UNDERGROUND LIBRARY

                   Chapter 9

     "Who are you?",a voice said.
It was more like a tired whisper.

     "Who are you, and what do you seek from this cave?" The voice insisted.

At the sound of 'cave', relief overwhelmed him. At least he had reached the cave.

Pierre stood rooted to the spot, fear lurking within.

     "Who are you?" The voice sounded closer this time.

A head slowly popped out of the dark entrance of the cave and a lantern followed. An ugly hand holding a lantern. As soon as the light hit him, his eyes darted to the face staring at him, and he autonomously took a step back.

Ugh. Ugly.

The bald brown head
Thin hair sticking out of the sides
Very wrinkled face
Sunken  brown eyes
The huge nose
Wrinkled lips

The head smiled at him. The face looked masculine, but the smile looked feminine.

His eyes as wide as saucers, he stood, petrified.

The stranger was now in full view, and Pierre was astonished when he realised it was a woman.

An ugly woman, in a white robe.

     "Who are you?"
He saw urgency in the voice, and then he decided to speak.

     "I am the one destined to save the entire world from peril."

     "Nooo!" The woman shouted in a shrill voice. Her whole body shook as she spoke.

     "Who are you, then?" Pierre's lips trembled as he said this.

In the same voice, she answered.

     "I am the guardian of The Crown Of The Crescent, cursed to remain here forever." Her deep brown eyes let off a glow as she uttered those words.

Guardian? Cursed? Forever? What?

     "Matano did the leave the crown alone, he knew people will come after it. So he used its  power and cursed me to protect it forever, so that no one will come for it. No one has the right to this crown, not even me. No one."

He sighed deeply in confusion, still afraid.

     "Listen, woman. With all due respect, I do not know who you are and the relation between you and the Crescentia. The legend said the only thing that can save the world from terror is the Crescentia, and I am here for it."

He paused and looked at the woman's bare feet.

Ugh.

Looking into her eyes now, he completed, "And nothing or nobody is going to stop me."

As he waited for her reaction, she stared back, harder now. After a split second if silence, she shrieked, "Liar!!!"

She began moving towards him, as he backed towards the wall behind him.

     "The legend is untrue. Anyone who seeks the crown is cursed. Cursed! Cursed with the seven curses of nature."

He was pinned to the wall now, and her hands were traveling to encircle his neck. The glow in her eyes grew as she began to tighten her grip.

     "Do something Pierre. Do something! She must not be the end of it. The crown must be yours. Yours!"

His eyes searched round for something to use to hit her and they landed on one, a stick, lying on one of the many rocks around the cave.

He managed to grab it with his left hand and smacked her on the left side of her head......

....And waited to feel the grip around his neck loosen.

But nothing happened.

He closed his eyes and hit her harder, three times and she fell to the ground with a thud, mumbling something in her mouth.

Stepping away from the fallen body, he grabbed the stick and lantern and moved towards the cave.

__________________________________

Hey

I know this chapter is rather short but forgive me.

I have a quick question; "What do you think of the new character i just created?" (Am a little scared of her actually).

Anyway, thanks for reading.

                                   -R.A.S