Chapter 854

It was the next day and they’d managed to come across a road. Well. Perhaps calling it a road was overly generous. It was at best a small path used by hunters or animals that used this pathway regularly. There was only an assumption that it would meet back up with the major road, but for now it was enough to spark another argument. The first real conversation between all four of them since lunch yesterday.

“I think it’s time we decide what we’re going to do,” said Xiang. “With this path here, we can follow it back to the road. After that... well rather than stopping we should decide now if we want to go through the swamp, either using the path or going straight through.”

“Well what’s faster? We should obviously we should pick that one. There’s no sense in wasting time while Xuena’s imprisoned,” said Yang.

Xiang sighed. “Ok, even if we assume Xuena is suffering and not in a nice room she’s forced to remain in... I don’t know what’s faster and based on the fact you had to suggest ‘the fastest one’ instead of mentioning which path actually was the fastest... I don’t think you know either.

“We can assume it can’t be the bypass road. The path through the swamp likely wouldn’t still be on the map if it was. Especially considering this map is something I picked up after I was healed and the swamp is practically ancient. If both paths are still standing there must be a reason.

“Then of course there’s simply trudging straight through the swamp. Honestly... based on the angle we would only just barely be missing the pathway through it... but maybe that’s a good thing? The path might be that way for a reason,”

Yang frowned and glanced over to Kat. “Well, what do you think?”

.....

“Why would I know?” asked Kat, confused look on her face and a similar look on the Memphis in her arms.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I don’t know? Maybe you have some experience with swamps?” offered Yang as a possible answer. Of course, still at her annoyingly loud volume.

“Even if I did,” said Kat slowly, “I can’t exactly see the swamp in question. I mean, what do we actually know about it? How deep is the water most of the time? How deadly is the water? The wildlife? Is there any mating seasons we need to be aware of? I can’t really offer any advice just from the brief description I already have. I mean. It’s called ‘The Bog of Ten Thousand Poisons’ but how many of those poisons are likely to be an issue for us?”

Xiang bit his lip and checked over the map again. “Hmm... the map doesn’t say... not that I really expected it to... hmm... hmm... I’m not too worried... I haven’t heard any rumours of it being particularly deadly so I imagine for cultivators it isn’t a true issue... then again... Ten Thousand is a lot... maybe we should play it safe and go around...”

“No.” said Yang firmly. The rest of the group turned to her and continued, “If it’s not a problem for cultivators like us we should rush through it. We’ve spent ages beside this small path debating it. I say we keep heading through the brush until we find the swamp, and then continue. If we find the bog’s pathway we can continue on that and if we don’t it’s fine,”

Xiang frowned and turned to Kat, giving the slightest of shrugs as if to say ‘it’s probably not worth it’. Kat wasn’t entirely sure she agreed with him but well... she could fly. That made her infinitely less likely to need to deal with whatever nonsense was thrown at them. “Sure...” said Kat.

—

One more day had passed and it was smooth travelling for most of it. They stopped for meals twice, another lunch and a breakfast due to a desire to avoid eating in the middle of a swamp. That was something that didn’t prompt an argument for once. Full agreement on behalf of all parties.

It was good timing too because it wasn’t long since breakfast that they approached the swamp. It wasn’t quite visible yet but the smell. The smell hit Kat and Lily like a brick wall. They were downwind, which certainly didn’t help matters, but without even a hint of the swamp in vision that were potentially still hours out from it. Lily let out a harsh retching noise and moved from her position in Kat’s arms facing forward to burying her face as deeply as she could in Kat’s breasts. She didn’t even have any lewd thoughts about it. The smell was just that bad.

Kat was rather regretting her enhanced sense of smell. It wasn’t even one of her exceptionally enhanced senses. Still, it was better and Kat decided that it wasn’t a good thing at all. The fact she didn’t have anything to throw up might have helped but that was a minor conciliation at best.

Xiang and Yang weren’t really doing any better. Cultivators also had enhanced senses and it was entirely possible their sense of smell was actually better then Kat. Even if it wasn’t. The fact they had a sense of smell at all was a considerable negative at the moment. “Maybe we should go around?” asked Xiang, repressing a gag at the need to open his mouth. He’d covered his entire face with his arm and sleeves.

Yang went to answer, only for a gust of wind to pick up and slam the smell right into her. She quickly dashed to the side of the road, retching a few times before wiping her mouth. She clearly thought for a few seconds, before saying, “No. This is the faster way. I’m sure of it. We shouldn’t be wasting time,”

Despite saying that, she looked like it was causing her physical pain to say them in the first place. Her entire body seemed to scream in disgust and a blind person could tell she didn’t have any interest in trying to brave the swamp. Kat and Xiang shared a look between each other and weren’t really sure how to take it. Lily was mewling into Kat’s chest in complaint.

“Are... are you sure Yang?” asked Xiang shakily, “I think we know why the bypass exists now and... and even if it’s a bit of a long way around it might be worth it?” Xiang was practically pleading in the offer.

“No Xiang. We already discussed this. We’re going through the bog!” insisted Yang.

*Lily... should I just pick up Yang and carry her down the road? I mean... I don’t know that I want to deal with this smell long. It smells like... I... I don’t even have the words for whatever this is. I thought this was the bog of poison not the sceptic tank bog.*

[Urgh... human noses eventually adapt to all kinds of smell to prevent getting overwhelmed. That would imply we’ll get used to it... well... if we were still human. I think it works that way with other animals but... magic bullshit might prevent it and I don’t think this will be a pleasant trip regardless.]

*Do you think if I fly up high enough we can avoid the smell?*

Lily thought for a moment. [No Kat. No I don’t. Or at least not without some other problem like it being too high to see the others, or high enough for vicious flying beasts to find us or whatever it will be.]

Xiang glared at Yang and looked about ready to argue before he glanced at her weapon and decided it wasn’t really worth it. He looked into his supply ring and pulled out a bandage strip. He ripped off a large section and wrapped it around his noes and mouth. Yang opened her mouth to ask for one but Xiang sprinted off before she got the chance. Yang’s eyes flashed dangerously before charging off after Xiang to catch up. Kat started running herself but kept back a bit. No reason to get hit by the debris caused by the cultivator pair’s running.

—

It took about two hours to reach the start of the bog. Kat was actually about to call out a warning... but she was too slow. Or at least. That’s what she’d tell anyone who asked. Xiang was just about to be caught by Yang too. See, the reason Kat knew they’d reached the edge was that the path curved off to the side directly up ahead. Well that and the fact the ‘ground’ was slowly bobbing up and down.

The cultivators weren’t prepared at all. Xiang put one heavy step down on the ‘ground’ and the floating debris easily gave way. A massive splash exploded around him as he ploughed forward straight into the dirty water. Yang wasn’t far behind him. She saw the massive wave and tried to stop in place but she was too close. The wave slapped into her and a moment later she slipped and fell into the swamp as well. Truly a tragedy.