In the end, it took a full five days to reach Glanwood. Between the fatigue that he and Olivia felt, combined with the reluctant, plodding pace of the horses carrying their prisoners and the wild, untamed terrain, it was far from a pleasant journey. The groans and whimpers from Wynn and Tippets when they finally woke up were not a great way to accompany the journey.

At the same time, the weather seemed to hold steady. They weren't soaked to the bone by passing rain showers, though occasionally the wind grew chilly as they wove their way south. Olivia seemed happy, though the fact that she kept her scarf up around the Peacebound made it hard to tell for sure. Despite the grumbling and moaning of the prisoners, Clay was starting to feel downright cheerful as they drew close to the village of Glanwood.

It wasn't the most well-regarded place in the kingdom. Like Pellsglade, it was considered something of a backwater, even though it was considerably closer to Crownsguard. The difference between it and its closest neighbors, however, was the fact that it was nestled up right next to the Bogs of Glann, a sprawling marsh that had once been rich with wildlife and fish of all kinds. For generations, the people of Glanwood had traded isolation for the chance to live off the land, trapping and trading what they needed. A Shrine and manor house had been built, but there had never been many people in the place, so both remained small.

Then the Lair had come and grown. Other nearby villages along the Bogs had vanished, consumed by the growing rot at the marsh's center, or driven to flee before the approaching scourge. Glanwood remained, but the village itself had shrunk; more than half of the buildings looked abandoned, and the rest seemed almost as run down. The Shrine at its center was shoddy-looking, and the manor house close to the piers had boarded windows.

The same neglect appeared to have affected the people as well as their village. As Clay and the others marched into the place, most of the residents appeared downtrodden and dispirited; far too many of them gaunt from hunger. A part of him ached to see people in such circumstances. It reminded him of the stories his mother had told of the famine that had driven her to migrate to Pellsglade in the first place.

As they walked, however, the people of Glanwood started to perk up with interest. Some of them began giving him curious looks. Others stared at him with shocked expressions. Murmurs and whispers started up in his wake, as the people looked between him and Olivia, and the fugitives that they'd captured. To his surprise, a few even scowled and stomped away, clearly unhappy at his arrival.

It was enough to make him worry, at least until a small troop of soldiers tromped up the road to meet him. They looked just as neglected and ill-equipped as could be expected in such a place, but they had a light of newfound determination in their eyes that Clay thought boded well. Their leader brought her horse to a halt, while the others filled the street behind her. She stared down at Clay with a mixture of anxiety and determination. "Halt. Who are you, and what is your purpose in Glanwood?"

Clay glanced at Olivia, who was already preparing her war scythe. He made a calming gesture and turned back to their interrogator. "I am Sir Clay, a member of the Guild of Adventurers."

His name sent a ripple of shock and excitement through the soldiers. Some of them almost seemed to drop their weapons. The woman on the horse suddenly relaxed, as if a wave of relief had washed over her. She smiled. "Sir Clay. The Commoner Hero."

He nodded. "I was hoping to reunite with some companions of mine." Clay looked back at the fugitives on their horses. "Would Baron Glanwood be able to watch over some prisoners while I helped them finish their business here? I would have delivered them first, but—"

"Say no more, Sir Clay. We've been expecting you." The woman's smile grew larger. "My name is Lady Nadia Glanwood. Baron Glanwood is my father, and he would be delighted to watch these people for you."

She made a gesture, and the [Guards] moved forward. Clay saw Olivia tense in response, but the soldiers seemed more concerned with leading the horses away than offering any kind of threat to the arriving heroes. Nadia gave Olivia a curious look, but then turned back to Clay with another smile. "Your companions have been hard at work, Sir Clay. I believe that they intend to return tonight; until then, please accept the hospitality of our home."

The prospect of a bed struck with almost overwhelming force. Clay gave her a grateful nod. "We would be happy to, Lady Glanwood. Lead the way."

Nadia nodded, and she turned her horse to follow after the soldiers. As Clay walked after her, he noticed some of the people of Glanwood darting off to carry the news to their friends. More and more people were pointing and whispering; the lingering remnants of the hostility he'd seen started to melt away as the new spread.

Olivia noticed as well. She spoke softly. "It looks like things have been going well so far."

Clay nodded, careful to keep his own voice low. "Hopefully that means there won't be any surprises waiting for us. At least, no more than necessary."

She gave him a quick glance, one eyebrow raised. "You're really going to bring bad fortune down on us like that? I would have thought you'd know better, Clay Evergreen."

