Mini Lopez And The Gandharva's Child

Tears Flowing Freely

I tried. I swear to the gods, I did try. 

Aru's PoV

Aru stared at the dark chute. Rudy cradled his wounded arm.

"...You'll be fine fighting with that?" Aru asked, ignoring the guilt needling at her.

He shrugged. "I can just turn into a snake and whip demon booty."

"Noted."

She wondered whether her Pandava senses would act up, now that she was so close to her sister.

Nothing happened, so she sat at the edge of the chute, with her feet dangling down the edge. Pushing herself forward, she felt wind whistling in her ears, and renewed adrenalin pounding in her veins, in sync with her heart, which was trying to escape from her ribcage.

Her feet hit solid ground with such force that the jarring pain disoriented her.

Regaining her grip on the shaft of her spear, her gaze roved around, checking for attackers, bit none came, as the remaining Potatoes slid down the chute.

Aiden held his scimitars aloft, which provided better illumination than the dim light from her spear.

To her right, Rudy winced, and grabbed his jacket with his uninjured hand. Gingerly, he slowly took out Mini's broken hair barrette.

It was glowing and smoking. "I hope that thing doesn't blow up." Aru heard Brynne mutter to no one in particular.

"I think it's leading us to Mini," he said quietly.

"Let's follow the black hair barrette."

Aru turned toward the area where the hair barrette glowed more, when Nikki threw out her hand, catching her in the chest.

Kneeling down, her little sister pressed her palm to the ground, and murmured something, like a prayer. Through her shut eyes, a faint green glow escaped her eye lids.

After a few seconds, she straightened up, and glanced at Aru. "There are many traps placed in this corridor. Do you have a coin or a marble?"

She was so taken by surprise at this off topic question, she took a few moments to nod in assent.

Nikki held out her hand, and Aru dropped a quarter in her palm.

Nikki flicked the coin into the corridor, when the traps came to life. Spikes protruded from the walls, but the coin slipped through the gaps, and arrows shot through the ceiling, finally dissolving in a pool of acid through which yalis jumped out.

"How didn't the statues corrode?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Magic. And verit. I did some research on it, trying to create new armor." Nikita said, staring lazily at the corridor.

Suddenly, she plunged her fist into the ground, and vines erupted from every crevice. They wrapped around the huge bulging muscles of the creatures, and, when the skin around Nikta's eyes tightened, a loud snap, rumble, and a weak sort of groan was heard from the statues.

The traps rumbled under the weight of the plants, and were buried deep within the ground.

Aru whistled appreciatively. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"If you were smart, you would have already known that, Shah." Nikita said, with a ghost of her former grin.

Then, with a strut Aru was proud of, she stalked toward the next level.

She followed suit, and stared at the empty room around them, scowling. "Was that it?" She demanded.

Her sight nagged at a piece of paper which had fluttered to the ground.