_______________

Cool down time will end in three... two... one. Please enjoy your playing experience.

It's about goddamn time! I thought.

_______________

I opened my eyes and found myself in the Hag's bed. She sat beside it, like she always had when I fell unconscious.

I really need to stop doing that. I thought to myself in consternation. It was then that I noticed something. To my utter surprise, I was dressed in normal clothing. I had pants that went down to my ankles and a sweater that didn't have any holes in it. I had socks on and it felt very weird. I looked down at my feet and wiggled my remaining toes. The empty space in the sock where my small toes were supposed to be, hung off to the side.

“Starting this spring, you will accompany me into town.” The Hag said and I stared at her. I didn't know how long I had been unconscious or what had happened while I was. “You will learn what I teach you and you will obey me in all things.” She stood up and loomed over me, and my terror filled the hut. “Good. Good.” She said and leaned in close. “Be prepared for me to feast even more on you now.”

My whole body shivered and I stared into her eyes. They had a depth to them that could swallow someone whole, and I... I stared at them and thought that the little dancing flecks of gold in them were worth it. Everything I had been through was worth it.

The Hag blinked her eyes and the little gold flecks had disappeared and terror filled me again. “It's good to know that you aren't immune.” She said with a smile, then she opened her mouth to reveal her jagged and sharp teeth. She lunged and bit my ear. She growled and worried it, as if she was a dog and I was a chew toy. It took her several minutes to tear some of the cartilage off and she chewed on it in front of my face.

I hadn't screamed, or cried, or even yelled at the sight. I was too scared for that. I saw her swallow and then she leaned back down and started sucking on my half-missing ear. The blood wasn't gushing, so it wasn't a grievous wound; but, the blood flowed constantly, so she had quite the feast that day.

I had to drink a number four potion to repair the damage and she didn't stop me. I was lucky, because she hadn't been malicious in her feeding and the ear quickly reformed. The bleeding stopped and I didn't have any lingering scars.

The Hag must have felt my relief, because she leaned back down and bit into my ear with her teeth. She didn't chew, or tear, or anything. I felt her saliva, or I suppose it was her venom, sink into the teeth marks. I smelled the burning flesh and I squirmed, even though I didn't feel anything.

“Poisonous snakes aren't the only creatures that can cause permanent damage to you.” The Hag whispered, then she licked my ear and walked over to the fire.

I reached up and rubbed my now numb ear and felt the several holes that her bite had left. “You didn't have to do that.” I said and sat up. “I can't feel my ear.”

The Hag laughed. “Give it a few days.” She said and scooped out some of the stew. “You need to make another batch soon.”

I didn't have to ask her what she meant. My own damage was depleting our stock of number four potion and I was going to have to hunt for the ingredients even harder, because it was winter and I would have to venture out even farther than I had before to get them. I let out a sigh and walked over to the warming fire, knelt down and helped myself to a half portion of stew. There was only a couple days worth of food left, which meant that I needed to make even more food.

Without being asked, I left the hut and checked the various traps and things around the hut and on the drier parts of our little area, then brought in the catches. A couple of near-rabbits were a bit too skinny for what I wanted to use them for, so I just skinned them and cleaned off the meat, then tossed it right into the old stew. I added more water and tubers, then sliced up some more tasty mushrooms and added them as well.

I left it to brew and went back out to reset the traps, hunted any more spiders that were trying to encroach on our territory, then went back inside. By the time I returned, I saw that the Hag had gone to bed and had extinguished the torches I had made using the frog oil.

I knew what that meant, so I closed up the hut and checked for any creatures that might have entered, then went to the corner of the room by the Hag's bed. I was surprised when I saw that instead of my normal hole-ridden blanket, it was a relatively fresh boar skin. I didn't say anything as I crawled in underneath the thing and the warmth was even more soothing than the Hag's numbness was on my ear.

“You owe me another willing fillet.” The Hag said into the silence.

I shivered from the thought of being stupid enough to do that again and my terror filled the hut. I felt her satisfaction at my terror and then for some reason, I fell asleep.

_______________

Time compression activated. Story elements are too generic and repetitive for fun or effective story progression. Please stand by while we progress you to an appropriate spot in the narrative.

_______________

I watched as a montage played before me. Days, weeks, and months passed in front of me and each one only had slight variations. Those were the parts where I made the monthly trek to gather more mushrooms and fungus bulbs, converted the fungus into the required powder that the Hag wanted, and she whisked them away to do whatever it was that she did with them.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Suddenly, it was spring and the pervasive chill faded slightly. Nearly the entire marsh came back to life, after what was a fairly long winter, and the boxes that had the small bottles of potions the Hag sold in the village had filled about a quarter of the available space in the hut. There really wasn't much to do during the winter, except brew potions when the ingredients became available, eat, and sleep.

“Boy!” The Hag's voice carried from outside and into the hut. “Come here now!”

I tossed off the boar skin that I was under and shot to my feet, then ran out of the hut to her.

“Where is my boat?!?” The Hag nearly yelled and pointed to the spot where the boat should have been.

I walked over to the spot and didn't see it, then looked down into the waterway. I thought I saw a faint outline of something big, like the boat. I held in my sigh about the boat being sunk.

