Seeing the map and being given a proper goal to strive towards kicked the trio into high gear.
That didn’t mean they’d lost all sense and had gone rushing off, however.
While Lucian triggered his Knowledge implant to get some much needed information on the arcade game-like booth, Transient Cardinal and Julia threw open the other crimson velvet curtains to see if other screens would display the same kind of information.
Name: For the Scrubs.
Descriptor: A GAME forever stuck on an expanded Minimap.
Remarks: Even the most directionally challenged will be able to find a way out… eventually.
Even as the mellifluous voice streamed into his ears, Lucian kept an eye out, both on the hallway behind him and the two women as they threw back curtain after curtain.
He subconsciously rolled his eyes at the snarky remark, but didn’t dare to dismiss it out of hand; a wealth of information contained in the curt, even if somewhat condescending, blurb.
Triggering the Knowledge implant one more time, he made sure to sear the words in his brain so he could reproduce it verbatim.
Just in time, too, it looked like; Julia and Transient Cardinal returning from their inspections with an absence of concern obvious on both their faces.
The latter wiggled her fingers in an approximation of a wave as she approached. “Find out anything interesting, Knight?”
Lucian nodded and recited the information without delay.
Silence hung about the three like a shroud as the women digested the blurb. It didn’t take long, however, for Julia’s pursed lips to part.
“Interesting. If I’m not mistaken, the Name is different from the norm, yes?”
“Yeah it is. Not sure why, but it’s not as straightforward as all the others so far.”
“Does it really matter?” Transient Cardinal jumped in, obviously done digesting. “The Knowledge implant confirmed—explicitly, even—that the digital map is showing us a way out. Who cares if its name is a little bit weird?”
Lucian rubbed his palm down his face. “That’s not the point. What worries me is the abrupt deviation from the norm, as Julia put it.”
She tossed her head in a dismissive gesture, curtain of white tresses flipping up before settling back down. “Deviation, smeviation! More importantly, has the Knowledge implant steered you wrong so far?”
“No. But—"
“Uh, uh, uh.” She interrupted, finger wagging even as she spoke. ”Stop right there. I get that you’re sceptical, but isn’t it better to take our chances now so we can get out of here as soon as possible?”
Lucian sighed and opened his mouth, but snapped it shut when Julia interceded.
“You didn’t need to be so rude about it, you know?” To punctuate her point, she sent the white-haired waif an unimpressed glare, the latter looking slightly abashed before ducking her head in apology.
“And as for you,” honey blonde cascade shimmering under the dim florescence as she turned to face him full on, “Cardinal does have a point. Right now, what’s most important is to get out even if it might be a teensy-weensy bit sketchy.”
Lucian raised both his hands, palms facing outwards in defeat. “I get it, I get it. Sorry if I’m being troublesome. All of this just seems far too… convenient.”
Lucian worked his jaw, unable to come up with a better explanation than that. Noticing his struggle, Transient Cardinal hopped over, squeezed his arm reassuringly, and peered up at him through long, white lashes.
“No need to worry, right? It’s best not to stress about things out of our control.”
Lucian thought about her words as he reached up and gently squeezed her hand in his, smooth alabaster sharply contrasting against lightly calloused digits.
Gently prying off her fingers, he finally let out a belated hum of agreement; deciding it was best to follow the young woman’s advice in this instance.
Just as Lucian pried off Transient Cardinal’s pinkie, Julia clapped once and drew both pairs of eyes her way.
“Since we’re all decided, let’s finish up exploring this floor before heading down to the ground foyer, yes?”
“Sure, sure.”
“Yup~!”
----------------------------------------
Things moved quickly from there.
Before heading off, Lucian and the other two paused for a while, waiting for loot to appear after the three Closet Horrors had been slain.
As expected, several items came into existence not long after, in a surprising amount of numbers at that; comprising eight Abyssal Teeth and three test tubes of Toxic Essence.
Name: Abyssal Tooth.
Descriptor: A supernaturally sharp tooth woven with slight corruptive effects.
Remarks: It’s still not as sharp as sharpened metal!
