Victoria had no choice. She had to trust the voice, no matter how badly she hated the idea. She leaped back off the bridge, mere moments before the gargoyle leaped at her. It felt almost cartoonish, as if she was hovering in the air for a few seconds while gravity decided what to do with her.

Then she plunged down towards the sea, letting out a scream while she fell. The bridge passed her by and now she could do nothing but plummet. At least the monster couldn’t–

The thought left her mind a moment later when she saw the creature leap off the bridge, its wings extending out, before it turned and dived at her. The bleak hope of safety faded as quickly as it had formed. Worse, she saw movement on the underside of the bridge and two more of the gargoyles seemed to appear, leaping out into the daylight and diving towards her.

Either she’d be torn apart by the monsters or splatter across the water. She glanced down and saw the water approaching like an immovable blue wall. There was no way she could survive this.

She clutched her arm to her chest and closed her eyes. Whatever that voice was going to do, it better do it fast. She could hear the water below, splashing loudly, as well as the predatorial cry of the gargoyles while they dived at her.

Then freezing cold. She was enveloped in water, however rather than coming to a sudden stop by slamming against the surface, instead the water seemed to wrap around her in a soft ball, slowing her fall gradually. She opened her eyes, unsure how this was happening.

There was a small bubble of air around her face, allowing her to breath. She could see outside of the water sphere as well, allowing her to see shards of ice suddenly lance out from the sea below, impaling the three gargoyles and shattering them into shards of stone.

Then her sphere of water was dragged under the sea and she could no longer see anything, quickly disappearing down into the depths and into darkness.

Victoria tried to keep the panic from overwhelming her while the world got darker and darker. The sphere of water around her seemed different than the rest of the water, far cleaner and clearer. She could only barely make out the outline of a cave before she was pulled into it, enveloped entirely in darkness.

She didn’t know how long she moved through the cave, the only thing she knew is she was moving in different directions, up, down, left, right. Even if she could see, she doubted she’d ever be able to navigate back to where she had been. Especially not while swimming.

Then suddenly the water around her fell away and she fell a few feet, landing on stone. She stumbled forward, but managed to keep her footing. “H-hello?” she called out.

Three braziers on small pillars lit up with green flames. Between the three of them, an orb of blue glimmered in the light, the orb seemingly built into a silver pillar, with webbing of silver coating over its surface. She was besides one of the pillars, which were on a small platform that jutted out from the wall. She could barely make out a doorway and stairs leading up. She turned around and could see water, though there wasn’t enough light to see the tunnels she had come through to get here. She then glanced back towards the staircase. “Hello? Is anyone there?” she asked.

“Yes,” a voice called. However, when the voice spoke, the orb of blue seemed to flash with light.

“Err. Are you… are you talking through the orb?”

There was a sigh of exasperation, before the orb began to flash again. “I am the orb, must you be so dense?”

Victoria flushed red, shaking her head. “I mean, you’re an orb. How are you talk–”

“I am bound to the orb. Are you blind, or perhaps just dense? No, you’re here. You must be dense. Hello, prince. Welcome to Grimtol Peak. I am Lochlann. As it has been… I can’t even begin to guess how long since a royal has been foolish enough to come here, I suppose I’ll have no choice but to be your guide. Now, if you look that way, you’ll find the stairs. I don’t know if they still work, nor do I care.”

“W-what?” Victoria said, before reaching out towards the orb. She yelped and pulled back her hand a moment later, clutching the bloody limb to her chest. “I-I… need a doctor, I think. And, I’m not a royal or–”

“Of course you are. You couldn’t lay claim to Grimtol Peak if you weren’t. I wouldn’t have had to help you, either.”

She paused for another moment, opening her mouth, but not sure where to start. There were so many things wrong with that statement she couldn’t even begin to guess where to start. Finally, she settled for the obvious. “I didn’t lay claim to anything.”

