“Nothing to it but to do it,” Regal said as he unsheathed his sword. Cassius cracked his fingers, and Lloyd readied his bow.

The path thus far had been uneventful. Their near sprint allowed them to arrive, a little out of breath, but in record time. They now found themselves on the outskirts of the swamp. Thick-trunked trees sat soaked in the water. Vines, moss, and lichen covered everything in sight. Lloyd heard splashes of submerging animals in the distance as chirps and croaks joined the background noise.

With worried eyes and a tentative stance, Lloyd looked over at his brother. He saw a similar fear flash across his brother’s face before it disappeared. Regal firmly nodded at Lloyd, who wiped away his worry as he nodded back.

The men stepped forward, swishing water back and forth as they trudged through the thick, murky water. Lloyd could feel the extra burden of movement the water would cause as he sifted through the swamp. Each of the men took turns tumbling and stumbling as their boots got caught in unseen stumps and downed logs. The filth and grime covering the water’s surface made it impossible to see what lurked below. Fortunately, the water was below their knees; anything higher would prove problematic.

“Well, this fucking sucks,” Cassius said.

“Yeah, I have a feeling that the shower in town is going to be necessary after this one,” Regal said.

Lloyd stayed quiet as his eyes scanned the horizon.

“How are you feeling?” Regal asked Lloyd, although his eyes stayed focused on the environment ahead.

“Fine. Not sure what symptoms they were talking about, but I don’t feel anything yet,” Lloyd assured his brother.

“Good. Let’s keep it that way. Get in and out as fast as we can,” Regal said.

Ten minutes later, the group found their objective. The water had receded to barely above ankle height. Their shoes still sunk into the soft ground, but this was a relief from the previous section. A field of yellow and blue flowers sat a hundred yards ahead of the men. Beyond the flowers was a small cave opening. Lloyd couldn’t see into the cave, but a blue hue emanated from inside. Likely more flowers, Lloyd thought.

“Where are all the monsters?” Lloyd asked.

“Not sure, but maybe this will be a much easier quest than we thought. Eyes up, keep focus, and why don't we straight line formation it. I'll go first, and we'll have Lloyd loot the flowers and place them in the pack. Cassius, toss him the pack and pull up the rear. Also, Cassius, I'm going to need you to be extra careful with the lightning. I don't know how conducive this water will be, but I don't want to find out.” Regal said.

Cassius reached into his bag, found the extra one that Taryn gave him, and tossed it to Lloyd.

“Oh shit, I didn't even think about that. I wonder, should we test it? I mean, that'll suck for Lloyd, but if I can shoot my lightning and kill everything in the water, that might make short work.” Cassius said as he turned to look at Lloyd, wiggling his fingers and pointing at his feet.

“Don't you even fucking dare,” Lloyd said before laughing.

Regal shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it's better to know now than in the middle of a fight," he said.

“Are you shitting me? I mean, come on…” Lloyd said as he began to protest, stopping mid-sentence when he realized the logic was reasonably sound. “Just a little bit, okay? I swear if you…” Lloyd began to say but couldn't finish his sentence in time. A small arc of lightning cascaded from Cassius’s calloused hand. The lightning struck the water near Lloyd's feet, disappearing into the murky water. Lloyd flinched and scrunched his face in anticipation, but no pain came.

“I guess you're free to shoot,” Regal said.

The three men slowly made their way to the flowers in the aforementioned formation that Regal had called out earlier. After a few minutes, they reached the swampy field of flowers. Lloyd went to pluck the first Mage Thistle. Upon grabbing it, he dropped it immediately on the top of the water, shaking his hand and yelling.

“Oh fuck, dude. They’ve got something on them; my hand is on fire.” Lloyd said. He dipped his hand into the water, swishing it about. The stinging in his hand seemed to regress as the water cooled the pain. Regal and Cassius began to walk towards him before Lloyd put his palm up.

“I’ve got it. I have an idea,” Lloyd said.

Quickly reaching into his pack, he pulled out a strip of cloth and wrapped it around his right hand. After he felt there was sufficient coverage, he reached down to pick up the wayward Mage Thistle. This time, no sharp pains greeted him. As the herb found its place inside the satchel, a large splash erupted to the right of the men. All three turned rapidly at the sound. In front of them stood a waist-high, moss-covered turtle, its eyes glowing ruby red. The colossal carapace was easily five feet in width, with a few chips and cracks along the top of the shell, moss encompassing everything. The turtle began to stomp its feet, which caused jets of water to erupt nearby. It quickly started spinning in place, stomping as it went. The blasting water increased in frequency and intensity.

Without wasting more time, Lloyd loosed an arrow in its direction, which harmlessly ricocheted off its shell. Lloyd cursed the fact that this would be another challenging enemy for him to fight. Cassius followed up with a lightning bolt. The turtle stopped spinning, and a wall of water erupted in front of it, halting the electrical attack. A guttural noise spilled out from the turtle's mouth. Behind the turtle, a series of splashes sprung forth from the swamp floor. Instead of another attack, more enemies ran to join the fight. Three otters cruised through the ankle-high water. These guys, slightly taller than the turtle, extended over a dozen feet long from head to tail. Mangy, moss-covered fur decorated the new combatants as their eyes glowed as fiercely as the turtle’s. The turtle patiently walked towards the men while the otters continued their dash, their bodies rapidly undulating like a rolling wave in the ocean.

