The Zombie Tournament

Act 35 : The Queen of a City

 The moonlight has been sailing to the horizon for its own slumber. After a rampant domination of their clash awhile before, Tanya Rushdi has retrieved the other half of her crumpled medal and completed the mystery over its puzzle. As it was concluded, the wristwatch has given an option to bring the medal into reality. Minopia’s wireless three-dimensional printer will manifest their virtual triumph into actual lump of gold as soon as an order has been fixated inside.

For now, they have their own slumber on the beach’s bedside. At night, none of Frandemulo’s inns and hotels accepted a survivor into their lawn. The city’s governor has situated such individuals on the street for a spirit of persistence into the game. They have to wander beyond luxury of Gourmet city’s delicacy and living a life of a vagabond outside the fence.

Of course, it is all to the taste of their own citizen’s desire.

(zuuu)

A tiny camera, in size of a small cashew, passed their group and hovering away to somewhere else instead. It was shadowed by a number of similar forms of things soon after. Despite its main role on displaying highlights and livestreams of battle, the mini-picture grabber hold their back around participant’s nightfall. The game’s management has denounced any forms of trespassing towards any contestant’s privacy. They have programmed every single camera into automatic movement whenever a spectator wished to take a glance of their idol’s sleeping position at once.

A luxury of northern city’s geek viewers, indeed, but they have been denied regardless.

“Hoahm.”

Zeno Gunnar wakes up next to the blonde-haired beauty. They leaned below a red-tinted umbrella, one of the remaining shades to shelter underneath. The two lovebirds have stranded themselves out of anybody else’s position to sleep slightly away across the battered cape. Dribbles of sands were tingling their spines as they turn sideways. It is all nestled below a number of coconut leaves, so neither of those will enter their body armor in any ways possible.

The young knight looks deep to his partner’s serene expression. Tanya Rushdi’s lips are slightly shimmered in red. Her arms were resting on his shoulder, hugging Zeno Gunnar in rather-unconscious manner. Being within a complete set of armor, even a hug will be senseless to feel, but its emotion stands firm to warm him up at once.

On the other way around, Zeno Gunnar’s left arm was laying below her nape. He felt it as the best method to replace a pillow for his partner around. To give her an utmost comfort, indeed, despite a fact that none of those are actually useful to be done. Their helmets are more than sufficient to sustain anything inside. It props them up, always adjusting their head to be level on the ground for preventing a strained neck as they awake.

He just wanted to show affection, more or less.

Tanya Rushdi, on the other end, eventually opened her eyes to consciousness. She blushed to the man before her as they stare to each other. Zeno Gunnar’s blue-tinted pupils shines even brighter against her luscious glance. Her pupil’s lenses widened under a spark of love, and it goes in similar ways to the man, for them to perceive more of their partner’s splendor at the time.

“Morning.” Tanya Rushdi mumbled,”I’m sweating down here after looking at you, Zeno.” She continued, furling a smile to her man and wink. Otherwise, Zeno Gunnar laid a chuckle to his partner’s tease.

“It’s pretty tight, this armor, so I suppose we can always feel a drain below the crotch.” He replied, beaming back to Tanya Rushdi in return.

They wished to prolong their sleep, yet sprinkles of dawn has emerged. Minopia’s automatic sweeper has also completed its main function to wipe away any remains around the corner. In a form of floating drone and a dangling pipe on the bottom, its trunk dragged the jet-black ninja’s splitted-up body into the hole. The game’s management never wished to bear responsibility in making such horrific sight upon the city’s ground. There are a lot of non-viewer to be considered, as well, so bringing a deathly environment to their life will be nothing but a mistake in their regard.

---

Tonado fighting club needed only five minutes on preparing for a short-click of journey to the south. However, they still has to wait for some time, because Juno Rumondor has applied several reports for the damage they caused. Zeno Gunnar was faltered a bit, back then, because the cape was estimated as a natural setting on the beach’s area. He has known of such consequences, initially assumed of the wager and has been prepared for the worst. The young knight’s purse is mainly hefty to alleviate the cost, too, for him to be doing so without concern at all.

“It’s around twenty thousand virtual dollars, Zeno.” Juno Rumondor exclaimed,”You’re truly reckless for this. Are you really having enough money to pay?”

(beep-beep)

‘You have fifty thousand virtual dollars in your bank. Use it wisely.’

Zeno Gunnar’s wristwatch responded after a few clicks to the screen. The young knight laid his shrug to the information provided and putting his hand on the hips as the money’s amount has been announced,”Yeah, that’s it. I have aplenty.” He said, smiling bitterly to his captain. Because of his cold reaction, Juno Rumondor chuckled.

“Hahaha, that is really a smug, Zeno. I don’t even know how to react.” The captain shook his head a few times.

(ka-ching)

In an instant, a quarter of Zeno Gunnar’s entire purse expended by the same amount of injury he had caused. A receipt of his purchase has been sent to his mailbox afterwards, displaying a tone of written gratitude from King Taur Minosa himself for the young knight’s participation in natural preservation.

(bzzt-bzzt)

Within seconds, the young knight’s money has replenished the whole tilted-up terrain of the cape back to its prime.

“It’s really damn quick. We have to get one of those printers real soon, for sure.” Juno Rumondor muttered, being wide-opened to perceive all of them at once,“Let’s go meet our fellow team b, then, they have finished their own matters, too, it seems.”

