The clearing appeared before us again, with its wide open space and the blue lake at its center. Small puddles still shimmered in the dips, not yet dried up after the heavy rain. I felt a bit uneasy at the sight of this place where we had fought for our lives just yesterday; now, it reminded me of an arena for battles.

While I tied the rope to the trunk of a tree, Neight was pulling out the hose to get the necessary length in advance. He carefully coiled it to ensure it wouldn't tangle at the critical moment and cause us problems. When we each finished our tasks, we walked together to the opposite edge of the "arena." I went ahead with the weapon, while Neight held the rope, making sure it didn’t snag or tie itself into knots.

It was surprising how calm this place seemed now. It was mostly quiet, with only the hoot of an unknown bird echoing from somewhere deep in the forest. The local star had already dipped behind the tree crowns, and only its long beams of light broke through the slender trees like in a fairytale, creating a deceptively serene and beautiful scene.

Finally, we reached the opposite side. Choosing a suitable tree, we looped the rope around it, fixed it in place, and pulled it taut.

"Perfect," Neight concluded, ensuring that our makeshift cableway stretched directly over the lake. "Let’s head back."

So far, everything was going exactly according to plan. I would even say things were going a bit too well, but I kept my happy thoughts to myself, not wanting to jinx it. When we returned to the tree, we completed the "circuit," creating the necessary tension and tying the rope ends together. The only thing left was to bring the hose to the water using this setup.

Before we moved on to the last, most crucial stage, Neight moved the rope back and forth to test the functionality of the cableway. It was fairly mobile, though sometimes it required a bit of effort when the rope got slightly stuck.

"Looks like it works. Tie the hose so that its end dangles low enough to touch the ground with some slack," Neight instructed.

"Got it! Consider it done!"

After completing my mission to tie the hose, I started slowly pulling on the rope. Our cableway came to life. The hose dragged along the ground, rustling through the grass as it followed the slightly sagging rope. Meanwhile, the local star reached the horizon, and the previously bright blue sky gradually transitioned to a deep, dark blue. Twilight was falling.

"Hey, Neight, what do you think? This whole setup won’t attract the worm’s attention, will it?" I asked casually, feeling the tension mount as the hose inched closer and closer to the lake.

"Let’s hope not."

Even though his voice sounded rather dry, I could still catch a hint of worry.

"And if it does try to swallow the hose?"

Neight paused for a couple of seconds.

"In that case, the system should release it to ensure the ship’s integrity and safety. The only hitch is... I’m not sure if the release module was damaged in the crash."

"Wait, wait! Are you saying that the lake monster could flip our ship?!"

"Exactly..."

I stopped mid-motion, just one last pull away from the hose reaching the water. My eyes were filled with bewilderment.

"Then what the hell are we doing?! Maybe this isn’t the best idea to get water like this?"

"The problem is, we don’t have any other options left. At least not right now. So, we have to take risks. Right now, we need to get water to the ship, or we won’t make it. As soon as we find safer alternative sources, we’ll switch to them."

Frustrated by our dire situation and growing unsure of our current plan, I yanked the rope to finally get this job done. A crack sounded from the opposite side, the tension slackened, and the hose, along with the rope, tumbled to the ground before our eyes, with part of it splashing onto the lake’s surface. Stunned, I stared at the broken cableway. The branches of the tree on the opposite side, which had served as support, had snapped, causing the rope to slip all the way down to the ground.

Realizing what had happened, I immediately looked at Neight, waiting for his reaction. He stood there, rooted to the spot.

"Damn it…" he muttered bitterly after a few moments of silence. "We can’t leave it like this!"

I understood what he meant. The high, rocky edges around the lake’s crater could make it hard to drag the hose across the ground. It could easily get stuck in one of the grooves, causing us even bigger problems. But that wasn’t all. It was one thing to have a single hose dangling in the water; it was entirely different if a rope stretched nearly across the entire lake, drawing the attention of the giant worm.

"We need to fix it."

Without a second thought, I took off, unwilling to waste a moment, but suddenly felt a firm grip on my arm from behind.

"Wait, you can’t go alone!"

"Neight, let go! I’ll be quick – there and back," I said, trying to break free from his hold.