“Of course you did. I wouldn’t have helped you, otherwise. Though I wish I knew how you even got here, I already broke that bridge. Are you an aeromancer?”

She paused again, her mouth falling open. “That voice. It was you, wasn’t it? You told me to jump into the depths? I-I almost died.”

“If I could be so lucky,” the voice said once more, its voice filled with bitterness. “You would have died. I could not protect you from there, so I just told you where to go so I could.”

“You could have said that!”

“I told you where you could go so I could protect you. That is all I am required to do. If you were too stupid to understand my guidance, that’s hardly my fault. You would have merely been foolhardy prince number seven.”

Victoria felt her frustration growing. She wanted to kick the orb into the sea, though she doubted it would have much effect. “I am NOT a prince! For one, I’m not of royal blood. For two, I’m not a boy!”

“Hit your head, did you? I can assure you that you most certainly are, on both counts. You’re definitely human. While only two of my rulers have been human, I assure you that your species is quite easy to identify their gender based on–”

“ENOUGH!” Victoria yelled, before stomping towards the orb. “Why are you so angry? I thought you were trying to help me? Why even rescue me if you’re going to just insult me? Did you just bring me down here to mock me?”

The orb didn’t move, silent for a long while. Finally, it spoke up again, the light dimmer. “From the moment you lay claim to this–”

“How did I lay claim to this place? Any of this? I’m not royal, my mom wasn’t a queen, my father wasn’t a king! I’m NOT royalty, stop saying that!”

There was a very, very long pause at that. Finally, it spoke up again. “What do your parents have to do with you being a prince?”

Victoria opened her mouth again, then stopped. Why was it that for ever answer she got, it felt as if a dozen more questions came? Worse, she was feeling more and more light headed. Slowly she sat down on the ground and laid back on the stone. “I… I really think I need a doctor,” she said softly. “Can you get me to one?”

“No.”

“I’m going to die here, aren’t I?” she asked softly, looking at the bloody arm.

“If I’m lucky.”

“Why did you even save me from the gargoyles if you hate me so much?”

“Because I had to, prince. I am the guardian of this lake.”

Victoria waited for a long, long moment. But the orb didn’t continue, as if that small answer told her everything. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“How does it not?”

“If you’re the guardian of the… wait, lake? If you’re the guardian of this lake, why help me?”

“Because, as the prince of Grimtol Peak, I have to do what I can to keep you safe.”

She nodded, giving a sigh. “Ah… not a prince. If anything, call me princess.”

The orb gave a derisive snort. “Very well. Princess. But there is nothing I can do for you as I am set. My power is directed towards control of the lake alone. The internal–”

“So, like, I’m your boss, then?”

“What?”

“Do you have to do what I say?” Victoria asked, shaking her head.

“I do have to obey your commands and do what I can in order to destroy anything that attempts to harm you,” the orb said again, warily.

“Can you fix me?” she asked, staring down at the blood now caking her dress. She felt cold, though she didn’t know if it was because of the room, the water or the loss of blood.

“I cannot, at this time, help with your wound.” Victoria couldn’t help but feel that the orb was choosing its words carefully, but she didn’t have the strength to try and decipher what it meant. She just wanted the pain to stop.

“You’re a terrible guardian.”

There was a light snort of annoyance from the orb. “Truly, I do not care.”

Victoria sighed and closed her eyes. “Can you bring me something to eat, or at least warm me up?”

“Yes, I can.”

She waited a few moments before sighing. “Oh, this is going to be fun. I order you to help warm me up.”

There was a low grumble, then the fires in the braziers began to grow, spreading delightful warmth through Victoria’s body and illuminating the chamber. She looked down at her arm and sighed. The pain wasn’t as bad now, though she wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. If she rested, would she feel better? Or would she never wake again?

“Are you like this with all of the royals who come here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“…”

Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes. “I order you to answer my questions. Honestly. Can you lie to me?”

“Not directly, no.”

“Lies by omission are okay, though?”

“Of course.”

“Do you want me to die?”