He snorted and turned his attention back to the prisoners. They seemed to be going along with the [Guards] fairly easily, though Dana had twisted around to give him and Olivia a lingering stare. She hadn't gotten any less unnerving in the past few days, and he felt guiltily happy to be done with her. Surely the [Nobles] would be more than happy to escort her the rest of the way to Hact's without him. With any luck, it would be the last he'd hear of the Queen of Thieves and her little band of would-be Rogues.

"Well, look who the frogs dragged in!" Lana was beaming as she walked into the room, her arms spread wide. Behind her, the [Commoners] who had accompanied her to Glanwood appeared weary and filthy from their time in the swamp, but they all had an air of triumph on their faces.

Olivia grinned. "So, I guess none of the monsters have eaten any of you yet."

"Not for the lack of trying." Paul Wheatrose seemed a little weary, but Elizabeth just sighed and shook her head. Harry Wintergrass just rolled his eyes and shrugged. All four of them looked… stronger now. As if they were far more solid, somehow.

Clay shook off the urge to use the Orison on them to check their progress. It would have been rude, after all. "Things have been going well?"

Lana nodded, still smiling despite the mud caked on her armor. "Yes. Absolutely, yes." She eyed one of the Baron's fine cushions and settled onto a plain wooden chair instead with a sigh. "What have you heard already?"

Olivia answered before Clay could. "Just that you four are apparently the world's best heroes, according to the Baron and his daughter. He's apparently had his hands full keeping her from going out there with you, and the village was worried that we were 'real adventurers' who were going to drag you back to Crownsguard before you were finished."

The [Minstrel] grimaced as he reached the last phrase. She shook her head. "I don't know where they got that. We've been clear about the fact that we're part of the Guild. I mean, some of us." Paul grumbled a little, and she shot him a grin. "Still, they did know we were waiting on you for the final push, so I'm sure there's a lot of very happy people here right now."

Clay nodded. Baron Glanwood had been teary-eyed as he welcomed them earlier. He was far older than Baron Pellsglade, and his small family had grown up in the shadow of certain death waiting in the marshes. His wife had been lost to the frogs three years before, and he had been facing the prospect of his daughter following him to the grave there as well.

Not now, however. Now, Glanwood wouldn't have to worry about the frogs ever again. If he hadn't already been determined, seeing the genuine relief on the face of the old man would have hardened his resolve more than enough.

He shook aside those thoughts. "So, how far have you pushed?"

Lana nodded. "We've already been hitting the inner portions of the Lair. Actually, we just finished the final reinforcement for the Bane [Achievement], [Frogsbane], a couple days ago. All we need now is to hit the Guardians and the Lair itself."

Despite his optimism, Clay felt his eyebrows rise to his scalp. "You're serious? It's been barely two weeks, hasn't it?"

She gave him a vicious grin. "Well, somebody has trained us well. We're all old hands at this now."

He nodded. In addition to Lana's experience at Janburg, she and the others had been given the chance to train among the Undead at Sarlsboro. All of them had killed dozens of each type of Undead, hunting them through the forests even as they continued to pour out of the unworldly door that led to the Dungeon. Apparently, he'd been better about helping them learn the basics than he'd thought.

Olivia spoke again, her voice almost businesslike. She'd brought out a set of parchment and a pen from somewhere. He had no idea how she'd managed to keep it all dry. "What types of frogs are here? What can we expect?"

Harry answered. "There are three different types, just like we expected. We haven't seen anything from the Guardians yet."

Clay blinked. It sounded similar to how the monsters had progressed in the Tanglewood, or the lizards at Rodcliff. "They work together, or apart?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Together, like the Undead or the swinefolk. Large groups too, so you'll have to watch your backs."

Paul nodded. "Especially with the mud croakers. Those things hide themselves far too well."

He frowned. "Croakers?"

Lana broke in before Paul could respond. "All of the frogs are called croakers here. Like Harry said, there's three types. Dart croakers, mud croakers, and decay croakers. The spawn are rank one, the adults are rank three, and the elders are rank six."

"The mud croakers can all use camouflage. If you're not careful, you could practically step on them." Paul shook his head as his sister muttered something under her breath. Her quiet chuckle did provoke a quick glare, though. "They usually try to circle around behind you and chomp down on you once they hit you with their tongues. It seems like they have a bite like a steel trap, too."