"No, we go together. It’s practically dark now, and it’s dangerous," he replied firmly, pulling me along with him. Surprisingly, he seemed to move with more energy than before. Maybe he’d been saving his strength?

By now, night had fallen. We switched on the lights built into our helmets, illuminating the path ahead of us while the surrounding darkness became all the more ominous. Thin trees cast long, dark shadows that seemed almost alive in my restless imagination as the light moved. As the star fully set behind the horizon, everything fell eerily silent. Aside from the rustling grass beneath our feet and the leaves we brushed past, there wasn’t a single sound. Even the wild birds, which had been calling out in the distance, had gone silent, as if trying to hide from some unknown threat lurking in the darkness.

I felt uneasy. For the first time since waking up on this planet, I was outside at night. It felt like danger could be hiding around every corner, behind every bush or tree. The only thing keeping me somewhat calm was the fact that I wasn’t alone.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

We were almost there when I heard a rustling behind us, followed by a sharp crack close by that made me jump. Neight immediately let go of my hand, drew his knife, and turned, placing himself between me and whatever was behind us. I turned to see a large creature nearly the size of a bear just a few meters away. It crouched low to the ground, fixing its enormous green, catlike eyes on us, narrowed against the brightness of our lights. It had the look of a predator eyeing its prey. The creature resembled a cross between a wolf with an elongated snout and a panther with sleek black fur. My heart dropped.

Understanding our lives were in danger, I didn’t wait for Neight’s command and pointed my weapon upward, pulling the trigger to scare it off. The energy blast thundered into the sky, streaking like lightning and momentarily illuminating the area around us. The pantherwolf creature squealed, recoiling from the shock, but quickly calmed down, tensely baring its sharp fangs.

"Night is hunting time. It won’t back down," Neight said grimly, taking a defensive stance with his knife raised.

The beast lowered itself, ready to pounce, and in that instant, Neight dashed forward to meet it. The creature launched itself with a powerful leap, claws extended, roaring as it swiped its massive, clawed paws. Neight barely dodged, narrowly avoiding the dagger-like claws that missed his head by mere centimeters as the creature twisted in mid-air, trying to strike. Without hesitation, Neight, now beside the creature, plunged his knife between its shoulder blades, slicing down with force, causing scarlet splashes to fly in all directions, once again painting his suit with fresh drops. The sight made me instinctively close my eyes and look away. The wounded creature whimpered in pain and bolted, leaving us alone. The encounter was over in an instant, and seeing Neight’s swift, precise movements, it seemed the beast hadn’t stood a chance. It was almost frightening, what this guy beside me was capable of.

"Let’s go," Neight said dryly, wiping the blood from his knife before sliding it back into his belt. I didn’t argue.

We reached the tree with the fallen rope, though I was still rattled from the encounter and kept looking over my shoulder. Fixing the makeshift cableway wasn’t easy with the hose pulling the rope down, but with Neight’s help holding it in place, we managed. Once the setup was corrected, I immediately set it in motion, pulling the hose all the way to the lake’s edge, where it splashed into the water.

"We did it…" I exhaled, feeling a bit of relief.

"Yes, we actually pulled it off. Now it’s time to head back to the ship. And quickly."

----------------------------------------

We were walking at a brisk pace, having covered most of the way back. Neight kept up, though his heavy breathing revealed just how hard it was for him. I was exhausted, too, and moving through the dark forest made even familiar areas look strange and unrecognizable. Our only guide was the hose stretching like a lifeline back to the ship.

To our left, a long, eerie howl echoed from the depths of the forest, sending chills down my spine. Was it the same predator that had confronted us earlier?

"Emma… if you see… a wild animal… just… shoot it… I'm… at my limit," Neight gasped, struggling to catch his breath.

"O-okay."

My hands, gripping my weapon tightly, began to shake. Saying I was scared was an understatement. I wasn’t confident in my abilities and feared I wouldn’t be able to hit a target if another enemy appeared. I had no real experience and knew my limitations well.

Please, let nothing else cross our path! I prayed silently.

I wanted to reach the ship as quickly as possible and feel safe again. Now, its walls seemed like a fortress, sheltering us from any threats. An island of some stability and protection.

