“And how is that going to work?” I asked.

“We are going to head out into the swamp every day for a week and eliminate whatever approaches us,” Typhoon said.

“Mata said you gain the powers and abilities of creatures you kill and eat. If the hag doesn’t show up, we can still let you have the last hit and salvage what you can eat,” Samson said.

“While I appreciate the opportunity, is there any other way?” I asked.

“The hag is too hard to find with conventional means. Scrying magic is out because of her warding and she uses magic to remove her tracks. The only way to find her is to know where she will be, or to make her come to us,” Klaneste said.

Fucking hate fey. Oftentimes they are either an adventure's best friends, or they are worse than the villains of a story. I do not know how she found me but I will not be this bitch’s meal or whatever she wants. “Just so I am sure. Running away is not an option?” I inquired.

“You could, but you will probably look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. The hag will hunt you and she will hurt others to get to you,” Mata said.

He was right. Anyone close to me could be a liability if I run. I hated this feeling of dread. My heart felt as though it was sinking into a hole and dragging me down with it. My mind is clouding and I just want to close up and hide in my room. I focus on all these feelings recognizing them for what they are, harmful and impeding. I can only get rid of this hesitation by going out there and doing something about it.

“This swamp is probably going to be filled with blood by the end of the week. Let's get to work then I guess,” I cheer with a fire in my eyes and spirit in my voice.

The Claret Order, Fetu, and Marquis Mata look at my enthusiasm with pride. Another member added to this hag-hunting crew. It will be their last member as each of them will give up everything to kill this hag once and for all.

……….

“Othe is fully behind your efforts to kill the hag. To that end, I have something for you,” Mata said and handed us a crate, “enough theiki root for 4 days for each of you, 4 uses of willowshade oil, and an olisuba leaf for each of you.”

The group consisted of Samson, Klaneste, Typhoon, Fetu, and me. The gold cost of all those herbs should be around 430 gold. That is a lot of investment for just supplies. Mata spoke. ”You all are the best hope to end this nightmare. If you succeed I might die of happiness on your return. Do not let this stop you. I would enjoy such a death.”

The old man is going to make me tear up. I better come back with good news so I can attend his funeral. The five of us got into a large raft we had been given by a local businessman. He was the husband of the woman who was taken by the hag 12 years ago. He said he was more than happy to give whatever we needed for this expedition. Departing the docks we looked back at Othe. I am probably not going to be this dry for a while as we float further into the swamp.

Not ten minutes later 2 alligators attacked the boat. Typhoon drove his great axe into the head of one killing it immediately while Klaneste used a spell to hold the other still. I took the initiative and bashed its head in with my staff. Samson took out a machete and cut off the end of its tail for me to eat later. I wanted to tell them the truth. I did not need to eat an animal for my power to work, but I could not while the hag was watching. Twice more did alligators attack us and once more did I kill one of them. I have yet to take the time to speak with the dire wolf so I will make sure he and the gators are taken care of tonight. I might give Tiny the job of greeting all the new souls. He has been reliable with the terrain planning and development has gone smoothly. The souls have collectively decided that a city needs to be built around the memory warehouse. This is so that all new souls can rest nearby while they either wait to look at them or to interact with each other. I suggested they look at my memories of Venice to get an idea for a hybrid aquatic and land city. I am proud of them as they have come a long way.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Samson. Tell us of the hag’s personality,” I ask. I like to believe I know myself, so I need to know my enemy.

“She is a night hag. They possess the ability to enter mortals' dreams and seal their souls into gems which they trade with fiendish and other dark entities. She can disappear into the ethereal plane. More than likely she will escape our first encounter. She has illusions that allow her to change shape. If you see someone in this swamp that isn't us, do not approach them. You do not have magical attacks so most of your damage will be resisted. Leverage your enhanced strength and go for grabs and strangulation. Those are the abilities of common Night Hags but this one has more. We have documented several spells. Bolts of fire, magic arrows that will not miss, invisibility, magic to make you fall asleep, and magic to give you painful nightmares,” Samson explained.

I momentarily forget all my fear and trepidations and start to think about the power I could obtain with the hag's soul. I mean I am sure I could contain her soul once I kill her. Surely this plan won’t backfire.

