As soon as the sun was up, so was I. I was getting myself together when I heard from the AI again. "Fourteen kilometers ahead to the falls. That's our halfway checkpoint." "Copy that," I replied before beginning my way towards the Falls, slow and steady, feeling the weight of sleep deprivation pushing down on me with so far to go. I tried to contact my brother and my party members again but this time it picked up, but I could not make out what they were saying. The mumbling sounds of the reception from the transmission filled my ears like loud drums. I slashed my way through the forest with my sword, but it felt so heavy. I stopped for some water and ate a nutrition bar from my inventory. I should have slept more last night. I could barely think, much less move, I was so tired. But I had to do both anyway. "Seven kilometers from the falls." Thanks for the update, AI, I thought but didn't say. "I think I should give the AI a name" I said to myself, "AI would u like to be called by a name?" I said. In response, it said "Sure, what name do you have in mind Stephen?" "What gender would u prefer your name to be?" I replied. "I'd prefer a Girls name, because I am a girl after all". It replied. My mind went blank for a second, "wait so all this time I taught the AI was a man," I said to myself. Shockingly as if it was reading my mind, " I was using a voice decoder" it said. Waw all this time I really taught u were a man. "I never wanted to reveal myself but since u asked me, if I wanted a name I had to tell you." clueless and to what I should say. "Never mind," I replied. "I shall name you Asia." It responded "Waw that's a very nice name, I love it." In response I said "I knew you'd love it, I picked it just for you." Oddly it thanked me saying "Thank You!!, for giving me a name I love it."
Asia said "No other adventure have never given me a name before, except you." Would you like me to take a form?, Asia asked. "Sure, what form or type of species would like to take the form of?, make sure it's undetectable by any other players or adventurer as you would say." I said. "How about the form of a Fairy?" Asia said. "A Fairy!," I exclaimed. That's very nice, that would do just fine. "Now Asia, let's get back on track" We have to reach the Falls. Every kilometer I completed felt like a small victory, given what I'd been through already and what I had left to do. So of course, I was keeping track of every single one myself. Annoyed, I wadded up the bar's wrapper and tossed it on the ground. Then I felt like a jerk. Because on Earth, there was lots of human litter all over its ground. Then mother Earth turned against us because we treated it so badly, and here I was, in a game and I was already making a mess again. I grabbed for the paper, but it blew away on a gust of wind. I'd almost reached it when another gust floated it into a thick patch of vegetation. I plunged in after it, finally retrieving it. But then I looked up to see that the forest had been trampled, trees ripped down. Dozens of baboons lay butchered on the ground. "What could do this?" I asked Asia. I didn't want to say what I suspected. "Doubletime it," Asia replied. "We need to make it to the falls Hurry!" No argument there. I walked quickly beneath the forest's canopy, looking around In hopes of spotting the attacker before it was on top of me. An enormous boom! rang out, and I ducked, drawing my sword. "Volcanic eruption," Asia explained. "Twenty kilometers East. You're fine. Keep moving."
A volcano sounded a heck of a lot louder than hearing baboons screaming. I guess the increased volcanic activity is just like global warming we humans inflicted on my home world. I reached a steep hill and cast a spell that would help me climb it faster. I asked if there was anything behind me, and Asia said there wasn't. But I heard something and froze, listening. It sounded like static in the distance, and I thought it might be the waterfall. That would be a very good thing. "You're close," Asia confirmed. "Keep hustling." I climbed faster, digging deep, with my heel on the ground, but the lack of sleep was catching up with me. Then I stepped out of the forest, pushing giant leaves aside, and found myself on a rocky ledge. I connected my sword back unto my back. The sound of the waterfall was deafening. More birds than I'd ever seen before swooped and circled through the mist in giant flocks. We hardly have any birds this huge back on earth, and I'm fascinated by these graceful flying creatures. "Inventory up," Asia ordered, and I slowly unloaded my gear. "Copy that. Spells: half available. Food: full. Skills: full. Strength: medium. Health: medium. Everything looked good except for one thing I could use one of my brother's speeches right about now. Maybe he could've helped me find a solution. He would totally say what I would really want to hear right about now. But things are very complicated at the moment. I haven't heard from or anyone since the baboons began to chase us. But hey sometimes adventures gotta have a little faith. Right Asia? "Yes, Stephen."
