Meras of the Zunbera-xefi had a custom of doing things the hard way and making simple tasks unnecessarily difficult all for good training. Though the Mera Domain had animals and also mechanical means of transportation, Rue and her affiliated Meras would scurry on foot about five hundred miles to get to the Metalcrafters' base.
It was a massive underground system of interconnecting caverns, which would require overpassing large fields of farmlands to get to the entrance above ground.
It was close to the Alchemy order that used special means to turn dirt and waste into any metal which was needed by the Metalcrafters.
Mining for metal was mostly abolished since the development of the Frontera system, to keep every species in their lands and to prevent land exhaustion as was during the Dead-wave era.
They stayed together as they traveled to the deep underground levels by a traction elevator with glass walls. It allowed you to see the earth zipping upwards as it carried you down.
Upon reaching the designated level, they stepped out into an empty room with walls of dark brown earth, capable of holding about two hundred Meras. Four spaced-out holes in the ceiling shined light from above.
They didn't have to wait long before each side of the double-entry metal door on one side of the room slid apart, to allow a trolley filled with metal blades to pass through. A uniformed adult male pushed it from behind followed by a younger one with defined cheekbones and neatly combed hair to oversee the operation.
It was Callum, her person of contact whenever she needed new blades to put her poisons in. This was how they met, and meeting regularly they became friends until they confessed their feelings to each other. Anyways that was all over now.
Her eyes focused on the wheels of the trolley as it came closer. At that moment Rue regretted not undoing her bun to let her hair block her face out. She wanted to be invisible and her heart began to race the closer it got.
To take her mind of him she began to get ready her sack with the others to make room for the blades while intentionally keeping her head down.
Before she could start transferring her blades a gentle nudge on her shoulder followed by a low voice demanded her attention.
"Hey Red, can we talk for a second?"
She knew Callum's voice and was somewhat relieved he still called her by her nickname Red.
"Sure," she replied in an equally low voice before they both sneaked away into a smaller meeting room located on that same floor. It was where they would go sometimes to spend some alone time whenever she would drop by for material, despite how short the time may be.
The room looked more spacious and dreadfully empty since she was last there. Before pulling the door shut entirely and with his back facing her Callum started to talk.
"I haven't seen some of the members of the Otsus in three whole days," he said before he finally turned around with wide-opened eyes. They shrunk to their normal size as he walked up to her and stopped right in front.
"I heard rumors that something Big happened in their last open-meeting--I know you were there. Are you alright? I was worried sick."
Rue took a second to understand it all as it came out too fast and in one go. She had to move her eyes forcefully focussed on his long eyelashes avoiding his eyes and to the door behind him.
She along with the attendees at that meeting were told not to divulge to the public what happened until further notice. She and everyone there had to stay locked up for three days for quarantine. As much as she wanted to talk to someone about it other than her father, she knew how to keep her mouth shut.
"Yeah I'm fine," she told him. "And sorry but I can't tell what happened. Trust me if I could I would."
She chuckled as her mind went back to the crazy event that at one point felt like a horror story from a low-intellect Domain. It would make for a very entertaining discussion about what-crazy-thing-happened-this-week, something they both liked doing in this room.
She wasn't shocked about the killing of the creature by her father. She had seen Meras slaughter fellow Meras who had gone insane from old age in one blow from the hand at the neck and was told it was painless and quick.
All the attendees were examined and were told the bright light had helped to kill any traces of the virus in the air--if it was a vampiric virus.
Furthermore, it turned out that because the trespasser out of fear for its life traveled across several Domains and in broad daylight the virus did not spread. It wasn't until it was brought inside the mainlands, into its protective sack and then that dim room, did it start to spread mutating it into a mindless mutant.
Those were comforting words for her who wanted to put it all behind.
"I understand," he said as he moved one hand to stroke his fingers through the top of his hair and towards the back of his neck before letting it stay there.
"Well, I spoke to your dad. It's not every day the Chief himself comes underground to a place to like this looking for someone like me." His hand dropped to his side.
"About that--you alright? I mean he told me he didn't hurt you--"
"Yeah. I mean I was terrified, but I told him the truth and he took it pretty well."
Rue knowing where the conversation would go next and wanting to forget the scar on her back altogether, decided it was best she wasted no more time here.
"I should get back," she told him.
Callum nodded and went to open the door like the well-mannered Mera he was.
"See you around Red," he whispered as she passed him and headed out the door.
Those words forced a smile out of her.
After leaving the Metalcrafters, Rue and her comrades headed for the mini forest outside the West-wing gate of the Kingdom. They would grab some low-lying fruits from the terrain just outside the town, and upon reaching there they would separate to their separate stations to work on their crafts inside the forest.
"I'm staying overtime today so don't wait up when you're done," she told them.
They nodded in agreement and went their separate ways, leaping high onto the branches before they vanished among the trees like silent assassins.
Upon reaching her station she was glad to find it in the same condition she last left it in. Even better with Ezra being on another shift with the Fronteras far far away patrolling the borders, she did not need to leave early. She could spend the rest of the day alone she thought as she unpacked.
She spent four hours hard at work before the orange of the sunset began to crowd one side of the sky while darkness began its takeover on the other. It was time to leave.
Instead of rushing through the low grasslands to head into town, she trod slowly inline the cleared paths as her head wandered to the gentle stars as they began to come out one by one.
I wonder if he would take me back she thought to herself. What if he just needed time to think things through? It was a lot to take in after all. If only her mother was here with her, she would know what to do. She was a relationship expert.
Rue's feet froze at the faint but familiar sound. One that got her heart to slow down, ears to stand on edge hoping that it wasn't the same sound from that dreadful day years ago.
The sound became clear as the creature crept nearer through the low cut fields about the height of her shoulder.
It's only then she became aware of the blades of grass trampled down and out of the cleared track, deep lines carved into the earth, and footprints that were larger than the average Mera.
One pair of glowing red eyes set their paralyzing glare at her from behind the green blades that caused her claws to jump out at full length. Her heart beating too loudly clogged the inside of her head. An unnatural white murk began to cloud the air, and her skin began to harden. Her tail became stiff and she became aware of its every inch.
Rue could only think of two words.
"...Werewolf attack."