“Of course.”

Victoria gave another sigh. She was quickly coming to regret her decision to trust this voice. “Why do you want me to die?”

“Because you are my ruler.”

“So? Why be my guardian if you don’t want to be?”

There was a long, long, loooong silence after that one. “I don’t understand,” the orb finally said back.

“Why do you want to be my guardian if you hate me so much?”

“I do not.”

Victoria opened her eyes and stared at the orb. “You… don’t want to be my guardian?”

“No.”

“Okay then. You’re fired.”

“I am immune to fire.”

Victoria paused for a long, long moment, mouthing the words to herself. Immune to being fired? Wait. No. FIRE. She only barely resisted rolling her eyes. “Ugh. I’m your ruler, right? You’re, ummm… fired. Gone. Your services are no longer required. You’re free. I hereby remove your status as guardian an–” Her words were cut off by a sudden, echoing crack. It had formed down the side of the orb, pieces of the silver webbing falling away. She let out a yelp and tried to stand up, only to fall back onto her butt, sending more pain through her slashed arm and making her hiss in pain. “A-are you okay? I’m sorry, oh gosh. I’m sorry! I didn’t–”

The orb shattered, pieces of glass erupting out. However, they seemed to almost melt away in the air as if they were ice. A few pieces touched her, but they were cold and soft. When she looked back towards the pillar, all that remained were a few pieces of silver webbing and water dripping down the pillar.

“Oh god, oh god. I killed them. I-I didn’t mean to kill you! I’m so sorry! Oh god. I-I just, I thought that was what you wanted, I didn’t I’m so–” The words died in her throat a moment later when she saw the water beginning to pull itself up, onto the pillar. It gathered into one large blob, before leaping off the pillar and into the water besides the platform with a loud splash. Victoria let out a whimper when the flames went out, casting her in darkness.

“Orb? Oh gosh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kill you. I just thought you wanted to be–”

“I’m not dead,” the orb said once more, though this time there was no glow.

Victoria went still, mouthing the words for a moment. A chill went down her spine when she realized she was now wounded, blind and with a creature that had already expressed a desire to end her life. She really, really wished she hadn’t jumped off that bridge now. “I’m sorry.”

“You released me,” the voice said once more.

“You said you didn’t want to be my guardian and–” The words were cut off when she was enveloped in water. She closed her eyes and gave another whimper, waiting for more pain hit her. However, after a moment, the water washed away. The pain from her arm was now gone, as if it had been drained away by the water.

“You are a very strange prince,” the voice said once more.

“Please stop calling me a prin– AHHHHHH!” Victoria shrieked when once more the flame rose up. In front of her stood a massive creature, its body seeming to be made entirely of water, though it seemed to have an almost humanoid shape. At least, she could kind of make out arms, head and a torso.

“Of course. Princess, then,” the voice said, this time seeming to be emanating from the watery creature.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No.”

“Do you still want me dead?” Victoria asked before glancing down at her arm. The wound was gone entirely, little more than a few smudges she could see in the darkness. She still felt tired, but at least it seemed she wouldn’t bleed out.

“If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead.”

“That’s good. Err, I thought you couldn’t heal my arm?”

“I could not heal your arm as I was set to expend all of my power to control the lake. You would have had to order me to divert power away from such tasks in order to heal you.”

Victoria stared at the creature while slowly crawling backwards away. “Lies of omission, of course,” she muttered. She then glanced up at the broken orb. “So… what are you?”

There was silence for a long moment, before it spoke up again. “I do not understand.”

“Are you some kind of spirit? Or something else?”

“I… I am quite obviously a water elemental,” the creature said, though Victoria couldn’t help but feel that it sounded almost offended by the question. “How can you be a prince and not even–”

“STOP CALLING ME A PRINCE!” she yelled, before her hands rose up to cover her mouth. She quickly considered that maybe yelling at the creature that could control an entire lake by itself was a bad idea. It didn’t make any move towards her, though. “I’m not royalty. I’m not a princess or anything like that. I’m not even sure where I am or how I got here and I just want to know where I am and how I got here!”

