16 CHAPTER 16: THE CITY BELOW (2/2)

”Hmmmm...But the other trade ports similar here...aren't as wealthy as him...wonder why?”

”Because...he is the one selling the insanium...”

”My dear Zera♥”.

As she held his chin with, her gentle touch and released an intense vixen-like stare at him directly. Zeran felt another surge of an unusual embarrased touchy feeling that swelled up inside of him, as he witnessed her look once again. To break up the tension, he tries to retailate back on Ru's statement before,

”But...he flagged down those insanium merchants and got rid of them on the surface even the bigshots...”.

Ru removed her hand upon his troubled face, although she wrapped around both of her arms around him such as a mesmerizing serpent would do to its target. Not only that, she closed her shimmering eyes and her face was near at Zeran's right ear, driving him to sweat more and more, but he was also showing immense eagerness in his accelerated breathing and expression, since he's deeply engaged of the dazzling and tempting Ru's next actions would be. Soon, she opened her eyes of great brilliance and whispers unto him in a very soothing manner, that was a soft breeze to anyone's ears,

”I'll give you a hint...”

”If his threatful competitors were suddenly gone on a high demand product...”

”What would happen?”.

Zeran tried to think for a second and glanced around the place. A little while later, he replies in a very complacent manner to the wreathed Ru around his shoulders and neck,

”He would instantly monopolize and manipulate it in his own will...”.

She nodded with a smile to applaud his correct answer. She released her coil around him and twisted her amazing body with amazing grace, although for Zeran, he had troubled thoughts and scratched his head, that would seem like there was a huge conflict between the statements that the two of them have mustered before.

”But really...I don't get it...”

”He's of high morals when It comes to insanium alike...”

,while he let out another eye-opening statement, that would really confuse anyone's belief. As Ru heard his puzzling word, she turned her whole body away from him, that made Zeran to see her curvacious back. She turned her face to the left-side that would let her see a glimpse of Zeran partially. Then, she left out a serious tone in her voice, though a sorrowful frown was masked on her face,

”I'll just say this...”

”There are hidden sides of every person...”

”And besides he's a politican so he has his own motives...”

”Most politicians are hypocrites...”.

Afterwards, Ru went near him again and held both of his hands, letting him feel her delicate hands. She stared at him again and suggested to Zeran to free the poor souls working in this be da*ned hell of a place beneath the earthen soil, in which it was very unnerving for him to hear, since it came from the Evil Goddess's tricky mouth. There was a long moment of slience and tension in the air. He noticed that Ruhime was somehow pleading to gain his cooperation, since she was showing her shimmering divine maiden's smile, asking for her hero's/savior's total support. The only thing he could do was to sigh in a manner that said yes on her great demand, although he asked her on how she'll free them from their utter misery. She told him to sit back and observe. She removed her hold upon him and took out a blueberry cookie from in-between her firm marshmallow pudding-like breast pockets. Zeran didn't show any sign of surprise since, he's already kinda fond of Ru's mix of silly and arousing actions. She took a nice nibble at the cookie with her succulent mouth. Sometime soon, she inhaled all of the air she can muster and released her amplified voice that reverberated around the caverns, turning the lifeless workers to notice,

”FOR THOSE WHO ARE WORKING HERE!”

”THE CITY MAYOR IS GONE NOW!”

”THANKS TO BOTH OF US!”

”SO NOW, YOU ARE ALL FREE TO GO!”

”DON'T WORRY! WE THREE ALREADY TOOK CARE OF THE GUARDS!”.

As she grabbed and brought out the fresh decapitated head of the putrid-looking city mayor, for everyone to see. The imprisoned workers eyes took notice of her scandalous retort. As soon as, their sights laid on the dead head of the mayor's abomination, their dead fish eyes were removed from their faces and were replaced by joyous faces. Moreover, they were hugging each others in glee, depicting an ounce of hope were brought back to their lives. Zeran shifted his look unto Ru and witnessed her gorgeous face was brimming with happiness in her smile, while she was observing the masses rejoicing full of energy. He felt like he was struck by a cupid's arrow and saw her in a more dazzling way than ever before. His eyes saw her such as a Goddess of beauty. He was feeling the intense emotions and there were fluttering hearts inside of him, as he kept on staring at her, though he shunned away his face, since he was blushing with an embarassed expression. Not only that, he didn't want her to notice his red steaming face painted in embarassment. To ease-off his mind over her, he had second thoughts and recalls the things Ru said in his mind alarmingly,

(”Wait...three?”)

(”She has a third party?”)

(”I wonder who...”)

(”I just hope it's not a guy...”).

