novelraw Chapter 134: The Hut in the Swamp
Chapter 134: The Hut in the Swamp
Anna's naive optimism was short-lived.
In the twilight of the swamp, where it was hard to tell bog from solid ground, Lu Li picked his way forward with a staff, leaving a trail of footprints on the scattered patches of earth.
The translucent figure of Anna drifted behind Lu Li, her gaze fixed on the path they had just traveled.
Several dozen meters back, beyond a tangle of tree roots, five of the Six-Armed Savages stalked them, maintaining a careful distance.
Over the past ten minutes, the number of savages had steadily grown to its current size.
They moved with the agility of apes, scuttling on all six limbs, shadowing Lu Li's every move as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Anna could no longer cling to the belief that the savages were following them out of gratitude.
After stepping over a ditch about a foot wide, Lu Li found himself on a relatively flat stretch of earth.
The air around them grew darker, as if twilight were falling.
It was only nine in the morning.Lu Li tilted his head back, his gaze piercing the veil of dry branches that obscured the sky. The gloom wasn't just from the encroaching trees; dark rain clouds were rolling in from the east.
A wind picked up. The treetops swayed violently, but down on the swamp floor, only faint gusts stirred the air.
Lowering his gaze, Lu Li continued onward, probing the path ahead with his staff, moving steadily toward the spot where the Bloody Tentacle had descended.
The wind steadily intensified, whipping at Lu Li's hair. Stronger gusts shook the branches, sending a mournful whistle echoing through the swamp.
Anna couldn't help but look up. Low, heavy clouds now loomed over the swamp. Lightning flickered deep within them, silent and ominous.
The other half of the sky was still clear.
Lu Li picked up his pace. With Anna watching over him, he no longer bothered to skirt the small puddles and patches of mud, instead splashing straight through them. He left deep tracks in his wake, which instantly filled with murky water.
His leather boots offered some water resistance, but they weren't proper waterproof gear. While the reckless splashing didn't let mud seep inside, the leather was soaked through, chilling his feet to the bone.
Whoooosh...
The rising wind kicked up clouds of decaying leaves, its howl echoing the whistle of the branches.
Lu Li passed a relatively clear puddle that reflected the sky. A single drop of water fell, sending a ripple across its smooth surface.
The first drop of rain.
Lu Li stopped short. He swung the pack from his shoulder, pulled out a black cloak, and quickly threw it on.
The Six-Armed Savages shadowing them slowed their pursuit, unwilling to retreat despite the coming storm. Anna turned to face them, standing guard while Lu Li fastened his cloak.
Deep violet clouds now consumed most of the sky, leaving only a sliver of light. The swamp sank into a deep twilight, and the distant trees dissolved into shadow.
Lu Li struck a match and lit his oil lamp. A frail yellow light sliced through the gloom, carving out a small circle of visibility.
Going without the lamp was not an option, despite the risk of attracting unwanted attention.
"Are we going to keep going?"
Feeling the lamp's warmth, Anna turned her head and shouted.
The wind howled relentlessly, making quiet conversation impossible. Or rather, they had to yell just to be heard.
"It's too late to turn back," Lu Li answered, his voice at its normal volume. If not for Anna's preternaturally sharp hearing, his words would have been lost to the wind.
"We could take shelter in that abandoned village!" Anna yelled, her gaze fixed on the dark eyes shadowed by his hood.
Lu Li glanced to his left. They had passed the turnoff for the village, though not by much. If they changed course now, they might just make it before the deluge began.
Lu Li considered it for a few moments, then started walking again, sticking to their original path.
"No."
"Alright..."
Anna realized he was right; the idea wasn't much better than pressing on through the rain. She glanced back at the savages, who had hurried to catch up, and then drifted after Lu Li, who was now moving faster.
Anna could only hope the storm wouldn't be as bad as it looked. Otherwise, they would have to contend with more than just the lack of shelter.
There was also the rising water, the other denizens of the swamp, and the approaching darkness.
Neither of them had expected the downpour to start so abruptly.
Lu Li's decision to light the lamp proved to be the right one. As the last rays of light vanished beneath the oppressive clouds, the swamp plunged into absolute darkness. Brief flashes of lightning would snatch the swamp's silhouette from the gloom, only to instantly swallow it again in darkness.
"Those Six-Armed things are still behind us... Let's just get rid of them!" Anna suggested impatiently. Now that her initial fear had faded, the savages no longer intimidated her.
"Too late for that," Lu Li replied, breaking into a jog and scanning his surroundings.
The rain was still light for now, just sparse, pea-sized drops that spattered on the water's surface.
But that would soon change.
If water got into the lamp's kerosene reservoir, they would be finished.
Lu Li scanned the trees, searching for one with a trunk thick enough to have a hollow where they could take shelter.
Anna noticed that ever since Lu Li had lit the lamp, strange points of light, like fireflies, had begun to gather around it.
But these specks, drawn to the light, simply swirled around the lamp, paying them no mind.
Abruptly, the rain stopped. The wind died, and the once-roaring swamp fell unnervingly silent.
The points of light, as if sensing the calm before the storm, began to drift away, vanishing among the trees.
Lu Li sensed it too. He stopped watching his footing and broke into a desperate sprint.
Anna kept pace using her abilities, ready to use her telekinesis to yank him out of any mire he might stumble into.
It was impossible to say how many times she'd had to save him from a close call, but just as the rain began to fall again, Anna suddenly pointed ahead and cried out:
"There's a light!"
Through a break in the trees, in the middle of a small clearing, stood a lone hut with a lighted window.
The sight of a dwelling deep in the swamp struck both Lu Li and Anna as bizarre, but neither of them commented on it.
Right now, they had no other choice.
The rain returned with a vengeance, falling in a thick sheet that obscured their vision. The only sound was the roar of the downpour. Lu Li broke into a full sprint, dashing through the copse of trees and making for the hut.
Glancing back, Anna saw one of the Six-Armed Savages, illuminated by a flash of lightning, halt at the edge of the trees as if it had run into an invisible wall. It paced anxiously along the treeline, not daring to come any closer.
Anna instinctively concealed her ghostly form and hurried after Lu Li toward the hut.
Lu Li raised a hand and knocked on the wooden door.
Knock, knock, knock.