Chapter 2 Scene 12

Point of view of Yadifo:
Yadifo explores the part of the swamp closet to the Village, 200 meters to the north. For half an hour she finds nothing of interest, and is disappointed, figuring all the interesting things are farther north. Then she sees a lizard run away on a path to the east. She follows it, and stops short when she notices a loop of rope on the ground. Examining it carefully, she sees it is made of liana and is in fact part of a rope trap, set to go off if it or a branch across is it stepped on.

Quest 46: Get past the rope trap.

There are dense bushes for a long way in both directions on either side of the path, so she can't go around the trap, but this is still straightforward as there is no quicksand in the area. Pleased at herself for spotting what is probably one of Bukela's traps set long ago, Yadifo takes a running start and jumps over the rope trap, clearing it easily.

Quest 46 complete!

SPLLOOOOSSHH!

Yadifo doesn't feel nearly so smart after she immediately sinks to the middle of her yellow loincloth. The path didn't look any different from the other side of the rope trap, like plain damp dirt, but on the east side of the trap it was actually soft mud.

The lizard appears to be in shock at this, and Yadifo is able to lean forward, grab it, and put it in her bag.

You found a Yellow Multifaced!

Yadifo stands there for a minute thinking of what to do. She tries to pull one leg up, but the other goes down a centimeter, and the same happens when she tries to pull the other leg up. Then she remembers the rope trap. If she can reach it she can use it to pull herself out of the mud. However, she is facing the wrong way, and can't lean back enough to reach it.

If she can turn around Yadifo should be able to reach the rope. She twists her body in the attempt, and does indeed rotate a few degrees, but sinks in a few more millimeters. Reasoning she has nothing to lose, she gets into a rhythm of twisting her body sharply in one direction, then slowly back and repeating the process. It works, as she manages to turn around to face the rope trap, while sinking a few centimeters over her waist in the process.

Yadifo throws her bag with the lizard to the other side of the rope trap. Then she takes a deep breath and reaches forward to grab the rope and pull. The loop quickly closes over her hands, but not around her wrists, so she has to hold on tight as the rope pulls her up. The other end of the rope is tied to a net holding a bunch of heavy rocks which fall to the ground several meters away. She is slowly pulled up, and just before she is completely pulled out she lets go and falls forward. She can then pull her feet out, and crawl to solid ground. She collects her bag and heads back to the Village to meet up with the other children.

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