“Leaf, drag it over here and we’ll finish him off.”

William gives out a command but Leaf doesn’t listen to him. We were currently fighting a hippopotamus-like creature and Leaf’s rope ability had wrapped around two of the creatures’ six legs. Instead of dragging it over to the group, he drags it towards Conrad. Conrad’s sword is enveloped in flames and he takes a swing at the hippo.

“Keep it still you idiot.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

He was aiming to cut off the hippo’s head but it only grazes his body due to the hippo’s struggles. It was charging straight towards Conrad, but with the flat side of his greatsword facing towards the hippo, Gorou blocks the attack. The hippo was enraged and was about to continue its attack but it freezes when it sees CZ’s eyeball. Cammy shoots her glue onto the hippo’s legs and we begin our attack.

I charge in and stab into the hippo’s side. CZ’s stun wears off and the hippo screams in pain as it tries to escape, but Cammy’s ability made it so it couldn’t move. With one swing of his greatsword, the hippo’s skull was smashed into bits. We immediately rush towards the other as there were still two hippos left alive. As the numbers went down it became easier to deal with the hippos.

“What the fuck were you thinking!?”

“How dare a lesser human speak to me like this. I would have been able to kill those hippos if you didn’t interfere.”

William was grabbing Conrad by the collar and I could see that he was shaking in anger. It wasn’t just him, everyone in Unit K and Cammy was outrage at Conrad’s actions. Ken had been hurt and I was suppressing my urge to kill them since William was already dealing with the situation.

It’s only been 30 minutes or so since we left the village and we haven’t had any fights until now. We’ve been careful to avoid any monsters or animals we encountered, but Conrad had angered the hippo-like creature for no reason. It was laying down in the mud and we were going to walk around it but Conrad attacked it. From Cammy’s information, the members of Unit I have been entering the fog to hunt down monsters to show off their strength.

“You’re aren’t even gifted and you dare lay your hands on me. I’ll have my father fire you.”

“Go ahead! If you act like this again I won’t show any of you mercy. I won’t allow your reckless actions to endanger our team.”

William throws Conrad into the mud and glares at him. Conrad was acting tough but he didn’t dare look back at William’s glare. Urban and Leaf pick up Conrad from the mud and we continue on our way. It was too light of a punishment but I understand William’s position. He can’t go around beating up some rich kid or there are going to be repercussions.

I take one last glance at Conrad’s sword and I can tell that it’s special. The flames that appeared around it wasn’t Conrad’s ability but an ability of the sword. It seemed quite strong but it’s a shame that it was in his hands.

“That’s what happens when you depend on your weapon too much, Jude. Even if you have a legendary weapon, it’s worth less than a pebble on the side of the road if you don’t have the skills to use it.”

“I hate to agree with her but its the truth. A weapon is just a tool used to kill and in the hands of a master, a pebble can be just as dangerous as a sword. Even if the spear is the best weapon, there are times when fighting bare-handed or with a dagger might be the better option. You might be stuck with using a spear at the moment, but don’t forget that it’s just another weapon.”

Fifi and Kurulu give me advice and I’m filled with gratitude. Both of them are trying there best to teach me about things that I didn’t know. Kurulu was seriously teaching me about spear techniques and blood magic so I would feel bad if I don’t uphold my side of the deal.

Walking through Sipula’s Swamp was like walking through a different world. The trees that I saw through the fog weren’t actually trees but giant flowers. The mud was an eerie red color like it was mixed with blood but that wasn’t even the strangest part. The creatures and vegetation were abnormal and seemed to come out of a fantasy novel. We’ve seen dog-like creatures with hundreds of eyes all over there bodies and thick vines that would move on their own and hunt down these creatures. Fortunately, we haven’t had to deal with these creatures but I have to keep a close eye on those from Unit I.

“Wait. William, I think I’ve found a Sipula flower.”

We gather around Mako and observe the flower. Its petals were gray and curled upwards, but that wasn’t its main feature Brisben told us to look for. Looking at the center of the flower it was bright blue and there were black markings in the shape of a face. Some fog was spewing out of the eyes, nose, and mouth. It had all the characteristics Brisben had told us.

“Good, we’ve found one.”

Jill digs the flower out of the ground and Mako surrounds the flower in a sphere of wind magic before shredding it into pieces. It lets out a dying screech to attract the other creatures in the swamp but its screams were trapped in Mako’s magic. After the incident with Conrad, the rest of the expedition was relatively safe. As long as we didn’t bother the creatures within the swamp, they wouldn’t bother us.

