User blog:Drkness231/Mamono One-Shots! Chapter 6: Lamia

A/N: Mmm...this one was tricky. I'm talking about this chapter, of course. Something about the Lamia's habits made it hard for me to make a story. Still, I guess this one was not bad by my standards. It definitely is not one of my best one-shots, though. I could be wrong, which is why I'll let you guys pass judgment on it. Anyways, all seriousness aside, I've got an announcement: due to an increasing demand for these to be turned into full length stories, I'll be holding a poll on my profile in which readers may vote on three one-shots to be extended into full stories. Excited? You should be, since this a good opportunity. Well, enough delay, let's get into this latest story.

---BigWhoops---

My heart drops as the rocks rapidly descend into the valley, disappearing from sight without a sound. If my other hand slipped at that moment, I too would have joined those rocks in that fall. Normally I wouldn't come this far for an item, but times are desperate and if I'm successful, it could easily change my life for the better. It's only a few more feet up the cliff face before I can start walking towards my target: a place called Lamia Village. I've only read some stories about it, but it was all inconsistent and uninteresting to me. That was until just an hour ago, when I happened to pass by a sign advertising some rare medicines made only by the Lamias. At this point in my life, I am willing to try anything to cure my condition even if I have to put my life on the line. The trail started off as just a simple set of forest paths, but gradually it rose steeper and steeper until I ended up here on this cliff.

As I look down at the forest from the edge of the cliff, a feeling of unease washes over me. I don't see anything except a few bushes when I turn around, but it still feels strange. Keeping one hand to the pouch at my waist, I slowly walk forward into the undergrowth. It stays normal for at least 30 minutes, but I never keep my hand far from my pouch. Suddenly, one of the bushes to my right shuffles slightly. My hand reaches into the pouch, but I don't draw my weapon yet. At the edge of my vision I catch sight of some large tail duck away behind the bush. The bush is shaking heavily now, so it must know that I can see it. Either way, I need to carefully pull my weapon out of the pouch or else the fuse may break and then my condition will get even worse.

---ComeOutComeOut---

"Hi!" A young woman, not much older than myself, stands up behind the bush and waves at me.

After a brief moment of surprise, my hand drops back into my pouch before the small bomb is exposed. Looking over at the woman standing there, I can plainly see that she is nothing short of beautiful. I can't help but stare at the cute golden eyes she's using to stare back at me. In the next moment, she closes her eyes and begins to sing to me. I feel even more entranced at her beauty, my eyes darting back and forth around her body from her bright blonde hair to the cloth barely covering her chest. I can only smile while I feel the emotions put into the song entering my body.

"Huh?" She stops the song abruptly to give me a bewildered look.

I tilt my head in response.

"Why aren't you walking towards me?" She points a finger at me, then to herself.

"That was a very nice song, but I'm afraid I cannot spend any more time with you. Do you happen to know the way to Lamia Village?" I ask her, careful to keep my voice soft enough without shouting.

"The village? It's an hour in that direction, but first of all, how are you able to resist my song?" The woman gestures to a path ahead of me, but I don't hear anything else she says as I thank her and continue on my journey.

In an hour, I come across a simple wooden village with a sign that reads 'Lamia Village, husbands welcome!'. Husbands? I think about how odd this seems, but it's probably some sort of joke, so I dismiss the thought. Just as I take another step forward, I almost jump out of my clothes when I see dozens of female monsters pouring out of the houses, each walking alongside human men. They were Lamias, I assume. This is surprising to me, but nothing completely bizarre since I have seen many monster girls in the city. They notice me, but seem uninterested; only the ones with men, anyway. The ones that are alone quickly slither in my direction with outstretched arms, threatening me with a deadly pincer of snakes.

"Hold it! He's mine!" They all stop and look somewhere behind me and as I turn as well, I see the Lamia from earlier sliding her way over. Soon enough, they all start to argue among each other over something I'm not aware of. Seeing my apparent distress, one of the men in the village pulls me aside and whispers to me.

"You just walked in by yourself? You either have to be deaf or a mage to do that, so which is it?"

Upon seeing him utter those words, I take out a note I had written just after my accident and give it to him.

"Please excuse my silence, but due to an explosives accident, I am deaf. Is there anything here that can cure my condition?" He reads aloud.

Somehow, the Lamia I first met here appears over my shoulder, wrapping her arms around me. Apparently she's the winner of the the argument among the other single women, as I notice the man in front of me back at his woman's side. Thinking fast, I write on a message on a notepad and show it to the Lamia.

"I'm sorry I lied about your song earlier. I couldn't hear it at all since I'm deaf. Is there anything in this village that can help me?" I wrote on the pad.

She takes the pad from my hand and writes her own response.

"There might be, but it's getting a bit late. How about staying at my house while you're here?"

"Sure, lead the way." I write back.

"I'll be sure to take good care of you tonight, so be ready."

---IWonderAboutThat---

A/N: Y'know, look at it now...it's not actually that bad. Sure, it's a bit rough and seems somewhat shallow, but it still has that pool of potential that exists in many of my other one-shots. Then again, I could just be rambling like an old man again. Truly, being born in January makes one feel quite old. Please leave a comment, review, whatever you like to let me know if a: I was right/ it's got potential or b: it's the first 'bad' one-shot I've done and I'm losing my touch. I promise I won't feel anything despite what your reviews may say. Moving on to business now, I've rolled the roulette wheel and it's...Salamander! The next monster girl will be Salamander, which is quite a wonderful monster if you haven't looked at its wiki page, but you'll see in the next chapter. Till then, happy reading!