East Road Quest

Chapter 95: Whispering Marsh

As the sun set, the surroundings were filled with shades of gray. The day had been overcast, and darkness fell quickly.

Ruby had thought they would reach their destination by nightfall, but due to Jade’s unintended delay, they were forced to spend the night in a quiet part of the marshland.

The area was full of puddles and swamps that reached up to the calves, making it damp and chilly even without the night’s drop in temperature.

Finding a spot to light a fire was difficult, and the lack of dry kindling meant that even the skilled Merald took a while to start a campfire.

Lighting a fire in a place akin to enemy territory was incredibly risky, but Merald prioritized Jade’s health, going so far as to light two fires. However, Ruby was concerned about the cold dampness rising from the ground.

‘Magicians’ powers can be affected by their physical condition. I’m not sure about Sapphire, but if Jade catches a cold, his magic will definitely weaken.’

Ruby cursed herself for thinking of a girl who had died of a cold. The memory was confusing; she couldn’t recall if it was a few years or centuries ago.

In Ruby’s memory, countless people had died from colds. Whether they all actually had colds was uncertain. If a poor person coughed to death, it was always diagnosed as a ‘cold.’

Ruby often wished that a cold was a visible monster she could fight.

‘Should I find more kindling? If we’re going to light a fire, it’s better to have three than two.’

Ruby considered this but then gave up. If it had been possible, Merald would have already done it.

Merald stood watch a little away from the campfire, as always.

Ruby crouched on a dry branch like an owl, looking in the direction Merald wasn’t watching. If the current fire went out, she planned to use the standing trees as kindling.

‘Merald would oppose cutting down a living tree, wouldn’t he? How would he react if I proposed just trimming a few branches?’

Sapphire had fallen asleep leaning slightly against a small rock.

Like Sapphire, Jade tried several times to sleep against a rock but failed and ended up squatting in front of the campfire. He then took out a book of light magic.

He produced and extinguished the light of destruction using various demons’ names. After about ten minutes, he thrust his palm energetically into the darkness, and light poured forth.

Ruby, amused by his actions, jumped down from the tree and landed in front of Jade.

Just then, Jade extended his palm filled with light magic toward Ruby. The light spilled out toward her.

“Ugh!”

Ruby turned her head slightly to avoid the dazzling light.

Jade, startled, quickly folded his hand.

“Ah, Ruby? Are you okay?”

“Even if it’s not a demon, it could be a good tactic to surprise an opponent.”

Ruby rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Sorry. I didn’t know you were coming down.”

“Of course, you didn’t know since I came down quietly. No need to apologize. If you’re going to apologize, do it for not sleeping and doing this instead. You were just lecturing Merald about conserving your energy.”

Jade scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

“I was practicing.”

“Magic doesn’t get stronger or faster with practice.”

“Then I guess I was trying to apply it.”

Jade lowered his voice so as not to wake Sapphire.

“I was thinking, if I could use the light like Sapphire did to block Buffalord, it would be great. During the battle with Heldra, if I could have thrown this light, I wouldn’t have needed to approach so dangerously.”

“Isn’t your light different from Sapphire’s?”

“It’s like the same metal can become a spear or a shield; Sapphire’s light becomes a shield, and mine becomes a spear. Maybe this spear could become an arrow?”

“You shouldn’t interpret magic so poetically.”

“Is that how it is?”

Jade laughed self-deprecatingly.

Ruby faintly heard the sound of water being stepped on. It was different from the sound of fish in the swamp poking their heads above the surface.

Without realizing it, Ruby’s gaze shifted toward Merald.

Merald quickly grabbed his bow.

‘Am I watching him, or am I gaining confidence about the surrounding dangers based on his reactions?’

Ruby drew the sword she had strapped to her back.

Jade looked surprised.

“What’s that sword?”

“Oh, this? I kept it hidden so you wouldn’t be startled.”

Ruby showed Jade the sword as tall as herself.

“You kept it hidden?”

“It’s Buffalord’s sword.”

Ruby spoke nonchalantly, but guilt followed.

‘Goodness, I’ve been influenced by Sapphire. I haven’t done anything wrong, but I feel like making excuses!’

Jade asked.

“Buffalord’s sword? Since when have you had it?”

“Since we first set out. Wait, don’t move. Something has surrounded us.” Although she had spoken the truth, she felt as if she had dodged the question.

Ruby surveyed a spot about ten steps away, where the swamp was bubbling.

They had seen several such phenomena along the swamp on their way here. It was an unremarkable spot, so Jade and Ruby hadn’t paid much attention to it while talking.

Suddenly, something burst out from there. Merald released an arrow faster than Ruby could swing her sword.

As soon as he emerged from the swamp, he was struck by an arrow and plunged back into the mire. The loud splash startled Poe awake.

