Author's Note: A few answers to questions in the reviews. Firstly, how did Nadia fire her bow and arrow with one arm? Well, urm, oops. I needed a character to fire an arrow, and picked Nadia, as she's the typical warrior woman, and forgot she only had one arm, so it's actually an error. Instead of going back to correct it though, it's brought up in this chapter, so thanks for pointing it out TheFrogKiller, wouldn't have wanted to miss it, but at least now it's kinda explained.

As for Sotobu and Crazy Steve. Originally Sotobu was going to join the crew, but I couldn't handle that many characters, so he didn't. But he will show up. Maybe in this storyline, or the next. And Crazy Steve, he's already appeared, kind of. If you read Phabrizoe's first appearance, he said there were two captains he could have worked for, and one crashed his ship and never noticed. Who does that sound like? Also, in my head, Crazy Steve is the one who managed to get Saria's father's ship through the rocks, but that's not said.

Whether he'll appear obviously is debatable, because to me he's always been there, coz he's that kind of character (too dense to notice he should die), but I don't know if I'll ever actually put him in by name as the story deals with immortals, and the idea of Crazy Steve being immortal for a joke might not work. Could be an ancestor though. Depends if an opportunity arises.

I also have to warn about updates. I'm not certain I can keep them up. For no reason, I'm really struggling. Not even writer's block, I know what I want to write, I'm just struggling to get it down on page. I started this chapter at about 2.30 this afternoon, it's not 1.05 in the morning. Gives you an idea of how hard I'm finding it, so I may miss a few. Sorry if that happens. I'll do my best to keep updating though, I know where this is supposed to go, I just need to write it.

CHAPTER 28

SWAMP

Taken From Arcadia's Diary:

We finally stopped for rest, having shortly escaped death at the hands of some foul swamp monster. Luckily, Olose managed to take care of it without too much trouble. Well, I would certainly define it as trouble myself, but he appears to be utterly unaffected by the fact that he tore it quite literally to pieces.

The thought of that dead creature makes me feel rather ill. Olose seems to find it rather amusing that I am keeping track of our adventures out here (indeed right now he is laughing over my shoulder and making all types of 'cute' comments). He also mentioned something about a 'ship's log' he was supposed to give me. That sounds curious.

Hm. He seems prepared for us to depart. He wants to lead us through a cave he feels may emerge at the swamp. I just hope he is correct.

"Nadia? Can I ask a question?" Came a voice from Trevia as they walked through the caves. She rarely started a conversation, so this was already something that seemed odd.

"Sure. What?" Nadia casually answered.

"Just how did you fire an arrrrrrrrrrow frrrrom a bow with only one arrrrm?" She asked. Nadia paused.

"With great difficulty." She answered, flexing her arm.

"I helped!" Beamed in Suse.

"Which is why I almost missed." Nadia grumbled. Trevia chuckled slightly. "Out of interest Captain, do you know where you're going?" Nadia called after Olose, who was just ahead of the group.

"Through a cave?" Came a response that wasn't entirely awe inspiring. "Look, I'm sure this cave must lead to an exit. It's the only way the Malboro could have reached the other side."

"Unless it swam, and then went in the cave to hide from us." Saria pointed out.

"At which point we'll reach the end of the cave and turn back. No worries." Olose shrugged.

"Judging by that smell, we are getting closer to the swamp." Arcadia said uneasily.

"See? Told you I knew what I was doing." Olose laughed.

"I don't recall you ever telling us that." Nadia sighed.

"Well, I do. Look, the exit is up ahead." Olose smiled as light poured in from the huge gap at the end of the cave. "Now we just have to negotiate a swamp, find out way through a jungle and up the plateau before rescuing Saria's father from all kinds of unknown terrors. Piece of cake, right?" Nobody replied as Olose lead them out of the cave.

They paused as they stood on the mountain side, the cave entrance being raised just above the swampy grounds. They looked out across it cautiously.

"Oh dear." Arcadia gulped. Swamp waters bubbled, they were a foul looking green that made Arcadia feel ill just looking upon it. The ground around the waters wasn't much better, seen to be thick and deep marshland, with gigantic dead trees stretching into the air. Olose crossed his arms, looking for that sense of extra authority.

"Okay. Everybody, watch your step." He ordered. "With the weight of these packs weighing us down, one mistake in movement and you could sink forever and never be seen again."

"Your words fill me with confidence, Captain." Nadia sarcastically grumbled.

