The Murky Mire was a place of mystery and dread, shrouded in thick mists that seemed to rise from every crevice.

Scholars had long puzzled over the mists that hung above the swamp all year round, with some speculating that they came from a portal to an infernal realm hidden deep within the Mire's murky depths. From this portal emerged creatures that mankind were not meant to encounter - entities that could not cross the border of the Mire.

Those who dared to venture into the Mire never returned to tell the tale, and those who observed it from a distance had terrifying stories to tell of ghostly, phosphorescent deer and tall, faceless men with unnaturally slender frames.

Only the foolish would dare to challenge the Mire. But that didn't stop Ehrwin Bargunri, the third son of House Bargunri - the third most powerful house in the realm - from venturing into it.

That was, until he saw the Mire with his own eyes.

Ehrwin gulped as they sailed towards the Mire. He realized that he had been too rash, too confident, too foolish.

"It's either this or live a mundane life" was the justification for the journey. He had grown tired of the mundane in his past life, and vowed to rise above. But now, he was starting to realize that he had gotten the options wrong - it should have been "Live ordinarily or pointlessly throw your life away."

"Now this looks like a prime spot for courting a lover." Dolly whistled, scanning the misty Mire.

Gaul giggled like a little girl, which was unseemly for a man of his size. "Plenty of space for a good romp." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

As usual, he made his move on her.

She rolled her eyes, "All you ever think about is bedding a woman, eh, Gaul?"

And as usual, she shut him down. You couldn’t blame him for trying, though. Few men could resist those beautiful eyes that gleamed like piercing emeralds and her jet-black hair that cascaded down her shoulders in a straight curtain, with bangs framing her face like a work of art. A hard face, but a beautiful one.

“No, of course not!” he said, mortified. “I’d court her properly first.”

"And that's why you never get any," she scoffed. "Tell me, when was the last time you fucked?"

"Uh, not too long ago," he stammered, cheeks turning deep red.

"When?"

"Last winter, I think," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

Ehrwin couldn't help but snort in amusement.

"Even Flint gets more action than you." She chuckled.

"Is that right, Flint?" Ehrwin asked.

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“Tell him about that blond lass from the town, Flint.”

"Smelled nice," Flint replied, his expression blank.

"Two words!" Ehrwin exclaimed. Not often you would hear Flint say more than one.

Dolly let out a fit of laughter, "Two words!" she repeated.

Gaul scowled, crossing his arms and looking away from the group.

Dolly tilted her head backwards and cast a sly, grin-laden glance at Ehrwin. "Can't wait to see what lies ahead," she whispered, closing her eyes and blowing him a silent kiss before straightening up again

Ehrwin couldn't help but feel a stirring in his loins at that. Dolly had been making advances towards him for months, ever since the passing of her lover, Yokel, a former member of their group.

However, Ehrwin had always pretended not to notice. At first, it was because he was afraid of her. She had a reputation for bending dicks in the battlefield, after all. Later, when he got comfortable around her, it was because of Gaul, who was clearly infatuated with her. He couldn't risk getting on Gaul's bad side, not now. But perhaps, once this was all over…

The canoe glided smoothly onto the shore, and Ehrwin couldn't believe they had laughed their way into the Mire. If he were to draw an analogy from his previous life, it was like watching a horror movie—scary when you watched it alone, but funny with friends.

"We're here, lads!" Dolly exclaimed, hopping off the canoe with a lick of her lips.

"Time to find that witch!" said Gaul.

"Witchy witch," she added with a grin.

But before the others could follow, Ehrwin called out, "Hold on! We'll need him to get back, so let's tie him up," he said, nodding towards the old man.

"Or we could just slit his throat and steal his boat," Gaul suggested, stepping forward. But Ehrwin held up a hand to stop him. "Why bother paddling the boat ourselves when we can make him do it? We can deal with him later."

Without waiting for a response, Ehrwin gestured for Flint to pass Gaul a rope. He watched the old man hysterically shout as Gaul tied him to a tree. Seeing the old man struggle didn't feel good, but at least he would live. That was, if Ehrwin and the rest of them survived to come back for him.

With the old man tied up, Ehrwin took the lead, forging a path into the Mire. The rest of the group followed behind him, the old man's cries growing fainter with each step.

The ground was spongy underfoot, and the air was thick with the stench of decay and rot. Twisted trees dotted the landscape, their disfigured branches reaching towards the sky like gnarled fingers, the mist clinging to them giving them an ethereal appearance.

"You think the old coot will be all right, tied up and left to the mercy of whatever monsters lurk around here?" Dolly asked.

"He'll have to rely on his luck," Ehrwin replied. There was no other choice, really.

Gaul let out a chuckle, "Well, if that's the case, I hope he's got a horseshoe up his arse."

Dolly snorted, "I hope he's got a whole damn stable of them, otherwise he's as good as dead."

From the mist, a ghostly white deer emerged, its eyes aglow with an otherworldly light. The group stood frozen, staring in awe at the creature as it paused to gaze back at them before gracefully disappearing into the mists once more.

Ehrwin couldn't shake off the feeling of surprise at the surreal ghostly deer, despite reading about it in Alto the Adventurer's travel logs in his family library. He used to devour books on magic for hours in that library with enthusiasm and excitement, only to find out that he had no magic in him.

"What on Sjethia was that that?" Gaul exclaimed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Dolly turned to Gaul with a smirk, "Looks like you found your spirit animal, Gaul. A big, white, scared deer."

He rolled his eyes. "I ain't no deer, Doll. I'm a man. A man with a hammer, here to make a name for myself." He hefted the weapon in his hand, patted it, a wicked grin splitting his face.

You don’t say. Ehrwin wondered if Gaul would have been overpowered if he had been born with a few more braincells.

“Just make sure you don't make a name for yourself as the one who got us all fucking killed,” she said.

Flint stopped abruptly. “West,” he said, then set off in that direction.

Gaul and Dolly turned their gaze towards Ehrwin, who lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “He must’ve found something. Let’s go see what it is.”