22 CHAPTER 22: THAT PLUSHIE DOLL (1/2)
Zeran had seen in his very eyes were the young-looking children chained and shackled down behind bars such as they were some kind of animals. Their faces were terrified and their scraped bodies were cowering in fear of their very lives that they had been witnessing. His very expression couldn't explain it in words yet, his sudden deep silence tells it all. Silent void seeped through the air and Mai noticed that Zeran's hand was shaking in utter fear of what he was setting his eyes into. Though, soon enough, Zeran shut his eyes and relaxed himself through deep breathing. Then, opened his calmed eyes and said,
”Okay...Mai...could you explain to me...on why are these kids inside these cages?”.
Mai replies,
”What do you think?”.
He shifted his look at Mai. Though, Zeran's face was no longer filled with terror yet, instead it was something much worse. His face looked kinda creeeped out with an unexplainable grin of a faking smile, trying to reach out a sarcastic humor despite the dark atmosphere. Not only that, he blurts-out a sensitive question to Mai,
”Could it be the ringmaster is a PEDOPHILE?!”.
The wooshing mute was in the air. Mai wasn't pleased, as she heard that from his grinning mouth. The only response she gave to him was an intense facepalm that revered her pissed-off look for him. Though, her eyes were leaking burning rage for his utter idiocricy. Thankfully, she still tried to utter words at him,
”Sigh...”
”Zen...could you use your golden claw to free them?”.
He crushed and destroyed the steel cages without any other word. Though he could still feel Mai's cold stare from behind. On a side note, the children were now able to go out of their hellish cages, yet none of them seem interested, instead they were frozen in fear if they ever take a step outside of their cages. It's as if the children were devoid of grabbing the opportunity of going to the outside world and thorns of darkness were clinged down to their shadows. Zeran looked dumbfounded since the kids didn't show any sign of rejoice nor gratitude. As for Mai, she went to one of the kids in their cages. Her look wasn't filled with intimidation, instead it was a very soothing angel's image giving out her left hand and said,
”You are all free now...free from living this wretched life...”.
Suddenly, the colorful ringmaster of the whole circus emerged from the center of the place and said,
”I think that won't be necessary lady MAI...”.
Mai noticed and turned to look at him, yet the offer that she was given was a swung of a naginata seeped in vile green liquid. Thankfully, Zeran was able to deflect the oncoming attack with his golden claw. Thereon, Zeran and Mai noticed two strange-looking rugged male mercenaries wielding naginatas and the ringmaster behind the two. As Zeran saw the silly looking ringmaster hidden in a masquerade mask, Zeran gritted his teeth with seething anger in his face and exclaimed, since he was seeing a familiar ally,
”Oi! Could you tell me on why...are you abducting kids?”.
The ringmaster responds back,
”Lord Zeran...Circus business is slow these days so we had to resort to other desperate measures...”
”Even though we're one of the best...”.
As Mai turned to them, her angelic aura had ceased and instead it was shrouded by a deaf-defying aura of death. Wrathful grudge was worn on her gorgeous face. She unsheathed and loaded her crossbow. The chilling presence of Mai made Zeran to feel a sudden surprise in silence, since he was no longer seeing the valkyrie-like maiden yet, it was much something worse, a white reaper of death. Sooner or later, Mai asks them a trivial question filled with cold hatred in her eyes,
”So you're selling them as PURE slaves in auctions, yes?”.
As the ringmaster heard that from her, he grinned a maniacal smile on his face. He closed his eyes and walked in front of the two mercenaries. The kids cowered in fear as they saw his scary and monstrous face. Thereon, the ringmaster said as if threating the kids,
”What do you think?”.
Zeran felt more infuriated, as he heard that from the wretched ringmaster. His veins from his whole body were revealing from the heat of rage. His burning anger shrouded in his face reached its peak and burst out by lashing out his claw at the ringmaster with full force recklessly. Sadly, one of the mercenaries blocked and held down his strike. Though, Zeran still tried to whip his mouth filled with burning anger right into the ringmaster's sarcastic face,
”YOU F*CKIN' BASTARD!”
”I thought you wanted to live an honest and humble life of entertaining people?”