“You’re still going with that line, huh? If you wanted to hide what you were, you really shouldn’t have come to an abandoned castle like this. A bit desperate, were you?”

“I didn’t come here, I was brought here. I don’t know why. I–” The fire went out again and she froze. “Did… did you do that?”

“Yeah. It’s your fire, you can support it.”

“I can’t do that!”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m all wet, for one. I don’t have anything to burn. I don’t even have any matches.”

She received nothing but silence to that. She waited for a few moments, but began to feel unease. “Are… are you still there?”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” the creature finally asked.

“Yesssss? I mean I–”

“How can you not know how to… you just… but you’re a prince. That doesn’t make any… but you did release me, so maybe?”

“Errr… ummm, are you okay?” Victoria asked.

“How many gargoyles are out there, in the castle?”

“How in the world would I know that?”

“Oh by the stars. You really don’t know anything, do you?”

Victoria’s cheeks turned red and she gave a sigh. “I’ve said that a few times now. Also, princess.”

“Right, princess. But how can you not know? Wait, but that means…” The elemental trailed off for a moment before they began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Victoria asked.

“You’re not lying. That’s hilarious.” Suddenly a cold, wet hand gripped her face and lifted her up to her feet. The flame rose up once again, illuminating the pair.

Victoria’s eyes widened when she saw the thing staring back at her. It looked almost human now, except its skin was tinted blue and, while it was almost solid, she could see through it just a little bit. “Uhhh… you’re…”

“I’ve changed my mind, little princess,” the creature said. “Perhaps being your guardian wouldn’t be quite so bad.”

“How are you doing that?” Victoria asked, staring at the rippling flesh. It was so close to being human and alive, and yet it still moved like water.

“What? A guardian should look somewhat like their princess, shouldn’t they? Otherwise it’ll cause suspicion. What’s your name?”

“Victoria,” she said weakly, her eyes lowering to the hand. Slowly it pulled back. It only had four fingers. “Yours?”

“Lachlann. So how about I make you an offer. There’s going to be a lot of things coming for your head now. Espec–”

“Wait, what? Why would anyone be coming for my head?” she asked, feeling a sudden surge of fear. “I’m just a–”

“You’re a princess, you have your first castle. There are going to be a lot of others who want to stop you before you get a second. You need help if you want to survive.” Lachlann held out their hand again. “I can keep you safe.”

“I thought you wanted me dead? What happened to not wanting to be my guardian?” Victoria asked, taking a small step back from her.

“There’s a big difference between being bound to obey you and being your partner. Besides, you let me out. I probably owe you a little bit.”

“Why don’t you just be the princess, then?”

Lachlann stared at her for a few long, long moments. “Wow. You don’t… understand anything, do you? Is it a spell of some sort? Perhaps you hit your head too many times? I can’t. Not eligible. You have noble blood, princess. You’ve already stirred this castle to life. So… here. Just let me help you.”

Victoria stared at the creature, feeling growing unease. She didn’t have anywhere else to turn. But the elemental didn’t even seem to be trying to be subtle about its intentions to use her. “If I say no, what happens?”

Lachlann gave a strange, bubbling sigh. “I’ll go. You can figure all this out on your own.” The elemental paused for a moment. “Though I suppose I should still offer you some aid. To leave a debt unpaid would be dangerous, especially as I only just got my freedom. Very well.” The elemental’s body seemed to fall apart, reverting to water, moment’s before the fire went out.

“Huh? What are you–” She never got a chance to finish the sentence. Suddenly her body was enveloped in water and she was swept off her feet.

——

Victoria laid on the shore, panting with exertion. She was drenched, freezing and exhausted from yet another trip under the lake. She closed her eyes and took deep, sweet mouthfuls of air, before glancing to the water. “Lachlann. Please, please never do that again. Please.”