"I wish I could just teleport from here right about now. But I didn't even think of learning a spell that could teleport me anywhere, whenever I wanted. Silly me could really use a spell like that right about now. I wished I had wings, or even the power to let me fly. So I could fly to my destination from where I am right about now. I stood at the very edge of the falls, staring down at the birds swooping through the mist. The water roared in my ears. "And you'd think I'm a coward?" I was sure that's what he thought of me, even if he wouldn't say it. "You're wrong! I'm not a coward! If anything you're the coward! I'm not a coward!" I took two quick steps and dove off the cliff, towards the water below. The ground disappeared behind me and I was in free fall. Now you'd think I'm very crazy, but I assure you I'm not. At least not to my knowledge, hehe. Arms outstretched, body floating downward for one perfect moment I was at peace. In my mind, I was like, yeah right you're totally crazy. An average human would never venture to jump off a high cliff, even if there was water or anything at the bottom. Smh well I came this far right, no turning back now. As I ran simulations in my head, "what if I just hit the water like a pancake?" from the height I am currently free falling from I'd totally be what you would call roadkill. Or what if there's some sort of monster lurking in the water below me. Even thinking about that gives me chills, maybe it's the sense of me falling and feeling like one of those kids with a serious death wish. Well no turning back now, there's only one way to find out.
"To my surprise, my suit I was currently wearing released fabric that stretched from my legs up to my arms, creating wings that let me soar on the winds. I had a moment to think that this might have been an amazing idea, instead of a terrible one. But then my suit turned black, just as I heard Asia shout, "Stephen, you've got incoming!" Something struck me midair, a massive predatory bird that immediately circled around for another attack. "Stephen, dive! Dive!" Even up until this moment, I was still thinking mother nature don't like me. I pulled my arms to my sides, legs straight as arrows, turning myself into a torpedo to slice more quickly through the air. Not fast enough, though. In a puzzling manner, the creature's razor-sharp talons flashed past my cheeks as it slammed into me again and I tried to evade the giant bird but it wasn't working as I thought it would. I heard Asia, one last time, scream, "Stephen!" This time, the force must've knocked me out. I said to myself, why do I always be in these kinds of situations all the time and always being knocked out or unconscious. Everything went black for a while, though I'm sure I kept on falling.
"I woke to the feeling of something pecking at my face. I brushed it away, opening my eyes to find a newborn baby bird, just under half a meter tall, nuzzling my face. Definitely the weirdest thing I've ever woken up to. I took in the crosshatch pattern of light through the tree branches that made up the giant nest where I sat. Yeah, I was actually in a giant nest, and more than a little freaked out. It felt like if I was in the movie Journey To The Center Of The Earth, where everything big was small and everything small big.The baby bird bleated at me, opening and closing its beak. I got the uncomfortable feeling that it was hungry, and that I had been brought back here to feed it. Like heyyy I'm your food eat me, "Yeah right like I'm gonna let that happen to me, ha-ha". Turning, I saw bones of a few animals and what looks like a human being. I was very, very frightened, like bro I'm gonna be some bird's food. Worst yet I don't know where the mother bird is. Also, I don't even know what species of bird it is.. At the moment I felt like crying. The thought of my girlfriend was on my mind. Like why did I have to go play this stupid game. In my thoughts I felt like giving up. I saw several eggs around me, all starting to crack open. More baby birds pecked their way out and unfurled their slicked-back wings."
"Suddenly a large piece of the nest broke off, taking a howling lion with it. Other pieces fell too, leaving the interior of the nest open to the invaders. A lion crawled in and sank its claws into a newborn condor. I slashed the creature's arm and it recoiled, climbing back down. As more lions tried to crawl in, I spun my sword, slicing one's paw and scaring others. "Leave them alone!" I shouted.The mama condor clutched a lion by its hind leg, flapping her broad wings as she dragged the squirming beast off the branch and into the air. Then she dropped it, and as I stood there and watched as the lion plummeted to the earth far below. She did the same with another, but there were so many of them. One grabbed another newborn in its claws, and I rushed forward to slay the beast. It fell back over the edge, in my mind, it felt great. But it took the baby bird crashing down with it.Now the condor and I were fighting off the last of the creeping lions. When the final one fell, I whirled, triumphant and saw that not one baby bird was left in the nest. I felt so sad, only their shattered shells were left behind. The mother condor dove off the empty nest, and I thought she must want to escape the scene of the massacre. I couldn't unclench my hands from my sword, still scanning and looking in the nest, searching for another attacker, hoping for some sign of life in the ruins. But there was nothing. With all the fight and trouble I went through, even with the lions and condor and none of its young were left alive. The feeling of guilt and sadness overwhelmed me. I felt so bad. But that's how nature is."
