1 The Cave

By Andres Atencio

There was a cave and Geralt Brodmire was walking in solace. He paced back in forth in the gloomy and rather barren cave. Taking a coin from his person and flipping it up and down and the sound of the clinging was earthly to his ears.

He dropped something. Yes, it was a green coin that allowed him to visit and barter in the furlong markets. But this time as always his clumsy fingers dropped the damn coin and it rolled in a cave. He chased it down and splashed into the shallow water howling for it. Much to his chagrin, it was nowhere to be found. "Damn, you coin," he said. "Why have you forsaken me here!" he uttered. He could smell the village burning of lamba sausage. It was a crisp and clean smell but there was burning that was sensed through his nostrils. Poppy-cock he had presumed because he was hell-bent on finding this coin.

Though he stammered further he could smell the dampness of this black cave. There were no markings on the wall as he thrust further. He was not armed with much. Not even a latherean dagger. Not even a regal dagger. Was he a regal man? Or was it the dagger? Or the man? Or the dagger? Why did he placate the issue further? "Damnit!, it would seem to me that this coin is so far gone that it would be deeper than the destined forests. And I am far off from the destined forests," he said.

With most caves, they drip. This one was very large but had one torch lampern flickering on and about. The light would flicker and then stop. But Brodmire continued his fit and just kept walking through the cave. Ah-ha. He remembered venturing when he was younger with his family...who were alive...yes alive to the market. Yet, he remembered something else. As was Jack in the Beanstalk with the tale of magic beans. This was far more ordinary. They were these purplish monkey paws which revealed eyes? Far more rich than the last. His parent's bought him these eyes and there were four of them. Yet, yes this is what he had with him. He pulled out one eye and held it up He-Man style and said "Nuturto vortex heblem ishi van ish herblem vertas truxtas." which for our sake is gibberish. But goddamnit it worked the eye awoke and illuminated the cave with fervor.

Was his journey to begin?

And who was this Geralt Brodmire?

Peralta :Isla De Mungo

....and when Geralt felt pain in his side from whatever was doing it to him he winced. The cave whined and Geralt felt more pain up to the back of his spine. This was a negative charge and it was bluish in color working its way to hot pink.

Geralt felt for his back but he saw incandescence in his spine. What the hell was going on he thought. He could not move.

An ent like creature started praying over the wounded Geralt and from there Geralt was able to be taken in by these tree guys. They wheeled him out and when I say we wheeled I mean they formed a tree bridge similar to ants, one was pine, the other ever garden, another one trackus pine a blackened tree, an even a skeletal tree, that was the neatest.

They hoisted Geralt on a ship. They stripped him of his weapons so as not to be attacked by a foreigner. "We must take this earthling somewhere safe. Yes, our clans have been threatened in years past but maybe they are okay. This onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne. Looks weirddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd. He has odddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd tendencies." The Ever garden said.

Geralt still unconscious was ho and heaved on a skitman ship. Just a schooner that was revamped and oddly enough made out of heightened straw. These at a biological level were strands of tiny little bits of straw and they formed the ship. One tree dude yelled " We must take him to Isla de Mungo.

As they cast off the chop was heavy and the winds were none. Geralt still invariably incapacitated had no choice but to lie still. The tree dudes and their leader the Ever Garden tree started talking. "To the island and taking him to the great tree father and tree mother may in fact help us and this earthling. So that is our cause currently brothers and sisters. The go-e herbs may in fact speed the healing process with the aquemenous herbs.

The purple paw that was glowing came out of the cave and bowed down. Was he summoning tempest level storms? Was he himself a tempest.

The clouds caught fire with each other in an interconnected web of lightning bolts overhead. The water kicked up more and more. It splashed on the tree dudes. It splashed on the manifolds on the side and it splashed on Geralt. Geralt Broadmire was on a ship with tree dudes in no control and he had to ride out the waves. The lighting boomed and busted with great pace up there in the atmosphere. The moons poked their faces out trying to illuminate the way but to apologize for the lighting, the thunder wanted its opus as well.

