Cait's Quest - Pg 4 (Patreon)

Cait leaps into action, attempting to strike the serpent nearest to her.  It lunges out, catching her off guard and coiling her in an instant.  It squeezes mercilessly, crushing her windpipe.  Out of the corner of her eye, Cait spots the other woman's feet being swallowed by her snake.  Luckily, Cait was able to jut out her elbow just enough to slide her arm out.  With a swift and precise lunge of her own, she beheads the snake holding her captive!  The creature's head spun dramatically in the air before landing in a nearby bush.

Having quickly scrambled out of the dead coils, Cait then dashed over to the other serpent, now happily bloated with it's meal.  An easy target.  A few carefully aimed slashes and her new friend was free.  The woman coughed out her gratitude, and her name.  Me La.  With the two women having saved each other, they rested in that clearing, hearing each other's stories.  Me La had lived in these swamps as part of a tribe before striking off on her own, disagreeing with the tribes turning to human sacrifice in order to appease the giant snakes.  They worshipped them as gods now, and Me La knew both of them were still in danger.  

Banding together, Cait and Me La agree to travel out of the swamp and head towards the city together.

Me La warns that her tribe has started stalking the roads through the swamps to poach lone and unsuspecting travelers, and suggests taking them on a shortcut she knows through the woods.