I fought my way north with Nimri. I hoped to find a village soon where I could get work and find something decent to bite. It was heartbreaking how Nimri always proudly brought me insects, but I cannot expect the little one to bring me a juicy piece of meat. And before he gets tasty, and I think about barbecuing him, I would prefer one of these deer.

(c) Art by JoakimOlofsson

When I arrived at the edge of the forest, I could, thanks to the hill, have a wide view over the valley. I wonder who built the wall in the middle of a swamp? A few hundred feet below, I could see a wide passageway, as well as a bright light on the horizon at dusk. This could be a village where I could find shelter. But first I'd have to go through that swamp. "Do you think I could get through there before nightfall?" I've got to try.

The first few steps through the swamp were fairly easy. I found a small path, which I could follow for some time. When the trail ended, I waded through ankle-deep mud for some time. Nimri, always on my shoulder, tirelessly caught every insect that came even close to his tongue, which he almost always let hang out. The steps became heavier and heavier and the mud deeper and deeper. I stopped and looked around a little. There must be some way I can keep going without sinking. I saw a small path, not far away, but as I tried to move I realized that I was stuck and slowly sinking. "Vith" I mumbled. The trees were too far away and the branches did not reach me. I pulled my stick from my back and tried to shovel branches towards me. "This won't work" I murmured softly and saw Nimri jump from my shoulder and shovel small branches towards me. "You're not the brightest either, are you?" I asked him. "You'd better look around the area to see if you can find someone who can help," I ordered him, and he dashed right off.
"How was that again? ... ssuth?" I pointed my staff in the direction of the path and muttered "ssuth", whereupon I felt the energy flowing through my body and the next moment, just before the path, I was stuck even deeper in the mud. "Oh, great. That worked well." Another time brought me on the way. As I was tapping the mud, I saw Nimri coming towards me. He had his tail wrapped around the stem of a leaf where he had placed some insects. "You call that help?" I asked him in amazement, whereupon he stared at me with his big saucer eyes.