Chapter 267 - You mean talk Privately?

As Eric and Osira mare their way towards the fifth tunnel, they found a staircase unlike any other here based on the whole experience! The Staircase doesn't sink 20 meters down nor does it rise 20 meters up! To break the usual here, this staircase sinks 40 meters down!

But what would require to sink that deep? Sure there is enough mountain to dig through but is it worth it? The deeper they go the stronger the weighing pressure is from the mountain, or could this just have been a natural cave tunneling down 40 meters so they used it to their advantage. The staircase is surprisingly straight but of course if there is a tunnel to work on, they can carve their way straight and put walls on the side to create an illusion of architectural perfection.

Before they reached down, Eric gave out a little complain. But thankfully it wasn't based on all the drama Bittore is causing, here where they are all alone such a topic would become insanely embarrassing. "Why does this tunnel lead so deep? This makes me feel like we will reach a Volcano!" Since it is 40 meters down, it neccesarily equals to 160 stairs! Nothing easy for the leg muscles.

"Oh do you fear Lava?" Osira asked, but it was more of a way to tease. They have known each other for a couple of days, but silence is still there even if it has become a lot less awkward! The cause of the silence is still Eric, he tends to reply shortly or not talk at all. It's not that he wants to be rude or anything, he just doesn't know Osira enough yet. "I thought you were a tough guy!" Of course she still continued to tease!

"I wouldn't say tough guy..." Eric tried to clear it out truthfully, "But trust me when it comes to Lava I have no fear."

"Oh now you are just bluffing!" She of course had to add, first he says that he isn't a tough guy and now he says that he isn't scared of Lava, which neccesarily means that he isn't scared of being close to it. "Weak guys wouldn't be able to even say that they can be around Lava."

"And why would I lie to you?" He asked when he noticed that he just gave out a bit too much information here, sure this tribe is being nice now but they did cause so much propaganda behind them as they kept a smile on their faces. He can't tell them that he can swim in lava without torching up! "I don't usually lie, its not how I roll."

"Well maybe you just want to sound tough in front of girls?" She dared to finally ask, but what girls is she talking about? She is the only female walking down with him at the moment.

Bold enough at such a topic for once, he asked. "You mean sound tough in front of you?"

"No!" She shouted a bit roughly, her tone echoed all the way up to the second section and she almost slipped, which could have sent her tumbling down the stairs. Afterwards with a slightly softer tone she continued. "Why would you want that?! Sounds like my mother has convinced you more than me!"

"Well I wouldn't say convinced, but she is either plotting again or she really liked me this time!" In a joking matter he asked Osira, "Are you plotting against my back again?"

"No!" She shouted a little, assuring certainty. "There is nothing to plot, we could have thrived here with or without you." This reality came in true but a bit harsh, but in another way it carries a lot of positivity.

"Relax relax, I'm joking!" He added with a giggle and asked after. "So she does actually like me?"

"I guess so, but it is also a Ignite mother thing." She wanted to specify, but got Eric a bit confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm 17 already, she thinks that women should engage at 16 to 18, marry at 19 and have a baby at 20!" Walking further down, almost reaching the end she wanted to express. "Kind of old fashioned if you ask me."

"I think so too, there is no rush to it." He expressed it calmly of course but in his head he thought. "What the hell does a husband have to do with a baby?" Well that's how over protective Woldemir was for 15 years. There are a lot of things Eric still doesn't know and he didn't quite fit in with other kids who apparently know such information from younger years, so he grew up not knowing it.

They finally reached to the end of the Staircase, and illuminated a bit more light to see what's to find here. To their surprise this place appears to be smaller compared to the rest of the rooms in general! Well it isn't exactly too small, it stretches 15 meters wide and 20 meters long. It was small enough to theorize its estimated size.

But the size isn't the most important, what does it behold? Well, a lot of Iron for a start. There is a badge of it piled up near the entrance/exit. They are tipped over, so chances are a Demon crawled its way down here, saw that there is nothing to kill or eat and left.

Apart from those Iron bars being tipped over there doesn't seem to be any recent activity here, no skeletons either. Nothing! There isn't even any ore smelted or half smelted for that case, it just looks like the Blacksmiths did their job for the day and left for other workers to bring the Iron up in the Storage room.

Either that or they piled up Iron here to craft a more complicated product, there is a similar pile up in the Storage room so this just doesn't make sense. However, whatever their materialistic plan might have been, now it doesn't matter.

"Wow, this is one of the most undamaged place so far!" Osira broke the silence again with her tone carrying enthusiasm.

"Yes, even the forge looks in good shape!" Eric walked towards it after since it is very close to the entrance standing on the right.

"Oh yes this is definetly still usable!" She confirmed after as she tapped on the walls of this little forge after. "This structure is amazing!"

They have used Black bricks as a foundation, rising 2 feet high than another foot of it is covered with red bricks. An amazing construction in all honestly, unlike most Forges this one is shaped in to a square and looks more than dependable, not even an inch of its walls flinched.

One of these forges stretches just 5 meters wide and long, it is perfectly made. I did say one of these Forges right? Well in this room stretching 20 meters long, there are 3 of these forges. So of course Osira had to give the other two a better look once she noticed their presence.

"This one is perfect too!" She stated as she circled around it, they are even perfectly placed around 130 centimetres away from each other, yes she took the time to measure them! "This precision is amazingly accurate, I almost feel sad for killing them."

"Well technically I only saw you kill King Tamzar." Tried to specify Eric in such a situation, a bit odd but there is no damage hopefully.

"Don't remind me of that day." Expressed Osira with no hesitation, maybe she isn't a fan of killing humans? That can't be it, surely life has forced them kill a handful of people at least, before the explosion.

"You mean Yesterday?" Joked around Eric, he indeed lightened the mood a bit but although dead she still hates King Tamzar.

"Yes... My point is, It still disgusts me how that grown man wanted to put his hands on me." Osira tried to explain without getting in too much detail, but Eric had it hard to catch up.

"Put hands on you how?" He was less informed enough to ask.

"You know, like to "get at it" as my mother says." She air poked, apparently she slightly squats down too when she air pokes. If you remember right, that's what Eric does as well!

"As in talk privately?" You would think that he is joking, Osira thought that he is joking too but she changed her mind when she saw his curious yet serious look on his face!

"Kinda like it, but it is a bit more complicated." Feeling a bit embarrassed to talk about such a topic with the one her mother wants to see Osira together with, so she just wanted to change the topic. "Let's just say that you will know the older you grow, you're still a kiddo!"

He has heard that sentence a lot of times before, well the "You're still a kiddo!" one more specifically, mostly by Commander Alia but he still doesn't know how to not be annoyed by it. "I'm kind of a kid, but I still faced many tough situation." Trying to crack a joke after, he added. "I'd say I'm older than Mogranius when it comes to maturity."

"A Ratbug is more mature than Mogranius." Continued Osira the joke and the awkward room turned in to a harmonious laughing one!