Zaldizko - Chapter 40 Indulgence Level

We left the unconscious golems and cell behind, carefully sprinting through black stone corridors and doing our best not to make a noise and draw attention from others.

I cursed when the place was similar to Hell’s Labyrinth with the walls constantly changing formation. The walls constantly changed formation. The paths we ran moved on us, consistently pushing us toward the center with the lion floor. Going back was never the same way. A few times we narrowly avoided contact with golems, which was bad for my already overworked heart.

“Damn it! Without a mapglass, how’s anyone expect to know where they’re going around here?!” I huffed when we took a time out to catch our breath. “My lady heels are annoying my arches.”

“Did you just say mapglass? Where’re you from?” Leinard was giving me one of his classic raised-one-brow looks.

“Dunno know if I should tell you.” I replied, copying his expression.

“Ok, well confirm something for me Ganmo. You’re a hiruda right? Where’s the real Charlese?”

“I’m not a hiruda.” I screwed up my face with outrage. “That orange cloud thing can be shrill glitter!”

My expression softened with thoughts of where the real lady could be. “I don’t know. If we don’t reach Trix, bust out of this place, we might not be able to find her.”

“First we need to know where we’re going.” Leinard glanced around the area.

The path had taken us to an entrance of a squarish utility room, which had hundreds of brass tulip bells running even rows around the walls.

“A call room! I’m a believer now. You are a lucky charm,” Leinard said excitedly as he crept toward the entrance.

We peeked our heads around the opening and saw two golems standing before a woman who was sitting at a rectangular table in the room’s center. She was taking note of the numbers for bells that jangled on a long piece of parchment covering the table’s entire surface.

So far, we were undetected.

“The bell for Tank 4-A is at warning. Two prisoners have escaped.” The woman noted with an expressionless voice. “See to reclaim.”

We crept away from the opening and hid behind some weapons crates stacked up against the wall.

The golems stomped past us and up a flight of grilled metal stairs.

“Okay, so this is the plan.” Leinard briefed me on his thoughts.

I bravely entered the room and stood before the woman who was wearing the tanned uniform of an Illuminate Officer. By her skinny frame, soft skin and aged glasses still in good condition, she wasn’t a soldier.

She was absorbed with the large diagram that covered across the paper. A quick glance confirmed that this paper was the level’s map. Lenaird was right. I was one lucky bastard.

A second passed. Two seconds ticked by judging by the round clock on the wall above the entrance archway. She was still focused on the map.

“Ehem,” I impatiently cleared my throat.

Her eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.

“Now you see me.” I smiled at her. “I’ll be taking this.”

I scooped the map up into my arms, fighting off her protest.

“Apologises, but we cannot let you leave.” Leinard said to the woman. “Really sorry.”

He knocked her out cold.

We carefully dragged her to an obscure corner of the room, closed the door upon our exit.

Leinard led me towards a set of iron stairs at the far right, across the lion floor symbol.

“Crappolla a million!” I groaned at the sound of whooping sirens.

Red and white flashing overpowered all other lights.

“Needless to say we don’t have much time,” Leinard said as he laid out the map on the floor before us.

“Ikasi nazazu,” he whispered and closed his eyes. Blue light covered his face.

I gasped with awe when the markings and drawings of the map lifted off the page. The ink had transformed into a floating ball of black cloud.

Leinard opened his mouth and swallowed the ball. The blue light disappeared, restoring his features to normal.

“It’s how I passed on most of my school tests.” He cheekily declared.

His face contorted with a wince. “It gives you a terrible pinch to your temples. At least I know the way of this place now. The walls follow a predicative pattern. More luck for us.”

I looked to the paper and saw it was blank. He patted my shoulder with the sign to move on. We left the paper and crept up the iron stairs.

The landing opened to a narrow black and red corridor.

“Stop,” Leinard whispered.

He took a few steps toward one wall and pulled me in front of him. The other wall disappeared like it was never there. A new wall appeared, creating a new path.

We followed the newly created path and continued this routine until we finally reached the top of another level of rich-red corridors with gold doors and gold-red floral carpeted floors. Light came from white fairy balls dancing within glass jar sconces.

The sounds of screaming, moaning and crying grew louder as we crept past the doors.

I groaned when our way ahead was blocked by bowler hat golems.

“Can you use your magic?” I whispered.

“Not here, too narrow. It’ll likely alert the entire floor,” Leinard answered.

I screwed up my face with the realisation that I was going to have to resort to brute force. It made me wonder how much muscle Charlese had on her.

“Work the charm it is.” I sighed and drew the golems’ attentions with a wolf whistle.

The mindless fools rushed for an attack and straight into Leinard’s ambush.

He moved out of the corner he had been hugging, crept up behind them and stealthy stole one of their metal canes, unsheathing a long thin blade resembling an epee. It shimmered with a silver brilliance as he thrust the blade into their chests, eliminating both of them with skilful slashes.

We dragged them to one side and salvaged important items they carried. More luck for me when one of them carried a key crystal.

Leinard showed me his findings of a bag of shrills and a normal gold key.

“That’s it?” I complained at the tight-arse goons. “No daro?”

