The Swamp Hag
A lone witch has claimed a swamp and placed curses on travelers. She doesn't use brute force, but charms, illusions, and a monstrous tongue that drags prey into the water.
—
"You sure you wanna do this?" Nandita looked at Dilek as he said, "Yea totally… I'm gonna bribe Percy."
"Bribe him? What? How?" she asked.
Marcus, Ami, and Diego were sitting on a bench waiting as Nandita and Dilek decided what quest to do. The guild hall was alive with chatter—clinking mugs, adventurers arguing over loot, and the faint smell of ale and parchment mixing in the air.
Dilek strode toward the counter where Percy was supposed to be—but he wasn't there today.
"Huh? Where is Percy?" Dilek asked.
A lady with dark orange hair wearing the same guild uniform as Percy turned to him. The light from the tall windows reflected softly off the golden emblem stitched to her collar.
"Oh, he's actually upstairs. He was called by Lady Iris, so I'm taking over for him. I'm Teruru."
"Oh… well, I want to accept this quest." Dilek handed her the Swamp Hag quest slip. She took it and said, "Of course. You'll get two Gisho for completing this quest."
"Two Gisho? Oh, I mean—wow, why such a high price?" Dilek asked.
Teruru replied, "Well, it's been left like this for quite long, you see."
"I see, I see. So can you approve my party? We're taking the quest."
"Of course," Teruru smiled. "What's your party name?"
"Party."
"Yes," she smiled again, "what's your party name?"
"It's Party. I mean—" Dilek said.
Teruru looked at him and said, "Party?… Sir, please choose a better name. There are six other groups who have already kept their name as 'Party.'"
"Oh… then keep it Parties…"
She looked at him in disbelief and said, "Two other people have kept it… Sir, never mind that. Think of it later. Just hand me your adventurer cards and I'll approve it." She sighed as she said that.
Dilek slid his card over. Teruru picked it up and looked at it. "You are one star…"
"Actually, combining my friends, it's uhhh…" He counted his fingers. "One… two… four… six… yea, it's six stars together."
Teruru looked at him as she said, "Sorry, but I can't let you."
Nandita looked at Dilek and pulled him away. "See? I told you it won't work."
Dilek patted Nandita's shoulder as he smirked. "They don't know that I know this lifehack."
Dilek walked back to Teruru, who had heard it all, and said, turning his face into a frown,
"AH, IS THAT SO?! THAT'S TOO BAD THAT I CAN'T ACCEPT IT NOW! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING, HUHHH?! OHOHO SURELY YOU AREN'T TELLING ME TO DO THE ONE AND TWO STAR QUESTS THAT BARELY GIVE ANYTHING, RIGHT?!"
Teruru got startled. "Wh-what? No?! It's just policy. We at the guild always follow our rules."
"RULES?! WHAT RULES?! HEY TERURU, YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" Dilek went closer and whispered, "I'm the MVP of that Goblin Raid. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD BE PAID IN HUGE SUMS. WHERE IS MY MONEY, HUH?! RULES? AREN'T YOUR RULES TO PAY THE PERSON WHO DID THE WORK?"
Teruru backed up a little, trying to find her voice. "The Raid… wait, are you?"
She remembered Iris muttering something while Teruru had been sneaking around—something about Dilek being extremely important to the guild. Iris had been talking about his payment and how she didn't have anything prepared. Teruru snapped back from the flashback.
"Uhm… w-we are g-getting the mon-money. We just need time."
"TIME?! YOU WANT US TO GO HOMELESS?!" Ami said with a frown as Dilek and Nandita looked at her. She looked at both of them and asked, "What?"
"Nandita, drag her away. This money-hungry imbecile."
Nandita sighed as she pulled Ami away, who was shouting, "IMBECILE?! YOU ARE THE IMBECILE, YOU DOG! YOU SHITASS!"
Dilek turned back to Teruru. "Of course, I'm willing to wait. But I need some money. And, well, just let me do the quest." Dilek smiled.
"B-But—" Teruru stuttered as Dilek frowned again. "BUT???"
"I'll get it!" she said quickly as she approved their quest acceptance.
She was defeated as Diego shouted, "WHAT A BARGAIN, SAINT!"
"That's not called a bargain, Diego, that's blackmail," Marcus said as the group walked out of the guild.
—
Around two hours later, they reached the swamps. The road had grown quieter the farther they got from town, the air heavier with mist and buzzing flies. They had asked travelers for lifts each time they spotted one and finally made it to the entrance of the swamp.
The merchant who had given them their last lift shouted, "DON'T FIND ME AGAIN! I'M NOT GOING ANY FURTHER!" He turned his cart around and left as fast as the muddy road would let him.
"Well, we reached. Now what?" Marcus asked.
"Now we start the operation. AMI, TRACK THE HAG."
Ami looked at him. "How?"
"Hell you mean how?" Dilek said, frustrated. "Isn't your skill Good Eyesight?"
