The Druids' Mire Crossing (Chapter 3: Muiel Crosses the Mire)

[Black Clay Lord]

The 3rd Chapter to The Druids' Mire Crossing.
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Masika & Neried made it safely across the mire of Marais Marecage. This was 2 of 5 1/2 Mermaid Druidesses now safely on the other side of Marais' mire. Muiel stepped up to the mire soon after. She looked straight into the eyes of Marais, and she crossed her arms. Marais smiled. "You, Muiel Socrates," Marais says. "I sense that you have the heart & might of a bear determined to see the duty you & your sisters have placed upon yourselves." Muiel nodded.

"My family is not one to just quit." She states. "When the going gets tough for us, we just keep going." Muiel adds. "Well said." Marais said. "But, will it be enough for you to meet me on my side of the mire here~?" She then asks with a playful grin. "I'll show you." Muiel said, head held high. Muiel then proceeded to step forward into the mire. Muiel took a few steps forward into the mire, before her feet were swallowed by the mire after taking her 1st steps.

Undeterred, Muiel moved forward through the mud steadily. Muiel's sense of purpose carried her through the thick mud without much difficulty, but Muiel will not have it this easy for very long. Marais knew this all too well. But Muiel's legs kept on trudging through the mire. "Thick as this may be," Muiel says. "I'm not going to let this slow me down even for a minute." Marais smirked. "I like your attitude." She says to Muiel as she continues forward in the mire.

Muiel kept on going, even as the mud touched her knees. By now, the thickness of the mud started to take some effect on Muiel. The mud resisted Muiel's movements some. It was as if it was trying to stop her from going forward in the mire more. Yet Muiel did not wish to stop & sink. Her goal was the other side, and she was determined to get there. "Not... to... day!" Muiel proclaimed as she moved her right leg forward in the mire, before moving her left again.

Marais watched Muiel closely as the 1/2 Mermaid trudged onward still. "Hmm... I must confess..." Marais says to herself. "It might look as if only 4 will get across with no losses..." Muiel reached the halfway point, just as the mire touched her thighs. She was making very good progress in crossing the mire. When suddenly... Disaster struck, as Muiel suddenly plunged to her hips with a yelp. Muiel felt the mud grip her legs tightly, and refused to let them go.

"What...?!" Muiel looked down, and she tried to claw herself forward, but found that she certainly could not. "No... I'm stuck?!" Muiel asked in shock. "Seems that way." Marais giggles, grinning as Muiel was helpless right now. Try as Muiel might, she could not thrust her legs forward. She must've hit a collapsing air pocket beneath the mud, and that would certainly explain why she's stuck right there. "Not... Like this...!" Muiel groaned, fighting the mud's grip.

Muiel could barely move a muscle. Yet she refused to give in easily. Yet with each thrust of her legs, Mueil barely moved forward in the mire, but she seemed to go down more than she did forward. "C'mon, Muiel!" Masika calls out. "You're not one to let even mud defeat you that easily!" She then adds.Muiel shifted herself forward more & more, but still did not get much further, and she continued to sink deeper into the mud as a result of her actions.

Finally, Muiel sank to her breasts, yet was no further to the end than when she had started out. Marais could see that Muiel was exhausting herself. Muiel clawed at the mud constantly, but alas, the mud held her too fast for her to make any progress forward. Now, all she could go was down. Unable to continue onward, Muiel panted in exhaustion, sinking to her chin in the mire. "Damn... It...!" The druidess cursed, but blushed all the same nevertheless.

Muiel at that point, raised her hands up, before her head sank down into the mire, before it claimed her arms as well. "No! Muiel!!" Screamed Calder & Neried, as they both watch their sister disappear into the depths of Marais' mire. Muiel's body was caressed by the mud, her body writhing in pleasure as a result from it. But then, her body stiffened. It froze in place. Muiel did not drown, but she was now in the bog's possession all the exact same now.

Marais grinned. "A valiant effort for the guardian druidess," She says, crossing her arms. "But, a lesson that even here, nothing is certain." Masika, Neried, Calder, and Charybdis all knew that Muiel was very much not dead, sure. However, they knew that she was frozen in stasis below the mud nevertheless. "That makes a win for me, and a loss for you." Marais said. She was certainly right. Muiel's failure was a big blow to the 1/2 Mermaid Druidesses.

With Muiel eliminated, Calder & Charybdis must now fill the void and succeed where Muiel had failed. Will they succeed, or are their chances in getting their shared wish from Marais very much all for naught? The stakes as it stands, had just gotten higher...

TO BE CONTINUED

Muiel, Masika, Nerid, Calder, Charybdis: Me

Marais Marecage: FimbulwinterFrost