Here it is! Chapter 07! Sorry for the wait, but Perfect World had taken me away... once again...
Elizabeth the Bathog: He he, I'm doing my best! Though writing in english takes me more time... you should have seen me while writing my chapter! Every minute I was using my dictionnary even for basic words!
EDIT: added some corrections. Thanks Mizu Hoseki! If you see other mistakes, then don't hesitate!
Enjoy!
07. The long-haired woman
The campement became suddenly silent after hearing the vaporous voice. The knights, the party and even Captain Ludiart, everyone came to a standstill.
Judith was paralyzed. The voice wasn't human, she can feel that, and it spoke with a blood-frozing tone. Her entire body started to shake... how could that voice have such tremendous effets on her? Plus, the smoke was keeping on spreading through the campement, getting strangely thicker and thicker, and now she could no longer see the others.
However, she regained her composure when she noticed Yuri silently heading toward the door, following the voice. She remembered the voice said something like "Come, young human"... So it was really a yokai after all, and it was waiting for them. No, waiting for Yuri.
Judith frowned. It was obviously a trap, yet Yuri was keeping on going.
Suddenly, he rushed inside the hold, followed by Repede. Captain Ludiart noticed him and followed him with his eyes, without leaving the place where he was standing. "Young man, you shouldn't go there! It may be a trap!". But in vain, Yuri had already disappeared into the smoke.
"Yuri, don't do anything reckless..." Judith whispered for herself... when someone – or something – bumped into her.
"Oooh! Hey, get out of my way"
"Rita?"
"Huh... Judith? Where have you been? Where are the others?"
"I don't know..."
She was staring at the door when suddenly, with noises of turning cogwheels, the door started to lower. It was closing... so the yokai's goal was to attract Yuri inside. Judith could perfectly understand his reasons for getting into the lion's den despite being completely aware of the danger, but she also know very well that yokais are not well known for their abilities of negotiation.
Without further hesitation, she caught Rita's wrist and rushed toward the door.
"Hey... hey! Where are you going like that?"
"Let's pay this smoking yokai a little visit."
"Whaaat? No... no way I'm coming with you! Let me go!"
~.o.O.o.~
The hold was plunged into a deep and opressing silence, compared to the noisy camp just before. The smoke was so thick that Yuri couldn't see anything in front of him, besides Repede's nose seemed to be completely useless. So the only thing they could do was to keep on walking.
Yuri was wondering where that thing could be hiding. Looking around him, he was searching for clues or any signs that could help him. But still nothing.
"Hey!" Yuri started to shout, now on the nerves. "It's not correct to make the guests waiting!"
"Woof!" Repede barked.
No answers.
"Huh, he was the one who called me in, and now he doesn't show up. Really clever. Let's keep on movin' then, Repede."
"Woof!"
But still, after some minutes of walking, nothing special happened. This time Yuri stopped, truly annoyed. That yokai is playing with him or what? Should he head back?
"Still nothing, Repede?"
The dog simply whined then continued with a series of barks, meaning clearly that the smoke was interfering with his sense of smell so they can't count on it. However, Repede implied he can still use his ears.
"Well, it's better than nothing. Damn, they really love to play on people's nerves..."
Repede suddenly barked agressively. Something was coming in their way. Yuri and the dog came to a standstill, prepared for all contengencies. Yuri also pricked up his ears and, after some minutes of pure silence, a volutuous and languorous voice raised from the dark.
"Oooh, my! Look at that, what a beautiful young man..."
The voice was coming from the right. Yuri quickly turned his head to see it...
But nothing.
"Oh no, what's with that contemptuous face?"
What, now on the left? Keeping calm, he made his head pivot on the other side... only for his eyes to stare at nothing but the smoke.
"You should be honoured you didn't get sick by the demonic smoke."
Behind...? "Hey! Stop that and show up!"
He barely said that, when a woman appeared from nowhere just in front of him. Automatically, Yuri jumped backward.
