Of Ice, Death & Monsters

Chapter 108 : And It is Explored

15 Days Ago.

The Swamps were a fascinating experience. We spent five days at first simply wandering around as I tried to attune myself to the surroundings, to use the Caretaker as Mokosh has advised.

However, that came with a litany of difficulties. The first and foremost of which was the state of barrenness of what was around me. It felt lifeless even though it was a swamp.

Although I believed that the best way to explain it could be that it was in a state of decay and death rather than merely lifeless. It was on its way out, almost as if it was comoto-

My thought process staggered. This entire place was… Dying, and being kept alive? Or perhaps I’m trying too hard to relate it to something I’m so familiar with. Yes, that must be it.

I sighed and shooed those thoughts away. We had more important things to worry about. What were the inherent dangers of the land? Before the monsters could be a problem, we had to deal with the plague that stalked through the land.

The air itself wasn’t simply a deadly stench; rather, it was more akin to a chemical gas attack. When I reached out to touch a concentrated section of the green gas with a long wooden ruler I summoned, it started to decay away, decomposing as I saw it turn brittle and hollow before falling apart and curling up.

I raised my hand again, flicking my wrist as I summoned a metal ruler this time, placing it up into the air. Luckily, it didn’t break down as I sighed in relief. It appeared not to be as affected. So that means it’s primarily an organic-based attack. The golems would be safe then, but hopefully, it was airtight enough on the other two so they wouldn’t be affected.

But, just in case it’s not primarily airborne. I called out to them, in their callsigns too, so that they could feel like they were worth something. “Fire, Brimstone. Don’t get too close to any of the miasma, and don’t at all, in any circumstance, go near the water.”

They both saluted me at once, jumping away from the strange plague-like mists. However, it seemed they both landed on shaky earth, nearly causing them to sink if they didn’t leap out in time, thanks to the prototype jet thrusters on their back that activated in time to pull them out.

The air was poison, the earth was broken, the waters were… Well, the waters outside of this place were always full of monsters, so right now I really didn’t want to get into it. I may be powerful now, but I had to reserve myself in case of emergencies and, of course, the other monsters.

Ghouls

The most plentiful and otherwise most annoying out of the many monsters that came our way. But, because of that, we were able to study their nature and even test out some of our weapons on them.

Unlike the ones in the snow, the bodies of the ghouls here were much more defined, blackened, of course, thin as could possibly be, to the point that their flesh looked like bones, but some fleshy definitions stayed, and even clothes were still attached to their bodies.

They also didn’t seem to be a tad slower than the other ghouls, often taking big steps forward, and whenever they were in our vicinity, they often lurched outward, as if both crawling and running at the same time.

Once more, I sped up, but I noticed that I seemed much slower than before, as if something was trying to inhibit me. Perhaps it was simply the nature of this place, too, but I couldn’t be so sure. 

I grabbed the head of one of the ghouls, ripping it apart. However, instead of flying clean off, the flesh of the ghoul still got hung onto the remains of the skull, strange juices leaking out of the body more and more until it became as dried and disheveled as the ghouls in the south.

Yet, still, their bodies moved, they wriggled, still alive and kicking, or well, not quite. Ever since I was connected with the Caretaker, I could sense life from even plants. 

For some reason, I didn’t sense any microorganisms here, whether that be because my senses didn’t go that far or rather because they didn’t exist in Galfania, well, that remains to be seen. 

Either way, I didn’t sense anything at all within the ghoul aside from a semblance of spirit for their bodies. It was strange, though, when I faced the other ghouls, they actually seemed more full of life. So I tested out my next theory.

I signaled to both Derek and Topher as they both unleashed autocannon fire from their arms. Heavy bolts came pouring out, shredding every single ghoul we came across in a hail of incendiary armor-piercing rounds.

Although the rpm was north of 4-5k, I knew that we shouldn’t fire it as much; we’d be wasting precious ammunition. 

Luckily, a single second was all we needed. I set the golems' burst fire for a single second so that we couldn’t waste a bullet. But even in that instant, dozens and dozens have already been swept across the swamp.

I stared at the ghouls for a moment; their corpses were now filled with holes like they were cheese from Berfada. Some actually looked more like mush and yogurt, but all who were hit, I noticed that their life energies drained from them as the fluids in their body leaked out like blood.

Yet, even then, they wriggled, they writhed, they moved. I saw a hand crawl across the mushy ground, trying to get to me. Of course, I crushed it under my foot, wondering a little bit more.

