The Knights of Grimm - Act 3 - Shattered Memory

Chapter 17 - The Restless Marshlands

Qrow

He steps onto the muck, feeling the deep soggy mud around his boot as he steps forth. Qrow looks around, smelling the stench of the bog around him, fog seems to pulsate from the trees that surround the three of them. Taiyang coughs from the horrific smell; the putrid scent of dead flesh surrounds them constantly. Like there is some sort of boiling cauldron that is never ceasing to boil the remains of humans and animals. Whatever is happening here cannot be good, the three of them feel the urge to ready themselves. Taiyang engages his semblance, his fists glow internally to punch his way through anything that stands in his path. Qrow and Raven draw their swords, eyes peeled; the faint sounds of creatures unknown to them can be heard. They cannot see any sort of hut, anything to expect to find these Witches at. There are just trees and swampy ponds around them, thick fog before them as well. "I don't like this." Raven whispers as they walk through the bog, their feet sinking into the mud.

Taiyang looks at the ground, bones of both humans and creatures sticking out from the mud as they walk through. Qrow steps onto a skull hidden in the mud, it crunches and collapses under the weight of his foot. He lifts his foot to see the chunks of bone stuck to the underside of his boot. "Just stay sharp, anything could be in here." He tells them, walking onward. The faint screeches of reptiles and birds can be heard, a large monitor lizard climbs on one of the trees. It flicks its tongue out, tasting the air and watching them. They've no idea that the lizard's eyes now glow bright orange as something observes them through its eyes.

Raven looks around with Taiyang at her side, her Odachi held outwards if she ever finds the need to use it against whatever could be lurking around in these woods. Taiyang gently bumps her arm to get her attention, and she looks at him. "Are you alright?" Taiyang asks her, and Raven smiles and nods.

"Yeah...I just...feel a bit vulnerable right now." She answers and Taiyang chuckles, she narrows her eyes suspiciously. "What? What's so funny?" She questions, and Qrow starts to chuckle as well, they both give each other a fist-bump as well when they think of it. She rolls her eyes as she walks with them. "Alright – what is it?" She sighs, wondering what she said.

"This is just like that mission we had years ago, remember? Us mucking through a swamp to find those kids that went missing?" Taiyang asks her and Qrow laughs.

"And you fell into the swamp, ruined your clothes and you wouldn't quit complaining the whole way there." Qrow remembers, shaking his head. She gasps, her eyes widening when he brings that up.

"Are you seriously gonna keep bringing that up for the rest of my life?" She inquires, planting her hand on her hip, raising her brow.

"Yep." Qrow instantly answers and she groans like a little girl, or just like how her daughter would in fact. She keeps moving with them, looking around the bog. Qrow presses his hand against one of the trees, feeling the soft bark crunching down into itself from how rotten it has become. This place is not fairing very well over the years. Qrow steps forward, but then he extends his arm back to them, stopping in his tracks. Taiyang and Raven's eyes widen with confusion of why he has stopped them. He listens carefully, because he heard something in the fog.

"What is it?" Taiyang whispers to Qrow.

"There's something out there in the fog." He tells them. They listen carefully, the sound of something being dragged is very apparent. Like a shovel being dragged through the soil, getting louder and louder, closer and closer. The footfalls be heavy, like that of some sort of Giant or Troll. They get ready for a fight for what approaches from the fog, senses focused as the entity reveals itself.

A large humanoid individual steps forth from the shadows, a hood pulled over its head with a massive rusted Shovel being dragged by its hands. The clothes are moth-eaten and ripped in places, made from what looks like human skin woven together with Spider's Webbing. The being has a face, a large mouth, once a human one but the mouth has been cut round the cheeks to create a never ending smile. It also has glowing orange eyes as it stares at them, raspy breath. Its legs are wrapped in the same make-shift clothing, the skin it has on its body is all different though. Built from different skins from different people, even creatures. Where it has been wounded, it has been replaced with reptilian skin in places, others human, others Deer. Most likely more that they do not even recognise. The creature snarls at them as it stands there, it does not attack; it stands in front of their way.