It was a woman endowed with a strange beauty. Ghostly-looking, accentuated by her deathly pale skin and the smoke surrounding her, she had really long black and silky-looking hair who were practically reaching the ground, hazelnut eyes shaped like almonds ornating a round shaped face with blushing cheeks. She was dressed in a very elegant way, wearing a long green dress with ample sleeves with a large crimson belt tied around her waist. The dress was so long that it was even hiding her feet, creating a long trail of green tissue behind her.
Yuri tried to not be bluffed by her beauty and frowned. Repede's growl confirmed him that even the dog was finding her suspicious.
"Are you... the one who caused all of that?"
"Me? Are you kidding? My refined taste just won't allow me to create such a disgusting smoke! But... I have to admit it's really useful for capturing my preys..."
Yuri stepped backward, still very suspicious toward her. He was ready to draw his sword at anytime, as she got closer to him. After some reflexion, maybe she was right. Her voice was different from the one he heard before getting in. That means there might be more than one yokai here...
"Oh no, you shouldn't look at a woman with such defiant eyes! But I'll overlook that... if you accept on spending the night with me."
"Huh? Sorry, but I'm not fond of spending time with perfect strangers. I have better things to deal with."
The woman immobilized herself, now staring at Yuri with bulging eyes. "How dare you...? Are you making laugh of me?" As she said that, her already long black hair lenghtened more, like animated by an evil force.
Wow, she's getting furious very easily, Yuri thought, as her hair were now floating around her like threatening tentacles ready to attack. Apparently, she was expecting him to be afraid, not indifferent and provocative toward her. Without forgotting the reason he came here in the first place, the young warrior draw his sword and threw away the sheath. He and Repede were now ready for the battle.
The anger had distorted her face. She wasn't anymore the beautiful and delicate woman, but now a blood-thirsted creature with long canines and sprawling hair dressed with a green dress. She was the first to engage to battle by throwing several locks on her opponent, forcing him to jump backward to dodge the attack. As a result, her locks sent at high speed sank themselves in the dust ground, making her more and more furious that she missed her target.
As the battle goes on, Yuri first noticed that she was simply attacking aimlessly, much more under the effect of angry, but her attacks were so fast that it didn't gave him, nor Repede, the time to counter-attack. So, for the first part of the battle, they were only forced to dodge her furious attacks. But after several minutes, things started to get more complicated.
She sent a last hairy tidal wave. Yuri was concentrated, getting ready to dodge it as usual. But when he finally understood it was just a decoy, it was already too late. Others locks of hairs coming from behind caught his arms and legs, immobilizing him. Another one took the sword out off his hand so he won't be able to use it anymore.
He heard Repede barking aggressively next to him. The dog was also caught in the process. He was debatting furiously but in vain, the hair tightly surrounding him. So after all, her goal wasn't to impale him; but rather make him tired, so it will be easier for her to catch him off-guards. Well thought for an enraged creature.
"I've caught you, little grasshopper," she whispered as she got closer to Yuri while tightening her grip on him. "Now, what should I do with you? I have to deliver you to him, but... I don't think he'll get mad at me if I eat a little part of you... just a little..."
"Eat... me?" Yuri said, somewhat horrified. Oh right, Judith once mentionned they love human flesh, right? "Huh, sorry to disappoint you, I'm afraid I taste terrible."
The creature tightened her grip and one of her hair curled around his neck. Yuri suffocated a bit.
"A really playful and brave human you are... Then, what shall I eat? One of your arm? Or leg? Or... oh! I have an idea! I can also use your hair... I don't think he will mind..."
"Who the hell... is that "he"..." Yuri managed to say, now hardly breathing.
"Oh right, you want to know?" the creature replied in a mockering tone. "Sorry cutie. Business secret. And anyway, for what they planned for you, it's not necessary for you to know."
"Well, I... I think I deserve the right to know why crazy "fans" are after me...", Yuri said, the sound of his voice slowly decreasing. He tried once again to struggle against the hairy ties who were keeping him prisonner, but it was hopeless. He felt his conscious slowly fainting... next to him, Repede was furiously struggling... Will his life be ended like that?
A pink glow drew his attention. It was coming somewhere from the bottom. Yuri opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the light... in the same time he saw that the creature had stopped herself and was also looking, horrified, at the glow.
