The scenery around the caravan gradually fades from lush greens to murky brine. As they travel into the salty swamp, the sky disappears again behind an eternal veil. This part of the kingdom still has an Otherworld presence. Wagons creaking, horses clicking, leaves blushing, and with boots stamping, time swiftly glides away like falling sand. After a few days of walking, Cedric yells and pauses; a wooden sign marks the swamp’s borders. In the evening, he called a meeting to discuss the course of action, as swamps are difficult to traverse.

  Everyone was invited to the meeting, but the main debate occurred between only four people. When did Cenvin receive a PhD in Speech and Debate?

  “I will state my claims first now,” he says. He stands up, boldly establishing eye contact with every one of the men around him, then finally settling to meet Assert’s gaze. “We should brave the swamp because of speed, safety, and comfort.”

  Assert shakes her head disappointedly. “Look-”

  “Let me explain,” Cenvin calmly cuts her off. “First, speed. Going around the swamp as Assert proposed will add another month to our total time, thanks to calculations done by Lenny in his spare time. I thank you for that.”

  Lenny nods back.

  “We cannot have that kind of delay. Second, traveling in the swamp will be more safe. In the polar opposite of Assert’s claims, I imagine Starmetal will be patrolling around the perimeters of the region instead of directly in it. Why? Based on Durand’s scouting yesterday, he has not reported any human traces. This means that there is no Starmetal presence inside the swamp.

  “Finally, comfort. In the swamp, water will be abundant. We can always immediately use it, which is quite handy. I also believe that traveling through the swamp will be much smoother than the regular road since our horses will complain less. You know how we constantly have to watch them as they drink in a pool? No need for that anymore. That is my argument, thank you-”

  “My turn!” Assert quickly takes over the center's attention. She replaces Cenvin in the middle and just like him, she calmly sweeps over all the spectators. Her body slightly quivers.

  “Dear fellow charges, this scoundrel’s foolish words are betrothed to disaster. But before I debunk his premises, I shall clarify my point.

  The job that I am here to do is to ensure everyone’s safety. If we skirt around the region, we can avoid the natural dangers of the swamp. I understand that time is an important factor, but I would like to believe that everyone’s Worldview placed their safety above haste. Additionally, evidence suggests that Starmetal Valley has a presence in the biome. It is of utter importance that we avoid a confrontation, as I cannot guarantee everyone’s safety in that scenario.

  “As we have traveled far distances and seen many things of the world, everyone probably understands the conditions of trekking a swamp. Damp, muddy, and sludgy. If we go around, our animals can enjoy fresh grass to graze upon, ideal temperatures to travel in, and other quality-of-life aspects that the swamp cannot provide.

  “I truly want the best for us while completing the journey efficiently. This is how we are going to achieve it.”

  Cedric speaks.

  “Considering both propositions, I think I speak for all of us here that we are divided. Both ways have their advantages and disadvantages. In truth, we are not going to have a perfect solution. I believe the best way to approach this is to blend the two. We can switch between traveling in and outside the swamp as the situation sees fit. That way, we can save some time from completely going around the swamp and also avoiding the deeper lurking dangers simultaneously. Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry, Cenvin,” Durand says apologetically. “I side with Assert in this matter. I think whatever’s waiting for us inside the swamp is a greater threat than any Starmetal knight. We can deal with Orions, as we had done so before, but the unknown scares us. Although I’m a Ranger, my specialty is not in swamp environments, but in the woods. Do you know what sort of ordeal Diem might be cooking up for us in that place? Me neither. Therefore, it is the most ideal approach if we go through with Assert’s plan or a modified version of it like how Cedric proposed.”

  “Traitor!”

  “How am I a traitor, bud?”

  “Why aren’t you helping me but her?”

  “I want the best for the caravan.”

  “Liar.”

  Cenvin swiftly pulls out the Shimmerim and points at Assert. The merchants let out a panicky yelp and escapes the gathering, leaving only Cenvin, Assert, Durand, Cedric, and Lenny.

  “Give up, or die,” Cenvin snarls, the Shimmerim glimmering as if it’s distorting the space around it. “This rapier of mine is no joke.”

  Standing up nonchalantly, Assert replies with an unconcerned yawn.

  “Did I ever mention I have an ability you cannot beat? Honed to perfection by my Worldview. I’m quite proud. Cedric, tell the merchants we’re going around the swamp.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Only now did Cenvin realize her icy eyes were glowing. He tries to leap back, too slow and too late.

  A myriad of flaming ice spikes tear through the ground and penetrate each of Cenvin’s arms and legs. He cries in pain and drops the Shimmerim, which is immediately engulfed by a separate growth of spikes. His limbs bleed freely as he re-experiences the hellish sensation of being frozen and burned alive at the same time. A thin spike erupts from below and stops just inches from his neck.

