~~~

Elsewhere in the Draco forest-

Sidney had the displeasure of meeting another party already search around the Buzzing Bog. This place was bad enough already with the aforementioned buzzing of insects constantly droning in the background. He was sure if it wasn’t for the insect repellent enchantments on their gear, they’d already be covered in bites.

To make matters worse, the other adventurer party was composed of demons. Sidney was no speciest, but the humans and the demons hadn’t gotten along since times immemorial. Some continents saw the two factions at war constantly in one form or another, but with the constant threat of the powerful beasts in the Draco woods, all humanoids had learned it was best to play nice while on Dochna. The humans and demons ‘played nice’ by mostly not being near the other, every human and demon country was separated by at least one other race's country. Mostly beast folk or fey-kind.

“Well, well, well! What do we have here?” The demoness leader asked with a sneer, the other members of her party chuckling behind her. “A bunch of lost humans looking for the prize in OUR search area.”

“It’s a bloody forest!” Saintess Bethany snapped at the demoness, “we can search anywhere we want! Nobody owns it!!”

Sidney felt a headache coming on, the buzzing in the background almost turning to ringing.

As a woman of the church, Saintess Bethany was much more… disapproving of the demons. Most did worship the Fallen One after all. Sidney personally figured that didn’t matter much. Just as the humans had cults of humans that worshipped the Fallen One, there were also demon cults that worshipped God. With that in mind, she shouldn’t be so immediately hostile with possible other members of her faith.

As the party leader, Sidney put a calming hand on Bethany’s shoulder and moved her behind him with a glare.

“Apologies, good demonfolk.” He started, trying to sound neutral. “We have received information to speak to someone supposedly living around here.”

“Someone living in the Buzzing Bog? You humans really are as foolish as they say!” The demoness giggled confrontationally.

“Yes, well, if you don’t believe me, then please just be on your way.” He ground out through grit teeth.

“No. While I don’t believe your stupid little tall tale, I do believe you actually know something.” She replied with a smug expression. “Reveal it to us or be on YOUR way!”

Sidney was honestly considering just smacking the stupid horned woman when he realized what was actually going on.

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“Ugh, calm down guys. Her class is provoker.” Sidney groaned.

Provokers were the demon version of the human defender class. The difference being that they focused more on distraction than defense. Provokers were especially annoying to deal with because they could use their enemies’ anger to hit them with status effects.

“Well now, it looks like at least one of you actually does have some form of brain in their hornless head.”

Sidney took a deep breath, it was a bad idea since they were still in a bog. He coughed and sputtered as the foul air invaded deep into his lunges. The demon adventurer party, of course, laughed at him.

“Oh, never mind!” The demoness tittered.

He really hated this place.

“Look just shut your face hole for a minute and we’ll see if our information was really a false lead!” Sidney fumed. “You’ll just have to promise that if we get any good info out of it, you’ll give up a head start of an hour or two.”

“Um, Sidney? I really don’t think-“ Ella started to nervously mumble before being cut off by the demoness.

“Oho? Don’t humans have the saying, ‘only the very brave or very foolish make deals with demons’?” One of her entourage let out a snort when she added, “Well, we already know which of those you are though.”

“Shut,” Sidney simply said. His voice had enough clearly restrained rage that the demoness felt a happy little shiver go through her spine.

The two parties exchanged glances with their own party members and the others’.

“Fine.” The demoness spoke. “You’ll get a half an hour head start if the information is good.”

“But-“ Ella tried to complain, but Braid stopped her, giving her a comforting pat on the head.

“It’ll have to do. Sidney looks angry enough to throw a tavern at them already.” Braid gives her a sympathetic grin before comically adding, “I told you he should have been a barbarian.” Giving him a wink that Sidney just scoffed at. Thankfully, the joke had the effect Braid had hoped for, as the feeling of tension eased a little.

Sidney cleared his throat as he looked towards the deeper section of liquid earth, where nothing could seem to live without slipping under.

“BOG MOTHER!!! ARE YOU HERE?!? WE WERE TOLD TO SPEAK WITH YOU BY A TURF DRYAD!!!” Sidney yelled into the swamp. At the term ‘bog mother’ the constant buzzing of insects immediately when silent and the demons stiffened like they’d been turned to stone.

“The ‘person’ living here you were talking about was a bog mother?” The demoness squeaked, her uncharacteristic fear making the human party feel like they might have just bitten off more than they could chew. Sidney’s voice, strangely, didn’t stop echoing around the bog, as if caught in a loop.

“You bloody fool!” She hissed at him, still not moving an inch. “ A bog mother doesn’t live in the swamp, they are the-“

“Yes, yes, I hear ya.” Everyone present looked in the direction of the new voice. In a spot where no life larger than a grub had survived, now stood a mud hut. Grumbling could be heard from inside the hut, along with something that sounded like the ruffling of bedsheets and the squelching of mud at the same time.

Soon, what could only be described as a hag came out of the mud hut. She was covered in enough mud that it was impossible to tell her exact appearance aside from being a humanoid. Her clothes, once a beautiful dress made of the finest material, were tattered and worn, barely hiding her important areas.

“Who’re you and whaddya want?” She huffed at them. Her voice like that of an old woman gargling slime.

The demons dropped to their knees, bowing in apparent fear and respect. “Great bog mother, we humbly apologize for disturbing you, it was the humans that-“

“Then I obviously wasn’t talking to you. Go on an get!” She waved the demons away dismissively. “Go on, shoo! Off with ya!” The demon party turned and quickly fled once the hag start throwing foul smelling mud balls at them. She cackled at them fleeing before turning to the now trepid group of humans. “So? Why are ya here?”

Sidney gulped before stepping forward. Hags we’re beings of myth. The personification of a place slowly turning to suit darker forces. Depending on how long she’d been here, she might soon turn into a full on witch of the woods!

As the hag smiled at them all too knowingly, Sidney could already tell that this was going to go very poorly for him after all. He hated this forest.