Chapter 089: Trapped in a Room

If Jess hesitated now, it would be too late.

He pointed toward the flash of arcane light and immediately began, “Fuaik...”

Halfway through the word, it felt as though a string snapped inside his head. Something seemed to clamp his mouth shut. The shadow energy he'd just called up was suddenly thrown into chaos, sending a terrible twisting pain through every muscle in his body.

That familiar feeling... a counterspell!

Jess realized what had hit him and quickly recovered his senses.

But the burst of arcane power that had interrupted his casting had already driven him backward several steps. He fell onto the steps outside a house.

The naga's shadow had barely become solid before she rushed toward him. Jess scrambled up and ran along the side of the building.

Damn it. My staff must have given me away.

She'd recognized him as a spellcaster and prepared to counter his magic.

Jess braced one hand against the wall as he ran. Behind him, the scraping of the naga's scales against the dirt drew closer at an alarming speed. She was much faster than he'd expected. And she could use invisibility... or was it Blink?

Probably Blink. Invisibility didn't make a person run faster. It wouldn't explain how she'd gone from the beach to the houses so quickly. Jess couldn't yet tell the difference between the two spells, but whatever it was, the naga had magic that allowed her to move rapidly. Simply running away wouldn't work.

Jess reached the back of the house and noticed an open window above him.

Before the naga could round the corner and see him, he leaped with all his strength, found two footholds on the uneven wooden boards, and barely managed to catch the second-floor window.

He had to admit that his body in this life was far stronger than the one he'd had before.

He climbed through and crouched down. The scraping sound passed beneath him. He didn't dare lean out to look; he was terrified the naga might notice him hiding in the building.

But she knew he couldn't turn invisible or use any other movement magic. After circling the house, she'd probably guess that he'd gone inside.

And if he waited until she left before jumping out, the noise could bring her straight back.

His only chance was to wait here.

Jess drew the shabby knife he'd bought at Westbrook Garrison, took off his shoes, and pressed himself against the wall. He listened carefully for any sound, waiting for the naga to enter the little house.

The surroundings gradually fell quiet. So quiet he could hear himself breathing.

He slowly steadied his breath and tried not to make even the smallest noise. Before long, all Jess could hear was a faint ringing in his ears, perhaps from the earlier arcane explosions.

He considered what he would do if she came inside. Every possible plan involved ambushing her from behind a wall.

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Gred had said that any mage who still needed to speak incantations was vulnerable up close. And this naga was long and tall. She'd have trouble moving around inside such a cramped wooden house.

If Jess landed a surprise blow, cutting off almost any part of her body would give him an enormous advantage. Then he'd only need to get away and hide again. Eventually she'd get tired of waiting, or decide the fight wasn't worth the cost and leave.

As he thought about it, Jess even began to worry that the naga might not enter the house.

If she stayed outside, he'd wait until morning. Once the sun came up, surely she'd have to go away.

Unlike a stone building, a wooden house could creak unexpectedly at the slightest movement. Jess had no idea how long he'd been waiting when a faint scraping noise came from downstairs.

The snake-woman had entered.

Perhaps she'd spent time preparing herself mentally before coming in. Perhaps she'd only just guessed that Jess was inside. Or perhaps she'd searched the other houses quickly and this was the last one left. Whatever the reason, she was here.

Jess, who'd nearly drifted off to sleep, snapped awake. He tightened his grip on the knife. If he'd known he'd be fighting such a dangerous enemy, he would have spent more money on a better weapon. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

The scraping drew closer. From the sound, she seemed to be climbing the stairs.

Then a piercing screech reached his ears, so sharp that it hurt.

It was close. She'd reached the second floor. Perhaps her scales had accidentally scraped against the wall.

After the screech, the scraping stopped too. Maybe the naga had realized how much noise she was making and how easily an enemy could follow her movements.

Jess could only gamble that she'd never fought an enemy inside such a narrow building before.

A few minutes later, the scraping resumed. Jess nearly held his breath. He'd already been breathing as quietly as possible, and his chest was beginning to ache. If the naga didn't appear soon, he might not be able to stand it.

Now the scraping had reached the next room.

It was in the corridor just outside!

Jess stared at the doorway and raised his knife.

The moment anything appeared, he'd slash across it.

He saw a shadow move through the doorway, stepped forward, and swung—only to find nothing in front of him.

No. On the floor!

The sound came from the naga's entire serpent body dragging over the boards. By the time the scraping reached his doorway, her raised upper body had already passed it. Only the back half of her tail lay at Jess's feet!

The naga seemed to sense movement behind her and whipped around.

Seeing her face up close sent goose bumps across Jess's skin. Her eyes were huge, like two leaves, set horribly far apart. She had only two holes where her nose should have been, while her lips were bright as though painted with dark red lipstick.

Her narrow chin, thin face, and smooth skin could have formed the outline of a beautiful woman. But several features that didn't belong on any human face had been set into it. The result was deeply unsettling.

Jess didn't freeze at the sight.

He swung without hesitation and sliced through half the naga's tail.

She clearly hadn't expected him to strike so decisively. She let out a shrill scream of pain.

Jess shot down the corridor. The naga chased after him, sobbing and clawing wildly with her sharp nails. The walls screeched and rattled under her attacks, but she couldn't reach him.

With so much of her tail cut off, she couldn't keep her balance. Despite charging furiously, she slammed into the walls several times and failed to catch Jess.

“You lowly warm-blooded animal!”

The naga's shrieks echoed throughout the house, leaving Jess dizzy. That sea witch's roar had to carry some kind of magic meant to frighten or stun him.

He covered his ears and forced himself to endure it. By the time he recovered, the entire second floor was full of crashing wood and wild screaming. The naga had completely lost control.

One more time. Just one more time.

Jess crouched behind a corner with a view of the passage. If she came by again, he'd strike and kill her this time. Go for her head. Her neck!

His first ambush had gone so perfectly that he felt he could repeat it.

But before long, the furious racket outside stopped.

The second floor stank of blood and fish. Had the snake-woman died of her injuries?

Even if she had, Jess wasn't going out. He'd sit here and wait for her to bleed to death. He wasn't going to be the one who made the next move.

He had barely made up his mind when he heard low muttering from somewhere in another room.

She was casting another spell.