His sister nodded, the humor falling away from her face. "The spawn are about puppy sized, but the adults are like big dogs or pigs. Elders…"

"Elders could eat half a horse in one bite, and they burrow as well as they swim." Paul looked grim as he finished the explanation. "So watch yourselves and the ground."

It sounded a little like the mantrap spiders, with different tactics, perhaps. He turned back to Lana. "Dart croakers?"

She nodded. "Really dangerous, actually. Have a tongue like a javelin. Pierces right through wood and leaves poison behind. Really nasty."

Harry spoke up. "They stand out in the swamp, though. Each one is a bright blue. You can't miss them."

Lana grinned. "Which is why they make such good bait for the traps the others set. You're so busy looking at them that you can miss the rest waiting for you."

Clay grunted. He pictured the troll spiders and mantraps working together and grimaced. "Any changes for the adults and elders?"

"Adults have a tendency to… pop when they die." Lana made a face. "Poison splashes everywhere, and it can get really bad if you aren't quick enough about washing it off. Had a few bad moments figuring it out. They're the same size as the spawn, just bright yellow instead of blue."

Elizabeth sighed. "Elders are bright red, though, and they set half the place on fire when they die. At least, that's what it looks like from a distance. None of us wanted to get close enough to find out what was actually causing all the steam."

Olivia snorted. "Sounds fair enough." She looked at Harry. "You mentioned decay croakers?"

He grimaced. "Magic frogs. Those you really need to avoid if you can." The man shook his head. "The spawn channel some kind of arrow that makes things rot almost instantly, and while they don't change color like the mud croakers, they do blend in naturally with the swamps around here. Don't get caught off guard."

Lana nodded. "Those bolts can rust right through a shield. What they do to open flesh is… not pretty." She shuddered. "The adults are a little bigger, and they fire a stream instead of a bolt. It's still pretty short ranged, but they can keep it going for a while. The elders can do a larger, longer stream, and fire bolts from each eye as well. Have to watch out for that."

Olivia's quill kept scratching away for a few more moments. As she finished up her notes, Clay looked back at them. "How is the terrain? Have there been other effects?"

"You mean like what we were seeing at Zelton? And around Sarlsboro?" Lana exchanged looks with the others. "Most of the swamps look normal, but in some parts…"

Elizabeth's made a face like she wanted to spit. "The water goes dark. Almost black, really, and it smells like something's died in it."

Her brother nodded. "It gets worse the closer you get to the middle, too. Some of the trees start to look sick. Like there's some kind of plant growing up and through them."

Harry's jaw clenched. "It's repulsive, honestly. Like it's some kind of parasite that the frogs brought along with them. No birds or fish or anything in there, either. Like the croakers just ate everything they could all around."

It sounded like the Lair was starting to reach the level of corruption that Zelton had endured. How close was it to becoming a full-fledged Dungeon? He felt a sudden hint of satisfaction at the fact that he'd held on to his determination to come here so quickly. The next year, he might have been too late.

Then he looked back at the others, who appeared to be waiting for something from him. "Well done. You've done everything I could have hoped you would." Clay saw smiles break out among them, and he tried not to sound too discouraging as he continued. "Have there been any signs of a hunting group? A counterattack sent by the Lair?"

Lana's smile faded a little. She shook her head. "No. Not yet." She glanced in the direction of the swamps. "We might have been killing them a bit too fast for them to respond, yet. We were planning on keeping up the momentum until they do send something after us."

Paul nodded. "It might be easier to wipe out a bunch of them in the open, rather than running around in those swamps."

Clay grimaced. "Hopefully we won't need to rely on that, then. Here's what we'll do. Tomorrow, Olivia and I will start by clearing out some spawns. The day after that, we'll hit some of the adults, if you've left any alive for us. After that…"

He trailed off, and Lana grinned. "We'll hit the Frogtown?"

Olivia snorted, and Clay rolled his eyes. "Frogtown? That's what you call it?"

"It seemed appropriate." Lana shrugged, and she grinned at the others. "Besides, I'm allowed to get a little excited if it means I won't have to tromp around this swamp for much longer. The sooner we can be done with this place, the better."

There were murmurs of agreement from the others, and Clay didn't quite have the heart to tell them they'd probably be stuck here a while longer to finish clearing the place out once the Lair was down. It would probably be best to have that conversation once the worst of it was over.

Just as long as there weren't any other surprises waiting for him the next day.