"This means I lead, and you match my footsteps." Olose explained. "That way we should stick to solid ground, and make the other side."

"And if you make a mistake?" Saria asked.

"Hey, I'm a werewolf. It'll take more than a swamp to take care of me." Olose answered confidently, jogging down the edge of the mountain. The others followed.

He quickly began to march across the swampy ground, picking each step carefully to avoid letting his feet sink into the ground too far. The others followed suit. Suse skipped along between each step, looking unusually happy.

"Wee! This is fun!" She cheered, jumping to each piece of solid ground Olose found with glee.

"You have a strange definition of the word fun." Arcadia grumbled, not being so lucky as her feet sank and she became stuck. "I have an odd sense of déjà vu." She mumbled. Saria pulled her out and grumbled something to herself inaudibly.

"You realise if we'd carried the boat with us we could have just rowed across the swampy waters?" Nadia pointed out.

"Yes, thank you, I'm aware of that now." Olose sighed. They suddenly heard a loud screech and instinctively drew their weapons. A huge bird like creature swept over them, with a long sharp beak, gigantic leathery wings and beady little black eyes. Olose had never seen anything like it.

"It's coming about again." Nadia observed.

"Want to trrrry some more of that one arrrrmed shooting?" Trevia asked.

"Okay, new plan." Olose smiled. "Run!"

The monster swept down at them again, and this time Olose managed to scope its whole size; it was huge, its wings being about as wide as the Destiny was long. This time it went directly for him. He smiled, ducking at the last second as it soared over head. He grinned as it turned back to attack again.

"What now?" Saria screamed.
"Run! I'll deal with it!" Olose ordered, spinning his sword. It soared down at him, and he began to reconsider. "TREVIA!" He yelled. "It's aiming for you!"

"Aw nuts." Sighed Trevia, katana in hand. She ran as it soared down behind her, splashing along in the mud. It flipped down two huge talons, and she dove just before it got to her, crashing down to safety.

Or moderate safety at least, since she landed in one of the stagnant pools of dark green water. She burst out, shaking her hair ferociously and wiping the slime away from her eyes. Suse stopped in her tracks, letting out a long:

"Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" As she looked at Trevia. Trevia scrambled out of the swamp, not looking amused.

"Trevia! Down!" Olose cried. The monster was flying back around, coming to attack again. Trevia dropped face first on the muddy floor as Olose hurled his sword, it lodging perfectly in the beast. The creature seemed undeterred, turning in the air. "Hm. We could have a problem." Olose decided.

"You're not the only one with a sworrrrd." Trevia grumbled angrily, getting up and wiping the slime off of her.

"I don't think a sword is going to stop it." Olose observed as it began to come back down at them. "Run! I'll handle this!"

"I'm surrrre." Trevia muttered.

"No, not yet." Olose warned, passing her his jacket. "Don't want to get it muddy. Right, now run."

"Not get it muddy?" She exclaimed. "Look at me!" She was still dripping from head to toe in green slime. Olose shrugged, before bursting into his werewolf form, ripping his clothes to shreds.

"He's going to have nothing to wear in a minute!" Suse pointed out.

"Just run." Grumbled Nadia. Trevia bolted across the ground, joining up with the others still fleeing. Olose's face twisted into a smile as the beast turned back at him.

It let out a deafening screech again, and he braced himself. It was coming at him with rapid speed.
"Come on then." He snarled. It was about to get him when he leapt at it, knocking it out of the air with tremendous force. It splashed down in the mud, and screeched, grabbing Olose in one of its talons and throwing him off. He slid along the ground before flipping back onto his feet. The bird like monster screeched as it got to its feet. It jabbed at him with its spiked beak, impaling him in the chest. He laughed, ripping down across the front of the long beak like jaw and tearing it. The beast screeched and flew back, hovering in the air. It beat downwards with its wings, causing a gust of wind that knocked Olose over. He grumbled, looking up at the monster as it swept in, picking him up in its talons and lifting him high into the air. It began to crush him, and he groaned in pain, before ripping outwards, his arms breaking back the talons. The creature released him and he fell, splashing down below.

He got up with an angry grumble. The monster turned again in the air, looking almost as if it was smirking. Olose spat out a mouthful of mud.

