Skylands Historia - Duality

Chapter 11 - The Directions are Merely an Afterthought

The lid of the canteen opened with a pop, as water sloshed around inside. Kaos took a swig, tilting his head back, before wiping his mouth off on his sleeve. He looked over to Glumshanks as he closed the canister up, slipping it back into his pack. They had been walking for Ancients know how long, following the winding trail best they could, the trees blocking the faint, silvery moonlight, casting everything in shadows. Kaos had always heard trolls had night vision, but based on how much Glumshanks had been struggling to see, it seemed his research had fallen short this once. That unfortunate fact had caused Kaos to take the lead, and despite his impeccable guidance, the fact that every time a tree brushed against him he changed directions seemed to have gotten them lost.
Glumshanks tossed a bundle of dry sticks onto the ground at his feet, a few sparks flying as the troll scuffed two stones together, a small fire igniting after a couple tries. The warm light caused the shadows of the trees to dance and twirl, like a macabre, sacrificial cavort. Kaos shuddered, then inched closer to the troll, trying his best to seem nonchalant despite the sweat beading at his forehead.
"Any chance that map of yours says anything about how big this forest is?" Kaos asked, warming his calloused hands over the crackling flames. He'd usually be mesmerised by the flickering inferno, if not for the feeling of thousands of eyes trained on him, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"I'd check it if it weren't for this lighting..." Glumshanks mumbled. "I was hoping the fire would make it better, but this place is still as dark as tar."
"Well, hand it over! Maybe I'll be able to pinpoint where we are!"
"Kaos, if I can't see, i don't think you'll be able to-"
Before Glumshanks could finish his sentence, Kaos had grabbed his bag, rifling through it with reckless abandon,strewing the contents out across the ground around them. Bandages, small bags of gunpowder, loose fuses, and finally the map. Kaos unfolded the large square of parchment, nearly catching the corners on fire as he tried to locate the woodland they were stuck in. Glumshanks just sat there, squinting, trying to make out what Kaos was doing. After a little bit, Kaos jammed his finger against the paper, grinning. "Here it is! If my calculations are correct, we just need to find a landmark and I'll know where we are."
Glumshanks just kind of blinked. "How are you seeing anything on there?"
"The firelight. From the fire you started."
"Very funny, Kaos. Really, if a troll can't see out here there's no way a human can."
"Well, maybe you just underestimate humans a little too much, Glumwad." Kaos crumpled the map back up, shoving it into his bag before standing up. He looked around the little square of space they found themselves in as Glumshanks tried his best to fold the map back into an organized, non-crumpled square. The trees loomed over them, branches reaching out like a wall, leaves and bushes blocking almost everything past them from view. Kaos huffed, then took a step forward, hands on the shears at his hip just in case. He pushed back one of the branches with the end of his makeshift weapon, then froze at the sound of rustling leaves. In a split second, glowing yellow eyes blinked open, then launched forward. Kaos screamed, stumbling back, flailing his shears around wildly as the shadowy mass flew at his head, then quickly swooped away into the branches above. Glowing eyes peered down at them, the firelight barely reaching the small, furry animal. Kaos struggled to catch his breath, hearing his heartbeat roaring in his ears as he stared up at its glowing eyes. Glumshanks followed his gaze, then chuckled, looking back down as he stoked the fire.
"It's just a Sugarbat. They're harmless."
"I- I know that!" Kaos scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off. "It just caught me off guard, that's all!"
"Sure you were.."
Glumshanks smiled slightly, then reached into his bag, pulling out a small bundle of leaves tied with twine. He carefully unwrapped it, picking up a small piece of meat and holding it up to the sky, in the direction he had heard the Sugarbat go. Kaos watched as the creature swooped down, landing on the other side of the fire, wings folded at its sides. It tilted its head to the side, rodent-like nose twitching as it sniffed the air, then waddled up to Glumshanks. It climbed up his arm, quickly snatched up the piece of meat in its jaws, then flew off with a few shrill squeaks. Kaos closed his mouth, noticing it had been hanging agape slightly.
"See? Harmless." Glumshanks smiled. He grabbed a stick from nearby, dusting it off before slipping half of the remaining meat onto it, holding it over the fire. The sauce it was coated in dripped into the flames, sizzling and bubbling.
Kaos scooted up beside him. "I think I read about them in one of my books. Volume Three of the 'Skylands Field Guide' by Onk Beakman. It was one of my favorites. Then Mey put it in the blender because she thought drinking the words would be quicker than reading them."
Glumshanks handed him the stick he was holding, setting the bundle of meat down before getting up to find another. "Mey?"
"Oh! My sister. She's... well, she's Mey. I can't really describe her any better than that." Kaos paused as Glumshanks stumbled over an exposed tree root, covering his mouth as he snickered. "She's a pain, but she's not too bad. Same with my brother. I wonder what they're doing right now..."
Kaos poked the dirt with the non-meat-laden end of the stick, his expression falling as sauce trickled down onto his hand. Glumshanks sat down again, then gently moved the stick so Kaos was holding it over the fire again before turning to tend to his own.
"...They're probably worried about you." He spoke softly, the silence punctuated by the sound of the crackling fire.
"Pfft, yeah right." Kaos scoffed. "The only thing they're worried about is who's gonna weed the garden without me there. It's not a fun job, believe you me." He shook his stick slightly, the juices landing on the grass with a small sizzle. "What about your gaggle of overzealous brethren, won't they be absolutely fuming that you aren't back yet?"
