The Illuminated Maiden

Chapter VII

"This is going to drive me mad at some point," Siti muttered, tying a piece of vine to one of her arrows while sitting beside the banks of the river where the water was deep. "Siti of the Laut, talking to herself. What a farce, really."

Crickets sounded around her and her stomach rumbled. She drew out her rattan bow and tied the other end of the vine to it. She then fixed the arrow on the bow, aiming at the waters of the river, before letting it go. It flew halfway across the river, plunging downward into the water, sending ripples on the surface. Siti tugged at the vine.

"Lucky," she mumbled.

Yet, even as she tugged hard, the arrow wouldn't budge. Whatever was on the other end, with the arrow stuck, tugged back. The arrow dug deep and Siti struggled against it, pulling the vine with her might. She heaved, pulling herself back, grimacing as she tugged the vine, dragging her catch toward the banks.

Then, all of a sudden, the catch of hers pulled hard and Siti fell forward, her face pressing against mud and sand. She skidded toward the river and found herself splashing down, and then underwater. She tried to swim back, but something dragged her further down near the riverbed. Something then grabbed her leg from the depths, a webbed scaly hand with claws on its fingers. She opened her eyes, but the waters were murky and didn't allow for much visibility.

Yet before her was the silhouette of a creature against a greenish-brown background, a human-like being with fins on each side of its temples and thick strands on its head. It also had fins along its armpits. It had a torso of a human, but its lower body resembled that of a fish, its tail thrashing underwater as it dragged Siti with her leg.

She reached for the keris sheathed on her back and drew it out. With a reverse grip, she pulled her blade back and stabbed the creature's arm multiple times. The water turned murky with blood and the creature reeled backward, loosening its grip on Siti's leg. Siti then stomped on the creature's head, sending it staggering down the river.

She then swam upward to the surface, where she gasped for air, making her way toward the banks. Yet, below, the water thrashed and the creature chased after her, clawing at her legs with little accuracy. Siti swam faster, until she touched mud and sand beneath her, and she could finally stand up.

She got out of the water and turned her head to see the creature above the surface, still in pursuit, its skin yellow and green, with its body covered in scales and its eyes a shade of yellow, appearing to glow. It bared its fangs as it staggered toward Siti, who turned around, crouching low and bending her knees, still gripping her keris in reverse.

"Come here, you ugly piece of filth!" she said.

The creature, snaking through mud and sand, lunged at her and clawed her, but she dodged, before slashing the creature's already wounded arm, severing it. The creature writhed in pain. Then, Siti leaped toward the creature and locked its torso with her legs, sending the beast flat on the ground. It attempted to hack her and bite at her, but she pushed the creature's head back. She then slashed the creature's other arm and blood spurted out.

As it writhed in pain once more, she let out a cry and drew her keris back, and then drove the blade straight into the creature's mouth, pushing it far through the back of its head. The creature gagged and twitched, struggling to escape from Siti's hold, but it was too late for the being, as after a few moments, it stopped moving and its body turned lifeless.

Siti pulled her legs from the creature and crawled away, panting and gasping for air, still gripping her keris, giving the creature one final kick to push it away from her. She fell flat on the muddy, sandy ground of the riverbanks. She turned around, looking at the creature's corpse. It was half submerged in the shallow waters.