Listening to the mouse speak, Deep remained skeptical. "Little one, where is your home? How many people are in your family?" he asked again.
The white mouse put her paws on her hips. "I live on Coral Island, East 12th District, number 158. My dad's name is Oliver, and he's a doctor. My mom's name is Olivia. I'm an eleven-year-old girl! Hmph! There, do you believe me now?"
Sailor chief Deep started to say something more, but Charles held him back. Charles didn't care where the little one came from; he was more concerned with the dangers lurking outside.
"Lily, I can take you back, but first, you have to tell me what those things were."
The white mouse, Lily, shook her head. "I don't know. My uncles don't know either. I call them 'Big Fat Bugs.' If you run into them, you have to split up and run for your lives! They're very powerful. Not only can they turn invisible, but they also spit at you. My friends were caught by one, and none of them ever came back."
"Are there many of them?"
"Lots and lots! Past the stony ground, there's a mountain, and they're all over it," Lily said, gesturing wildly with her little paws.
After briefly assessing their strength versus their potential foes, Charles fell into deep thought. There's no path to the Earth's surface from this island, and it's overrun with dangerous monsters. It seems there's no point in exploring further.
"Lily, we're going back to Coral Island now. If you want to go home, you can come with us."
He could feel the white mouse's friendliness, and he could empathize with her desire to go home.
Just as Charles turned to leave, a chorus of squeaking erupted. A swarm of mice bared their teeth, blocking their path.
"Wait!" Lily cried out. "My uncles need your help! Can we go after we help them? Please?"
Charles shook his head, not wanting any further complications. "Sorry, we can't help them. Tell the mice to clear the path."
The innocent Lily didn't seem to understand his refusal and said in a pleading tone, "Oh, please agree! The thing they need is really important to them. Look, my uncle is coming out!"
Everyone turned to see a giant rat the size of a small dog crawl out from the shadows, its bright yellow eyes sizing up the humans. This giant rat was clearly not as friendly as Lily; its eyes were filled with hostility.
SQUEAK!
The giant rat shrieked, and the surrounding mice instantly surged forward, their teeth bared as if ready to devour Charles and his men whole. In an instant, Charles and his crew drew their weapons, aiming them swiftly at the rat king.
Seeing the tense standoff, Lily's furry face filled with anxiety. She scurried over to the giant rat and began squeaking rapidly, apparently trying to reason with it.
After a moment, the discussion seemed to have concluded. Lily turned back, a hint of apology in her voice. "I'm sorry. My uncle says he's already had the other mice seal off the beach. If you don't help him, he won't let you get back to your ship…"
Charles chuckled softly. He hadn't expected to be threatened by a rat.
HISS...
The fuse on a dynamite charge the size of a small quilt was lit.
Lily recognized the object in Charles's hand, and all her fur stood on end. "Don't light it! Don't light it!" she shrieked. "Uncle will reward you! It's a relic! A good relic!"
Charles pinched the burning fuse between his fingers, extinguishing it. "What kind of relic?"
He didn't want a fight to the death with these mice. If the reward was suitable, their offer might be worth considering. Soon after, he saw two mice dragging two items toward him: a mask and a sheet of paper. When Charles picked up the paper and read it, his eyes widened slightly. The contents were rather unexpected.
"Item Number: 096"
"Item Name: 'Clown Mask'"
"Containment Level: Level Three Item Containment. Currently contained in Laboratory 3."
"Description: 096 is a snow-white clown mask with a red nose and an ecstatic expression. It was discovered at a circus on Red Tree Island [DATA DELETED]. The previous owner of 096 went insane. Following a psychological assessment, the 27-year-old female subject displayed significant personality changes and developed dissociative identity disorder."
"Experiment Log 1: Subject 654 was instructed to wear 096."
"Ten minutes post-application: Subject 654's body became abnormally flexible and agile. Strength was greatly enhanced, with physical metrics approaching peak human limits. The subject demonstrated the ability to perform all manner of acrobatic feats, including but not limited to: aerial trapeze, Blindfolded Knife Throwing, and Shrinking Bones into a Box."
"Thirty minutes post-application: Subject 654 became somewhat euphoric. The subject attempted to communicate with Dr. [DATA DELETED] through the blast-proof glass, telling poor-quality jokes in an attempt to elicit laughter."
"One hour post-application: Subject 654 began talking to himself, engaging in a dispute with a perceived second personality within his own body. This was accompanied by neurotic laughter."
"Three hours post-application: Subject 654 attempted to sever his own trachea with his fingernails. Security personnel deployed anesthetic gas and removed 096. Three days later, the subject's abnormal physical and psychological conditions had not abated. Subject 654 was determined to have no further value and was subsequently destroyed."
This appeared to be a scientific report detailing an attempt to understand a relic known as the Clown Mask. Charles's gaze shifted from the paper to the mask carried by a mouse in the distance. That must be it.
After a moment's hesitation, Charles picked up the mask and placed it over his face. Instantly, his body felt as if it weighed half as much, like he was stepping on cotton. He gave a gentle push with his feet, and his body launched into the air, flipping agilely two and a half times before he landed perfectly on his feet.
Holy cow, this thing is awesome! If I went back to my old world, I could totally win a gold medal at the Olympics with this!
The next second, Charles hastily tore the mask off, staring in fear at its pallid, smiling face. Although the words had come from his own mouth, neither the tone nor the pitch had sounded like him at all. It was as if he had become a completely different person for a moment.
"So? Will you agree? Please? I was persuading my uncle for a really long time!" Lily chirped, having jumped onto Charles's foot. She tugged at his pant leg, shaking it insistently.
Charles hesitated for a moment before scooping Lily up into his hand. "Why do you need our help? These mice seem highly intelligent. Shouldn't they be more useful than we are?"
"We don't have hands! The item is in a room, and my uncle says you need hands to open it. Don't worry, it's really easy and not dangerous at all! I've been there several times myself."
Charles thought for a moment, then looked down at her and nodded. "Alright, I agree."
This mask relic is eerie, but as long as I control the time I wear it, it could be incredibly useful for either escaping or fighting. Even if I don't use it, I can sell it to other captains when I get back.
Hearing Charles's answer, Lily jumped for joy. "That's great! I knew you were a good person!"