Portioning out the loot became a simple matter of discussing who wanted what. In the end, the trio each received a Toxic Essence while Transient Cardinal and Julia took possession of three teeth, each; Lucian claiming the remaining two.
Once that was done, they retrieved their weapons and headed off.
Retracing their steps back to the main part of the second floor went by in a flash, the trio facing zero opposition on their trek.
After a swift discussion, they decided on going down another red skull hallway before exploring the one unclassified by Julia’s Perception implant, leaving the remaining red skull hallway for last.
Exploration proceeded smoothly from then on.
In the depths of the three gently curving hallways, they found:
An expansive canteen cum kitchen; spaced out puddles of blood-tinged water and overturned stainless steel benches strewn across the linoleum-coated floor…
Another two One-way Doors; one sealed, the other left wide open…
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
And last but not least, a pair of frosted glass sliding doors placed directly opposite one another, both sporting a square placard made from a dark-stained wood; crimson stick figures of a man and woman on the left and right one, respectively.
Each time they came across one of the new locales, any further exploration of its secrets was put to a vote.
After doing so, they’d raided the upended canteen cum kitchen like a gang of unscrupulous bandits, took a brief peek into the open One-way Door, and avoided the gender-specific bathrooms like the plague.
While they’d gain nothing from the latter two locations, ransacking the foremost area had been fruitful – literally.
Hidden in the kitchen, past the chaotic mess in the canteen, they’d found packets of dried jerky—meat unknown, even after Lucian used his Knowledge implant—and cans of preserved fruits—from mangoes to oranges, lychees to pineapples—the entire assortment kept on shelves out in the open.
Without a word needing to be said, the trio avoided the suspicious as fuck jerky. In contrast, with the cans being freely available and more importantly, identifiable, they stocked up without hesitation.
Even if none of them were feeling hungry as of yet, it was only a matter of time after all.
All in all, their bounty from exploring the second floor amounted to a stockpile of preserved fruits as heavy as each could comfortably lug around – without, most importantly, weighing them down and hamstringing their speed and flexibility.
On the bright side, combat had been a non-entity throughout.
----------------------------------------
Lucian swept his eyes over the ground foyer’s entire width while descending down the winding staircase. As he’d seen from above, the entire space was bare of either décor or furnishings, the sole exception being the dual-coloured mosaic tiling the floor.
His eyes lingered on the crimson word for a moment, before shifting away and zeroing in on the two people engaged in what looked like a one-sided conversation steps away from the grand mahogany double doors.
One was Boris, the behemoth of a man having acquired another improvised flail at some point while he had been gone; twisted up dust sheet slung over his cloaked shoulder, end table hanging from it by its thin stand.
The other was someone he’d yet to meet.
Silky ebony hair pinned up into a careless bun, with random short wisps framing her rounded, bronzed cheeks, a loose purple tanktop paired with frayed denim short shorts, and a long rope of tightly twisted dust sheets looped around her thin waist, slung over her shoulder and between her small breasts; one tied to a single table leg sporting shards of glass embedded irregularly along its length.
If not for the open black duster rounding off her ensemble, Lucian would’ve thought the stranger had a death wish.
“Yoohoo, Boris~! Who’s your new friend~? And does she need more clothes?”
It seemed like Transient Cardinal had no qualms about voicing out that exact same observation, however – even if phrased in a more diplomatic manner… though only by a touch, admittedly.
Lucian tensed up, subconsciously expecting something hostile to jump out.
However, he relaxed, once more, when nothing did even after taking a couple of steps down the stairs.
Throughout the remaining part of the descent, Transient Cardinal’s voice bounced off the foyer’s walls, the barren space’s acoustics far better than expected considering how long it lasted.
While Boris and the stranger had taken notice of their approach, neither responded until the trio were on the same level.
“Hello again, friends and little friend—”
“I’ve already told you, call me Cardinal!”
“—I’m glad to see the three of you are alive and well. My small friend, here, is named Tsumiki. I met her on the fourth floor, in the walk-in closet.”
At her name, the—Royal Nihonjan, a terrified voice whispered in the depths of Lucian’s mind—girl bowed slightly, the elegance exuding off her petite frame sharply contrasting her casual, worn ensemble.
