Leaf opened his eyes and looked around. He stood up and walked around the place where they were resting. He looked down at Poison's sleeping body and nodded.
He leaned on one of the large stone pillars holding the city above them and frowned.
"What are you looking at?"
Leaf turned around and saw Poison sitting up staring at him.
"Now we know what happened to the contacts. We need to get out of the city before we're discovered. All those dead bodies that we've left behind will increase the security here."
"Now you're thinking with your brain… So, what's the plan to get out of here since we can't come in the way we came."
Leaf looked down. "How about through the port and swim out?"
"Can't swim. Not swimming in that water. You've got no idea what's in it. Remember you told me what you all did back at the waterfall."
Leaf nodded. "You're right… There has to be another way."
"Sapling…"
Leaf nodded and looked at Poison. "Give me a moment to think. We'll find a safe way out."
"Good. I'll be waiting."
Leaf sat down again and closed his eyes. He floated in front of the pulsating object smiling. "You called? Do you have another way out of this place?"
"There's a way… There are many ancient tree roots underneath the city. If they're moved, then there're large tunnels that'll take you out of the city."
Mouse smiled. "That's great and all. The question is how to reach them since it's all stone and all."
"If you head down, you'll see. These roots have been growing around the stone for a long time. There's a gap there for you."
Mouse smiled. "Thank you."
He opened his eyes and looked at Poison standing in front of him. "That was fast. Have you found a way out?"
Leaf nodded. "We need to head down deeper into the foundations of the city."
"What's down there?���
Leaf stood up and started walking towards the access panel he had got stuck in before. He opened it and pointed to Poison. "Down there is our way out."
"What do you mean? Are we swimming?"
Leaf looked at Poison standing wrapping her hands around her and shook his head. "No swimming. I promise. There are countless tunnels that'll lead us out of the city."
"Tunnels? Really?"
Leaf nodded and jumped down through the access hatch into the level below.
"Wait for me."
He turned and watched as Poison landed next to him without a sound. He nodded.
"You're improving very fast. I couldn't hear you land this time."
"Thanks… Now where do we go?"
"We keep going down until we reach the tunnels?"
"How do you know where they are?"
Leaf started walking avoiding the dripping water. He stopped and looked at a patch of dried blood on the ground and a bent battery powered dagger.
��Who was here?"
"That's my blood. I was here."
"Ahh. At least you're fine and healthy now… Ahh sorry."
Leaf looked at Poison and shook his head and kept walking in silence. "Did you hear me? I'm sorry… I said that without thinking."
Leaf waved his hand at her and kept walking in silence. He moved under pipes and through small tunnels as he made his way down further into the heart of the city. He stopped when he saw a faint light in the distance. He pointed to the light and walked towards it slowly.
"I'm surprised that this is here… It shows that the Supreme has been planning this for a long time."
"You're not wrong. This place's perfect for all the work we've done. I'm glad that we've finally finished working on it. I miss the sun."
"Do you think that the Supreme will let us all go once he hears we've finished?"
"Why wouldn't he? We've done what he asked and even more. We even were able to test it against the Nebi."
Leaf crawled between the gap between the wall and the pipes and sat watching the small group talking amongst each other around a table. He looked around and saw a large body of water and on the wall he smiled. Large roots grew through the wall leaving large gaps. He crawled back and sat looking at Poison.
"I've found the tunnels out of here, but there's a problem. We've got to pass a group of people for us to reach them."
"There must be other ways to get down here. I don't think they'd walk through the way we did."
"Hello … I have to thank you for all your hard work."
Leaf turned and crawled through looking down at the small group standing in front of another that Leaf couldn't see.
"Supreme we're honored by your presence here."
"Hahahaha… I've wanted to come down here and thank you all for you hard work… I heard it did well against the pirate vessel Nebi. Congratulations are in order."
"Ahh… Thank you Supreme. We obey."
"That's the other thing. Since your work has been tested and completed, I've got another task for you."
"The Supreme speaks, and we obey."
"My attendant has been busy with his little pets that seem to be growing quite fast, and now they need to learn from some intelligent people such as yourselves."
"I'm sorry. We don't fully understand what you're asking."
"You'll see in a moment…. Come my attendant. They're all here ready to teach your pets."
Leaf sat back looking at Poison in confusion. "The Supreme is down there talking to people who made something that attacked the Nebi."
"Nebi? What's a Nebi? I've never heard of that name?"
"Rrrroarrrr!"
"Don't feed us to them… Please Supreme. We've served you well."
"That's the point… You've served me well, and now you'll all continue to serve me and the throne until the reuniting."
"Reuniting? What do you mean?"
"Does not matter. Feed and grow stronger."
"Roarrrrrr!"
"AHHHHHHHHH! No! Please!"
Leaf leaned forward and looked at the shadows along the wall. He watched as blood splattered against the wall. He sat back in the darkness looking at Poison catching his breath.
"It seems our path will be clear soon. We'll make it out of the city and back home shortly."
"Why do you say that?"
