to do was pull himself up. Easier said than done while a person’s forearms are slipping on the dirt. But hearing the skeletal leg cracking from the powerful jaws was enough motivation to throw his lower half to the surface so he could pull himself up.

  Once on the surface, Kwon let out a sigh of relief as he caught his breath. But the frog had other plans; it let out a roaring moan before it jumped as high as the trees. It came crashing down right beside Kwon. The shockwave nearly forced Kwon back into the pit, but he caught himself, got up, and ran like the wind through the forest as the frog knocked over trees trying to catch him.

  Meanwhile, the pink man dropped Zembok’s limp body in front of Teepoch. “Why did you knock him out?” he asked.

  “Shut up before I make that tree crush you,” the pink man threatened. The pole case. He noticed it on the way back, but for some reason he had to take a peek at it, so he did and gazed at the engravings on the ends; they made him smile.

  “Put that down!” Teepoch shouted. “Zembok, wake up! He’s trying to take your staff.”

  Zembok began to come to.

  “So what? Neither one of you can stop me.” The pink man tossed the case near Zembok. His eyes then moved directly under Teepoch. “Where’s your machetes?”

  They were hovering behind Teepoch, waiting to make the final chop on the tree limbs. With the flick of his fingers the machetes chopped the last branch. Teepoch broke free. He dropped into a barrel roll, grabbed his machetes as they followed his aura, and blocked the pink man’s incoming axe attack. When the weapons clashed, the shockwave completed Zembok’s awakening.

  “Run Zembok!” Teepoch urged.

  Zembok grabbed the case and started to run away, tossing the pole case on his back as he fled. But then he stopped and turned around. “No. I’m not running away anymore.” He unhooked the first latch on the case.

  “What are you doing, Zembok? Run!” Teepoch shouted. He tried to
push the axe away but the pink man had more strength in one arm than Teepoch had in his whole body.

  “I’ll never know what I’m made of if I keep running away. I have to prove myself here.” He unhooked the second latch.

  “That’s right,” the pink man said smoothly with a delightful smile. “Challenge me. Let me crush your confidence at its core.”

  Zembok unhooked the third latch. He caught the pole as it fell out, did a quick twirl as he brought it around to his front, and then he pointed it at the pink man in a sturdy combat stance. In a bold voice, he said, “You’re not crushing anything today, fish face.” Then he stood up straight with the pole to his side. “Wait. That was kinda lame. Can I try that again?”

  “Shut up and attack me!”

  “Don’t tell me to shut up.” Zembok charged at the pink man. He jumped in the air and tried to come down with a thudding slash, but the pink man swung his axe. When it collided with the pole the force created a wave that sent Zembok flying backwards and rolling on the ground.

  Teepoch used the opportunity to attack the man. The clashing of their weapons caused deep echoes throughout the forest that sent creatures scurrying for dear life. Although Teepoch’s attacks were quick and calculated, the pink man blocked every slash and thrust.

  Zembok got up and charged again. He tried to leg sweep the pink man with the pole, but the man jumped and caught the pole with his ankles. Teepoch came down with a chop toward the pink foe. With no chance of the pole budging, Zembok lunged forward with a headbutt to the chin which was diverted with a little push, a push that put Zembok’s head in the path of Teepoch’s chop.

  Teepoch’s sudden awareness wasn’t enough to stop the motion as the machete closed in on Zembok’s skull. Just centimeters from collision, the pink man grabbed Zembok’s hair and slung him twelve feet away. Then he lifted the machete upward with the axe and used his free hand to push Teepoch with a forceful gust of wind that sent him crashing into the same tree that captured him. His head hit the trunk, which stunned him.

  “This is between me and the troll at the moment. Stay out of it!” The pink man jumped up so he could do a fancy soccer toss with the pole to Zembok. “Tell me,” he bellowed. “Tell me what gives you so much passion. What makes you want to fight so hard, even though you won’t ever win?”

