In the morning, Oliver and Emma decided to use the survival guide on the map. They needed food, fast.
"Yucca roots, leaves," Oliver said. "Vanilla, cinnamon, grapes, bananas, green plantains, taro, citruses, and toquilla palms." There were a variety of edible items.
"We should probably look for a banana tree," Emma suggested. They walked around until they found a banana tree that was about 12 feet tall.
"Did you know that a banana tree is actually a herb?" Oliver asked. "And they are also botanically a berry too." Oliver started climbing the tree, then Emma followed. They spotted a group of bananas near the top. After a few minutes of climbing and slipping, they reached the fruit. Emma grabbed a banana and quickly peeled it.
"Mmmmm!" she said, chewing. "I haven't eaten in so long!" Oliver also grabbed a banana, though he hadn't actually eaten one in a long time. They grabbed a few extra bananas and stuffed them into their pockets for later. They continued on their path. The first obstacle on the map was a large river.
"Do we have to swim across it?" Oliver asked. He never really cared for swimming. "I hate swimming." He turned to Emma, who was tying her blond hair into a ponytail. She dived in. Oliver reluctantly followed. The currents in the river made it hard to cross. They were crossing a length of nearly a mile long. They could walk one-third of the way, but they had to swim the rest. Emma seemed to be having fun, while Oliver was nearly drowning. With some help and bad swimming, Oliver finally made it across. Emma was still playing a little bit in the water, but suddenly bolted out.
"Snake!" she shouted, terrified. "THERE'S A REALLY BIG SNAKE!" Oliver looked at where she was pointing. He could make out the shape of a long, bulky body of a snake. It was a huge anaconda. They ran away quickly, until the snake was out of view. The map showed another river.
"Uhhh!" Oliver said. "Are you kidding? I'm not swimming anymore." The river was slightly smaller than the first, but it was still gigantic. Oliver stepped to the edge, and froze the water. He walked over the ice. Emma swam the whole way.
"Now what?" Emma asked. "The Temple of Snakes? WHY SNAKES!" Her yelling sent dozens of birds flying into the sky. The next part was the Temple of Snakes, and Oliver liked snakes as much as Emma did, which is to say, not a lot.
"It's the only way," Oliver said to Emma. "There's a walk surrounding the Heart of the Jungle, and this is the first section. And there are. . .NINE sections!" They both groaned. The entrance to the temple was dark and covered in webs.
"Gross," Emma said, swatting at a web that got caught in her hair. "Absolutely disgusting. Where's the exit?" Oliver looked at the map.
"The exit is about two miles from here," said Oliver. Emma screamed in frustration. "You swam nearly a mile and a half, and you're complaining about waking two miles to the exit?" Emma rolled her eyes. The room they were in was large and spacious. Emma ignited fire on her palm to provide light in the darkness of the room.
"At least there's no snakes," Emma remarked. "Yet." They walked through tunnels and more rooms. The temple was huge, and they probably walked a mile already. Their first bake encounter was a huge yellow viper. Emma screamed and quickly set it on fire. Oliver opened the map again.
"The exit should be around here," Oliver said. "There weren't as many snakes as I thought there would—" The next room they stepped into was full of snakes. On the floor, the pillars, and surrounding the exit. Emma set five on fire right away, angering the rest. They made a sprint for the exit. Oliver froze the ones that got near, and Emma set the rest on fire. After freezing and burning, they finally made it out with just a few cuts and bruises. Oliver turned around and froze the pillars of the temple. The weight of the roof shattered the ice and the temple came crashing down.
"Now where are we going?" Emma said, taking the map from Oliver. "The Demon Grounds." The green trees were replaced by dead trees with no leaves.
"This place is giving me the shivers," Oliver said. "I really don't like the look of this place." They walked further. Suddenly, the sky turned black. Well, not literally. Demons filled the air, their shadowy bodies flying towards them. They were about the size of an average bat. One flew even closer to them. This demon was the height of a six foot man, and its wings were also huge. It screeched and roared at them. It had fangs that were razor sharp and they matched its claws. They all came diving towards them. Oliver put up a dome of translucent ice.
"Good thinking," Emma said. "But they're going to break through it eventually, right? And if they don't, the ice is still going to melt at some point."
"I'll just make another layer," Oliver said. "But I'm going to run out of energy sometime." The demons were pecking and scratching the ice. One rammed into it so hard, the ice dome actually cracked a bit. Following their buddy's example, the rest started banging their sides against the ice. Oliver put up another layer. The big demon ran into it, and the whole dome splintered and it was on the verge of being destroyed.
"What do we do now?" Emma asked. "It isn't going to last forever." She was right. The dome exploded and ice shards flew everywhere. The demons dove. They used their powers to fend off most of them, until they departed and the big one glared at them with its red eyes. They ran. The demon chased after them, and it was much faster than Oliver and Emma. It rammed into Oliver and pinned him to the ground. Emma screamed. Oliver swatted the demon, but it was also ten times stronger. The demon raised its sharp claws and struck.