“Pa said he rounded a corner and saw an animal, about medium sized, with its entrails ripped and on the ground. He figured this was what made the awful noise before. Seeing the prey, Pa started looking around for the predator. What he saw wasn’t anything that looked like a killer to him. Rather, ‘twere the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. Perfect in every way. Said he felt compelled to go toward her.
“But before she had seen him, she turned to the animal on the ground, knelt next to it, and grabbed the entrails. Before my Pa could say anything, this woman took a giant bite out of a piece. In that moment, whatever made her look like a beautiful woman was gone. Pa saw the Witch for what she was. And she was vile, so he said.
“Pa didn’t wait around and headed right back for the road. He didn’t say two words to me the entire ride back, and he didn’t tell me what he had seen until three days later when he tried to explain to the village why he didn’t have the venom for the antidote. That poor boy died, and no one believed my Pa’s story. They ran him, and me, out of that village. That’s why I ended up a soldier in the King’s army.”
“No disrespect to your Pa, Kris, but no one else has ever seen the Witch.”
“And lived to tell about it. I’m telling you, she is real, and in them swamps.”
I looked over at my friends and they all gave small nods. We were thinking the same thing. The Witch would be our next destination,
“Thank you, Kris. Your tale was enlightening. Do you remember where your father entered the swamp on that day he saw the Witch?”
“I do. If you travel down this road for another hour, you will come across three trees that grew twisted around each other. It was at those trees that he entered.”
“Thank you again, Kris. And thank you, Pike, for your assistance. Safe travels on your way back to Camp Treeswain.”
Pike and Kris both thanked us once more, and their caravan continued back toward the Keep.
Once the caravan was gone, I turned to my mates. “Seems obvious where we go next. Did you also notice how none of those guards came running? I guess old Pike cried wolf one too many times.”
“You know, that saying has always bothered me.”
“Oh dear god, Dan. Are we really going to do this again?”
“No, seriously, Allitosis. Wait. Just hear me out.”
“Like we have a choice, Dan.”
“Why would anyone cry ‘wolf?’ I’m not talking about in the game, I’m talking about in real life. If I was headed in your direction and you all of a sudden yelled out ‘wolf,’ then guess what; I’m going to do a 180 and take off.
“However, if you yelled out ‘free tacos,’ now that would be different. I hear ‘free tacos,’ I’m running to you as fast as I can.”
“You know, I actually kind of like that one,” I said. “He cried ‘free tacos’ one too many times. Yeah, that works. I think I’m going to start using that one from now on.”
Dan beamed a smile in my direction, and then he threw a smirk at Jason before walking off.
“You know, if you keep doing that, he’s not going to stop.”
“Allister, if I stop doing that, he still isn’t going to stop.”
“Truer words were never spoken.”
*
It took us a little more than an hour to find the trees that the guard Kris had mentioned. Once we did find them, we unsummoned our horses and proceeded into the swamp.
“A word of caution before we go.”
All of us looked over at Jason, as he spoke that last line with more than a little foreboding.
“We must do everything in our power to make sure Dan doesn’t sleep with this NPC too. He’s already checked the box for bearded women. I’m sure this one will have warts all over her face. Certainly another on the list!”
That got a chuckle out of all of us, except for Dan, of course. He continued to grumble that there was no proof and he didn’t actually remember. Given Dan’s memory, I found that hard to believe.
Given our previous experiences with the mobs in this region, we traveled as a complete group, not letting Dan scout ahead. The aggro range on some of these mobs was just too large.
It was another hour through the swamp—and several engagements with wandering mobs—before we found what we were looking for. Or at least what we thought was our destination.
A hut was standing upon a raised portion of dry land in the swamp. There was no indication of anyone around, but given the lack of anything revealing a domicile thus far, we felt certain this was the home of the Witch.
We approached as a group and came up to the front door. I looked over at Wayne and said, “So do we just break the thing down, or knock, or what?”
“None of that will be necessary, my dears.”
As one, we turned toward the sound of those last words. Before us was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. She was perfection in every sense of the word. Naked as the day she was born. I could see no flaws on her body. I wanted this woman more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.
“It’s so kind of you boys to come and visit. It has been so long since I’ve had such strapping young lads appear on my doorstep. I am looking forward to entertaining each of you. Now let’s just put your weapons on the ground and come inside with me for some—Agggh!”
I was starting to put my daggers on the ground when the scream rang out. Immediately, I saw an arrow jutting out of the shoulder of the woman in front of me. And that the woman was no beauty.
What few strands of hair she had on her head were greasy and gray, hanging down to her waist. Her body was filthy, and there was a profound hunch in the top of her back. Her teeth were few and yellow, and her breasts hung almost down to her stomach with that bend in her spine. This was the foulest creature I had ever laid eyes on.
“I fucking love this amulet!”
Dan was holding his bow in the air and already had another arrow knocked and ready to go.
