This is chapter two of book two of the Xyphus Saga. A science fiction series that explains the back history of a setting in my work-in-progress tabletop role-playing game.
As much as Brandon wanted to be careful heading out into an alien
megaworld, he forced himself to be quick and not get caught up in awe or
fear of this new environment. As soon as he was at a safe enough distance
from the pod, he set up the tablet to warn him of approaching lifesigns,
and any pods that show up in range.
He sighed a little as he noticed that the distance of the sensor was being
limited by electromagnetic interference. A particularly high frequency for
which he couldn’t compensate. He wondered just how accurate it would be.
He was relieved that Sibley had shown him the way, but when he looked
down the trail, he realized that he didn’t recognize any of it. Brandon
quickly turned back to look at the pod, which was now billowing dark
smoke.
It was then that he heard very loud and rapid knocking off in the distance
to one side of the trail. He was quick to aim the laser rifle in that direction,
but there was no evidence of what had made the sound. He could only
imagine that it was some type of giant wood-pecking dinosaur, or maybe
even a bird. He was sure of one thing, though: it would be extra large.
Brandon let out a short relaxing sigh before putting the rifle down and
removing his spacesuit. It wasn’t as hot as he had expected, but it felt
extremely humid. As he took in his first deep breath of real air, he noted
that it smelled slightly sweet, but that it had earthy tones that he didn’t
recognize. There was also a foul smell, similar to that of a rotting corpse,
but different somehow. It almost had a nutty smell to it like almonds.
He took a moment to regain his composure before setting the spacesuit
near some bushes on the side of the trail. Brandon then pulled up his pant
leg to reveal the cast and pushed the button to turn it into a brace, which
would allow him to bend it. He spent a moment flexing it to see how it
would feel, and thankfully the medication was definitely working.
He grabbed the tablet and put the backpack on before beginning his way
down the trail. He assumed that Sibley had shown him the landmarks
needed to find her, only, it would be a lot farther away than she had shown
him. Adding in the factor that this was a superterra, and that his knee was
slowing him down, he wasn’t sure just how long it would take to find her.
Landing on such a large object is not as easy as one would think. The
slightest difference in the angle of trajectory between the pods could’ve
sent some of them hundreds of miles off course, if not farther. Factoring in
the extreme topology of this planet and its gigantic inhabitants, Brandon
could only assume that some of them may never be found.
This did not bode well for his morale, nor for his attitude toward Dr.
Pherringer’s plan. He understood that there would be a lot of risks
involved, but he kind of figured that it would be a bit more short and sweet
with being able to travel through time. It unfortunately must not be as cut
and dry as he had expected. Even still, this part of the adventure just
seemed too dangerous and risky.
Brandon sighed yet again as he sidestepped a large puddle. He couldn’t
allow himself to get distracted. One false step in a place like this will most
certainly mean death. He was already noticing the effects of the extreme
mugginess as his movements felt a bit sluggish, and his hair was noticeably
damp. Just a few minutes in and he already had a layer of sweat where his
skin was exposed. Luckily, the nanites in the uniform were helping to
regulate his temperature.
Pausing for a moment to remove the slim but long canteen that
magnetically fits onto the side of the backpack, he glanced back toward his
escape pod, only, it was now out of view. He furrowed his brow as he took a
drink. From what he could tell, the trail so far had only been a straight line,
and he didn’t notice any elevation changes. This panged his nerves,
knowing how easily one can get lost, not to mention not having any points
of reference by which to orientate.
He checked the tablet before putting the canteen back and continuing on
his way. No lifesigns or pods in the vicinity. He then felt his stomach
grumble, but he didn’t want to stop until he had found the first landmark
from the Dreamland vision, which he really hoped would show up soon.
The existential dread of it all was starting to get to him.
Oddly, that was when it struck him. How am I going to find two more of the
final eight in a place like this? He at least had clues to follow to find Sibley.
Not only that—considering that he and his crew must have traveled back in
time—how did they end up there at that time? He could only imagine that
they must have traveled through a temporal anomaly as well. Brandon then
came to a tall root crossing the path, and for a moment, thought that he
would see the footprint like before.
However, as he passed over it, he saw nothing. The tablet then beeped, but
only once. He took a look at it, but there were no indicators that it had
found a lifesign or a pod. Brandon then noticed that the tablet was low on
its battery, which was strange since the nanites in his uniform should be
recharging it since they can mimic photovoltaic cells. He did notice that he
was hotter than he was a while ago as though the nanites were failing to
regulate his temperature.
The tablet beeped again just as he was looking further down, what must be
a large game trail, he thought to himself as he wiped his brow. Again, by
the time he looked at the tablet, there was nothing showing on the radar.
He thought for a moment that maybe it was malfunctioning until it beeped
again, and he could see a brief indicator show up just as he began to hear a
rhythmic rumbling.
