Chapter 29: Yellow Sand and Lizards (Part 2)
We’re almost there!
Look at that, isn’t that the most delightful sentence ever?
Sunbaked like a pug, I lifted my drooping head at the sound, full of anticipation as I gazed ahead.
Surrounded by towering sand peaks on all sides, with a few human-sized sandstone formations nearby, we stood at a lower elevation where the wind and sand seemed heavier but couldn’t quite reach us. I spotted the sand peak the little girl was pointing at—it stood out like a sore thumb, just under five hundred meters away.
…Hooray!
I could hardly contain my excitement and nearly shouted, feeling recharged in an instant. Without further ado, I grabbed the little girl’s hand and started to jog.
“Big Sister… slow down!”
The little girl scrambled behind me, panting and wobbling, waving her little hands nervously, “Those lizards are really sneaky! If you keep this up, you’ll scare them away, slow down… I’m… I’m too tired to run!”
“But I’m hungry.”
I tugged at her, still running at a good pace.
When I’m hungry and I know food is just around the corner, I can’t hear what anyone else is saying.
Because it’s almost mealtime!
“Big Sister, wait! We’re going the wrong way! It’s over there!”
“…Oh.”
That one was an exception.
I pulled her back and turned around, climbing up the smooth sand, leaving behind a trail of sinking footsteps. Before long, guided by the little girl, we reached the top of the sand peak. The ground beneath us was getting firmer, littered with shards of rock, and not far ahead, I saw a massive cave with a diameter of at least three meters, seemingly extending deep into the ground.
I stopped at the cave’s entrance and turned to Betty: “Is this it?”
“Uh-huh… yes…”
The little girl tugged at my robe, her voice barely a whisper, looking a bit apprehensive.
“Then let’s go in.”
I brushed her hand away, beaming with happiness, and walked towards the cave entrance. A few steps later, I noticed Betty hadn’t followed, so I turned back, frowning slightly: “What’s the matter?”
“I… I’m scared…”
Betty stood frozen in place, her shoulders tense, wriggling nervously. When she noticed me looking at her, she instinctively took a step back: “Big Sister… it’s really dark in there, and the lizards are so fierce… I’m scared! Can I… can I wait for you here instead of going in?”
…Not going in?
We’re right at the entrance to the giant lizard’s den! If you don’t come with me, you’ll be even easier prey!
What’s going on in that kid’s mind…
“Come on. You hold the lantern.”
I couldn’t be bothered to explain much, walking over and grabbing the little girl’s hand. She made a “woo” sound and struggled a bit, but when she saw she couldn’t win, she obediently followed me.
As we approached the cave entrance, a gust of wind greeted us, carrying a whiff of something foul. I kicked a rock with a “thud,” sending it flying into the sandy wall, producing a dull thud. Instinctively, I looked down and froze.
“Wait…”
I pushed the little girl behind me, stopping in my tracks and slowly squatting down, frowning deeply: “Footprints.”
At the cave’s entrance, there were a few scattered footprints, varying in depth and looking like they didn’t belong to a single person. I crouched next to one of the prints and scooped up a handful of yellow soil, letting it trickle through my fingers.
These footprints are almost covered by sand…
Hmm.
From the thickness of the sand accumulating on them, it must’ve been a while, maybe five days, ten days, or even half a month ago…
So how long ago were they made?
I can’t tell, heh heh~
Anyway, someone definitely passed through here first…
“Hey, little girl—”
“It’s Betty,” she corrected me, crouching to look at the footprints with her little face scrunched up, as if lost in thought.
“Betty, let me ask you something. Are you sure nobody from the town has come hunting around here?”
“Um…”
The little girl bit her lip, pondering: “No… Oh! But in the last few days, all the lizard meat from the town has been, um, gobbled up by you, Big Sister! The townsfolk are anxious to hunt more lizard meat. Whether they ventured back this way… my grandpa didn’t mention it, so I don’t know… They probably wouldn’t…”
Ah…
So it’s my fault then?
No, wait.
These shouldn’t be the townspeople’s footprints, at least not from Meiser Town. They only started hunting lizards for me these last few days, and if they really risked coming here, the footprints wouldn’t be so deeply buried…
These definitely aren’t from Meiser Town.
So, whose are they?
Strange…
Who would come to this place at this time… Wait a minute.
Could it be someone from the church?
No way, no way…
I straightened up at the cave’s mouth, looking into the depths, nervously biting my nails.
It wouldn’t be that coincidental, would it?
If the church folks arrived here before me…
Judging by these footprints, they’ve been here for several days…
So that would mean…
That means…
All my lizard meat might’ve already been devoured!
“Betty! Quick, we’re going in!”
Suddenly realizing my hopes might be dashed and facing an empty stomach, I exploded, furious and jittery, my scalp tingling. Holding in my frustration, I didn’t care about any church folks anymore, grabbed Betty, and marched briskly into the cave.
I trekked through scorching sunlight all morning to get here!
An entire morning’s worth of anticipation!!!
Who dares to snatch it from me…
“Betty, light the lantern!”
Once inside the cave, it was pitch dark, and just a couple of steps in, I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. I urged the little girl to light the lantern. She squeaked a few times, hastily complied, and after a flurry of fidgeting, a few sparks flew, igniting the lantern and illuminating the narrow, shadowy outline of the cave ahead.
“Shh! Stay behind me…”
I instructed her, pulling out the Dragon Claw from my waist, gripping it tightly as I focused my gaze on the darkness. I stepped forward calmly—I didn’t need to tiptoe around or be overly cautious. My energy might have only partially returned, but my senses were sharp, and I hadn’t lost my keen combat awareness. Anything within a hundred meters of me would make noise—except for that freak Rect.
Could it be that the church really is this close behind…
Thud, thud, thud.
My boots echoed eerily in the cave, each step reverberating. The lantern’s flickering light cast shadows as fine sands fell from the ceiling, and ahead, the darkness loomed like a monstrous maw ready to devour. The deeper we went, the steeper the slope became, and the space around us widened.
This is heading underground…
“Big Sister…”
The little girl, Betty, tugged at my clothes. I turned around: “What is it?”
“Up ahead… there’s a fork in the path…”
“…Huh?”
A fork…
I hadn’t paid much attention, but hearing Betty’s words snapped me back. Sure enough, just ahead, the darkness dissipated, revealing three paths splitting off to the left, right, and straight ahead into the depths, all pitch black.
“Which way do we go?”
I frowned, and the little girl clutched my robe tightly, trembling as she whispered back: “I… I don’t know… I’ve never been here before… and I don’t know how to hunt giant lizards…”
“Look around, check the ground. Are there any footprints… light the lantern for me.”
I took Betty’s hand, starting to scan the ground for any footprints to see where they led, planning to dodge them and randomly choose one of the other two paths—my reasoning was simple; whether those were church folks or not, avoiding any encounters was always the safest bet.
Besides, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the places those folks passed through probably don’t have any food left.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
Suddenly, before I found any traces of footprints, from deep within the left cave, about thirty to fifty meters away, I heard a faint sound, like something hard scraping against the sandstone wall.
“Eek!”
The noise was painfully loud in the quiet cave, making even Betty jump, hastily covering her mouth in panic, her face stricken with fear as she stared at me.
I looked at her shining little face in the lantern light, paused for a moment, then broke into a grin.
…Found it.
It’s food!