It appeared that Dan’s resistances were enough to see through whatever magic was clouding the rest of our brains. While the rest of started to drool like simpletons, the guy we called a simpleton all the time was the one to save the day. Talk about irony.
The Witch ripped the arrow out of her shoulder and glared at us. “If you think I will let you come to my home and kill me, you have another thing coming. You may bring me down, but I will take at least one of you with me!”
Wayne was pulling his war hammer off his back and moving toward the Witch. I’m always up for a fight, but killing the Witch would not necessarily get us the information we needed to find the Monastery of Might.
“Wayne! Wait!”
Wayne stopped and then stared at me with a look of disappointment. “That’s the second time you’ve stopped me from bashing something. First time, that was a good call. But you know, I’m getting tired of not getting to hit things when I want to!”
“I know, buddy, but if we kill her, we may not figure out what we came here for.”
“So it’s information you want?” the witch said as she started moving toward us.
I put my hands on the pommels of my daggers, ready to draw in an instant. “For starters. Perhaps we can make a deal. That way, we don’t have to kill you, and you can go on doing whatever it is you do here. I don’t doubt your strength, and yes one of us may die. But you will surely perish in the process. This way everyone wins.”
The Witch stopped advancing when she saw my hands go to my daggers. She listened to everything I had to say and then nodded her head once. “Then let us parley.”
“What do you know of Constantine Lancaster?”
The Witch spat on the ground after hearing the name. “Curse that man! He also wanted information, but he never fulfilled his end of the bargain!”
The hatred in her eyes was real. I was going to need to tread carefully here. Asking as gently as I could, I said “What did he ask of you?”
“The fool wanted the location of a temple in the swamp. He
told me he had a map but was unable to find the entrance. He wanted my assistance in locating it.”
“And did you help him?”
“Yes, but for a price. One that he did not pay!”
“Ok. I understand. What was it he was to give you?”
“There are stories of this temple that have existed for generations. I remember it from my youth. But one thing that has changed with time is the story of a stone—a special stone that was acquired or created, I do not know. That stone has the power to beat back the swamp itself and allow life to grow as nature intended. It lifts the curse of this place!”
“Woah. The swamp is cursed?”
The Witch looked over at Dan and shook her head at his question.
“Do you fools know nothing?”
“Act like we don’t. What is this curse?”
“During this kingdom’s infancy, magic was more powerful but less attainable. Only a select few had the abilities to wield that magic, and they did so with brutal efficiency. I dwelled in this area, and was one of the lowliest of magic users. I would have been closest to what you called a Druid, now. I was tied to this place.
“As is normal when power is controlled by only a few, they will eventually go to war with each other. Two mages, the most powerful of our kind, fought to the death on this very land. Their battle—and the subsequent destruction of magic as we knew it—released this blight on the very ground you stand. It transformed a beautiful grove into a fetid swamp. It turned lakes into putrid bogs. The curse spread for miles and miles.
“Since I was tied to this place, through my magic, I too was cursed. I cannot leave, but with that stone, I could beat back the plague around my home. Don’t you understand? Within that sphere, I could be me again. I will no longer be this!” The Witch said and pointed to her form.
“And he was to bring back the stone after he fulfilled his task? I am guessing you don’t know his fate.”
“I never heard from him again. I have no idea what became of him other than he obviously never returned with what he promised!”
“It would be my guess that he failed. His entire family line is gone. They do not exist any longer.”
The Witch sat on the ground and looked up into the sky. She had a far-off look. “Then I am doomed to this life.”
“Why haven’t you just gone and taken the stone yourself?” Jason asked.
“A good question, Elf. The temple sits outside the borders of my home. Not far, but enough. If I were to attempt to leave, I would die. This, too, is a part of the curse.”
“Alex, do you think we could try to lift the curse?’
“This one is brave,” the Witch crowed. “But foolish! All the magic in the world now would not be enough to lift this curse. The swamps will never go away.”
Ok. No quest there.
I definitely saw our in, though. Where Constantine failed, we might succeed. And then we could get this stone for the Witch.
“Help us, and we will make the same deal. If we succeed in our efforts, we will return with the stone and we will give it to you. If we do not return, it is because we have failed, just as Constantine did.”
The Witch continued to look up into the sky for several more moments. Finally, she turned toward us and said, “Do you know what the most powerful force is?”
It was a cheesy question, and I was about to give a cheesy answer, like “love.” Before I could voice my thought, the Witch answered. Apparently this was meant to be a rhetorical question.
“Hope. Hope is the most powerful force in this world. And I have experienced both extremes of it: the joyous wonder of hope for a new beginning and the pits of depression from hope lost. Why would I want to go through that again?”
“Because you have nothing to lose.”
“Says you! I almost lost my sanity last time. I don’t know that I will survive it again!”