Krakens big blue bastards were on either side of the ship. But Gatelyns essentially fish mermaid women but no sirens, not mer women,but they had waldo caps on them. No, these fuckers were telepathic. And on cue, they summoned electric bubbles in tandem with lighting to deter the tree dudes and Geralt. "Hoist the sails brothers, turn the stern, turn the stern, don't crash into their electricity, fire the Gataitina. It was something like a trebuchet mixed with many cogs but was light enough not to sink the ship, manic energy was used to fire green energy at the Gatelyns. "FIRE" screamed the Ever Garden.

The first flash of energy streaked across the bow and hurled itself plentifully to the first Gatelyn. SMACK. It crashed in the water and lit the Gatelyn up. She screamed in agony but the others pressed on. And then the trees pulled out their glasses and yes they used them to extreme effectiveness. {TUP OH OP TUP OH OP} and incantation that spilled over the pages now summoned a water hydra to do battle. It slithered up from the clouds and the rest was made from the water. The krakens were the least of their worries.

The Trees were Watching

It was really here where the trees on that boat decidedly made mockeries of the other wizards, tree sub species and more importantly the sheepishness of the situation.

The elder one reared back his head and chortled. "I have this beeeeeeeeeeeeeard. And it calls to me most days, but man is kind of a weirdly frail creature with frivioooooooooltiess and oddities and what is this I hear of the other trees and why we'd even bother with them." Tasker said. He was an old tree and his beard extended to the floor. But as it whisped to and fro there was an eerie disturbance about it. It was electrical. Yes, by golly these trees were magical faunaesqued creatures. Tasker, was very horrified by this human but he knew helping the human was probably the right thing. "GIVE ME AN UNTU herb." Tasker bellowed.

Meanwhile, the rain beat down hard and seeped in the wood of the ship. The warpness started and the lighting was very subtle. The sharp tack of the lightning busted through the clouds and shacked up against the bow of the ship. The lighting pin balled and hoped to make its track to one of the trees. As it hit the tree it bounced. "Yes, human we aren't just magical but we are ubiquitously shielded , we all have these..." Tasker said. "They are scarab amulets but made of chocolate, don't ask me why, I have no information for you." said Tasker. The waves clashed with the other parts of the chopped water and their was a coalescence of waves. "SOMETHING HOORRRENDOUSSS THIS WAY COMES sire." said the tree underling Mahtek. "Mahtek you fool, that Hydra runs these waters, he does have friends." said Tasker. "Form a golden circle and incantate what you can, we must keep this hydra at bay if we are to make it to Isla Mungo, and we must...." His voice trailed off.

And there it was.

One eye popped out of the water and slid up on the surface water. It was encased in a crystalline film, and the other eye accompanied it. But as you'd have guessed it was badly damaged. It was an ancient hydra but his friends were young and spry. They flanked on the edges. Instead of screeching it let out howls. They tried to find each other in formation. Much akin to torpedoes trying to find the other so it could shift out of the water and leap and lash.