Unfortunately, Lucian unheeded the whispered warning; an unsurprising occurrence, with the present fragmented state of his memories.
As such, even after a shiver of inexplicable apprehension crawled down his spine, Lucian dismissed it, chalking it up to his imagination. In the meantime, Julia and Transient Cardinal had already begun interacting with the purple-eyed girl – something he joined in on as well, moments later.
----------------------------------------
Handle – El Knight.
Health: Slightly injured.
G. A. M. E.—#1.
Players Remaining/(125/201).
Time flew by, with more and more people congregating in the ground foyer.
Chatter dominated the space by the time the numbers hit an even dozen, banishing the oppressive silence that had reigned within Galaxia’s confines.
Lucian observed the contained chaos from a distance, amusement sparkling in his light brown eyes, a soft golden hue bleeding in as a result.
At the centre of all the chaos were two people, roughly dividing the larger group into two.
Julia, having both the temperament and willingness to mix and mingle, had already pulled several others into her orbit; examples including Boris, Tsumiki, and Cherub, to name but a few.
The other was… a bit more of a surprise. Somehow, Diamonddust had linked up with a person after he’d disappeared, one he evidently meshed well with, to boot.
The man the effeminate golden blond had partnered up with was so nondescript to the point where the fact, in and of itself, made him all the more conspicuous.
A head of messy black hair, a pair of mud brown eyes, and average looks, both in build and facial features, the man could have easily disappeared in any crowd; further enabled by his plain grey sweater and faded denim jeans.
His sole standout point was the solid metal rebar hanging loosely from his grip, the glinting metal sporting several shallow pits across its length.
Much like the buxom blonde beauty, it seemed like the man—handle allegedly being Shepherd, from what Lucian managed to overhear—was adept at, and more importantly, willing to work the crowd.
Before Lucian could continue being a spectator, a light, flowery fragrance wafting into his nose clued him in to Transient Cardinal’s silent approach.
Shifting his eyes away from the mingling individuals, he looked to the left and met the white-haired waif’s pale blue eyes before she could even announce herself. “Can I help you, Cardinal?”
“Just wanted to let you know we’ll be leaving soon. Queen thinks that all the people here are all that’ll be coming, so there’s no more point in waiting.”
“I see.” Lucian pushed off the wall and strode over to the young woman, unburdened arm sweeping forward in an invitation. “After you then, my lady.”
Quick as a flash, Transient Cardinal pivoted on a combat booted heel, tossed her right hand’s table leg to her left, and looped her newly unburdened arm in the crook of Lucian’s own; the entire sequence carried out as fluidly as a dance.
“Lead on, good sir.” Peering up at him through long white lashes, an impish glint brightened up her eyes until they were more akin to sapphires instead of ice.
Lucian deadpanned down at Transient Cardinal and received a beatific smile in return. Shrugging her actions off, he adjusted his backpack’s straps, the padded leather having been digging into his shoulders from the weight, before setting off for Julia’s amassed group; white-haired partner matching him step for step.
The indistinguishable chatter became more understandable as Lucian drew near, clearing up until it was obvious less than a fourth of the crowd was actually participating actively.
Though his odd arrival with Transient Cardinal received a smidgen of attention, most of the rest were still fully focused on the honey blonde and the golden blond butting heads.
“—And that’s why there isn’t a point in waiting! Do you not get that?” Julia’s voice, usually a husky purr, had acquired a dangerous edge and transformed into one more closely resembling a throaty growl.
“And I say that’s bullshit. You and I both know that at least four One-way Doors were opened. Assuming all those within got out, that means at least 16 people should be down here right now.” While Diamonddust sounded calm, the annoyance burning in his bright blues told a different and far truer tale.
While Lucian had only caught the tail end of the ongoing argument, the topic was more than crystal clear. He took a quick step forward, intending to bring a stop to the pointless posturing, when a soft tug on his arm brought him to a standstill.
Lucian shot a befuddled look down at Transient Cardinal. All he received in return was a meaningful jerk of her chin at something off to the side; light brown eyes following her wordless gesture post-haste.
