The Black Emerald, Book I: Interesting Adventures

Chapter 19: Preparing to Battle

          Miranda was flying into the sky, finally getting the hang of flying like a vampire bat. Without warning, she morphed back into a human when she was in the sky and started falling to Earth.

          Miranda fell on the top of a tree branch, and her weight was heavy enough to crunch it like a soda can. She plummeted to the ground, hitting her head on the solid, bloody surface.

          "OWW, WHAT'S MY DEAL WITH TREES," yelled Miranda in frustration. Miranda was interested in how she survived her fall, and she looked at her pale skin, releasing a vast thing.

          "That's right; being a vampire, I can survive long falls. Maybe being a blood-sucking demon is better than I thought, and I can bite any of those pathetic people on the Freedom Fighter Squad, turning them into the undead so they can feel my pain and my wrath! Including my betraying animals," said Miranda.

          Miranda cackled like a witch as she teleported back to her house and began to feast on her seven new-captured animals: three crows, two owls, and two black cats. She bit every single one of them, feasting on the delicate blood that they had.

          "I love being a vampire! It makes me feel good and powerful in my cold-blooded heart! It brings out my ID," exclaimed Miranda, throwing her hands in the air.

          Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighter Squad started telling Jessica and Crystalline about what happened to their spaceship and how they met the residents of Dusk Mansion. Both Jessica and Crystalline were awed by their tale, and they felt pity for the team.

        "I know just the thing that can give your spaceship back! The red lamp on the summit of Mount Arduous," said Crystalline, pointing towards the mountain.

          Everyone seemed intrigued and looked at the mountain with utmost curiosity. The summit was shrouded in bloody clouds, and the rain continued to pour.

          "What does the red lamp exactly do? Is there some genie inside that grants people wishes?" Ryder asked, folding his arms.

          "Correct, but the red lamp is guarded by three statues: the first is a griffin, the second a hydra, and the third a chimera. If you want three wishes from the genie, you have to fight one of these statues and prove your worth," said Crystalline.

          "So, what do you do to get the three wishes? Do you battle them for the wishes since there are three of them," asked Samuel, fixing his hair.

          "Right, but you only battle one of them for the three wishes, and your opponent statue will turn into that creature! Once you are done with your act, the three statues will move out of the way; then, you will be free to get your three wishes from the genie," answered Crystalline, fixing her hair.

          "I see. Will your opponent turn back into a statue once you have won?" Clarified Christina.

          "Correct, and does anyone have any other questions," asked Crystalline.

          "One question: how strong are these three creatures? Which one is the strongest," asked Christina.

          Crystalline giggled, and that left everyone thinking. "I don't know; I haven't seen these three statues before! You will have to find out for yourselves and me for sure," she playfully said.

          "Oh my gosh, Crystalline, are you even worried about this situation?" Silvia asked, folding her arms.

          "Of course I am; I just want you not to worry and to give it your all! You all know that worrying about everything is unhealthy, and it can cause you to miss important things such as strategy and improvisation," said Crystalline, putting her hands on her hips.