“Cassius, I need you on the turtle. Lloyd with me,” Regal said.

Cassius ran ahead, casting lightning at the otter directly in front of him. In a swift motion, it avoided most of the attack as it dodged to the left. As Cassius ran past the group of otters, he looked back, casting one last attack into the group before it reached Regal and Lloyd. Both hands erupted into a scattershot stream of lightning, the attack far less focused and concentrated than the last. The fingers of electricity cascaded into all three otters. Two of them failed to dodge, while one eluded his attack.

Regal swung his sword at the first otter that reached him, attempting to time his attack with the wave-like movement of his opponent’s body. In one fluid motion, the massive otter weaseled past the blade, rolling left and swiftly clamping down on Regal’s calf. The momentum of the large animal dropped Regal to his knees. The animal released his leg and went for his exposed midsection. The otter clamped down on Regal’s ribs, failing to pierce his skin. Adjusting the path of his sword, Regal grabbed the hilt with both hands, thrusting it downwards into the spine of the Corrupted. It continued to squirm and bite as Regal twisted the sword. A second one leaped onto his back, its claws and fangs grabbing hold of what they could.

Stolen story; please report.

Lloyd, with swords drawn, was ready for the attack. The otter ran towards Lloyd, but before reaching him, began to shake rapidly. Lloyd’s eyes tried to adjust as the otter’s body blurred. The blurring intensified, making the animal seem three times as wide as it had a moment ago. The fuzziness subsided, and three otters stood before Lloyd. They rushed forward and attacked him from three different angles. In desperation, he chose two at random. One sword missed its mark as the otter wove out of the way while his other sliced through the beast. The otter he hit disappeared in a wave of mist. It’s not real; it’s an illusion, Lloyd thought.

What was real was the pain he felt as the otter clamped its teeth onto his right thigh. The pain rippled through his body. Fortunately, Lloyd stayed on his feet and stabbed down with both of his swords into the hide of the otter. The closeness of the attack meant that he couldn’t gain much momentum, the swords barely breaking the skin. This worked to dislodge the otter, but its lifeline was still intact. With a blood-drenched mouth, the otter evaluated its opponent. Lloyd tried to step forward but found his right leg lacking much ability to put weight on it. The otter saw this weakness and exploded forward. With surprising power, the shabby aquatic creature jumped and aimed at Lloyd’s throat. He stabbed upwards with his left while slashing toward the face of the beast with his right. Both attacks connected, but so did the singular attack of the otter.

The beast smashed into Lloyd, its teeth connecting with his collarbone. Lloyd dropped both of his swords as they crashed into the water. The heft of the beast on top of Lloyd’s body knocked the air out of him. The pair’s weight shoved Lloyd into the soft ground, fully submerging him. With no air left in his lungs and no weapons in his hands, he reacted on instinct while the otter ripped away at his shoulder. Lloyd released a waterlogged primal scream as he reached up to grab the otter. Arching his back, Lloyd flipped the otter over. Gasping for breath, Lloyd pushed away from the beast, a chunk of his shoulder and backpack strap staying within the maw of the Corrupted. Lloyd stumbled backward while the animal tried to get off of its back. He reached toward his shoulder, pulling away his hand to see a pool of blood.

Lloyd dropped to the ground, his left knee feeling the squishiness of the swampy ground, his right landing atop the dense metal of his father’s sword. As the otter gained its footing, Lloyd gripped the only sword he could find in his right hand, his left arm dangling to the side. The otter that had taken a chunk out of him was now poised and ready to attack. Standing unsteadily, Lloyd readied for his last swing. Moving much more slowly than before, the otter charged directly at Lloyd. He could hear faint sounds of splashing behind him, and he imagined it must be the other two fighting. I hope that they survive, at least, Lloyd thought.

The otter closed the distance, and Lloyd began his attack. The sword felt foreign in his hands, more akin to a large log rather than an expertly crafted sword. His muscles ached, his vision blurred, and his hand began losing grip as he started the swing. He focused his energy on the sword as pain surged throughout his entire body. Something crashed into him before he could finish his attack. Lloyd no longer had the power to hold onto his sword as he swiftly splashed into the swamp again. Pain surged through him, the waters turning red as he lay there. Fortunately, based on where he landed, his head found a high spot and stayed out of the water. He saw his brother attacking the otter, killing it with a few slashes. Regal sheathed his sword as he retrieved Lloyd’s pack. He quickly rummaged through the bag, finding a flask with red liquid.

“Drink this. Quickly,” Regal said as he uncorked the bottle and helped his brother open his mouth, pouring the contents of the bottle in.

“Stay here,” Regal commanded.

