Update
I decided to buy some goods at the bazaar. But first I needed to exchange my foreign coins for some local currency. Interestingly, they have two kinds of coins in Tarna. The less valuable ones are called "Commons", while the more valuable ones are called "Royals".
I bought a tinder box. It will come in handy for starting campfires, and a few rations of food. Hunting animals is not exactly my area of expertise, so I thought it would be wise to always have some food and a flask of water for my travels.
I stopped by Kreesha's and Rakeesh's home, to see how my injured friend was doing. During our conversation, Rakeesh told me that the Leoparfolk are actually humans. They use magic to shapeshift and acquire the characteristics of leopards. The Simbani tend to distrust magic users in general, and the Leopardfolk in particular. The Simbani believe that using magic in combat is dishonorable.
After our conversation, I left the city, and I made my way through the savanna. Since I spent almost an entire day traveling, I was exhausted. But instead of setting camp in the middle of the wilderness, I found a quiet and tranquil spot with a beautiful pond. It seems that it was safe to sleep there, so I did.
Finally, I arrived once again at the Simbani village. I went directly to the Leader's tent, but a guard told me that I could not pass. It seems that the Simbani people do not fully trust me. And I cannot blame them for that. But I can try to earn their trust.
It was time to visit Uhura and ask her for some guidance. She told me that the best way to earn the trust of the Simbani people is to become a Simbani Warrior myself. And in order to do this, I would have to pass a series of trials. She advised me to explore the rest of the village, where I could train and sharpen my skills. One such place was the wooden bridge. It is a device that is intended to test the balance and agility of the warriors. The test here is this: two warriors will climb, one on each side, and they will try to make the other one fall. They are not allowed to make contact with each other, but they can jump on the logs to make the entire bridge move. There are a series of different techniques for this, both for making the bridge move as well as for maintaining balance.
In another area, I met a young man by the name of Yesufu. He is the Laibon's son, and an excellent warrior himself. But Yesufu told me that physical strength and agility are not everything that makes a good warrior. Those attributes are necessary, but they are not enough. A good warrior, above all else, must be intelligent. This is why Yesufu, every day, practices a game of intelligence, called Awari. It is played with stones. He explained the rules to me and we played a few matches. I lost all of them. He told me to come back later, and that all that I need to be good at Awari is practice.
I thanked Yesufu for the matches, and kept exploring the village. On the west side, there is an area for throwing spears. I spent a few hours there, throwing spears at a faraway target. It was quite difficult, I am more used to fighting with a sword and a shield. But the Simbani believe that a true warrior must know how to use all manner of weapons. So, I must learn this new skill.
I decided to leave the village for a moment, and to travel further to the east, where the jungle begins. Bad decision. First I was attacked by what can only be described as a dinosaur! I fought it for a brief moment, but I realized that I could not defeat it, so I ran away from it! I barely managed to escape alive.
Yet, it would take more than that to demoralize me. So once again, I made my way towards the jungle. Bad decision, again. I was attacked by a giant ant! I barely managed to kill it. Upon examination, it looks like this sort of creature is poisonous. Luckily, it did not manage to sting me. If it did, I might as well have died there, since I did not have any kind of antidote. Next time, I need to be more prepared. Perhaps if I first pass the tests and become a Simbani Warrior, the exploration of the jungle to the west will be less dangerous. Besides, the day was about to end, and I do not want to spend the night in the jungle, so I better head back to the village.
