Chapter Three - Claire Heart

Chapter Three

The wind from the dark vortex rippled through my school uniform as I stepped closer, full of fake confidence.

"Claire, Wait!" I heard someone call out from behind me; it was too late though, I know what I needed to do. June's mom needed saving. Her mother, Tanya, is one of the most influential people in my life. I stepped closer and closer to the unknown portal, not a single part of my body wavering; when I was young, my parents were murdered by a drunk driver on their way to pick me up from my dance lessons, I had no siblings, so that left me alone, with no one or place to call home. I received quite a large inheritance because of my family's wealth, so any time I feel low. I go shopping and buy whatever my heart desires in hopes of raising my mood. Tanya took me in after what happened to my parents, and she was my second mom. She taught me what it meant to have a family again, teaching me to skate and even how to talk to boys, so when the cloaked figure appeared and showed me the image of her struggling against chains with spikes of fire scattered below her, my heart sunk. On top of that, a second ago, I was holding the only person I considered a sister in my hands, no signs of life in her face, with glass piercing all over her cold skin.

*Zap!*

I was ripped from the world, spiraling through a vortex of darkness and purple lightning. It felt like I was being torn apart; oddly enough, I also felt like I was headed towards something more significant. The powerful lightning struck the air beside me, and purple flashed everywhere around me. It was so bright I nearly had to close my eyes.

*Pop!*

"Ahhhh!" I popped into the world falling; suddenly, I was soaked from head to toe, my uniform drenched, submerged in water. Where was I? The water surrounding my body felt powerful.

My mind drifted back to my "Status Window," my nickname was The Witch of the Sea. Is that why the water seemed to recharge my soul?

"Hmmmppphh" I quickly realized that I was running out of air, so I swam to the top of the water. I broke the surface and looked around. I was at the center of a pond; a single fruit hung from a tree on a small island close to me. This tree wasn't just any tree. It was white with gold veins mazed through its bark. Behind that were rolling flowered green hills. The flowers reminded me of flowers my mom would once plant in the orchard behind our house. It was beautiful to look at; I quickly wiped a tear away from my eye; I had to focus.

Suddenly I felt a tug at my foot,

"Eeekk!" and with that, I was pulled under and dragged to the bottom of the body of water, instinctively; my eyes closed, I forced them open to see what had me by my ankle. I couldn't believe what I saw, the jagged teeth of a greyhound were firmly clamped around my ankle; it had glowing gold eyes, full of savagery.

From the neck down, the monster had a bottom half of what was akin to a dolphin. Streams of blood passed in front of my face as I squirmed against the water demon. Its jaws tightened even more, causing me to gurgle in pain. The rest of the air in my lungs was expelled into the watery coffin I was drowning in.

"Think Claire, think!" I kicked hard at the jaw of the beast, hoping that it would loosen its grip enough for me to wriggle free. But, of course, I had no luck, I couldn't hold my breath much longer, I felt the fear of death began to sink in my stomach like an anchor, a faint tickle of electricity shuttered through my body, finally, I couldn't hold it any longer, and I gulped water. As the water entered my lungs, I prepared for the worst, but it didn't come, I felt like I had just taken a breath of fresh air, so I took in another gulp, nothing. Was I breathing underwater?

The monster noticed a change in my emotion and seemed to hesitate; the feeling of an electric aura grew like the water was bonding with me, allowing me to achieve the impossible.

With my renewed strength, I kicked harder and harder at the beast's jaw, blood filled the water around us, but it was no longer just mine. Finally, the beast yelped and let go of my ankle, finally allowing me to swim to the surface. I broke the surface with a gasp; the pain in my ankle only grew as the feeling of adrenaline faded. I waited for the beast to come back for me. I left my injured leg dangling like bait so I would be able to use my able foot again, but nothing came.

I swam towards the odd tree at the center of the body of water. An aura seemed to be coming from the tree, something so intense it almost reminded me of the cloaked deity that had destroyed what I called a good school year.

Reaching the island at the center of the pond, I couldn't help but stare at the fruit. Now that I was closer to it, something was off.

It was almost as if it was glowing, no. It WAS glowing. The fruit looked like an apple, but I could make out a faint golden aura around it; standing on the edge of the bank, I reached for it.

My small feminine hands could barely hold it. It was huge! At least if I got hungry, I would have something to eat. I removed my school jacket and fashioned a makeshift backpack out of the arms, and shoved the odd fruit inside.

"Time to go, Claire," I muttered to myself as I hopped back into the water and headed for the bank; I readjusted my uniform as I climbed out of the hill.

