Day 21

Caleb felt a hand grab his shoulder at the same time he heard Kai's voice, "We have to go, now!"

As the men continued their steady approach, Caleb could only stare at his wife's body, stunned into inaction.

"Goddammit man! There's nothing you can do for her now, we need to go!" screamed Kai as he pulled Caleb away from the relentlessly advancing men.

The sudden scream jolted Caleb out of his grief induced daze and he finally realized the imminent danger he was in.

Kai sprinted off towards the nearby jungle, his precious satchel strapped firmly to his back. Caleb quickly followed him, the heavy footfalls of their pursuers armored boots thumping into the earth behind him.

The instant they hit the tree-line, Kai slowed, clearly unsure of where to proceed from here. Caleb took the lead, running off in a direction he knew led to a place they could hide. Realizing Caleb would know the terrain best, Kai now followed him without question.

Day 20

He didn't see Nali crouched over the vegetable patch, contentedly collecting ingredients. Instead, he saw two men clad in black iron armor, standing in the middle of his garden.

The thin, angled eye slits, made it impossible to see their eyes and spiked pauldrons added to the demonic bearing; black leather sheathes complimented the attire.

The armored stranger to his left had his sword drawn, held out away from him in his right hand, dripping a deep crimson. In his left hand he held Nali's head, freshly severed from her body, which was lying in a messy heap at the man's feet.

Caleb was overcome by intense nausea and had absolutely no control over his body as he violently retched, right there.

The two armored men turned their heads towards the sound, surprised by the interruption.

The man with the drawn sword cocked his head slightly and dropped his grizzly prize; then he began to move towards Caleb. His companion slowly drew his sword as he joined him.

Day 19

A blood curdling scream tore through the air, wrenching Caleb from his his peaceful dream. His eyes snapped open and instantly sweat was pouring down his face and soaking his back.

As a feeling of nausea began to take hold, he snapped up from bed and scrambled out through the door into his living room. Kai was awake, tightly grasping his satchel and with that same look of panicked fear he had earlier.

"It came from outside!" said Kai urgently, his gaze flashing around them room, seemingly looking for some way to get escape.

Caleb screamed as he slammed open his front door and ran outside, "Nali!"

He jumped over the flight of stairs and landed hard on the dirt. Almost falling over, he caught himself in time by grabbing the railing and pulling himself up. As he turned the corner, what he saw shattered his soul.

Day 18

"You know what? I'm gonna make something special for dinner tonight. It's been so long since you've had a meal you really enjoy." said Nali with a gleam in her eyes.

Amazed at his wife's miraculous and speedy recovery and more than a little eager to eat a meal cooked by his wife, Caleb did nothing but smile as he watched Nali pull on her boots.

Nali grabbed her wolf-skin coat and wrapped it around her shoulders before quietly opening the door and heading towards the closet where they kept a basket to store fruits and vegetables harvested from the garden.

As his wife walked outside, Caleb rested his head down on pillow and closed his eyes, tired from the day's excitement. He fell asleep with smile on his face, feeling more content than he had in months.

Day 17

Nali closed the door behind her as she and Caleb made their way into the bedroom. As with the rest of their small home, the bedroom was neither large, nor luxurious, however it was cozy and they both felt safe and comfortable there.

Caleb felt it was clear that Kai would be the topic of discussion between husband and wife, however Nali surprised him by opening with unrelated news, "You know, I'm feeling a lot better today. I know we weren't saying it out loud, but I'm pretty sure neither of us thought I was gonna make it."

As he was saying, "Don't say that! I always knew everything would be fine." Caleb thought how he had indeed been worried that his wife wouldn't survive.

He continued, thrilled to be discussing this issue in such a lighthearted manner,  "You do look much better than you have in a while."

Day 16

"You see, this proves that I have found a new homeland for my people, a place where we can start anew." continued Kai.

"What happened? I mean, why do you need a new homeland in the first place?" asked Caleb.