Clay tried not to curse as his boot sunk halfway to the knee in the muck. He struggled for a moment until he freed his leg. Beside him, he heard Olivia chuckle, and he gave her a quick glare. "Find something funny, Syr Olivia?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why no, Sir Clay. I am a poor and wayward apprentice who only wishes to learn from her master's example. What advanced technique requires you to fill your boots with mud?"

He grunted sourly. It was quickly becoming obvious that running around the marshes was not nearly as easy as he'd hoped. Between the occasional mud pits and constant pools of water, he was nearly as wet and covered with mud as he had been in the pouring rain the week before. Between that and the cool wind blowing through the trees, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

Olivia nudged him as she walked past. "Oh, stop being such a grump. You'd think you didn't sleep well."

Clay gave her a wry look. One of the few benefits of chasing after the Peacebound had been the chance to share a tent. Now, with the Baron and the village watching them, it had been more 'proper' to sleep in separate rooms. The bed hadn't been nearly as refreshing by comparison.

Still, he couldn't exactly point that out, not when she was prancing around the swamp fresh as a daisy. "We haven't seen any croakers yet. Do you think the others have already wiped them all out?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"You sound a little jealous." Olivia looked back at him with a smile. "Are you wishing that you'd been here, instead of chasing the Queen of Thieves around the forest?"

Clay snorted. "I mean, yes." He stepped carefully around a suspicious-looking patch of mud. "Still, I am surprised. Even the Ruffians didn't clear out the monsters this quickly."

She shrugged. "That's probably fair. I mean, you were working with a bunch of level ones. Even if they were adventurers, that put some limitations on you. A level ten leading level nines was always going to be a lot more effective. Especially when they are trained the way they were."

He smiled. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Syr Olivia." She looked back at him again with a smirk on her lips. Clay sighed. "Still, if they were that effective, why aren't the rest of the adventurers just as effective? They could be knocking out Lairs like this one in less than a month, even if they weren't capable of doing more than forcing it to go dormant. Why aren't teams like Lana's running all over the kingdom doing exactly what she is doing?"

Olivia didn't answer for a long moment. When she did, she spoke carefully. "I suspect the Guild doesn't have nearly the number of high-level adventurers that we think. They've never shown the real numbers to you, have they?" Clay shook his head, and she continued. "I'm betting far more people become Peacebound than you would expect, probably because a lot more would rather go Rogue than fight monsters their whole life. Even the ones that do go out have no practical experience fighting the way you and I and Lana fight. They might have the levels and the powers, but not the skills."

A thread of stubbornness wove through him. "So you think they just don't have that many?"

"I think they might not." She sighed. "That, and the ones they do have get assigned to tasks like what we've been doing."

Clay grimaced. "Escorting Peacebound, hunting bandits…"

"And fighting Dungeons." She gave him a level look. "They can't kill them, but they have to try and contain them. They can't have that many warriors high enough to challenge those places, especially not with what you've described waiting inside. How many do you think they lose in there? How many don't die, but just get injured enough that they can't continue?"

He thought back over his experiences with Orn and Taylor. "And how many just fight enough Lairs to be able to retire instead of continuing?" Clay shook his head. "I guess that does make—"

Clay stopped. His senses abruptly clamored for his attention, a distant howl that he had not heard for far too long. Olivia looked back at him and paused as well, her eyes locked on him. He met her gaze and nodded. She slipped the scarf up and over the lower half of her face. Then they stalked forward together, their eyes searching the half-sunken trees around them.

They found what they were looking for only a few minutes later. A trio of bright blue frogs were perched on a dead tree a short distance away. The tree had lost its upper half, leaving behind a half-hollow stump where the roots hadn't quite rotted enough to topple over yet. All three of them looked gigantic; they were easily the size of a small dog, and their bulbous eyes pivoted and swiveled in all directions.

Clay watched them for a long moment. Lana and the others had said that the dart croakers' tongues couldn't extend much past five strides, but some part of him mistrusted the information. Based on the poisons he'd encountered among the other monsters, if he gave it an opening, it would be a lethal mistake.

Of course, the poison wasn't the only problem. His eyes searched around the nearest trees, looking for the telltale signs the others had mentioned. He found them a short while later. Here there was a single eyeball poking out of a muddy pool; there was a lump on a tree trunk that didn't look natural. Another patch of mud looked like there were more eyeballs poking out of it, and another brush shifted just a little too much.

Olivia looked over at him. Impatience was plain on her face. "Do you see them?"

His eyes tracked an errant ripple from a small bit of stagnant water. "Yeah. I do."

