The Death Bridge

The forest was in a circular shape. It could be separated into three circles.

The first circle was called the Outer Ring and it was also the circle where she lived. The second circle was called the Middle Ring and it's home to the more dangerous creatures in the forest. The third circle was called the Inner Ring.

Beyond the bridge was the place where few people entered and even fewer left alive. The Death Swamp. A muddy place with an eerie atmosphere. It is a feared place yet, no one has ever seen it entirely.

In shrill contrast to the eerie atmosphere, a beautiful river flows around the swamp, separating the Inner Ring from the Death Swamp. Its water is crystal clear and has a magical shimmer to it, with sharp rocks rising from its depts.

A magical tree that grew in such a manner to form a bridge, is the only way across. At the end of this bridge, at the border of the Death Swamp, the tree's roots formed a beautiful gate. Between the roots, the water from the river flows in a spiralling motion, making it an awesome sight.

Raven sighed as she stood at the border. "You'd think after twelve years, I should be prepared for this…", she softly said and scoffed. "Guess I'll never be prepared."

Then she stepped forward.

As she arrived at the scene she could tell that it was a terrible battle.

It was a mess. Torn up bits of armour and clothes were scattered around. Weapons lying around either broken or badly damaged.

And yet, as always, their bodies were gone. Even their blood, that should be sprayed everywhere, disappeared along with them.

She felt that strange feeling in her body again.

Every time she came near the bridge she'd felt a strange feeling, but by now, she was so used to the feeling that she ignored it and continued to clean the battlefield. She was nearly done when she saw a big bag at the border between the Inner Ring and the Death Swamp. It was kept from tumbling into the river by just a thin branch of a tree standing close to the bridge. Raven looks at it with mixed feelings.

"There could be something valuable inside the bag…But it's so close to the bridge…", she thought.

She sighs deeply.

"Great, and I can't leave it there", she said, annoyed.

After giving it some thought, Raven decides to retrieve the bag. "Coiling my whip around it wouldn't work…I guess I'll have to climb up there…", she thought with a sigh. She looked around for something to reach the bag and found a thick strong branch lying on the ground, probably broken during the fight.

She looked at the tree for a few moments. "I am going to hate myself for this…", she mumbled. With a heavy sigh, she climbed up in the tree and onto the thickest part of the branch.

She starts to reach for the bag with the stick.

It takes a few minutes to reach it, but she finally manages to get it off the branch. She throws the stick in her hand away and grabs the bag tightly, ready to climb back down.

"What the…aah!" she yelps.

Just as she is trying to turn around on the branch, a sudden searing pain rips through her entire body.

She loses her tight grip on the branch and slips.

She managed to grab hold of the branch again just in time. While she's clinging to the branch for dear life, the pain is suddenly replaced by a strange, almost soothing burning feeling in her veins.

She lost her grip again.

Luckily the bag got caught by a sharp piece of wood, piercing the bag but keeping her from falling.

And just as quick as it came, the burning feeling was gone.

Panting, she weighs her options.

She can try to climb back up, but the bag could tear further and both she and the contents of the bag could fall onto the sharp rocks in the river.

Or she could try to fling herself towards the ground, but the branch could break before she'd have enough momentum to do so and the bag would still be in the tree.

"Oh well, I'm in hot water either way," she thought.

She eyes the branch.

"Climbing it is."

She starts to climb back up carefully. She lets out a sigh of relief when she's back on the branch. She reaches for the bag and tosses it behind her.

Just as the fabric leaves her touch, the branch beneath her breaks.

She lets out a scream and braces herself for the searing pain of the fall….