"Caleb, clearly the man is exhausted; look at him!" interrupted Nali.

Embarrassed, Caleb said, "Of course. I'm sorry. You should rest, you're injured and I haven't really given you a chance to recover yet."

"Thank you, I am indeed very tired. Now that I know I am safe here, I will gladly accept your hospitality." replied Kai as he carefully put the item back into his satchel.

Kai tucked the satchel between his arms and held it against his chest. He then lay back down on the couch; curling into the fetal position and almost instantly falling asleep.

"Poor man, he looks like he's been through so much, let's let him rest." Nali said to Caleb as she took the blanket she had wrapped over her shoulders and gently lay it on Kai.

Caleb and his wife walked quietly to their bedroom, careful not to wake disturb the ambassador sleeping on their couch.

Day 15

"Uh..Yes, I'd like you to meet my wife, Nali." said Caleb.

"It is an honor to meet you Ambassador." added Nali with a smile of her own.

"Since you clearly heard most of our conversation, I'm sure you, much like your husband, are curious as to what I have in here." said Kai as he reached into his satchel.

Caleb quickly said, "That is your private satchel, we wouldn't dare ask it's contents!"

"Good man, you saved my life, it is the very least I can do." calmly replied Kai.

Kai then proceeded to pull out a strange looking artifact, seemingly composed of several sharp-edged, brass colored, geometric shapes fused together to create a single complex assembly.

Caleb and Nali simply stared at the foreign object, not at all sure what it could be, whilst Kai began to explain, "This is not the objective of my mission as ambassador, but it is proof that I have completed my mission."

Day 14

"Caleb, what's going on?"

Already lost for words before his wife walked into the room, there was no chance Caleb had anything to say at this point. All he could could was stare stupidly at his wife as she made her way towards where they were sitting in the living room.

Seeing Caleb's predicament, Kai decided to interject, "Your husband found me wounded in the jungle and was kind enough to bring me into your home. I am eternally grateful, and I beg that you forgive him for being untruthful earlier, I'm sure he only meant to not worry you."

"Well, Ambassador Kai, I am used to my husband bringing hurt animals home, so I wouldn't expect him to do anything different with an injured person." replied Caleb's wife.

Kai smiled and turned to Caleb, "You truly are as pure of heart as you seem, I am glad." Then with a sly smile he said, "So, are you going to introduce me to your lovely wife, or do I have to introduce myself?"

Day 13

Caleb wasn't a stupid man, but he was a simple fisherman after all, and by this point he was almost completely lost, "So, that's who you were running from, in the cave? "

"Unfortunately not. To make matters worse, the spirit of a world ravaged by doom and torn apart by warfare has awakened; elemental forces, nature's avengers, have risen up to put a stop to the rape of the land. The far-reaching influence of a particularly powerful one of these beings is what I was running from."

Caleb stared at Kai, stunned into silence. Kai calmly stared back, eyes slightly teary, but with an overall steely resolve.

The silence was broken by the opening of the bedroom door and Caleb's wife joined the awkward moment with a look of confusion on her face.

Day 12

A little unsettled by Kai's intensely formal way of speaking, and still feeling slightly lost,  Caleb could only ask for more information, "What happened? Why were you and the others sent?"

"Mass migration is a common sight in Elysium, my homeland. What once were safe havens are now uninhabitable, and desperate people do what they must to survive. You see, as the world darkens, so do the minds of men: Anger, fear and ambition lead to warfare, death and strife."

Increasingly overwhelmed, Caleb continued to grasp at what he could, "So you and the other ambassadors are some kind of heroes then?"

"Alas, not all ambassadors are motivated by good intentions. As you must know, dark times are ever the breeding ground for dark souls; greed and ambition fuel many hearts. Aided by the backdrop of impending doom, Machiavellian forces take the opportunity to put their sinister plans into action, making the situation increasingly dire and the ambassadors responsibility even greater."