“You will. Because we will not fail.” I couldn’t rightly explain to an NPC that even if we died, we would just keep doing the fight over and over again until we did win. The NPCs registered a player’s death, like when the Dwarves noted Wayne’s sacrifice, but they didn’t have the programming to question their return.
“Swear it!” she said.
I really hate all this swearing. I reminded myself again that I would need to ask the Wanderer about what impact that had on gameplay.
“I swear it.”
The Witch took a few moments to compose herself and then pulled her body off of the ground. She headed into her hut but motioned for us to wait. We all pulled our weapons out.
After several minutes, the Witch returned, finally dressed, and smiled at our presence. “At least I know you boys aren’t foolish. I did the same thing with that Constantine, and when I walked out of the house, he had his back toward me. This actually does give me hope.”
She walked over to a makeshift table sitting next to her hovel and spread out a map. It was the whole swamp, with numerous points marked throughout the region. There was even a key, but it was in a language I couldn’t read. That didn’t mean I couldn’t find out.
“Dan, would you look at how amazing this map is!” drawing his attention and prodigious memory to the object at hand. “Did you do this yourself?” I asked the Witch. “It’s the work of a master cartographer!”
The Witch actually blushed a bit at my compliment. In the meantime, Dan was soaking up the map.
“You have all these markings, too, but I can’t make heads or tails of the words here. I’m afraid I don’t know that language.”
“Nor would you. This is the language of magic before the break. Before the curse. No one knows this language any longer.”
I continued to compliment her work, making sure I didn’t seem too ingratiating. Through my efforts, I was able to get her to explain the words on the key.
“There seems to be more of this reddish blotch than any other.”
“That’s for impassible areas—places where it is too deep for anyone to walk. And you would never want to swim through any of the bogs here.”
“Got it. So where is the temple?”
“Here,” she said, placing her finger on one of the largest red blotches on the map.
“You’re messing with us, right?”
She cackled, as you would suspect a witch would, and then shook her head. With the filthy strands of hair, it was not a pretty sight.
“This ‘temple’ of yours is on an island, in the middle of this bog. Before the curse, it would have been surrounded by the most pristine of water. It was protected by a Leviathan—a truly majestic creature that lived in the lake. Now it is encompassed by this filth, and I don’t want to imagine what that beast has become.”
“And we are supposed to swim across this?”
“Did you not listen to a word I said? You don’t swim through the bogs!” She yelled at me. Taking several deep breathes, she calmed down and said, “You simply need to speak the words and the bridge will rise.”
“When I say this next part, don’t yell at me.”
“You didn’t know about the words?”
“Nope.”
“Hrmph. I would have yelled at you.”
“Figured. Do you know the words?”
“To be honest, I didn’t. Constantine reached the bog, since he had a map. But he tried to swim it. Surprisingly, he didn’t lose a single limb in the process. After failing that, he found me in the swamp and asked for my aid. I asked to see his map and noticed the writing at the bottom. It was in the same language you see on my map, so it was no wonder he couldn’t decipher it.”
“Do you remember the words?”
“I do. I will say them now, and only once, because speaking the words of old magic can have unwanted consequences. Wraiths and the like.”
“Dan, you know how you love different languages? You are going to want to hear this,” I said, motioning for the Witch to continue.
I couldn’t write the words out that she said, because I didn’t bother to memor
ize them and the sounds were so foreign to my ear. When I looked over at Dan, however, he nodded and winked at me. A solid indication that he had the words locked away.
I looked at the hag again and thanked her for her assistance. It was very difficult to stare at her for too long, as vile looking as she was. The memory of her in the perfect form had long fled from my mind. I did wonder, though, if when we delivered the stone she would change into that woman again.
“This stone, once it lifts the curse, the area around here will return to lush forest, right? And you will revert to the woman we saw before?”
The Witch took on a vile looking smile, and shook her head. “The forest will return, but that woman was never real. That level of perfection is impossible, young man. And it would do well of you to remember that.”
I nodded my head and gathered the team together. We talked it through and decided there was nothing left to ask. Dan said he wanted to apologize for shooting her with an arrow, but I reminded him that we were, in essence, under attack.
“That’s right! Ok, now I don’t feel bad about that or ripping her map into my head.”
With nothing further, I turned to the Witch and bid her adieu. “We will make all haste to arrive at this temple and return with the stone. I hope our journey is not long, but we will not stop until we have completed the task or died trying.”
Smiling inwardly at my impromptu comments, I was brought back to earth quickly enough by the Witch. “Just going to run all out in the swamp and fight every beast along the way, huh? Don’t take away the little hope I had earlier.”
Having lived in the swamp for who knew how many generations, naturally the Witch had not only mapped out the swamp but likely knew all of the safe spots throughout it. I felt dumb for not figuring that out beforehand.
“Send your Ranger over here to my sketch, and I will show him the quickest route through the swamp from here to the temple.”
Restoration: The Rise of Resurgence: Book II Page 33