"LOOK OUT BEHIND ME!" Gob shouted to the others as he sailed out of the water and through the air. He tucked into a protective ball around Kylie and barreled into the pile of maggots, knocking them aside like bowling skittles.

The White Orc, who was still clearing a path through the maggots, looked up and quickly dove to the side as a giant frog-like creature rocketed out of the water behind Gob in a shower of mud.

It would have been a size(10) at least, with two massively powerful webbed hind legs and four thinner but dexterous looking front ones, with webbing between each. As soon as it exited the water it spread it's front legs wide, and the webbing stretched from it's limbs to it's torso with a

SNAP!

like wings, allowing it to glide like some kind of frog-bat. A frog-bat with a mouth the width of it's entire head with multiple rows of needle-fangs.

As soon as it saw the maggot plague it forgot all about Gob, and started shlepping maggots into it's mouth with almost untraceably fast flicks of it's tongue, even before it had landed on the path with a massive wet

Squalch!

leaving a deep skidding track in the muddy ground behind it. As it ploughed through the bog mud it set off three of the carniverous purple flowers that latched ineffectually to its hide before getting ripped out by the roots as it lumbered after the mass of wriggling food.

It paused in it's feeding frenzy just long enough to bellow a happy and contented

BBBRRRRRRDDDUUUUUUPPPPPP!

before going back to devouring the horde of wriggling larvae.

Gob, Leőn, the Orc and Kylie didn't need to agree to get out of the area before it finished it's meal, and fled in the opposite direction, however they had only run a few paces when Gob sensed movement in the mist ahead.

"STOP!" he yelled to the others, sliding to a halt in front of them. He squelched to a halt in the mud only just in time to avoid a gargantuan set of jaws filled with yellowing, razor like teeth snapping shut right in front of him with a

SNAK!

Gob's already goggly swamp eyes once again goggled wide; the teeth in front of him were the size of him. His head jerked up to see two lumpy nostrils snuffling with disappointment at the end of a long snout.

The snak of the jaws had been violent enough to cause the mist to billow, and for just a moment it cleared for them all to get a look at what exactly had just tried to snap them up.

It was an alligator. If an alligator had cross-mutated with a turtle, then evolved an additional set of eyes and legs, and grown to be the size of a house.

"RUN! cough! hick-click" screamed Kylie.

RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRRR-SNAP!-SNAP!

The four of them about-turned and fled again.

"RUN BACK TO THE FROG-BAT!" shouted Leőn, "IT MIGHT DISTRACT THIS ONE LONG ENOUGH FOR US TO GET AWAY!"

The massive creature churned up the bog as it's six great limbs ploughed after them relentlessly, snapping as it came.

They saw the now significantly reduced maggot horde in front of them, the very satisfied bat-frog, belly bulging, now lazily shlepping maggots at a much slower pace than it had been when they had left it.

"KEEP RUNNING!" yelled Leőn.

They bolted past the bat-frog, who watched them go by lazily.

Gob couldn't help but glance over his shoulder in time to see the bat-frog's own googly eyes bulge in distress as the alligator-tortoise charged out of the mist, twisted it's long snout sideways and with a

SNAK!

made a meal out of the creature, who was too full of maggots to even attempt an escape.

RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRRR-SNAK!-SNAK!

it called after them as they disappeared into the mist once more.

----------------------------------------

GERVAIS.

Gervais opened his eyes blearily. A notification box was hovering in the air, in front of his face. It was his QUEST box.

Find the DIVERGENT troll. BRING IT to Cragtop. Time remaining: BEFORE XXXXXXXXXXXXX Condition: TOP SECRET. Quest failed immediately if revealed.

That's strange, he thought, but his head hadn't cleared yet, so he just waved the box away.

Beyond the quest box was just cold, white... snow?

He sat up slowly and stiffly. He was covered in a thick layer. He'd been completely buried in a fresh snow drift.

How long have I been out? he wondered. He was cold. Frozen even. I must have been here for some time he looked up at the sky. Overnight? More than one night?