Day 11

Kai glanced into his tattered old satchel and breathed a sigh of relief. He then set it back down on the table and turned to Caleb, a look of serene determination in his eyes.

"I come from a place where civilization is on the brink of annihilation. Ambassadors like myself have been sent out; explorers tasked with the responsibility of finding hope for an otherwise doomed population."

Caleb sat on the couch, enthralled and slightly frightened, and hesitantly said the first thing that came to mind, "So there were others with you? Should we go back to the cave?"

"We all have our own personal motivations for volunteering, the one thing we have in common however is our desperate mission; with nothing but myth and hope to guide us, we each embark on a lonely quest for salvation."

Day 10

"Everything's fine dear! I just tripped on the rug! Clumsy me..." hollered Caleb as he gestured to the man on his floor to please keep quiet.

"Please, please everything's OK, I'm not gonna hurt you. You're safe." said Caleb, now whispering.

"Where am I? Who are you?" quietly replied Kai, somehow soothed by Caleb's words.

"My name is Caleb, this is my house. I found you in the jungle."

His immediate environment now assessed as nonthreatening, Kai's thoughts quickly turned to his burden.

"My satchel! I was carrying...Did you..."

"Don't worry, it's right here." said Caleb as he gestured to the small wooden table next to the couch.

As he scrambled to get up, and headed towards the small table, Kai said, "I am Ambassador Kai, and you, have no idea what you've done."   

Day 9

Caleb left the door open behind him and stumbled over to the couch. He dropped down next to the man.

For a short moment he watched him lying unconscious, with what seemed to be a look of relief on his face. His need to know about the cave drove him to awaken the sleeping stranger.

A soft shake was insufficient, the vigorous slap borne of anxiety that followed, was likely too much.

"What!?" sputtered Kai as he jolted upright and slipped off the couch, crashing to the floor.

From the bedroom, Caleb's wife called, "Caleb? What's going on? Are you OK?"

Seriously regretting his decision, the situation quickly getting out of hand, Caleb took a deep breath and simultaneously tried to placate the stressed out and confused man on his living room floor and assure his wife that everything was fine.

Day 8

As soon as he was in the cave, Caleb was overcome by an intense feeling of dread. His curious spirit still held some sway however, and he took another step.

It was as if all his senses were suddenly hyper aware. The moldy, dank smell of the wet rock assaulted his nose. The rocks beneath his feet felt especially sharp and threatening. The very air seemed to be clawing at his skin.

Beyond frightened, Caleb turned and ran faster than he ever had before, ignoring the various bruises and scrapes his body was sustaining as he fled ramshackle through the wild jungle.

The sight of his home and vegetable garden knocked him out of his frenzied state, feeling as if he had just awoken from a nightmare.

He staggered up the stairs, not even noticing the creaks, and made his way into the living room, where the mysterious stranger was still asleep. 

Day 7

As he tried his very best to keep the stairs from creaking, Caleb had second thoughts about leaving his wife, but his curiosity got the best of him and continued onwards regardless.

The morning fog had cleared completely now, and the jungle heat was starting to become bothersome; summer in the jungle wasn't the most pleasant season.

Caleb walked back the way he had come, this time making much better time, and quickly arrived at the place he was sitting earlier.

Thinking back to where he had first heard the man, and then where he had first seen him, Caleb made his way towards a curiously dark section of the jungle.

At first it seemed the man must of been walking through the jungle for days, either that or he simply materialized from mid air, but then Caleb saw it; a small cave mouth, almost completely hidden by thick foliage.

Unable to resist, he cut down the vines blocking his way in, and took a step into the darkness. 

Day 6

Like, for example, where the hell did this guy come from? There was a reason he and his wife had moved out here; there wasn't a soul for miles. The nearest town was several days travel away and no major trade routes came this way by sea or land.

Thinking back to when he first saw the man, Caleb remembered he seemed to come out of the jungle behind where he was sitting watching the ocean. He wanted to go investigate, but he couldn't just leave the stranger in his home with his wife, could he?

