Zaldizko - Chapter 46 Closed The Doors To Hells Labyrinth

The word that would describe the mood of everyone was pensive. Conversations were kept at a minimum as we headed down the white corridors towards the lantern rooms.

It felt surreal what Death and I had achieved. Even more so with War walking ahead of me. He was carrying the sling stretcher, containing an unconscious Trix, with Ryoko. Death walked next to her, matching her pace.

My thoughts lingered on Leinard’s unresponsive body in the stretcher Saku and Wilfred carried.

The Aueralius Brothers had lost consciousness soon after I had used my power to return Brystagg, Lyra and Buru back to their time. I was concerned my power had caused some side effect on them. Was it because I had sent Brystagg back being their blood relative? Or maybe because they had been linked to the primary core?

I couldn’t understand why both brothers had instantly relapsed to unconsciousness as soon as Brystagg had disappeared from our time within a blink of an eye. When Death had reversed the lock around the fate held in stasis within my thoughts to dispel it, they remained unconsciousness.

My eyes lowered towards the stone floor with a deep frown.

“How much further to a lantern room?” I called out to Lita who had assumed the lead.

“Just around the corner,” she answered without turning around.

We turned a corner and into a corridor where rice paper doorspainted with pretty images of red cherry blossomswere evenly positioned on either side.

Forneas was waiting for us in the middle of the corridor with Doctor Samuel Mercer by his side.

“Place Captain Aueralius on the tatami mats in the fourth unit to the right,” Samuel ordered War and Ryoko.

Both of them carried Trix into the fourth lantern room as instructed. Forneas and Death followed them inside.

“Lieutenant Colonel goes into the fourth one on the left,” he instructed Wilfred and Saku.

I watched them take Leinard into the room.

“How’d you know we were coming?” I asked the weird doctor.

“I felt my kin’s chi before chaos had occurred. Shortly afterwards, those brothers’ energies were mingled with my kin’s. So, when my kin’s chi was no longer present, I assumed you were on your way.” His free eye seemed to twitch with a smile. Its glaring redness made his skin paler and creepier.

“Aah, so when you say kin, you’re referring to the hiruda right?” I gulped and discreetly shuffled a few steps away from him.

Samuel chuckled. “You are correct. We’re both of the Night Vamprous genus and hirudas. Unlike the one you faced, I’m only interested in using my mentor’s body to fulfil his medical research that benefits humanity.”

With his thin smile making his face resemble a hollow-eyed ghost, I wasn’t particularly convinced.

Wilfred and Saku’s reentry into the corridor, fortunately, interrupted our conversation.

“Will they be okay?” Wilfred asked Samuel.

“Those brothers? Most likely,” Samuel stoically answered. “I’ve treated them for worse.”

I gazed at the door that Wilfred and Saku had come out of, wondering if Leinard really was going to pull through.

“You can go see him if you want.” Lita’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I sighed and shook my head. “No, it’s alright. I’m sure he’ll be fine soon.”

She gave me a reassuring pat on my shoulder.

“Now, Famine, if you would be so kind as to enter the first room, so I can…” Samuel began to say.

I stopped Doctor Mercer before he could finish his order.

“I’m feeling fine. So, I’ll be heading back with the others, maybe?” I batted my eyes at Wilfred with hope.

Death, Ryoko and War entered the corridor. War was mumbling his complaints about stupid animachines and why he had to be jabbed with a zillion needles. He and Death were rubbing their left arms vigorously. They paused behind Lita and went quiet when they caught wind of what was going on.

Ryoko frowned. She grabbed my head and twisted my protesting face from side to side before letting go.

“You should have Doctor Mercer examine you,” she near scolded me.

“No. I’m fine,” I stubbornly answered back, keen to avoid a repeat of my last examination with that mad doctor.

She sighed. “Have it your way then.”

“Corporal Kazama, I must protest! Famine and his brother was in direct contact with the primary core energies. Their roentgen levels need to be tested. Not to mention, I heard rumours of them wielding a strange power. There is no telling what health damages their bodies may be suffering even if they say they are fine now!” Samuel argued.

“Listen, you quack of a doctor!” Ryoko stepped before him; her eyes narrowed and hands were pressed on her hips. “If Famine says he’s fine, he’s fine. I won’t let you lock him or his brothers away to be your lab rats!”

My eyes widen with fear at the term ‘lab rat’. I took further steps away from the doctor to be closer to my brothers.

“Preposterous! I am only thinking of their health!” Samuel challenged her stare and stance with his arms crossed. His white lab coat made him appear taller.

“Doesn’t matter. He’ll be coming back with us.” She held her ground.

“On whose authority? You may be the interim leader of this squad as the corporal, but I have final say when it comes to the best interests of my patients’ health!” Samuel wasn’t giving in.

“I suppose your interests is in seeing the brothers being stressed tested in a silo lab?” Ryoko continued to force the truth out of the good doctor.

“Of course. If the three of them hold rare power, it’s prudent to learn all we can from them,” he answered back.

I yelped at the truth. No way in hell was I being a lab rat for that mad quack! I stepped in front of my brothers with determination to fight our way out of the corridor if needs be.

I heard Wilfred groaning and Lita release a weary sigh.

“No. Famine and his brothers are under my care and jurisdiction in place of Captain Aueralius, who is incapacitated, and Sergeant Ashdown who is absent.” Ryoko laid down her decision.

“Sergeant Ashdown?” I whispered to Saku.

“Jensen,” he whispered back.