As soon as he recalls his own thoughts, he was shocked and his next thoughts are now conflicting with his own past thoughts,

(”GEH?! Wait... why am I concerned over this?!”)

(”It's not like I'm JEALOUS or anything right?”)

(”Of Ru's love aff...WHAT THE HELLS!”).

Sometime soon, the lively and rebellious workers dropped their pickaxes and went out of the mines from the passage Zeran and Ru traversed before. Thereon, their skin, eyes and feelings were seeing the bright rays of hope and freedom for the very first time, as they got out of the nightmarish villa and the mines safely, since the guards and warriors were dead on the ground. The bright sunshine and the blue sea was visible to their sights, aswell as their very hope in their new lives. As for Zeran and Ru, they were still at the underground mines. Soon enough, Ru went near him and tells him in her normal soothing voice now,

”Next up is the artifact...”.

He nodded with eagerness in his response. The two of them returned back to the mayor's office. She suggested to him that there's an artifact lying around somewhere, since she can feel it in her foxy senses. Zeran scratched his head, since he doesn't want to believe her sort of inner senses. To prove him wrong, she held his chin and then she twisted with elegance like a ballerina. Her furry ears and fluffy tail were revealed flowing in the graceful wind. Later, she regained her normal pose. Her ears were kinda twitching and her tail was wagging mystifyingly, feeling like she can clearly sense the artifact is really near such as they were her unique aspect item finders. Zeran was now convinced of it, yet he was feeling kinda stranged over Ru's unqiue sensors. Ru noticed her ears were twitching faster when she's near the abyss painted table. She opened the hidden drawer of the hollow desk. Thereupon, her expression was now very heartwarming and relaxing to see, that speaks of a thousand smiles. Her face was even blushing bright red too and soft hummings were heard from her, as she saw the luminous violet wing crystal artifact streaked with some scratches over its majestic body. She grabbed it. Ru told to the searching Zeran at the corner that she had already found and got her artifact. He was delighted when she found her artifact. Both of them left the office and went outside the hallways that was filled with dead guards slathered in crimson red along the hallways. More than that, he noticed there were shining platinum arrows impaled to their heads and chests, penetrating the guards' plated armors, thick skulls and hardened ribs inside-out seeped in blood, that made him to be convinced in his very thoughts,

(”So Mai was here...”).

Afterwards, the two of them were still trudging the long winding hallways. Zeran was seeing Ru in a more and more elegant form than ever before, though to ease of his unexplainable tension beating in his chest, he expresses in a very shy manner to her,

”Ru...I just wanna say...I kinda doubted you for a sec...”

”I thought you were all evil through and through...”

”But instead you even saved the poor workers there...”.

Ru stopped walking and left out a glimpse of an intense menacing smile that would speak of terrors. She went in front of Zeran's path and touched his lip with her lady-like finger. Then, she says to him in a very mysterious and seductive way with her lips leaving out a dark sexy impression of a succubus,

”Let's just say...I'm doing this for my own goals...”.

Zeran replies,

”Hah! Really n—”.

Suddenly, his reply was interrupted, since his consciousness blacked out, his vision became distorted and fainted down on the floor. Ru's smiling face was gone and her look was replaced in a very shocked expression with her eyes wide-opened, concerned for what happened to Zeran. She gulped and she was feeling restless. Then, she tries to call his name and wake him up with her firm nudge,

”Zera?”.

Her heart was beating faster and her blood was coursing throughout her veins quicker. Her face looked almost in the verge of breaking in tears. She felt that her chest had an intense spear that penetrated her very heart, although when she saw that he was still breathing in a very relaxed manner. Ru felt relieved when she saw him, as he was still alive but, in slumber. Her smile and enticing eyes were back but it was very sinister to witness upon. Later, she recalled her thoughts,

”I guess he must've sniffed a small amount there...”.

As for Zeran in slumber, he was in an abyss-like trance yet again. He was now in front of a wooden door and the surroundings was very relaxing, as it was a pleasant scenery of grassy plains filled with blue flowers all-around. Soon, someone opened the door, though it was Ru who was the one who emerged in front of him. Her vileness or menacing aura wasn't there but, it was masked by her heartwarming angelic smile, that depicted such as the innocence of a pure maiden. A little while later, she let out her soothing voice,

”Welcome back...hero♪!”

”Or should I say...Lyon!”.

Zeran, left out a confident smile unknowingly and his hair color was painted in light brown instead. More than that, it seemed he can't control his own body nor his own set of emotions, that made him to feel a swirl of problematic tensions in his thoughts after,

(”Huh? Is that really Ru? What just happened?”)

(”And why can't I move my own body freely?!”)

(”Not only that she called me in another name!”).