She glanced at the dart croakers. "Think you can get them all? Or do you need help?"

He made a hand sign that said, 'wait', and then began the Canticle of Ice. The reliable, plain [Chant] would give him more than enough to strike at all of the targets he could see. Given their rank, he doubted the things were going to survive a strike. Still, he felt his heart quicken as he reached the end of it.

Nine icicle spears formed above his head. Clay's eyes narrowed as one of the pools shifted slightly. He adjusted the aim of one of the spears just so, and then—

All nine lashed out as one, streaking through the air like lightning from a clear blue sky.

{Dart Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Mud Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Dart Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Decay Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Mud Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Dart Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Decay Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Decay Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

{Mud Croaker Spawn slain! Soul increases by 10}

The notifications filled his view even as the croaker corpses twitched with their final abortive attempts to escape. He crouched in the swamp, waiting for any sign of a counterattack from a spawn that he'd missed.

There were none. Apparently, they traveled in groups of nine, just like the others had described. He slowly relaxed. When he looked over at Olivia, he found her frowning at the swamp around them. "Disappointed?"

"You could say that." She shrugged. "I guess I was just hoping for more fanfare."

Clay raised an eyebrow. "We do have a few advantages compared to them. I hope they wouldn't give us too much trouble now."

She shrugged. "I know, I know." Then she stood, brushing a bit of mud off her leggings. "I'll handle the next batch. Just let me know when we—"

Olivia cut off as she took a step forward, and the ground seemed to swallow her boot whole. The woman gave an incredulous yell of surprise before she splashed into a puddle that seemed to be half-mud and half water. One moment she was on dry ground, and the next she was in up to her waist.

For a long moment, Clay just stared down at her. The next, he was fighting for his life to restrain the laughter bubbling up inside him. Olivia sloshed around enough so that she could glare up at him. Her outrage lasted just long enough for her to start trying to climb out. She started laughing, half at the irony and half at the ridiculousness of it, as she slipped back into the pit. By the time Clay reached out to help her, he was laughing, too.

They spent a moment cleansing themselves with Pure Touch. Then they set off again, looking for their next prey.

"You all right?"

Clay tried not to sound too concerned. It was hard though, as he watched Olivia dance her way through the midst of half a dozen croaker spawn, her war scythe swirling through their midst.

She paused just long enough to send him a hand sign—fine—and then jerked to the side to dodge a dart croaker's tongue. Olivia lunged forward, swinging her scythe in a quick strike that killed the bright blue creature, before she finished the [Chant] of the Flame-Tongued Song and boiled a trio of mud croaker spawns in the pool where they'd been striking at her.

Clay shook his head and watched her continue to dismantle the croaker nest, his hands still tightening on his spear as he watched. Intellectually, he knew she would have no problem with the things. On an instinctual level, however…

He shook his head. Over the past three hours, they had hunted down a double handful of croaker spawn nests. It was a testament to how thorough Lana and her team had been that they were so scattered; it was easy to imagine how much closer the monsters had been to the outskirts of Glanwood before the heroes had arrived.

Once he and Olivia had gained the first levels of [Frogsbane], however, they'd pushed further in and discovered that the creatures were gathered in larger groups further in. It made it a bit easier to find them, given how they stood out to Clay's senses, but it also meant that they couldn't just wipe out the entire group with a single burst from the Canticle.

Olivia had suggested that they get a little practice fighting them at close range, something he suspected she wanted to do mostly to shake the rust off her skills. He'd agreed and was now regretting it. It wasn't just the greater danger of being exposed to the frog's attacks, either. The amount of noise was a major problem in a situation where stealth was required. While Olivia's tendencies ran to a bit more obvious forms of combat, his own skills were based far more heavily around remaining unseen—something that wasn't possible when his companion was lighting half the swamp on fire.

Of course, there might be some benefits to the approach. He turned his attention back to his ethereal senses, which had been getting increasingly urgent about their warnings. The frogs in front of him howled in his second sight, but they weren't alone. What caught his attention now were the nine or so creatures now attempting to close in on him from behind.

Clay waited patiently as they drew closer. These weren't spawn, at least not unless they were somehow much stronger than the ones he'd seen so far. The fact that he was beginning to be able to tell between the different types of monster was encouraging. He'd already noticed an improvement near the Dungeon at Sarlsboro, but this was the first chance that he'd had to apply it on a new kind of creature.

One of them suddenly seemed to brighten, and Clay jerked to the side. A long, sticky tongue shot past his right shoulder, moving in a bruise-colored blur. Before it could retract, Clay snapped out his right hand and grabbed it. The monster attached to it gave a startled sounding grunt before he yanked on it.

