CHAPTER 4: Those Masquerade Guys...
Afterwards, Zeran and Ru were now treading along the broad-seeming plains sweeped in the colors of brimming seagreen, that was quite calming yet mystical to witness upon. Green mossy rocks were emerging from the ground that were not crowded to observe, added with the clear blue sky with less clouds above. Ru's beautiful and luscious body was now covered with a full-fledged deep purple cloak, in order to not catch too much attention along the way nor to make Zeran to feel immense worry, in which that made him to feel great relief in his stead. Thereon, he was in his thoughts thinking of possible occurences if she hasn't worn the shrouding cloak,
("Good thing she covered her very nice body...")
("Or else...who knows how many THIRSTY males she'll encounter...")
("Yet again...she MIGHT use that as her advantage...like how she did it to me...this...DEMONESS...").
As Zeran was still looking irritated in his thoughts of getting captured by the Dark Goddess Ruhime, Ru somehow slipped out her tongue, since she was gleefully humming, while she was trudging along the way such as she was an excited little girl for what to come,
"Hm-hm-hm-hm♪..."
"Me and hero together♪...".
Zeran didn't want to notice her slip of the tongue yet, he had heard what he shouldn't have. His face blushed for a moment, so he turned his whole self to the back in order to release the tensions of his sudden feelings. He saw the entrance to the cave they were in before. Sometime soon, he returned to his previous position and looked at the glimpse of the seagreen scenery wisping unto the subtle winds. Then, he says in his thoughts,
("So this is the outside of this cave...")
("It looks ever calming...")
("This...NATHAQUA PLAINS...").
She noticed that Zeran was looking around the scenery with a wandering look, so she went near him and knacked out a dazzling grin on her face. More than that she let out subtle yet, seductive voice, that would arouse any man's libido in the weirdest way possible,
"Ara ara♪..."
"So how does it feel to be outside...Zera?".
He replies,
"Err...it's okay I guess...".
Though, he was kinda alarmed on what he had heard before. His manly balls seemed to have been stabbed unto the ground. Grave misery and utter surpise were the look on his face and he says in his thoughts,
("WAIT!? Did I just hear her say...ZERA?!")
("THAT'S A GIRL'S NAME!")
("SHE SHOULD'VE CALLED ME ZEN INSTEAD!")
("LIKE THE OTHERS WOULD!").
Later, She asks him,
"By the way...do you know what's the first artifact we're after?".
Zeran's face was filled more and more with a dumbfounded expression since, he doesn't have any clue whatsoever. In turn, he responds quite honestly in his very expression,
"Errr...no you haven't told me anything...".
Ru nodded with a sure look on her face. Subtly, she twisted quite gracefully and reached out her arms upon his shoulders, wreathing around him like a flirty white serpent. The atmosphere became very tense and heavy. Zeran's heart pounded not only because of her strange action but his inner deeper feelings were carressed by hers too. A little while later, she went near his ear and whispers in the most soothing way as possible, trying to tease him too,
"It's MY GOLDEN MANDRAGORA mini statue...".
As she removed her arms upon him and freed him from his nervous reaction, she started to walk upon the plains again. He was no longer looking tense and sweating, instead he was shocked on what he had heard from her whispers, turning him to express very intensely in his thoughts,
("Wait...WHAT?!")
("If I remember correctly...")
("MANDRAGORAS are plant-like monsters that let out screams of death!").
His thoughts seeped unto his face and made him to express out his deepest anger
that would catch anyone's attention nearby, if only there were others in the area. Soon, he blurts-out in questioning her,
"YOU WANNA KILL PEOPLE WITH THAT?!".
In Ru's response, she felt her fingers upon her sweet lips, that was looking quite sinister yet, maiden-like. Moreover, she left out a teasing look on her face to him too. A truly menacing but an amazing appearance to ever see. She went close to him and slipped out her mouth,
"Hmmmm...maybe...what do you think?"
"Hm♪?".
Soon, she was back on moving along the plains and gave back his own space. Zeran was now convinced in his thoughts with a depressed look on his mask, depicting grave misery on what he had set himself into, even in his thoughts,
("Ugh...now I'm helping this woman to KILL PEOPLE...").
Though, for some reason, he cracked out an evil smile later on, that would give chills to anyone's spine. It seemed, as if a fallen hero was becoming more and more evil in his outward appearance. Abyssal flames were wreathing around his hands eager for bloodshed. Later, he had evil intent in his thoughts, while he continued to walk along the vast plains,
("Although, If she'll help me kill that wretched queen of mine...")
("Then I'll oblige to help this Evil Goddess all the way!").
