Event This Can't Be Happening Part 5

[Ialari Pythone]

Morning of the 15th Day of Fall, 522 AV

6th Bell

The journey to the stair-step-falls was going to be quite a challenge for Ialari to make it within the course of her day. She’d made the trip a number of times in the past but aside from running the entire way, there was little she could do to save any time. Thankfully it was really just a walk along the beach albeit a very long one. The trek gave her time to think, both a good and bad thing. She’d tried twice already to access her Dominion only to die each time. The first time could be attributed to a freak accident yet upon investigation, there didn’t seem to be a reason for the rancho to collapse. The second time it happened, at a different time of day and resulting in a slightly different death, made Ialari think there was something more going on. This only added to the warped reality she was experiencing with each day repeating itself.

The trip to the falls was thankfully uneventful for the most part. There weren’t that many people to be encountered the further she walked. She stopped a few times to gather a few fallen coconuts. Cracking them with her metallic hand, she drank the water inside while also scooping out the pulp for a nice snack. She wasn’t as interested in having a real meal as she was just keeping hunger and thirst at bay long enough to get to the falls and to the Cave of Everywhere’s Door. Once there she was sure she access her Dominion and seek some answers to what was going on.

Following the beach, she arrived at the falls just as the sun was starting to hang low on the horizon. There was still light to see by although that would not be much of a problem for Ialari thanks to the natural darkvision of the isur. Looking up, she almost forgot just how big of a climb it was to reach the top. The cave was several yards from where the river above fell. She made her way to the area just to the side of the falls where she’d once discovered a well-used animal trail. The trail led to the top of the falls and while it was a bit steep, it was not overly treacherous.

It took a little bit to find exactly where the trail was but after some searching she found it. From the looks of things it was still being used as the jungle hadn’t fully reclaimed it. With a deep breath of resolve, she set off to following the trail and ascending to the top of the falls.

The trek upward required a steady focus on footing while also using the right trees to help in climbing and support. They couldn’t be too big but also couldn’t be too small and fragile. Gradually she progressed, using the smaller trees to help pull her forward in places that were a bit steeper and more uneven than others. As she climbed, she couldn’t help but notice how the time was passing all too quickly. She knew that at some point, the day would reset. From what she’d experienced thus far, it was right around the sixth bell of the next day.

Roughly a third of the way up the trail, Ialari found the footing a bit unstable so she reached for a good-sized tree trunk for a better grip to help. As she reached for it and began to pull, the tree snapped. For the briefest of moments she teetered on the edge of losing her balance before fulling falling backward. With a mix of tripping rolling and crashing, she fell back down the trail. Almost at the bottom, she fell into an outstretched branch that pierced her chest. Impaled on the branch, she bled out shortly after. As she did, Ialari felt the burning of the branch ripping through her body from one side to the other. It was followed soon by shock which had the blessing of seperating her from the pain. However, darkness eventually filled her vision and she died.

Words: 683

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari’s eyes lazily fluttered open as her senses were quickly filled with the sounds and scents of the sea. She heard the birds singing and in some cases talking; an oddity that she still had a difficult time wrapping her mind around. There was the sound of the water licking away at the pilings of the rancho she was in. The salty smell of the sea filled her nose and the breeze that blew in carried all of it.

Falling out of bed, the most recent memory of death slowly softening once more, it was cemented in her mind that she would do everything she could to reach the top of those falls. Yet, everytime she tried, it ended in her death. After each time, she tried a different direction or took a different precaution to avoid each of the previous deaths. Yet die she did. This included a freak storm that rose up out of nowhere resulting in her being struck by lighting and killed instantly. Then there was the snake bite. The pain radiated throughout her body from the bite and her organs quickly began to fail as she choked on her own fluids and perished with horrific pain. Almost at the top of the falls, standing on a ledge, she was attacked by a rather large jaguar; its claws rending her flesh before its jaws closed around her neck. Its fangs dug into her flesh and she suffocated on her own blood. One time she finally reached the top of the falls and was almost to the cave when, from the river, she was attacked and pulled in by a large crocodile. She couldn’t forget the way it violently spun her around; rolling her about until she finally drowned. She even made it to the cave and almost to the door when a sudden earthquake shook the entire place before bringing the cave down upon her.

Dozens of attempts and dozens of deaths greeted her before Ialari finally gave up. She resolved herself to being stuck in the same day forever. As a result, she decided to make the best of each day. She savored every new fruit, new fish and new drink she could. She listened to dozens of different stories from Kajun and even befriended the parrot she was so annoyed with at first. Everynight, she prayed to the gods for a release from the loop and everynight she got no answer. She took time to engage with Shalla and practice spiritism and possession. Occasionally she would entertain the thought of attempting to access her Dominion again but the memories of so much death ended any ideas she had about trying. Some many things...things she used to enjoy and find interest in, eventually became all too routine. Philtering, while before it had driven her to experiment and discover new substances, flavors and uses for the wonders fo the jungle, had become empty. She felt as though, after awhile, she was simple going through the motions. As her various hobbies began to grow hollow, she considered other ways to get the most out of each day.

A part of her considered trying to get to know some of the other inhabitants of the settlement a bit better yet there was always the depression that came from them never remembering the conversations had with her. So, she maintained a distance from most people save for the Verusk. With them, a simple touch would allow them to share in all the memories Ialari had of her previously lived...and died...days. It made it easier to move forward with conversation although she was still a bit hesitant to pursue those relationships too deeply. The gains with each moment she had with them was mostly one-sided. While they were able to remember along with her their previous reactions, they could not truly feel what they did with each encounter. The whole thing felt hollow to her. Yet, she continued, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the loop would end one way or another.

Words: 671