Rumble!
The vent shook wildly as I floated ahead. Warm air tussled my old cloak.
'The effects will run out soon'
Staying stationary and only nudging my body forward a couple of times, it got boring eventually. The spell only had about 18 minutes before wearing off.
"Now that I think about it, I also don't have my mask...."
It was a powerful artifact with a lot of uses in this kind of situation. Though, I hadn't expected that the elite squad of the empire would track me here.
'How the hell did they even find me? I know their mana sensors are top-notch, but not to this extent'
The ring I wore under my metal gauntlet at the time was in need of repair, same with the gauntlets.
Forcing my mana to rampage outwards for a few hours.
To think they could sense it.
I look at the current gauntlet I wore.
'This inferior prototype seemed more useful than I thought though'
It blew expectations away, I hadn't expected it to kill most of the impact from the pipe.
"Hm?"
My head, like a magnet finding metal attracted above to the sudden void in space.
"I can go up?"
Silently, I allowed my body to float above.
Flying upwards. Silhouette's of fans appeared occasionally as my body passed by them slowly.
But aside from the turning of fans.
'It's silent'
Nothing else like those tremors from before could be heard.
'Feels strange'
Ignoring my pessimistic thoughts, I stopped momentarily at a voice I heard.
'Hey! Where are they right now?!'
'Still at B2!'
'Move it then! They still have three more floors till they reach the boss!'
The sounds of rushed steps faded as time clawed forward.
"Sad that they didn't mention which floor we are currently on"
'Good thing is, the elite squad is still fighting above and not close at all to the secret path'
If they had passed and secured it, things would have turned difficult.
"But, should I now assume I'm in B5?"
The place I had been in was not recorded in the map that gentleman had given away to me.
Judging by the fall, it wouldn't be crazy to assume that there was a secret B6.
"Well, no other way but to crawl out of my hiding spot right?"
The Assassins of Layla may find me again but.
'There isn't much I can do about that'
Dealing with them wasn't particularly hard, however.
"One mistake is all it takes to create a domino effect"
I was not arrogant, I knew well how everything could fall down at the slightest misfortune and besides.
'Fighting them was not the request in the first place, and doing so on purpose would only hinder my original mission'
Everything I do should be to move only as the client wishes me to.
Nothing else should matter.
Thud!
Busting through the vent with my feet.
I hopped off, almost hitting the ground before levitating and hitting the ceiling.
'Is this how zero gravity would be like?'
That wasn't really the case though, it felt more right to say gravity 'inverted'
"Well, let's at the very least break the light bulbs, who would want to see someone on the ceiling like this, in this kind of situation no less?"
Shatter!
Glass broke as I shove my heel into the light source behind me.
Shatter!
Punching and shattering every source of light I could find with my barehand. I trudged deeper and deeper into the depths of the floor.
*
*
*
"I don't want to die man!"
"Ow! My ears, you ungrateful bastard!"
A wailing grown [REDACTED] man protested against his friend who wanted to drag him out.
"Listen man, you know that I'm sorry"
The man's friend looked at him, speaking casually even though they were both quite screwed.
"This is all your fault!"
The man pointed fingers at his friend.
"YOU! Said you'd get me a job! But instead...instead"
He shivered slightly before screaming all his pent- up frustration.
"You get me a shady unofficial job in the underworld!"
The man crouched to the floor, uttering curses and self-hate for trusting his friend.
"Now we are all going to get executed for being involved! Because of you!"
The friend sighed, ruffling through his hair till he spoke and consoled his mentally broken down friend.
"Look man, we might die, buuuuttttt....."
He whispered into his ear.
"They say those who surrender get tortured till they cough up everything and die miserably"
The man's face paled at the words.
"Shouldn't we die immediately if we are going to die anyway? Why drag it out?"
Lowering his gaze, he thought about what his friend had said.
He was right in this regard, why suffer when you can just take the easy way out?
Either way, they die anyway don't they?
What difference did that make?
Holding those thoughts tightly, he wanted to at the very least die by his friend's side.
Since he was....his best friend.
Both of them lived in poverty, due to their low status.
Even though they had the education.
They weren't accepted anywhere.
This was the only place that could give them a livable wage.
Which deep down, utterly disgusted the both of them. At the nobles who spit at their hard work, at the injustice they face each day and which they could not voice.
Because they also knew that a peasant's voice...
Would not reach the ears of those who have it all.
"Then, Luke...."
As Luke was about to leave his best friend crouching on the floor behind, he stopped when he called.
Turning his head, he heard Rot speak to him with the courage of a fool.
"Let's—!"
Shatter!
At the moment his voice spoke with resolution. Glass shattered as if it were his own, fragile clarity.
The lights had been destroyed.
Looking to his right, he saw a similar scene.
Shatter!
Something was shattering glass at high speeds, destroying each lightbulb with precision.
Shatter!
In an instant, the whole floor had succumbed to total darkness.
Only the shattering glass woke them and injected a cold chill into their spine.
Within the darkness, Rot could feel the tattered breathing of his friend pressing hard onto his earlobe.
Step
A faint step came hurling towards their minds frazzled from fear.
Rot felt a strong tug from his shoulder, it was his friend.
And he screamed.
"Rot! Ru—!"
"No you won't"
A voice made them both stay rooted at where they were.
The distorting and warped sound they heard made them feel a certain fear that one would only feel when a predator growled at you, the prey.
Step
Another step came echoing towards them.
But, for some unknown reason....the origin of the step could be heard from the ceiling.
"H-Ha...."
Rot, breath tinged with fear, wanted to cry.