"Probably, but they can last a night without me. Besides, on christening nights they tend to be more worried about partying once everything is settled."
"I noticed." Kaos watched the fire, then over to Glumshanks, managing a smile at his new friend. "Thropp was absolutely plastered."
'He was." Glumshanks chuckled. "You should see him during a successful raid, it's horrible. I don't give him much credit but at least he can down a barrel of ale in three seconds flat."
"I bet I could beat him at it."
"You drink ale?"
"Well, no, but I've drank pondwater before, it can't be much worse."
Glumshanks paused, then laughed. "Why in the Skylands would you drink pondwater??"
"Dyskord dared me to! We were exploring and we found a pond just full of all these reeds and bugs and squishy lumps of green, gelatinous ooze. He used a piece of bark to grab a 'bowl' of it then dared me to drink it. He said if I did, he'd do my chores for a week, so of course I had to!" Kaos explained, moving his free hand as he talked. "It tasted worse than Mother's cooking; like a mud ogre had been using it for their communal bathwater, to wash a flock of rank Sludge Sheep, and then all collectively died in it! But I drank it all. And then puked. Meyhem was laughing so hard through the entire thing. It was... a day, to say the least. But I made sure Dyskord's first chore when we got home was to wash my dirty swamp saturated clothes! That's what he gets for putting me through that utterly disgusting ordeal, the pompous jerk."
Glumshanks was slack-jawed, hanging on every word the small human said. "Wow. It sounds like you guys really hate each other..."
"What gave you that impression?" Kaos asked as Glumshanks motioned for him to lift the skewer off of the open flames, a char having formed out of the bubbling sauce that coated it. "Mother always described our dynamic as unique, but we don't hate each other. All the time, at least."
Kaos cackled at his own humor, then took a bite out of the meat, pulling one of the slices from the skewer with ease. The first thing he noticed was the texture, the exterior crisp and the meat itself tender, practically melting in his mouth. The next thing was the taste. Sweet, almost sugary, nearly overpowering the tangy sauce. Then, Kaos noticed his mouth was burning. Kaos squealed, spitting the half chewed meat onto the ground as he tried to cool his singed tongue, as Glumshanks merely watched, trying his best not to laugh.
"Careful, it's hot." He teased.
"I know that, fool!!" Kaos spat back, fanning his tongue with his hands, trying to coax his tastebuds back to life.
Glumshanks just smiled, then carefully blew on his own before picking it off of the stick and dropping it into his mouth, wiping his fingers off on one of the leaves. Kaos picked up the half chewed piece off of the ground, brushed off the grass, then tried again.
"Kaos, that's gross." Glumshanks laughed incredulously, nudging his arm. "Just get a different piece."
"And waste a perfectly good cut of meat? I don't think so." Kaos spoke through a mouthful, crunching a small twig that had managed to hang on undetected. "What is this stuff even? It's nothing like I've ever had!"
"Sugarbat in an ambrosia sauce. It's made from the fermented fungus that grows on the backs of ambrosia beetles, I discovered it a few months back. Though it took some convincing to let mama make it; most prefer to just eat the beetles whole rather than going through the effort of cooking them. But I think it's worth the wait."
Kaos froze, chewing more slowly, before finally swallowing. "...you... fed a Sugarbat... Sugarbat meat?"
Glumshanks nodded nonchalantly, eating another piece. "Mhmm."
"Glumshanks. You just made a Sugarbat commit cannibalism."
Glumshanks looked over, silence hanging between them before he started to laugh. "I thought you read about them? Sugarbats eat their dead so they don't go to waste. They're scavengers after all."
"I did! The book didn't say anything about that!!" Kaos cried. "It said their diet consists of aptly named sugar beans, fruit, and carrion. Nothing about cannibalism!!"
"Well, now you know I suppose." Glumshanks smiled.
Kaos paused, then tore off another piece of smoking meat with his teeth. "Yeah, well, I blame the book for not being up to date." He grumbled, hunching his shoulders.
Glumshanks just chuckled, finishing up his last piece. He took a swig of water from the canteen he had packed, then stood up, looking to the sky. The orangish-red hues of moonset were just starting to peek through. He sighed, then looked down, waiting for Kaos to finish his impromptu meal.
"You eat more like a troll than I do." He commented.
Kaos stuck his tongue out, whacking Glumshanks' leg with the end of the stick. He wiped the sauce from the corners of his mouth, then stood up, watching the fire beginning to flicker out. Just in time, too. The two stood there as the shadows encroached, the light from the flames retreating before dying out completely. Kaos blinked, his eyes readjusting quickly, Glumshanks on the other hand squinting yet again, even with the early morning light speckling its way through the canopy.
"I really should have packed a torch..." He muttered, starting to head in a random direction, narrowly avoiding walking straight into a gnarled tree trunk.
"Say..." Kaos jogged to catch up with the troll's long strides. "If you were planning on just heading back, why'd you pack all this stuff?"
"..." Glumshanks was silent for a few moments, nothing but the sound of their footsteps and the slight breeze fluttering through. "...you mentioned something about landmarks on the map? Anything we may have seen already?"
"Nothing yet, but there was a pretty large rock that might be easy to find."
"How large are we talking?"
"Judging by the size of the mark on the map... about as big as my thumb."
It was hard to tell, but Kaos was pretty sure Glumshanks rolled his eyes.
"Helpful."
"Only the best for my dear Glummy." Kaos sniggered, elbowing the troll in the side as they walked
Glumshanks smiled, elbowing him back.