“You’re so delicate,” Lachlann said before they began to rise from the water. They started as just a big blob of water, but slowly began to form an almost humanoid form. However, in the light of the day it was even more disturbing. The body seemed more like some kind of jewel than actual flesh. The form lacked anything that could betray a gender, though Victoria couldn’t help but be thankful for that, it would likely only make the uncanny valley look even stranger.

“That is really creepy.”

“I used to be much better, it’s been a while since I’ve adapted a form like this.”

“It’s not like riding a bike, then?”

“What’s a bike?”

Victoria just stared at the creature. She then rolled her eyes. After everything else she’d been through today, she supposed the fact that the creature seemingly made of water didn’t know what a bike was a fairly small problem. “Don’t worry about it. A thing from my home. Why did you bring me out here?” she asked before sitting up.

“If I left you down there, you would have tried to leave and probably gotten yourself killed. More importantly, you released me. To not aid you in some way after such a kindness would be an insult to the fates. Now, however, we’re even.” Lachlann walked to her and held out their hand. “So allow me to repeat my offer. I can help you survive here, explain everything and keep you safe. In return you’ll, well, I guess you’ll trust me and do what I say. Be my princess, so to speak. Does that sound fair to you?”

“And if I don’t?”

Lachlann pulled her hand back and then motioned away from them. Victoria turned and saw it, the town she had seen when she first arrived here was off in the distance. She could almost make out the buildings, but she couldn’t see much else.

“I’m sure there’d probably be somebody there who could help you. If you’re lucky, maybe. Assuming there’s anyone still there. Or it hasn’t been claimed by another princess or, even worse, a queen. Maybe they’ll give you a better offer, but I doubt it. A princess who doesn’t even understand what they are… well, is little more than a liability. But maybe.”

Victoria eyed the town, mentally calculating. She didn’t know what was in the town, but there might be somebody there who could help her get home. Possibly. But there was always the chance the place was completely devoid of anyone. She then glanced back to Lachlann.

Could she even trust the elemental? More importantly, how did something like that even exist? It sounded like something out of the game she’d been on the way to the shop to play. She wondered if maybe she’d gotten hit by a car and was in a coma. Or maybe had a heart attack? Perhaps a safe fell on her, it made about as much sense as anything in this strange place.

She glanced down at her blood covered dress. If not for that, she might have been willing to believe that everything from her home had just been a dream that she had awoken from. Or maybe she was just overthinking things. Maybe the elemental was just some strange creature. Some weird weapon made by some government to do who knew what.

Either way, she had a choice to make.

==========================================================

Today there are two polls. The first is going to be for her choice, if she should ally with Lachlann or not. The second is going to be a bit of world creation, more or less. I have plans for what would be at the village, but I feel it might be funner to let the readers decide the basis for it. Enjoy.

http://www.strawpoll.me/19837236

http://www.strawpoll.me/19837249

Victoria’s eyes opened and she let out a soft groan, trying to shake the grogginess from her mind. Her bed felt as if it was made of stone. Why was it was so dark? Had she woken up too early? None of the street lights, or any light for that matter, seemed to be coming through her window. Worse, it was so hot and stuffy. She tried to sit up and hit her head, collapsing back down. “O-ow,” she whined.

Then her entire body went still, the grogginess of having just awoken evaporating instantly. She WAS laying on stone. She reached her hands up and felt what was over her, a strange stone ceiling. She touched the walls besides her. She was inside a stone box. She started breathing heavier, panic flooding her. She was trapped. “H-help!” she screamed, but there wasn’t any response. She reached out and pushed against the stone ceiling as hard as she could.

To her amazement, it shifted, just a little. She pushed both her knees up, pushing against the roof with all the force she could muster. Gradually it began to shift to the right. Inch by inch, allowing light to appear through the opening she was making. “Come on, come on,” she whispered, her frantic fear giving her a rush of adrenaline.