A rustle came from the left. Startled, I immediately aimed my weapon toward the source of the sound and fired. Although the energy beam lit up the area, it revealed no wild animals, but a threatening howl sounded close by, about ten meters away. Then another… and another…

Neight bolted, grabbing me by the arm, and we ran as fast as we could. I could hear his gasping breaths, but he ran so quickly that I struggled to keep up, trying not to stumble or fall. Finally, we burst out of the forest, and there it was—our ship. We scrambled up the ramp and tumbled into the airlock. Neight immediately punched a command on the control panel before collapsing onto the floor.

Just before the outer door closed, I caught sight of four pantherwolfs charging out of the forest, racing straight toward us. Thankfully, the door shut just in time, mere moments before they could reach us. Now, we were safe. Feeling the wave of relief, exhaustion also set in, and I plopped down onto the floor beside Neight, pulling off my helmet and gasping for air.

Safe! We barely made it… That was close…

----------------------------------------

After catching our breath, we dragged ourselves up to the main control panel, despite the overwhelming exhaustion. I didn’t know what was on Neight’s mind, but for me, the thought that the hardest parts were behind us kept me going. All that was left was to activate the pump, and then I could collapse onto a soft bed, surrounded by the embrace of pillows and blankets until the next day. Technically, I didn’t have to go to the control room—I could have gone straight to rest—but after everything that happened, I didn’t want to leave Neight alone. I wanted to keep him company, to support him. Besides, I wanted to see for myself that we’d successfully completed our mission.

Entering the control room, Neight sank into his central chair with a deep sigh and began typing commands. I took the seat on his left and quietly watched him. His eyes were half-closed, weighted down by fatigue, and it seemed they might shut at any moment from sheer exhaustion. His movements were noticeably slower and more drawn out, clearly showing how drained he was.

I’ll have to find a way to cheer him up when this is all over. Once we’ve rested, I’ll definitely make a big batch of jam!

When Neight finished entering the commands, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. A faint hum resonated from somewhere below the ship. It seemed the pump had activated. Then came a slight gurgling sound, and a red light blinked on the control panel. Neight snapped out of his daze, glanced at the indicators, furrowed his brow, and then covered his face with his hand, sinking back into the chair.

"What’s going on?" I asked, puzzled.

"The water isn’t coming through…"

I froze at his words.

"How… how can that be?" I asked quietly, still struggling to grasp how something like this could have even happened.

"I don’t know…" Neight replied distantly. "Maybe the hose got twisted somewhere. Maybe something chewed through it, or it got pulled out of the lake. I don’t know…"

"W-we need to check it!"

"Emma…"

"We still c-can fix this, r-right?"

"Emma, stop. We have to accept that we failed. None of us can survive another trip out there."

Silence hung heavily in the air. He was right. Completely right, but that didn’t make it any easier. After everything we did, everything we went through, was this really the end? Was it all in vain? I wanted to cry, to scream, to break down. I couldn’t accept it. I just couldn’t… But there was nothing more to be done. Our only option was to go into hibernation, hoping that while we slept, we wouldn’t be discovered and captured by the enemy. That was all we could do now.

After sitting in this atmosphere of despair for a while longer, Neight, his face etched with suffering, reached toward the control panel to shut off the pump. But just as he was about to do so, there was a bubbling sound, followed by a loud sloshing noise, and the red light turned green. Neight, stunned by the sudden turn of events, stared silently at the control panel, his hand hovering centimeters above the keyboard. I also froze, not yet fully understanding what had just happened. I held my breath. Time seemed to stand still around us.

"It… it worked…" Neight said quietly, as though he couldn’t fully believe his own words.

"Really? You’re not joking?"

"Yes… Water from the lake just entered the system."

I felt emotions of pure happiness start to fill me. For a moment, it felt like I might burst from the joy. I was ready to jump up with a scream and start dancing, but my exhausted body had other plans, so instead, I simply shouted, "Yes! We did it!" and, closing my eyes, raised my hands in victory, laughing as I spun in my chair. After the burst of excitement, I exhaled and leaned back with relief, smiling at Neight. Apparently, he’d been watching me with wide eyes the entire time, but as soon as our gazes met, he relaxed and smiled at me softly.

"Yes, you’re right. We really did it!"