MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

x0x

The next room they were in had a more… different layout. Instead of it being dark, drabby, or humid, it was rather, well-polished. The walls and floors were made with brownish orange stone planks, with an octagonal well in the middle. Kenjirou was the first one to race up to it, placing his hands on the edges.

Just a few seconds then, something shot up from the well, sending water up. Kenjirou held onto his hat, one foot in the air. Both Mari and Yuuri were staring right up at it, the former's lips being pulled down.

A large, snake-like entity was peering down right at them, like a bully to a small child. It was black and dark-green striped, with a large, red eye in the middle.

The heck?!

That was on each of the kids' minds, as the strange being before they inquired vehemently, "Who is treading here in my very home?!"

Mari pursed her lips up, raising one finger up. "Um, us…?" her brows went down on her nose. "We're here on a mission…" her knees shook from the inside to the outside.

"NO HUMANS HAVE ANY BUSINESS HERE!" the strange creature bellowed, his form waving around and around like a flag. Pieces of debris fell from the ceiling as the three kids either cried out or covered themselves from it. While Yuuri was crouched on the floor, Kenjirou pulled out his sword. Even though it would be due for a sharpening, he called out, "Time for a new battle!"

The three kids ran and stood right behind each other, their weapons right before them.

"Yeesh," Yuuri muttered, eyeing the size of the serpent-like entity.

"Okay, considering its size," Kenjirou began, "I'd say it has about twenty to twenty-five life points to its name!"

Mari zipped right towards the creature, her right arm out to strike it. She struck the monster horizontally, three rivers of flames cascading on it. The monster bellowed out, holding its head back. Yuuri aimed his staff at the monster's face, sticking one tongue out and closing one eye. A pillar of ice manifested from the owl statue, the ice itself wrapping around the face, making the creature cry out once more.

The ice then broke off, the creature growling at the children. "How dare you! You should know better than to fight I, Odin, the beast of this very domain!"

Mari harrumphed. She would make a snide remark about it, but it was better to put him out of commission instead. She hopped up towards Odin, sending a long row of flames down his chest.

Odin cried out, his head thrown back like a rubber rod. He then looked at the three with massive disdain, heat growing in his eyes.

"Foolish children!" he bellowed, then opened his jaws.

"Oh my—he's gonna—!" Kenjirou began, but Odin's head dove forward and took bites from each one of them. Yuuri howled; Mari grunted; Kenjirou squealed like a small child. Each of them had lost two life points from that attack.

Kenjirou pouted, frowning right at the darn thing. He jumped, giving out a cry, the katana's blade pointing right at Odin's eyes. He rammed it in, one eye shut. Odin cried out, as Kenjirou pulled it out and shoved the sword back in.

"You certins!" Odin the creature cried out. Kenjirou was standing back with his companions. "You have destroyed more than half of twenty life-points!"

"And we'll put you out of business if you don't let us though," Mari rebutted.

Yuuri pursed his lips. "I'll take care of this!" he tapped his ice staff twice, just like how he did in the boat. With one tongue sticking out, a beam of ice erupted from the top. Odin cried out, the beam hitting his face and breaking apart like glass. Odin growled, his head going for Yuuri again.

"Eek!" he peeped, as Odin took three of his life points away. Yuuri cried out, gasping. No! He had regained these points. Frowning, Yuuri fired another ice beam, causing the creature's face to freeze. The ice broke and then Odin took another bite of him. Yuuri was down to five life points, less than the remaining he had before.

"That's what I'm trying to avoid now!" Yuuri shook his fist at him. "Eating too darn much and not being able to fit in that pit you call home!" he frowned.

Odin was perplexed, "Huh?"

Yuuri fired another beam, sticking to the creature's face again, taking two more life points. Odin fell to the side, the ice breaking the glass. He groaned as if exhausted from such harsh work, shutting his eyes, now defeated.