Between the force of the tongue trying to retract and his own pull, the would-be killer was ripped out of the mire behind him. Clay spun, his spear held in one hand. He thrust just as the wretched thing came close, aiming for the center of its mottled bulk.

The tip of the spear tore through rubbery flesh like it was wet parchment. His target didn't even have the chance to give a final croak before the tip burst out of its back.

{Mud Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

Clay grinned. He shook the corpse off his spear as the swamp in front of him suddenly stirred to life. Bright blue forms darted between tree trunks above; half-concealed forms squirmed in the mud beneath. He crouched, waiting for their first move. Under his breath, he started the Melody of Frost.

It came a moment later, as tongues darted out towards him. He dodged between flashes of bright pink and dull purple, his steps launching him forward. A wart-ridden creature heaved itself out of the mud in front of him, its maw already open and brimming with brown flame. Clay jerked his head out of the way of another tongue lash from above, and then dodged back in the other direction as the frog unleashed a sudden stream of magic that smelled of decay.

The wave of destruction rotted the very plants it touched. Even the water turned momentarily cloudy as Clay passed it. The croaker tried to back away as he approached, but Clay reached it a moment before it could retreat and brought his spear around in a flat swing. His spear tore through it easily, leaving it to collapse into a pile of offal and decay.

{Decay Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

He kept moving as two more tongues snapped down at him from above. The dart croakers there kept trying to catch him, their eyes flickering as they tracked his movement. Clay caught sight of Olivia unleashing another burst of flame; she seemed to be trying to get to him. Either she was worried about him, or she wanted to steal some of the kills.

It didn't really matter. Clay wasn't going to let it last all that long, anyway.

He deflected another tongue strike, smelling the acrid scent of poison trailing from it. The water around him churned as the remaining mud and decay croakers started to emerge, their mouths starting to fall open to strike at him with magic and appendage alike.

Then his [Chant] completed, and the battlefield abruptly grew still.

The Melody coated the ground in a layer of ice. Mud that had already been slippery became locked in frost; water suddenly filmed over and grew firm. Clay poured more energy into it, and saw the ice climb the trunks of the trees around him, even as the patch of frozen ground grew wider.

It caught the emerging croakers halfway out of their hiding places. Ice caught them and locked them in place, keeping jaws wedged shut and imprisoning the monsters. The ice cracked around their limbs; they were already starting to free themselves, their eyes rolling frantically.

They didn't get the chance. Clay whirled through them like a deadly wind, cutting through bodies and limbs alike without hesitation. All four of the remaining croakers died in a heartbeat, unable to dodge or fight back.

{Decay Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

{Mud Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

{Mud Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

{Decay Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

He heard the remaining adults above croak in alarm, a fact that made him grin. They continued to snap their tongues at him, but Clay simply turned his attention upward. Ice crawled up the trees the croakers clung to. Their sure footing on branches and trunks suddenly failed as the frost coated them. Two of them fell, their sucker-footed limbs flailing in an attempt to find some purchase.

Clay caught both of them with a swing and a stab, the patterned blade biting straight through their brilliantly colored flesh. They both died before they hit the ground.

{Dart Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

{Dart Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

{Commoner reaches Level 18!}

{Maximum level for all Stats is now 33!}

{Experience gained {Tracer: Gain 10% bonus to the Tracking skill. Gain 10% bonus to all skills when tracking.)}

{Experience gained (Swamp Rat: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of a swampy area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in a swampy area.)}

{Achievement Reinforced! Traveler: Gain 10% faster movement speed. Gain additional 20% movement speed in forests, tunnels, hills, and swamps.}

The final croaker appeared to lose its nerve. It adjusted its grip on the branch it had managed to catch itself on. Clay saw the muscles beneath its skin shift and bulge, preparing to leap. He changed his grip on the spear, waiting for it to expose itself.

A heartbeat later, the last adult jumped, aiming for the nearest tree clear of his ice. Clay hurled the spear. It struck the frog like a bolt of lightning. He saw the notification arrive long before the corpse fell back to earth.

{Dart Croaker Adult slain! Soul increases by 30}

Clay released the Melody and started the Cycle of Return. He looked back to see Olivia finishing off the last of the spawn. By the time she finished, Clay's spear was already shooting back across towards him, the ragged remnants of the Dart Croaker still clinging to parts of its blade and crossguards.

