Codino, and the Maiden of the Mire (M)

[Black Clay Lord]

Some months ago, I came to like the Swamptoberfest Frost did.

My aim was to do something involving that mire of his, but I felt like I shouldn't either.

Ultimately, I decided to just do the dang thing. Kind o' glad I did, too.
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Some time ago, Codino had heard of a great mire that was watched over by a fair maiden. Crossing her mire was to lead to getting a wish granted by the maiden herself, but failing was to be one with the mire. For exactly how long, there was no definitive answer. Yet Codino suspected the maiden would release those who failed after sometime anyway. That all being said, Codino had just had enough of simply hearing the stories. She had to try it herself.

Having packed clean clothes, and provisions, Codino set off on her journey to find this mire, using only word of mouth to locate where this exact mire would be. Yet Codino had already figured out exactly where to look, following a decent path forward to a great stretch of forest. "This must be the place." Said Codino, gazing in awe at the place in front of her. She proceeded onward into the forest after at least 10 seconds of gazing at its majesty.

Codino was no stranger to forest exploration however. She might not have much to help her find her way out of the forest when it's time to leave, but experience was her best tool. She would know which paths would be safest to travel, and if they were short; even better. Nevertheless, Codino had questions in her head. Was the Maiden indeed friendly, or is it all an act? What did she look like? A witch? A lamia? Does she really exist, or she merely a spirit?

Codino rubs her head. "Being a mage certainly has a drawback..." Said Codino. "It can lead to too many questions in your head..." Deciding to stop and rest for a moment, Codino pulls out her provisions bag, and from it, she takes out one of her favorites: A Sweet Cookie. Biting down onto it, Codino takes in the flavors of her sweet snack. The cookie had honey mixed into it, along with some chocolate added for good measure. It's a good mix indeed.

Codino sighed. "Dang, mom... You nailed this out of the park..." She says, smiling. As she eats her cookie, her fatigue was restored nicely. It seemed to restore 60% of said fatigue instantly. But once she ate the whole thing, she heard some rustling in the foliage nearby. That meant one thing: Codino was not alone out here. "If that's Sylvain following me," Codino said. "I'm going to boot his butt over the horizon!" With that, Codino stepped away from her spot.

Looking at the rustling foliage, she raised a tome to be safe, and a hand. "Is someone in there?" She asks. "My, my. So you've sensed my presence already? Very impressive." Said a voice from the other side of the foliage, sounding so calm. Codino lowered her hand, as well as her guard, sensing no threat at all. Then, the owner revealed themselves. Codino got a glimpse of a most beautiful human woman dressed up all nice & fancy for this forest.

It looked like she wore the Modakawa dress that Codino heard about, and that some of her sisters own; and have shamelessly sunk themselves in. "Who're you?" Asked Codino, point blank. The woman smiled & bowed. "Marais Marecage." She says. Holy crap. She's gorgeous... Thought Codino upon seeing just how beautiful Marais was. "Do not be afraid, I am not your enemy." Said Marais. "And who may I ask are you?" Marais then asks Codino.

Codino recollects herself soon after. "My name is Codino Socrates." She answers, bowing back with a smile. Only then did Codino notice something different about Marais. "What're you? Some kind of fawn?" She asks, albeit politely. Marais puts her hands on her hips and smirks. "No, silly. I'm half-dryad." She says with a giggle. "So you're half-human I take it?" Codino asks. Marais simply answered with a nod. "Hey, so am I!" Codino exclaimed.

"That so~?" Marais asks, intrigued. "Pray tell, what does your other half consist of?" She then follows up, quite curious. "My father's human," Codino starts. "And my mother is a mermaid." She then says. "Very interesting..." Marais said, her smiling getting warmer. "Now, on more important matters..." She then says. "Did you come to try your luck at my mire?" Marais asks. "Yes, I did." Codino says, nodding eagerly. "I want to feel that nice thick quicksand..."

Marais nods. "Come this way." She says, leading Codino through the forest. Codino was more than happy to follow Marais. "You know, it's not every day someone of mermaid descent comes around here." Marais says. "Or mermaids in general?" Codino asks. "Yeah." Marais answers. "Yet, you really interest me..." She says. "I've heard mermaids wouldn't usually entertain the idea of sinking in quicksand." Codino runs a hand through her hair as this is said.