_______________

You have a choice to make. Be wise and careful if you value your remaining digits.

A) Reach in and grab it. B) Dive in. C) Use a stick. D) Splash the water. E) Tell the Hag to do it.

I almost laughed at the last option. She called me out here, just so she wouldn't have to do it. I thought and looked at my hands with a missing finger on each. The other options all require my hands close to or in the water, so the only real choice is C. I choose C.

_______________

I quickly looked around and found a half-decently long thin branch and went back to the spot that I saw the outline, then knelt by the edge of the water and carefully probed the water with the end of the stick. When nothing reacted, I moved the stick down into the water and poked whatever the outline was.

In the next second, I was soaked from head to toe in freezing cold water when it splashed up like a fountain. I fell backwards and most of the stick in my hand was gone and I had several scrapes on my knuckles. I stared at one of the water beasts that must have been resting right there and it had almost taken my hand.

The beast wasn't going anywhere and looked to be trapped as it thrashed around, then it settled down.

“We need a new pushing pole.” The Hag said from behind me.

“I'll make one right away!” I said and ran to the hut, grabbed the tiny hand saw, then went around to the other side of our little dry area. I crossed the water there, after checking for another water beast, even though it wasn't deep enough for one to hide on that side, and found an appropriate tree. It took me ten minutes to cut the thing down and I quickly cleaned it of branches. I did it fast, because the one thing you couldn't do was make the Hag wait for longer than she thought she should.

I crossed the water again and ran back to her. The Hag took the pole and looked it over, reluctantly nodded at the good job I did, then she took out her killing knife. She made several notches on the end, staggered for some reason, then she sharpened the end of the pole. I stared at her using her blade for such a mundane thing, worried that it was going to dull and I would be blamed.

“It never dulls.” The Hag said without looking at me, made a final swipe to make the end of the pole a sharp point, then she walked over to the water. I knew what she was going to do and walked over with her. I wasn't worried about the splashing, since I was already soaked, and I felt a tingle as the Hag did something to the pole. I stared again as the pole seemed to gain a metallic shimmer, then she plunged it into the water.

We were both covered in water as the beast splashed around from being stabbed. The Hag repeated the action several times, shifting the pole from side to side. I didn't understand what she was doing, until the beast stopped moving around and the water was filled with blood.

“It's going to take a lot of treatment to make the meat edible.” The Hag said, a little disgustedly. She pulled up the pole and the beast's body floated up to the surface of the water. She flipped the pole up and looked at the blood-stained end, used her knife to slice off the blood covered part, then sighed as she tossed the pole aside. “It's too short to use now.”

I kept my mouth shut and didn't mention that it would have been fine if she had left it alone.

“You can't use a point to push the boat, stupid.” The Hag said, as if she read my mind. “It would stick into the bottom of the marsh and would pull you off balance and probably out of the boat.”

Oh. I thought.

“Now drag the damn thing out of the water.” The Hag said and I knelt as I reached for the closest fin. “Watch your hands on the spikes. I don't feel like healing you or saving your life again so soon.”

Just once a year, then. I thought sarcastically and she smacked the back of my head really hard. I fell forward and caught myself before I was impaled by those spikes.

“Don't be a smart ass.” The Hag said. “Hurry up!”

I struggled and managed to get part of the tail of the beast onto the dry part. Even partially in the water, the thing was really heavy.

“Oh, for Tartarus' sake!” The Hag spat and handed me a small vial. “Drink this.”

I recognized the number six potion and took it reverently.

“I said to hurry UP!” The Hag said and lifted her hand to smack me again.

I downed the potion and let the tingling feeling fill me. She had only let me drink it once before and that was six years ago when I was five. I had to help her build out the hut and carry the materials after she cut them down.

Strength coursed through me and I had to hide my smile as I grabbed the tail of the creature and stood up. I walked backwards and still struggled as the huge thing was pulled onto the dry part. I had never seen anything like it before. The giant jaws with rows and rows of teeth, the beady little eyes, and the rows of spikes it had in its less protected areas, made the thing an impressive and terrifying sight.

“Now get my boat.” The Hag said and pointed into the water.

_______________

You have a choice to make. It could make things better or worse for you.

A) Hesitate and do it. B) Jump in. C) Be careful. D) Tell the Hag to do it. E) Strangle the Hag.

Ha. I thought. Even with boosted strength, there's no way I could overpower the Hag. I read the other options and made my decision. I choose C.

_______________

I picked up the discarded pole and went over to the water near the right spot, then used the pole to jab and splash in the water, knowing that making noise and movement would draw out another one, if it was there. When nothing happened, I took several deep breaths and dove into the water. I swam down the fifteen feet to the bottom and saw that the skiff was half-buried in the mud. I dug it out as best as I could, dislodged it, and dragged it back to the surface.

The Hag didn't praise me for it, even though she knew that I had held my breath for nearly twice as long as I normally would and finished the task of emptying the flat bottom boat without having to make several trips. I could feel her approval, though. She grabbed the edge of the boat and pulled it out of my hands onto the dry area easily, which proved my previous choice of not trying to strangle her, was a smart one.

“Godsdammit.” The Hag said and looked at the bottom of the boat. A hole that was nearly the same size as the beast's maw was in it.