Crystal opened her eyes to the scent of blood and looked around. Rayth had also awoken and was next to the door that led to the hallway. Peering out of it at something Crystal couldn't see.
Crystal moved slightly before Rayth held his hand back to her, making her stop. That's when she could hear the hushed sounds of someone... Eating?
Crystal almost started to gag from the smell of blood that coated her nose. It was human blood, she didn't know how much longer she could take not doing anything.
"Ah! I almost forgot! I've got a delicious Half Demon asleep in one of my rooms!" The distorted voice of the Lord cackled, and Crystal grimaced a little.
"Either I sit here and become his next meal or I stand to fight. Rayth, what's your plan?" Crystal watched Rayth as he slowly stood up, picking up his polearm before pulling out a small flask of the poison she had bought the previous day, and smashed it on his Polearm. That's when the lord smashed through the door, cackling and Crystal could see his body.
It had been turned into a spider, his human body being where the spider's head would be. "Ooh you're awake, sorry to disturb you, but I'm starving!" The Demons voice screeched, as it
charged at Crystal who sat still. As he got up to her, Crystal watched as Rayth stabbed him in the side with his Polearm, making the demon scream in agony.
"It's ridiculous that you'd think you could fool me, Demon." Crystal said calmly as she stood up, lifting her sword in her right hand, "We both knew I was onto you. Yet you feigned ignorance."
"Isn't that the name of the game?" The demon cackled, "My real name is Kiatsu. I want you to remember that name when I take you to hell with me!" He opened his mouth, revealing large blood covered fangs, and tried to lean down to bite Crystal when she pulled her sword out of its sheath.
Cutting his head clean off his body, and making blood squirt out. Covering her face and chest, but Crystal simply put her sword back in her sheath.
"So the lord the entire time was a demon? But how long could a demon stay here and the villagers not take notice?" Rayth asked curiously when Crystal looked at him.
"Because, the lord is still alive. This demon was simply using him, probably threatening his entire village." Crystal said as she looked down at the carcass of the spider before it popped. Dropping a couple of fangs, a pile of Chitin and a small shimmering blue fragment, "There's a fragment there." Crystal walked up to the pile and grabbed the fragment.
"Oh! It's just like the one you've got!"
"Yeah..." Crystal was confused though, she wasn't able to sense that he had one at all. Lifting it up to her nose, she took a sharp sniff of the object.
"What does it smell like?" Rayth asked.
"It smells like saltwater," Crystal spoke softly and thought hard about all the smells she had experienced around the demon. Did she ever smell the fragment? She couldn't remember.
"Well, I'll assist all I can with smelling the saltwater when we fight demons if you want," Rayth said, picking up the other items and putting them in his satchel. "That would be nice."
"Actually," Rayth spoke up, "You said the actual Lord is still alive? Where is he?"
Crystal sniffed the air a little, "He's not far."
"Let's go get him, then," Rayth said as he stood up fully and Crystal nodded to him. She turned and walked out of the room to the outside. The scent smelled like it was coming from the small hut nearby.
Walking towards it, the smell got heavier and more recognizable. She opened the door to the hut with ease to see the Lord huddled in the corner, his hands and feet tied together with thick rope.
"Oh! The real Lord really was still alive." Rayth said in surprise, but Crystal ignored him. Taking out her dagger, she cut the ropes when the Lord's shaky quiet voice spoke up.
"Who are you, people?"
"It doesn't matter." Crystal said sharply, "We killed the Demon, you may return to your duties as the Lord of this village and temple."
"You killed the Demon? Why?" The lord asked as he rubbed his sore wrists.
"We wanted to help-" Rayth started but Crystal interrupted him.
"He was an annoying creature. Vermin, so I exterminated him as I saw fit." Crystal said as she stood up and walked towards Rayth, "You should let your villagers know what happened. We'll be leaving the moment the sun rises above the trees." Crystal said as she walked out of the hut, leaving Rayth and the Lord behind.
She walked back to their room and looked at where the Demon had been slain. Sitting down with her sword again, she finally allowed herself to slip into her slumber. It was time for her to rest with everything finally peaceful around the village. The demonic aura finally dispersed.
The morning sun rose the next day, a sign of hope for a certain widow, who was seeing help from a high-rank Shapeshifting Snake demon. His snake form being his primary, but often attending meetings like this in a more human state. His long braided blonde hair matched his diamond pattern, and his eyes were a solid golden color. The typical snake slits showing, his body long and slender to resemble a snake.
"So you think you can slay this half-demon for me?" Aimitsu asked, bowing to the demon in front of her.
The demon smirked, "Yeah. Only if you offer your body to me as payment, and become my wife."
"Of course, anything for that half-demon to get what she deserves." Aimitsu didn't like the idea of becoming his wife, but she didn't like the idea of Crystal still being alive even more.
"Alright then. I'll make sure to bring you this half-demon's head on a platter, meanwhile, come entertain me." The demon smirked wickedly, and Aimitsu grew uncomfortable as she walked up to him.
Crystal walked silently, Rayth had attempted to ask her questions but she didn't answer. Her head was thinking of ways she could sniff out the Heart Sapphire, but she was coming up empty-handed. Even though it had been a few days, she still couldn't figure out how to find the fragments and it was starting to wear her down. They had been walking constantly, only taking breaks to eat and drink.