I took a deep breath and limped off towards the hills.

I walked for what seemed like hours. Finally, the rumbling in my stomach got the best of me, and I pulled the fruit out of my jacket-made backpack. My mouth watered as I stared at the bright fruit. Was it safe? I sniffed it in hopes of discerning if it would kill me or not. It smelled like an orchid of flowers. Finally, I worked up the courage and took a small bite.

*Level up! *

The purple screen popped up in front of me. Did this fruit level me up? What does that even mean! Take another bite, Claire, I thought to myself. I finished the fruit.

"Status Window"

"Claire Heart"

Age: 17

Level: 10

Status: Demon Abyss Walker

Unique Ability: "Monster of the Deep"

Nickname: "The Witch of the Sea"

*Ability learned! *

"Throwing Dagger."

Holy crap! I had gained ten levels just by eating some fruit! What kind of fruit was this? A new ability as well? "Throwing Dagger," I wonder if that is any good. It does not matter. If it helps me save Tanya. My boost in level made me feel a bit safer. I felt like I had grown a tiny bit stronger. I continued walking in hopes of possibly finding another classmate. Who knows if they even stepped into the portal as I had?

Climbing hill after hill, following what I hoped would be the direction of anyone else who had come through the portal. My feet began to hurt. My name-brand shoes were not meant for long-distance travel.

*Thump! *

My skeleton jumped out of my body as I dived to the ground, hoping to avoid any other atrocities. I slowed my breathing to listen.

"Alexander! The Sword Alliance requested help with the orc camp! So why are we not going to help them?" spoke a small feminine voice.

"Be quiet, Sarah. I have made my decision. Last time I checked, I am the leader of this party, not you!" snapped Alexander back. While he was firm on his decision, I could hear the remorse in his voice as he tried to act strong. I crawled closer to try and get a peek at the group,

"I know, but we could at least offer our support to the injured. We have a top-ranked floor one healer if we could..." my hand slipped as I raised my eyes, and a small rock gave way and tumbled down towards the group. I held my breath. The conversation they were having fell silent.

*Shing! *

Was that a sword?

"Who's there!?" Alexander boomed, shaking me to my core. The sound of footsteps grew closer.

"Eeep!" I squealed, standing up and attempting to look as confident as possible; I readied myself in a martial arts stance I had seen online one time and added a fierce glare for effect.

Alexander's eyes narrowed, not blinking while he looked me up and down. My uniform was still wet, the clothes stuck to my body, leaving nothing to the imagination. His eyes descended from my face,

I could feel the heat coming off my ears.

"Alexander, don't," whispered Sarah,

Alexander took a deep breath. His grip tightened around the blade he still held in front of him. I prepared for the worst. He finally opened his mouth to talk,

"What is such a beautiful girl doing out here in the Orc Hills all alone!" he screamed, flashing me a wink.

"My dear lady, I can't imagine how scared you must have been without someone to keep you warm and protect you! Do not fear! The great Alexander is here!" he pumped his muscles like a bodybuilder.

I opened my mouth to respond but was almost instantly interrupted.

"My lady!" he gasped, "what happened to your beautiful ankle! Let our great healer heal your wounds. Such a gorgeous woman should not feel the pains of battle" he held out his hand as a

king would.

Did this douche expect me to kiss his hand? He continued to flex his muscles, so he did not notice Sarah pull back her staff and aim it for his head.

"Hey! What was that for?" he mumbled while rubbing his head in pain. Sarah stepped forward wearing a smile that seemed to warm my heart.

"Hi, my name is Sarah, and this," she gestured toward the rest of the group, rolling her eyes at Alexander. "is the Travelling Hearth guild? What's your name? Are you a fresh Abyss Walker?"

"Abyss Walker?"

"That answers my question. An Abyss Walker is the people who have chosen to enter Purgatory from another world as adventurers".

"Chose to enter? Weren't you forced to save someone?" I said in return.

Sarah's eyes narrowed on mine, "Hmm, no, you seem to have a different story than the rest of us. What's your name?"

I brushed off the dirt from my uniform and stood up proudly,

"Claire Heart"

"Well, Claire Heart, we are headed to the first-floor town. Would you like to join us?" Sarah extended her hand.

Should I join them? Could I trust them? I needed information. I don't know anything about the world I am in now. They seem genuine enough, Claire.

"Okay, as long as you can keep him from doing anything perverted," I gestured towards Alexander. He reflected a look that I could only describe as grief. Sarah laughed, and I shook her hand.

"Welcome to the Travelling Hearth guild, Claire Heart," she beamed.