Downgrade

Smashed Potatoes

The Founders were the ones who ruled the city for years and have been the main reasons to start such ranking in the system. Some said that it was just a dream that they turned into a reality, that they all were the same. But some heard that the citizens they have worked for weren’t satisfied with how they rule and wanted to be like them, powerful and equal.

Though equality is a bit hard to obtain, the three established several plans, including forming a committee to work with them. Because of such frustrations, in the end, they came up with a strategy, a plan – to subdivide the public according to their status and that is when the three levels dominated. The ranking had also taken over with possessions, staples, and the like. And surely, the Founders resided in the third level as Royals up until their deaths. News has infrequently speckled that from the start they murdered those who’re against them, and still continuing to do it until then.

Guilbert bunged over the couch, holding still his chest. He had just approached his limits. Loshiana without enough strength sat beside him. She had a wound on her arm. The smell of her blood enclosed the place, which made Cody remembered the Neatherock St., Kinzel was leaning on the door, her right leg was behind the other. It has been an hour since they met at the Long Range Fountain and headed to the base. Kinzel, crossing her arms with copious dark bruises, she sighed and gently rubbed her temple.

Mr. Elikai wasn’t there. He decided to go back straight to his house after he has seen and took valuable information. Though, he had secured that the Era will come back home safe, by leading them to another route without passing the same path they took to the Old Mill.

“So, what have you found there?” Kinzel coarsely said.

Cody finished quenching his thirst and sat off across with them. Miguel brought some cloth and natural herbs to treat Loshiana’s wounds. Vixen was beside Cody, still coping up with what happened. Stroking her loosened hair, she slowly gulped her water. “It was a burial place…” Cody wailed and couldn’t keep his tears from them. He was totally drained when he saw for himself how the devil works. It was engraved in his memory. He eyed Kinzel, “It was a burial place for those who went inside the City.”

Guilbert looked at him. He wasn’t anticipating to hear that they have killed those who were citizens before. He clenched his fist. Cody was disturbed since then. He slowly dried his tears and said, “They killed them and didn’t leave one.”

“It’s the rule.” Loshania flinched as Miguel cleaned her wound and gently placed the thyme that had been pulped.

“Yeah. That rule deserves my middle finger.” Miguel blubbered and fortuitously pressed Loshiana’s arm.

“O-ouch.”

“I’m sorry!”

Kinzel rubbed her nose. “Then I guess what we saw there in the Old Mill is just connected to what happened in Neatherock St. Did you find the messenger?”

“Yes. It was the Invisible Girl. Her name was Carmilla and they’re from the second level.” Vixen answered, tossing a coin on the table. Since her childhood years, she wanted to know who the Invisible Girl is. It’s one of her wish lists. As she came to her senses, she slowly lost the interest in finding the girl. But her drive suddenly appeared when she heard that the person has the same age as hers. Till then, she continues to search for her.

Even though she didn’t exactly saw the woman’s face in Neatherock St., she was certain that she’s the Invisible Girl.

“What? You found her?” Quinten asked, massaging his right leg.

“I didn’t find her. She found us.”

“How about the person who interfered with Miguel’s memory?”

“It was one of her men. When we arrived there, the four of them were there already, burning those dead bodies.” Cody said and took a yawn.

Vixen left the others in the living room with the current conversation. She moved herself to the kitchen and made dinner for everyone. Looking over the barrels, she took a fine amount of potatoes, deciding to boil them. Miguel was done treating Loshiana and eventually listened to Cody who’s talking with his outcry expressions.

“How many?”

“Almost in the twenties.” Cody sighed. He wriggled his nose as he recalled how the bodies laid lifeless on the ground. “There are also children.”

Cody suddenly thought about the two kids, Macky and Hannah, hoping that their parents weren’t killed with the others. Kinzel made a pace towards the calm low couch and sat. “Those unrestrained, negative emotions they tend to keep just made it to a curse for themselves. Thinking about it, there should be a specific reason why they need to come back.”

“As if they have planned so well to get inside through that gate, slowly until all are back inside again. What drove them back here? For sure, it’s so relevant that they need to play along with death.” She added and rested her back.

“That seems right. They’re heading inside well, not until…maybe, some of the authorities or the special forces have seen them entering the city.” Quinten commented, taking his foot on the old high-backed chair.

