11.

-HER-

Without thinking next, I jump right into the green water. The freezing cold water hits me like a wrecking ball, knocking all the breath out of me. The torch in my hand sizzles as the water eats the fire, drowning me and the whole place in darkness.

A roar echoes throughout the cave, making my bones shiver as if the cold water itself wasn’t enough. I pump my legs through the dense water and sense commotion right behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to confirm its presence. I could simply feel it. The tremendous amount of power surging over me through the water and the stale smell that arose from it is enough to call my attention.

I pump my legs in the dense and cold water as fast as I can. Since I didn’t get the chance to fill my lungs with sufficient air, they’re screaming at me to feed them some air or my body will be shut down. But I couldn’t afford to mend their needs. Either way, my life is in danger.

I swim through the lake and surface it on its other end. I step out of the water, my clothes drenched with water. My teeth chatter as the cold air hits my wet skin and spreads cold chills over my body. Water is trickling down my hair and my breath is forming white clouds in front of my face.

All my senses flare up with the presence of that creature just behind me. I could feel its eyes on me, looking through my flesh under my skin, blazing my bones.

The room is drenched with darkness since my torch lost its fire to the water. I cannot turn around to face it but feel it near me, slowly and menacingly. My bones are chilling with the cold water and my heart is making an effort to pump enough blood throughout my body.

A loud hiss rings out just behind me and I flinch my eyes shut imagining all the ways it could kill me.

I need fire.

I imagine the heat and the fierceness of the flames. All the cells in my body flicker up with heat and this newly formed power seems to be flowing towards my hand holding the torch. In the next second, I hear the crackling of fire resonate the cave followed by a loud roar. the torch in my hand lights up with fire, lighting up the cave and casting shadows all over the place.

In those numerous unshaped shadows, the basilisk’s stands out the most.

It’s behind me.

With my eyes closed, I turn around, flinging the now lit torch on its face. It roars with pains and I sense it back off and descend in the water. I want to open my eyes and see the creature but I cannot risk seeing it straight in the eyes. I will die if I do so.

With my eyes averted from the creature, I pump my legs and run as fast as I can around the lake. My muscles are frozen and crying in pain due to the cold water but I pump my legs fast constituting all the energy I have in my body. Another roar resonates throughout the walls of this cave, its pitch softened by the cold water.

As I run, I hear the water break beside me and the basilisk appears, rising high and casting its shadow on me. The flame in my torch flickers as it continues to rise higher above the water. I want to look at it and see the humongous monster but I don’t as I continue to run.

The air thickens and the Basilisk hisses before aiming at me. It smashes its head right at me but I miss it by inches, squinting my eyes close. It colloids on the rocks, breaking it in small pieces that fly at me but my arm flies over my face, shielding it from them.

It’s stale and cold breath blows straight on my face as I turn on my heels and blindly run in the opposite direction. It growls angrily behind and I hear it move behind me, its scales scratching angrily against the rocks. I open my eyes and see where I am running while it follows me closely.

I need a plan. I cannot blindly run all over this place and expect this basilisk to not catch me. It will get me at some point when I’d get tired. I need to stop running and try striking it.

My lungs are deprived of air and they’re screaming at me to stop. Unwittingly I stop to catch my breath or I’d pass out. This buys the basilisk enough time and catches up with me. As it nears me, I take a deep breath and close by eyes before tuning behind and sinking my dagger blindly in its face. It cries out in pain. I instantly pull the dagger out having no idea where I hit it and flash my torch at it, seemingly burning a part of its face.

I turn around and run again as I hear it cry in pain. It rolls over the floor in pain and I stop. I don’t know what’s going on and where I hit it. I want to see my target to hit it first. I look down at the dagger and find it coated with blood. I wipe the blood on the sleeve of my shirt before raising it against the torch and hoping to see the reflection.

My breath gets caught in my throat as soon as I see the reflection of the creature. The word humongous isn’t enough to describe it. It’s bigger than humongous. Its’ body is slithering by the lake’s bank as it cries in pain. The basilisk is thrashing its head around.

Its head looks like a rooster but covered with dark green scales. It has a blunt beak that opens to reveal sharp canines that promise to pierce through anything and everything. Several scales are standing tall above its head like the mane of a rooster but they look sharp and dangerous.

Lastly what stands out the most is its red, ruby eyes that glimmer maliciously. They’re split with green iris in the middle that has a yellowish glow to them. Red blood is streaming down its nose on which a large wound rests that have been carved there by my dagger.

It lets out a last cry of pain before it lunges towards me. I start to run immediately and hear it hit the rocks behind me by which I stood moments ago. I pump my legs and suddenly, my eyes fall on the statue and instantly an idea strikes my head.

Dreading, I jump again in the cold water but this time, I hold the torch high above the water and swim to the middle of the lake where the statue stands proudly. The basilisk dives right after me, making me pump my legs faster in the water.

It lunges at me in the water but I manage to move away in the right time but somehow, it hits my leg, slowing me down. Ignoring the pain that shoots up my leg, I swim faster and finally, reach the statue. I stand up and instantly tremble and the feel pain intensifies in my leg. I ignore it and start climbing the statue.

I hear the water break and the basilisk rising high above the water and stalking towards me. I climb the statue, resting on its arm while being supported by its shoulder. It rises just behind me. With a deep breath and closing my eyes, I turn around and swing my dagger at it but I don’t hit anything.

A scream leaves my mouth when I lose my balance and fall off the statue. I land straight on my arm and the torch slips through my hands and ends up rolling away from me. Its blaze flickers while intense pain shots up my arm. I cry out with pain, my voice echoes in the cave followed by the hiss of the basilisk.

I try to get up but more pain shoots up my body and I cry again. Several tears escape my eyes, wetting my already wet face. The rogue strands of my braided hair are plastered to my forehead, cheeks, and neck, drenched in water.

The basilisk advances towards me slowly, knowing that I am injured and I cannot run away further. With a last cry of pain, I get up and stumble on my feet. With a deep breath and my eyes closed, I let out a war cry before turning around and blindly swinging the dagger at the basilisk. Every time it manages to doge away my strikes.

With a loud hiss, it hits me with its tail, throwing me off to the edge of the river. The dagger flies out of my hand and I hear a small splash of water telling me that it has landed in the water and now its sinking deep in the water where I’ll never find it.

Shit.

I am weaponless and hurt. I am more vulnerable.

I let out a loud cry. My voice latched with pain and suffering with an undertone of frustration. This can’t be happening. I lie helpless by the lake and try to think when I feel a tightening on my wrist.

Oculus Reaper!

I still have my enchanted weapon. It won’t fail me.

Collecting every drop of power left in me, I stand up, slouching on one leg. I am breathing hard and as the cold wind brushes my drenched clothes and wet skin, a million goosebumps erupt all over my skin. Oculus Reaper tightens on my wrist and I look down at it.

It resembles a serpent whose head is slowly rising from the knots before snaking down to my wrist thence into my palm. The rest of its body slowly unwraps itself from my wrist before it flows down gently and forms the whip.

I tighten my grip on the handle of the whip before whipping it fiercely in the air. It crackles loudly followed by a snake-like hiss resonates from it. A new kind of enthusiasm gushes inside me as I turn around with my eyes closed.

A deafening roar rings throughout the cave before I feel the basilisk near me. With all my might, I step forward and whip my whip. I feel it hit the roaring basilisk and instantly its roar of victory converts into a cry of pain.

A small smile stretches over my lips before I step forward and start to whip without any halt and mercy.