Mr. Courier then explained that the Breath of the Tansel Swamp refers to a phenonon where bursts of water rise from the swamp, as if the land itself were breathing. He said this happens when powerful gas pressure from deep beneath the swamp forces its way up through small cracks or gaps in the surface.
"Those water bursts usually get triggered by movent on the surface. When sothing disturbs the swamp, the ground becos unstable, which increases the gas pressure—and that’s what causes the eruption, like the one we just saw," he added.
"Oh no... then how are we supposed to cross the swamp if that keeps happening?" Chelsie’s face turned pale. "We’ll never make it through like this."
"There’s another way to cross it without getting caught in the blasts," Mr. Courier said calmly.
"...Another way? What do you an, Mr. Courier?"
"We need to follow the rhythm of the swamp’s breath," he replied. "That rhythm becos much clearer once the sky gets darker."
"Uhm... So, in other words, we can only leave this place at night?"
Hearing Chelsie’s words, the courier nodded. "That’s right. We have to wait until nightfall to cross this swamp."
"...But even if we wait until nightfall, we still don’t have a boat to carry us through the swamp," Nalira said as she glanced around. "So, how are we supposed to cross the swamp now?"
"If we can’t find a boat... what if we build a simple one?" Shaan suggested.
"No, that’s a bad idea," Mr. Courier replied, shaking his head. "It will take too much ti, and even if we managed to build sothing, I doubt it can make it through this swamp." He looked around carefully. "I believe there may be another boat nearby. We just need to search this area thoroughly."
"Uhmm... yeah, I guess Mr. Courier has a point," Chelsie said, nodding.
"But maybe we should rest inside the old house for now and look for the boat tomorrow instead." She kept rubbing her hands together. "I don’t know, but the air’s getting colder, and I can feel a few raindrops starting to fall. I believe it’s gonna be raining soon."
"...Yeah, I think the sa," Nalira replied." I agree with Chelsie. Besides, there’s no way we’ll find another boat in this dark situation like this." She slowly turned her gaze toward Shaan and Mr. Courier. "What do you think?"
"Alright, no problem. That sounds reasonable to ," Shaan answered.
"My calculations align with yours. I agree," said Mr. Courier as he quickly headed for the old house. "Remaining exposed to the elents serves no purpose. We should seek shelter imdiately before the rainfall intensifies."
***
The sound of raindrops falling harder outside the old house broke the silence inside the room. Honestly, Shaan felt relieved that he and the others had listened to Chelsie. If they hadn’t, they would’ve ended up soaked, and all their efforts might have gone to waste.
"Mr. Courier, I still don’t understand about the Breath of the Tansel Swamp you have ntioned earlier," Shaan asked curiously. "So, how do we know it’s safe to cross it?"
"There are three ways to figure that out," Mr. Courier replied. "First, when you’re out in the Tansel Swamp, pay attention to random clusters of small bubbles. If they feel warm, that ans a water burst will happen there soon. So, you need to stay as far away from those bubbles as possible."
Chelsie leaned forward slightly, trying to catch every word Mr. Courier said. "Uhmm... and what are the other signs?"
"Second, sll. If a burst is about to happen, you’ll sll sothing. It will sll like burning or a sharp, irritating odor. That sll ans the gas pressure is building up fast, and if you don’t move away in ti, the burst will hit you directly."
"...And what about the third sign?"
"The third and final sign is sound. Before a burst, the swamp lets out a deep rumbling noise. That sound is a clear warning. When you hear it, get away from that spot as fast as possible," he explained. "If you can follow the rhythm of the Tansel Swamp’s breath, we should be fine. We won’t end up like those bandits who ignored the signs."
’Wow... I never imagined crossing the swamp would be complicated.’
"Wow, Mr. Courier, I... I’m impressed," Chelsie said, her eyes lighting up with admiration. "You know a lot about this kind of stuff."
Mr. Courier burst out laughing. "Haha, of course! I’ve crossed the Tansel Swamp a few tis before, so I’ve already learned all of this. That’s why crossing at night works best because it’s easier to spot the signs I just told you about."
"...Alright, we understand," Nalira said with a nod as she stood up from the wooden floor." We should get so rest. I’ll place a protective spell on the doors and windows first, just to make sure no dark creatures try to attack us while we sleep." She then walked into the next room.
"Uhmm... Let help you, Lira." Chelsie said, quickly standing and following behind Nalira.
"Okay, I’ll put out the campfire then."
He stood up, stepped outside, and grabbed a handful of wet soil from the ground. He sprinkled the dirt over the fire until it died out, then let out a deep breath and decided to end the long, exhausting day.
***
After walking for several minutes around the dark Tansel Swamp, Shaan didn’t find any boat that could take them out of the swamp. Slowly, his hope began to fade, and it seed impossible for all of them to reach the Twilight Sanctum if things stayed like this.
’No, no. I can’t give up,’ Shaan said, tapping his cheeks repeatedly. "I have to believe there’s still hope. I just need to look for—"
"Shaan!" shouted Mr. Courier a few ters ahead of him. "I think I have located a boat we can use to cross the dark Tansel Swamp, but... but we have another problem."
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