After a while, Vixen went back to them, now bringing with her some boiled and mashed potatoes. She soothingly placed them on the table. They gathered around. Cody licked his lips, looking over the food.

Quinten took a fine look over the food. Everyone laid their eyes upon him, expecting that he would take a scowling compliment towards it. Instead, he took a step back and raised his hands.

“Thought you’re going to nag the food again.” Cody shrugged him off.

“As if I have no choice.” He rolled his eyes.

Everyone gave in a laugh and it seems that their worn-out day had ended into a fine night. It was still fine and they just have to deal with what’s coming for tomorrow. Digging in, the others plunged into their seats.

“This is so delicious. I could cry my eyes out.” Cody said, taking a large bite.

Vixen smiled at him. She turned to look at the mashed potato on the food. It was simple, yet it can save their daily lives. She was silenced and wasn’t paying attention at all, tapping her fork over it.

“Vixen?”

She heard someone called her name. She slowly raised her head that was barely keeping still – a bounder, perhaps. It was Kinzel with a vexed expression.

“Are you okay? I’m not going to lend you a scold…for now.” She winked at her.

Vixen laughed a bit. “Hell yeah. We almost got ourselves killed with those guys.”

“Did you have a sufficient conversation with the girl?” Miguel snouted.

Cody nodded beside Quinten who was blowing hard his potato. “Yes. She told us that it’s up to us what we’ll do with the information. And she definitely knows about the Era, as if she had known us for a long time. She even said those last words,” Cody stood from his sit and mimic the girl. “When we meet again, I can’t promise that we will not hurt you.”

“Wow. She’s hell worse than I thought. I like people like her.” Quinten smirked in awe as if he just found the love of his life. Loshiana sneered. “You don’t want to deal with those who can interfere. So, can they even change the past?” She pried, her inquisitiveness was flaunting inside the room.

“I think not. From what I’ve seen, I think they can just interfere with someone’s memory in a specific part, less than five seconds, as what I’ve counted when one did interfere with mine. That wouldn’t change somehow the things that had happened with that remembrance.” Miguel said.

Loshiana sighed in relief. “That’s good to know.” Cody nodded in agreement.

Kinzel pushed off her seat and stood, stretching her arms upwards. Her face was a bit scraped.

“By the way, what happened to you in the Old Mill?”

The setting just curdled into an uncanny one. Their faces went numb and sombre.

“W-We’ve….we’ve gone outside Embreal City…” Quinten said, staring.

“You mean…you went through that unknown passage?” Cody asked. His eyebrows raised a bit.

Everybody nodded. They heard a lament from Kinzel. “The Informant was also there and realized he had also got a message. And it wasn’t just like that, several officers were roaming the place. Afterward, we have seen a familiar one among them and it turned out it was Penelope –.” Kinzel was cut off with Vixen’s tremor.

“Woah. Now, that’s the second time you’ve seen that witch.” She stated.

“Mhm. We didn’t anticipate that she’ll be there also. And we’ve seen that she’s also doing her secret affairs again. Constantly, she’s guarded. Though we have found the secret gate, they…eventually closed it.”

Miguel stomped. “But why?”

“They have guessed that everyone who turned back is all inside. It was their strategy – to trap them under their dominance where they can freely execute them by their own hands.” Guilbert uttered, holding his hands still after he had finished his meal.

“So…they have killed all of them, get rid…then close the passage they took.” Miguel brushed his fingers on his chin as he examined the things that happened with Era. “As if…they have plotted it well just before we could get our hands into such occurrence…Penelope was ahead of us.” He added.

“Man, this is escalating." Quinten commented.

“Hey…wondering about that…how did the messenger found our base?” Vixen suddenly snooped.

Silence had entered the place. They were thinking deep. Their eyes abruptly sprung wide as they realized one thing. Kinzel cussed in her position, “s**t. T-That man will surely have a punch from me.”

It was the Informant, Mr. Elikai. Of course, the old man had just sold their specific location to the messenger. For what? For money; for a living. Guilbert scoffed in realization.

“But...he also got the message right?”

“Who said that the payment will all be in money? Information can also be paid with the same thing.” Kinzel replied.

“Well…we can’t do anymore about that, but I think Mr. Elikai will not easily tell someone about our location if he can’t trust that person.” Loshiana said.

