East to Adversity

Despite the apparent dangers such a path may entail, you find yourself continuing Eastward, towards the part of the swamp controlled by the Stingfly tribe. You know precious little about your distant neighbors, aside from their general reputation for disliking outsiders. Still, Nineflowers seems to be on their good side, and if you avoid getting too close to the village, you probably won't get into too much trouble.

It'll be nice to test your basic survival skills against their scouts, though. Nineflowers got the drop on you earlier, but you were a bit careless at the time. Stealth is the first lesson any creature learns in the swamp, as it's often the sole determining factor in who comes out ahead in an engagement. When two swamp tigers meet, the one who strikes first strikes last, after all. And with only a sharp stick and a few basic supplies to your name, you're unlikely to come out ahead in any fight that doesn't start in your favor.

With the additional rations you were given by Nineflowers, and the sack improving your ability to carry supplies, you're able to devote more of your foraging time over the next few days to improving your equipment. Your sharp stick becomes a stone-tipped spear, and you fashion yourself a simple breastplate from a strip of bark you're able to peel from a fallen tree. Barely better than nothing, but it just might be enough to save your life. Once you come to the outside ranges of Stingfly territory, you begin to focus more on keeping a low profile. You keep mud in your hair and on your body to blend in with the surroundings, and do your best to keep relatively silent. You know nothing of the Stingfly's patrol routes or equipment, so you'll be going in blind, for the most part, but you know long patrols and boring lookout posts can cause people to get sloppy. If you stay on your guard at all times, you might just be able to get the drop on your first true foe, rather than the other way around...