It was early afternoon when Shanta and Gary reached Caman, a trading outpost at the edge of the forest. Basically a small human settlement, it was comprised of wooden huts and various booths and stands where merchants bartered or sold their wares.
It was warm and humid, and the brutal, glaring rays of the sun beat down on them. They rested under the shelter of a tree where she wiped the sweat off her face and neck with a towel, sighing in relief. He offered her his water bottle and when she politely shook her head, he drank from it.
Both were naked, carrying backpacks. She was a tall East Indian woman with a thick, muscular build and had black shoulder length hair and a brown skin complexion. He was an athletic Japanese man that was a little taller than her, having short, neatly trimmed dark hair.
After catching their breath, they threaded their way through the mostly empty marketplace, looking at the merchandise on hand. At a booth that displayed animal furs and hide, they chatted with the vendor, a young black man. He, like the rest of the inhabitants of this land, was also nude.
"Is it always this quiet?" Shanta asked, shooting him a friendly smile.
"Sometimes," the man replied, returning a grin. "Actually, it was crowded here over the weekend. We had an indigenous music festival, really cool. People camped out, danced, and business was great for all of us."
"Oh, too bad we missed it," she said, glancing at Gary. "I would've loved to have seen it. I play African drums myself."
"Cool. Well, don't worry 'cause we're going to have another one in a few weeks. You're welcome to play with me and my band. So, are you guys interested in my products?"
"As a matter of fact, I like those," she said, pointing to a pair of sheepskin leg warmers hanging from two hooks. He took them off, handed them to her, and she pulled them over her big, muscular calves. "Nice." She and Gary also tried on bear fur capes. "It's been getting a little chilly at night."
"I've noticed," the vendor said. "Want to barter?"
"Sure." They traded some jewelry and an indigenous flute for the furs. "Thanks. Say, how do you get to Omon?"
"Follow this trail," he replied, nodding to the outpost's main dirt road. "It'll take you straight there. Watch your back when you're in the mountains. Pirates and bandits often prey on unsuspecting victims there."
"Thanks again," she said, and they left.
They trekked through a dense green jungle on the other side of Caman, seeing prehistoric flying reptiles flying high above them. The ground was damp beneath their bare feet. After checking her compass and drinking some water, they continued on until they arrived at the foot of the mountains.
Looking around carefully, they didn't see a soul in sight. Fortunately, the harsh sunlight had been blocked by the high peaks.
"It'll be dark soon," he said, looking at the sky. "We should find a spot to camp."
Shanta nodded. "Let's go up a little further."
He followed her on the path, which eventually ascended through the stone fortress. When they reached the first plateau they found a small cave and took refuge there for the night. After building a campfire inside, she slipped on her sheepskin leg warmers and walked up to one of the walls, studying the simple stick figure drawings of people and animals on it.
"They look like the Neanderthal sketches we saw earlier," he said, squatting before the fire.
"Uh-hmm."
He took out a map and examined it. "We should be in Omon soon, depending on how difficult the hike through these mountains are. Do you think the Valek Orbs will be there?"
"I hope so. Their positive healing powers are claimed to be phenomenal, and have been effective in ending wars, famine, and plagues. I truly hope no one has stolen them, or else you're going to die, hon," she said, looking at him sadly.
The next morning, they resumed their hike on the mountainous trail. As they climbed higher and higher, the air grew thinner and colder, so they donned their bear fur capes. After half an hour, he stopped and clutched his abdomen, wincing in pain.
"Are you okay?" she asked, eyeing him with concern.
"My stomach. . .it's hurting again," he said. "Can we rest here for a bit?"
"Sure." She helped him to a rock, and he sat down, still caressing his abdomen. "Did the medication help?"
"Yes, but it keeps coming back. I had trouble sleeping again last night."
She nodded, sitting next to him, and took his hand and squeezed it gently.
They got to the fourth plateau by late afternoon. Walking to the edge, they took in the breathtaking view below of the lush green valley, the forest, and the lakes. The farms and villages looked like toy dioramas.
"Wow," she said, raising her eyebrows. She turned to him. "Feeling a little better?"
"Yeah." He checked the map again. "We should be getting closer to the peak."
