Divine System: Land of the Abominations

"The Bog Golems are enormous amalgams made from both flesh and stone. They are also filled with the souls of wrathful, vengeful creatures that have passed away."

Nero didn't think there was a description as vile as that. He had seen many horrors. Hell, he had even come face to face with beings that were not even of this world.

The sound of the ground squelching filled his ears.

Within the bogs, there was a lot of danger, some of which were greater than others.

Darkness...

Moving between the high canopy trees, bramble and the hanging vines, the scent of the earth and foliage was dense.

Thankfully, the muddy ground was still relatively solid, although it was quite slippery, so one had to exercise caution when traversing.

The sound of breathing was more discreet. But with his sharp senses, he could hear every one of them.

They continued this way for a time.

And then...

"Argh!"

Every single human in the procession came to a halt.

They turned around.

A man located at the center of the ground had fallen to the ground, his face scrunched up in agony.

Obed grimaced, "What's wrong?"

The man spoke up, his eyes wide in fear and his voice trembling,

"I... I think something bit me."

Obed's expression changed as he took a step backwards. He held a flaming torch in his hands, one that had been used to light up the path. He had made sure to scan the path ahead before every step to make their journey much safer. After all, the bog was filled with all sorts of venomous critters.

Obed grimaced, "Where?" He said as he signalled everyone to move back, taking the torch to the man as he leaned forward.

Instantly, the stench of rot and decay hit him, bringing tears to his eyes.

The man, with trembling hands, rolled up his slacks to reveal the area that had been bitten.

Nero's face paled at what he saw.

There was nothing but rotted, black, decomposing strings of sinew left on the man's leg.

The moment the man saw his leg, he let out a shriek of terror,

"W-what is this?! What is happening?!"

Even worse the necrosis was spreading.

"Crap. I've seen this before." Nerobtruned his head to Emif who wore an expression of yre dreary as he took two more steps back.

Nero frowned, "What the hell is it?"

Emif turned his gaze to him,

"It's a Bogworm."

Since the City of Kanka was located in the Southern part of the empire, and the entirety, even after the Southern Bogs of Malady's Garden still was all swampy wastelands, it made sense that he would be familiar with the Abominations local to the area.

Emif's voice trembled as he spoke in a hushed tone,

"The Bogworm is a creature that burrows into the flesh of its host. It spreads its rot and lays its eggs in the spoiling."

The flickering flames cast terrible shadows, making his descriptions sound even more horrid.

Nero watched in horror as more and more of the man rotted away, even as his cries and pleas for help turned more and more desperate.

"Please, save me! Save me!"

Eyeballs falling from their sockets, skin falling and mixing in with the mud.

The other humans gave him a wide berth, scuttling away from his dying form.

Emif took more steps back. However, Nero remained motionless, even as the dying man crawled towards him.

His eyes were like dark pools that reflected the flickering light.

Here laid a man, seeking salvation.

And then, there was him...

A single Divine Elixir would be enough to save the man's life.

He had multiple on his person.

All he had to do was lean down and pour the grace through his melted lips.

But Nero hesitated.

If he did so, he would be revealing his hand to the world, dooming himself all for a moment of compassion.

He absolutely couldn't do it.

And so, all he could do was watch, as the man before him turned into black sludge, melting into the bog.

A splattering of the rotten blood splashed onto his slacks, producing a sizzling sound as it ate at the already half rotten fabric.

Silence...

Obed let out a trembling sigh,

"Watch your feet."

That was all he said.

Then he turned around and continued walking.

Nero remained rooted to the spot, staring at the slightly darker stain. Even his bones had melted away.

"There was nothing you could do, Nero." he felt a cold hand on his.

He turned slightly.

Aisha stared at him, her beautiful eyes gazing right into his.

There was a subtle detachment and sadness in them. One he couldn't quite make sense of.

"You are right. Let's go."

He wrapped his fingers around hers and pilled her forward, saying nothing else.

Aisha turned and silently muttered a prayer as the entire group continued forward.

After that incident, Obed made sure the path ahead was scrutinized before they walked it.

Despite that, two more lives were lost to the Bogworms.

Seated on a large root covered in algae and moss, Lucy let out a tired sigh,

"At this rate, we'll all die before we can even reach the Bog. This was a terrible idea."

Nero sighed as he listened to her bitter rant.

She... was not wrong.

In hindsight, the dangers within Malady's Garden was simply too much to be underestimated.

They had naively, severely downplayed the corruption that filled this world.

It was not just naive,it was also reckless and stupid.

Nero furrowed his brows,

"The only thing we can do now is move forward."

Obed hummed. His expression was dark,

"At this rate, I doubt those guys will be of any use in a battle against a Bog Golem."

Nero turned to him, "Have you ever faced a Bog Golem, Obed?"

Obed hesitated then shook his head,

"No. But I heard they can give even experienced Hunters trouble. Granted, nobody really seeks them out since the Teargail Fungus is no useful for much besides being edible."

Nero nodded.

He was silent for a bit.

Then he made a daring suggestion,

"Why don't I go hunt it alone?"