He caught it out of the air as she approached. A quick swing sent the tattered flesh out into the swamp to splash in a puddle. Clay grinned at her as she looked around at the dead monsters. She sighed.

"Fine, but I get the next batch. You can play bait."

Clay bowed, and Olivia rolled her eyes. There was a smile on her face as they started across the marsh together again.

It was turning out to be a good hunt, after all.

When they met Lana's group at the manor, both Clay and Olivia had gained a new appreciation for the Pure Touch spell. There was nothing like leaving the muck of the swamp behind the moment their feet left its sodden soil, and the fact that they didn't have to deal with walking back through the chilly fall air without the stench of the marsh following them was something that gave Clay an extra spring in his step.

Of course, that could have also come from the fact that both he and Olivia had completed the second level of the [Achievement]'s reinforcement on just the first day. Olivia had even reached level thirteen, gaining [Swamp Rat] and the [Traveler] [Achievement] along with it. She hadn't been quite as happy about receiving [Weathered], but given the conditions they'd been working in, it was appropriate.

He checked his own [Gift], feeling a deep sense of satisfaction from a job well done.

[Clay Evergreen]

[Class: Commoner] {Level 18} (All Stats have a maximum of 33)

[Subclass: Laborer (Gain 10% bonus to all skills when performing repetitive tasks)]

[Soul: 450/1800]

[Stats] {Might: 32} {Fortitude: 32} {Insight: 32} {Memory: 32} {Valor: 32} {Will: 32}

[Experiences]

{Farmhand: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when performing Farming activities. Gain Planting, Harvesting, and Husbandry skills.}

{Hunter: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when hunting wildlife. Gain Trapping and Tracking skills.}

{Slayer II: Gain 20% bonus to all skills when hunting monsters.}

{Forrester: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of a forested area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in a forested area.}

{Watcher: Gain Analysis Skill. Gain 10% bonus to Tracking skill}

{Ambusher: Gain Hide Skill. Gain 10% bonus to all attacks from hiding. Gain 10% bonus to Trapping skill.)}

{Exterminator II: Gain triple the bonus from all Bane Achievements.}

{Determined: Fatigue lessened by 10%. Wounds heal 5% faster. Gain 10% bonus to repetitive or familiar activities.}

{Defiant II: Gain 40% bonus to all skills when facing an opponent of a higher level.}

{Smallmage: Can chant minor Chants 10% faster. Gain 20% effectiveness for minor Chants.}

{Valiant: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when facing multiple opponents.}

{Warsinger: Gain Lyricist Skill. Can complete all Chants 20% faster.}

{Mentor: Gain 5% bonus to all skills when leading lower level heroes. Allied heroes gain 20% bonus to all skills.}

{Unseen: Gain 20% to all attempts to hide. Gain 10% to all damage and skills while hiding.}

{Banisher: Gain permanent access to the Chant of Garden's Peace. Gain 10% speed and effectiveness for all Chants.}

{Seeker: Gain Ethereal Sense Skill. Gain 10% bonus to all skills when hunting monsters.}

{Leader: Gain Inspire Skill. Gain 5% bonus to all skills when leading heroes. Allied heroes gain 10% bonus to all skills.}

{Stubborn: Fatigue lessened by 20%. Wounds heal 10% faster.}

{Whisperer: Gain 10% bonus to minor Chants. Gain 10% bonus to the speed and effectiveness of all Chants.}

{Duelist: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when facing an enemy one on one.}

{Relentless: Fatigue lessened by 15%. Gain 15% bonus to repetitive or familiar activities.}

{Guide: Gain Mapping Skill. Gain 20% bonus to Analysis and Track Skills. Movement speed increases by 10%.}

{Tunneler: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of an underground area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in an underground area.}

{Champion: Gain 20% bonus to all skills and damage when facing a Guardian.}

{Follower: Gain 20% bonus when being led by a higher-level hero.}

{Dungeoneer: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when inside a Dungeon.}

{Stalker: Gain 10% bonus to Tracking, Hide, and Trapping Skills.}

{Scout: Gain 20% to Tracking and Analysis Skills. Gain 10% to all skills when alone.}

{Weathered: Gain 10% resistance to disease, heat, and cold.}

{Spectral: Gain 20% resistance to ethereal senses.}

{Hiker: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of a hilly area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in a hilly area.}

{Spear Expert: Gain 10% to damage when wielding a spear.}

{Infiltrator: Gain 15% bonus to Hide and Analysis Skills.}

{Slaughterer: Gain 20% damage resistance versus monsters affected by Bane Achievements.}