----

Their group hustled to the morning’s road to approach their teammates across the south. The city’s business is thriving as ever. In contrary to their night-time ambience yesterday, pedestrians has been flooded the main street from six in the morning. A group of shift-stationed cooks were walking in haste to pay for their restless night before. Many foreign officer of Gorand Industries seemed in a hurry to catch the train. For another rows of people behind, flows of Frandemulo’s civil servants have to go to their workplace before eight in the morning.

They paid no glance to the armored suit of the five person along the way, regardless of how nonsensical their looks this time around.

Tony Simmons has booked a number of rooms in Five Beaches hotel, one of the five-star resort at the southern border of Frandemulo. The hotel’s management made their rooms and designs in resemblance of their late leader’s legacy, Aldana the fourth. She is the current-ruling politicians in the city, mostly renowned by her cunning strategy in acquiring people’s trust. Everyone will be feared when somebody recalled of her name. Some will be proud, instantly put a belief in anyone’s bargain up front, as long as such person has made acquaintance with the governor herself.

Her status as a Governor of the city, however, is nothing but a prestige of the honor as a Queen.

Their definitive owner has always been fond of rose flower’s blooming aroma, so their staff has put numerous pots of them in the lobby. Its petals are blood-red in color, for those to become the main theme of most queen-size vacant rooms in the hotel. A white-adorned curtains are embroidered to resemble purity of their queen’s ashen hair.

Indeed, to make things even more majestic, the hotel management put a large canvas of Aldana the fourth’s self-painting just slightly up in-between the two-way stairs’ platform. Anyone would agree of her incomparable gorgeousness by perceiving her figure up close.

“It’s too rowdy....” Zeno Gunnar murmured,”Why do Simmons picked this one up?”

To the sudden commentary from the young knight, Juno Rumondor nods,”Yeah, I don’t think he would dare to purchase a room like this before.” He said,”How’s for you, Tanya?”

“We’ll have to select a room right away, honey.” Tanya Rushdi immediately responded, clinging herself to Zeno Gunnar’s back soon after.

(beep-beep)

The automatic door detects their arrival. It slides to give them a way for entering the lobby. As they go indoors, however, a person with red hat and blue uniform interrupted their way across. He smiles to them in advance, before then bowing down to 45 degrees a moment after.

“Our queen has expected all of you. Please follow me.” He said, laying his left palms towards the left area to the north of main door’s entrance to show up the route, ” Your friend, Tony Simmons, has also been summoned.” He continued. Juno Rumondor feels the need to address themselves politely before the city’s leader, hence his affirmation through a simple nod.

Aldana the north’s demand is absolute. Anyone who dares to refuse will be estimated as a Persona non Grata, therefore revoked their status intermittently as a contestant because of certain location’s massive prohibition. They could still lingering outside of the border, of course, but will be punished accordingly if they pressed into the city border by force.

(tap-tap-tap)

Her office is located at the middle of the hotel’s 40 floors building. One name was engraved on the white door’s panel, the one they presumed to meet at the moment. A mark of red rose flower fashioned the door’s handle, adding its intricate curve and arrow for someone to admire. Undoubtedly, two jars of white rose flower decorated the door’s both edge, fabricated a sense of aesthetics before the guest.

The red and blue uniform officer pointed at one bronze head of a bull with oversized nose-ring that was placed underneath Aldana the fourth’s complete moniker.

“One knock, and our leader will learn of your arrival.” He uttered,”I’ll be at the lobby if you need me.”

(poof)

“Really? A hologram? What’s with that talk, then?” Frank Terino protested,”We’re really in a strange world. They are using far too much holograms these days.”

“They might be wishing themselves not to gather with us bare-handed. You see, our status as a human survivor said so.” Zeno Gunnar replied, before subsequently gazing at their leader for a following response,”Knock the door, please, Juno.”

“Damn it. You’re not supposed to be the leader this time, Zeno.” Juno Rumondor protested, yet doing such things onwards.

(tap)

“Mooo!”

Juno Rumondor unloads a small pat with the bronze bull’s nose ring within his left palm. The door goes unlocked instantaneously, followed by the cow’s vocal sound in the background. Of course, they have no idea of what it means, until a familiar voice of their friend erupts.

“Come on, go inside, Juno!”

It is the color of Tony Simmon’s voice, bringing a clarity to its purpose. Without further delay, all five of them entered the room in sequence. Queen Aldana the fourth has been there behind a wooden desk. She holds a cigar on the right to puff it down at times.

Obviously, her way to smoke is never be the one to mention, but her sublime looks and staggering choice of dress to see them in person. There is no overly-taken makeup, just a pristine beauty ahead of them. Her ashen-hair glows below the lantern on top of the books’ cupboard behind. It shines to deeply enshrined the queen’s natural beauty. She wears a solid red maroon for the gown on the torso. Indeed, her way of burning a cigar made a ruins to the glamorous attire, but it is somewhat blended in style after a short glance to her stern figure.

A silence beckoned, but never for long. Aldana the fourth glances towards the twelve active crews of Tonado fighting club. She puts a grim expression to the face, furling both of eyebrows to form a small triangle on the forehead.

“Now, which one of you is Zeno Gunnar?” She glared.