The man seemed to be completely unconscious and would probably not wake up for hours and his wife would surely continue to sleep through the day. If he locked the bedroom door, she would be safe; yes that is what he would do.

He carefully crept over to his bedroom door and quietly locked it, checked his guest was fast asleep and headed out into the jungle.

Day 5

He quietly closed the door and went back to see how his guest was doing. Remembering the wound on the man's face, Caleb got some clean towels and warm water before he headed back to the couch.

He gently cleaned the Kai's face before dressing it. He still had some bandages left over from last time he had been wounded; a common occurrence when fishing for prey as dangerous as his.

The visitor's package caught his eye as he was finishing up. Seemingly nothing more than a wadded up tattered old rag, the poor man had nonetheless clutched it as vehemently as if it were the greatest treasure in the land. Even though he was now nearly overcome by curiosity, Caleb would never dare investigate further. When the man woke up he would ask about it; that and a million other questions.

Day 4

Caleb walked along the dirt path through the jungle to his cabin, where the late morning haze still hung in the air and rays of light streamed in through the canopy.

His home was a humble dwelling, a mostly wooden construction with a straw thatched roof, raised up off of the jungle floor by sturdy stilts. He and his wife had cleared a portion of the jungle in order to maintain a small plot of land, which she cared for while he was out on the ocean.

Surrounded on all sides by thick jungle plants and trees that rise up into the haze, he sometimes felt that he and his wife lived in a magical place, isolated from the world. Reality had a tendency to make itself known however, as evidenced by recent events.

The short flight of wooden stairs creaked beneath him as he carried the stranger into his cabin; he meant to fix that. He opened the door with one hand and moved inside, careful not to disturb his wife, who had fallen ill some time ago and had been sleeping alot lately.

After he set Kai down on the couch in the main living area, Caleb made his way towards his bedroom to check on his wife. She was resting peacefully, a serene look on her face, wrapped in blankets to hold off the fever-induced cold.

Day 3

A fisherman, Caleb was used to dealing with wounded men. Depending on the severity of the wound, and the man, it was unpredictable at best; as such, he approached the stranger with caution.

"Where are we? Is it safe?" ranted Kai.

"It's OK, you're safe; everything is OK."

Overcome by exhaustion and with no choice but to trust Caleb, Kai collapsed onto the ground, arms wrapped tightly around his chest.

Caleb walked slowly towards the man on the floor and without a second thought, got to work doing what he had to do: With one powerful heave, he slung Kai over his shoulder, making sure to take with him the package the stranger had clutched so intensely.

He began to walk back to his cabin, wondering how on earth he would explain this to his wife.

Day 2

The late morning light on Caleb's face felt comforting; warming his skin as the last of the dawn fog melted away. He lost himself in thought while he watched the dolphins play in the bay, shining white spray flying into the air as they jumped in and out of the ocean.

From the jungle behind him, Caleb heard an unusual noise. Turning to see what could be making it, he was stunned to see a wounded man feverishly clutching something to his chest running towards him with a look of desperation and panic on his face.

"Good Lord Man! Are you alright?", spurted out Caleb as he walked towards the man; somewhat taken aback.

Stunned by the sudden blinding light and overwhelmingly fresh air, Kai held his bundle tightly and frantically took in his surroundings.

Day 1

As Kai stepped forward, his pace began to quicken; sharp fear of the darkness behind slowly overpowering his fear of the darkness ahead. If he doesn't get there on time, it'll all be over; he must remember that; nothing matters if he's too late.

Out of nowhere, his foot gets caught on something, and suddenly his right cheekbone is scraping along the rough stone floor, making a sickening grinding sound. Desperately cradling the bundle in his arms; protecting it his only priority.

He gets up; and after a quick panicked glance down, runs onwards. The damp air burns against his wounded face and the pain brings an already harrowing situation to an almost unbearable level of intensity.