"It's not over yet." He managed to grin. The creature soared down at him, and Olose ran at it. This time he jumped early, soaring over it and landing on its back. He bit into its spine and it screeched, crashing down and skiing along the ground. He jumped off and it splashed into one of the green swamps, disappearing beneath the sludge. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, spotting Arcadia. He ran over to her.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked in a concerned growl, which sounded quite humorous. He was still in his werewolf form. "I told you to run."

"I know, but I cannot." Arcadia replied innocently, squirming uselessly in the mud. Olose rolled his considerably larger and more monstrous looking eyes.

"Why did I take you to the one place I knew you couldn't handle?" Sighed Olose to himself.
"I think you just like rescuing me." Arcadia answered as he pulled her out. "The others escaped, but I became stuck again. I did not want to stop them on my account." She explained.

"Oh, good. Come on, we'll catch up with-" There was a loud screech as the monster burst out of the slimy water behind Olose, and hovered in the air. "Okay, think you can manage running this time?" Olose asked Arcadia tensely.

"I can certainly try." Arcadia answered, her voice shaking.

"Okay. I'll handle our little friend here." The creature squawked at Olose angrily. "Oh, settle down." He spat at it. "Right, run!"

"Okay." Arcadia nodded, running as fast as she could. Olose turned to face the monster.

"Right." He began. "I'll confess, there's been a lot of not dieing on both sides of this battle. But I'm immortal, and you're not, therefore I think you're the one that should die." The creature let out a loud ear shattering cry. "Or, you could reason like that." It flew in at him, and this time snapped him into its beak. He ripped into it with his claws, letting out a horrifically loud growl. The creature shrieked and he dug his teeth into its beak, tearing it off. He fell out of it and splashed down below. "This is exactly why I don't like flying monsters." He grumbled, getting back up. It turned around again. "Don't you ever get bored?" He cried after it. It stayed silent, but flew in at him. He crouched down, waiting carefully for the right moment. It reared its head back, ready to strike. He leapt at it, tearing at its throat, and eventually, through it. He burst out it on the other side, covered in blood, but victorious. He smiled, before noticing he was now sat on a flying, but noticeably dead, creature. It crashed to the ground and catapulted him off, causing him to splash down in one of the mucky swamps.

He scrambled out, dripping in green liquid. He shook himself off like a dog before reverting back to human form, coming off much cleaner since most of the dirt was lodged in his now non-existent fur. He began to trek through the swamp, entirely naked, trying to catch up with the others. He paused for a moment, pondering how this wasn't exactly the type of situation he had ever expected to end up in. Eventually he carried on, smiling regardless.

He found the crew sat around in various positions just outside of the swamp. Trevia was bathing her hair in a nearby lake, apparently even hardened assassins hated having swamp muck in their hair. Suse seemed to be attempting to establish good relations with a frog she had found, but it kept jumping away from her. Nadia was struggling to clean the blade on Trevia'a katana, apparently a favour she had asked for. Of course, it wasn't easy with only one arm. Saria was looking over the map, and looking into the thick jungle, peering at the plateau which was now visible. Arcadia was sat on a rock she had found, and was spraying perfume she had brought with her onto her neck, trying to get rid of the stink of the swamp. Olose just stood, looking at them all with a grin on his face. One by one they noticed the naked man looking at them. Arcadia blushed and looked away while Saria laughed a bit.

"Ewww! Put some clothes on, Cap'n!" Suse cried, before going back to chasing after the frog she had found. Nadia smirked.

"Sir, we prepared your clothes over there." She pointed to a rock where she had laid them out, and casually went back to cleaning her sword. Olose folded his arms proudly.

"Yep, that went well." He said, marching over to pick up the clothes, before reconsidering, running and diving into the lake. The others watched before he emerged again and shook himself off. "That's better. One monster dealt with, by the way."

"What was it?" Asked a frightened, yet distracted, sounding Arcadia.

"I don't know. But I'm sure it came from the plateau." Olose answered, slipping into his trousers and shirt. He picked up his jacket awkwardly. "Trevia? Did you wipe yourself off with my jacket?" He looked at it, dripping in green sludge.

"What makes you think that, Captain?" Trevia asked casually. Olose threw the jacket in the lake, and then removed it again, slipping into the now soaked piece of clothing.

"That's better." He grinned. "What are you all sat around for? C'mon!"

"Awww, Captain. Can't we rrrrrrrrrrrest?" Moaned Suse.
"At this rate we'll never reach the plateau!" Olose exclaimed. Everybody turned, looking longingly at him. "Oh, okay. But just for a minute."