Brandon had just enough time to furrow his brow in confusion before
looking up in that direction, which was the right side of the trail, and
seeing a large, but very hairy, humanoid running at him. Its head was
turned, and with one long step, had planted its left foot in that spot before
colliding with Brandon and sending both of them hurdling down the fairly
steep ravine along the left side of the trail. The last thing Brandon saw were
two large and slightly hairy breasts before he was knocked out by the
collision.
Brandon sat up immediately after waking up. He was shocked to see the
young girl again standing akimbo at his feet with a mean look on her face.
“You again,” he said with a smirk. He was finally getting a good look at her,
and he could immediately see that look in her eyes, not unlike her as an
adult. That look that says, “Why aren’t you on my page yet?”
“Well, what’s taking you so long?”
Young Sibley’s tone was sharp and condescending. “I don’t think you realize
just how big this world is. Plus, it would’ve been nice to know about Miss
Bigfoot over here.”
Sibley huffed. “I can’t know everything.” She rolled her eyes as she said
that. She got up close to his face before saying, “Hurry up!”
Brandon started to smile at her until she flicked his nose and he suddenly
awoke again, only this time, there was new pains in his head and knee, and
now his ribs. He groaned and squinted his eyes as the bright light of the day
made his new headache flare sharply. His hands went to his head as he
waited for the pain to subside some before sitting up. That was when he
heard some slight movement.
He opened his eyes to see that he was laying at the base of a not-so-large
tree, but coming down the tree was a large furry face that had giant eyes
like a lemur, however, its legs were hairless and shaped a bit like a
chameleon with long fingers that were deftly gripping the trunk of the tree.
Brandon gasped as he sat up, fumbling for the laser rifle that was no longer
by his side.
He heard the animal screech and scamper back up the tree as he looked for
the rifle. He sighed in relief as he quickly sat in a more relaxed manner,
then groaning as the pains flared up from the sudden movements. On top
of all that, his adrenaline had been spiked, and he felt out of breath for no
reason.
Brandon waited for his breathing to calm before opening his eyes again.
There was no sense in waiting for the pain to lessen. He glanced back at the
tree once before turning his eyes to the large humanoid that had accidentally
tackled him. It was then that he noticed the strong stench
coming from it. It smelled like a rotting corpse mixed with wet dog. It was
very pungent and it made him wince as he slowly stood up to get a better
look.
His head flared again when he got to his feet and he groaned again. It
reminded him of the migraine he had had from a severe flu when he was
younger. He had to keep his eyes squinted to be able to bare the pain.
However, as he looked over the creature, his eyes widened slowly.
Even in the 22nd century bigfoot was still a mystery, but this was just as
most witnesses would describe. Tall, hairy, ape-like, long arms, no neck,
and a foul stench. All that with a very terran-like face albeit, with a heavy
brow ridge. Brandon had always been on the fence about if they’re real or
not on Terra, but seeing one in real life—even if it’s a predecessor—had
him stunned for a moment. This only served to kick up some adrenaline
again. He could hear his heart beating up through his ears.
Luckily for Brandon, it was unconscious and lying on its back. He wanted
to inspect it closer, but something kept him in place. He then noticed a
rather large branch or part of a sapling piercing its left lower abdomen that
looked to be going through to its back as well. He felt concerned for its
well-being, although at the same time, he understood that they have ape-
like strength which is many times that of a terran.
He took a deep breath while he considered his options. If it would remain
unconscious, he could administer some medbots, which are nanites that
are programmed specifically for medical procedures. They would
disintegrate the piece of wood, stop the bleeding, then act as a bandage. All
he’d have to do is apply them to the wound and then walk away. First,
though, he would have to find the backpack. He hoped that the medkit
would still be attached.
Brandon watched it for a moment longer, wary that it could awaken at any
moment. He first decided to take a look around to see if it was nearby, but
the foliage was almost as thick as along the ravine. He would have to use
the tablet that’s not working at full mark to help him find the backpack and
rifle, each of which has a unique identifying marker.
As he pulled his arm up to access the tablet, a sharp pang of pain shot
through his temples that made him a bit dizzy for a second. He naturally
groaned at the pain, but also thought that he had heard movement at the
same time. Brandon regretfully whipped his head back to the giant beast,
but it still laid there motionless except for its heaving chest.
He allowed himself to relax, but couldn’t help to think about just how few
of his current crew would make it through this particular leg of the journey.
He knew that, eventually, all but him and three others would survive out of
this group. He let out a small sigh before turning to walk away. He had
taken one step as he definitely heard movement coming from behind him.
There was a large rustle of leaves and just as Brandon turned his head to
look, he watched it roar at him. He was only a few feet away, but the sound
felt like it hit him. It had terran-like teeth except for the canines which
were over-sized. Its breath stunk terribly and several large drops of spittle
flew out from its ape-like gaping mouth, baring all of the teeth as well as
much of the gums.
Brandon quickly had a thought to stand up to it like you would a bear, but
something else was telling him to run much more loudly. He froze only for
a microsecond, and as he began to run away, he felt his foot get grabbed
hard. It was pulled very hard and in an instant, he was made prone.
Somehow, he knew this wasn’t the end.
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