"Crystal, what are we going to do? How do you intend for us to find all the fragments?"
"I don't know how, Rayth." Crystal said calmly, "I just know that I don't have the ability to sniff the fragments out myself. So it might as well be set up for failure."
"We'll figure out something eventually, I know we will," Rayth said softly, Crystal just continued to comb through her mind about how she'd find them when she heard the sound of rushed footsteps.
"HALT!" A group of men shouted, and Crystal stopped walking. Turning her head, she saw the group of bandits that pointed their swords at her.
"What business do you have with us?" Rayth asked curiously, reaching back to grab hold of his Polearm.
"We're going to steal all your prized possessions and then we'll take the woman to sell to a mighty demon!" Rayth pulled out his Polearm and swung it. Slicing all of the bandits' heads off, he huffed as he watched them slump to the ground.
Crystal stared at him for a moment, trying to understand his motivation for killing them, "Why did you kill them?"
"They were going to rob us. If I didn't, they could've killed and sold many more." Rayth said as he put his Polearm back where it belongs. Even though Crystal knew he was more than likely right, she still couldn't see why he killed them. They continued on their path, but Crystal was still bothered by Rayth's actions.
"Maybe he's had a bad past with Bandits. I better not ask." Crystal thought to herself as they continued on. She wondered what scent she was catching, but decided she wouldn't worry about it too much. It wasn't a threat, whoever or whatever it was.
"We're reaching Rattlesnake territory, let's keep a close eye on the horses," Rayth said calmly, tugging his horse closer, Crystal mimicked him and followed a little closer to him.
"I can't say I have a lot of experience with Rattlesnakes. I can handle Selcis, but I've not been in a fight with a Rattlesnake." After Crystal spoke, she could hear Rayth chuckle.
"You don't necessarily fight a Rattlesnake, you either avoid them or kill them. Try not to get bitten, you know."
"I see..." Crystal took a mental note of that, wondering how he could tell they were in rattlesnake territory, "I remember seeing one in my father's garden once." Crystal said softly, "He killed it and my brother kept the skin for his collection."
"What kind of collection did he have?" Rayth asked curiously.
"He collected all sorts of animal pelts and skins. He eventually started collecting heads too."
Crystal said calmly, although the slightly grim expression Rayth gave her made her feel as though she said something wrong, "Is there something wrong with that?"
"Not entirely, but it isn't common to hear someone is collecting heads of animals." Rayth chuckled again, Crystal wondered why he made that sound.
"Why do you do that?" "Do what?"
"What you just did after you answered me." "Chuckle?" Rayth asked.
"Is that what it's called?"
"Yes."
"Why do you 'Chuckle'?"
"It's often involuntary. I don't choose to do it most of the time, if I find what people say funny or entertaining, I chuckle."
"I see..." Crystal said as she thought about it, "How do I know if someone's being funny?"
"I'm not exactly sure, it's just a feeling." Rayth said with a soft smile, "Maybe when we find all the fragments, you'll be able to experience it."
"Maybe." Crystal said, and the two returned to a soft silence. The sound of the horses breathing blending with the sounds of their hoof steps. Crystal keeping an eye out for any paths, noticing that the forest drifted away from the path further ahead and the soft sound of water splashing in the distance reached her ears.
That's when the trees to their right cleared and revealed a Waterfall. Several fish came to the surface to hop out and made soft splashing noises when they landed. It reminded Crystal of the waterfall near her father's temple.
Wait. That was the scent she was catching, it was her childhood home. The scent of the flowers her brother had planted in front of the burnt temple was intentional to always be a marker for where it was.
"Rayth." Crystal spoke up, making him stand still and turn towards her, "Can we take a detour off this path and go down this one?" Crystal pointed at the overgrown path, it was barely noticeable to be a path.
"Do you smell a fragment?"
"No, this is close to the place I was born." Crystal said calmly, tugging her horse to follow her on the overgrown path. She could hear Rayth following her and continued going. The scent of the flowers becoming stronger with every step she took when she felt her horse tugging back on her reigns, "What's wrong-"
A sharp pain shot up from Crystal's leg, a pair of fangs sunk into her skin. She winced in pain as she looked down to see the rattlesnake, pulling out her sword she stabbed it when it let go of her leg, killing it instantly.
"Crystal! Are you okay?!" Rayth asked curiously as Crystal turned to him, her vision started to get blurry before she felt her body starting to fall.
She didn't reach the ground before she lost consciousness. The pain from her ankle surging through her, almost as if she could feel the effects of the rattlesnake's venom as it flowed through her body.
"Come on Crystal... You're stronger than this." A male voice echoed in her thoughts through the pain.
Who was it?
"Crystallina, come on. Wake up. It's not your time to die yet, you're my strong little Hanyo."
Was that her father? What was going on? Why could she hear his voice and why did it seem like she was in a sea of ink?
Was she dying?
Would she die to a weak creature such as a Rattlesnake? Why was she not waking up? Why couldn't she force herself, why couldn't she move?
"So stupid I should be... better than this..." Crystal chided herself, the sound of her voice seeming to echo in the dark abyss of her mind.