1 The Home of Legends

A crack sounded out as branches were broken and leaves were torn asunder.

In the midst of the night, someone was barging their way through the forest, making their way towards the forbidden hinterlands of the Effuino Kingdom, the Eastern Swamplands.

Peering through the darkness, one could vaguely make out the silhouette of a young lady with a determined face, swinging a sword to break through the toughest obstacles and simply barging her way through minor inconveniences with brute strength.

Her clothes had long since grown tattered, and lines of mud and scars were revealed in the spots where her dress had ripped, but with the protection of a rough leather hide draped from her chest to back, she could avoid the worst of the damage.

At some point, the hem of the dress had been torn off completely, and a muddy scarf wrapped around the young lady's face revealed its whereabouts.

Making her pace through the night, one couldn't help but wonder where this young lady could be headed at this time of day and for what reason. Indeed it was something that could wait for the morning after, could it not?

Regardless, this figure moved forward, indomitable, pushing her way through this deserted land and making her way further and further from civilization. Before long, they came upon the border of the Eastern Swamplands, marked only by a single raggedy wooden sign that read, "Turn back."

At some point, the terrain surrounding the young lady had shifted, with the originally towering treetops kneeling to a height not much higher than her own but filled with thick foliage that isolated the swamp from the jarring light of day.

Of course, considering the time of day and the night sky, not much difference was to be seen, with the swamp even appearing brighter at places under the illumination of soft glowing tufts of moss and the occasional firefly flitting by.

Slowing to a halt, the young lady stopped just inches away from the sign and stared into the wooded and watery land before her, deep in thought, the frown on her face creasing into a full-blown scowl. But before long, her resolve won out, and she stepped forward into the swamp, a soft splash celebrating the swamp's newest visitor.

Making her way forward, she could only trust her intuition now, as the thick treetops had long since isolated the starry sky, which had served as her compass until now.

Trees replaced trees, and rocks replaced rocks. After what seemed to be an eternity of walking, the young lady's senses had failed her, leading her deeper into this endless quagmire of repeating scenes.

Tapping her foot on the ground, the lady leaped up with graceful ease, resembling a wildcat, easily finding footing on a low-hanging branch. Stopping, she crouched and stabilized her center of mass before scanning the land before her, straining her eyes in hopes of finding a clue.

Before long, she gave up this fruitless endeavor, having no more idea of where she could be and where she should head than just a moment before.

Pausing, she shifted her weight back and leaned on the branch, trying to figure out what to do. "Think Ava, think. How'd the saying go again? Further East then East, the Wicked Witch do Feast, trade a tale for a mug of ale… the fa, flo, fam, damn it, what was it again."

Her brows furrowed, and she looked around again, looking for anything that might fit. "Tree? Root? Leaves? Snake?"

"Hmm?" Looking at the snake that was slowly making its way down the tree opposite of her, Ava thought for a moment.

Half an hour later, Ava had found herself a large rock that had protruded from the swamp and had set up a temporary campsite, creating a small fire pit from which sparks leaped. Besides the fire pit, Ava sat on top of the rough leather hide, and to the left, the scarf sat in a bundle to dry.

Above the fire, a giant snake had been gutted and pierced through on a hefty stick, which Ava lifted with ease as she watched the meat slowly brown.

Staring at the fire with rapt attention, Ava kept a close watch to ensure the meat didn't overcook. Observing as the meat turned a delightful golden brown, a thin layer of oil oozing out of the snake.

Seeing that the meat was ready, Ava lifted the entire stick and the three-foot-long snake that was impaled upon it like it was a rib and couldn't help but give it a bite, giving it an appreciative nod as she chewed on the slightly supple meat that tasted similar to chicken.

"Mmm, lil salt and pepp-" Catching herself, Ava stopped her sentence midway, and a dark look couldn't help but come over her face as she realized what she was about to say.

Swallowing the meat in her mouth, she couldn't help but scowl again and spit out a bone to her left, watching it sink into the quagmire below, "Fucking ell Ava, you live with the pricks for a lil' while, and you're yappin' bout salt n' pepper? Next, you're gonna start expectin' gold flakes too."

Wrinkling her nose, she couldn't help but rip ravenously at the snake as if trying to prove that the meat was just as delicious without adding spices, but she couldn't help but admit the perfectly roasted meat suddenly seemed to take on a rubbery texture.

Her mood fouled, Ava finished another half of the snake before getting up and stomping out the fire while lifting the hide over her shoulder. Looking at the tattered cloth next to the fire, Ava hesitated momentarily before picking it back up and wrapping it around her neck again.

Looking around for a moment, Ava randomly decided to pick a direction and then threw the snake's remains in the opposite direction she planned to go. Taking a few steps forward, she paused and then looked back at the half-eaten snake to see a glimmer of red peeking out under the snake's body in the dimming firelight.

Slapping her forehead, Ava mumbled, "Ah, it was flower. The flower will lead you to her power." Turning around, Ava walked over to where she had thrown the snake and pushed it aside with her toe to reveal a ruby-red rose.

Seeing the flower, Ava once again couldn't help but be reminded of some unpleasant memories, but quickly pushed them aside and unraveled the cloth that she had just tied around her neck before wrapping it around her left hand, which she then used to carefully lift the rosebud to reveal an unnaturally long vine that coiled its way through the swamp.

If all went well, the vine should lead her to the witch of the swamp, who, legends had it, had resided in the swamp long before the nearby Effuino Kingdom had risen to power. Although she had always kept to herself, never stepping foot out of the swamp, almost all of the major events and important characters in recorded history could be traced back to her.

The Dragon Slaying King Sefron from a thousand years ago had once been a weak and sickly child.

The Grand Architect of Favrovian Canals, the Effuino Castle, and the Holy Citadel, Ron Swansong, had been born dumb and incapable of judging distance.

The First Holy Pope, whose magic was said to cure all wounds and bring the dead to life, had once been a faithless child, born with a deficient heart.

As a bit of tracing and hearsay would have it, each and every one of them had once found themselves in this swamp, and soon after exiting had come out a changed person.

Today, it was Ava's turn, or so she hoped. But she didn't come wishing for strength, wisdom, or magic. She went for a very simple request.

A medicine for regret.