”After our Goddess's savior party disbanded!”
”Consisting of Mai, Gav, Cyron, Sheena, me and YOU!”.
The ringmaster's face turned cold. His snake eyes hidden in the mask was seen by the enraged Zeran in a glimpse. The ringmaster cracked out a menacing smile and said in brief,
”Before I had that dream...but reality is a cruel mistress Lord Zeran...”
”The funds aren't enough to run a business such as this...”
”Enough talk...time for both of you to die!”.
The kids mumbled and trembled in fear for what they shall witness if ever Zeran and Mai die with their bloodied corpses down on the ground. Mai felt their fears were eating their ruptured souls again so, she went to one them and embraced their bodies. Not only that, she tells them with an evangelizing smile,
”Don't worry...we'll all get out here...just believe in us...”.
The kids felt her empathy and passion for them. Thereon, the kids looked determined cheering for Mai and Zeran's victory. Zeran had stopped pursuing his strike and leapt backwards. He shifted his look to the caring Mai to the children, turning Zeran to be in his own thoughts,
(”Wow...I can't believe there is still an ounce of her previous self...”).
He looked back at the mercenaries and saw them brandishing their weapons. As she was done giving out a motivational boost to the children, she went beside Zeran and held her crossbow with her hands in a graceful and slick pose, taunting the two distant mercenaries and the ringmaster. A little while later, she says to Zeran,
”Now Zen...time to take out the trash...”.
He nodded with a determined smile. His expression was eager for the battle that shall commence. Thereon, the atmosphere around the place were clashing flames of destruction and dense coldness of death. The four of them weren't taking any initiative as if they were anticipating each others movements by slowly moving in a sneaky pace. Their eyes were glued to each other. Though, soon enough, One of the mercenaries lunged at Mai and tried to slice Mai's neck, since she was the most disadvantageous with a ranged weapon in close combat yet, Mai was able to deflect the attack by a hidden dagger that emerged from her hand. Not only that, she was able to cut the mercenary's face, leaving out blood to leak out. Little did he know Mai came-in prepared for the melee onslaught. Soon, the other one tried to swing it's naginata's blade at Zeran's eyes but, Zeran was able to dodge it fast with his slick movement of body-bending, proving a cool manner of dodging. As the mercenary was open for attacks, Zeran seized the opportunity and grazed at the mercenary with his sharp claw in a flash. The mercenary wasn't able to block Zeran's attack so the mercenary took severe damage on his chest, leaving out a fresh slash mark that cuts deep. The mercenary panted and looked badly wounded. Though, the two mercenaries looked at each other and nodded. The ringmaster grinned. That sudden moment, the two mercenaries vanished into thin air and brought out lots of quick furies at Zeran and Mai. Mai was able to block and parry all of the deadly attempts at her. Not only that, she was able to wound the gale imbued mercenary. As for Zeran, he was kinda overwhelmed by the other mercenary's oncoming strikes but, he was still able to block most of the strikes leading to his demise. Clashings of hardened steel and crimson blood were witnessed by the children. Clinkings and bashings of steel were reverberating around the very place. Burning passion of the fight was in the air. Suddenly, Mai was able to deflect the mercenary's next attack with great precision and force, throwing-off the mercenary's flow of strikes. She noticed the sudden glimpse of opportunity. Thereon, she stabbed his heart with immense force, crushing the mercenary's life and let out crimson blood dripping down on the ground. Soon, she noticed that Zeran was losing pace of his situation, so she aimed and shot a quick arrow at the mercenary's arm holding the naginata despite it's flashing movements. The arrow took a direct hit and made the mercenary to feel a sudden pain, making him to stop his furies at Zeran for a moment. Zeran took the opportunity and thrusted his claw at the very heart of the mercenary. As it penetrated gruesomely at the mercenary's chest, Zeran's claw was seeped in immense blood, turning the mercenary's lights off. Soon, Zeran and Mai flung the two corpses to the shaking Ringmaster afraid for his pathetic life to go out. The ringmaster still tried to mutter out a few words in fear, while he was knelt hopelessly on the ground,
”I-impossible! how could one of the best mercenaries be bested by the two of you?”.