Lloyd wanted to complain; he wanted to convince his brother he was fine, but yet again, he found himself at the absolute other end of the spectrum. Lloyd could feel his bones shift and fuse back together, unsure when exactly he broke them. Wounds began to close on his skin, and his dizzy vision began to clear up. He could see that Cassius was still entrenched in the battle with the behemoth tortoise. Regal joined in and began slashing at the turtle. The lightning failed to penetrate the turtle’s shell, and Regal’s sword glanced off. The beast pulled its head into its shell and spun in a circle, blasts of water erupting under the feet of Cassius and Regal. Regal was able to dodge, but Cassius was knocked off his feet. The turtle took the opening to attack Regal.

I need to help them, Lloyd thought. He looked over at his shoulder and saw that most of the missing chunk of skin had replaced itself. His legs still felt weak, so he crawled toward the last spot where he remembered his weapons were. Fortunately, the wrapped hilts stuck above the water’s surface. Lloyd, elbows on knees, got to his feet and grabbed his swords.

Regal tried stabbing the exposed section of the turtle’s skin, the tip of his blade only finding the shell as the turtle deftly shifted at the last moment. The beast threw itself into Regal’s midsection, knocking him onto his back. The turtle stood on Regal's chest, its eyes mere inches from Regal’s. He shoved against the beast’s underbelly, his strength failing to move the stout tortoise. The beast cried out as Lloyd got within a few feet of the fight. The moss on its shell shifted, and the repulsive sound of grinding bone gushed from its carapace as spikes swiftly protruded through its mossy shell. In one swift move, the turtle jumped from Regal’s chest and turned upside down before landing back atop Regal. The turtle began to spin rapidly on Regal’s chest. The dagger-like bones that now stuck out from its shell began to grind against Regal’s skin.

“Ahhhhhh!” Regal yelled as the Corrupted’s spiky shell began to come away bloodied.

Lloyd jumped forward, thrusting his swords into the turtle’s exposed underbelly. Still covered with a shell, it must have been softer than the top. Lloyd's swords penetrated a few inches deep before being ripped out of his hands as the turtle continued its death spin.

“Move!” Cassius yelled.

Lloyd didn’t question it, dodging backward just in time to avoid Cassius’ lightning. The electricity made contact with the swords and electrified the turtle from within. A hideous roar, and a moment later, the Corrupted stopped spinning. Regal yelled out in pain as he attempted once more to shove the turtle off of his chest, still unable to do so. Cassius and Lloyd rushed over, and the three of them were finally able to move the turtle. The giant tortoise flopped onto its stomach, splashing into the swamp, sending shallow waves outward from its corpse.

Regal took a few moments before shakily getting to his feet. Regal's blood-soaked shirt was ripped in multiple locations, exposing the deep gashes and minor scrapes that adorned his skin. The air was still, and Lloyd could hear Cassius breathing as he felt his heart thumping in his ears.

“Anybody gonna get me a potion?” Regal asked with a pained smile as he gripped his ribs.

Lloyd rushed over to his bag, retrieving an identical vial to the one used on him only moments ago. Regal took the potion, draining its contents in seconds.

“Holy shit, dude, that turtle was nasty. I can't believe he actually cut you,” Cassius said as he reached his hand out to move the ripped cloth on Regal’s midsection.

Regal slapped away Cassius’ hand as both men smiled.

“Yeah, seriously. I was stone certain that you were incapable of bleeding anymore,” Lloyd agreed.

Regal reached to the back of his head and scratched a few times before he responded. “That freaking spin move, man. Just the weight of that fucker hurt; it was truly agonizing when he started to go around in circles. Even before he finally cut me, those blades had a pressure like I’d never felt before. I was as surprised as you guys when he finally cut me open. If you guys didn't kill him when you did, I don't know how much longer I could have lasted. Thank you guys,” Regal said.

“Of course,” Lloyd and Cassius said.

“The real question is, how the fuck are you standing right now? I saw literal chunks of you missing,” Regal asked as he approached his brother.

“The health potion seemed to fix me up pretty good. If I'm being honest, though, it was pretty rough there for a second,” Lloyd said.

Regal stared at Lloyd’s now fully recovered shoulder before shaking his head.

“Yeah, no shit. I just… I don’t know, man. Seems weird. Didn’t think it would work so well with normies like you,” Regal said as he shoved Lloyd in his left shoulder.

“Owww,” Lloyd muttered.

“We will have to send a thank you letter back home to Haven for supplying us with some top-tier potions, it seems,” Regal said.

“I say we get these damn flowers and get the hell out of here. That was way more than we bargained for,” Cassius said as he reached out to grab some of the Mage Thistle. His arm flung backward as a few curses escaped his mouth. “You weren't kidding, Lloyd; these things have a bite to them. I guess we're going with the cloth idea. Let's get ten of them real quick.”

“There seem to be about 20 of them here, no sense in leaving any behind. They might be helpful for us.” Regal said.

“Aye, aye, captain. Loot it all!” Cassius yelled, feigning a salute.

All three men covered their hands with whatever they could find and quickly picked the thistles. As the bag finally bulged with the 20th herb, they set off toward Sylvia.