Yuri didn't know why, but he perceived a familiar and gentle feeling coming from the light. He was surprised to see his pocket glowing... or the thing inside the pocket? Yes, now he remember... The petal he had kept hidden in his pocket since he left from Zaphias...
The petal floated until it reached Yuri's head, its glowing piercing the thick cloud of smoke.
The creature screamed in horror. "Impossible... how?... My... my powers... are fading..."
Yuri felt the grip around his neck and his body was weakening. The hair were "disintegrating" themselves. Now free, Yuri managed to land on his feet, getting his breath back.
Above them, the petal was still floating and glowing. The female creature covered her face with her arms, protecting herself from the growing light. Yuri didn't hesitated more. Hopefully his sword was lying on the ground not so far from him, so he quickly retrieved it. He reached the desorientated creature in a few strides and slashed her. She toppled backward, her chest now ornated with a bloody and deep cut. The blood was tainting her clothes, the deep red stain already covering her entire chest, her belt and her sleeves as she placed, in desbelief, her arms upon her wound.
"Curse... curse you!" She uttered before disappearing into the curls of smoke.
Yuri stayed vigilant though, in the case she'll attack once again, but after some minutes, seeing she wasn't coming back, he lowered his sword. Repede came to his side apparently in good condition, much to Yuri's relief. He patted his head.
"Wow... what a crazy meeting... but honestly, it didn't get us anywhere..."
The only clue he had was the word "he" she was constantly refering to. He wanted to ask her more, but she disappeared in a blink of eye. However, the smoke didn't vanished at all, still thick and black as ever. As she said, she may not be the responsible, something more important might be hidden between this... maybe related to whoever was that "he"? But it was too early to conclude that.
Behind them, the petal glowed more, drawing again their attention. While staring at it, Yuri couldn't help but think he was saved by a simple flower petal. Yes, it was hard to believe such a little petal had enough power to terrify an opponent even him had trouble to deal with.
Suddenly, the petal began to move away from them. Repede barked and followed it, inviting Yuri to do so with a look.
"Oh, you want me to follow it? Well, if you say so... Maybe it'll lead us to the serious thing..."
It wasn't the case however. Yuri and Repede followed it without taking their eyes from it, as it's the only thing they can count on... for the moment. But when the petal finally stopped to move and disappeared in the smoke, Yuri noticed they were back at the campement.
"Huh? We're back..."
"Yuri, are you okay?"
Estelle and Karo were running toward them, their face tensed with worry and fear. Behind them, Eolie was simply following them. Apparently they have been waiting for him in front of the door for all this time.
"Everyone..."
Karol stamped furiously. "You did it again, Yuri! You left without telling us!"
"Huh? I thought you were following me. Sorry."
He looked around him. Something was missing...
"And... where are Judith and our genius mage?"
Estelle and Karol looked at each other, and Estelle decided to speak. "Actually... we don't know either. We thought they were with you..."
"Well, it wasn't the case. 'Haven't seen them."
"Then..."
Eolie speaked. "Maybe they went into the hold searching for you."
Yuri felt a knot in his stomach. If they actually did that...
"Let's search around the campement. Maybe they're not far..." he finally asked, hoping he was right.
Estelle shook her head. "No, we... we searched everywhere but we haven't found them..."
The swordsman facepalmed. That's done it. But come to think of it, here is another chance for him to get some more information from the yokais...
"Okay, I'm gonna give it a check. You two stay here."
"No, let us come with you!"
"I would like to say "yes" to you, Estelle, but who will take care of our customer?"
"Hum..."
Estelle said no more, her expression telling him that she knew he was right.
"Do what you have to do, Yuri." Eolie finally said. "After all, I have those two to protect me. But one condition: be fast."
~.o.O.o.~
When Judith woke up, her mind was still muddled. She decided to keep her eyes closed, recovering little by little her senses. First, a fusty smell informed her she wasn't outside anymore. A room? A cave? She finally opened her eyes in order to confirm it, and only saw darkness surounding her. As her eyes slowly get used to the dark, she finally noticed some wood boxes against the wall, broken windows covered with dusty curtains and... strange figures, some lying on the ground, others... suspended in the air with hair?
