The corrupted bog water welcomed Nero with treacherous violence that ripped the scream and curses right out of his throat.
He had expected pain. What he hadn't expected was the sheer intensity of it, like being wrapped in a blanket woven from acid and fire. Every inch of exposed skin screamed in protest as the toxic waters worked to dissolve him, to break him down into component parts and scatter them across the murky depths.
Nero kept his eyes squeezed shut, his mouth clamped tight despite the burning need to gasp. Opening either would mean death, or worse. He had seen what the bog could do to a man's insides, and he had no desire to experience it firsthand.