"MEN FORMATION." said Trasker. The trees gathered round and tried extremely hard this time extending their limits with a symbiosis of sorts. They tried extremely hard but the other tree was badly damaged. It had battle with a different tree species months before, these trees were quite ancient and had faced a ton of battles. He was prime for the picking. The hydras waited ...and out of nowhere the ancient tree was bit in half and drug down into the maw. "KEEP CHANTING." Screamed Tasker. His bear now whipping heavily and the rain drenched it down. It was a youngling hydra with red and crystalline frame that took out one of the ancient trees. Geralt was still out cold and the cold rain ensued. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, a golden vortex rose out of the water and bound one of the hydras, the red one out of the water. It fought and howled but now the golden ring had turned into a prison for this one. And it was here that the hydra had lost one of its warriors. They still had issue with two more hydras and their concern was the large crystalline hydra. Worried Tasker ordered his men to let the sails down. He had a plan. The trees did not really understand the human or why he was even there but they knew maybe protecting him could yield riches or galoj grapes. These in this world were so very valuable. 2 galoj grapes would yield almost 5,000 selgas. Selgas were not easy to come by because of the hardships associated with them. You'd have to visit tepplar priests high in the clouds to even get these Selgas. It was not easy. The tepplar priests were a bunch of assholes. They were elitists and did not care for any commoners. And the way the trees even knew about the Selgas now was legends. But not only had this one of the trees pilfered a selga from Geralt Brodmire. Geralt still unconscious lie there and hoped the trees could do something. The crystalline hydra had halted its attack. He ordered the other youngling to attack. It obeyed and slithered deep down into the water. The rain continued pouring down and the front of the ship was equal to as much water was washing just about everywhere. It didn't level and it swished around. The hydra waited this one was skeletonesque. It moved like an ancient fish but was smart about covering its movements. "Look for it mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeen." said Tasker. As the trees tried to be positional to where the hydra would attack at, they slowed down their own movements. Trattle issued an order. "Men we must light net the ship. We must, obey Tasker on the south side. Obey me on this side!" said Trattle. Trattle was a grey ancient tree with purplish eyes. He had seen things in his time and most of his bark on the right side was gone. Many a battle had he witnessed. "Rigggggggggggggght." Trattle said. "Tuwati Tuwati nah the wati epscone epsconius delright." Said Trasker. The trees chanted once more and a silver netting that was ethereal protected the ship. The Hydra talked and barked with the other one as what to do next. Geralt fell down the stairs and into the cabin. The other hydra was nowhere to be found but the netting was up. That is all the trees cared about now was protecting the ship. Meanwhile, the hydra was so silent they could see where he was at. Even with the skeleltoned body they were worried. Something moved in the clouds. Something moved in the water. The trees could see something out of the ordinary. Was it invisible? Yes, it was that damn hydra was invisible and the trees could not detect it. It started eating the bottom part of the boat. The trees felt the movement. They were now in destitution. The skeletoned hydra flashed an eye. One of the trees had his branch out and he fired a lightning shot damaging the eye of the barking hydra. He lashed and took the one that had taken his eye deep with him into the water. The hydra wasn't bleeding blood but ash. The main hydra was displeased with his younglings. The Crystalline Hydra had no qualms with being seen. It decided to rear up and charge at the bow. Tasker was ready, "Thisssssssss net may help us brothers, it may help." All tasker could see was lurching white eyes with blue glints looking deep into his soul. It was a rabid attack as Tasker battled the Hydra. They Hydra's teeth made of pure glass ripped at Tasker, Tasker had to fight somehow. Could he get to his staff? He was far out of reach of his staff. He could not move. The hydra bit again this time making a gaping hole into the middle of the boat. But not deep enough to take on water. The hydra hat shards of boat in his mouth. The trees gathered and started attacking it with what they had. Cutlasses lodged into the red crystallined skin but the coating made sure the weapons could not penetrate the hydra's brain. Tasker was flung to the left of the ship he hit with a crash. Dazed he got up and continued the fight. He blinded the hydra by hitting it with something in his belt sack. It was a special glue. It was yellow and sticky but it'd buy Tasker time. He blew it at the hydras eye causing mild irritation. The hydra barked deeply and now the hydra's eye was puffy. It could not blink and caused problems for the Hydra. Tasker with his one branch crunched down on his own power leaving a splinter trail as he slipped to get to his staff. He finally grabbed the staff. Tasker put the staff to the other eye and cast a light spell blinding the hydra. He pulled out a small knife and started serial killing stabs at the front of the hydras nostril, to put his smell out of commission was the goal. The other trees were dying and Tasker was running out of time. Most of the trees were either maimed, splintered or falling apart from the battle. Rain continuously poured during the fight as the trees tried to fell the mighty hydra. Tasker stabbed the right nostril then the left and the blood started pouring in the middle of the ship and pooling. Tasker wanted to get one of the eyes but was smacked again. He fell very hard and now his left leg was broken. He could not move. His commander was trying to do his best as well. These trees were not skilled archers so that was out of the question. But Trattle may have been the answer. He found a scimitar on the ship and went for the kill shot. He raced up the bleeding nostrils of the hydra and jumped up the nose and the snot almost blew him off. Snot mixed with blood was what Trattle had to deal with . But he found an opening on a hard part of the head as he drove the metallic edge of the blade down on the hydra's head and twisted. The hydra barked and its goopy eye fell out of its socket from the pressure. Right in the middle of the damn ship. Tasker still could not move. And the hero was Trattle as they finally killed the hydra. The head was heavy and fell and missed the middle of the ship. Otherwise the ship would have been brutally damaged and all crew would be swallowed up by the dark maw. "Taskkkkkker, sire where are you?" cried Trattle. "I am here, but my leg is broken and I am missing my right branch, but it is over." Said Tasker. "Yes, liege that hydraaaaaaaaa is dead." Said Trattle with hydra blood all over his bark now washed by the rain.