Her memories came back to her. She was attacked. The attack was so surprising, everything happened in a split second, but she had the time to distinguish her attacker: a long-haired woman.
Judith was now completely used to the darkness, and she could easily say the strange figures were actually human bodies, tied and bound. She decided to come help them... but she couldn't move at all. She was tied herself, and her wrists were burning in pain. How long has she been there? She couldn't tell at all.
A light black-purple smoke was filling the air... that means she's still in Deidon Hold.
She suddenly remembered Rita was with her too. As her, the young mage was surprised by the attack and was too stunned to actually counter-attack, but Judith fainted before she could know what happened to her friend. She quickly looked around her once again, but she couldn't clearly recognize the faces of the bodies lying around. So for the moment, the only thing she could do was to hope she was alright...
A creaking door informed her that someone came into the room. As if she was aware one of her prisonners was awaken, the ghostly woman stepped in and, without hesitation, she walked toward Judith.
"You have his smell... you're one of his friends, right?"
"His?" Judith asked, confused.
"I'll use you and the other miserable shrimp to get him..."
"Hey! Who are you calling miserable shrimp?"
"Rita!"
Judith sighed in relief. Rita was alright and, as she heard clearly her voice, she could even say she was next to her. The Krytian looked on her right side, seeing the young mage furiously struggling against her ties made of hair.
"I'll make him pay for what he did..." the woman uttered, ignoring completely Rita. "You two, just stay here quietly. I'm warning you: you can't escape from here. My hairs are imbued with strong magic, and if you try to free yourself, they'll just tighten more and more."
Judging by the cold tone of her voice, Judith knew she wasn't lying. She had already heard of that mythological creature when she was younger: if memory serves right, they were called Harionago, or Barbed Woman, and are well known for their long hair with hooks at their end, much like a fishing hook. They like to seduce men and then attack them. She had only saw it in a book once, but the fact that creature was using her hair as a weapon caught all her attention. This is why she remembered very well.
"My... my beautiful hair were... damaged...", the woman stammered under the influence of anger, "and I'm... I'm left with an horrible scar for the... for the rest of my life..."
Then, laughing nervously, the harionago left the room, walking while balancing herself from left to right.
"What's with her? I was panicked when I first saw her... I thought it was a ghost!" Rita claimed, now looking curiously at the door the woman went through.
The krytian hesitated in telling her. Of course Rita should know, but... if she talks too much, the consequences would be desastrous...
"This...," Judith said, watching carefully her words. "This is a Harionago, a female yokai using her hair as a weapon."
The mage looked at the hair surrounding the room, as well the ties around her ankles. "Well, I figured it out."
"Their hair contains a magic allowing them to make them grow, as long as they want. They usually seduce men with their beauty and... once their victims fall under their spell, they kill them."
"Men? So why did she captured us?"
"I don't know..."
Rita groaned. "Aaah, what a mess!"
"Calm down, Rita."
"Why should I calm down? You were the one who brought me here in the first place!"
Judith lowered her head. "Yes, you're right... I'm sorry. But are you all right?"
Rita sighed. "Yeah, somehow..."
The silence settled. Both of them were thinking about their situation. Rita was the first to break the silence.
"Anyway, we need to get rid of that. You know how?"
Judith froze. Of course she knew how. Ten years later, she learned the spell to undo the magic keepen in the hair. But right now, she doesn't have the necessary equipment to do it...
As if responding to her worries, flowers came into the room, passing under the closed door. The glowing surrounding them were so bright, Judith and Rita had to close their eyes.
A few seconds later, Judith came back to reality as she fell really hard on the dust ground. The hairs were now scattered everywhere and were progressively loosing all of their vitality. The other people were free too, but were still lying on the ground inconscious. Judith looked at the petals. The same petals as the ones they saw falling upon them when they came back to Zaphias. So she was with them since all this time...
"Saved by flowers? What a joke...", Rita said while she was removing the dust from her clothes.
Judith ignored Rita's comment, as two petals landed in her hands. She closed her eyes and clenched the small floral pieces in her hand. "Thank you...", she whispered for herself.
