Half a day later I had killed only two more alligators. Mostly because they stopped coming around noon. Everything stopped coming at noon.

"She has retreated. This means next she will probably send something bigger. Probably in the middle of the night," Samson said.

"What does she have protecting her lair?" I asked.

"It's less about the lair and more about what's around it. The trees themselves watch and protect the land around them. She built her home on a hill that extends out of the swamp. Beneath it is the portal to the darker side of the feywilds. It's from there that she corrupts the local wildlife. We have only been fighting normal alligators but soon that will change. Rest up. You will need your sleep," Samson says.

I sit there thinking for a bit. I ask Klaneste," Would closing the portal to the fey wilds weaken the hag enough? Maybe mess with the magic around her lair."

"In theory, yes. The problem is getting that far. We have spoken to the bodies of the adventure group from 30 years ago and learned a fair deal about the hag's home. The magic of the portal is connected to the land around it, so closing it could work," she said.

Typhoon spoke, "We had this conversation 12 years ago. The previous group failed to reach the portal. They got to the hag's house but couldn't beat her and reach the portal."

We all sat in silence after that. Maybe I should have called Abaxis. But I worry that they will suffer the same fate I might. What if I surrendered? Lead us all into the swamp. We could trick her into letting us right past all her defenses. Get to the house and fight it out right there. I'll think about it if things start to look bad.

I look over towards Klaneste and I consider another idea. This one is the longest of long shots but I sit and concentrate. Melora the Wildmother please hear this prayer. I am afraid. I don't know what I am here for. I don't know why this hag is after me. My old world didn't have gods or at least any I could believe in but that's not true here. Gods answer prayers here. I don't need a miracle. I simply need some guidance. If you have the chance I could use it.

............

Rubert

"Master isn't looking so good right now," Clarion said.

"He is facing a stronger opponent. One that has magic he can't counter and hopes he can resist it," Theseus said.

"He has done a lot but this is his first villain. If he beats her then his story and by extension our stories will only grow," Gatsby said.

"He has our strength. I believe in him," Atlas said.

"Wildmother help him. He needs guidance," Rubert said.

"Can she even hear us?" Tiny asked.

"We would have no way of knowing. I am not even really sure why we are here," Rubert said.

"Master will be fine. I believe in him,” Lightning said.

………

In the dark, it waits. For centuries it has waited and been denied its purpose. It felt the presence of another. It reached out but was stopped again. Soon it will hurt once more. The foul creature will come to hurt it more. Then the pain will stop, and it will wait more in the dark. It will wait for however long it takes.

……….

I heard it first. The creature moved along the ground bending the grass and twigs underneath. When it got close I stepped on it. I screamed about an attack but I still couldn't see what was attacking us. It wrapped around my leg and I was dragged across the ground into the water. Another tendril grabbed me. The tentacle monster was invisible! Fucking great. I reached down and clawed into a tendril. It's flexed but held firm on my legs.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Splash. I was not in the water and was being dragged away from the hunting party. Guess the hag bitch decided that kidnapping was the best counter.

I replaced my entire right arm with the body of an alligator. The tail extended from my body and I bit into the creature. I shook it violently. They squirm in pain and two more tentacles wrapped around my alligator. I could feel suckers along it. So this thing was a giant squid or octopus. Either way, I wasn't into this. I dropped all transformations and suddenly I was released and a rush of water filled the vacuum left behind. I spun uncontrollably battered by the water and moved desperately to right myself and reach air.

I right myself and swim to what I believe is the surface. I breach the water and gasp. I replaced my legs with an alligator tail and swam for land. Pulling my body ashore I get my legs back and prepare myself for a second attack. This time wolfman but no fur this time. I replace every inch of myself with alligator skin. The sensitivity will help me see this bitch.

I feel a rush of air from my left and right side. I jump back and make both arms alligator jaws. I bite one of the tentacles and step on the other. With my other jaw, I grab the same tentacle and rip and tear. Two down, six to go.

A ripple happens through the air and the illusion that was hiding the octopus from me has vanished. This was a large black six-armed giant sea creature. Each of the remaining arms was around 15 feet long. The bulbous head rises above the water and I eyed two goat-like eyeballs. Beneath the arms and head I know there lyes a beak ready to shred me. I eye the monstrosity before me and speak. ”I don’t know if the hag has bewitched your mind but I know your species is usually smart. Death is not a bad thing. I am sure you will find happiness in the next life. I guarantee it.”

