The agony was immediate and all-consuming—a cruel and unrelenting force that consumed every fiber of my being. One moment I was atop that godforsaken Croak Lord, the next, I was flung through the air, landing with a bone-jarring thud. The swamp floor beneath me offered no comfort, cold and unyielding as it was. For a fleeting second, I was grateful I hadn't hit the water, but that thought got swallowed up by the searing pain that was spreading through me like wildfire.

I tried to open my eyes, to see the threat that loomed near, but they might as well have been stitched shut. Swollen? I wondered. The world around me was nothing but a haze of agony and disorientation. Every breath I tried to draw was like sucking air through a pillow, my lungs fighting against an invisible enemy that was slowly, methodically squeezing the life outta me.

The low, guttural croak of the beast reverberated around me, a sinister soundtrack to my plight. The ground vibrated with its movements. The Croak Lord was still there, drawing closer with each passing second. My mind raced, but my body was a prisoner to the pain, unable to respond, unable to flee. It was coming for me, and I was helpless, my body wracked with pain, my vision lost in darkness.

Fear clawed at my insides, a primal, desperate terror that knew only one truth—I was going to die here, suffocated by the toxic cloud of this monstrous creature. I had faced down challenges, fought tooth and nail to survive in this fuckin’ swamp, only to find myself on the brink of being undone by a creature straight outta some boil-covered nightmare. The irony of it all would've been laughable if I wasn't so damn scared. And in pain.

I lay there, every part of me ablaze with pain, the spores gnawing at me from the inside out like a bunch of tiny demons hell-bent on my destruction. My body was useless, a mere shell wracked by the toxic onslaught. I waited, dread tightening its grip around my heart, for the Croak Lord to finish what it started.

Those moments, stretched out like an eternity, weren't filled with reflections on my life or regrets. No, sir. All there was, was the pain—a suffocating, all-consuming agony that blotted out everything else. And a single, terrifying thought that this was it, the end of the line for Leo Trask, claimed not by sword or beast, but by the silent, deadly sumbitch of an embrace of a bog and its cursed inhabitant.

SPLASH

I sputtered. Water?

Something wet had gushed all over me. I didn’t know what it was, but it got into my gasping mouth and I started hacking, swallowing. It burned differently than the spores, but still burned. The deluge kept coming, and for a second I thought maybe this was some kind of near-death hallucination. I mean, why would I suddenly be waterboarded? That didn’t make no sense. But then, something happened: tingling. It was a sensation that spread through my body, and it was familiar. Where have I felt this before?

My mind was still reeling, trying to make sense of it all. The unexpected waterfall had stopped, but the cooling sensation continued to wash over me, providing a brief respite from the searing agony within. My coughing fit was now punctuated by spluttering as I inadvertently swallowed more of the mysterious water. What the hell was going on? One thing was for sure—I was feeling less pain. Also, my eyes split open a crack.

How about that?

Then, in the midst of my confusion and pain, another heavy splash sounded from afar. It was distant, yet it felt significant, something I couldn't quite place. I strained to open my eyes, but they barely cooperated, offering only a blurred view of my surroundings.

Through my hazy vision, I could make out the Croak Lord's shadowy form a few feet away, turned away from me and facing the water. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a drum of panic and pain. I glanced around, realizing I was soaked through. But how? I couldn't remember falling into the water.

"What…the hell...?" I murmured aloud, my voice hoarse and strained.

My words seemed to catch the Croak Lord's attention. The massive toad slowly turned its hulking form back towards me. The tingling sensation continued to work its way through my body, easing some of the pain but leaving me too weak to stand. I was still grounded, vulnerable.

Then, as the Croak Lord let out another deep croak, I saw more vapor billowing from its boils. My heart sank. It was gearing up for another charge. Panic surged within me, mingling with the remnants of pain and confusion.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I managed to say, my voice a strained whisper through clenched teeth. The pain hadn't completely left me, but it had subsided enough to allow me to think more clearly.

With trembling hands, I reached for the spear I’d made from the chair-leg, securing it in a defensive position. Aim for the eyes, Leo, I thought to myself …if you can.

The Croak Lord charged, its massive form barreling towards me with a speed that defied its size. My heart raced, panic and adrenaline surging through my veins. Just as the creature neared, my Elemental Shield sprang to life in front of me, a last-ditch effort of my Galdur to protect me. The shield shimmered into existence, a barrier of swirling mist and water between me and the impending doom.

But then, in a blur of motion, something else erupted from the water behind the Croak Lord. My blurred vision couldn’t make out what it was, but the disruption was unmistakable. The Croak Lord smashed into my shield with the full might of its bulk. The shield held, but only for a fleeting second. My mind, weakened by the spores, couldn't maintain the focus needed to keep it intact.

As the shield dispersed, the creature's momentum carried it over me. I felt a rush of air and a shadow pass overhead. Then I was tumbling uncontrollably in the mud, each roll a new wave of pain and disorientation.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Scrambling to regain some semblance of control, I barely had time to register the next series of events. A whistling sound, high-pitched and swift, cut through the air.

CRUNCH!

Something struck the Croak Lord hard on the side of its head.

For a split second, I caught a glimpse of my saving grace projectile. It was a club. My club, Chess, hurtling through the air with deadly precision. The impact sent the Croak Lord staggering to the side, its bulky body losing balance and splashing into the water.