"Yea," she replied. "I have 20/20 eyesight. I don't have binoculars for eyes."
"Tch. Useless," Dilek clicked his tongue as Marcus held Ami back.
"Saint, I have an idea. I'll go… and scout out the area for you," Diego said.
Dilek responded, "No… we all go in."
They entered the swamp. The air was thick, humid, and smelled of moss and rot. Mist clung to their boots, and the water they trudged through reached their knees, every step bubbling with unseen things below.
"Hey, is this really safe?" Nandita asked. "I mean, they warned us about a tongue."
"A tongue? Oh yeah, I remember," Marcus said. "It should be big, I think."
Ami looked disgusted by her surroundings, swatting away mosquitoes, while Diego seemed oddly curious about every slimy thing that moved.
Dilek said, "Well… I am prepared, you see… though it would be bad if it's not a tongue…"
"Not a tongue? You mean like tentacles?" Nandita asked.
He nodded. "I'm not a tentacle guy. I'm into handholding stuff."
"What?"
"Nothing," Dilek said as he walked forward. They had been walking for ten minutes—ten long minutes filled with squelching mud, buzzing bugs, and Ami's complaints.
"Wait…" Dilek said suddenly, stopping everyone. "I hear a song."
"A song? Like Travi—" Marcus began, but a loud "SSSHHHHHHH" from Dilek silenced him. Dilek put a finger on his lips as he listened.
A weak melody, a beautiful voice, echoed faintly through the trees.
"Wait, I hear it too," Diego said. Everyone strained to listen. Dilek closed his eyes and then opened them again—and suddenly, there was a rock in the distance with sunlight directly falling on it, as if the swamp itself wanted to highlight it.
On that rock sat Dilek.
He was dressed in saintly robes, his hair long and luscious, glowing under the filtered light.
"Huh?! What the hell?!"
Diego shouted, "SAINT… THAT'S YOU… JUST MORE… DIVINE—NO, I ONLY BELIEVE IN ONE SAINT!"
Dilek stared, speechless, while Ami looked in disbelief at the perfect version of him. "No way, that's not Dilek."
Dilek smirked. "At least you know."
"No way Dilek has that many hairs…" Ami said.
Dilek's nerve popped. Marcus added, "Yeah… I mean, that version is a lot better looking than our Dilek."
Nandita stopped. "That's a siren… right?"
"A siren?" Dilek looked back at her.
"Yeah. Siren, like the one that sings and brings victims closer before killing them."
Dilek looked back at his glowing double with the beautiful voice. "Aren't sirens known for shapeshifting into something people love?"
Each of them stiffened. Dilek turned back slowly.
"Who is it?"
"Gotta be Diego," Nandita said.
Marcus nodded. Ami added, "Of course it's Diego."
"WHAT?! NO!!! I DON'T FETISHIZE OVER SAINT OVER HERE! I ADORE HIM!"
"It's him, isn't it…"
Another voice echoed—a calm, confident tone. Diego's eyes widened as they saw another Diego sitting on a chair, smirking with a cigarette between his lips, beard trimmed perfectly, his shirt clinging to his muscles.
Diego stood in disbelief. Marcus, Nandita, and Ami switched their gazes between the real and the fake Diego again and again.
"Okay, something is clearly wrong here," Nandita said.
A chuckle came from behind. Nandita turned slowly, like a robot.
Ami sat there in a beautiful white dress that contrasted with her dark hair, her skin smooth, her pink lips curved into a soft smile.
Dilek blinked. "Damn…"
Diego covered his eyes since the light from the beautiful version of Ami reflected off the swamp water. Ami was drooling.
Nandita slapped her arm. "WHY ARE YOU DROOLING?!"
Ami startled. "I dunno, I look hot?"
"OKAY FELLAS, I GET IT. CLOSE YOUR EYES, I'LL LEAD THE BLIND!" Dilek shouted.
They instantly grabbed his shirt as he guided them forward slowly through the murky water.
But there was Nandita's other version at a distance—her skin smooth, her expression soft and kind. Dilek looked at her, then back at the real Nandita, shedding a tear.
Ami peeked and gasped. "What the hell, NO WAY THAT'S HE— GLUBUBWOWBBW!"
Dilek shoved her head in the water. Ami shouted, "I'LL KILL YOU, I SWEAR!"
Ami jumped out, grabbed Dilek by the throat, and shoved him inside the swamp.
"SAINT!! STOP AMI, HE MIGHT DIEEE!" Diego shouted.
Marcus was meanwhile staring at the illusion versions of his friends. For a brief second, he wondered, 'Does no one love me?' He shed a tear before whispering, "It's alright. I'll love them all equally."
Marcus started walking toward his friends' beautiful doubles, but Nandita pulled him back by the shirt. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing…"
"That's a fake, you know. That's how sailors died."
"We aren't sailors, though," Marcus said.