Many Mountains

Geralt looked at Trasker. "You are in bad shape my friend but where is this boat headed for?" said Geralt. There were many wounded trees on the boat as the swath of the water swished this way and that.

The smell of the dead hydra creeped up on them. The rotting corpse of its eye bled everywhere and the stench was that of a thousand dead fish and walruses. It stunk and Geralt knew it. "It stinks here, it stinks of blood and sinew and more broodissh terrors, I think." Geralt said. The ship trudged on more and more through the chop. The trees were terrified and tended their wounded. Tasker's arm was no more but he was not alarmed. "Men get our guest food and shelter for the night as we head to Sirens' Cove. "cried Tasker. "Yes , m'lord said one of his captains. This tree was stout and had a gnarled face. This whom he was taking to was an old faulty general by the name of Cassidy Cantence , Cassidy had an eye patch and had scars all along his bark. His bark told many stories as Geralt tried to run his fingers perplexed as what he had seen. "Cassidy is it." said Geralt. "Aye, it is lad, and human what do you want and why do you run your pointdextrous finger down my spine of my bark?" said Cassidy. "Because tree you don't seem all there, you seem that indeed you have fought many a war and lived!" said Geralt. "You don't look like your harden at all Geralt,human, you look none of these things no wisdom in the cloud of your eyes."said Cassidy. "Tasker, away with this human as he begins to seek my knowledge, I hate the notion this puts on me." said Cassidy. Cassidy had a darker bark than the other trees. He wasn't scared of anyone and had been in many intrepid battles. Battles that reached beyond the sea. When some of his tree clan had besieged Huplun forts, they had decided to attack because they didn't want diplomatic override. They were told by Generous the general to attack. And a lot of them really gave into their empathetic cores. Too many epithets to follow for them, diplomacy was a great thing. A different sort of person lived in the Huplun forts. Grey people they called themselves. "Yeah we burned them in their homes, burned half the village until their elder god got mad at us." said Tasker. He pointed a generous finger North and scared his crew. "It took place there!" Tasker said unencumbered by guilt.