"Whoa..." I gasped, still struggling to comprehend what just happened. I lay there, trying to catch my breath, still drenched and tingling from the mysterious cascade of water that had revived me.

Who threw my club? How did they know to aim for the Croak Lord?

As I lay there, the pain subsiding but not gone, the reality of my situation slowly sank in. The Croak Lord was wounded but not defeated. It croaked loudly, a sound that was both pained and enraged, turning its massive body back towards me. Undeterred by the blow to its head, it prepared for another charge.

SLURK! SLURK! SLURK! SLURK!

Muddy footsteps moving at top speed. I could just see a big figure moving along, fast as if the devil were chasin’ ‘em, flash into my vision and grab up the club, lifting the thing up triumphantly, and pointing it at the Croak Lord. I gasped.

Broad shoulders, muscular, shaggy hair and beard, a completely vacant expression and piercing predatory eyes. I recognized him.

“...Sav?”

The brawny bastard was just standing there, cool-as-ya-please, having a staring contest with this massive toad like he hadn’t a care in the damn world. He was also completely sopping wet.

So, he’d jumped into the swamp to get the club?

He didn’t respond to me.

“Sav, what are you doing here?” I hissed.

“Bored,” he said.

I balked. He was bored so he decided to follow me? What in the hell…?

“I’m supposed to be doing the Trial on my own.”

“Not doing great, then, are you?” He said, his eyes never leaving the enemy.

“Oh, hell, that’s not the part of that sentence you’re supposed to be focusing on. Are you trying to sabotage me?”

“What sabotage?”

“My completion of the Trial,” I said.

“Not part of the Trial.”

“What?”

“Not part of the Trial,” he repeated.

I sighed.

“What?! Of course it is, you ape!”

“No,” he said simply, hefting the club. “Fyrstibaer’s your Trial. This is on the way.”

“Nuh-uh,” I said—you know, like an adult. “Wait…how do you know what counts or doesn’t count?”

“A guess,” he said.

“You can’t guess with the Trial, Sav! Jesus, you’ve probably spoiled the whole thing for me!”

“Unlikely,” he said.

The Croak Lord seemed to find our interaction confusing, because it wasn’t making any moves at the moment. I mean, that had to be disconcerting, right? You think you’re fighting one guy, and suddenly a bigger guy shows up and knocks you around a little?

“Did you pour water on me?” I demanded.

“I did,” Sav said. “From the pool.”

“From the healing pool?” I wondered. “How did you get it here?”

“Basin,” he said. Then, still staring down the toad, he jabbed his thumb behind him. I turned as much as I could, and could make out the vague shape of what appeared to be a very large bucket made of wood.

“You carried that here?!” I feel like I was the patron saint of incredulity at the moment. “Why?”

“Practice my healing,” he said.

“That’s…that’s not how that works…at least, I don’t think so.”

“You healed?”

“Well, yeah, a little—but—”

“Then, it worked,” he said. “Healing: practiced.”

“Well, regardless,” I said. “How’s that going to look to the Bog if you show up and make this kill for me—I didn’t consent to that, dammit.”

“Might be the Bog won’t care,” the big galoot said.

“Well, I fucking hope you’re right about that,” I said. To be fair, this was my only chance to actually survive this encounter—but I still didn’t like the idea of needing to be saved, you know? Seemed…I dunno, pathetic? Guess that was on me, though, really. I cleared my throat. “You, uh… got any more miracle water?”

“In the basin,” he said.

I couldn’t believe he’d carried that all this way…to…heal me? Man, was he really trying to earn some brownie points with the Bog, or what?

“Alright, well, we’re here now,” I said. “Think you can hold him off for a second while I mend myself real quick? I can hardly move, but I think I can army-crawl over—”

“I’ll hold him off,” Sav stated, and his tone was so severe it creeped me out a little.

“Alright, well…” I started sliding on my stomach toward the basin, my limbs barely functioning. Apparently, though, that was all it took for the toad to get himself good and riled up, because that’s when he decided to have himself a nice charge in our direction. Jesus, I hadn’t even made it to the basin and it was already going to be a headache to—

SMASH!

SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH!

I stared in absolute horror. The Croak Lord had charged Sav, but…but the kid—could I even really call him that? — anyway, he’d hit him again with the club, knocking him to the side. But he didn’t wait. In a feat of…I don’t know…athleticism? Never before displayed by anyone I’d seen in my life, he leaped ten feet into the air and landed on the beast, and then drove him to the ground with strike after strike from the club.

SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH!

He kept going, beating the Croak Lord into a pile of brains and innards until all that was left was quivering viscera. Then he swept the club through the air to free it off guts and gore, before hopping off the body, and walking over to me slowly.

I was frozen with awe.

“How…how did you do that?” I asked.

Sav shrugged.

“Aimed for the head.”

Then he dropped the club in the mud and dusted his hands off.

“What…the fuck?”

Here I was, completely helpless on the ground, still in pain from the spores, and I was supposed to be the Marsh Knight hopeful? I’ll be honest, I was now, for the first time, having my doubts. This guy was only nineteen and he eviscerated something that I didn’t even have a chance to do more than stab a few times. He left me there for a moment, walking over to the basin before lifting it up and bringing it back over.

“You…uh, sure you shouldn’t be trying for Knighthood, Sav?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Don’t want to be a Knight,” he muttered. “Want to be a Squire.”

Well, thank fuck for that, I guess, I thought, just before he poured the rest of the basin over me.