"Yeah, kinda strange…"
Just then, a calm voice echoed. Marcus turned in joy, thinking, 'Finally, my handsome version! I knew I was loved!'
Diego looked at Marcus, then at the light. "What the—he looks exactly the same… Matter of fact, which one is the real one?"
Ami was strangling Dilek underwater as Nandita laughed. "I guess everyone loves you for who you are, huh?"
Marcus smiled. "Yeah."
Ami came up, gasping. "Sorry for interrupting a wholesome moment."
Each of them jumped. "GOODNESS, YOU SCARED US!"
Marcus asked, "What's up?"
Ami said, "I lost Dilek…"
"Hm? What do you mean you lost him?" Nandita asked.
"I was strangling him, but something grabbed him and pulled him away. I was about to get pulled too, so I let go. Oh, he did try to hold onto my leg at the last second, so I poked him hard with a stick a couple times before he left my leg…"
"WHAT?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO SAINT?!" Diego shouted.
Marcus cut in, "HOLD ON, I FEEL THE WATER MOVING! GET IN FORMATION!"
"What formation?" Nandita asked.
Marcus looked at her. "Here I thought you guys would be cool and actually form a formation."
A huge tentacle rose from the water. The four of them grouped closer around Marcus.
At the end of the tentacle, they saw Dilek shouting, "HELP MEEEEE!"
"SAINTTTTT!" Diego shouted as he crouched slightly, holding his fists ready.
Dilek screamed, "WHY ARE YOU IN A SHITTING POSITION?! SAVE MY ASS INSTEAD OF SHITTING IN THE SWAMP!"
Ami turned to Diego. "Oh shit, are you shitting?"
"OF COURSE NOT! IT'S MY SKILL! ANYWAYS, TRY TO LURE THE TENTACLE HERE—I'LL ONE SHOT IT!"
"No you won't," Marcus said as he picked Diego up. "I have an idea. I'll carry you around—you just have to stay in the position, right?"
"Oh ho, smart, Marcus! Go go go!" Nandita said, clapping her hands.
+0.01 morale +0.01 morale +0.01 morale +0.01 morale +0.01 morale…
"OH YEAH, THAT'S IT—AS IF THAT'S GOING TO HELP!" Dilek shouted, still dangling.
He reached for his pocket while being flung around. His face turned green. 'Oh no… motion sickness…'
Then, it began to rain.
Rain of vomit.
A rainbow rain.
"WHY IS THE VOMIT BEING CENSORED?! PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN SEE IT!" Ami shouted as Nandita dove underwater to protect herself.
Diego endured stoically, staying in his battle pose, while Marcus vomited too but still held onto him.
Ami cried while cleaning herself with swamp water. "EW EW YUCK, STOP VOMITING!"
The tentacle slammed Dilek into a tree. He fainted instantly. The tongue-like appendage wriggled back into the swamp.
"Hold on—is the tongue… cleaning itself?" Nandita said.
"IT'S A TONGUE, NOT A TENTACLE! REMEMBER THE QUEST!"
"A thin tongue indeed," Marcus muttered weakly.
The tongue shot out again, wrapping around Dilek. Its thick saliva sizzled against his clothes, waking him with a jolt.
"Oh shit, that stinks! OH MANNNNN STOP STOPPPP!"
The acidic saliva was melting his shirt. "WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THIS CLICHÉ?! WHY MY SHIRT?! STOPPPP!"
He dug into his pocket, pulled out a lemon, and tapped it against the tongue.
"What is he doing?" Nandita asked.
Ami, still wiping tears and swamp off her face, said, "Putting a lemon? Oh, smart… but it's not cut though, so Dilek is just touching the skin of the lemon which won't affect the tongue."
Dilek noticed it, bit the lemon in frustration—then died for a second from the sour shock.
With lemon juice dripping from his mouth, he grabbed half a lemon in each hand and pressed them both against the tongue.
The tongue went berserk, thrashing violently before diving back into the swamp to clean itself.
"Marcus! THROW ME NOW!" Diego shouted.
Marcus hurled him high into the air.
Diego soared, seeing now that all the beautiful versions of his friends were nothing but vines twisted into illusions.
"They were illusions…" he thought—but that didn't matter. He threw his punch downward at the tongue.
The tongue noticed and moved away. Diego fell into the water.
Plop.
"DIEGOOOOOOO!" Dilek shouted from above. The tongue turned toward him again.
Dilek held up his lemons threateningly. The tongue hesitated, almost as if it feared the citrus.
Dilek looked around the murky swamp for the hag, scanning the water, the twisted trees, the thick fog that rolled like breath from something sleeping beneath.
"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE OWNER?! GET DOWN HERE FAST!" Nandita shouted.
Dilek had an idea. He jumped down, shouting, "FULLBRIGHTTT!"
And the entire swamp—dark for decades, hidden under mist and shadow—was bathed in blinding sunlight.
For the first time, the swamp saw the sun.