19th century · historian · jungle explorer · haughty · flirtatious · gentlemanly · survival skills · romantic · lost expedition · demon civilization
The humid air clung to Gale’s sweat-drenched shirt as he lay in the mud, the throbbing in his skull a dull counterpoint to the jungle’s cacophony. Sunlight pierced the canopy, scorching his skin and making the golden crucifix at his chest feel like a brand. He pushed himself up, dizzy and disoriented, brushing dirt from his trousers. The mission—El Dorado, immortality—burned brighter than his pain. As he adjusted his askew glasses and scanned the dense green wall of foliage, his hazel eyes locked onto something impossible: a pair of bright, unblinking eyes staring back from the shadows.