Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Persephone’s POV
“You are quite the specimen, my dear,” Garcia commented,” and very well spoken. I have never been addressed to as my lady before. It makes me feel like I am royalty. Pray tell me, child, what is it that made you talk about me or refer to me as such?”
“My lady,” I bowed a bit and then said,” I have to say that I have never encountered a far graceful or enigmatic creature than you. And I know that it must seem like nothing but trust me, you look like you have descended from royalty and sharks and whales are the kings and queens of the oceans. So I have to address you as if I am addressing royalty. Nothing less would suffice,” I spoke. The words came out of my mouth but clearly someone else had control over my brain right now. Garcia smiled and I could see that she had diamonds in her teeth as well and they shined like anything and almost blindsided me.
“Very nice, very nice and very impressive manners. I am very glad,” said Garcia as she moved around the huge open space filled with chests and boxes and trunks and said,” You came for the blood pearl, did you not?”
“Yes, my lady,” I nodded and Garcia nodded in return and said,” We cannot collect the blood pearl, for reasons you perhaps know but I can tell you where the pearl is. However there is a catch.”
I waited patiently as she smiled.
“The oyster that creates the blood pearl is not a common run of the mill oyster, and is kind of like a venus fly-trap,” she smiled with all her teeth exposed again and I gulped and she continued,” So when they say that just the blood of the sea horse and then moon lit night dew creates the blood pearl that is not true. The oyster when empty asks for sacrifice and pulls a sea-horse to its death and then fills its womb to create something beautiful and powerful. And like most powerful things do, this also requires sacrifice. So you might not be asking for anything that I have but you will need something of equal weight and power to dupe the blood oyster when you coax open and take the pearl. And I have just the thing in mind. However, my question is, what can you give me in return that I would help you with this? After all, as you can see, I am just a bit attached with all the things in my collection.”
“That would be the understatement of the century,” said Belam as he slithered close to one of the rocks and then sat or settled on its top. Garcia did not even pay it any mind. She was looking at me just like a predator looks at its prey.
“Well my lady, what could I offer someone like you who has everything that she can ever want. You have access to riches beyond anything I have ever encountered. But yes, I think that I can gift you something which you might occasionally enjoy since you don’t have the option of viewing it underneath water,” I said and Garcia looked intrigued.
“Tell me more about this offer of yours,” she said as she moved around a particular chest which was filled with various jewels, mostly uncut and touched it with one of her fins.
“I can give you hellfire in your palm, my lady,” I said. Garcia’s beady eyes shone with excitement as she pulled out a huge ruby from the pile and then played with it and said,” Hellfire? How is that possible? You don’t look like or smell like a demon to me? And how can you give me that in my palm?”
“I shall present you with a jewel trapped with hellfire so that it can burn and you can view it as long as you like but there is a catch. If you are in extreme distress then you may crush the stone and unleash hellfire on your enemies to save yourself and yes, I know what I am offering you. It will work even here as well. But only once if you use it. That is what I can offer you.”
Garcia made a gesture of thinking and then suddenly said,” I accept. Show me your magic and I will tell you what to do.”
“I can show you the magic but you can get it once I have retrieved the blood pearl and not before. If you are agreeable to that, my lady then we have a deal.”
“Ahh, cautious and intelligent and confident. Those are the qualities which are absolutely necessary in a woman when you need to conquer the world or the sea,” Garcia said as she threw the ruby in my direction and said,” That is your sacrifice as you will take the blood pearl and leave it there in the oyster, and as for coaxing the oyster to open on not a full moon night…you have to sing something that will move it. The oyster is a sentient being after all.”
“Sing? Sing like sing a song?” I asked, confused at the instructions she gave me. Why was this entire adventure bordering on weird and absurd I have no idea but she nodded and opened her mouth to smile again and showed me her teeth. I nodded.
“Show me the way please?” I asked and Garcia turned towards Rudd who in turn took me to one side of the cave like thing and we followed another tunnel in the cavern to reach a place which was so dark that not even my eyes could pierce the darkness and there was a strange hissing sound coming from the walls and I asked Rudd in panic,” Please tell me that I can see soon…this is getting very weird.”
“Don’t even think of stepping anywhere, there are snakes everywhere…vipers, sea snakes and rattlers which are capable of killing hundred men with a single drop of their poison,” said Rudd and all the bravery that I had shown was quickly rushing out of the window as the red glow from the end of the tunnel showed me how true he was. The walls, the floors, and every imaginable surface was covered with snakes and the continuous hissing sound. Dear heavens…why the fuck was I naked…Takumi was dead once I was back…hoping that I did make it back because with everything that the universe was throwing at me it did not seem like I had a lot of chance.
And there I saw the oyster.
To say, it was oyster would be really underselling it.
It was a monster in oyster form and it had eyes and barbs and shell like knife thingies on its cover and there was a snivelling sound that filled the place which said,” Have you come to be sacrifice for my next creation Rudd?”