“Good, that’s 53 Sipula flowers. Brisben estimated there to be about 300 so at this pace, we should be done in less than a week.”

“I think we should head back, William. The weather’s taking a toll on everyone’s stamina.”

“Ok, we’ll head on back then.”

Even though the swamp was dark, it was incredibly humid. Half a day had already passed by and everyone was starting to get tired. We fought a few monsters here and there but the journey was safe as we followed our footsteps back. It wasn’t long until we got back to the area we fought those hippos.

“Strange, where are the bodies of those hippos?”

“Other creatures probably got to them first. Sorry, Jude.”

“It’s fine.”

“Jude, something’s approaching in the fog.”

I immediately warn the others as Fifi’s tone sounded worried. We were all on guard but Conrad and his group were still messing around.

“Hmph, what are you guys so worried about? It’s probably just those hippos again, I’ll get my revenge this time.”

“Be on guard if you don’t want to die.”

They weren’t taking the situation seriously even after William warned them. A minute passes by and eventually, 10 minutes pass by without anything happening. Fifi’s guard was still up and so was ours. Conrad and their group were getting irritated at the situation but we didn’t let that bother our concentration. CZ’s eyeball was scouting the area and Mako was using wind magic to see if she would make contact with whatever is in the fog. Just like that 20 minutes pass by.

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“Is the presence still their, Fifi?”

“Yes, it keeps hiding its presence but it’s definitely still there.”

“What should we do, William?”

We began discussing the situation and William finally makes a decision. If we stay here and wait for the enemy to attack then we’re basically sitting ducks waiting to get slaughtered.

“We’ll head back to the village but be on alert. If you sense anything out of the ordinary, say something. Our lives are on the line out here.”

Our group slowly creeps towards the village as we watch our surroundings. The sounds of insects chirping or animals howling had disappeared altogether, and the only sounds left were our breathing. The tensions were high and the slightest brush of the wind or crack of a twig sent us into high alert.

There was a being in the fog that was hunting us down and we didn’t know where they were. It was most likely the creature that Kayla warned us about and it wasn’t going to be an easy fight. Unlike Gul’sa Quan or the lizardman king who fought us head-on, this creature was stalking us like we were prey. Even a single mistake can spell the end for one of our members.

“Tch, look at all of these wimps. I can’t believe they’re scared of some monster that is too afraid to even attack us. Even if they do, the great Conrad will deal with it.”

The two idiots Urban and leaf were trying to curry favor with Conrad even in such a dire situation. Rachel from Unit I was smart enough to be a little wary because of our cautiousness, but she still wasn’t taking the situation seriously. The two idiots inflate Conrad’s ego the entire way as we approached the end of our footsteps.

“Hmph, this is why Unit K’s reputation is so low. All of its members are wimps.”

“Something’s approaching!”

Rachel conveys CZ’s observation but before we could even react, a rock pierces through the side of Conrad’s stomach. He screams in pain while Urban and Leaf were still confused about what just happened, and that’s when they were also injured by rocks. Rocks ranging from small pebbles to the size of fists being to assault us from beyond the fog. Their speeds were so fast that even the smallest ones still hurt when they made contact.

Earth walls were erected around us but the other Rachel wasn’t safe. Our group had separated into those from Unit I and Unit K, plus Cammy, because they had rushed ahead to leave the swamp. We were still wary of the creature stalking us so we were a little bit slower while the other Rachel lagged behind the other group because she wasn’t that close with them.

Now she was by herself because the other three had already left. Her ability allowed her to erect a barrier around her so she was still safe, but it was going to eventually break. She wasn’t close enough to escape into the village and she wasn’t close enough to rejoin us.

“We’re going to rescue Rachel and escape!”

Under William’s command, we were going to go save the other Rachel but the earth wall protecting us was destroyed. A six-legged hippo charged through the wall but it wasn’t only him. There were two other hippos, 5 hundred-eyed dogs, 2 poison spewing flowers, and a 3-eyed snake. The hippos and dogs charged through the broken wall as poison begins to surround us. The poison would have been dangerous but we had Mako with us.

Using wind magic, the poison was blown towards the other monsters. The hippo was blinded and ran around on a rampage while the hundred-eyed dogs weren’t affected. Gareth was able to take out the two poison spewing flowers while we dealt with the hundred-eyed dogs. They were a hassle to deal with because they are fast and always aimed at our blind spots.

