The Plainsman led the way, and he tread the hard ground in the black water, letting them go down one by one, deeper and deeper into the swamp. The tree, which he called the Iron Grip, towered in the water, its roots exposed, twisting and clutching the ground.

The aerial roots hanging from the branches hung low along the barely viable path. The fog began to gather, and no one could see anything a few feet away. They were forced to cautiously test every step. One is not careful, and there is a risk of falling into those unfathomable black stinky waters.

Suddenly, the trail disappeared into the swamp.

"What now?" Calamon asked, dismayed.

"Rely on this," River Breeze said. A rudimentary rope bridge made of vines hangs from a tree. Stretching across the water like a spider's web.

"Who built this?" asked Robert.

"I don't know," said River Breeze, "but you see such bridges whenever there is no way out." ”

"I told you that Shaq Sharos won't be empty forever. Rodrith whispered.

"Yes, I don't think you should at least throw stones at the gifts that the gods have given us," replied Robert. "No matter how bad it is, at least we don't need to swim through. ”

The journey to the Vine Bridge was not pleasant. The vines are covered with wet and sticky moss, so you have to be more careful when walking. The whole bridge shook as soon as it was touched, and everyone was scared when they passed by.

They made it safely to the other side, but were forced to walk on another drawbridge after a short walk. All around them were covered with black stagnant water, as if countless pairs of hungry eyes were spying on them. Then they came to a place where there was no hard ground and no vine bridges. There is only an endless stream of sewage in front of it.

"It's not very deep," River Wind muttered. "Follow me, don't go anywhere but where I've stepped on. ”

The river breeze took one step, followed another, and used his senses to find his way, and the others followed him, staring at the surface of the water in a daze. There are many unseen things in the water that glide past their feet, making them like frightened birds.

It wasn't until they stepped onto the hard ground that everyone's legs were covered in a disgusting layer of slime. But this part of the road may seem to be the most difficult to walk. Because the jungle didn't look as dense as it used to be, they could even see the faint sunlight from the treetops.

The farther north you go, the flatter the terrain becomes. At noon, Robert found a solid ground under an old oak tree, and asked everyone to rest. The friends sat down to eat their Chinese food, talking hopefully about being lucky enough to be out of the swamp. Except for the Scarlet Moon and the River Breeze, they were silent.

Hubble was soaking wet, shivering, and complaining of throbbing joints. Robert began to worry, he knew that the dwarves were suffering from arthritis, and remembered that Hubble had been worried about dragging them down. Robert patted the Kand man on the shoulder and motioned for him to come aside.

"I know there must be something in those bags of yours that will drive Hubble's chill away, if you know what I mean," Robert said softly.

"Oh, of course, Robert," Wade said excitedly. He searched for bag after bag, and finally found a shiny silver bottle. "Brandy, the best in Otick's shop!"

"I guess you didn't pay, right?" Robert asked, smiling.

"I will!" said the Kander with a hurt look. "Next time I go I will. ”

"Of course. Robert patted him on the shoulder. "Give Hubble some drinks, not too much. "Just keep him warm." ”

"Okay, then we can take the lead!" Wade laughed and ran to the dwarf, and Robert returned to the others. Everyone else was quietly packing up their lunches. Prepare to leave. We all need that bottle, he thought. Scarlet Moon and River Breeze were silent all morning, their emotions infecting everyone. Robert couldn't think of any way to comfort them, he just hoped that time would heal them.

In the afternoon, the group walked along the trail for more than an hour, and the speed was much faster than in the morning as the densest part of the jungle had passed. Just when they thought they had left the swamp, there was suddenly no solid ground on the road ahead. Dejectedly, the group stepped into the smelly water again.

Only Hubble and Wade were unaffected by the frustration, and the two of them walked far ahead of the group.

Wade quickly forgot Robert's warning. Not only did the brandy warm up their bodies, but it also expelled the shadows in their hearts, so the Kanders and the dwarves kept passing the bottles from place to place until they had drunk the whole bottle. Then they strode and jokingly discussed what to do the next time they encountered the dragonman.

"That's right, I'm going to turn them to stone!" the dwarf brandished his imaginary battle axe, "boom! right in his lizard's head. ”

"I bet Rodrith can turn it to stone with his eyes!" Wade mimicked the mage's murderous face and piercing eyes, and the two of them laughed together, then suddenly stopped and giggled softly, lest Robert hear them.

"I bet Caramon can eat their corpses with a fork!" Hubble said.

Wade laughed so hard that tears flowed from his eyes, and the dwarf laughed. Suddenly, the wet ground broke, and Vedra stopped Hubble as he nearly fell headlong into the water of the swamp, which was so wide that not even a rattan bridge could cross it.

There is a huge tree upside down on it, with a wide trunk that allows two people to walk side by side at the same time.

"That's what it's called a bridge!" Hubble took a step back, trying to keep his eyes focused. "No more crawling like a stupid spider. Let's go. ”

"Aren't we going to wait for the others first?" Wade asked softly. "Robert wouldn't want us to spread out. ”

"Robert?ha!" the dwarf scoffed, "We'll let him know!"

"Okay!" Wade excitedly agreed. He jumped onto the tree. "Be careful," he slid a little, but easily regained his balance. "It's a bit slippery. He took a few steps, his arms outstretched, imitating the guy who performed tightrope walking at a temple fair.

The dwarves clumsily followed the Kanders, and Hubble stumbled across tree trunks in his big boots. A lucid corner of Hubble's mind told him that he wouldn't do it when he was sober. He was told that it was dangerous to cross the bridge in a hurry without waiting for anyone else, but he ignored it. He felt like he was getting younger again.

Wade, pretending to be a master rope walker, looked up and saw that he really had an audience member—a dragonman jumping on the trunk of a tree in front of him. The sight immediately brought Wade to his senses.

The Kander was not afraid, but he was visibly surprised. He was still sane enough to do two things, he first shouted, "Robert, there's an ambush!!" and then picked up the Houpak staff and swung it vigorously.

The swing startled the dragonman, and the monster took a breath and jumped down the trunk to avoid the blow. Wade was unsteady on his feet for a moment, but quickly regained his balance, but he didn't know what to do next. He saw another dragonman on the shore. Puzzled, he discovered that neither of these guys was armed. But before he knew why, there was a loud roar from behind. He forgot that there were dwarves.

"How?" Hubble shouted.

"Dragonman—Master of the Moon. Wade slurred, grabbing the Houpak staff in one hand and looking into the fog. "There are two in front! They're coming!"

"Deal with them, don't stand in my way!" Hubble roared. He began to reach behind his back, ready to pull out his tomahawk.

"Where can I go?" exclaimed Wade, bewildered.

"Get down!" shouted the dwarf.