The Marsh King

A quake rippled through the muck as the last Marsh Lion melted into a pool of black sludge. The tar twisted and rose, folding in on itself until it formed a shape. Thirteen feet tall, towering over the mire, it looked like a Minotaur, but with the features of a lion rather than a bull's. Its body, made of the same black tar as the Lions, shimmered and shifted like living shadow. Pale, unreadable eyes stared down at the two men, cold and calculating.

Aric's fingers tightened around his dagger. "What in all the hells am I looking at?"

Gondwyck didn't answer immediately. His voice came slow, cautious. "The... Marsh King," he said as the towering creature casually brushed mud from its shoulder. "It's the avatar of a fallen god."

"So," Aric frowned, "it's a demon."

Gondwyck nodded once, uneasily. "One that speaks for the Thirteenth Pit itself. But it was just a legend. Why would it-"

Before he could finish, a glowing screen blinked into Aric's view:

[Boss Battle Initiated: Marsh King Zettes]

Aric gripped his dagger tightly. His ribs still throbbed, pain and fatigue racking his body. There wasn't much fight left in him, but he refused to fall without one. The Marsh King, however, did not attack. Instead, it crossed its arms and regarded them.

"Why have I been awakened? And why do you stand before me so adversarially?"

Gondwyck stepped forward, resolute. "Because you attacked the innocent."

"Innocent?" Zettes tilted his head. "What does this word mean?"

"It means..." Gondwyck hesitated, caught off guard, "someone who has done no wrong. Who is guilty of no crime."

The Marsh King paused, contemplating. "Then none here are innocent. All who dwell in the Thirteenth Pit have sinned. These people have tilled land belonging to my master without tribute. Is that not wrong?"

"So," Gondwyck replied, "if they offer tribute, you'll let them pass?"

Zettes waved dismissively. "Of course not. Would you let a thief avoid justice simply because he returned what he'd stolen?"

He turned his gaze on them. "These heathens will be punished. Now, will you stand aside knowing the truth?"

"No," Aric said flatly.

"That's right," Gondwyck echoed, stepping forward.

Zettes' eyes narrowed. "Then I, Zettes, steward of these lands, in the name of my Lord Izzmorr, declare you equally guilty."

In an instant, Zettes vanished and reappeared with his hand wrapped around Gondwyck's throat, lifting the knight from the ground.

"And I sentence you to death."

Aric lunged, but Zettes slipped through his strikes, still clutching Gondwyck. Aric attacked again, but every blow missed. The Marsh King wasn't just unnaturally strong, he was a skilled warrior.

"Mortal technique and mortal hands," Zettes laughed, tossing Gondwyck aside as he entered a martial stance. "Impressive, but let me show you the difference of my immortal technique!"

He thrust his clawed hand into Aric's gut.

[WARNING:]

[Injury Acquired - Shattered Ribs]

[Effect: Unable to move without assistance.]

Aric crumpled. Above him, Zettes loomed.

"You fight well, surface dweller. But you're no longer on the surface."

Gondwyck roared and charged, striking the Marsh King's knee. It buckled but instantly reformed. Zettes turned and kicked him into a boulder.

"See? Your brute force is meaningless. I am superior!"

Zettes marched forward, catching Gondwyck's morningstar and yanking the knight toward him. A brutal headbutt sent Gondwyck crashing into the bog.

Aric watched helplessly, memory flashing back to his death, to failing the child. Not again.

Not again.

He summoned the system and frantically scanned for anything that could help. Panels flickered across his vision.

"U-unhand me... tripe!" Gondwyck sputtered as Zettes lifted him by his crimson hair.

"Really?" Zettes licked blood from his face, then spat. "Blegh! Divine? You're mundane. Call your god, knight. Let's see if they're more impressive."

He began drowning Gondwyck, letting him up just long enough to breathe.

"Call for a savior. Let's see if they come!"

"S-s..."

"What was that? Speak up."

The voice wasn't Gondwyck's.

Zettes turned.

Aric stood, barely upright, leaning on a branch, dagger leveled.

"HAH! You're not dead yet?!"

Aric whispered, "S-s..."

Zettes laughed. "Your mortal blows can't-"

"Slither."

Aric blurred forward in a streak of serpentine energy. In a flash, he reappeared, his stiletto buried deep in the Marsh King's chest.

A skull icon appeared:

[Black Ichor Poison Applied]

"Who said I was mortal?" Aric growled.

Zettes stumbled back, ichor and golden blood spilling from his chest.

"Im...possible..."

Aric collapsed to one knee. His stamina bar flashed red, but his eyes never left his enemy.

"You... are a god?"

Aric laughed. "Hell no. I kill them."

Zettes rose, towering again. "This is why I was awakened."

He turned away, stepping into the water. As he sank, Aric tensed.

"You're... leaving?"

"My lord will wish to meet you... Aric Duskborne."

The bog erupted in a geyser of foul water.

Then, silence.

Aric turned to see Gondwyck floating face-up, unconscious.

He tried to move. His body collapsed.

A familiar laugh echoed through his mind.

And then, darkness.