In the blink of an eye, they came to rest on Boris. While clearly disengaged from the argument at hand, it was painfully clear the behemoth of a man was annoyed judging by his heavily furrowed bushy brows and the throbbing vein standing out prominently on his bald head.
Even as Lucian watched, it seemed like the man had finally had enough.
“BE SILENT, THE TWO OF YOU!”
“SILENT, THE TWO OF YOU!”
“TWO OF YOU!”
“YOU!”
“YOU!”
“YOU!”
…
Akin to a cataclysmic rockslide given form, the cloaked giant’s gruff bellow echoed off the foyer’s walls and silenced all proceedings.
Once he was certain neither would start the argument back up, he continued; voice still gruff yet far more calm.
“This debate—” mockery dripped thick from the single word, making his feelings on the subject clear.
“—Is getting us absolutely nowhere. I propose we split up. All those who wish to stay can stay, and all who wish to go will go. What say the both of you?” Obviously, his proposal was aimed at Julia. More interestingly—and tellingly—was the fact it seemed to be aimed at the silent Shepherd, instead of Diamonddust.
If Lucian’s eyes hadn’t been focused on the latter, he would have missed it, but for the briefest of moments, not more than the blink of an eye, even, the golden blond’s eyes flickered over to the former, as if searching for approval.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly even as the nondescript man nodded subtly, wondering about that. Part of him wanted to believe he had been seeing things, but his rationality argued otherwise.
Before he could mull over it for long, however, a firm squeeze against the crook of his elbow pulled his attention out of his mind and down towards Transient Cardinal.
Pale blue eyes appraised him questioningly, one he replied to with a soft shake of the head
Just in time, too, it looked like; as both Julia’s and Diamonddust’s agreements rung out in the deathly silent foyer right after.
----------------------------------------
Things proceeded in a bit of a blur from there. In the matter of minutes, the group of 13—a new person having joined the mass at some unknown point—had split into two unequal groups.
One, led by Julia, comprised five others excluding herself; Boris, Cherub, Lucian, Transient Cardinal, and Tsumiki, handle being Okami, or so she claimed.
The other, ostensibly gathered by Diamonddust, but more likely by Shepherd, consisted of the remaining few; none of whom Lucian was acquainted with, though recognised all the same.
Lucian stared warily at the grand double doors, preparing for what lay beyond. While he was aware a multi-concentric briar maze dominated the grounds outside, the creatures that lay within—because he wasn’t going to dismiss what Transient Cardinal had seen—was a complete mystery.
Considering how casually lethal the creatures he had encountered up to this point had proven to be, he shuddered at the possible monstrosities lurking within the black-leaved, crimson-thorned depths.
The loud groaning of wood interrupted Lucian’s musings, causing him to focus back on the double doors as they were laboriously pushed open by Boris, done all on his lonesome.
He was kind of surprised by how much difficulty the behemoth of a man was having, but a howling gust of wind slapping him in the face once the doors were opened a crack explained the reason for it being so rather nicely.
Boris struggled against the winds for several more seconds, before with a low, carrying grunt, he shoved them open with an almighty heave.
The Wind’s ferocity instantly ratcheted up a notch, the accompanying howls rising in tandem until it sounded like a pack of ravenous wolves baying for blood. Lucian shielded his eyes with his forearm and reflexively tugged Transient Cardinal behind him in the same movement to shield her from the winds.
Once he’d become accustomed to the new environs, he shifted his arm away and properly beheld the world beyond.
High above, a swirling vortex of storm clouds, snakes of lightning flickering in their depths. Down below, a clearing carpeted in wildly fluttering grass, flowers stripped of all their petals poking out from between the bone white strands.
Lucian was momentarily gripped by the striking contrast, but shook his head and focused on the two, far more pertinent, things of interest lying right outside the doors.
First, the semicircular, multistorey thicket of dense briars; only a single opening, straight ahead, allowing for passage further into the maze’s depths and, second, the single digit number conspicuously rotating above said entrance; cast in a red so bright and vivid, it looked like freshly spilt blood.
And that number? Why, it was nothing but———
1.