  Zembok grabbed the pole. He stood up firm. He pointed the pole at the pink man. “There’s someone I need to kill. And I’m gonna do it no matter what. Extend!” A spear tip shot at the pink man, but before Zembok knew it, his cheek was being cut by the spear’s edges. The pink man had the chain in his hand. He grabbed the pole, then he front kicked Zembok to the ground.

  “Retract!” The pink man commanded. The spear tip rushed back to the pole. He tossed the pole on top of Zembok.

  Zembok’s eyes widened. “Who are you?”

  The pink man burst out in hearty laughter. “You won’t stay alive long enough to find out.” He took a deep breath and then released it with quickness.

  The energy in the air changed; it became heavy. So heavy that it caused the trees to crack, forced Zembok to fight to stay conscious due to the loss of oxygen, and made Teepoch breathe heavy breaths.

  The pink man laughed harder. He looked at Teepoch. “It’s getting hard for you to fight your sleep isn’t it, Woo’ah? If you know anything about ki manipulation like you should, you know that the troll will probably die if you don’t do something now.”

  “This is impossible,” Teepoch uttered. “No one is this powerful, not even Damali.”

  “How many times do I have to state the obvious truth? Besides, this is only twenty percent of my power.” He glanced at Zembok, who whimpered while a tear rolled from his bulging eyes down his cheek. He used all of his strength just to keep his head from touching the ground. “Ah, look at the troll cry. This is the moment I enjoy the most. The realization that he can’t survive no matter how hard he tries. Now witness your troll friend suffocate when I release forty percent of my power.” He took a deep breath.

  Teepoch had to act fast. He took a heart-shaped leaf from his robe, put it in his mouth, and began chewing. The pink man let out a quick breath. BWOOSH! The giant lazy frog toppled a tree as it came crashing in the area shaking its head furiously, with Kwon hanging onto its tongue as it was wrapped around its back. The tree fell on the pink man.

  “I’m not letting go that easy just so you can eat me,” Kwon shouted.

  Zembok regained strength. He grabbed the pole, got up, and made his escape without even a glance back. The pink man picked himself up and threw the tree like a javelin through the forest. Then he knocked the frog out with a left hook to the jaw. Kwon let go of its tongue as the frog went sliding into more trees. Zembok was way ahead, so Kwon took off to catch up.

  Teepoch turned the pink man around, spit a green mist in his face, and then ran in the opposite direction. The pink man chased after him.

  The pink man noticed himself becoming winded. The effects from before had gotten stronger. But he didn’t spit in his face the first time?

  At the entrance, Damali opened his eyes after trying several minutes to sense Teepoch’s energy. “There must be a barrier around this forest that’s blocking any attempt to sense what’s inside. It’s as if nothing is alive in there.” He hung his head and said, “Time’s up. I have no other choice but to avenge Teepoch. Everyone wait here while I—” All of a sudden, Teepoch came running as fast as he could toward the tribe. “Is everything alright, Teepoch?”

  “Fi … fi …” He stopped in front of Damali, almost falling to the ground with heavy panting. “He’s a fish … fish man.”

  “What’re you talking about, Teepoch?” Damali asked.

  “The man in the forest, he’s a fish man. He said he was you.”

  “Huh?”

  “He told me you were an imposter and that he’s really Damali.” Everyone stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

  “What? That’s ridiculous. Would you actually believe that? Did he have our tribal engraving?”

  “I-I don’t know. He was wearing a robe.”

  “Then what made you—” Just as the shaman started questioning Teepoch further, he stopped and stared in a trance at the forest opening. The pink man had made his way to the opening, but he stopped. He and the shaman locked eyes, with Damali speechless. The entire tribe looked the pink man’s way. No one recognized him, not even the older men. The pink man frowned. He released a frustrated huff, then he put the axe back on a strap on his back and ran back into the forest. Damali said, still with a dazed stare into the forest, “From now on, we’ll find the plant elsewhere. No one, ever, go back into that forest again.”