“I think she’s right. But then, he needs to give us an acceptable explanation before Kinzel will do anything with him.” Guilbert said.

“But, what happened to you? What’s up with those bruises and wounds?”

“O,h that…” Quinten shifted from his seat. “We caught up into a small fight just before we arrived in the Mill. It was just a bunch of stray cats…you know…harassing someone out of those pavements, and we’re kind of pushing each other as we headed along that dark alley to the outside. We even almost got in a fight.” He glared at Loshiana, who’s still on the verge of getting well from her wound.

“What?” She gave him one in return.

“And that woman.” He pointed to her. “Got so screwed that she ended up getting that wound, without knowing who did it to her.”

“How’s that supposedly be?” Vixen uttered with such curiosity in her eyes.

“She just cried in pain all of a sudden when heading back here.” Guilbert pondered.

Yawning, Kinzel pulled on her toe and said, “Let’s call this day off. Let’s discuss the rest tomorrow.” She waved her hand and went straight to her room.

Miguel and Cody stood from their seats and shook their bodies, moving each side. “Man, I don’t want to sleep. I thin, I’ll be having some nightmares tonight.” Cody said as if he’s about to weep again.

Guilbert patted the two. “It will be fine. Just think of it as an…experience.” He whispered beside them, giving them chills.

Miguel nagged him off. “Just go to your room already, will you?”

“Okay, okay.” He chuckled.

“Aye, we’re heading,” Cody announced to the team.

The three of them assisted Loshiana to her room and went to theirs respectively, leaving Vixen and Quinten. Quinten was brushing off his spoon on his plate giving a tingling, unpleasing sound as he examined the four.

“Something’s off.” He suddenly blurted, which made Vixen peculiarly gave him a cold stare. He shifted his watch to her and spoke, “What?”

“Nothing. You look drenched with the stuff in the sewers.”

“Girl, we literally went inside one. It was the passage we traveled through just to get outside this nauseating place.”

“What does the outside look like, Quint?” Now, Vixen was in all ears across to him. She softly laid her arm on the table and supported her face with her hands. She was like a child aching to hear someone’s story. Quinten raised his head and stared upon the highly wooden ceiling. Termites started to gather around on both sides. It was then, he realized that those who already started to take over will somehow, surely, consume the place if there’s no one to give them an obstruction.

“It was merely a forest, but there’s an unscrupulous feeling around it, as if there were eyes, the hunter ones, watching through those thick woods.”

“Did you see someone else?”

Quinten sniffed. “Other than us and Penelope’s troop, there was no one. We hoped that we will see those who have been eliminated, but we failed.” There was a bit of sorrow showed in his eyes, but it soon changed into outrage. He clenched his fist.

“I still can’t believe that they still want to get back in the city after they have been expelled. I can’t even think of something that fits describe the word beautiful or at peace. If I have a choice…I would rather be eliminated and dwell with those in the forest or elsewhere and never going to turn myself back in this place. This is vile.”

“Your reasons are somehow right, but we still don’t know theirs…why they need to put themselves again at risk.” She rubbed his back enough to loosen up. Quinten took a deep sigh and composed himself.

“Kinzel was right, we need to rest. I’ll be heading off.”

“Sure. I’ll just clean these first.” She smiled.

“Okay. Don’t think too much, it might make you unwell. Goodnight.”

“Sure. Goodnight.”

Quinten left Vixen and went to his room. The young lady grabbed the plates and utensils and washed them off in the kitchen. As soon as she finished, she dried all and gently placed them inside the drawers. She wiped off her damped hands with a cloth. She glimpsed towards their doors, hoping that someone will come out but she had thought that they’re all resting. Taking herself to the living room, she recognizes that the window was still wide opened, letting the cold breeze enter their base without permission, swinging the curtain. She stood beside it and peeked outside. The moon was staring bright in her direction. Slowly closing it, Vixen placed the curtain to its order and sprang herself on the couch. Lying down, she silently heeded the sounds around. The boars started to stray around together with the others who kept beeping their squeakiness.

It was a bit off to reminisce, but she closed her eyes, not for her to doze off but to recollect what she saw as she examined Carmilla from the street. The way she looked at them was something familiar to her as if she had a bond with each other and had been hidden for years to protect their own identities. Her voice was added to the matter as if she had heard her before. Vixen thought that the girl came from Care Orphanage too. Hoping that her intuitions are right, she scratched the back of her head.