The Princess had not responded well to the decree. He had known that would be the case. He had also expected her to side with the Savage-kind. He desperately wanted to tell them all the real reason he was after them, but the conditions of his Quest stipulated that he would FAIL immediately if he revealed it. And you didn't fail quests.

He hadn't meant to lose his temper or be ejected from her palace quite like that though.

He had been flung so high that he must have blacked out on his way back down to earth. He was glad of his Mages robes, they were impressively good at protecting against unpredictable events like that.

She was more powerful that he had given her credit for, and more sympathetic to the troll's plight. How could he have known that the troll would pull out a vampire as his trump card?

Anyway, his only actual intention in expending so much time and expense getting here was to gauge the progress of the troll, and ensure he was pushing it in the right direction. He had managed that at least.

He was actually surprised what the troll seemed to be capable of, he'd become impressively powerful in a very short time. Not competent by any means, but powerful.

Who could really be behind all this?

It was a question he had asked himself over and over. It was a question that could impact the decisions that the High Council was making about the Realm right now. It was a question he had been desperate to consult the White Orc about. His old friend would surely have some insight into the situation.

But it wasn't something he was able to do without failing the very Quest that had brought him here in the first place.

He just had to make sure he got the Troll to Cragtop.

As if sensing his thoughts, his Quest notification popped up again, a second time. That was extremely strange. This time he rubbed his eyes to clear his head and gave it his attention:

Find the DIVERGENT troll. BRING IT to Cragtop. Time remaining: BEFORE XXXXXXXXXXXXX Condition: TOP SECRET. Quest failed immediately if revealed.

For as long as he had had this Quest the 'Time Remaining' parameter had been hidden from him, it was incredibly frustrating, and a frustration he hadn't been able to share with anyone for advice at the risk of failing the Quest.

But now, as he looked at it, the hidden words at long last started to change. The hidden text began to be revealed. It changed, excruciatingly slowly...

Find the DIVERGENT troll. BRING IT to Cragtop. Time remaining: BEFORE Joss XXXXXXXX Condition: TOP SECRET. Quest failed immediately if revealed.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

GERVAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIISSSSSSS...

GERVAAAAAAAAIIIIIIISSSSS...

gervaaaaaaiiiiissss...

A call echoed around the mountain. It was unmistakably Joss' voice. She must have been looking for him overnight. He checked his Quest box again...

Find the DIVERGENT troll. BRING IT to Cragtop. Time remaining: BEFORE Joss XXXXX King Charlie VII. Condition: TOP SECRET. Quest failed immediately if revealed.

He stood up and dusted himself off so he didn't look like he had been sleeping in a snow drift all night.

They weren't far away, he was looking forward to getting back to them. A warm fire and a hot drink was exactly what he needed to thaw off and think through his next move. He just wanted to see what the Quest said...

Find the DIVERGENT troll. BRING IT to Cragtop. Time remaining: BEFORE Joss ASSASSINATES King Charlie VII. Condition: TOP SECRET. Quest failed immediately if revealed.

Gervais froze. And not on account of the snow. The icy wind whipped around him, as his stomach lurched and his mind reeled. He stumbled back to his knees. He read it again, and again.

Joss?! Was going to assassinate the King?! How could that be right? Did she know that already... did she have a Quest too?

He couldn't believe it. Joss was just a soldier! She wasn't a political player... she was ambitious... maybe a little greedy... but the KING? And why? what would that even do? The King was loved by everyone in the Realm! He was never at odds with anyone except... the High Chancellor. The Decree!

Gervais had heard that the King hadn't known about the decree before the Chancellor had announced it, and he'd heard the King didn't support it privately. Had something escalated while he had been out chasing the troll?

GERVAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIISSSSSSS...

GERVAAAAAAAAIIIIIIISSSSS...

gervaaaaaaiiiiissss...