We soon reached a landmass that sits about rests above the swamp. This is the place that is to be our base of operations for the week. At night we will stay here and rest in shifts. During the day we will hunt. Other than that we plan to react to the hag’s actions. The Othemoor covers around 600 square miles. The hag’s lair lies to the east resting at the base of the Cryios mountains. We were about 15 miles from the border away from that.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. Every 30 minutes or so a giant bug or lizard of some kind attacked us. I decided I didn't need all those forms so I did not kill any of them. Klaneste had cast a large divine guardian for us. As long as we slept within ten feet of it we should know if the hag approaches us. To be sure I asked Samson if she could use her magic from the ethereal plane. He assured me that it wasn’t possible otherwise we would all have been dead by now. I was on last watch so I went to bed as soon as I could. The swamp tried its best to keep me awake with the sound of bugs flying, frogs ribbiting and bubbling from swamp gases but I soon found slumber.

………

“I would be honored to take this responsibility, boss,” Tiny said. I had just asked him if he would be the welcoming liaison for new souls.

“Thank you. I give you the power to create and move memory orbs to awaken new souls. I also allow you the ability to move through these lands untamed and with a simple thought. Distance is simply a word you once knew,” I commanded and the world answered. Tiny had these responsibilities and powers. May he use them well.

I demonstrated the gift I had just given him and stepped toward the dire wolf. He was in the memory warehouse. I spoke. ”Hello. I am sorry I haven’t taken the chance to introduce myself. I have been occupied by matters of grave importance.”

With a gruff voice, he spoke. ”I know. Your hunt for the hag is impressive. You have an excellent pack and strong conviction. I know you will succeed for you have bested me. There can be no other result.” The dire wolf had raised his head to meet my eyes. "You have killed me and taken my power as is your right. I have looked at the memories here and came to a conclusion. You will need a guard. I can not follow you to the world of the living but I can protect you here. I request the position of guard captain.”

Well then. I can respect that attitude. So like captain Kali took the chance with me I will do the same. “What is your name?” I asked.

“I have taken the name Theseus,” He spoke with pride. Good choice.

“Theseus. You fought well against me. You show great conviction and strength of heart. The title of guardian is no small position but believe you to be more than adequate. You only need the strength. In these lands, you will have it. You need sight and in these lands, you will have it. For as long as you protect these lost souls and this land you will have it,” I spoke to the world again and power was given. It was a weird feeling to give authority so easily like this, but authority isn’t something you can take. It is earned and given only because people let you do so.

I leave Theseus to his work and find the alligators not too far from me. They both were looking at a memory from today. It was Samson's explanation of night hags. I will need to ask them about that tomorrow when they are more of their new selves. I connect to their souls and move on to my research.

………..

I woke up on my own with no issues. Everyone else is getting up as well. The first order of business is shifting into the wolfman. It's my most effective form and I don’t have a time limit on maintaining it. Everyone else is tending to their morning rituals. I focus on my hearing and my sense of smell. Ugh, I want to puke. I keep going despite the smell of a fucking swamp. Nothing I can sense is too close. I take the moment of peace and try the alligators. I created everything on my left arm for now. First I cover my elbow down in skin. It feels strong. The scales are tough and the skin is thick but flexible. I could do without the sensitivity though. Well, it might be handy when in the water since I can sense water pressure much better now. I will place this in certain areas on my chest, shoulders, and legs. I still leave the hair on top of it. Next, I try the jaws. I reach for a tail we got yesterday and snap it in my jaw hand. I crush the tail easily. If I were to swing this around I would probably rip it to shreds. I think alligator jaws will work well with wrappling. I mean grappling. I need more arms. Hey bitch, send me a gorilla.

"So when do you think she will start?" I asked.

"Soon. She will try and wear us out first. Make us spend resources fighting expendables. If we kill too many she might get desperate. That's what we need. This war will continue until one of us makes a mistake. We must be sure she is the first one to do that," Samson said.

I trusted him. Plus it's not like I had a better plan. But the odds were in my favor. The more I kill the stronger I become. If I kill ten alligators then I just need to rush forward as an alligator ten times the size.