“You want a ticket to the ball?” Leinard joked.

“Been there, done that, never again.” I sighed.

We continued down the corridor with Leinard at the lead.

“I hope you can use that.” My eyes pointed at the cane-sword he carried.

His eyes narrowed with offence. “Didn’t you see me back there? Have no fear, I’ve been sparring since birth.”

“To change your own nappies?” I blurted.

He replied with sarcastic smile.

We kept our conversations to a minimum as we ran through corridors, eliminating goon threats as we passed. Me with my heels and Leinard with his sword.

We carried on up the stairs and stepped out into an over-glamorous corridor of white and gold carpet, more glass jar scones and silver-white walls.

Contorted voices, emitting distress and negative energies, was heavy on this floor.

“Triuta Indulgence Level. Trix will be in one of these rooms.”

My heart skipped beats and abrupt pauses every time we crept past a gold gilded door.

The dark and negative energies from the doors gave me the chills. The stench of sick fudge wafted about the air.

“I don’t see any guards.” I was hoping I didn’t put my foot in my mouth. “How we find him?”

Leinard gestured for me to be quiet. He closed his eyes and stood still like he was honing in Trix’s whereabouts.

“That room.” He pointed his finger to the door on the far right.

We hurried to the door and found the knob locked. I peered closely at the hand and saw a set of tiny number running a row. I drew Leinard’s attention to the numbers.

“Bothersome. It’s a Mercy Lock.” Leinard groaned. “Damnit!”

“We have a key right?” I held up the key crystal.

“That won’t work. The key is blood. Only the blood that set this combination can open the door.” Leinard explained that the numbers was just a label, but the actual lock was the imprint behind the numbers. A blood imprint.

“So, can we take the door of the hinges?” I hoped I asked another obvious question.

I felt self-satisfied smugness when Leinard gave me one of his one-brow expressions.

His eyes darted from each hinge of the door. He then studied the next room’s door and stood back with raised brows. His mouth stretched wide.

“Have to do it this way. Prepare for an attack, “he ordered as he rolled his shoulders and leaned in towards the door’s hinges.

“Ezkutatu hinge.” He breathed over the hinges, making them turn to frost and shatter into cold air.

We both caught the door as it fell forward, carefully placed it to one side against the wall.

“What the hell you kids doing here?!” Growled a naked ogre of a man with his ding-dong shamelessly hanging low.

“Joining the party.” I battered my eyelids as I gingerly approached the creep.

I suggestively removed my slipper, raised it before him and stabbed his lower area with the spiky end; grabbed a lamp from the nearby night table and smashed it over the ogre-man’s head, knocking him out cold.

“Oi, hey, please let me out of these!” said a mild-mannered boy whose face was beautiful to be an angel.

I gasped when I recognised the voice. “Hang on.”

I fiddled with the gold clamps and realised it needed a key. “Colonel, throw me that key.”

Leinard frowned at having being interrupted with his break-wall plan. He fished through his pocket and threw me the gold key we had taken from the golems.

I released the boy who was also about my age from the bed.

“Thank you!” He hugged me.

“Stick with us okay?” I said as I helped him dress into some clothes.

“Stay back a bit,” Leinard said and used a spell to create a hole in the wall.

“What the hell?!” shouted a half-naked man.

Leinard drove his sword through the man’s chest with an expression that unnerved me a bit.

I threw him the key to unlock Trix from his gold binds. He freed Trix and helped him stand up.

“What’s this vile woman doing here?!” Trix spat at me.

“Gaah, would you men please stop throwing spit on my face! If you wanna leave your mark, pay me daro!” I pouted, wiping Trix’s spray off my cheek.

“Hah!? Who the hell are you!? Leinard, who’s this chick?! She ain’t Charlese!” Trix attempted to approach me and stumbled to the floor. “A Night Vamprous? You’re a hiruda aren’t you?”

“A hiruda?! I’m insulted,” I yelled with my hands on my hips.

“Ha, I’m feeling better already.” Trix perked up, his sarcasm giving him a boast of energy.

I saw Trix’s earlier wounds were healed, some with a slight discoloration as a reminder. The weird kiss we had shared back in the lantern room sort of made sense now.

Leinard rolled his eyes and let out a groan as he helped Trix up. He slung an overcoat, from the chair, over his naked body.

Trix was doing his best not to stand like a newborn fawn.

“Oh, hey Cass, they got you out too.” Trix noticed the mild-mannered boy next to me. “Excellent.”

“We better ditch this joint. Bring the baby deer,” I said to Leinard.

Trix continuously muttered about me having some cheek.

I made sure that Cass was able to make a longer journey out of the room.

We managed to assist Trix and Cass to the end of the floor. It was as I had suspected. A trap was waiting for us before the exit. Our smooth run was a game of mouse, maze and cheese to these people. Well, they had better not complain about losing to their own rules.

A cloud of icy air descended, weighing us down to our knees. Freezing hands wrapped our throats. I recognised the hollow-eyes of ghosts. Damn, if only we had salt.

The colonel woman approached us with an unimpressed snarl on her red painted lips.

