The Rough Diamond King

Chege had been walking for more than 8 hours without stopping. From where he stood, he was in a thick forest and all around him were canopy trees making the place look damp and wet. Chege quickly climbed up a tree and looked in the direction he had come from. From where he was perched, he couldn't see the city that had been his home all his life, indicating he had covered quite some distance.

Looking at the sky, he could tell the sun was going to set soon, and he would not dare to walk the forest in the dark. Concluding that he had little under an hour before it was night time, he got off and started looking for some shelter. Only a fool or a desperate man would dare traverse the forest in the night.

After exploring for some time, the young man found some rock outgrowth that led to some canyons on the side of the mountain he was in. Exploring some more, he found some caves in the uninhabited canyon. Thanking his lucky stars, Chege settled in the cave and prepared to call it a night.

For prudent's sake, Chege made sure to check every inch of the cave he was in. It was a small cave that he couldn't stand fully especially given that he was quite tall for his peers. The cave was one and a half meters wide. To Chege, this was perfect.

Given its small size, the cave couldn't have been home to some dangerous predator. This was always a concern since caves were a natural habitat to make predators. Chege found no markings to indicate that any animal was living around here. As an experienced hunter, he knew what to look for, and the cave didn't bear any such markings.

As he settled in his home for the night, Chege couldn't help wondering why the cave had been unprotected and uninhabited. It seemed such a waste given how proper it was. To some extent, he felt that this was even better than the place he used to live in the city, after all, he had peace and room to himself, something he barely got.

Trying not to think such dark thoughts, Chege checked his inventory. He had packed some cooking equipment, 3 water bags, a dagger, a bow and a quiver of arrows. He also had some rope that he could use, and other miscellaneous equipment he would need in the journey.

All this was standard equipment available to everyone in the city, of course, at a price. Given Chege's abject living conditions, he could barely afford proper equipment, so all was using now was just ordinary. It was noteworthy that many equipment and trinkets could be enchanted to infuse magical properties in them, but these were all high end, nothing a commoner like Chege could afford.

After his check, Chege drank some water, chewed on some beef jerky he had carried and some roots and herbs, then soon fell asleep. Or, as much sleep as one can get in the jungle.

Nighttime quickly passed, and when he got up, the sun was shining brightly. Sitting up, Chege was appalled by the fact that the sun was almost scorching his scalp, only... Last he could remember, he had slept in a cave found in some canyon in the middle of the forest. For the life of him, Chege couldn't understand how he ended up in some grassland.

Standing up and looking around, he quickly discovered that he was standing on a cliff, overlooking an ocean. Behind him, there were strange-looking mountain ranges that he had never seen before.

For the most part, Chege's life had been very predictable and boring. As a commoner with nothing special. With a father who spent his days drinking and a mother who had given up on life such that she could no longer be said to be living, but existing, Chege's life was bound to end up as just another face in the crowd. Another life to be counted but one that contributed little to nothing in the society he lived in.

Chege had always felt an outcast in his own home. He had no one who could sympathize with his situation, and even if he did, he was so antisocial he wouldn't know how to make friends easily. As such, Chege lived an isolated life.

This was not all bad since the man hoped that in his isolation, he would grow to become something more than what was around him. While the rest of the community shunned him, Chege chose to ignore them and work hard. This was why he was such an accomplished hunter.

Whenever Chege wasn't occupied with work or when he had been younger, school, he would take the time to go into the forest, pick up any treasures he might find, and hunt for any wild beasts. His bow and arrow may have been ordinary, but they had served him well. The boy had already begun to make a name for himself in certain circles.

Given how familiar he was with the neighboring forests, he knew that he was not anywhere near the city he grew up in. For one, he had never even heard of a see nearby, let alone see one. He also did not know of any cliffs or mysterious looking mountain ranges either. To him, all this was rather strange, and this was a massive understatement.

More than that, Chege found that he had absolutely nothing but the clothes on his body. He also found that he had the rope he came with and his dagger. Everything else was nowhere to be seen. Cursing loudly, Chege made his way to the mountain ranges.

In his mind, he knew that there was no way he would stay on that cliff. The exposure alone would be disastrous, especially if there were any predatory beasts. He needed cover, and the only one he could see was the forest area, and that was where he went.

It took Chege more than half a day to finally get to the treeline. By this time, he was severely exhausted and dehydrated. As someone who had grown up in the highlands, the coastal climate was extremely hostile to him.

After walking for several other hours, Chege finally happened to come across a river. The man jumped in and drunk to his fill. It was the most refreshing drink he'd ever had. As someone who was no stranger to being in need, he realized that despite his deplorable conditions, there were just some things that he took for granted.