  “What? Why not?” Teepoch asked, confused.

  Damali gave Teepoch a fierce glare and then shouted, “Because if you do you’re dead!” He started walking off. “Let’s go.”

  Everyone got things moving, continuing their journey. Teepoch didn’t move. “Why? What are you trying to hide?” Damali didn’t respond. “Don’t ignore me!” Teepoch ran up behind Damali and held one of the machetes up to his throat.

  Some of the tribe members started to interact. But, just as quick as it happened, Damali poked Teepoch’s lower abdomen with two fingers, causing him to stop cold. Then he grabbed his wrist, turned around, redirected the machete to in between Teepoch’s thighs, stopped before the blade went too far, and glared into Teepoch’s eyes. “I should castrate you now for second guessing me.” He let go of Teepoch, who was as stiff as a board, without the ability to move. “Put him away for now. I’ll explain everything later.”

  One of the men took Teepoch’s machetes while two others picked him up and lied him down on the back of one of the wagons. The machetes were placed beside him. The tribe continued on.

  As the pink man walked back to his home, he reflected on his recent discoveries. That pole. The content of the boy’s letter. Is this the new batch? He burst out in hearty laughter. “These fools are so weak.” Then he cut the laug
hter short as he paused with slight wonder. “But he did escape the frog pit somehow. He even managed to ride the lazy frog … somehow. So maybe …” He dismissed the thought with a head shake and continued homeward.

  Further in the forest, Kwon ran to catch up with Zembok, but with all of the trees and plants in his path he lost sight of the troll. Kwon stopped and examined the path down the hill in front of him. “Where did he go?”

  Zembok jumped out from behind a bush and tackled Kwon. They tumbled down the hill, separating. When they reached the bottom of the steep slope, Zembok staggered to his feet. “Why are you followin’ me?” he shouted. Then he took a better look. “Kwon?”

  Kwon squirmed on the ground, kicking and holding his right shoulder in agony. “My shoulder!” he breathed out with moans.

  “Oh, crap, it probably popped out of place.” He rushed over to Kwon and then grabbed his right hand. “You ready?”

  “For what?”

  Zembok placed his right foot on Kwon’s chest, then he yanked his arm until it popped.

  Kwon yelled so loud that all of the birds and animals nearby fled the area. “What the heck, Zembok?” He rolled over onto his knees still holding his shoulder.

  “I thought you said ‘do it’.”

  “No!” Zembok helped him up. “What are you doing out here, anyway? Where’s Zion?”

  “He … uh … uh … well he was killed by a … I don’t know, some guy named Bohr.” Zembok pulled the medallion from his pocket and showed Kwon. “The Bohr guy gave me this after he did it.”

  Kwon shook his head. “He has to be after the Guardian Sages.”

  “Who?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’ll tell you on the way. We should get going.” Kwon started walking.

  “Let me grab my staff.” He went to pick up the staff at the base of the hill. Zembok paused as he looked in the direction they’d just come from. He knew he was a coward for leaving Teepoch to fend for himself. But he knew even more how right Damali was. No matter how much he’s been through so far, he was still weak. He grinded his teeth as he jammed the pole in the ground in that brief moment.

  “Are you okay?” Kwon asked.

  Three seconds passed before he answered. “Yeah.” He went to join Kwon as if nothing bothered him. “Is your shoulder okay?”

  “I think you made it worse.”

  “You sure? Let me see?” He touched Kwon’s shoulder, which made him yell.

  After close to an hour of nearly being lost, they reached a thick wall of vines intertwined with each other, hanging from some plants above. After they made their way through, they finally saw it. With other mountains ranged in other far directions, straight ahead stood a lonesome mountain peaking over the horizon of a small city. They were close, but first they had to find a way down from the cliff they were on to the river below.