As they were still treading along the huge plains, the air became still and the sky was devoid of sunlight. A very dense black sphere that was spewing immense chaotic energy had emerged in front of the two. The two became weary of their situation. Later, a monster looking-like a brown boar with a long bony spiky tail emerged from the black sphere. Its tail was lashing out vigorously as if trying to taunt the two. Zeran and Ru looked prepared and cautious when they saw the menacing pudgy monster. More than that, in Zeran's extraordinary vision he saw such vivid information about the brown boar monster before them,
["...STATUS: LV5..."]
["...ELEMENT: TERRA..."]
["...S.SKILL: CHARGE..."].
While he had seen that, he was very confident in his very expression. Though sometime soon, his overconfident outlook was swapped by a gravely shocked expression immediately, since he had noticed upon his vision that the numbers were unexpectedly lower than they were ever before,
["...LEVEL 1 SLAVE..."]
["...ELEMENT DARK AND WIND..."].
Thereon, he blurts out such as he was an annoying kid,
"GEEEH! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LEVEL?!".
Ru butts-in on his dire misery for himself by responding in a very apologetic manner, trying to feel sorry for him, although it looked very annoying instead, since it came from a woman such as her,
"Oh sorry..."
"I guess I haven't told you yet...you see your level will...well be inclined with me since..."
"I'm your MASTER now...".
Instead of releasing his pent-up anger for the dark Goddess Ru toying with his whole being, he just knacked out a sarcastic smile on his face. More than that, he looked at her and uttered out some straightforward words filled with rage,
"Ya know what...Ru..."
"I hate you...".
Though, Ru just went along his insult, leaving out a sweet smile that would give sugar rush to anyone. Then, she clasped her hands, taking his words as grateful compliments instead, with an endearing yet pissing off voice in her tone,
"Awwww♪"
"That warms my heart...Zera...".
Zeran was dumbstruck in his thoughts yet again,
("FCK! DID I JUST HEAR HER SAY THAT?")
("SHE IS SO UNPREDICTABLE!?").
Suddenly, the monster charged at him with full force, while he was distracted upon his convoluded thoughts, in which he was thrown away for a few distances.
The next thing he noticed, there was blood spurting out of his body, staining him in deep velvet red. Not only that, his vision was becoming blurry, turning him to feel regrets in his thoughts,
("D*mn!...Guess I forgot my battle smarts...").
As Ru had seen him like a severely damaged warrior tainted in blood, her face was masked into a very worried expression deep in shock. Even though, she's revered as the evil Goddess of that world, she still had an ounce of empathy for her companion such as she still had a maiden's heart. In a split of a second, she went in front of him and shot at him with rounds of bullets. Gunshots were overheard and bullet shells were seen at the ground after. In turn, Zeran expresses intense pain, that even coursed throughout his body,
"OW OW OW OW!".
Soon enough, he blurts out with a very annoyed face at Ru,
"WHAT IN HELLS?!"
"Why are you shooting at me!".
Although, she just mutters to him in a serious way,
"If you would...would you please look at your wounds...".
Instead of being furious at her, he took upon her suggestion. He looked at his body. Thereon, he saw his fresh cuts and wounds were being healed with a green tinged glow. He was feeling that his energy were being restored back too. He was surprised with an optimistic look and he said in his thoughts,
("Huh? Her shots...HEALS ME?!")
("Nevermind that...I'm kinda healed now...").
He got up, brought out his golden claw and stanced himself for battle with an eager look on his face. Then, he says like he was a reborn fighter,
"Tsk...even if I'm weakened now..."
"I won't be beaten by this mere fatso...".
The boar monster redied itself to charge at Zeran once again. As for Ru, she stood beside him and aimed her pistols at the boar monster. The atmosphere in turn was secluded in a thick heavy feeling. Soon, the monster tried to pounce unto Ru this time. Though, Zeran had anticipated that, so he went in front of Ru immediately and knocked-off the attacking monster with his golden claw, swelling immense power. On another note, she was somehow relieved and felt an unusual feeling that had swelled inside of her. Her heart skipped a beat when she had experienced that Zeran protected her even for a mere second. The flowery petals had flown behind her, such as a scenery of growing affection was blooming.The boar menace was able to regain its mobility but it looked more aggravated than ever before. Later on, it charged with its full force at Zeran. Thankfully, he already knew that, so he just kicked the monster with great intensity that was almost near him mid-way, that turned the boar monster to be flung away for a minimal range. The monster took severe damage with that hit and weakened its state. As he saw an opportunity in a glimpse, he rushed up to the monster and crushed it with his claw in a sudden manner, with merciless strikes and cleaves, turning the monster to die and vanish into thick black matter after. Moreover, an entrancing crimson sphere had appeared on the boar monster's position before. Ru went near it and brought out her hand in a mystifying manner unto it. Thereon, the crimson sphere kinda reacted upon with its brilliant glow. She left out a pleasing look and said later on,
"Now we have another kind of meat...".