Joss' voice echoed around the mountain again, closer now. Suddenly he wasn't sure it sounded so welcoming. What was going on here? He could see Joss now, at the bottom of the next ridge. He got himself back up to his feet and stepped behind a pine tree. Maybe he should stay hidden and let her pass without finding him, then go back to Princess Ilae and explain, then follow the party down to the Mugwar Swamps.... except he couldn't explain without failing the Quest... and if he caught up to them, what then?

Get a grip! Gervais said to himself, Think it through!

No, he should stick with Joss. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she was with him constantly. Try and work out what she knew, if anything... there was a chance that there were machinations behind the scenes, fervently working towards an outcome that she wasn't even involved in yet... wasn't there? How did Quests even work? Could they predict possibilities that may eventuate even if those involved in them had no concept of them?

"NONE of this has precedent! This just ISN'T how Quests work!" he yelled it out loud in frustration, "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he yelled up at the sky, hoping whoever was playing games with him would hear.

"GERVAIS, THAT YOU?" Joss had heard him and probably assumed he was calling to her.

She, and a unit of her best fighters tromped up the hill towards him.

He stepped out from behind the pine tree.

"Yes, it's me," he sighed, "tell me you brought something strong to drink."

She looked at him strangely, making a face, "You look terrible! What happened?!"

"Let's just say that the Princess in that Palace over the ridge is probably one of the most powerful Elf Mages I've ever encountered. Even I was no match for her, as well as a now-giant troll, and an Orc Mage, an Elf Warrior and a VAMPIRE. As it turns out, she likes trolls more than she likes decrees." he replied haughtily.

Joss let out a low whistle, "Well then I'm glad she didn't answer the front door, we've been knocking on it for two days."

Two days? thought Gervais. It was time to take control of this situation. He had to get the troll to Cragtop, and he had to make sure Joss stayed where he could see her the whole way.

"The troll has gone down the East pass." he said to her in his authoritative voice, "They'll be two weeks at least travelling through the Mugwar Swamps, they're getting very bad now. They'll be another two weeks crossing the Shadowlands, and that's only if they can pass by the Crypt of Splinters, and under the Nightgoblin's noses undetected. Then they'll be two weeks on the North-East trade route through the sandy desert to the Lizard Empire. We'll have time to march down the West pass, cut up through the Darkwood and try to intercept them along the trade road."

"Great to have you back, Mage!" Joss said with a grin, her usual no-nonsense self. She handed him a flask of strong drink with a wink, "Let's get out of this creepy frozen waste."

If Gob, the Orc, Leőn and Kylie really were trying to get to Cragtop by heading East, they would have to pass through the Lizard Empire. If he couldn't run them down on the trade roads, Gervais was confident he could get to them there.

And no matter what happened, he'd make sure he kept Joss by his side the whole way.

----------------------------------------

"Sssssh!" Leőn shushed from the top of a tree in an urgent whisper. He jumped quickly and silently down and gestured for the others to come close to him quietly. He pointed off into the mist, whispering,

"Over there, there are some humans. An adult and two children. They look… pretty normal. I mean they aren't leech-zombies or maggots or giant bog frogs, or mutant crocs. It looks like they're fishing. If they're here they must have a reasonably safe way of getting in and out. It could save us a lot of dangerous... to and fro."

Since escaping the blood sucking bugs and the maggot frenzy thanks to the giant frog creature, and then using the giant frog creature to escape the even gianter alligator-turtle monster, they had opted for moving away from water filled pools wherever possible.

They had briefly encountered another line of leech-zombies that they had quietly allowed to move past them, and had seen something glowing in the distance that sounded like it was singing a beautiful melodious song: which they walked very firmly in the opposite direction of.

The Swamps of Mugwar were a very strange place indeed, and after another day of trekking slowly and aimlessly, all of them, including the White Orc who had been here before, were now getting to the point that they didn't know which direction they had come from and which way they should be going.

So they had stopped for a break, Leőn had looked for the tallest tree he could find, and they had now waited a number of hours to see if the mist would clear enough to give them some visual idea of where they should head next.