“Thanks, Cammy.”

“No problem.”

I stab and kill the hundred-eyed dog that tried to attack me from behind. Although the hundred-eyed dogs were a hassle, with CZ and Cammy, they were able to deal with them. CZ would stun the enemies with her eyeball and Cammy would stick them down to the ground so Gareth can finish them off.

All that was left was the three hippos and the 3-eyed snake. We’ve fought with the hippos before so they shouldn’t be too difficult to kill but we didn’t know the abilities of the 3-eyed snake. I rejoin Gorou, Ken, and William to fight the hippos. They were still affected by the poison so their movements were sluggish.

Jill traps one in the mud and Gorou kills it with his greatsword. We thought the battle was going to become easier because there were only 3 enemies left, but the situation turned for the worse. With a swing of its tail, the 3-eyed snake sends the poison towards our vanguard. I was able to protect myself with blood magic and Gorou wrapped himself in a black aura, but William and Ken were poisoned. They begin to cough and their skin turns an odd color.

The two of them retreated so Fifi could heal them with her herbs. We had to deal with the hippos before the 3-eyed snake can join the hippos in fighting us. Cammy and CZ stuns one of them and with a barrage of attacks we were finally able to take it out.

“Jude, go save Rachel. We’ll deal with the other hippo.”

“Ok.”

I rush out of formation and was immediately bombarded with rocks like the other Rachel. The blood armor kept me safe but I could see cracks appearing on the other Rachel’s barrier. Before I could even take another step forward, my body was stuck in place.

“Something is wrong with Jude, Gorou, and Gareth!!”

Jill screams out but I couldn’t see what happened with Gorou or Gareth. I try to move but I couldn’t, it was like I was struck by CZ’s ability. The barrage of rocks stops attacking the other Rachel and me, but a new enemy joined the battle. From the skies above, a lizardman landed in front of Rachel. It was a lizardman that was 10 feet tall and had a long white beard. His scales were a pale red and in his hand was a wooden staff that was swinging down on the other Rachel.

The ground sinks underneath him and his aim misses, but he follows up with another attack. From the corner of my eye, Rachel runs pass me at incredible speeds and grabs onto the other Rachel. The cracked barrier restores itself and seemed even stronger but is easily destroyed by the lizardman’s staff. Their bodies were sent flying into the fog and disappeared.

“RACHEL!!!”

“It’s fine, Ken! They were sent into the village, we need to save the others.”

William calms down Ken and they rejoin the battle against the 3-eyed snake. The last hippo was killed by Mako, Jill, Cammy, and CZ earlier, and all that remained was the 3-eyed snake. Its body was large and could probably swallow a person whole with zero effort. The most annoying thing was its ability to stun us and its magic resistance. CZ’s stun didn’t have any effect while Cammy’s ability was only a slight inconvenience. Mako’s wind magic wasn’t able to cut all the way through and the only one doing any real work is Jill. Controlling the mud she was able to sink the snake into the ground so the others could attack.

“Aim for its eyes!!”

Suddenly I was able to move my body but I was in danger. I hold my spear upwards and block the lizardman’s attack. His attacks weren’t as strong as Gul’sa Quan or the lizardman king, but there were incredibly fast. I’m barely able to block them and that is only with the help of Kurulu to guide my actions.

“Don’t fall into his rhythm. Attack!”

I try to follow her instructions but the lizardman sweeps me off my feet with the other side of his staff. We were both using similar weapons but he was much stronger than me. Falling to the ground, I roll away as his staff lands on the ground and sends mud flying everywhere. Some of the mud got in my eyes and I wasn’t able to see.

“Duck down!”

Hearing Gorou’s voice, I duck down and could hear the sound weapons clashing right above me. I wipe away the mud and could see Gorou facing off with the lizardman. They weren’t fighting and just staring at each other. The lizardman was speaking and pointing at Gorou’s weapon, but we couldn’t understand him.

“Are you ok, Jude?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, then get ready to run.”

“Mud Bomb!!”

Jill screams and a large clump of mud falls down from the skies towards the lizardman. The lizardman steps out of range or so he thought. The Mud Bomb explodes once it makes contact with the ground and waves of mud rise up from the ground trying to engulf us. Gorou and I run towards the village, and I could see that the others already made it through.

It was only Gorou and me left when we finally passed through the barrier that teleported us back to the frogman village. We were finally safe.