Merrald commanded calmly, “Both of you, stay by Ruby’s side.”

Jade gestured sleepily to the roused Poe, “Poe, come here.”

At that moment, something burst forth from the opposite pool, targeting the half-awake Poe.

Merrald immediately aimed an arrow in that direction, but Ruby, quicker to act, swung his sword first. The bisected body of the creature flew into the darkness.

“There are many of them,” Merrald said as he approached Ruby, slinging his bow over his shoulder and drawing a dagger instead.

‘The sword containing the soul of the Buffalord.’

Ruby was confused about when Merrald had acquired that sword. Was it before he had picked up the sword lying next to the vanquished Buffalord, or after Jade had mentioned that the spirit of the Buffalord had infused itself into the weapon?

‘What does it matter?’

A grotesque creature with white arms leaped out of the swamp and entered the space illuminated by the campfire.

The creature was about chest height to Ruby, not because of its small stature, but because it was hunched over.

Similar creatures began to reveal themselves around the swamp. One of them approached, splashing through the swamp water.

“How dare you enter these ruins so boldly! Who gave you permission?” Ruby asked politely.

“Ah, I didn’t realize I needed permission. Whose should I seek?”

The creature’s voice boomed across the swamp waters.

“This is the Whispering Swamp, designated as my domain by the Water Angel herself! To pass, you need the permission of both me and the Water Angel. Praise and sing praises.”

The creature suddenly burst into song.

“Over great mountains and seas, beyond the gates of hell, came the Cowking, bearing the will of God to this land. The Cowking descended, turning this land into the devil’s domain, our bodies given by the Cowking, to repay with a lifetime of pain, the grace given by the Cowking, to repay with death.”

Ruby nodded, “Better than Rhinod’s rendition.”

“Rhinod? Never heard of him.”

“And who might you be?” Ruby asked, extending a chain from one arm.

The creature coughed before replying, “I am the creator of the night here, the ruler of the dark air. With gills and fins, hands and feet, I possess the best of both humans and fish. If I were to describe myself…”

Ruby threw the chain, wrapping it around the creature’s neck. It tried to resist momentarily but was pulled as helplessly as a fish hooked on a line.

A sharp scream pierced the darkness, and a fish the size of a man, with human-like limbs, flew towards them. It held a crudely made pointed spear.

Even as it was dragged, the creature aimed the spear’s tip at Ruby’s face. Ruby dodged easily and sliced the creature’s neck with his sword.

Looking down at the bisected fish-like creature, Ruby chuckled, “Ha, you’re a funny-looking one. With all your bluster, I expected a Buffalord, but you’re just a fish head? Maybe I should have waited to hear the rest of your story. It might have been interesting.”

The severed fish head glared and shouted, “There’s no reason to respond to your insolence. My minions, kill th—”

The creature stopped mid-sentence, not hindered by Ruby, and collapsed.

“Hm? Dead already? Was the neck its weak spot?” Ruby wondered aloud.

“That aside… Hmm, this is strange.”

Despite the creature’s failure to give the order, its subordinates, the Comoras, charged in unison.

As the sound of splashing water loudly approached from all sides, Ruby became confused.

“Am I recalling memories right now, or am I actually fighting?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’ll take this side; you take the other,” Merrald instructed as if they were sharing sweets.

“I already feel like this fight is over. We’re standing in the middle of the swamp, and the swords we’re holding have obliterated them all,” Ruby said, speaking of the yet-to-happen battle in the past tense.

Merrald, baffled, replied, “Are you sleepy or drunk? Step back. I’ll fight alone.”

Merrald dispatched the first fish Comora with his dagger.

“I told you, we fought!” Ruby exclaimed, swinging his sword and cleaving two at once.

Water splashed from all directions, extinguishing the campfire, and darkness enveloped them.

Ruby’s eyes glowed red as he said, “Somehow, I feel like I can remember how many you’ve killed. But I can’t count them. Because at this point, I don’t know how many I’ve killed, so I can’t predict it.”

“Snap out of it, Ruby! Don’t forget we have two people to protect!”

“I know. They’ll be safe. At this point, Poe is probably using the Shield of…”

Before Ruby could finish, Poe’s voice interrupted.

“Father, get down. I’ll use the Light of Protection.”

Saph pressed against Jade’s back with a forceful embrace.

Jade lay flat on the cold swamp ground, his hands and chest pressed against the earth. Saph held him down with one hand while lifting the other upwards. Following her hand, a light burst forth, illuminating the area with an intensity that made the light of a campfire pale in comparison.

“Ruby will use the light,” Ruby said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders as if he had known all along.

The other Komoras looked similar. Initially thought to have human arms, they now appeared more frog-like, with protruding eyes that moved erratically, unlike those of a fish but more akin to a lizard’s.