~.o.O.o.~
"So, Repede? No signs of them"
Repede whined.
"Oh, I see. Men, where did those two go?"
It has been a few minutes they were walking and fortunately, no unpleasant meetings, but unfortunately... the smoke was still so thick and Judy and Rita were nowhere.
He was just hoping they hadn't met with that crazy long-haired creature... the serious wound he had inflicted to her should have been enough to force her to beat a retreat. But she can come back at anytime, threatening with her tentacular hair.
"Hum... I wonder if one day I'll end up like her..."
Repede gave him an inquisitive look.
"That monster... hey actually, it could be funny if I can do something like that with my hair!"
The dog whined and shook his head in an exasperated way.
"There you are..."
Yuri and Repede both stopped walking. That voice, once voluptous and gentle, now trembling in anger... finally, she had came back. She appeared before them like she did in their previous encounter, but now her eyes were burning with anger. Ah, she was really, really furious, Yuri thought...
She pointed her finger on her chest. Her wound wasn't bleeding anymore, but the stain was still visible on her dress. Yuri could easily see the long reddish line traced on her pale skin. He stayed calm.
"I see, you came back for revenge? Then bring it!" As he claimed that, he drew his sword while Repede was already ready for the battle, dagger in mouth. No place for mistakes now, he was hardly believing a flower will come again and save him...
"I will pierce your body and riddle it with holes!"
"Really? Very charming... By the way, didn't you said you have to deliver me to a certain someone? I don't think he'll be very happy to receive his package with holes."
The creature seemed to came back to reason, as she was more calm and less furious. For a moment, Yuri even thought she was sad. But it didn't last long, as she suddenly get furious once again... maybe even more than before.
"Stop making laugh of me! You will see what is it to hurt a lady like me!"
Her hair grew fast, but this time their end bent, forming a sharp hook. Once her "weapon" settled, she didn't hesitated in lauching her attack.
Yuri let out a "Tch!". It will be difficult to have to rational conversation with her... for now, the only solution was to fight her. He jumped backward, avoiding the bunch of crazy hair who sanked with a crash in the ground. As he landed a few inches away, the crazy creature was having difficulties to free her hair from the ground, so Yuri used that moment to slash them with a clean and precise cut.
Cutting her hair was apparently an easy way to startle her, even for a short time, Yuri noticed. He gave to Repede a quick look and the dog replied by a nod, meaning he had understood what Yuri was trying to say. Looks in battle are very important, especially for them, since it allow them to understand each other and to plan secretly a strategy against their opponent.
The creature was stunned, horrified after seeing her hair cut. She let out an inhuman scream and charged once again. Her movements were now totally random, making the battle more difficult.
"Luna Fang!"
Yuri had just managed to cut some more hair when he saw a familiar figure jumping over them and giving a kick to the creature's head, destabilizing her. Then Judith landed graciously before Yuri and Repede, receiving a happy bark from the dog.
"Judy!"
The krytian briefly winked to them before facing the creature who was recovering from the kick. "Looks like you forgot about us! We were supposed to act as baits, so we came here to see what happened! We were worried about you!"
"Like the hell I was worried about that weirdo!"
Yuri recognized the voice. "What? Rita too?"
The mage was standing a bit further, out of the reach of the tentacular hair. Her arms crossed, she was stamping nervously her foot on the ground. "You're a pain, you know that, Yuri Lowell?"
"Why? What did I do this time?"
"We don't have time for explanations." Judith said quickly. "Here she comes."
The swordsman sided with her. "You know what is it?"
"Later. We need to exorcise her."
"Exorcise?"
"Yes. Her hair are the source of her powers but also the source of her life: the more you cut, the more you'll weak her. She's already weakened because of her wound, so it should be easy. Once we immobilize her..."
"Okay, I think I got it. You and Repede distract her, I'll do the cut. And Rita, stay out of it."
"Well, actually I don't really know what I can do in that kind of situation..."