Though, in his response, he just looked as if he was disinterested on what he had witnessed from the mysterious sphere.Not only that, in his odd vision, he saw her having gained the skill called,
["...INSTAMEAT: PORK..."].
He was filled with an absurdly looking face yet again and it made him to scratch his head after. Out of curiosity, he checked out her class and subclass with his not so ordinary vision,
["...CLASS AND SUBCLASS..."]
["...EVIL GODDESS AND ???..."].
Soon, he blurts out inside his mind,
("WHAT THE F*CKIN' HELLS ?!").
Ru seemed to not mind his problematic expression. Instead, she leaned near him quite teasingly with her sinister smiling face and asked like she was an eager little girl who wants to hear the opinions of others,
"So how were my...LOVE SHOTS?".
He replies,
"They're painful...".
She took it again as a kinda nice complement as she gracefully put her delicate finger on her lips in a seductive manner, trying to be a grateful pure maiden to Zera, even though her outward appearance is a demonness,
"Awwwwww thanks for the compliment♪"
"Now...Zera...shall we continue?".
Though, Zeran just mutters,
"Whatever...".
Soon upon, both of them were trudging again the broad plains. They also fought a number of monsters along the way but, with Ru's healing shots they were able to fight with advantagous edge and come out victorious in the end. Later on, as the sky was brimmed in sunset. Zeran and Ru had arrived at the simple-looking village with small houses painted in beige with, sturdy brick walls. Windmills turning their turbines quite calmly along the breeze. Villagers of old and young-looking people all around in few numbers. Their feet were surrounded by some yellow patches of flowers along the paths. The whole place was you'd see in a decent fantasy world for anyone's first adventure. Though, for the both of them, it wasn't their first time to set foot in this place.
("Back at FLORENCE VILLAGE...")
as Zeran said in his thoughts. Soon upon, he was kinda dumbfounded and looked at her. Since in his current situation, the evil Goddess was with him at the the step of the village. Yet, noone batted an eye nor noticed any kind of suspicion, so he asks her with his soft voice and a curious look upon his face,
"Just wait a minute Ru..."
"How come they weren't shocked when they saw you?".
Same as him, she looked dumbstrucked too, with one of her fingers at the tip of her lips again as if making a guessing expression and pose this time, oozing of a lady's graceful reaction. Soon upon she replies,
"Hmmmmmmm..."
"Well maybe..."
"When I was killed by you before...they also had forgotten my appearance..."
"Or maybe...Ange...must've...?".
As he had heard her statements, he abruptly ends the conversation by saying,
"Okay...Whatever floats your boat...".
He turned his head away from her. Though, he was staring into space, as he had heard her mentioning her counterpart into the mix. She noticed that their previous conversation made him very uncomfortable, so she stood in front of him and let him feel her Goddess touch upon his shoulders, that made him to notice her. Then, she looked at him with a confident and optimistic yet, devious expression on her face and said,
"And now we're here...why don't we find that guy..."
"Zera♪..."
"I'm sure you know him...".
Her head tilted subtly. As he noticed her brimming pretty face filled with evil intentions, he got a sudden awkward feeling that even flown out in his very expression. Not only that, he tries to utter out words with growing shock,
"Don't tell me..."
"Oh...him...".
Though, soon enough he was convinced with a seething look on his face later on. On another note, Ru had witnessed at the long distanced corner in a darkened area, that there were some shady-looking characters wearing eccentric masks with exquisite golden designs, in which they were sneaking upon and observing both Zeran and her in an unnerving manner. As the shady characters noticed that they were seen by Ru, they vanished into the fray later on. Her whole expression looked very suspicious and made her mouth slip, that would give chills to anyone,
"I wonder who those were..."
"This could be trouble...".
Zeran, noticed something unusual in her very look. He asks her,
"What was that Ru?".
Though, Ru just brushed it off with her pleasing smile and melodic tone of her voice,
"Oh it's just...nothing♪...".
Then, she had stopped holding unto his shoulder blades and twisted herself elegantly, turning her to look at the yellow flowers beneath her feet, as if she was curious by those. Though, Zeran wasn't quite satisfied with her response, in which his look was masked in a terrifying and determined way of knowing what she had witnessed, that depicted grave intensity that there was something strange going on, letting him delve in his thoughts,
("Nothing huh...and when a woman says that...there's something...")
("If she pulls up any dirty trick out of her sleeve...to me...I'll...")
("KILL HER!")
("AGAIN!").