Laura's Journey

Chapter 18: Dark mansion (Part 5)

"Why my first kiss will be fallen to a girl?!"

"That's also my first kiss so we're even!"

Said Yumi to the unknown girl that fell from the ceiling.

"Even? You call that even? I'm planning on giving my first to a handsome prince someday and not in a red-eyed girl like you."

"Huh?! Do you have a problem with my eyes? Let me hear it."

They started their little fight by squeezing each other's cheeks.

"Stop that already, we need to find a way to escape this mansion."

I said.

My word seemed to interest the unknown girl and said:

"Well, if you want to escape the mansion we just need to search for the heart of this monster."

The unknown girl said something incredible and get my interest more.

"What are you saying monster? And what do you mean by reaching the heart? Is this house a monster all along?"

"Looks like the kid earlier is right, you must be Laura… That's right this abandoned mansion is a monster. I'm fighting this monster outside earlier, but I think an outside attack will never gonna work on it. So I decided to go inside and find its heart to destroy it."

"You know my name? You're also fighting a monster... Are you a state knight?"

"No, I'm not yet and state knight. I'm currently an apprentice of a master state knight and she gives me a mission to destroy this monster."

"Woah that's cool… My Mama used to be a state knight. I might not yet introduce myself properly but my name is Laura."

"I'm the number one genius apprentice state knight Taki Bellwood."

Taki then makes her own weird pose as she introduces herself. That leaves me and Yumi look at her weirdly.

"What's with that introduction? By the way, My name is Yumi."

"No one asked you… Also, what’s with that look. I put all m thinking that that cool pose you know.”

…

Moments passed. We’re all still wondering inside the mansion.

Taki continues to ignore Yumi's presence and started walking beside me.

"Can I call you Laura? You can call me Taki."

"Yup, The simple is the better."

Taki then put her mouth close to my ears and whispered.

“Are you really friends with that girl? She seems very creepy. She is looking at those blood with exciting faces and she has those terrifying red eyes.”

“Well, she is indeed like that but she is a good girl. She just has some family issues before. So please befriend her.”

“Eh?”

Taki said like she was refusing. After that, she looks toward Yumi. Yumi was adoring how chilling and terrifying the mansion can be by looking with a big smile.

“That monster head is cute.”

Taki seems too anxious around Yumi. But I can’t blame her at all. Anyone who encounters someone like Yumi will be freaking out. Maybe, I was just an exception to that because of the this that happen to me before. I kinda know how it feels to be lonely and I sympathized with Yumi.

That moment she looks at me and called me her first friend. I feel like not betraying her. That’s right. I don’t want to betray her. She is my friend after all.

"Then Laura what are the things you eating earlier."

Taki said.

Taki is being talkative. Maybe she is getting bored with us walking around this mansion for many minutes now. Talking to someone indeed makes the time flies.

"Oh the donuts, I bought earlier in Witchport city… It's really good to have a try."

"Whoah~ That's so good.. Can I have one more.'

"Of course."

While Taki and I are talking together. Yumi whose behind us make a smug face and walked faster.

"Laura is my friend my first friend... Stop being clingy with my precious friend."

Yumi suddenly pushes Taki from behind.

"That hurts, what is your problem?"

Yumi suddenly hugs me tight and said:

"I won't let you have my sweet kind friend Laura, I don't want her to be infected with your arrogant virus.”

"Me? Virus? Looks whos talking, you're the one who suddenly pushed me from behind."

"I did that to protect Laura."

"Protect from who? If Laura needs to avoid someone then that's you. Who wants to befriend you in the first place? You’re so creepy… You’re like one of those Yanderes types.”

"What did you say?!"

Taki and Yumi started to fight again, but this time they seemed to reach their limit and get their weapons.

I was alerted with their actions and stop them.

"Wind skill: Flowing gust!"

I make a distance between them by using my wind skill.

"... Hey you two stop it already. It's not the time to fight. You two want to do it, then do it after we deal with our current problem… Let's just go and kill this monster and escape this mansion together."

My words seemed to reach their hearts.

"Laura is right I don't want to waste my energy with you."

"If that's what Laura wants then I will stop then."

They both lowered their weapons and just averted their eyes away from each other.

Making this two like each other will be a difficult task I guess. But like what I said we should deal with this later. We must go and destroy the heart of this monster first.

They stop fighting and we started to search for the monster's heart.

Since the two still have uneasy relation. I need to walk between them to avoid their physical contact.

I don't know if this thing is bad but I feel loved after seeing two girls fighting for me. It’s quite weird.

In our way, we encounter a lot of monsters. But using our combined power us. We easily defeat the monsters and demons that are about to block our way.

Since the way in the corridor is something not to be trusted.

I start making holes again and use it as an alternative path to reach the monster's heart.

…

"A giant turtle monster."

Taki said.

"Let me handle this Laura..."

Yumi jumps toward the hard shell of the turtle and smashes it using the hammer with her full force.

The turtle shell broke down and the turtle vanished into black smoke.

Taki looks toward Yumi with annoying eyes and looks away.

"I can do that too..."

Next to that…

Another monster appeared. This time it's a monster with a very long neck and head of a lion.

I make my fighting stance but Taki suddenly jumps in and attacks the monster.

"Sound skill: Heavy tone!!"

The head of the monster is blaster to pieces and vanishes to black smoke.

"That thing looks powerful but I think it's just a low-level monster."

"She seemed to be really good in fighting."

"I'm more skilled than her."

Said Yumi in a low tone voice.

"What did you say?"

Taki talked to Yumi with a proud face

"It's nothing."

Said Yumi and turn her glance away. Still, she is irritated with Taki’s attitude.

After many battles, they just they each turns proving who is the best. In my perspective, this two are very powerful. Maybe, in the three of us, I’m the weakest one here.

I feel bad for thinking that but it might be true.

Yumi and Taki seemed not to like each other. I guess I need to find a way to make them make up for each other. I wonder what I should do for them.

"Let's stop arguing about little things and just move on…”

The floor started to shake and a heavy gust of wind started to blow inside the mansion. The wind was so strong it can make the child's body of our to float.

To prevent us from being wiped out. I used my wind magic to take control of the wind direction.

I continue to swing my sword to control the gust but it does not affect me.

The gust is too heavy to control with my skill.

I huge mouth started to open up beneath us.

Swallowing the three of us inside.

Falling to its mouth, we find ourselves in an environment different from anything else.

A smelly place with a pool of acid.

In the acid pool, some corpses of the children are currently melting.

"It looks like the digestive system of this monster... I think we're currently in its stomach."

Said Taki she gets her bells in her waist and looks steadily in a dark passage.

Looking around I find out that there is no other way for us. Instead of staying in this room full of acid going to the passage might be a great idea.

We all agree on going toward the passage. Walking to the end of the passage we reached another room.

Inside the room. A heavy presence is felt.

Looking in front of us we saw another demon.

"Finally a visitor to my room. It's been ages since I saw someone reach this room alive. Looking at your stances, I guess you're not here to make friends but to make a fight. I guess I have no choice... Wind creation spell: Wind scythe."

The demon said.

"Wind spell? A monster who can use spell... I never heard something like that before."

Said Taki with a shocked expression.

"Well, that's because I'm not an ordinary demon in this mansion... I'm a dark being the right hand of master Gearon. My name is Guslus."