A ray of light beamed from the hole in the ceiling. The bustling of the urban sprawl dully echoed overhead. Crule woke up refreshed from his light rest after circulating energy carefully through his body.
The kid still has not awoken yet. Crule could feel its vitality was very weak. Only the ever so slight rising and falling of the blanket Crule put over it signaled the kid was still alive.
As if feeling Crule’s gaze on it, the kid slowly woke up.
Crule once again asked but this time with a lighter, friendlier tone.
[Crule]: What’s your name?The kid was still wary but after a night’s rest it wasn’t so stressed.
Finally after waiting for nearly a day and a half, Crule got the kid’s name…
[Kid]: Jane. My name is Jane.Crule was silent and calm but deep inside he was shocked. Because when he finally heard the kid’s voice with the name, he was now sure of her identity.
He rubbed his temples trying to figure out how exactly he got into this situation.
He sighed.
[Crule]: Good name. You gave it to yourself? [Jane]: How did you know? [Crule]: Anyways…Can you take me back to your place? [Jane]:….Gramps said never talk to anyone wearing a colored shirt. [Crule]:….Who is your gramps? [Jane]: Gramps doesn’t have a name. He said he didn’t like having one. [Crule]:….After what Jane said, Crule was now sure exactly where he was….or actually ‘when’ he was.
He thought to himself.
[Crule]: Is this reality or a fragment…The identity of the treasure the leviathan had was now even more valuable in Crule’s eyes. Perhaps the damn fish didn’t even know its true purpose.
[Crule]: Looks like I gotta convince her to take me…Crule decided to use a little of his saved energy to open up his storage. He took out the piece of Garudan Steak he had been saving since long ago. It was still piping hot and the savory aroma quickly overpowered everything in their corner of the sewers.
In all honesty, Crule would never take out such a fine dish in such a filthy place, but time is of the essence now. He didn’t know how long the treasure will allow him to stay. Such a powerful thing must have limitations.
[Crule]: Here, have some more to eat.He offered the steak to Jane.
Although slightly reluctant, the rich aroma quickly overpowered her wariness as her desire to eat overwhelms her.
She quickly snatched the steak from Crule’s plate and started eating it with her hands.
Crule tried hard not to frown upon such barbarity to something he put heart into cooking. It honestly hurt his pride…his pride which was now overwhelmingly huge due to the lack of restraints from his energy. His eyes nearly turned red at the act of disrespect to him.
He then remembered who he was dealing with and sighed.
After Jane finished eating, she stared at Crule as if wanting more.
[Crule]: Good god, just how massive is her stomach and appetite…He wondered.
[Crule]: Can you please take me to your grandpa? I wanna share some food with him.Crule put on the best sincere smile he could must…but honestly with his face it just looks like a sinister smirk.
Jane however was unaffected by such an evil looking smile but instead was thinking of the food.
Finally after much thought about all the nice things her gramps had done for her, she wanted him to try the food the weird little man brought as well.
[Jane]: Ok…She got up and started walking immediately. Crule quickly followed.
______
After nearly half an hour of walking through the zigs and zags of the maze like sewer pipes, they finally arrived in a large open area. It was drier than the rest of the sewers and a dim ray of light shined from above which lit up the darkness.
In front of Crule was nearly an entire district of makeshift houses made from scraps of metal, wood, and stones. It looked like the slums yet had a thriving feel to it.
Of course Crule didn’t know what it looked like originally but he knew the name…
The slum city of Corpi Costa…Apparently who ever named it thought the sewer system made their city a coastal one…
Crule realized as soon as he got near the entrance of the city, a few guards wielding makeshift weapons were on alert. They stared at his clothes and frowned.
[Guard]: What’s a colored one like you doing down here?The guard asked in a mocking tone.
Crule didn’t say anything. He just followed Jane.
The guards upon seeing Jane let her through but when Crule tried to enter, they stopped him.
They stared menacingly at Crule as if trying to dissuade him from attempting to enter their city.
When Crule didn’t flinch or move at all, the guards decided to take action. Just as they were about to push Crule, Jane stepped up and pulled the guard’s sleeves.
[Jane]: He’s a friend, let him in please?The guards looked down at her then at Crule. Finally they sighed.
[Guard]: Anyone that you can trust I guess is fine with entering…But I’m keeping an eye on you…don’t try anything funny.The guards warned Crule.
Without a single facial expression, Crule once again followed Jane into the city.
______
The entire city was made from sheets of metal that seemed to be badly welded together. The homes were not tall, all single floored. But the sewers were built in a step-like fashion, thus resulting in the city having a slope. As Crule climbed up the stairs, the buildings start to look nicer. Although no longer made of rusting piece of metal, they were made from cement. It didn’t provide much warmth, but it was sturdy.
Soon, even small gardens with produce was seen. Anything from herbs to fruit and even vegetables were being grown in the small yards. The compost smell was very strong as was the smell of vegetation.
Soon they were near the top of the city when Jane stopped and entered one of the houses. Crule followed.
Inside he saw several kids all around Jane’s age, perhaps half a dozen in total.
He also saw Jane’s gramps.
It shocked him deeply. But he remained calm.
[Crule]: So it’s you…Crule said in his mind.
He stared at the Sage sitting in his rocking chair moving back and forth…
