too much sludge and
toxins in her eyes to see anything clearly, but she continued
pulling herself out. She plopped to the hard ground in a puddle of
the serpent’s innards, gasping for air. Ruby twisted her body
around, so she was lying on her back, and lastly, she pulled her
foot out from the slit, which had been caught inside. The shoe was
no longer there, having been lost somewhere inside the beast.
The princess lay there, trying to recover her
senses. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, and she started to
feel better. Slop from inside the snake covered her entire body.
The dress was beyond ruined, being covered in blood, varying colors
of her poison, the swamp water of the Abyss, and now all the
disgusting viscera of the serpent. Ruby sat upright and wiped the
muck from her face, so that she could see properly.
Looking around, the princess tried to locate
whoever had helped her. She was completely surprised when she saw
that it was the disobedient little purple imp holding a sharpened
rock. It grinned up at her with the strange little swirling smile
and beady, catlike eyes.
“Maybe you’re not so useless after all,” she
told the purple imp.
It smiled wider, holding itself upright, as
if to congratulate itself.
“Well, I guess you could use a name,” Ruby
said. “Any ideas?”
The purple imp nodded and then took the
sharpened rock toward a puddle of the various poisons and liquids
splayed out on the cavern floor. It dipped the rock into the fluid
and then turned around to a clean bit of the cave. Scraping the
rock along the floor, it proceeded to ink a response to her
question. Turning back to the fluid as needed, the purple imp
eventually finished and pointed to his answer and then to
himself.
“Sniggle?” Ruby read aloud.
The purple imp nodded enthusiastically.
The princess thought the name was quite
strange, but it somehow suited the little poison creature. “Sniggle
it is, then.”
Ruby stood upright and took a moment to
examine herself. Whatever had happened with the poisons, while she
was inside Sythys truly had healed her. The giant wounds from his
fangs were gone, though the holes were still in her dress. Touching
a hand to her chest, she realized that the cracked and battered
ribs felt completely back to normal now. All the cuts, scrapes, and
bruises she’d sustained in her tumble down the tunnel were gone as
well. Her best guess was that whatever that spell had done to her,
now poison was like a restorative potion to her. When the craggy
hand demon sent her to the Abyss, he made a dire mistake. The trip
to such a toxic place had only made her stronger.
As true as that was, however, Ruby was still
trapped far below the ground with no way back to where she’d
entered. Looking down to her pet imp, she asked, “Don’t suppose you
know the way out of here?”
Sniggle shrugged his shoulders
non-committedly.
“Yeah. Figured as much. Come on. Let’s find
our own way out.” Ruby picked the imp up, placing it once again on
her shoulder. The princess kicked off her only remaining shoe, as
they set out to search the underground tunnels.
Chapter 8. Dirty Water
Ruby had been wandering around in the dim
light of the underground cavern for what seemed a very long time,
though she had no way to count its passage. She wanted to say that
it had been days, or maybe even more than a week, but that thought
was too depressing for her to admit to herself. Her excreted poison
marked her trail naturally, and she knew that she was walking in
circles thanks to it. The princess had taken every turn that she
had come across, but they always seemed to lead back to areas she’d
already visited. She was so lost now that she couldn’t even find
her way to where Sythys’ body was or the tunnel leading to the
surface that had collapsed. She didn’t know whether she had made
any progress at all, but for the first time since the chaotic spell
had altered her, Ruby was beginning to get hungry.
Though, she
toxins in her eyes to see anything clearly, but she continued
pulling herself out. She plopped to the hard ground in a puddle of
the serpent’s innards, gasping for air. Ruby twisted her body
around, so she was lying on her back, and lastly, she pulled her
foot out from the slit, which had been caught inside. The shoe was
no longer there, having been lost somewhere inside the beast.
The princess lay there, trying to recover her
senses. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, and she started to
feel better. Slop from inside the snake covered her entire body.
The dress was beyond ruined, being covered in blood, varying colors
of her poison, the swamp water of the Abyss, and now all the
disgusting viscera of the serpent. Ruby sat upright and wiped the
muck from her face, so that she could see properly.
Looking around, the princess tried to locate
whoever had helped her. She was completely surprised when she saw
that it was the disobedient little purple imp holding a sharpened
rock. It grinned up at her with the strange little swirling smile
and beady, catlike eyes.
“Maybe you’re not so useless after all,” she
told the purple imp.
It smiled wider, holding itself upright, as
if to congratulate itself.
“Well, I guess you could use a name,” Ruby
said. “Any ideas?”
The purple imp nodded and then took the
sharpened rock toward a puddle of the various poisons and liquids
splayed out on the cavern floor. It dipped the rock into the fluid
and then turned around to a clean bit of the cave. Scraping the
rock along the floor, it proceeded to ink a response to her
question. Turning back to the fluid as needed, the purple imp
eventually finished and pointed to his answer and then to
himself.
“Sniggle?” Ruby read aloud.
The purple imp nodded enthusiastically.
The princess thought the name was quite
strange, but it somehow suited the little poison creature. “Sniggle
it is, then.”
Ruby stood upright and took a moment to
examine herself. Whatever had happened with the poisons, while she
was inside Sythys truly had healed her. The giant wounds from his
fangs were gone, though the holes were still in her dress. Touching
a hand to her chest, she realized that the cracked and battered
ribs felt completely back to normal now. All the cuts, scrapes, and
bruises she’d sustained in her tumble down the tunnel were gone as
well. Her best guess was that whatever that spell had done to her,
now poison was like a restorative potion to her. When the craggy
hand demon sent her to the Abyss, he made a dire mistake. The trip
to such a toxic place had only made her stronger.
As true as that was, however, Ruby was still
trapped far below the ground with no way back to where she’d
entered. Looking down to her pet imp, she asked, “Don’t suppose you
know the way out of here?”
Sniggle shrugged his shoulders
non-committedly.
“Yeah. Figured as much. Come on. Let’s find
our own way out.” Ruby picked the imp up, placing it once again on
her shoulder. The princess kicked off her only remaining shoe, as
they set out to search the underground tunnels.
Chapter 8. Dirty Water
Ruby had been wandering around in the dim
light of the underground cavern for what seemed a very long time,
though she had no way to count its passage. She wanted to say that
it had been days, or maybe even more than a week, but that thought
was too depressing for her to admit to herself. Her excreted poison
marked her trail naturally, and she knew that she was walking in
circles thanks to it. The princess had taken every turn that she
had come across, but they always seemed to lead back to areas she’d
already visited. She was so lost now that she couldn’t even find
her way to where Sythys’ body was or the tunnel leading to the
surface that had collapsed. She didn’t know whether she had made
any progress at all, but for the first time since the chaotic spell
had altered her, Ruby was beginning to get hungry.
Though, she
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