The crew had to keep going for sane's sake. Also, it was now dusk and the water was still rampant. It had its own taste for things to come. It got angry now and again but the swish decidedly was in a good place. Different sort of blackish eddies formed on the over side of the water. But they trudged through. A fog rolled in but nothing happened. It was just a low hanging cloud that greeted the crew. Geralt meanwhile had some sorta grey dead fish . The tree ancients called it an ansipid fish. No idea how it got its name but it was a silver fish with two beautiful blue eyes. Geralt carved out one of the eyes with a wooden utensil. It did not stink and the tree people had many of these little bastards in reserve in tanks. Unusually, as well Tasker never told Geralt about their people's written history. Not just the battle of Huplun but a Malkovichian Moat that was attacked. Many trees tasked with defending the fort but a different race that was Ifritish in nature attacked. They were summoned by blackened magic users. And they were many and Ifrits of all kinds attacked , their elements were mud, ice and fire. They killed many of the trees as their guard was down. But Geralt had no business nosing around for anything really. "Quite a good fish, guys, I mean trees. Quite good food you guys have on this vessel. And you have tanks for these? said Geralt. A lively tree nodded and that was the end of the discussion. "Wait so where we headed, and what does that sextant say?" said Geralt. It was here and now that Geralt was oddly confused but protected. These trees had to help him. And where the hell was his coin? Did he lose it again. Was he prepared for lie in wait? Was he confused by the scrolls and the stories?

Siren's Cove

It was pretty straightforward because the water carried them onward. And finally they would sidle up to the island. It was not spelled out for them.

Geralt still wounded and gingerly moving said "Hey, aren't there siren's on the island. And he bellowed forth, and the winds calmed and the old man in the sea--turned his old and rotten head and bellowed back. These were the winds he called."

The trees were all together confused. Here they left Geralt on the Siren's Cove and told him farewell . Because they had more pressing matters to get to . "Geralt find the coin and it will help with your odyssey but be wary of giants, mermaids and of course sirens." said Tasker . And with that they left him in the clear.

Geralt hopped off into a nice aqua pool of water and he heard golden sounds ahead of him. It must be the people of the island he surmised. He walked in the water and shallower it became. But much to his chagrin a large giant trapced into the water and took a look at Geralt. Geralt held his side and walked slowly towards the large giant. "You sire, are you of man." bellowed the giant. "Yes, I am of man foolish giant but I am hurting, have you a place for me on this island?" said Geralt. The giant looked stubbornly at his bulbous feet and scratched his head. " No sire, I have not what you seek. But there are others on this island who can either hurt or kill --maim or hinder progress. No help unless my brother Udan can help you." said the giant. "I seek some sort of shelter as night grows near and I haven't much time , I am hungry and I seek help big fella." said Geralt. Geralt was tired and as such lumbered towards the nearest rock and fell down. When he awoke the golden sounds appeared.

Beings that looked like harpies but were extremely slender busts , crowns of corals and silky ash colored hair.

"Being what do you do on our island." they said in unison. "I am just a traveler." said Geralt back. "Being what do you do on our island." they said once more. "I seek sleep." said Geralt.

"BEING WHAT DO YOU DO ON OUR ISLAND?" they said again. "I seek asylum on your island." said Geralt. Now the lead slender siren wanted to examine Geralt. "Being you are bleeding of that of the Kenline whale, which we swim and fight for." said the siren. She had fins atop the side of where her ears were supposed to be . She was not scaly but very smooth. When she hit the water once more she shined. Her hair sopped up most of the suns rays as it calmly fell down. "They being call me Gale Pasophoes and my sisters something else. You heard our golden chorus, did you not? We are to be believed to be evil being, but we are not, we sing to heal this cove." said the siren. "Gale, look I seek somewhere to sleep for the night." said Geralt. His wound still hindering him he tried to look for mud to reapply the bandage. "Fine being we will show you where to sleep." said the siren. The other sirens kind of swam small mini laps in place. They let the water soak over themselves but one was not so shiny, one was balmy and muddy like. And unlike the other siren's she was a mute. "Our sister over there cannot speak being. She was cursed with an oteph stone. A great and powerful cloud being cursed her because she was vain. I was vain as all because our beauty cannot be reciprocated. That is why we stay on this island. She is cursed and we could leave her but she is kin , so no we shall not." said the lead siren. "I care not for your follies siren, show me to my quarters for the night." said Geralt.

The sirens showed Geralt the way. But it was a massive rock. The sand and the rock parted and blue light emitted from the rock. Geralt would be safe in the rock. And the siren's would keep watch till morning.