Emerald Hearts

Chapter Thirty

Yuta

I led the trip down the mysterious passage. Our footsteps echoed through the silence. I had gotten myself in the exact situation I feared - alone with this woman. She kept her distance, her purple magic shining behind me.

All this time she held that emerald necklace.

It all makes sense now.

I was not drawn by her allure, fire, or kindness, but by the emerald.

It was the emerald. It had to be.

We continued on, seeing nothing but stone walls. After some time, the woman spoke. "So, Swordsman. Do you have a name?"

I took a moment before answering. "Yuta."

"You aren't from here are you?" she asked.

"That is correct." I kept my answers short hoping she would lose interest. Judging by her clothes she could have been a foreigner, but her native speech told me otherwise.

She paused as if she was waiting for me to say something else. "I'm Hae Ri."

I gave a curt nod.

"I would say it is nice to meet you, but our meetings have been anything but pleasant," she said.

"So it would seem."

There was another moment of silence.

"You believed that I was after you. Any reason why?"

"I am not liked by many."

Breath escaped her lips. It seemed that she agreed with the statement. "I wonder why."

"Do not think you are free of suspicion," I reminded.

"You haven't told me what exactly I am suspicious of. What is this grand plan I supposedly have?" she asked.

Damn it.

How could I tell her that I believed she wanted to seduce and kill me? Silence was the best answer.

"Of course," she said under her breath.

A faint blue light appeared at the end the passage. The light grew brighter as we continued on. We eventually reached the end of the passage and entered into a lit open room. The sight was mystical. Fireflies danced around, their green light flickering. The stone walls had a purple hue to them. Clear water streamed in from Insaian statues on the wall, which reflected beautifully on the floor. Hanging in the center above was a grand chandelier lit with blue fire.

The calm aura was strangely unsettling. It urged visitors to lower their defenses and marvel in its beauty. I would not be so foolish.

"What is this place?" Hae Ri asked. I regretted looking at her for in that moment she was a painting. Her eyes were filled with wonder as she extended a delicate hand towards a firefly. The bug's light made her skin glisten like porcelain.

I averted my eyes and walked to the center of the room.  Hae Ri followed in suit. There seemed to be nothing to this room until I heard a faint rattle.

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?"

"Rattling." The sound went off again, loud enough for Hae Ri to hear. At first it sounded like someone was shaking beads in a wooden jar. Hearing it again I realized it was something different - something serpent-like. Then, some kind of thick, clear, liquid landed at my feet. I looked up to find a large figure take shape in front of me. A massive snake appeared, baring its man-sized fangs at us.

It lunged and we quickly rolled out of the way. Hae Ri readied her hands while I drew my sword. The monster snake went to bite me. I dodged the attack and made a diagonal strike at its head. My sword ripped through its scaled exterior, causing it to stagger back.

Hae Ri took the opportunity to send two energy strikes to its body. To our surprise, its flesh sealed back together as if nothing happened.

I joined Hae Ri's side and braced for another attack.

"What is this thing?" she asked with her hands glowing brightly.

Before I could answer, the snake attacked us again. Hae Ri made a wide energy strike, which protected us from its deadly jaws. It followed up by whipping its rattle tail at her. She flew back and it prepared to go for her again. I blocked its path and hit its face with three connecting blows. It stood firm and then proceeded to circle me.

I slashed at its body but it gave no avail. Soon the snake was wrapped around me, squeezing tightly. My bones ached as the hold strengthened. Then, a large purple crescent came barreling towards the monster.

Hae Ri stood to the side with glowing fists. She stepped forward and delivered  several attacks. I was released, giving me the opportunity to arm myself. The monster slithered left and right to dodge her energy blasts.

I ran behind it before it got to her sliced its tail off. Crimson blood sprayed from the wound and puddled on the floor. It squealed in pain and turned invisible.

Just great.

"Where did it go?" Hae Ri asked.

The rattling echoed through the room. "It's still here." We looked around frantically. I then caught sight of a faint outline behind Hae Ri. "Behind you!" I grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her from the monster's reach.

With my sword in hand I charged at the monster and made a several strikes. I wasn't sure where I was hitting, but I kept slashing. The snake came into view for a second and allowed me to see the open mouth coming towards me.

I dodged the attack and Hae Ri shot it with her energy blasts. We took turns attacking the monster, but our hits were useless against its regeneration powers.

This isn't working.

We needed something stronger. The monster managed to get some hits in with its tail. When I staggered, I caught myself with my hand and noticed something strange. The ground was soiled with some kind of clear liquid.

Oil.

I looked up and saw the chandelier full of candles lit with blue fire. "Hae Ri, aim for the chandelier."

"Huh?" she said as she struggled to fend off the snake.

"Trust me," I said and thrust my blade into its body. It faltered, giving us a small window of time. "Now!"

Hae Ri shot the chandelier with her power. I took her with me off the platform and into the water below. The chandelier crashed into the oil-coated floor and created a massive blue flame that engulfed the monster. It shrieked as its body seared and scorched. Then it fell silent.