"The Supreme just killed all the people down there with some beasts."
"Why would he do something like that?"
Leaf looked at her in confusion. "Didn't you just hear that? I could hear him from here."
"No… I didn't hear anything. Your big head stopped the sound from reaching."
Leaf turned and ignored her looking out the small gap again listening for any sound. He climbed on the metallic pipe and pulled himself through the hole and looked down. He looked back and waved to Poison and nodded when she started to follow him.
He pointed. "See. There's blood everywhere, but no one's around. We can reach the tunnels now."
Leaf turned and looked ahead climbing along the pipes towards the other side of the room. He looked around and saw no one. He waited and then jumped down landing on the ground silently and stood up staring at the blood on the walls and table. He turned and walked to the other side and stopped in front of a large space of water. He looked at Poison in confusion. "There shouldn't be water down here like this should there?"
"This seems to be built recently. Look around there's no major damage or signs of age."
Leaf nodded and looked at the water. "Whatever they were working on, they must've have been building it down here. Makes sense since they said they haven't seen the sun for a while."
"Then we need to report this to the old man when we return. Now where are those tunnels you mentioned? I only see water, and you promised we wouldn't be swimming."
Leaf lowered his shoulders and pointed to the roots in the wall on the other side. "Over there. The tree roots are hiding them."
"You better not be lying to me… If I get wet, I'll be hunting you down."
Leaf walked to the root covered wall and placed his hand on the roots. He closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He watched as the roots started to move back revealing a large tunnel. He turned and faced Poison. "See. I told you there would be a tunnel, and no swimming needed."
"Fine you win… Let's go. We need to hurry back and see the old man."
"Yes. Now let's hurry just in case someone comes back here and sees us."
Leaf walked into the tunnel and placed his hand on the root again and watched as it closed covering the tunnel entrance behind him. "How did you do that? Did the old man teach you to do that?"
Leaf looked at her and shook his head. "No. He didn't teach me that. I learnt it on my own… I made a deal and after I learnt about how to do it."
"A deal?"
Leaf nodded and kept walking through the tunnel touching roots causing them to move out of the way. "Can we stop? I need to rest. I feel like we've been walking in these tunnels for ages."
Leaf stopped and looked at her. "We just rested a while ago. We're almost at the surface."
"I just don't like cramped spaces… Pleeeeeease?"
Leaf lowered his shoulders and nodded. He sat down and let out a long breath. He looked up at Poison sitting across from him. "Who did you make the deal with? Would they let me make a deal as well?"
Leaf pointed to his treelike legs. "The person who gave me these legs. I made the deal with them. I don't think you want the same thing to happen to you? Lose your legs and voice. Then you'd have to sign every time you wanted to say something."
He watched as she stared at his legs and frowned. "You're right… I don't think I could pay what you've paid for your deal. I'll get stronger in my own way."
Leaf looked at the roots and the tunnel they were in and looked back at Poison. "Your skills in poisoning are amazing. How did you learn them?"
"Umm. Let's just say I also made a deal, but I don't mind. It suits my way of fighting."
Leaf nodded and closed his eyes relaxing himself. "Sapling… Have you come to talk?"
Mouse opened his eyes and looked at the pulsating object. He looked down at his legs and smiled. "I miss my real legs sometimes, but the ones you gave are also good."
"You miss your dead legs? Why?"
Mouse nodded and walked around the pulsating object watching it pulse sending light through the connections high above him. He scratched his head. "I miss the color, waking up and sometimes feeling cold or hot during the night when I'm sleeping. Just small things like that.��
"Hmm. Sapling there is life in death. See the trees and roots around you. They feed on death to bring life. The soil you walk through, was made from ancient trees and animals, and its through their death we live today."
Mouse nodded. "Yes… I understand and I'm grateful for what I've been given. I'm not going back on what I've said. Just want to say how I feel."
"Ahh. Feelings… Emotions… They're tricky things. Throughout my lifetime I've seen humans and others do things because of their emotions. Wars, death, life and things like love and happiness."
Mouse nodded. "Yes, those things… If it wasn't for emotions, I wouldn't be standing here in front of you."
"That's true sapling. Because of those choices you've made, the events around you have changed."
Mouse sat rubbing his legs with a nod. "You're right. If I didn't fall into that access area back then. I would have vanished with the rest of them."
"Also, no one would have known what was happening. Yet because of what you experienced and told others, there's a chance to fight back."
Mouse nodded and stood up. He looked above him as the pulsating light faded into darkness. "Sapling… It seems you're also interested in poison like your companion."
Mouse looked at the pulsating object and shook his head. "Yes. It's interesting, and I know many plants hold dangerous poisons. I also know that if I ask for a plant that contains it to grow it will. But for me to carry around poison in my pockets. It's not my way."
"Yes. However, your companion doesn't carry around poisons in her packs and pockets. She carries them inside her. It's why she's tired all the time. Her body is poisonous."
Mouse looked at the pulsating object and felt his mouth fall open. "What did you say?