"The worlds are full of surprises." Codino says. "Indeedly so." Marais says. "So tell me," Marais then started. "What got you into the idea of sinking in quicksand so much?" She asks. "Oh, it's always been a thing for me." Codino answers. "It just didn't fully kick in until my mid to late teens. Now I'm 19." She then says. "Intriguing." Marais replies, smirking. In no time, Marais went up further than Codino, before parting a bush in front of the pair to unveil a new area.

"Here we are!" Marais happily says, allowing Codino to walk past her and into the section of forest unveiled. The 1/2 Mermaid took in the breath taking scene around her, before looking down to a big yellow patch. "Is that the quicksand pit you oversee~?!" Codino asks, getting excited. "That's the one~." Marais says. "Should you cross it, I will grant you one wish. If you fail though, you'll become one with the mire itself." She then said, stepping the area herself.

"Then if I fail I can never go home...?" Codino asks. "Fret not," Marais says. "I'll make sure you respawn if that happens." She then adds. Codino nods, accepting this. "Hey, do you mind if I sink into the quicksand before trying to cross it~?" She then asks. Marais nodded. "I see no problem with that." She said, smiling. Codino began to strip down out of her explorer clothes, revealing a nice bikini underneath. This is what she'll sink into the quicksand in.

Marais picks up Codino's other belongings and puts them to the other side of the quicksand pit. "You're even braver than I thought." Giggled Marais. "Sinking while in nothing but a bikini? I respect that." "It's my usual sinking attire." Codino says. "And your explorer clothes?" Asked Marais. "Those, too." Answered Codino. "But I like my bikini sinks more so." She then says. "Fair enough." Marais says, watching as Codino steps forward to the quicksand.

"When you're ready to begin crossing my mire, just let me know." Marais then said. Codino nods to Marais, stepping into the quicksand without a hint of hesitation. Codino had her hands on the edge as both of her feet settle in the quicksand. "Whoa, it's pretty warm..." Codino says. "Do you like it?" Marais asks. "Yes..." Codino answers. "I feel tempted to take some of this home with me..." She then says. Marais giggles. "Sounds like a wish to me." She says.

Codino confirms it with a nod. "Well, cross my mire, and I'll see what I can do." Marais said, smiling. Codino sinks to her knees, before confidently taking her hands off the mire's edge, feeling her thighs sink down as well. She seemed to like how it felt on her skin more & more. "Careful." Marais says. "It can be easy to let how good the mire feels get the best of you once you're crossing it." She then warns. "Never stopped me..." Codino says.

Marais accepts Codino's answer. Nevertheless, her warning was genuine. "You know I'm not warning you to dissuade you," Marais says. "I'm warning you as a friend." She then adds. "And I very much appreciate it." Codino says warmly. She sinks to her butt, and yet the quicksand barely allows a good peek at it. "I must admit," Marais starts. "You have quite a nice body." She says. "It runs in my family." Codino says. "So it would seem." Giggled Marais.

Codino reaches her breasts in the mire. "Marais? Bit of help?" Codino asks. Marais nods, walks over to Codino, and helps the 1/2 Mermaid out by grabbing onto her arms & pulling up. "Looks like you got acquainted well." Marais said, smiling. "Sure did." Said Codino, as the quicksand on her body is rinsed off, and returned to the mire itself. "I'm going to get to the end without fail. Mark my words." Codino then says confidently. Marais smiled at this.

"I wish you luck, Codino." Marais says. "But, this means I cannot help you cross the mire. You will be on your own" She then adds. "Still, I won't fault you if you want to turn back." Codino shakes her head. "I did not come all this way just to look at the mire." She says. Marais smiles. "Your bravery pleases me." She says, before heading back to the other side of the mire, standing at the far end, while Codino takes her position on the other end of the mire.

"Okay, Codino. You may cross when ready." Said Marais. Codino took a couple deep breaths, before reentering the awaiting mire. Only this time, she did not stand still. Instead, she began to trudge forward in the quicksand. Codino took it slow, as going forward too fast will surely spell failure for her in no time at all. As a result of moving slowly, Codino sank just as slowly, as for every 4 paces, she would sink down a little bit, which worked out for her.

Marais watches Codino as she makes her way across the mire. She noted that Codino is holding her arms out to the side, as if to evenly distribute her weight. This looked rather sensible as it sure was helping Codino out nicely. In fact, Codino's method enabled her to get 1/4 of the way across the mire, just as she was getting to her knees. At this point, Codino looked at the patches of green on the quicksand's surface, having just now noticed them.