Finally, the lid was pushed over enough that gravity took over and it teetered off and to the side, crashing to the ground with an ear shattering boom. She sat up and looked around, struggling to control her breathing.

She was inside a stone coffin, albeit a small one. The room she was in had at least a dozen more, some half her size, some so big they could have housed a dozen of her. It seemed to be some kind of crypt, though it looked as if the room was in terrible disrepair. The light wasn’t coming from any windows, instead part of the wall had collapsed, allowing sunlight in. “H-hello?” she called out.

Slowly she crawled out from the coffin, trying to keep the fear inside her from bubbling over. For a moment she wondered if this was a prank. But this went so, so far beyond a prank. She needed to call the police. Where even was she? Standing in the small crypt, she finally looked down at herself and froze.

All she had was a torn up dress, her socks and a pair of shoes. Her purse wasn’t on her and a quick glance into the coffin told her it wasn’t there, either. Worse, her clothes were covered in dried blood. She felt more panic wash over her, but a quick scan of her body revealed that there wasn’t a mark on her. Aside from the soreness of resting on a stone floor, she felt fine. Which left the issue of who’s blood it was. Without her purse, it also meant she had no keys, wallet or, worst of all, phone.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” she called out again. The only response she got was the sound of a few stones falling, making her jump. With a shaky heart, she slowly walked towards the entrance of the crypt.

How had she got here? The last thing she remembered was leaving her house to meet with her friends, heading towards the game shop. It was just a few blocks away, they were going to help her finish her character sheet for the game.

She gave a shudder, her hand moving to her forehead. She remembered someone talking to her. Had she gotten to the store? Had someone spiked her drink? That had to be it. She looked back at her dress and shuddered again. It probably wasn’t even blood, why would she be covered in it? It had to just be some elaborate prank. That had to be it. “Just a prank, just a prank,” she whispered to herself, trying to force herself to believe it. It felt like something out of some horror movie. She had to find some way to call the police.

She stepped outside and felt like her heart might explode when she could finally get a lay of the land.

The crypt emptied out into a courtyard. At one end there was an impossibility, an old, decrepit castle. There were NO castles ANYWHERE near where she lived. In fact, nothing around here looked anything like her home. At the opposite end of the courtyard there was a long, stone bridge that went off towards land. She slowly moved towards that edge of the courtyard and was soon able to see why the bridge was necessary. The courtyard was hundreds of feet above the sea, with the only thing connecting to land being that old bridge. Just looking down at the water below made her feel nauseous and shudder. She looked back towards the castle quickly, backing away from the edge of the courtyard.

Now that she got a better look at it, the castle didn’t seem to be so much built on the stone, as into the stone itself. Though, like the crypt, it had seen better days. Some of the walls had entirely caved in on themselves. “Hello?” she yelled out again, but received no answer. So instead she turned back towards the bridge, though she tried to avoid looking too far over the edge.

About halfway across the bridge had entirely collapsed, leaving a gaping hole. However, at the opposite end of the bridge she could just make out what looked like buildings. She felt a small flicker of hope. That had to mean people.

The hole between the two halves of the bridge looked as if it was thirty or forty feet, at least. She started walking towards it, careful to stay as far from the edge of the courtyard as she could. If there were people there, maybe they’d be able to help her get across. Even if she couldn’t get across t he hole, there had to be some way to contact them, or someone. After all, people had to be coming here if they brought her. Maybe she could–

The sound of falling rocks made her turn to the right, shattering her thoughts. “H-hello?” she called out, her fear spiking. Was it whoever brought her here? As desperately as she wanted to see someone, anyone, she was beginning to find the value in being entirely alone. She didn’t get an answer.

“Is anyone there? Did… you bring me here? Hello?” she called out again. She looked around for anything she could use as a weapon before finally settling on a small rock from one of the crumbled heaps. “Hello?” she asked again, holding the rock up in case she had to defend herself. “I-I don’t want to fight. I just want to know where I am.” She glanced towards the bridge. Some of the stone had crumbled away, revealing rebar in its construction. If she could find a piece that had broken off, maybe it would make a good weapon.