"Look!" Mari pointed out. Twenty points had erupted after they defeated Odin, manifesting just above them. They had fifty-eight points now—which was shabby, but there were smaller enemies around to help that.

"Whoo! It's only our first day and we're on key!" Kenjirou danced on his tip-toes. Then, there was a glimmering light radiating before them. Yuuri, befuddled, stared at it—coming from the well that Odin originated from. The white-rays shimmered, and several, red, shiny, round objects erected from it.

Yuuri gasped with complete joy. "Apples!" The boy thrashed his hands up and down. Just what he needed and wanted right now. A snack. They had been fighting monsters and evading traps the entire time they were below. Yuuri ran over to them, lifting as many as he could carry in his arms. Mari and Kenjirou stepped over to him, marveling in what he had collected. Yuuri passed one to Kenjirou, who pressed his thumbs into the skin to make they weren't rotten or too soft. Mari took a crunch out of one, her eyes shutting in absolute joy. She moaned, the juices sliding away from her tongue and down to her throat.

"Nice," she commented through the mush in her mouth, pointing to it.

"I know, right?" Yuuri chimed, taking a bite out of it.

"And it's helping regain our life points too!" the young student commented, gnawing his. They walked away from it, carrying some of the apples on themselves, believing it would be best to bring some back home.

While Yuuri had had something on his mind. All this time they've attacked, letting some random actions exterminate their enemies, never giving any mind to them. "Y'know, we should really start naming our attacks…" Yuuri told his companions.

"Why's that?" Mari asked him. They entered a hallway, arched shaped and brick-laden, moss hanging from some areas.

"It just seems weird that we don't; otherwise we'd be confused as what we may throw out, y'know?"

Kenjirou's cheeks moving around, pausing, "Good point. I agree with what you said, Yuuri."

Mari was the first to do so. "If that's the case, I'll name mine, fire-slash, heat-spin, and flame-hack."

"Mine will be, ice-rain, icy-block, and cold orb!" Yuuri said.

"Blade slice, defense, and steel jab for mine." Kenjirou simply pointed out, halfway done with his apple.

x0x

The walls were made of steel.

There was an array of screens in the room's center, displaying every space, every room of the facility to anyone before it. On the right, was a large steel slope, with a large, bright red leather chair on it.

"What, speak louder!" a man who was at the very screens demanded, slamming his fist on the surface.

"Sir, even when we have pinpointed the very location of the Bronze Ring, we have yet to achieve it." The very goon stated, right through his red mask.

"Of course," Lord Karpisek muttered to himself. Why would they find it in plain sight? Where in all that water could that ring be?

"We have found a strange boat lingering within the lake, judging by what Sir Christophe has found—we suspect that those three children may have found a way into the lake." The goon reported.

"And so, they can make off with the ring before us?!" Lord Karpisek thundered, his fist slamming on the desk. "Blast them! Soldier, find a way to those children. Then, once they encounter the ring, attack them. Understood?"

The goon bowed down. "Of course, sir."

"Good, you are dismissed." Lord Karpisek narrowed his eyes at him. Once the goon left, the man turned around.

"My men outfoxed by a trio of youth…" he harrumphed, just snarky about the very thought. He inverted himself to the screens, seeing one that was in the middle of them all. "Those children may know of the one that is being held here…"

His mind radiated with a plan. The man rubbed his chin—and then snapped his fingers all while a wild smirk played on his very face.

He pressed a button, which sent off a hologram of the man desired before him. It was a guard, standing by the cylinder with the black curtain wrapped around it. "Yes, Lord Karpisek, sir?"

"Listen, and listen well, guard, I need you to perform this certain task…" Lord Karpisek began.

x0x

I can't go on guys, this is highest I could get to. I've things to do on Fictionpress right now; next chapter, we'll jump right into the battle for the Bronze Ring. If you're curious, my FP penname is 'The Youngest Mistress'.

See ya' later!

MA6.