Continue south

Freeing herself of these blasted swamps was about the only thing she wanted. Besides, she had a town to claim vengeance for, and dallying here looking at sites that may or may not have anything didn't bring her any closer to that goal. Her mind set, Venus shouldered her pack, picked up her spear, and set off south.

According to the map, she was maybe a half-day's travel from the edges of the swamp, and she had no intention of it taking any longer. Her senses alert, she constantly swept her surroundings for more signs of hostiles, but, again, nothing but the chirping of insects and the blazing heat met her. After a bit, she decided to examine the spear while she walked.

It was about 5 feet long, with a dark wooden shaft and a steel broadhead, with serrated edges. On the back of the head, a pair of wicked hooked curved down the shaft of the weapon, and there were numerous barbs protruding along the last foot of the shaft. Faint runes were inscribed just below the barbs, and it was those she presumed had caused the blue glow when she stabbed the slime. It was a bit heavier than her sword, and definitely not her preference, but beggars definitely couldn't be choosers.

Just past noon, her bare foot found solid ground again, and she nearly leapt for joy as she saw nothing but grassland, leading towards another forested patch. Behind the forest, the mountains whose foothills sheltered Gaest rose majestically in the background, all of a few days off. To her right, a blue shimmer announced a lake, and Venus made for it, with the intent of cleaning herself off properly before continuing on. The tall grass tickled her soles, feeling wonderfully soft underfoot, and she was impossibly happy for the solid ground beneath it.

Shortly, she stood alongside the placid lake, it's surface remarkably smooth and calm. A faint breeze blew through, its' cool caress a welcome counterpoint to the muggy heat she had endured the past several days. Relishing the breeze and the cooler air around her, she looked down at the mirror-smooth surface, and found her reflection staring back.

Looking at her reflection, Venus shook her head in bemusement. Here she was, clad in nothing but a loincloth, wielding an enchanted spear obviously designed to cause some serious damage to whoever it struck. Despite cleaning herself off the night prior, she was once again coated in mud to her knees, and had more streaks and splashes of it all the way up past her breasts. Her hair was a matted mess, caked with dried mud and sticking out in several directions. She looked like one of the wild, nomadic huntresses who wandered much of Fyrona's grasslands and forests, eking an existence out of whatever they could forage and hunt.

Strangely, she was much less concerned about her exposed breasts now than she had been when she had first arrived at Woodsedge. If anything, it actually felt a bit liberating, sending a slight thrill through her. She chalked that up to her ongoing exposure, which fate seemed preordained to causing her.

Shaking her head again, she stripped off her pack and loincloth, planting the spear next to them on the shore, and stepped into the lake to clean herself. The water was cool and refreshing, and she rapidly splashed it across herself, before sinking neck-deep in the water. Its' cool caress soothed the acid burns on her skin, and left her nipples pebble-hard atop her breasts. After thoroughly washing her hair, she enjoyed a brief, relaxing swim, before finally walking out of the water.

With nothing to dry herself with, she simply put her loincloth back on, before rummaging through her pack and locating her sandals again. After cleaning the mud off them, she put them on, then, shouldering her pack again, she prepared to head south. A glance at the sky revealed she had spent far more time here than she had meant to, and she was going to have to find a spot to bed down for the night soon, unless she was to push on through the night.