{Swamp Rat: Gain 5% bonus to all skills inside of a swampy area. Gain extra 15% bonus to the Tracking skill in a swampy area.}

{Tracer: Gain 10% bonus to the Tracking skill. Gain 10% bonus to all skills when tracking.}

[Achievements]

{Spiderbane: 30% increase to all skills and damage against spiders. Bonus increases to 60% versus Mantrap Spiderlings, Troll Spiderlings, Mature Mantrap Spiders, Mature Troll Spiders, Elder Troll Spiders, and Elder Mantrap Spiders.}

{Corpsebane: 45% increase to all skills and damage against Undead. Bonus increases to 90% versus Rotted Levies, Wretched Corporals, Weary Horses, Skeletal Riders, Corpse Hounds, Condemned Foragers, Corpse Birds, Condemned Hunters, Skeletal Scouts, Wretched Sergeants, Wretched Marshals, Condemned Marksmen, and Skeletal Lancers}

{Lizardbane: 15% increase to all skills and damage against lizards. Bonus increases to 30% versus Flame Wretches, Flame Devils, and Flame Horrors.}

{Slimebane: 15% increase to all skills and damage against slimes. Bonus increases to 30% versus Small Ironslimes, Large Ironslimes, and Giant Ironslimes.}

{Swinebane: 45% increase to all skills and damage against swinefolk. Bonus increases to 90% versus Flesh Eaters, Feral Squealers, Wild Smashers, Land Eaters, Feral Shriekers, Wild Crushers, Soul Eaters, Feral Screechers, and Wild Shakers.}

{Frogsbane: 30% increase to all skills and damage against frogs. Bonus increases to 60% versus Mud Croaker Spawn, Dart Croaker Spawn, Decay Croaker Spawn, Decay Croaker Adults, Mud Croaker Adults, and Dart Croaker Adults.}

{Paragon: All skills gain 30% effectiveness around fellow heroes.}

{Combat Generalist: Gain Tactician Skill. Gain 10% bonus to all damage in combat.}

{Warrior Poet: Gain 40% bonus to Lyricist Skill. Gain 10% bonus to the speed of all Chants.}

{Unyielding Spirit: Fatigue lessens by 5%. Wounds heal 10% faster. Gain 10% damage resistance.}

{Commander: Gain 10% bonus to all skills when leading a group of heroes. Allied heroes gain a 20% bonus to all skills.}

{Assassin: Gain 40% damage to initial attacks from hiding.}

{Traveler: Gain 10% faster movement speed. Gain additional 20% movement speed in forests, tunnels, hills, and swamps.}

He grinned as they approached the others. They were already waiting, though they looked a little more tired. Perhaps hunting the elder croakers was a bit more difficult than he was giving them credit for.

Lana waved at them as they approached. "Hey! How did it go?"

Olivia answered before he could. "We got to the second [Achievement] level. We'll be good to face the elders tomorrow."

Harry grinned. "Not sure there's going to be all that many, actually. We've killed so many the past few days that there weren't many hopping around outside of the Lair itself. You might have to work a little bit harder than you have been."

Clay gave him a raised eyebrow. "I guess we'll see tomorrow, won't we?"

Elizabeth spoke up, her voice excited. "So we're going to hit the Lair tomorrow?"

He shook his head. "Probably the day after. We'll set up camp just outside it tonight, though. As long as there's a good spot."

Paul nodded. "So we can hit the Lair fresh. Is that right?" When Clay nodded, the man grimaced. "I guess we should be fine, as long as there's someone on watch. I don't think the croakers are just going to let us sit outside their front door. There's still plenty of the little ones around."

Lana clapped him on the shoulder. "True, but most of them are starting to get nervous about hanging around near us. Some of them are even running away instead of coming after us!"

"A watch would still be an excellent idea, though." Clay nodded. "We'll let the Baron know what our plans are, and hopefully he'll be able to put together a few supplies. Then we'll put the Lair down."

Grins broke out among all of them, and Clay smiled along with them. Privately, he reminded himself that he still had a few things to arrange before they hit the Lair. Despite that fact, he still felt more than ready for the challenge ahead. Tomorrow, and the day after, the [Commoners] would take the next steps towards finally beginning to drive the Lairs back. Today it would be the Glanwood being freed; soon enough, all of the worst Lairs would follow.

One by one, the wounds in this world would be healed. No matter what.

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