At the edge of the swamp forest.
In this place where the boundaries between death and survival blur, highly toxic spore mushrooms glowed eerily on rotten wood, fungal mats covered seemingly solid ground, and startled hard-shelled water lizards or bizarrely colored poison frogs occasionally flashed among the twisted deadwood wetlands.
This was the ancestral hunting ground of the demi-human tribes.
Compared to the dangerous and deadly depths of the swamp, the outskirts could still sustain their lives and provide the food resources needed for survival.
Every spring, the lizardfolk would move cautiously through the periphery like ghosts, using blow darts to precisely hunt small prey, or gathering glowing anti-venom moss to trade with passing human merchant caravans.
Since the Corrupted faith began wandering along the riverbank, this hunting tradition had gradually been broken. The Corrupted lizardfolk gained sharper claws and harder scales.
Driven by Greed, they attempted to hunt large beasts in the outer areas like the gnolls, and even prey on other weaker demi-human tribes.
For a time, panic spread along the riverbank, and even human merchant caravans dared not pass by the Reed River, fearing being plundered by the greedy Corrupted lizardfolk.
Yet even the strong Corrupted lizardfolk had beings they feared.
Deadly fear gripped him tightly, leaving him no time to consider direction, wanting only to escape the invisible hunter behind him.
Whoosh—!
A crude but powerfully thrown wooden spear tore through the heavy air, carrying a deathly shriek, and slammed into the rotten wood half an inch in front of the fugitive's foot! The spear shaft vibrated violently, humming incessantly.
The fugitive froze in terror, icy despair instantly flooding his entire body. Trembling, he slowly looked up, following the direction from which the spear had come.
In the shadows, a figure stood silently.
This was a female lizardfolk warrior, taller than ordinary lizardfolk, covered in deep olive-green scales as hard as cold iron.
Multiple sharpened bone blades and short spears hung at her waist, without a single unnecessary decoration.
Her amber vertical pupils contracted coldly, like a venomous snake locking onto prey, emotionlessly gazing down at the trembling fugitive below.
There was no pity in those eyes, only a soul-freezing pure killing intent. She tilted her head slightly, her voice like a cold wind scraping over stone.
"Where is she?"
The Corrupted lizardfolk ultimately broke down under extreme fear, kneeling and begging for mercy.
"I don't know, I truly don't know."
"Lady Semiaya, please spare my life."
The female lizardfolk's voice remained icy.
"I ask again, Sekashi, my sister, where is she?"
"It was all Priest Zulok's doing, it has nothing to do with me."
"He conspired with the gnolls, forcing the shaman deep into the swamp. That hunting party sent to pursue them never returned... possibly, they have, have already..."
Thwip—!
Before the lizardfolk could finish speaking, a thrown bone blade precisely pierced his throat.
Blood gushed out. His mouth gaped, deep in his throat gurgled unclear "gurgle... gurgle..." sounds, like desperate bubbles choked by blood. Finally, his body went limp and fell heavily into the cold swamp with a "thud."
Semiaya walked over cold-faced, picked up the blood-stained bone blade, and carefully wiped it clean.
After standing in place for a long time, she took the wolf tooth hanging around her neck. The coldness on her face instantly melted, turning into confusion and helplessness.
"Sekashi... did I return too late?"
"No."
She clenched the wolf tooth.
"The ancestral spirits and Putu will bless you and keep you safe."
"I'm coming to find you now."
"Ahem..."
A sudden cough interrupted Semiaya's thoughts. Without her noticing when, an elderly lizardfolk had appeared behind her.
"Semiaya, it's time to return."
"You know we cannot linger too long under Zulok's watchful eyes."
Semiaya turned around, her face expressionless.
"Shazak, I thank the Rotten Moss Tribe for saving my life."
"But Sekashi is everything to me. Father is already dead, I cannot lose her too."
"I want to enter the swamp depths alone."
The old lizardfolk Shazak held an animal bone, praying in a low whisper.
"Nature will not disappoint its believers."
"That child Sekashi is the most devout natural believer I have ever seen. She will be fine."
"But..."
Semiaya still wanted to say something.
"No buts, learn to trust the wisdom of elders."
"Moreover, the swamp forest depths are filled with dangerous magical creatures everywhere. Without nature's guidance, you will only get lost inside."
"If you want to find Sekashi, first help the tribe resolve the immediate crisis."
"When the time comes, I will personally enter the swamp with you to search for her."
Semiaya clenched her bone blade, her expression full of killing intent.
"Has Zulok come for the Rotten Moss Tribe?"
"Not that serious, but not optimistic either."
The old lizardfolk Shazak slowly walked outward. A hunting squad was waiting for them under an oak tree.
"Those brainless Corrupted lizardfolk have been attacking our human neighbors like madmen, including a merchant caravan carrying large amounts of food supplies."
"That merchant comes from Ironboot Town, that impoverished noble from the adventurer town."
"A noble abandoning past glory to engage in trade, hehe... must be a human with quite a story."
"Regardless, this human noble doesn't seem as shrewd as other merchants. He fell into the Corrupted lizardfolk's trap and is currently fleeing everywhere."
"You want me to save humans?"
Semiaya focused intently on Shazak.
She didn't dislike humans, but only because she was indifferent to them. If it came to favorable feelings, she had absolutely none.
Semiaya still clearly remembered when she was only half-grown, her father had even sold his handy tusk blade just to trade for meager food with human merchants.
Afterward, while hunting, he suffered a leg injury because of this, and his walking posture was never as natural as before.
In her view, humans were greedy, cunning creatures, particularly skilled at lying, and would stop at nothing for profit. She didn't like dealing with them.
"Not entirely."
Shazak's figure was lifted by a robust lizardfolk.
"Our main target is the food supplies carried by the merchant caravan."
"As for that merchant, if we can save him, so much the better."
"As long as word spreads that the Rotten Moss Tribe saved humans, at least our trade with humans won't be completely severed."
"Semiaya, remember, humans are indeed very greedy, but they have also tangibly helped us survive countless Winter Years."
"We still need their help, even if it means maintaining false friendship. Everything is for the tribe."
"When we have sufficient food supplies, and our warriors are well-fed, then we'll have the strength to confront the savage magical creatures and enter the swamp depths to search for Sekashi."
"I understand."
Semiaya took a deep breath, said no more, and could only silently follow behind the hunting squad.