"As I climbed down the massive tree trunk, when I reached the ground, I saw the mother condor hovering over a few of the lifeless chicks. She raised her head and shrieked up to the sky, the sound ripping through the forest. I knew she was just an animal, but I heard the grief in her scream it was the sound I would have made, if I could have, when I was on earth, when I watched one of my pets die. Before I slipped into the jungle, I watched the condor touch her head to her chicks, then lift her head and scream again. This was so painful for me to watch.I'd felt her pain. As I made my way along the dense jungle floor, I thought about the hatchlings that neither of us was able to save. I knew they were just birds, and I knew their mom tried to kill me first, and I knew it was the circle of life. But it wasn't really about the condors. It was about creatures with big claws and deadly intent creeping into your home and killing those who are too small and weak to fight back. How could I help reacting to the predators as though they were vicious beasts, and to the birds as they were tiny and I was very terrified. So I had stayed, and I had fought, and still, I couldn't save them. The attackers were still too powerful, and I was still too small. Sure, this time I had helped beat back the attackers, but it still wasn't enough."
"Right then, I was more alone than ever. I ran through the jungle, hacking plants aside with my sword, hoping that I would not draw any more attention to myself. All I could do was keep moving forward, and hope I was going the right direction. I was sure I didn't have much time left, to reach the Labyrinth with My brother and his friend and also my party. I sent a message to my friends to remind them that the time is nearly at hand and that I will be needing extra pair of hands. I had no idea how long I'd been knocked out in that nest. And fighting hadn't exactly been the best way to concerve my energy. I scrambled over rocks and fallen branches, crashed through underbrush, watched the sun dip dangerously low in the sky. I had to find a hot spot before I lost the light, or I'd freeze and no one would ever find me.When I reached a plateau, I skidded to a stop and took in the ruins of what was maby once a dam across a river.A shadow passed over me and I looked up to see the mama condor flying recklessly, clipping treetops, dipping and weaving. As I watched, she rocketed straight up toward the sun. I watched her, and recognized grief that matched my own, and saw how pointless my behaviour had been fo so long. It finally struck me that the best way for me to go on was to live as best I could - not to constantly risk my life just to prove I can. I saw the bird's suffering, how isolated she was by her grief, and it hit me, it was a pine cone that hit me hehe, it hit me how much harder it is to hurt alone."
"I had built up walls around myself to keep from ever again hurting as badly as I did when my pet died. But it hadn't helped. I wanted to try a different path now. I wanted to change my story. I just hoped it wasn't to late.I could see my breath, and I shivered as the temperature plummeted. Tired and lost, all I could do was run after the grief-stricken giant bird. Maybe she would lead me to a hot spot. But I didn't know how much longer I could keep going. I scanned the horizon in search for shelter, but saw non. The sun was dipping out of sight. I could see the plants curling in on themselves to protect against the night frost. Desperate, I turned left, then right, but there was nothing. So that was it, then. Not how I expected things to go.But then I saw a small hoglike creature running along, with three smaller hogs following it. It seemed to know exactly where it was going, so I followed it. The hog moved surprisingly fast, and it took all my agility to dodge under bushes, over rocks, and around tree trunks while keeping the small creature in sight. Finally I saw it burrow into a hole in the ground, and it's babies scurried after it.Without hesitation, I followed them. Except I didn't fit through the same small space. I found a flat stone and frantically dug at the hole until it was big enough for me to slide inside. I kept right on sliding, nine meters down till I had landed on a soft, grassy surface. It was pitch black so, I casted a spell to activate light on the palms of my hand like a torchlight."