Without further hesitation, he finally rushed, sword in hand, while Judith and Repede tackled to their task. With a series of aerial artes and a spear coming from wherever-she-found-it, the krytian was skillfully destabilizing the creature, not giving her any single chance to counter-attack.
Everything was going as they planned, the creature showing signs of weakeness. Her attacks were less frequents and less powerful. Even Rita could keep away the hair from her simply by hitting with her book... but...
Judith too was showing signs of weakeness with all the jumps she had done. Yuri didn't really knew what happened, but in an instant the krytian was suspended in the air, hair surrounding her whole body. Yuri stopped his attacks to look at her.
"Judy!"
"Maybe... if I suck your energy... I'll regain my powers..."
"Huh?"
Judith screamed in pain. Too stunned to move, Yuri saw Repede rushing and bitting the creature's calf. Wincing, she litterally wiped away the dog with her hair.
"This is going too far..."
Still distracted by the pain of her leg, it was a good opportunity for Yuri to slash her for good. One, two, three strides, ending with a furious cut in diagonal. Blood spitted from the second wound, now forming a cross with the first. It seems this fatal strike were enough to drain the rest of her energy, as she let Judith and fell on the background without even a scream of pain.
Now was his chance.
He slowly walked toward the body and pointed his sword on her neck while he looked at her with threatening eyes. She was still alive, but not for long.
"So now, would you mind telling me why all of you are after me? To the point of hurting my own friends?"
The creature ignored his question. Instead, brilliant tears appears in her eyes, which surprised Yuri. Yokais can... cry?
"He... hetold me that... that if I bring you to him safe and sound, I would be free... and he will love me...", she whispered.
"Who is it? Tell me!"
The creature kept on ignoring his question and smirked. "Now, if I want to survive... the only thing left for me is to eat you, human!"
Her face deformed itself: her mouth opened, showing white and sharp tooth with a tongue ridiculously long. Now she was totally monstrous. Her remaining hair caught tightly Yuri's arms.
"Hey, what the...?"
Judith placed a petal on the creature's forehead, surprising both her and Yuri. Then she placed her hand in front of her chest with the forefinger and the middle finger raised, the others folded, and finally closed her eyes.
"Purification!"
The petal glowed, then followed by a burst of light; the pale skin burned, as if the body was consumed by an invisible fire. Screaming in pain, the creature slowly disappeared until nothing remains, not even ashes.
Yuri was now staring at the place were the creature was lying just before. Then he looked curiously at Judith. Rita caught up with them, running, and was also curious about what Judith just did.
"What was that?"
"… Exorcism. Now we're sure she won't come back."
Yuri put his sword in its sheath. "In the end, she didn't talked. They're really stubborn..."
"Well, at least you know she was acting for someone..."
"Yeah, but who?"
Rita crossed her arms. "For the moment, it's too early to conclude something. By the way..." She looked around her. "The smoke is still there. That means there's at least one weirdo left."
Yuri nodded. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, what are you doing here, both of you?"
"Yeah, I wonder myself... Judith here just decided to drag me here without saying me anything."
Judith smiled. "Well, I thought it might be fun..."
"This is no fun." Yuri said coldly. "You also said you were supposed to act as baits... what does that means?"
The krytian loosed her smile, surprised by Yuri's serious tone. Rita talked instead.
"She attacked us and locked us in the room with other people. She said she'll use us to lure someone... we managed to get free thanks to magical petals."
Judith continued. "All the missing people were trapped with us. We helped them, and then after some reflexions, we concluded the person she was searching for was you, Yuri."
"Then you know the rest."
Yuri sighed. "I see... you two seem to be alright... by the way Judy, how did you know how to use the petal?"
"Hum? Oh... err... Someone taught it to me..."
Why was she getting so nervous all of a sudden? Whatever she did, it really helped them. But by acting like that, she was certainly hiding something she didn't want Rita nor him to know. She had been like that since Halure incident. He was about to tell her that when...
"That Harionago, she failed miserably. I suppose I don't have the choice then..."
Yuri and the others came to a standstill.
"That voice..." Judith started to say.
"Yeah, the same who called me. Guys, here is the serious one... Alright then."
Chapter 08 should be out before the end of the week... I think...