"Have these patches of vegetation always been here?" Codino asks. "Yes." Marais answers. "I'm a bit surprised you didn't notice them until now." She giggles. Codino just blushed. As she hits knee deep, Codino finds it starting to get harder to move in the quicksand. However, Codino refused to stop here. Continuing on, she used the green patches as markers to judge her distance from where Marais stood, patientily waiting for Codino's arrival.

Fortunately, Codino is able to make it to the halfway point in the mire, impressing Marais. More so since Codino hasn't even hit her hips in the mire yet. "I'm impressed." Marais says, smiling. "Most would've already been at their hips, or chests at that stage." "I intend to not be part of that most group." Codino said confidently. Marais nods, still observing Codino. And yet, Codino felt her thighs slowly sink into the mire as she kept moving forward in it.

As Codino got closer, at the 3/4 mark no less, her thighs disappear under the mire, leaving her at her hips, and unable to hold her arms up for much longer. "Ugh... I thought I could make it like that..." Codino says. "It was a good effort with it, I will give you that." Marais says. Even so, Codino still refused to just give up. Though her only option now was to claw her way forward, she took that option without hesitation. Again, she took it nice & slowly in the mire.

Even then, Codino was still able to use her legs beneath the mire. She considered using her mermaid form in order to propel herself forward, but decided to save it. She needed the energy to haul herself out of the mire should she make it to the end. As Marais watches, she notes that this is looking more & more likely. "I sense very strong determination in you," Marais says. "Is this what keeps you going?" She then proceeds to ask. Codino nodded in response.

"More than you'd probably think." She then says, feeling herself sinking still. "I'm going to be at my nose before long..." Codino then admits, but still refusing to quit. Despite this, she knew how sticky the quicksand was, but Codino has never allowed quicksand to defeat her, and this pit won't be the first either. Codino got very close to the edge, just as she reached her ample breasts in the bog. "Almost there..." She gasps out, raising her now mired hands.

Marais kept an eye on Codino as she reaches to the edge. And yet, Codino's breasts sink below the quicksand, but ultimately, Codino defied her own statement as she only sank to her chin before getting a very firm grip on the edge. Marais started smiling yet again, observing Codino as she struggles to haul herself up. "I've come... too far..." Codino pants. Finally, she finds her own inner strength, and using nothing but the soft edge, Codino pulls herself up.

Marais steps back as Codino hauls herself up more & more onto solid ground, with her G-Cup breasts being pulled up first, then the rest of her body being hauled up as well. Marais clapped her hands. "Congratulations, Codino." Marais says, smiling warmly & sweetly. "Oh gods that was such amazing mud...!" She says, catching her breath. After a moment, Codino picked herself up, rising to her knees; still a bit exhausted from her crossing the mire.

"Now, as your reward, I shall grant you one wish. Do you still want some of this mud to take home, or do you have a different wish?" Marais asks. "I'm still set on my first one." Codino answers. "I figured you would be." Marais giggled. Then, raising her hands and summoning up power, the mud coating Codino's body was pulled off, amplified some, and then encased in what looked like a solid oakwood chest, obviously locked up for safe keeping.

"Here you go~." Marais says, handing Codino her chest, and the rest of her belongings. "Thank you so much." Codino says. "You are most welcome." Marais says. Codino set her chest full of mud down, and put her clothes back on before picking her chest back up. "Ya know honestly... I might have to come back some day." Codino says. "Is that so now?" Marais asks. "Did my mire leave that strong an impression?" She then follows up. Codino nods.

"Hehe, glad to hear it." Marais says. "Please do indeed come see me again, your company was greatly appreciated." She then adds. "I'll bring some of my sisters as well. They're 1/2 Mermaids, too." Codino says. "The more the merrier." Marais giggles. With that, Codino leaves Marais's mire, bidding the half-dryad farewell as she departs. Codino was taking a big risk here, but in the risk paid off most beautifully, for she got some really good deals here.

She made a new friend, got to sink in some really amazing mud, and she got a sample of that mud for her home. Needless to say that if Codino's words are to be beholden, she'll be back to feel that mire's embrace again. And who knows? Maybe she'll convince Marais to join her in it. What are the odds of success there? Well, that's another story... For another time.

Codino: Me

Marais Marecage: FimbulwinterFeather