“Anyone?” she called out again, but received no response. She slowly moved back towards the bridge. She gave a sigh and shook her head. “Paranoid. Wait, no. It’s not paranoia if they are actually out to get you,” she said before looking out towards that strange village.

Was she in another country? How long had she been unconscious? How had they moved her all the way out here without her–

Another movement out of the corner of her eyes. She turned around, but all she could see was one of the shadowy archways of the collapsing castle, leading into darkness. She knew she saw something before, but there wasn’t anything there. She was alone. But she KNEW she saw something. She held her breath, trying desperately to hear something. Anything.

Her fears were realized when she realized she could hear something out there. Something breathing. But try as she might, she didn’t see anything. “Is anything there? Hello?” she asked. Had she imagined hearing something? Was it just the wind? But what if she had seen something? There was only one way she could be sure. She threw the stone into the archway, hoping it would fly through it and crash to the ground.

It seemed to stop in midair, bouncing off something and hitting the ground. An angry roar came from the archway a moment and something stumbled back, though she couldn’t make out its form. She screamed and ran away, racing towards the bridge as fast as she could go. She sparred only a moment to look back at what was chasing her and it nearly made her heart stop.

Her first thought was some kind of gargoyle, a strange, winged humanoid thing, with a face like a demon and a long tail. It raced after her on all fours, its claws digging into the ground and making loud, scratching sounds with each step.

She leaned forward, running as fast as she could down the bridge, but she could hear the creature behind her. The sound of its claws coming closer and closer, tearing into the ground behind her. Getting closer with every few scratches. She search desperately for something, anything she could use as a weapon.

It was right behind her. She heard a loud screech of the claws digging into the ground.

There. Her eyes locked on a part of the bridge that had collapsed, leaving a piece of rebar dangling just over the side. She glanced back towards the creature, slowing just for a moment.

It leaped at her.

She jumped to the right.

Pain shot through her left arm when the monster leaped past, its claws slashing across her arm and only narrowly missing the rest of her. It let out an angry cry when it went tumbling across the bridge, trying to right itself after its miss. Unfortunately, the blow hit her with such force it sent her rolling across the bridge towards the edge. Only by reaching out and digging her hands into the crumbling bridge did she stop herself from falling over entirely. She lay there on her back for a few moments, her left arm and leg dangling over the side before she pulled herself fully back onto the bridge.

She pulled her left arm to her chest and looked at the wound. Long, shallow cuts had been slashed across it, blood dripping down her arm. She told herself it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked, but the pain made her suspect otherwise.

The sound of claws on stone made her look up. She could see the monster standing in the center of the bridge now. Its body was low to the ground and it was slowly crawling towards her, its mouth open and baring fangs. Its wings were closed tightly against its body. In a way, it almost moved like a cat getting ready to pounce its prey.

Oh god she was its prey.

‘One of royal blood,’ a voice suddenly erupted in her head, making her jump. To her surprise, the creature did as well. She looked around.

“H-hello?” she asked.

‘Cast yourself into the depths.’

“W-what?” she asked again. “Depths? What depths?” she asked.

But there wasn’t any answer. She looked around wildly, before her eyes fell off the edge of the bridge, to the water far, far below. It was hundreds of feet below. Whoever, whatever, was there couldn’t actually mean for her to jump off. That was suicide.

However, her eyes fell on something else. The rebar she had seen before. It was right there. She just had to take a few steps and she could grab it. She glanced back towards the gargoyle.

It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was better than nothing. The creature was coming closer. If she could just scare it off, maybe she’d be okay. Maybe if she yelled, whoever that voice belonged to would come and help her, maybe someone would. There had to be someone here. She gave one last glance back over the edge of the bridge, down to the water below. She could see the creature tense up.

She had to make her choice, now.

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