  Lenny makes a motion to go help, but Durand stops him. Assert leans against a tree, watching disinterestedly at the suffering before her.

  “Give it up. Don’t make this any more dragged out.”

  “Never,” he breathes haggardly, “never. Don’t you realize I am favored by Lucius? Hell, I have a sending stone in my pocket right now. I am going to report you to him. Let’s see who he sides with, shall we? The hero who almost died saving Italica City, or the Merc who stood around while civilians needed saving?”

  Her composure doesn’t sway, but she releases the spikes into harmless water. Cenvin collapses onto the ground and is immediately fed some Goodberries from Durand. She sighs and turns to leave.

  “All of that was bullcrap, but we can go through the swamp if that will make you shut up your lying hole.”

  “Her hubris astounds,” Cenvin mutters under his breath.

  A few minutes later, Durand joins the lonesome Assert, who’s tending to her black horse. As the sun dies, the animal seems to gradually melt into the shadows and become a part of the darkness.

  “What do you need?” she asks without turning. Maybe it’s because of the clay mask, but her voice seems quieter than earlier today.

  “Just want to talk.”

  “There already had been plenty of ‘talking’ this night.”

  “A thousand word’s worth. But I’ll make this quick, ok?”

  “Go ahead.”

  The horse also falls deathly silent, as if it can understand the conversation. Durand points at it curiously.

  “Never seen that kind of horse before. What’s its breed?”

  “I thought you were going to make this quick?”

  “My bad. I wish to know Lucius’s true intentions.”

  Upon hearing this she turns around and jabs a finger at his chest.

  “His true intentions are to eradicate the Otherworld. Happy now?”

  “He’s hiding something, and as one of his most trusted marshals surely you know what it is.”

  Losing interest, she returns to tending to the horse and feeds it a lump of sugar.

  “Clearance, my friend. Please forgive me if I can’t divulge the organization’s most guarded secrets to some freelancer.”

  “Then what’s his deal with Starmetal Valley?” Durand quickly pushes. “They might be disgraces of humanity, but they still fight the Otherworld in their own way. From a political standpoint, Lucius has more to lose if he destroys Starmetal now.”

  “Things are set in motion now, Durand. For ages, Shadow’s Edge and Starmetal Valley had been at equal power. Then, a great invisible hand flipped the power scale. They are rapidly evolving faster than we can ever adapt. It’s either us or them. Blame the higher power for this.”

  Assert, good NPCs follow orders and good NPCs certainly do NOT insult their puppeteers.

  Durand furrows his brows.

  “Do you believe in religion, then?”

  “There certainly is a higher power, of course, but they’re probably a jackass. Can’t get the world running right. Useless god, y’know? Always following some ‘protagonists’ around like some pet-”

  Ok. She’s out of control. I shouldn’t be mad at these petty insults, but I’ve decided that I am. Durand, go tell the caravan to prepare for some heavy rainfall!

  The adventurer’s face turns pale and rushes to the place where the rest of the party is resting. Lenny is grinding his claws against a rock, while Cenvin is examining a handful of herbs.

  “Guys! Alert the caravan about a possible flood! I’ll go tell Cedric, Does anyone know where he is?”

  “Calm down, man,” Cenvin groans. “It’s been literal minutes since Assert almost killed me. My arms still hurt. Can’t we just take a break from your dumb superstitions and your meta ‘prophecies?’”

  “I’m serious! Diem himself told me!”

  “Cedric’s at the front, you can’t miss it,” Lenny points.

  He immediately rushes away in that direction, screaming for Cedric’s attention. The party looks at each other, confused.

  “You know what might as well believe him,” Cenvin shrugs. “I don’t have anything else to do at this point.”

  The rainfall hails upon the caravan, drenching everything and soaking anything that comes into contact with a single waterdrop. Thunder erupts in everyone’s eardrums as they scramble to keep the valuable commodities dry. Puddles and even ponds of water slowly creep up beneath everyone’s feet as the storm rages on through the night with no end in sight.

  Eventually, the clouds above the spectral veil subsided; and the caravan was left in the middle of a flooded swamp: The biome had grown overnight as a result of the heavy downpour.

  Cedric stumbles through the soaked merchants to confront Assert and the party.

  “Never… never seen this kind of anomalous rain before,” he gasps.

  “Are the goods safe?” The Merc asks him.

  “Fortunately, yes.”

  “I suppose we don’t have a choice but to go deeper then, same thing,” Durand observes. “It’s all swamp around us now.”

  Cenvin clenches his fists and raises them in a victorious pose. Lenny seems aloof from the situation.

  “Very well, I’ll go inform the rest,” Cedric nods. “You should all go prepare to leave, too. The swamp is flooded. It will be a tough trek for a long time. But keep optimistic, my friends, as long as you don’t provoke god again because that seems to be the reason why we were rained so hard upon.”

  He lets out a small chuckle and turns to leave.