90: Not letting go

Maria's hands closed around the gem and pain exploded all over her arm. The magical energy of the gem was strong and it lashed out at everyone and everything around itself. Maria's body was still safe due to the protective shield around the gem but it would not last forever.

Maria needed to pull the gem out if she wanted to break the curse that had been laid on this forest. She could feel her resolve to weaken as time passed and the gem's influence dragged her deeper and deeper into letting go.

The monsters went mad as soon as her hand touched the gem. The magic lashing out at them was changing them from inside out at an alarming rate. They would go on a rampage soon and collapse the roof right on top of her.

And the worst of all, the gem was slipping out of Maria's hand and it almost had escaped a few seconds earlier as well. It was slimy and slippery which was causing a little too much problem for Maria. Every time she tried to get a hold of it, it ended up out of her reach.