"Kids?" wheezed Kylie "who would bring kids in here?"

"Exactly." said Leőn

"can i eet fish? i iz hungree." asked Gob. He was tingling all over, the air of the swamp seemed to be attacking him constantly and his leg still felt infected from the carniverous plant. He felt like he needed some fuel for his regeneration. Kylie looked terrible and The White Orc and Leőn had been popping replenishment pills more and more often.

"Ssssssssshhhhh!" Leőn and Kylie shushed him.

"Which one of us is least likely to scare them off by approaching?" whispered the White Orc.

They all looked at Kylie.

Cooooooouuuuuuuggggh. Cooouugh! Tic-Hock!

"What?"

"You're the least intimidating individual here." whispered the White Orc, "Humans always love fairies."

"What about him?" She said pointing at Leőn.

"Humans are funny about Elves. They say we wobble." said Leőn.

"yoo do wobbl a lot." said Gob.

"Ssssssshhhhhhh!" shushed Kylie.

"wy?" Gob retorted, "da hoomin is standin nex to yoo."

The adult woman was standing protectively in front of her children in a fighting stance, with a multi-pronged fisherman's spear pointed at them expertly.

"We can hear leechers from fifty paces." said the woman, "You? You, we could hear from a hundred. Especially your fairy. She's infected. She needs fresh air."

"No I'm ok, really." Kylie choked out

Cooooooouuuuuuuggggh. Cooouugh!

Hic-tick!

Hock!

"You all look very strange to me, but you certainly don't look like swamp monsters. Except your pet." she pointed at Gob. Leőn giggled. The woman ignored him and kept talking, "So maybe we can help each other.

"My people have a village on a relatively protected island in the heart of the swamp land. We don't have much to offer, but we do have fresh air and we do know a safe passage through, though the Shadowlands beyond aren't somewhere you should want to travel in our experience."

"And you'd willingly show us the way out?" asked the White Orc.

She looked at him with a hint of slyness. "We might."

She lowered her pronged spear.

"But before we show you the path out, we need something in return."

"What do you need old woman?" he asked, "we don't have gold if that's what you're looking for."

"Ha! Ha Ha!" she laughed loudly as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard, "Me, looking for gold?! I've got more gold than I know what to do with! It isn't gold I want, in fact I'd give all the gold I have to lift whatever dark magic has cursed this swamp!"

The White Orc looked around him nodding distractedly.

"There was always a swamp here, I've passed this way before. A long while ago though. I admit I don't remember it being so vile as this."

"You must be older than you look!" she said, "When I was a girl, this was a vibrant, living bayou. This place was teeming with alligators and catfish, we had herons and spoonbills flying around, lizards, snakes, turtles… and, the most amazing crawfish and shrimp you ever tasted. We had wealthy cities all along the delta and trade with the Realm and the Lizard Empire." She looked around, gesturing,

"Now we have a stagnant, decaying, dangerous mutant swamp. Something here is slowly perverting the natural order of things. Most people have fled, or worse. Our village is the last, and soon it the swamp will claim us too." She motioned at the children with her "These two know nothing but a dwindling village population, and a past life's worth of stories."

"So what changed all those years ago?" asked the Orc, "Do you know what started it?"

"We think we know, but we can't get close enough to what we think is the centre of it all without getting chased away by... the thing."

"The thing?" Leőn repeated skeptically.

The woman nodded, "It seems to be some sort of guardian, and it's too powerful for us to even think about getting past. There's someone here who is powerful enough to challenge it: there's a troll hag who lives in the swamp, she's only a few hours on foot from here. She could probably beat it. She definitely knows where to find it. But she doesn't do anything for nothing. She's why we're out here, we're fishing for bogspawn. It's her favourite. We feed her to keep her away from the village. That's how she works: you give her something she wants and she gives you something you want. We just haven't found anything she wants enough to challenge the thing to give us a chance to reverse the curse on this place."

She motioned at Gob

"She'd probably take that thing as payment… will you sell him to us?"