The big floating ball on the other side of his eyes is where most of his organs reside. I run towards the miniature Kraken and leap. He brings up tentacles to guard him but I bite and tear them apart one by one. He wraps me tightly but keeps me above water to not have a repeat of last time. The problem is I can be just as flexible as him with where I create things. He binds my arms I create a tail with teeth. He grabs the tail but I unmake it and bite him from my legs. Grab then shift and grab then shift. We continue this dance for a minute, but he is unable to do any lasting damage to me.

I escape the tangle of tentacles and land on the ground again. His movement has slowed and blood flows from several hundred bite marks. I grab a remaining tentacle and drag him to shore. I hope to spare him more pain and combine two gator tails into one long tendril of my own. I bash his face. He falls limp and squishy as his boneless body loses all strength.

“I am sorry. May we grow to be good friends in the future,” I spoke.

The adrenaline begins to leave my blood as I focus on where the hell I am. I had been dragged some distance. I can not see my friends or the island we had camped on. The trees seemed thicker here and somehow more twisted than before. Oh boy. I am lost as fuck. I looked at the sky and tried to see beyond the tree branches. I was out of luck because the sky was dark. It should be daytime.

I hear a whisper in my ear as the hag cackles. Oh noooo. The octopus has dragged me into the hag's lair. We should have been miles away. Well, this is not fair. Okay okay okay okay. I turn into a crow and fly above the tree line. The sky is not the same. It is not daytime or even night time it is just dark. I look the the edges and see the smallest amount of blue. This must be some kind of regional effect. I land on top of a tree and shift my crow form to gain several more eyeballs. It worked like I would hope and I can see slight ripples in the surrounding air. Places where the illusion is weak. I look and see the Cryios mountains which mean that way is north by northeast. The hunting party left Othe heading southeast so they should be to my northwest. If not I am sure I can find Othe to the northwest.

I hear a loud screech. Following my flight response, I dive below the tree line. Landing in a muk I shift to the gatorman form. The trees shake, birds cry out, and insects scream. Not sticking around for whatever that was I ran northwest. I don’t know how long it will take to get out of this part of the swamp. Trying to deal with any illusion fey bullshit I create several eyes to try and up my ability to spot them.

I hear loud cracking sounds as I see trees fall behind me. WHAT THE FUCK! I run faster. Forgetting all defenses I change forms several times rapidly. The draft horse for land, an alligator for water, and a raven when I need to get around trees. I keep this up for about an hour exhausting myself in the process. Eventually, the sky clears and I am out of the lair. Feeling much safer now I fly above the tree line and book it towards where I hope the camp is.

………

Fetu

“She has taken him towards her lair,” Fetu said. He was unsure what to do at this moment.

“We need to get him back!” Typhoon said. “I am not failing again. The bitch needs to die. No more debating, no more hesitation!"

Klaneste spoke up," We need to wait a moment. Rushing in blind will not save him."

"Klaneste I want a divination on the benefits of waiting versus going in. Typhoon stay on watch during the ritual. Fetu, you and I are going to pack things up. We can't stay here anyway," Samson said.

Fetu was impressed with the skills of the Claret Order members. He has been Mete's shadow for 9 years now after he saved his life in Port Damalie. He has trained the local Zho how to move through the swamp and hunt silently. But the skills of the Order were astonishing. Each trained in both martial and magical abilities. Each didn't need to be told how to survive in these lands. They did what they said with deadly precision.

The hag has been a thorn in the side of Othe for untold years. Mata has made it his life's mission to rid us all of her corrupting presence. The order was not the only people he contacted. They just arrived first. In the coming weeks more will arrive or send supplies to help. Mata only let us move first so that we could help Edsom grow and make the hag slip up. The shapeshifter must be rescued.

"I am going to start with an augury," Klaneste says and brings out a crystal raven skull. "We are going to enter the hag's lair and search for Edsom."

The skull begins to glow with a black light. Fetu didn't even know you could get black light. "What does that mean?" He asked.

Klaneste replied. "It is woe. Going in there right now is a bad idea."

"Of course it's a bad idea. Doesn't mean we shouldn't fucking do it," Typhoon said.

"Let her finish the second ritual," Samson said.

Klaneste pulls out a bowl and some more incense. She speaks aloud another question. "What is the best way to help save Edsom from the hag?”

The world stilled. Fetu felt his neck hairs stand up on ends. A cool breeze brushed passed him that felt like death itself. Klaneste’s eyes lost all focus and her mouth moved but the voice that spoke was not her own. "The child is not lost. He must return to the blighted forest and face the hag at her door. There he will find the tool to end the misery ever more.”