"Looking around, I realised that the hog hole was actually a cave, it's walls smooth stone. I crept between the narrow walls. I heard something slithering and watched a snake emerge from a seam in the wall. It spread its skin on either side of its body to form wings. As it floated through the cavern, I backed up against the wall, hoping it wouldn't notice me. I wasn't usually scared of snakes, but a flying one? That, I couldn't handle. I saw it swoop down on a rodent that was scurrying through the darkness and then lift its prey into the air.Useing the light spell, I saw beautiful, multicoloured cave paintings. With descriptions of herds of bisons on one wall, flocks of birds on another, a figure of a man sleeping, surrounded by a variety of animals. The paintings were crude, but majestic too. I knew they must be prehistoric, and wondered how long it had been since the last human saw them. They reminded me of animals that were from Earth. They made me want to create a record like that of my own. Maby that's what this recording is - and these sketches. Someday, someone might hear my words and see what I drew. Someday, someone might wonder who I am and how I survived in this monstrous place."
"At the bottom of the cave. I saw a tiny rivulet of lava winding through the darkness. I tried to quiet my mind, but it was racing, of me thinking that I would become food in a matter of seconds if I didn't know what I was doing. I settled in near the rivulet of lava to warm my self. But gradually, I began to feel confident that nothing was coming for me and that I would be safe. I thought about the flying snake and the rodent - the circle of life, predator and prey.But that's not the relationship between the monsters, animals and us. They were bioengineered specifically to hunt and kill us, by aliens we've never even seen. They are not our natural predators - they are killing machines designed to exploit our greatest weakness. It just seems so unfair - and yes, I know life isn't fair, but nature, in a way, is. Or should be anyway. Nature doesn't give the snake an unbeatable advantage over the rodent - it's just that the particular rodent didn't scurry quite fast enough.But monsters were created for the sole purpose of eliminating humans, and when they weren't quite good enough at it. I think we're on version six now, and they've got it pretty much right this time. Except that they never counted on me in all of their plans.I found a piece of rock to make marks on the wall. Hearing Asias voice in my head, I began trying to re-create the map she had shown me. I started with the first place I began my adventure. Next, the forest where I battled the baboons. I remembered Asias advice there, and how I didn't follow it. How I wish I had."
"Then the river that I crossed, the waterfall I leapt off of, the condor's nest. Of course that last leg was guesswork since I was unconscious for the flight from the waterfall to the nest, but I doubted the mother condor carried me very far. From there, I thought I knew the route I took through the jungle, though I may have been remembering it wrong. I drew the cave and marked it I am here, I think. Finally, I marked a large area on the left side of the map where the wreckage might be somewhere here. I remembered how Asia entrusted me with this mission, and her belief in me gave me strength. Even though she wasn't with me all the time, I was not alone. I never was.
Looking at the map made me feel like | had some sort of plan for getting to the tail. In the midst of my drawing, I gave in and I had to cast a breathing spell to help me breath . I was struggling too hard to breathe, and anyway, I had a feeling that I was close to the tail now. I thought I might actually be able to complete this mission. Maybe leaping off the waterfall helped me make up enough time to make a difference. There was no point in making myself suffer when the breathing fluid might turn out to be enough."
**Segment 15** (271 words):
"I noticed the hog family leaving the cave, so I gathered my things and followed them again. When I reached the surface, the mother hog looked back at me, and I could swear she gave me a nod, as if to say, 'You're welcome.' I nodded back, grateful. As she and her piglets ran off, a huge shadow fell over me.
Looking up, I saw the mama condor circling above. Why was she following me? Did she blame me for the loss of her babies? Didn't she realize I fought as hard as she did to save them? I hoped she wouldn't swoop down on me again as I started walking south.
I was dead tired. I had barely slept since the night before. That seemed so long ago. Sure, I'd grabbed a few minutes of sleep here and there, and I'd blacked out a few times, but none of that had been exactly restful. Maybe I should have tried to get a full night of sleep in the cave, but mapping out my path seemed more important, especially since I wasn't breathing properly.
As I hurried through the jungle, I kept catching the condor swooping in and out of the treetops. I tried to stay hidden in the clusters of trees, but she seemed to have no trouble tracking me. 'Leave me alone!' I finally shouted. But maybe she didn't hear me, or maybe she didn't care."