The giant crab's body was finally dragged out of the hollow tree.
The creature was large enough that Rusty and I could both fit inside comfortably.
I broke off a few pieces of its hard shell and placed some of the softer white meat inside. For a moment, I considered cooking it.
Then I remembered what happened the last time I ate monster meat.
No.
Not unless I had absolutely no other choice.
I fed some of the meat to Rusty instead.
He happily chewed it down.
I ate two pieces of dried jerky and a handful of berries. Then I used several pieces of the crab's shell to make a crude barrier over the entrance of the hollow tree.
It wasn't strong.
It wouldn't stop a determined enemy.
But it would give me enough warning to react if something tried to enter.
I led Rusty deeper inside.
Once we were settled, I pulled the crab-shell barrier tightly across the opening.
The space was cramped, but the two of us could fit.
Rusty curled up beside me.
I wrapped my arms around him, using his warmth to keep the cold of the swamp away.
My Sensory Field remained active.
Slowly, I closed my eyes.
I wasn't really sleeping.
Not completely.
I was resting while listening to everything around us.
For a while...
Nothing happened.
Then—
CRASH!
A loud sound suddenly echoed through the swamp.
I jolted awake.
My entire body was covered in sweat.
For a moment, I couldn't understand why.
Then I realized the crab shell covering the entrance was blocking almost all the airflow.
I carefully moved it aside.
Rusty was still sleeping deeply.
He needed the rest more than I did.
I stepped outside without waking him.
The night was dark.
But in the distance...
I could see smoke rising into the sky.
I could also hear faint sounds coming from the same direction.
My eyes narrowed.
Did I finally find them?
The problem was...
I didn't know who they were.
Our army?
The lizardmen?
Either way, I couldn't simply walk toward them.
If they were the lizardmen, approaching them directly would be suicide.
But if they were our forces...
I needed to find them.
If it really was the lizardman army, I could observe them without revealing myself.
If it was our army...
Eventually, they would move into my view.
I looked around and found several small branches.
I broke one and pushed it into the ground, pointing toward the distant smoke.
Then I placed another right side ahead.
I waited.
Another sound echoed through the darkness.
This time, it came from somewhere left side of the first marker.
I placed another branch there.
Then another.
I repeated the process several times.
After nearly five markers, I finally had a rough idea of the direction the sounds were coming from.
I silently thanked Bharam.
His lessons about using the environment to understand direction were finally proving useful.
The moon was still high in the sky.
Rusty and I both needed rest.
So I returned to the hollow tree and carefully closed the crab-shell barrier again.
The distant sounds continued throughout the night.
Even the bombardment hadn't completely stopped.
Eventually, exhaustion took over.
I closed my eyes.
Morning came.
Something wet touched my face.
I opened my eyes.
Rusty was licking me.
I stared at him for a moment.
"You hungry?"
He licked me again.
I sighed.
"Yeah. I figured."
I pushed the crab-shell barrier aside and stepped outside.
The five branches I'd placed during the night only three were still standing.
Two others had fallen.
It could have been caused by the wind.
Or a monster.
Either way, I didn't have time to investigate.
I roughly remember the exact locations where I had placed them.
I searched for a while before finally finding the direction I needed.
The pain in my body was still there.
But it was manageable.
I gave Rusty the remaining pieces of crab meat.
The berries were already gone.
Only a little dried jerky remained.
Once we finished eating, I climbed onto Rusty.
I pointed him toward the direction I had marked.
Our goal was simple.
Move toward the source of the sounds.
But not in a straight line.
The lizardmen might have moved during the night.
Our own army could have moved as well.
So I advanced carefully, keeping my Sensory Field active.
The swamp made everything difficult.
The ground was uneven.
Water covered most of the area.
Some places were shallow enough for Rusty to move quickly, while others forced him to slow down.
Even so...
We were making progress.
Then—
Something entered my Sensory Field.
I immediately stopped.
I didn't even turn my head.
An arrow was flying toward me.
I shifted Rusty's direction.
Thunk!
The arrow struck a tree beside us.
I turned toward it.
My eyes narrowed.
There.
A lizardman stood on top of a Water Lizard.
Two others stood nearby.
Both carried long spears.
and held a large shield.
I stared at them.
They stared back.
So...
I had finally found them.
And, judging from their expressions...
They had found me too.