Day 03 - Outer Ring

I don't know where to begin...

Though I write this now with a stiff, heavy arm, I must recount today's encounter with a wild monster. They clawed at me, jumping out from nowhere and shouting about we were intruding on their territory. Cattail managed to diffuse the situation by offering them food, all while I took shelter within myself. With an enchanting demeanor, he eventually managed to also persuade the monster to provide us with a valuable lead in locating Outer Ring's lawless king.

The monster referred to him as “Warhammer”. They explained that we should follow our senses to rotting pines, where we could likely find his claw marks embedded in fallen trees. This was how he marked his territory, which he considered to be the entirety of Outer Ring.

The monster clarified that if we could trace the trail to fresher fallen trees, we were more likely to locate him. However, they cautioned us that he was almost always on the move, continuously advancing. Allegedly, he has a vast expanse of ground to cover and defend. What exactly he's safeguarding against, I remain uncertain. I was too shaken to ask!

We sought refuge in a secluded spot to allow Cattail to tend to my injured right arm. Tonight, we'll be making camp beneath the shelter of a narrow, rocky ravine. I'm currently jotting down these words under the beam of a flashlight, but only because I feel that I must record every detail- I won't deny that it's painful!