“Tsk, bothersome. I was dragged out here from my sleep just to outwit you. Hurry up and revert to null, so I can go back to sleep,” she complained.

I was annoyed and surprised by her self-centered callousness. How the heck did she end up a colonel?

“Suffer…prin…cess. St…ill b-be… ugly.” My voice fell short; too cold to speak further.

“What?!” She kicked me.

“Mai… t-tasu…” Damn. Why did the spell have to be a long tongue twister?

“Maitasunean eta grazian itzuli zure tokira,” Leinard managed to say with one big breath. How did he know?

Our throats were released with thankful sighs. The air resumed a room temperature.

“You wanna sleep so badly, I’ll cater,” I said to the flabbergasted woman. “I’ll make sure you get your precious sleep.”

I stood before her with a steady stance and my hands, defiantly, on my hips.

“Let me say this, woman-to-woman, we’re gonna bust this joint. You’re gonna punch the ground with frustration at being helpless to stop our escape.”

“Ganmo, tell me you have a plan!” Leinard whispered near my ear.

“Nada. I’m a bringer of luck, right? Have some faith.” I reassured him with a cheesy wink copied from Trix’s signature style.

He didn’t look convinced.

“Ha! I’m liking this Charlese. I’m in.” Trix was energised and in full health for a fight.

He flashed a signature grin at the colonel woman, baring his perfectly white teeth.

“Hey Bryan, why don’t we get a friendly with each other.” He suggestively taunted the woman. “You know you wanna.”

She responded with a snarl.

I hung back to cover for Cass who was in no position to fight his way through anyone.

“Don’t worry Cass, I’ll be your shield.” I reassured him.

“You’re definitely not Charlese. She’s like this woman, only thinking of herself. I don’t think she’d resort to necromantic spells either. They’re not glamorous,” Cass commented.

“Sorry?” I stared at him, perplexed.

“No, I mean, thank you! Whoever you are, please stay in this woman’s body!” Cass flashed me a friendly smile.

“It wouldn’t be right for a lady to do all the work. I may look weak but my magic is strong.” Cass’s smile became a wicked grin as he raised his glowing hands.

His eyes gleamed with an iridescent green. “Thanks for unlocking the binds, I can use magic again.”

The fighting commenced.

“Hey Bryan,” Trix called out to the woman to keep her attention fixed on him. His expression sobered into a mannerism of business.

“Eguzkiaren argia, sua deitzen dut.” He coolly released his spell with a cocky smirk.

Fire balls formed in the air and flew towards the bowler hat golems. The golems countered with thick dust particle attacks to put the fires out.

Cass called upon a water spell to deflect their stone attacks. He bound his limbs with white light, forming a barrier that deflected further magic attacks. He said another spell that called up a pair of female ghosts with silver eyes from air. They flew circles around the golems, breaking down their particles with small cyclonic attacks.

Trix changed tactics and rushed toward Bryan with fists raised.

“Ura erregai nire eskuak!”He shouted.

My eyes widened when I saw a blaze of icy-blue light wrap Trix’s fists and feet like socks and gloves. He kicked at Bryan with roundhouse, low and high range attacks; coordinating his arm and leg movements in an enchanting Wu King Martial Arts ballet, causing a blue light show in the air.

“Ganmo!” Leinard shouted, alerting me to a golem’s lethal punch to my head.

I narrowly missed the blow.

“Stop spacing out!” he scolded me whilst driving his cane-sword into two golems.

He fished through is pocket, pulled out a bag of shrills, which he threw at me.

“Nice.” I grabbed a fistful and commenced with my own attack.

“SU!” I yelled as I pelleted the golems reaching for me. High-pitched sounds and hefty glitter filled the air.

“You’re looking hideous right now.” I heard Trix tease Bryan.

She wasn’t faring well under his martial arts attack. Her colonel hat had been knocked off, so her wavy auburn locks tumbled about her shoulders and messily down her back. Lipstick was smeared across her mouth and sides of her cheeks. Black eyeshadow and liner was smudged around her eyes, making them appear bruised. I yelped when my mind compared her current look with a juxtapositioner demon.

She screamed with outrage as she fired rounds of bullets that Trix was able to dodge.

I cursed when one of the strays clipped my arm.

“Goddamn it. Su!” I threw my last shrill at the lone golem protecting Bryan’s back, turning it to glitter.

Bryan stood alone. She stopped her fighting and retreated a few steps back. A smile stretched wide on her face, making her look very much like that court jester demon. She pulled out a tiny silver-glass bell and rang it.

An ear-splintering explosion threw us backwards and further in the Indulgence Level’s corridor.

I groaned when I saw that we were surrounded by half-naked creepy men who had been alerted by the bell.

“Well, isn’t this just dandy,” I grumbled.

“Do what you like with them. I want to know what they’re up to.” Bryan ordered the perverts. She fixed up her face with a spell.

Magic intervened with her orders with a strong vibration and painful ringing in our ears. My vision blurred to obscure black and white outlines.

“Hormak apurtu, kateak askatu.” A deep, soothing voice permeated my mind and body.

I felt a mighty pull. The black and white outlines gradually formed a new scenery.