Maximillian Cornwallis swung the dull grey blade of his machete, cleaving a narrow path through the dense vines in his way. Though he had sharpened its edge the night before, every slice dulled the edge a fraction and made the next chopping motion incrementally more difficult. His right arm ached from the hours of strenuous effort, but he didn't trust his left hand's strength or coordination to not get his blade stuck with every third swipe. So he bit his lip through the pain and pushed forward, hoping with each minute that he'd reach some kind of clearing.
The jungle was oppressively hot and so humid he thought he might drown in the ambient moisture. Max had to pause every so often to wipe the sweat from his brow and his hands onto his khaki shirt and shorts, though since they were just as drenched, the action was proving to be progressively more futile. Even the lining of his beige helmet could no longer hold back the shower of sweat that stung at his eyes. He drained the last of his canteen before pressing on, hoping that he was close to a source of water to replenish himself enough to continue his brave pathfinding trip into the unknown.
Much like his mentors and idols of the Explorer's Guild, he ventured into the strange, wild countries of the world to cast the light of civilisation upon a savage land. But this wilderness, deep in the heart of the blank part on most maps of this continent, had a shroud of danger hanging over it. Explorers simply did not return from the Jungles of Amazonia. Even more puzzling is that there was no evidence of what had waylaid them. Camps were found abandoned, tools lodged in the trunks of trees without any owners for miles around. Had some manner of intelligent beast struck? A race of bloodthirsty brutes clubbed them to death? Had the trees come to life and just gobbled them up? He chuckled at that idea. Intelligent plants? Preposterous!
Max was a little anxious of the potential dangers that the unknown could hold, but he was an Explorer! And Explorers didn't shy away, even from the threat of death. His elan and drive were rewarded momentarily when his keen ear picked up the slightest hint of sound over the standard bird call and buzz of insects. It could only be the faint hint of rushing water! He gave a thorough 'Huzzah!', though it was quieter than he would have liked thanks to his parched throat, and hurried forward in the direction of the noise.
Desperate to find his way through, he switched to his left arm and hacked offhand. It was messy work, but he made progress in his journey. The roar of rushing water only intensified as he pushed forward. Eager to quench his thirst and perhaps take a long, refreshing bath, he sliced and bifurcated the local flora with renewed vigour.
At last, he caught sight of his goal. A mighty river lay before him, at least several feet deep and twice that wide. A torrent of frothy water rushed in an easterly direction, far too quickly to consider bathing in. But with the last of the trees out of his way, he dashed forward to taste of its clear, virgin bounty. He ground to a halt, however, when his eyes caught movement to his left.
The river was being fed by a twenty-foot tall waterfall, which momentarily allayed his fears. But he was absolutely shocked to see that the motion he had perceived was real. A woman standing at least a foot taller than Max was washing herself in the nude!
"By Jove," Maximilian declared, "That is the largest woman I have ever seen!" She had her well-defined back towards him, allowing him to seek cover from being seen. Ever the gentleman, Max averted his gaze from falling upon her truly impressive posterior, nor did it linger too long on the curve of her quite generous breasts as she turned. His keen anthropologist's eye noticed more important details.
Her skin was tanned far in excess of his own pale white appearance, yet held none of the wrinkling or toughness that one would assume was mandatory for such colouration! The only imperfections, if one could call them as such, were the remarkable set of curling patterns of tattoos that rolled up her shoulders and along her arms. Her hair was a rich, dark colour and clung to her body all the way down to the small of her back. She wore no clothes at the moment, but he could not tell if that was just due to her bathing or due to a culture of casual nudity.
The presence of human life, and such an exquisite example of such, was a discovery of epic proportions! His heart raced as he thought of the potential accolades and awards he could win if he was the first to discover an entirely new civilisation. Or better yet, he thought with a greedy smile, the first person to make contact!
He slid his machete into its sheath, straightened up his apparel just a little bit in order to put his best appearance forward, and stepped out of the greenery with the confidence of a true member of the Explorer's Guild.
"Greetings!" he shouted, trying to compete with the noise of the flowing water, "Might I have a word with you?"
The large, naked beauty spun around like a feral animal, searching for the source of the sound. When her eyes fell upon Maximillian, she bounded out of the water and collected a spear! Max held out his hands, palms out, showing her he was unarmed...at the moment.
"Whoa now, madam. I mean you no harm," he said. The naked giantess stalked towards him, eyes narrowed, her spear gripped right and ready to thrust. He was forced to back up as he continued to try and defuse the situation. "My name is Maximillian Cornwallis, of the King's Own Explorers and Colonizers Guild. I come bearing salutations from His Most Esteemed Majesty, with the hopes of Peaceful Contact!"
The woman didn't seem in the mood for talking. She charged, letting out a guttural warrior's scream. Max was forced to pull out his machete once more, which put a halt to her advance.
"I don't wish to fight you!" Max declared, holding out his blade as if it was a stabbing weapon. "I simply come in peace to explore your lands, and, if possible, search for resources that might be of use to the Crown."
"Matters not," the woman declared in an intelligible if somewhat thick accent. "You male. You come with me."
"You...you speak English?" he asked, baffled.
She gave a shrug of her impressive shoulders. "Yes. Learn English okay, not best. Have difficulties with assigning personal pronouns and with pronunciation of some multisylabic words. Me not scholar, but me get by." She widened her stance into that of a wrestler, or someone about to tackle a bear to the ground. "Give up weapon. No want hurt."