The Marshes II

I plant my ankles firmly in the ground, close my eyes and with one slash of my sword in the empty air before me, the invisible wall disappears. I fall to the ground, but quickly rise again. I start running towards the poor woman again, hoping that I won't be intercepted by the Suru magic again. My heart is working heavy overtime, beating rapidly in my chest. My nose fills itself with the disgusting air around me. While breathable, my lungs will have a hard time getting enough oxygen.

Then, suddenly, and obviously without warning, the ground splits open right before me, and out jumps a Suru druid! Instead of rushing straight towards the ghoulish ex-human, I take a faint left, putting my sword in a perfect position to deliver a devastating cut. As I prepare to swing, I shout 'Uzuni Avgaru!'. This spell temporarily disables any magic the Suru are practicing, but the window that just opened is no more than a few seconds. I must finish this very quickly, or else the chances are that I am stuck here in a fight with a druid whose powers I don't exactly understand. I need this to be over quickly, so right after my spell, I strike the druid right underneath his ribs, tearing through his soft, almost rotten skin, penetrating his organs, and thus delivering heavy damage. The druid falls to his knees, his entrails dangling on the ground. I hear a soft grumble, and the druid slowly loses balance, falling to his side. Evil powers make humans quite strong, but when faced with forces of the Light Side, they mostly perish in a short time.

I check my surroundings swiftly, scanning for more Suru creatures, or perhaps some Skruve pups. Nothing. I can proceed with rescueing the woman. Now that the druid lies dead, the curses that paralyzed the woman died with him. The red flashes, coming from some strange, deep red- colored fire, come to a stop as well, and after a few seconds the fire dies out.

The seemingly lifeless body of the unfortunate woman is stuck in the cage, which consists of spiky branches, with the thorns facing both in and outward. One strike of my sword cuts through the branches, and the cage collapses. I turn the woman to her back, and right under her neck there is a Suru mark visible. The Suru mark their victims for 2 reasons. Either to pinpoint a target for another Suru, or to use the marking to engrave a curse or spell. The difference is barely noticeable, but there is a very simple way to discover whether she a curse is engraved, or that there is just a simple Suru mark on the skin. I blow softly on her skin, and I can see an orange glow emitting from the mark. She is definitely cursed.

Suddenly, she coughs. She lives! Against all odds. This is the very first time I encounter a live victim of the Suru's engraved curses. There have been a few before, but I only know of those thanks to the scrolls my ancestors wrote, describing their lifelong goal to eliminate all evil that lurks in the marshes. I run my finger along my blade again, while whispering the Spell of Life, 'Yaggri Deghli'. The woman opens her eyes, and looks around.

'Are you alright?' I ask her. 'I think so,' she answers. I know she has experienced everything that happened to her, and also what happened to the druid who caused her troubles. The hypnotization makes sure the Suru's victims experience everything that happens to them. 'Those filthy Suru druids captured me, I was looking for rare fungus species, to brew a new potion.' I scratch my head. 'How did you end up here then, if I may ask? I don't know what type of fungus you were looking for, but out here everything is rotten and evil of nature.' 'Exactly what I need', she replies. 'I think I know how to defeat this evil mist that holds the marshes in its horrid grasp.' I chuckle a bit. 'Many have tried to get rid of this fog altogether, but none have succeeded so far. What makes you different? You could have been killed here!' The woman nods. 'True, and I am thankful that you came to my rescue, but you must believe me. I belong to a long line of famous potion brewers, the so-called Druids Of The Light Side. My father left me a note on his deathbed which contained his life research.' The woman's voice starts sounding more and more faint, and I quickly urge her to stop speaking. 'You are cursed, I must bring you back to the South Gates. Your wounds must be treated, and since you look like a very skinny corpse, plenty of rest is required. And that is without me trying to get rid of that curse you have over there,' I say while lifting the woman up. 'You must gather strength before I perform the Bright Ritual in order to remove your curse. You are lucky to have survived this all.'

With the druids rags, a bit of rope and some sticks I craft a simple sled, place the woman on it, and start the journey home. My thoughts rush through my brain, thinking of what my dad would say. Me, a simple Monster-Bounty Hunter, capturing a living victim of the Suru! I might just become famous for this deed. But first I must make sure that this woman is actually able to endure the journey home. I don't know how much more she can take.

After a bit of walking with the sled softly bouncing over the bumpy ground, I encounter the dead Skruve pup again. 'We're almost there,' I say to my female companion. I hear no reply, just the heavy breathing of someone in a deep sleep. 'I do so love the sleep spell,' I whisper to myself. 'Wish I could use it on myself sometimes'...