### 182

You load, aim, and fire in a split second, sending your Arrow whistling into the mottled underbelly of a swamp creature to your left. Croaking in pain, it twists and falls backwards, churning the pool to a bubbling brown froth as it frantically tries to grip the shaft between its webbed claws. A green-eyed serpent breaks through the surface and embraces the creature in its coils. The struggle is brief and the swamp water stifles all cries as the serpent and its victim sink swiftly from view.

The sight of the serpent distracts you, and you do not see the lizard-beast that is creeping up on you from the side until it is leaping through the air towards your chest.

Turn to 252.