Suddenly, a large flying reptile swooped down at them, its long beak missing them by inches. Surprised, they ran for cover under some rocks. After waiting a while, the creature grew impatient and flew elsewhere to find its next meal.
After walking through a tunnel, they came out on the other side to find themselves at the foot of another steep stone wall.
"Think this is it, babe," he said, studying the cliff warily.
As she was about to take the rock climbing cable out from her backpack, they heard footsteps behind them. Turning around, they saw a small band of naked, primitive men, wearing nothing but fur capes. In their hands were clubs.
One of them, a pale, scrawny man with an unkempt beard, shot her a toothless grin. He eyed her mischievously, staring at her large, swinging breasts with their big black nipples, and at her giant, shaved vagina.
Her big brown eyes widened even more in fear, as she and Gary started backing away slowly. The men walked forward, cornering them against the rock wall. When the scrawny man was inches away from her, he abruptly grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. Gary tried to lunge at him but another guy punched him hard in the face. A stocky fellow snatched their backpacks. Gary saw them drag Shanta away. She thrashed wildly, kicking and screaming. When that proved futile, she grabbed the scrawny man's long hair and pulled with all her might until he yelled in agony.
Gary bolted over and pounded the stocky guy on the back of the head with a karate chop, and the man collapsed to the ground. Next, Gary delivered a series of right hooks to another man, causing his nose to bleed. Shanta kicked the scrawny man viciously in the balls and he clutched them as he howled loudly. Then she jumped on a black man and punched him out. A short blonde man wrestled with her next, ripping off her cape. He snarled like a wild animal, his eyes bulging out madly. They landed on the dirt, and he positioned himself behind her, bear hugging her tightly. When her breathing became labored, she tried to break herself free but it was useless. Finally, her hand grabbed his penis and she squeezed it hard until he screamed bloody murder and released his grip. She took his club and knocked him unconscious with it.
They retrieved their belongings and quickly climbed the wall. After strapping on the harness, Shanta began the ascent. When she was ten feet above the ground, the scrawny man stood on a gigantic rock, jumped up, and grabbed her feet. She screamed. The cable jerked down fast with his weight. Gary was watching from the peak, holding down the rope from his end. She tried to kick the man off of her but his grip was like a vise. She raised herself up the line another seven feet, bringing the skinny human along with her. Again, she attempted to kick him away but it felt like her ankles were glued together.
"C'mon! Hurry!" Gary shouted.
The pair went twelve more feet. She looked down and saw the man shooting her a naughty smile.
The drop from this point would definitely be fatal,
she thought, seeing the sharp, jagged rocks below. With his toes planted in crevices on the wall, he tried dragging her down with him. The cable went in the reverse, jolting them back down several feet. He repeated the action and they descended even further. Gary tried to pull them back up but it seemed the weight was too heavy.
"Throw him off!" he said.
"I'm trying to!" she said, staring at the cable. It was getting frayed and looked like it would snap at any second. She frantically pulled herself up the line, but it was met with resistance every time by the man under her. When he clutched one of her brawny calves that was when she felt her legs were finally free, and she kicked him violently in the face, causing him to loosen his hold. He crashed to the rocks below with a thud. Blood splattered everywhere.
"You okay?" he asked, putting his arm around her.
She nodded, sighing in relief. After drying the perspiration from her face with a towel, they strapped on their backpacks and looked in awe at the other side of the mountain. Below, they saw the sacred temple of Omon, sitting in the middle of the forest like a gleaming jewel. It was in the shape of a giant stone orb. They started their descent.
Fifteen minutes later, he stopped on the trail, touching his abdomen once more. He waited a moment, frowning in pain. The skies were getting dark.
"Let's camp here for the night," she said, guiding him to a rock. He sat down, taking off his pack. "It looks close but we still got a ways to go." She handed him his medication, and he took it, washing it down with some water. After setting up their tent, she built another campfire.
He lied down on their sleeping bag, shooting her a lecherous grin. She knelt before him.
"I see you're feeling better already, you horny toad," she said, noticing his long penis was erect.
"I hear you're well-versed in the
Kama Sutra
."
"Where'd you hear that?" she asked, stroking his cock feverishly with her hand.
"Secret source."