Looking up, he realized that this was not a river but a stream, part forming a delta as a great river entered the ocean. Having solved his thirst problems, he decided to look for food.

As an experienced hunter, he knew to stay close to the river, as that was where the animals usually came when they needed a drink. Similarly, he was also keenly observing the trees in the forest, hoping to find some fruits he might take. To his utter frustration, he realized that none of the trees he saw looked anything like what he knew. How was he supposed to survive in such a place?

Chege chose to walk upriver, hoping to find something that might look edible. As he did, he also was on the lookout for anything that might give him some idea where he was, and at the very least, where he had come from. He so wanted to go back home, to the city, to all that he knew. However bad it got, it was still home.

After a few more hours of walking, Chege was extremely famished. No amount of water could satisfy him, and the fruits that were on the trees were beginning to look so very delicious. Though Chege knew he should, one can only hold on for so long. Leaping on to one of the trees, Chege plucked one of the more delicious ones and took a mouthful.

Sweet and juicy, Chege couldn't help but eat and eat some more. Before long, he was done with the fruit. Prudent as he could be under such circumstances, Chege chose to wait some more before eating more fruits. His hunger didn't allow him to wait too long, and as soon as he had convinced himself that the fruits were as good as any, he gobbled down one after another in quick succession.

After a hefty meal of fruits, Chege took some time to relax, lying on a branch. His breathing was heavy, but given all he'd been through, he just felt lucky to be alive. He still hadn't figured out where he was, but all these were concerns that could be shelved for later. He needed to survive first.

Fatigue soon carried him to a sweet slumber. This was not his first time sleeping on a tree, so he knew how to. As an experienced hunter, he knew how to hold himself well in the tree.

Chege didn't know how long he had slept for, but as soon as he came to, he noticed something weird. The mountain ranges seemed to be glowing. It was night time, yet he could see a faint light coming from the snow-capped mountain tops. That was one mystery Chege didn't feel like solving, so he rolled over, found a comfortable spot and went but to his disturbed sleep. He was hoping that when he woke up, all this would be a dream.

Next time he woke up, Chege felt the rays of the morning sun. Even though it was still dark, he was infuriated that the sun was so damn hot. As someone who'd grown up in the highlands, the coastal sun was his nemesis.

Maybe it was the sun or the fact that he had been asleep for a while and had grown complacent, but the moment Chege stepped down from the tree he was perched on, he saw a magnificent creature.

Tall as he was, the creature had humanoid features. In contrast to his light tan, the creature's fur was lush green and quite light. It was bipedal but had a long tail that was sweeping on the ground. It also had quite the ample bosom, making Chege assume that this must be a female. No man boobs can be that gorgeous. He even wondered how it would feel like to touch them, given that they were covered in fur.

Looking on its face, it had an oval-shaped head and very big round eyes. The pupils were shaped into a slit, much like a cat's. It also had whiskers off its face and cat-like ears. All in all, it looked like an overgrown man-sized cross between a very beautiful woman and a cat. Looking at the creature in front of him, Chege didn't know whether to run to it or from it.

It didn't give him the chance to think though for, in that split second, it suddenly bared its canines and its claws extended. It had suddenly transformed from an angel to a demon tigress. This sudden transformation caused Chege to be so stunned he slipped and fell.

A whistling could be heard, and then moments later, a powerful arrow stuck itself on a tree. Had Chege remained standing a moment later, he would have been pinned to that tree himself. Not waiting around for a second arrow, Chege was already on his feet.

He ran like a mad man. From when he was a little boy, he loved the jungle and the forest. Though this was an entirely new landscape, he was still in nature. He was like a fish in the water.

Left, right, jumping, Chege ran. However, to his dismay, he was being hunted by not one, but several of these creatures. Each one seemed as though they were after blood, his blood. Seeing the ferociousness exhibited by these creatures, Chege could only run further.

With a sinking heart, he realized that he was running out of the forest. Since all he'd been doing was running, he didn't care in which direction he turned, as long as he lost the hunters. As such he had been guided to the edge of the forest, and without the forest cover, he would be like fish in a barrel. Trying to turn in any way he could, he realized he was totally surrounded.

Gritting his teeth, Chege ran out of the forest. Hopefully, he would find a way to escape. Maybe the creatures were not that fast, after all. Maybe he could easily outrun them.

This pep talk almost worked, until he looked up. There was another creature, much like the ones that were hunting him, but this was slightly different. It had wings, massive wings that could carry it, and it was flying right in front of Chege.

What was even worse was that it was wielding a very mysterious-looking spear on one hand. In one fell swoop, it thrust the spear at Chege, its aim true!