Blood
783 Words
After being led through the swamp to a wooden cabin, Vanessa sat on a log by a fire outside. Drinking her soup, she stared at the old woman, waiting for her to make a move.
Ms. Dia threw her hands, "Vanessa, stop staring. If I wanted you dead I would've killed your little shribbly self".
Vanessa rose her head to speak as Ms. Dia continued, "You look like a swamp rat minus the meat".
"You look like somebody who was defeated by Hakim".
Ms. Dia's face dropped, "Now what would he say if he heard you"?
Vanessa sipped her soup, "Is true".
Ms. Dia shook her head, "You kids are a little wild. Not as Wild as the generation before you". She sighed, "But still".
"How was it before?" asked Vanessa.
She chuckled, "Let's not go there. It was terrible. It's probably what caused the curse in the first place".
Vanessa thought for a moment, "But what is keeping it here today"?
Ms. Dia began shaking a little in fury, "Well if there are many things that keeps it here today! Those who inflict it, who carries it, and who tolerates it. It's your job to eliminate those three threats to the land"!
Vanessa nodded, "So first I will take out who inflicts it. Then I will get rid of the carriers. Then we won't tolerate it... Sounds easy. Buuut it would be easier if I had water abilities like you".
Leaning towards her face, Ms. Dia answered, "Oh no deary, that wasn't water. That was blood... That's why it was black". She rose away before taking another sip of her soup, "Even if you had water abilities, it would've only done so much in that swamp".
Looking into the red-dimmed black sky, Vanessa clenched her lips, "I'm ready for that shower... This is gross".
"Well, you know it only gets grosser".
"Sttoooop. I don't like gross. I just want to kill things with my friends".
Ms. Dia chuckled, "You mean helpless old ladies like me"?
Vanessa belligerently laughed, "Mwahaha".
"Ugh," sighed Ms. Dia as she continued drinking, "Let me know when you're ready to head to the water shrine".
Vanessa stood up, leaving her bowls and cup next to Ms. Dia, "Umm, what were we suppose to do when we fought you guys last month"?
"Easy," laughed Ms. Dia, "You were supposed to stop us and correct the sins of the townspeople. Only one team got that right".
"Who?" asked Vanessa, c*****g her head.
"El Chales. But don't worry. They had a little outside help if you know what I mean".
No, Vanessa didn't know what she meant. But it wasn't anything worth wasting her time on. It was already Saturday. And though the sky wasn't bright, she knew it was approaching the afternoon.
No matter how much she tried, she couldn't clear her head. There was a small room in the cabin where she was allowed to take off her gear and bath. The black "water" was now merely a clear substance that washed off pretty easily. Yet it still had that nasty metallic smell.
When done, she stepped out dancing a little. Feeling fresh gear tickle against her body was the best feeling. Until she looked at the bathroom door and realized she had to step back out to a swamp. Walking out the door with Masamune in hand, Vanessa thought about anything she needed before leaving out.
She approached Ms. Dia outside, "Can I get an ether"?
"Sure you don't want two?" asked Ms. Dia, holding out the medicines.
Vanessa happily accepted them as Ms. Dia stood up, "Off we go then. We need to get you a ride through the swamp if you want to make it to the shrine".
"Mmmm, how"?
Ms. Dia walked her a couple of feet away from the cabin, "Deary, did you forget that I'm a summoner"?
"Aaaah, so you can summon a bird for me to fly on and get to the shrine".
"More like a fish... Or a Euryterid".
"A what?" asked Vanessa as a giant blue scorpion creature came up to shore.
Despite resembling a scorpion, it had the face of a spider and a clubbed tail. Tiny legs kicked in the water to move it at a pretty fast pace. Regardless of its baby blue hue that faded to black towards the head, this thing was disgusting. She hopped onto its back for it to immediately begin swimming out into the swamp.
"Oh and deary, please be careful. This part of the swamp stretches out into the lake. It's really deep".
Gulping at the nastiness that once covered her body, Vanessa squatted down to avoid falling back into it.
- Writer