Vixen was getting preoccupied with the girl again – she needed to stop. Hence, she needs to gather her views back towards Penelope and how they’ll safely pass the tunnel.”

Grabbing a yawn, she slowly drowned herself to sleep.

___

Tomorrow has come, greeting them not with the usual setting where the sun will have its rays bestowed upon, but a mild rain had welcomed them for the day. Loshiana was changing her cloth that was wrapping her wound. Kinzel and Guilbert went out early to check the Old Mill in a small amount of time, and promised that they’ll be back immediately.

Vixen rubbed her eyes. “Good morning. What’s up? Is there something that we’re going to do for today?” She asked.

“We’re still waiting for the two. But I heard, they’ll inspect me and Miguel later.” Loshiana said.

Miguel gulped several times, moving his head back and forth.

“Where’s Codfish and Hothead?”

“Probably in the basement, getting things ready.”

At the Basement

Quinten passed by Cody who's currently busy in arranging the papers that were scattered on top of the table. Humming, he gets on top of the chair and placed those coins inside a container inside one of their drawers, that he had found in the sewers two weeks ago. It was his secret hideout - a place for him to stay, mostly to avoid getting a scold from their boss. Despite of the unpleasant smell, he had managed to stray around and almost bear in his mind every path of it.

"Hey, Codfish. Do you sense any strange things from the others... like Losh?" He suddenly asked.

Cody focused his stare on the papers. "Mhm... " He thought for a while, trying to dig in with his memory. "There's nothing strange about her, except she's been inquisitive these past days."

He hopped and arranged the chair back to its original settlement. "That's it." He flicked Cody's forehead. "That's the strange thing. It's not like-"

Quinten wasn't able to finish his saying when he detected Miguel walking down the staircase.

"Hey. Did...I disturb you? " The man looked at them.

"No." They answered in chorus."

"Okay then." Miguel jumped over the couch and read his favorite book. Scanning over the page, he said. "What did you feel when you saw with your own eyes the forest, Quint?"

Quinten held his hand on the chair board. "Well, the place dwells something unusual... like a powerful one. It was domineering."

"You should have gone with them, Cod. I remembered you wanted to go out." Miguel added.

Cody was flushed and felt a bit of embarrassed.

"Just kidding." Miguel made a peace sign to him which was t a bit awkward. Instead, Cody just gave him a shrug.

Loud steps were heard coming to the basement. They saw Loshiana knocking over the wall, she was in a bit of a hurry as she caught her own breath. "T-They are back. Guilbert was looking for you all three."

They hurriedly went upstairs and saw everyone was gathered around the living room. Guilbert and Kinzel are sitting on the couch, while Vixen and Loshiana are standing on the concrete walls. All of them are waiting for the siblings to talk. Kinzel took a sigh and broke the silence, "They completely blocked the passage. But we have seen other things. We have recognized some people who're trying to break in again."

"How did they close it? Vixen asked.

"They have made a seal. Something was off too with the people we saw. I can't sense any power from them as if they're just simple individuals."

"If... they don't possess any powers... then that could mean that those they have killed are just mere humans too?" Cody deliberately said.

"That's possible."

"Did they make it through again?" Loshiana joined in.

Taking an amount of slime, Quinten played with it and was keeping his silence, patiently observing them at the corner.

"No. The barrier was too strong to break. They made sure that no one will ever use that passage."

A bell suddenly ranged around the first level. It was the newsman. He had delivered an important news today. Guilbert stood up from his seat and gently swayed the curtain to the side.

"THE OLD MILL HAD JUST BEEN BURNT. PLEASE SECURE YOUR AREA AND AVOID GETTING CLOSE AT THE PLACE." The newsman shouted and continued to announce it several times

Quinten made a mocking face. "Surely, they don't want the public to know about it and came up with an idea to burn all the evidence. Way to go for the both of you, you came there and had a better look just before they totally get ride the whole place." He sneered.

Vixen elbowed him for his bluntness.

"What are we going to do now?" Miguel burst into frustration.

"We have to go to the first gate and get to the next level. Maybe have some connections and allies. But first..." Kinzel eyed both Loshiana and Miguel. "We have to get into your memories, the time you've been taken as captives in the Royals' den."