How could one slivering Gorgon move so fast? It was like this demonic serpent was slivering fast as a cheetah.
Vaeludar really had strength but he didn’t have the speed and he wished he had the speed, which was why he was in the forest: to look for the second armor artifact to give him speed. For months, Vaeludar wasn’t just aiming at evil creatures but for the armor artifact.
So far, he has one out of three. He looked deep for the Greenwood Forest on his own but not a single spec of a ruined building was seen in that forsaken forest. But just when hoped seemed fragile, his path led him to the village surrounded by the dreadful forest. Vaeludar brought Flavius with a handful of his father’s honorary guards with him.
Flavius indeed has been companioning with Vaeludar since they both traveled to the Northern Region together. For a short time, Vaeludar had his foster brother traveling with him all these long distances. And when heavy snowfalls arrived, Vaeludar had to postpone the search and wait for the arrival of spring.
After the snow melted and the plants growing under the warmth of the sun, Vaeludar resumed his search. Now, he was searching for a Gorgon and he was walking through the ridge of colossal rocks.
After a distressing five minutes of searching, Vaeludar halted in his search. He could only guess and a sudden thought struck his mind. His head started to spark with a dreadful thought: the Gorgon in the village.
With great haste again, Vaeludar pushed into the air and winged through the trees, pounding them like weak sticks. His heart was racing with anxiety. If the Gorgon was in the village, it would be turning the entire village to stone.
The villages aren’t natural trained fighters, but trained to crop in the fields. And Vaeludar wasn’t going to let that going to happen.
Escaping out of the forest, Vaeludar gazed at the village. He didn’t hear shouts or frightened people running. They were just kneeling down. Vaeludar trotted toward the village and hid behind a hay house. He turned back into his peasant disguise after he hid.
From the other side, he could hear a clear female voice speaking like a human.
“So who am I to choose next? A peasant boy? How about a peasant girl? Nay? I need girls to make more boys? So many hard decisions to make. How about I just take the youngest?”
“Or how about you just die, creature of darkness?” shouted Vaeludar, exposing himself to the female creature and sheathing the sword.
Vaeludar’s eyes gazed upon a beautiful woman, looking like in early twenties, with hair shining as the sunlight and wearing a dress white as snow and glimmered the sun’s light. This deceiving woman, who he knew was the Gorgon he has been searching, looked at the disguised hybrid.
She took notice how the unknown hybrid came out of nowhere and seductively smiled. “Well, well. Now here is a handsome man with frail eyes.”
“Your eyes deceive you,” said Vaeludar, walking towards her.
The woman starting walking toward him, with a seductively look. “Come to me. I can see a great future that lies ahead.”
“A future I see is a nasty one and it won’t be pretty.”
“The future of a man who soon will be one of many to join a great crusade for the fight for a simple woman.”
“A woman with deceiving looks can’t work on me,” said Vaeludar, drawing to a halt. He wanted the woman to come to him and touch him.
The woman walked closer and was right under his chin. She touched Vaeludar’s chest with a seductive smile turning into a nasty smile. “Maybe if you relax, the day will turn into a wonderful day.”
“I have to tell you something before we start,” said Vaeludar. “I’m not here for fun and games.”
“What are you here for?” she seductively asked, crossing her arms around his neck, just ready to kiss him.
“I’m here for one thing but yet another thing to do while I’m here.” Vaeludar bent his right hand to reach for the Crystal Sword’s hilt. “A minor event pushed forward to me I need to do before I move to the next location.”
“What may that be?” she asked, losing the smile.
“To save this village from you: TO KILL A GORGON!”
Vaeludar quickly head-butted the Gorgon and pulled out the Crystal Sword again.
The disguised Gorgon flew across the village like a rock rolling downhill. Her snake body revealed from under the dress. Slithering like a snake, the undisguised Gorgon sprung out her snake tail and torn apart her ruined dress; her true nature has been shown to Vaeludar.
Determination shined in his hybrid eyes. Vaeludar growled fiercely.
Slithering fast, the Gorgon was heading towards her attacker. She was going cheetah-fast. Faster than Vaeludar could fly. The Gorgon came at lightning speed Vaeludar didn’t have much a chance to dodge or to strike. The Gorgon slithered and bitten fast just like a snake.
Vaeludar felt the bite but not the pain. Vaeludar lost his balance and fell, gripping the sword tightly. The bite felt like a pounding of a slapping hand.
Then the Gorgon began slashing her tail at the still disguised hybrid, who was rolling out of the whipping tail. Even though the Vaeludar was going to be immune to the strikes, he still needed to have a chance to fight back. And getting himself stung by the scorpion-like pointy-end of the Gorgon’s tail wasn’t going to do him much. Vaeludar needed to think faster than the Gorgon’s flashing attacks if he is to liberate this town from the Gorgon’s rule.
Vaeludar stopped on his belly and hastily got up. His left hand ripped out of his disguised clothing and held the sword with
