Tales of Nowardo

Story of Jarek #1

"Sleep well, good night and ring alarm on the sight of white light...", Jarek sang to calm the Kukuruza, a two-meter high yellow glowing corncob formed plant. It had closed its impenetrable shell as it heard Jarek kicking a stone while trying to sneak up to it. The singing worked. The Kukuruza lowered its shell.

While Jarek continued singing good night songs from his childhood he raised his harvesting tool, a chainsaw formed like a two-handed sword, into position. Finally, after the second repetition, he rammed the sword into the unprotected flesh of the Kukuruza. It screamed so loud, that Jarek's ears would bleed if they had been unprotected. Splinter flew through the air, acid juice squirted out of the wound and Jarek had to duck a vine. Thanks to his gardening uniform, an Exoskeleton-Suit, he was well protected. Suddenly a vine grabbed, levitated and slammed him and the floor. Jarek could barely take a breath, realizing that this plant was much stronger than he expected, as it levitated him again. He tried to grab his sword, but it was stuck. It slammed him on the floor again. Jarek felt the taste of blood in his mouth. The grip of the plant was strong. He couldn't move and he wouldn't withstand much more. There was just one solution: He had to abandon the suit. Jarek would rather do a lot of things than abandon the suit he worked so hard for but die was not part of that list. When the plant levitated him again, he opened the sliding door, squeezed between the vines and jumped out of the suit just before it was slammed again. It was a hard landing. He rolled over the floor, his face scrubbed over the stones and he probably broke his leg, but he didn't have time to rest. The Kukuruza had noticed the sounds and the vines already moved in his direction. The limped as fast as he could. He looked back, his face full of pain and terror. The vines were close. Jarek imagined feeling their breath on his feet. He tried to jump as away as possible, but it was too late. A vine grabbed his foot and he fell on the floor face down again. Again, he had to suppress the pain. "I will not die today", Jarek thought. It gave him hope. It gave him new strength. Jarek turned around, pulled out the knife he inherited from his grandfather and cut the vine. Jarek's hand burned from the acid juice of the plant. The knife dropped on the ground. Losing the knife was even more painful than losing the suit, but he had no choice. Another vine was already moving in his direction. This time he just rolled himself over the stone floor as fast as he could, jumped back on his feet and finally lumped out the vines reach.

Jarek escaped the vines, but he was not in safety yet. The way home was filled with brutal outlaws, wild mutants and dangerous anomalies and he had nothing to defend himself.

Will he survive? Who will he meet on his way? Would you act the same way as Jarek?