"Lorna, help me!" Ingrid shouted as she clawed desperately at the mud. Her fingers sank into the sludge, and she tried to pull herself forward using whatever solid roots she could find. Nothing worked, and every movement only seemed to make her sink faster. The mud had already reached her thighs and continued creeping higher despite her desperate struggle. Ingrid kicked wildly beneath the surface, but her legs were trapped too tightly to gain any leverage.
{ I’m trying to think of a solution! } Lorna snapped, desperation heard in her mechanical voice.
"Think faster!" Ingrid yelled, her voice echoing through the trees. She looked desperately toward the shore, but it was already farther away than she could reach. The swamp had swallowed her legs, then her hips, and now it was slowly climbing toward her stomach. Ingrid gritted her teeth and continued clawing at the ground, refusing to give up despite the growing panic in her chest.
The mud reached Ingrid’s chest, forcing her breathing to become shallow as she struggled to keep herself above the surface. She kicked again and again, but the swamp only pulled her deeper.
"No, no, no. Not like this." Ingrid muttered under her breath, her throat beginning to choke up. She didn’t want to die like this.
"What the hell can I do? What can I fucking do now." Profanities spewed from her mouth, but she stopped struggling. If she did, she would only go down faster.
{ Host, why don’t you try calling for the Silver Horned Snake, he might be nearby. }
"Lysander? He left me there, why do you think he’d be nearby?" If Lorna was here, I would have probably glared at her.
{ Don’t be so pessimistic, host. You’re about to die, there’s no harm in trying. If you survive, you can think about your pride later. }
"It’s not pride! I just..." Ingrid trailed off, my brain not supplying any retort right now. "Urgh! I’ll think about it later!" Ingrid took another deep breath, then with all her might, she yelled. "Lysander!" Her voice echoed through the ravine, going on for miles and miles, but there was no immediate response. Ingrid swallowed hard and tried again, raising her voice until her throat hurt.
"Lysander, if you’re anywhere nearby, this would be a really good time to stop pretending you abandoned me and actually come save me!" She looked around desperately as the swamp continued rising around her body. "I’m willing to apologize for several things later, but right now I’d really appreciate not drowning in a disgusting swamp!" Her voice cracked as she shouted his name again.
The swamp reached Ingrid’s shoulders. Her arms were becoming harder to move, and every attempt to pull herself free only caused the mud to drag her deeper. She lifted her chin as high as she could, desperately trying to keep her mouth above the surface while her heart hammered against her ribs. The herbs were still pressed against her chest, but even completing the mission no longer felt important if she couldn’t survive long enough to report it. Ingrid squeezed her eyes shut and screamed the only name she could think of.
"Lysander! Please..." her voice cracked, "Please save me!" Ingrid’s final cry tore through the silence of the ravine. Then a loud swoosh caught her attention and without warning, something powerful wrapped tightly around her waist. Ingrid barely had time to understand what had happened before the force around her body suddenly tightened.
The swamp exploded around her as she was violently ripped out of the mud. Ingrid screamed as her body was flung through the air, the three glowing herbs still clutched desperately in her hands. For several seconds, she could do nothing but spin helplessly, unable to tell which direction was up or down.
Then a pair of powerful arms caught her in midair and pulled her securely against a solid chest. The impact knocked the remaining breath from her lungs, but the arms holding her were strong enough to keep her from falling. Ingrid froze as she slowly realized that she recognized the person holding her.
Two purple eyes stared down at her.
Ingrid couldn’t move as she stared back at him, her entire body suddenly going still despite the chaos that had just unfolded. Long black hair fell around his shoulders, partially framing the familiar face she had spent the last few hours convincing herself she would never see again.
Dark markings stretched across his skin, and his dark veil had disappeared, revealing more of his features than Ingrid was accustomed to seeing. Beneath them, his enormous serpentine body coiled through the air and down toward the swamp, his dark scales catching what little light filtered through the trees.
He looked far more imposing than Ingrid remembered, and the enormous purple eyes fixed on her carried an anger so cold that she almost forgot she had nearly drowned.
"L... Lysander?"
Lysander had found her, although Ingrid wasn’t entirely sure whether that was a good thing anymore. His arms remained firmly around her, keeping her suspended safely above the mud, but there was nothing gentle about the expression on his face. His gaze travelled over her injuries, the mud covering her clothes, and the arm that had already been damaged by the Beast Zombies before returning to her face. Ingrid slowly realized that the silence coming from him was probably much more dangerous than shouting would have been.
"Hi?" Ingrid finally managed, her voice coming out much smaller than she intended. She looked at him for another second before glancing down at the massive serpentine body holding her safely above the swamp.
"I thought you ran away," she admitted, her expression shifting between relief and embarrassment as she realized how ridiculous she must look. "I was actually starting to think I had imagined you being here at all, so this is a rather unexpected development." Her grip tightened around the herbs as she added, "Although I would like to point out that I did successfully get the herbs.
Lysander’s purple eyes narrowed as he looked down at her, and the silence that followed was somehow more intimidating than shouting would have been. His arms remained firmly around her, keeping her suspended safely above the swamp, but there was nothing gentle about the expression on his face.
The Beastman’s gaze travelled over her injuries, the mud covering her body, and the arm that had already been damaged by the Beast Zombies before returning to her face. Ingrid’s stomach sank as she realized she was probably about to receive a very serious lecture.
"What were you thinking by walking into that swamp alone?"