The adrenaline from killing the giant glass spider wore off incredibly fast.
Once the shaking in his hands stopped, a deep, bone-crushing exhaustion hit Sam like a freight train. Every cut, bruise, and acid burn on his body screamed at him.
They walked for another three hours. The grayish-white webs slowly faded behind them, replaced by the familiar glowing blue moss of the Night Shed Forest.
"We need to stop," Lumi finally said. She was out of breath, dragging her feet through the mud. Even wrapped in his oversized black jacket, she looked completely drained.
"Almost," Sam grunted, using his rusted iron knife to hack away a thick fern. "We can't just sleep on the ground. We need cover."
He pushed through a dense patch of thorny bushes and stopped.
Right in front of them was a massive, rocky incline pushing up against the roots of a colossal tree. Thick, glowing vines hung down from a rocky overhang, creating a natural curtain.
Sam stepped closer and used the tip of his knife to push the glowing vines aside.
Behind the curtain of vines was a small, dry cave. It wasn't deep, maybe ten feet across, but the floor was smooth stone, and the entrance was entirely hidden from the main forest floor. It was elevated just enough to keep the ground-crawling monsters away.
'Perfect,' Sam thought.
He gripped his knife tight and stepped inside. He kicked at the loose stones and checked the ceiling. No giant bugs. No sleeping bone-beasts. It was completely empty.
"All clear," Sam called out, letting out a massive breath of relief.
Lumi pushed through the vines and stepped inside. She looked around the small space. It was definitely a downgrade from a royal palace, but after spending the morning running from a Cataclysmic spider, she didn't complain. She walked right to the back corner and sank down against the dry stone wall with a heavy sigh.
Sam slumped down on the opposite side. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
"System," Sam thought.
[Current Balance: 210 SP]
Two hundred and ten points. It was the richest he had been since he got here.
'We can't freeze again tonight,' Sam thought.
'And we definitely need real food to heal up.'
"System Shop," Sam commanded.
"Buy a heavy wool blanket. The biggest, warmest one you have. And buy two bowls of hot beef stew."
[Transaction Complete: Heavy Wool Blanket purchased for 80 SP. Two bowls of Hot Beef Stew purchased for 60 SP.]
[Current Balance: 70 SP]
A massive, incredibly thick dark gray blanket appeared on the stone floor between them. A second later, two steaming wooden bowls materialized on top of it, filling the damp cave with the rich, mouth-watering smell of roasted meat and potatoes.
Lumi's amber eye snapped open.
She stared at the steaming bowls. Her stomach let out a loud, entirely un-royal growl that echoed off the cave walls.
Sam smirked. He grabbed a bowl and held it out to her.
"Dinner is served, your highness," Sam teased.
Lumi didn't even glare at him. She scrambled forward, grabbed the bowl, and practically inhaled the hot broth. The warmth brought the color back to her pale cheeks instantly.
"Slow down," Sam laughed, eating his own stew.
"You're going to choke."
"I am merely eating efficiently," Lumi shot back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked down at the empty bowl, then at the massive gray blanket sitting on the floor.
She reached out and felt the thick wool. It was incredibly soft and practically radiated warmth.
"You bought bedding," she said softly.
"Yeah," Sam said, setting his empty bowl aside. "You almost froze to death the last two nights. And my jacket smells like bug blood now. Figure we needed an upgrade for our new nest."
"I told you not to call it a nest," Lumi muttered. But there was no real anger in her voice.
She grabbed one end of the massive blanket and pulled it toward her side of the cave. Then, she paused. She looked at the stone floor, then looked across the small cave at Sam.
He was leaning against the cold wall, his ruined white T-shirt covered in dirt and green slime. He looked exhausted.
Lumi bit her bottom lip.
"Move over."
Sam blinked.
"What?"
"The floor is freezing, you idiot," Lumi sighed, dragging the blanket back to the center of the cave. She sat down and patted the stone next to her.
"I am not sleeping against a cold wall when we have this. Come here."
Sam stared at her for a second. The Sovereign of the Silver Veil was actually inviting him to share the blanket.
'She's definitely softening up,' Sam thought, a small smile creeping onto his face.
He pushed himself up and walked over. He sat down next to her, leaving a small, respectful gap between them. Lumi rolled her eye, grabbed the edge of the heavy wool blanket, and threw it over both of their shoulders.
The warmth was instant. It felt like absolute heaven.
Sam let his head rest against the stone wall. Under the heavy blanket, their shoulders brushed against each other. She didn't pull away.
"Today was... adequate," Lumi whispered, her glowing amber eye already sliding shut.
"Yeah," Sam murmured, his own eyes feeling incredibly heavy. He rested his hand near the hilt of his iron knife, just in case.
"Goodnight, Lumi."
She didn't answer. She was already fast asleep, the soft, rhythmic sound of her breathing filling the quiet, hidden cave.
For the first time since the crash, Sam actually felt safe.