Soul Lovers

Trap or Not?!

Back at the underground where only glowing Peirce now wearing Node's torn jacket, Sniffia and Node with Lazarus humming his way as he leads through the enlightened tunnel.

“Walking through this tunnel reminds me of the ice bears lair.” Node said, looking around.

“Are we totally going to trust this guy’s stories?” Sniffia questioned, “I’m never leaving here without confirming it first from Lord Jared. Where is he again?!”

“Hm. Lord Jared, so that was the scar face name.” Lazarus said as though he knew not his name while picking his nose.

“Hey!” Sniffia stopped at the middle of the walk. “He is suspicious. I don’t like him at all. Do you even know the way out of here?”

Lazarus stopped also with Peirce and Node. Then the man gave an exasperated sigh, lowering his head as he scratched both eyes with his fingers.

“Look here kid, I don’t mind if you trust me or not. But I promised the scar face I will personally take you kiddos home.” Lazarus told.

He picked his ear then he glanced over his shoulder at Sniffia.

“But one thing is this, I thought of it while on my way out of here. Taking you kiddos home will be the first and the last good thing I will ever do in my lovely life.”

Sniffia hands tightened into fists. Who do he thinks he is?

“Come on Sniffia, he is an Inhumane just like us.” Node related. “As he said before, without him, Lord Jared would still be in his cell and we wouldn’t be walking freely like this.”

“… You might be right Nock.”

“... It’s Node.” Peirce corrected while Node smirked at Sniffia not ever minding his name called as that.

“Sorry for that.” He responded to Peirce then turned his eyes to Sniffia. “Aren’t you a Beast or something. You could sniff out the truth in me—It’s possible. Before you ask how, I don’t know how it works.”

“She could do that?” Peirce asked. “Cool. Show us how.” His eyes glittered at Sniffia.

“I think she can’t since she was raised by Lord Jared, her wild instinct wouldn’t have manifested while staying with him. Hmm. Yes, that’s the possible reason.” Node nodded while scratching his chest then he yawned.

“Wild instinct?!” Sniffia raged.

Node blinked then faced Sniffia.

“Come on, Foxy. It’s just a slip of the tongue.” He looked down and away.

“Slip of the tongue or should I just cut it off?! Huh?!” Sniffia stared at him with her venomous little eyes almost removing the dagger that Aquila gave her from her shaggy-stained furry boot. Node swallowed then Peirce turned his face away slightly shaken by Sniffia’s words.

“As likely as not, Nude is correct. However look here, if you can’t get out of here soon like right now we will be caught up with the ruckus going on at the surface. I believe Scar face as we speak is buying us time to leave this cloying place. ”

“Hey guys. I think I saw someone hiding beside that wall just now.” Peirce pointed out as far as his glowing ability could reach. At a structure which looked like a vertical artificial mound of rock standing in-between a path within the slightly illuminated tunnel.

Lazarus clenched his fist as it glowed in black then formed into a wrist-reaper on both hands while he slowly paced toward the place as the kids followed behind.

“Cool!” Node eyes sparkled at the glowing black formed weapon on the babysitter’s both wrist. “Hey, Peirce you never told me how you pulverized that mighty glass earlier.” He spoke while still staring at the babysitter’s hands.

Lazarus blinked at the question then side looked Peirce behind while Sniffia was walking near him.

Peirce scratched his head with a big grin on his face.

“Well, it just kinda happened. It all started when I saw that Humane manipulating the air around him back at the… at the… “ Peirce mood suddenly changed lowering his eyes to his left on the thoughts of the things that happened back at the forest before their captivity and the death of--

“I found the person!” Sniffia exclaimed.

“Huh?!” Node and Peirce were shocked. Then they all walked over to Sniffia staring at someone or something clinching beside the wall not moving nor speaking.

Node’s eyes widened on seeing the person. A crouching little girl with chain bound around her neck wearing a light grey colored ragged-robe tinted with green as Peirce’s light thinly glowed on her until it brimmed over her. She looked heavenward with an innocent face.

“Isn’t... she one of the beast girls who tried to slay us when we were in that room.”

“That room?” Peirce asked curiously.

Node smiled with his hand on his hair.

“You don’t need to know. It is a long story also a sweet one also.”

Sniffia glared at Node with her venomous little eyes, Node flinched.

“Nothing ‘sweet’ happened, bubbles. He tried breaking me out from the room but the door broke on him instead. Anyways. What he said about the girl is true—”

The girl suddenly sprung up and walked to a certain place, turned to her right, waved at them then entered through an opening looking like a secret passage to who-knows-where.

“I think, she wants us to follow her.” Peirce said as he followed then Sniffia after. Node with a sigh followed Sniffia.

Peirce stopped at a couloir just as his glowing ability slightly shined through staring at the girl distant to them while standing near a door.

“She found us a way out of here!” He exclaimed.

“Wait a little.” Lazarus countered while walking up to them, “I thought they were two. Where’s the other one?” He looked at the slightly illuminated couloir then to the girl standing near the door. “She can’t be trusted. She might be luring us to a trap.”

“Luring us?” Sniffia scoffed. “Like you said earlier. I could sniff out the truth in beings. And to my scent she is truly showing us the way out of here.”

Glowing Peirce smiled to Sniffia direction then took a step just as his glowing shined brighter through the couloir Immediately snarling sounds was heard coming from both sides then Peirce froze glancing sideways. It sounded as though they were coming straight at him but luckily for him the cause of the snarling sounds were stopped by a strong massive iron bars on both side just as the hands of the snares stretches out to him with their eyes glowing red and their bodies darkened-rotten.

“What are this?!” Node asked just as Peirce looked at his sides in awe.

“I know a little knowledge about them. They’re called creepers, strange yet common beings infesting the Nymphs Kingdom as we speak, but this is weird, what are they doing in this part of the region?... Hmmm. Frankenstein with his ambition.”

“Now do you still believe her? She’s luring us to a trap, maybe a push-button somewhere will do in opening up those cages.” Lazarus warned.

“Yes, that’s why I’m going first.” Sniffia replied, walked towards Peirce, held his hand then boldly moved forward just as the snarling on both sides got louder at every steps they took towards the girl near the door, believably the door to their freedom.

“What’s a push-button?” Peirce asked as he was dragged by Sniffia.