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So repugnant was it, that my senses were momentarily stunned. Would a decomposing human body covered in rotten eggs smell so bad? Whatever it was, it had to be the nastiest smell I've ever had the misfortune to smell, though I couldn't be absolutely sure. The smell wasn't impossible to bear, however, and it actually did much good by turning off my appetite.

So I decided to find the odour's source. Since there was no wind, the smell had to be coming from somewhere close. The thought of some lurking scavenger beasts feasting on rotting meat did cross my mind, but like I said before, I really had no choice. Do or die... Why do I get the feeling I'm used to this kind of situation?

The smell grew yet more pungent as I walked (which I'd thought impossible), and actually became visible when I saw a film of reddish gas hovering just above the ground. From there I just followed the red fumes, blocking the smell as well as I could with my hand. I was beginning to worry that the stink would stick and never leave me—such was the strength of this stench—when I saw a clearing up ahead. The fumes were higher there, and the color more intense also, so with the blue of the forest the area looked purple—almost scarlet.

I can't say I wasn't scared, but my curiosity was piqued. Fear and curiosity made a good stimulant, I approached the clearing as gingerly as I could, my muscles growing tense. As I neared the area the odour seemed to grow double in strength, and I couldn't help but let out an inner scream: For the love of God, what could possibly smell so bad?

The clearing was almost completely filled with the red gas, so I lost my sight upon entering. I thought the smell was actually numbing my senses, because now I couldn't really feel the ground under my feet. As I soon realized though, it was the ground being more liquid than solid that tricked my feet. I was walking into a marshland. I halted and rubbed my eyes hard, squinting to make out the surroundings.

It took a long while until my eyes adjusted, but even then I could not see much. I wanted solid, dry ground to stand on, because the fluid of this swamp had an uncanny chill that was getting on my nerves. So I looked about until I found a deep dark patch of land ahead of me. After a bit of mucking about I was on it, desperately wanting to take off my sneakers and empty their contents. Suddenly the ground beneath stirred without warning.

I was caught off-guard, but somehow avoided falling over by fumbling into all fours and holding my balance. What the hell was that? I stayed low for a while, thinking it might be an earthquake. But nothing came, and I was soon distracted by the patch of rock I was on. It was slippery in an odd way. I first thought that it was covered with moss, but there was nothing fuzzy about the texture. It was scaly, almost metallic...

The ground shook again, weaker this time, and I sprang up on my feet. I felt a warm, sticky wind on my back, and I obeyed my instinct when it told me to jump forward. I even managed to turn around as I fell, as to avoid falling in head-first into the stinking red liquid.