Their spears, crudely made from wood with metal tips attached, were hardly proper weapons. Yet, they wielded them with extraordinary strength, splashing mud and water several meters high with a single strike. Their power seemed to match that of two robust elves.

Ruby handled the Komoras with calm precision. Saph’s protective light had been unnecessary; the creatures couldn’t even get close to the pair.

However, as Ruby kicked through the water and mud, a rain of muck poured down from the sky, drenching both Jade and Saph.

Saph’s light was meant to ward off demonic powers, not natural elements.

Aside from that, the situation ended just as Ruby had ‘remembered.’ The remaining creatures no longer approached; they were too busy fleeing.

“Don’t chase them. It’s too dangerous in the dark,” Merald advised as he pulled a Komora shaped like a bullfrog off his dagger and tossed it aside. He paused before striking down another.

The bullfrog Komora lay dead.

“Hmm, it’s dead,” Merald noted.

“What’s so surprising? They can die,” Ruby pointed out, referring to the first Komora captain, Ben, he had slain.

“True. It happens. Some Komoras live even after being beheaded, while others don’t die even when hacked to pieces. Yet, some die from a mere tail cut… It seems this one’s weakness was its head. So, the frog I just killed had its belly as its weak spot?” Merald mused, nudging the bullfrog Komora with his foot.

Ruby, still focused on the first slain captain Komora, said, “Even after it died, the other fish-like creatures kept moving. It seems it wasn’t managing the entire area as it claimed. When Goatking or Buffalord died, all the monsters in their area died too, but not this time.”

“If we follow that logic, the one called Watercontr, or perhaps Watercon, is likely the ruler of this swamp. Until it’s killed, the Komoras here won’t be eradicated,” Merald concluded, picking up his dagger again.

Ruby also readied his sword.

“Saph, don’t turn off the protective light yet. A half-bodied creature might still crawl our way,” Ruby cautioned.

Saph nodded, maintaining the protective light. Within its glow, Jade was pulling out a book of light magic. Indeed, Jade’s annihilation magic was the most reliable.

The four waited for any surviving Komoras to rise or for any that hadn’t fled to launch another attack. However, the Komoras that Ruby and Merald had beheaded or bisected did not regenerate or come back to life.

Ruby, puzzled, picked up a Komora head that had fallen into the swamp. Despite the overpowering stench, the creature’s mouth did not move on its own, nor did its bulging eyes.

With a slight squeeze, the creature crumbled like a rotten tomato.

“Something’s odd. I can’t quite put my finger on it…”

Merald pointed out.

“Look over there.”

In a dark, distant corner of the swamp, a fish Komora was moving.

It seemed to have survived the recent battle.

The creature struggled to reattach its lower half, severed by Merald’s dagger, to its upper body. But each time it attached, it fell off, and after several attempts, it collapsed, never to move again.

“What’s going on? It’s strange to say, but…”

Merald looked at Ruby, confused.

“…did these creatures not die normally?”

Ruby remembered someone who could help make sense of his thoughts.

“Saph!”

Saph responded from within the protective light.

“Yes?”

“It’s over now. You can turn it off.”

Saph stood up, covered in dirt. He had shielded Jade, taking on the full brunt of the mud meant for him.

“You mentioned something back on the Kuman Plains, didn’t you? You saw something like a thread inside the demon’s body, and when it snapped, the demon died.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did you see anything like that thread during this fight?” Ruby asked.

Merald looked at Ruby with curiosity, his expression demanding an explanation for the question. However, Ruby didn’t want to excite Merald with unconfirmed information.

Saph replied bluntly.

“The light I cast was too strong; such faint threads were not visible.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s alright then.”

Ruby didn’t blame or get angry.

Saph’s duty was not to unearth the weaknesses of the Komoras, but to protect Jade with all his might. Fuming over ‘I should have paid better attention to that!’ would only distract him from his primary task.

Saph said calmly, “However, I did catch a glimpse of the frog that Merald killed at the end.”

“Hmm, really? What did you see?” Ruby asked.

“The frog had a small bundle of light, more like threads than a single filament, wriggling around its neck. When Merald’s sword pierced its belly, something like black mist moved along its body and shifted towards the neck. And then… the black mist engulfed the light,” Saph explained, his voice steady. Yet, the trembling of his hands betrayed his fear or shock.

Ruby grinned, “This is intriguing. It wasn’t the weak spot, yet it killed it.”

Jade clearly did not appreciate his smile.

“What’s so funny about the situation now?”

“It means I have a weapon that can kill demons,” Ruby continued, slinging his sword over his shoulder.

“It’s probably not funny to you. Your job has disappeared.”

Ruby suppressed the memory of his fight with the Cauking from surfacing again.

In that battle, Ruby had been unarmed. But now, he possessed a weapon capable of slaying the creature.

‘Indeed, it was neither a prophecy nor a memory, just a delusion born from fear.’