“I have to agree with our Corporal. These three brothers look perfectly healthy and of sound mind. So, I am happy to, also, be responsible for their care.” Saku stepped in to back up Ryoko’s argument.

“You do not have the authority to say such things Tsubaki-san.”

“I do.” A newcomer’s voice interrupted the argument with a weary sigh.

I faced a lean woman standing before the lantern room door next to Leinard’s.

She had sharp features, short bob of fuzzy curls that tumbled unruly about her neckline and forehead, large brown eyes set with a stern expression and thin lips raised with an unimpressed snarl.

Her navy-blue knight’s uniform was torn in areas of her vest and around her calves. Her left arm was held up in a sling. The scuffed and worn down sole of her boots made me think she had been doing a lot of running. I wouldn’t be surprised considering what we all went through.

“Let these knights and those men go their way Samuel. That is my order.” She gave the doctor a hard-nose command.

“Teagan Arlingdon, do you even” Samuel was set to argue his point further, but was stopped by the woman’s next set of words.

“Your kin was responsible for the troubles we experienced. If it wasn’t for these brothers and Captain Aueralius’s men, you’d still be under a mountain of Ratshiki shit.” Teagan crudely reminded Samuel of something that was exclusively experienced by them.

“Whilst my colleague is incapacitated, as a fellow captain, I assume authority of his squad by proxy.”

“Fine!” Samuel conceded. He turned and stormed up the other end of the corridor away from us.

“Was he pouting?” I blurted.

“He’s always like that when he doesn’t get his way,” Teagan answered.

“Thanks.” Ryoko grumbled to the woman.

“Don’t thank Ryoko. I only did this to shut you guys up.” Teagan growled back at Ryoko. “Bloody shouting in the corridors, disturbing everyone’s rest.”

An awkward silence came upon the corridor.

Teagan broke the silence by asking me a question. “So you’re the one that reset the labyrinth huh?”

I frowned, perplexed. “How’d you know?”

I instinctively felt my right eye for the mapglass and remembered that I had placed it next to Trix on the stretcher earlier.

She flashed me a knowing smile. “You may have reset the labyrinth and returned the wayward residents, but you didn’t reset time itself outside the Lotus Bridge. We all saw what you did through our maplinks and remember.”

“Aah.” The realisation dawned on me.

I blushed, feeling embarrassed. Another realisation hit me when I recalled her family name was Arlingdon. I wondered if she was related to Charlese.

Ryoko got us moving before we could cause another scene.

“Thank you,” she bowed to Teagan.

We followed her lead out of the corridor.

When I thought I had suffered enough, I experienced another queasy journey in the labyrinth’s elevator.

My legs wobbled as I stepped out into the main foyer of the Fourth Tier, but I was able to walk unassisted. If I was still wearing guns, I probably would’ve toppled over. My sides and back felt so much lighter without their weight.

I was glad when Colin had reclaimed his guns as soon as we had left the Lotus Bridge and stepped onto a pivot landing. He went off to reseal Moralta in a time cell then rejoin his team to assist with their and Jensen’s crowd control work in the West Wing.

“Eek!” I caught a clear image of myself in the mirror elevator doors and realised I was an eyesore.

My bow tie’s red colour had lost its vibrancy, parts of its edges was snagged and torn and the ribbon flaps were almost pulled out of the knot.

I pulled off my grey flat cap, which was more like a screwed cap with part of the visor broken so the right side of it flopped down, and shoved in my back pants pocket.

My hands ran through my messy layers of short black hair, flicking aside brow-length stands of fringe.

Looking down, I groaned when I saw my navy vest had lost two of its bottom buttons revealing more of my untucked shirt that was definitely no longer white, but splotched with dark red and grey stains.

I sighed at the shabby sight of my worn down boots that were beyond the scuffed stage.

Looking up, I saw the slight crease lines on my forehead and felt conscious not to frown.

Man, I felt haggard.

“Can we get a drink?” I asked no one in particular. “Scratch that. Get me a keg of ale and a straw.”

“Ha! I second dat!” War piped up. “Best thing yah said Famisto.”

He slung his arm around my shoulder to pull me around.

The knights faced Death, War and me with sneaky grins.

“You Gat Shiem brothers like your drink, don’t you? Okay, why not? Not like we’re going to get more done around this place,” Lita agreed. “Jensen and Orion Team already has the last bit of trouble under control.”

Wilfred and Saku had also expressed agreement on the suggestion.

Ryoko gave us one of her classic hard-boiled frowns. “You’re on my watch. Any funny business, I’ll be handing out punishments.”

She growled at the hearty slaps and pats to her back.

“Yosh! Let us do this. I think we deserve it,” Saku cheerfully said.

He told us of a place where we could go to get smashed.

Ryoko dropped her tough attitude with a sigh and gestured for Saku to lead the way.

We followed him across the foyer’s polished white marble floors towards enormous redwood double doors.

The afternoon sun threw elongated shadows to our footsteps. I soon realised that the area was empty of animal bots and people.

“Did the people get moved?” I asked Lita’s back.

“Yes. They were evacuated back to the Second District for safety reasons. Only knights currently remain in this area,” she confirmed.

I shrugged off all other questions that were forming in my head and focused on the exit.

Saku opened the double doors.

I relished the stream of daylight that rushed at my face. It felt comforting.

“Let’s get smashed!” I loudly declared.

“Hai!” The others heartily agreed.

We crossed the threshold to the outside world and closed the doors to Hell’s Labyrinth.