The Incubus System Chapter 625. Run, You Fool

"Don't come closer!" Larry cried out, his voice filled with a determination that was almost palpable. I could see the same fierce resolve reflected in his eyes as he stared at me, and for a moment, he was struck by a sense of calm.

"Run, you fool," he whispered in a low voice, his words barely audible over the sound of Ruby's chilling laughter.

"Okay." Without hesitation, I turned to flee, ready to put as much distance between myself and the terrifying woman as possible. But before I could take more than a few steps, Larry's voice called out to me again.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! You're supposed to save me!" he complained, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

The words stopped me in my tracks, and I turned to look at him in confusion.

"You told me to run, but then you asked me to save you. Which one do you want?!" I protested, my voice filled with confusion and frustration.

"Both!" Larry replied, his tone firm and resolute.

"How?!" I snarled, my patience at its breaking point.

"I don't know. You're the knight, and I'm the hostage. You're supposed to be thinking of a way to save me from this crazy demon girl ---AAAAAHHH! " Larry exclaimed, his words cut off as Ruby suddenly tightened her grip on him, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Give up! I give up! I give up!" he cried out in a hoarse voice, his bravado apparently crumbling in the face of Ruby's strength.

Once again, I couldn't help but cringe at Larry's antics, wondering why I was still friends with him. Despite his loyalty as a friend, I couldn't help but think that he was hopeless in situations like these. My eyes fell on Ruby and Larry as I shook my head from side to side.

As I looked around, I noticed that our surroundings had grown eerily quiet, as if the very air itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come. Yeah, I knew they were watching us as if we were a show. A free modern drama. I could feel their eyes upon us as they whispered about the love triangle rumor between me, Larry, and Ruby. To make it worse, some were saying that I had been unfaithful to Ruby, cheating on her with Larry. I wished I had the same flu mask to cover my face as Larry now.

Despite the temptation to simply leave Larry to his tragic fate and let him become the hero who saved me from the "demon girl", I decided to hold it. Instead, I took a deep breath and stepped forward, ready to try and negotiate peacefully like a decent human being.

"Ahem! Ruby, I want to talk," I began, my voice strong and clear.

"I also want to talk, Ethan..." she replied, her haunting voice unchanged. I couldn't help but wonder if my attempts at negotiation were only serving to drive her further over the edge.

"Peacefully," I added, hoping that my request would convince her to release Larry.

"I came peacefully," Ruby said, her words dripping with irony as she glared at me with a cold, unfeeling gaze. "But you ran away from me..." As she spoke, she tightened her grip on Larry's neck, causing him to squeak in pain. His eyes were fixed upon me, pleading for me to save him from the terrifying crazy mentor.

"Like a human being," I added, trying to emphasize the importance of this negotiation. "You should let Larry go," I requested, hoping that my words would be enough to convince Ruby to release him, although I wasn't sure about it

"Yeah, let me go," Larry added, patting the hand around his neck repeatedly in a desperate bid for mercy.

"You heard him, Ruby. I know you were looking for me. I can explain. Just let him go and we can talk things out peacefully," I negotiated.

Despite our pleas, however, Ruby seemed unwilling to release Larry, her grip on him only growing tighter.

"I'm so sorry I disappeared without a word," I said, trying to explain my actions to the angry woman before me. "I had to go to my acquaintance's place because of an urgent matter. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you wouldn't let me go. I'm sorry for leaving you without a word, I know it was wrong."

The inner part of me yelled internally. 'Why I'm the one who should explain everything to her while we don't have any relationship?' I cried out. But yeah, I needed to do it to save Larry.

"I don't believe you," Ruby replied, her voice cold and unfeeling. "Why would you just up and leave like that, without even telling me where you were going? Don't you care about me at all?" Her voice filled with frustration and disappointment.

I could feel my panic growing. I knew that I had to do something, anything, to try and smooth things over.

"I am," I reassured her, but she did not budge.

Desperate for a solution, I remembered something. Secretly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my blue polka dot keychain, the one which Celia just gave me. Then quickly I removed my house keys from it.

"Here, I want to give this to you as a present," I said, holding out the keychain to her. "I saw it at the market and thought of you so I bought it. I know it's cheap but it's a small token of my apology. I hope you can accept it," I exaggerated.

Ruby reached out and took the keychain, her eyes narrowing as she examined it. For a moment, I thought she was going to reject my gift, but then she let out a sigh and released Larry, who had been watching the exchange with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"Thank you," Ruby said, patting the keychain before holding it close to her chest. "My precious," she whispered.

Once again, I could help but cringe. 'What the hell with both of them today?'