“Continue,” I commanded as suddenly the bullets the golem fired flew back in front of them, carried by sprites in the air. Many of the bullets seemed charred, a few were dented, but they were still useful enough.

Then, the air fizzled, and spirits appeared out of nowhere. They gently glided towards the broken bullets before shooting off with them, once more, like a shotgun blast this time, completely and utterly decimating what remained of the ghouls into tiny little chunks.

I stared at them, and still… They moved, they fizzled, but it still felt like it was alive. We literally turned them into little flesh chunks on the ground, and yet for some reason, they still had that will, that desire, as if something else was fueling them.

I raised my hand over the ghoul bits, channeling the life-giving powers of the Caretaker. All around me, the ghoul bits glowed gold, shimmering with sparkles as I marveled. They suddenly grew plants on the remaining body parts, merging with the rest of the earth until I saw them… Wither and fade away.

I could give small semblances of life, yet even then, here they would fade away. It felt like everything here was subject to death and decay, no matter what…

Then, my eyes fell upon something fluttering in the distance… A single black butterfly.

Perhaps that’s not true at all; perhaps there is hope. 

A hospital beep caused me to snap out of my stupor before I continued forward, signaling the rest to follow.

Likho

The first major monsters that we encountered were perhaps the most dangerous. Not from any physical ability, but rather from what they were able to do: Misfortune.

At first, it was minor; my spells and Magick seemed to weaken, and I even noticed that happen with the golems. They sometimes stopped for a moment or when a spell went off, and targeted the wrong thing.

I turned to Dela. “Is this what Mokosh referred to as the Spirits of Misfortune?”

She nodded along while looking around. “You would be right. The closer we get, the more we shall experience such a misfortune. We should be careful, and for this… I must ask if you desire to be blessed by me as the two of them are?”

I shook my head. “Thank you, but I shall have to refuse. Such an action is quite dangerous for me. I would have to wait until you are indebted to me. But, I may ask, what would you bless me with?”

“Your senses would have been heightened to the extreme, from smell, taste, sight, and more. It is to help us experience the world in the brightest of colors and the most sensual of activities.” I could feel a smile under her mask as she said that. Perhaps, Dela wasn’t so different compared to the other Fae, only much more relaxed.

“Thank you, let me try and replicate it then.”

I gave her a gentle smile and simply focused on myself. The Caretaker is the master of life; of course, the life that should be able to control the most shall be my own. I gave myself youth, away with the fatigue of aging. Already, I didn’t need to eat, but other bodily processes aren’t even needed for me anymore. I can even regulate my own body heat to help match the surroundings. 

I can also use this power to help my body grow. I simply had to allow the spirits to help me, nurture me. Already, sparkles appeared on my body, akin to how the Fae blessings appeared to be. My mind sharpened, and I opened my eyes; instantly, the surroundings became sharper, as if I wore glasses. I could hear the trees rustle, the bubbles in the water. I can even taste the air itself to determine how close I was to something.

I had to concentrate on it, but it was well worth it. I was naturally faster now, and my body felt strong, like I could even wrestle the golems that Derek and Topher were piloting. I felt unstoppable, I raced ahead-

And then I tripped, looking down, I saw as if a small sprite was the cause, but I couldn’t get a good look while I was running headfirst into a tree, as I crashed straight through the trunk, breaking it entirely, before I was sent crashing into a stone boulder, breaking it too.

My body didn’t really feel any of that pain, or did I even experience any, I believe. I looked at my skin for any marks or injuries, and I found nothing at all. 

Immediately, the others came forth. Dela was the first, and the one who seemed to experience such a misfortune the least, merely tripping or getting stuck on some ledges. This time, I saw strange little spirits of black moving around and causing trouble.

I then turned to the other two, who did not fare as well. I saw Derek crash into a tree, and I saw Topher’s thrusters send him flying up into the air as he discharged the autocannons, aiming directly at us. 

Dela didn’t move at all, she simply stood there, and the bullets went through her skin… Or well, it didn’t at all, parts of her body became mist as they harmlessly passed through.

As for me, I both wanted to treat something and stay safe, so I dashed towards the rock that broke apart earlier, hiding behind it as I reached out with my hand. 

Suddenly, I felt a focused yet dull sting in my palm, something similar to an ant bite. I looked over and found a bullet in my hand, smoking hot and crumbled. The incendiary part went off, and it left a trail of ash all around where it landed.

Amazing, I was bulletproof, but if this trail of misfortune were to continue, bullets were going to be the least of my worries.

I crushed the bullet and threw it away. 

And then that’s when the explosion happened.