Yasushi sat hunched over on the floor of his cage, eyes closed, focusing on the latent moisture in the air around him. With a deep exhale, he extended his senses, feeling the water molecules respond to his will. Slowly, carefully, he guided a thin stream of water into the lock mechanism of his cage.
*Click
*Click
*Click
The lock was complex, but Captain Haru's training prepared him. He manipulated the water with precision, feeling it conform to the shape of the lock's interior. With a series of subtle movements, he coaxed the tumblers into place, releasing a soft clack that echoed in the silence of the room.
He opened his eyes and pushed the cage door open, wincing at the low creak of the hinges. As he stepped out, free of any forcible contact, the full impact of his surroundings hit him for the first time.
The room was far larger than he'd initially realized, stretching back into shadows his eyes couldn't penetrate. The cage had been positioned near the entrance, surrounded by stacks of crates obscuring his view of the room's true dimensions. As he ventured deeper, he found himself in a cavernous storage area, its ceiling lost in the gloom above.
The foul odor that had been merely unpleasant in the cage grew stronger with each step. It transitioned into a miasma of decay and chemicals, coating the back of his throat. Yasushi fought the urge to gag, forcing himself to breathe through his mouth.
Hm? …What the…
Moving between the towers of crates, his foot suddenly splashed in something wet. Looking down, his foot partially submerged in a small puddle of thick, black liquid leaking from one of the nearby crates. The viscous substance clung to his foot, reluctant to let go.
Yasushi tried lifting his foot, but the black ooze stretched like tar, maintaining its grip. Panic flashed through him momentarily - being stuck here could mean recapture or worse. Hastily pulling himself together, he focused on the moisture in the air around his foot drawing it in to create a thin film of water between his foot and the substance. He worked the water into the sticky mess, diluting it while constantly adjusting the flow of water to break down the substance without spreading it further. Gradually, he felt the grip on his shoe loosened. With a final push of his water manipulation, Yasushi broke the last of the substance's hold, quickly stepping back, leaving a diluted puddle of the black liquid behind.
What the hell was that??!!
His eyes followed the leak to a tier of crates towards the back, cautiously approaching it. With steady hands, he lifted the lid unearthing a repugnant stench. Inside, human body parts and organs lay side by side, neatly arranged in a grotesque display coated in the black substance. Some parts were recognizable while others were so mutilated and exotic that he couldn't identify them. Yet, despite the horrific scene, Yasushi felt nothing. No revulsion at the grisly contents of the crate, no fear at his situation. After everything experienced, he found himself becoming numb, his emotions locked away behind a wall of survival instinct.
In the corner of the crate, partially hidden beneath a tangle of unidentifiable viscera, Yasushi spotted a glint of metal. Reaching in, his fingers closed around the handle of a crowbar, pulling it free, then wiping it clean on a relatively dry portion of his clothing.
Closing the crate, Yasushi turned his attention to the rest of the room. Though barely lit, he could make out additional details of his surroundings. The walls were rough-hewn stone, suggesting they were underground. Chains hung from the ceiling at irregular intervals, swaying slightly in a breeze he couldn't feel. In the far corner, a large drain planted in the floor stained with blood and clogged with pieces of flesh.
He turned around and made his way to the door, gripping the crowbar tightly. Yasushi pressed his ear against it to listen for any signs of guards or movement outside. The corridor beyond appeared quiet, but Yasushi knew better than to let his guard down. Every step from this point on would be fraught with danger. As he prepared to leave the room, With a final deep breath, Yasushi gently turned the door handle.
With extreme gentleness, Yasushi slowly opened the door and peeked through the crack, instantly surprised by what he saw.
The guard by the door was fast asleep in a rickety wooden chair that looked ready to collapse under his meager weight. He was a thin, gangly man with a face too small for his elongated head. His nose, disproportionately large, protruded like a beak, and from one nostril, a snot bubble expanded and contracted with each snore. The guard's mouth hung open, revealing a set of crooked teeth competing for space in his narrow jaw.
A spear rested loosely in the crook of his arm, threatening to clatter to the ground at the slightest movement. The guard's clothing, several sizes too big, bunched up around his neck and wrists, giving him the appearance of a scarecrow dressed in hand-me-downs.
Yasushi opened the door a little wider, hesitating with each creak. The guard shuffled in his sleep, mumbling unintelligible. Yasushi froze, his heart pounding. But the guard simply turned over, his slumber undisturbed, the snot bubble miraculously intact.
Taking a deep breath, Yasushi got on his hands and knees, crawling out of the room. He inched past the guard, acutely aware of every sound - the soft scrape of his palms on the rough stone floor, the guard's rhythmic snoring, the distant drip of water ringing through the underground complex.
Once past the guard, Yasushi rose to a crouch and made his way towards the hallway leading to the stairs. As he moved, memories of his earlier journey with Lee flooded back.
The underground corridors were a maze of rough-hewn stone passages, their walls slick with moisture. Torches were planted at irregular intervals, their flickering flames forming long, swaying shadows that seemed to reach out with grasping fingers. The air was smoggy with the scent of damp earth.
He remembered how the passages twisted and turned, leading deeper into the earth. Some corridors ended in heavy wooden doors, others in iron gates that mimicked cells or storage rooms. The overall layout designed to disorient and confuse, a deliberate labyrinth to thwart escape attempts.
Yasushi reached the stairs, rushing upward, taking the steps two at a time. His hand trailed along the damp wall for balance. The staircase spiraled upward, each turn bringing him closer to the surface.
Finally, he reached a heavy metal door at the top of the stairs. Taking a moment to recall Lee's earlier actions, Yasushi stood ready, steeling himself, praying that his ruse would work. He raised his fist and banged on the door three times, then deepened his voice as much as he could. "OPEN UP!"
As he waited for a response, Yasushi's heart pounded so loudly he was sure it could be heard through the door. Everything hinged on this moment - his freedom, his chance to find Kaname, and even their very lives.
The sound of a lock turning sent a jolt of adrenaline through Yasushi's body. He tightened his grip on the crowbar, his palms slick with sweat. The door creaked open slowly, each inch revealing more of the dimly lit passageway beyond.
Yasushi's muscles tensed, ready to spring into action. As soon as the gap was wide enough, he lunged forward, putting all his weight behind the push. The door flew open with a bang, and a startled yelp echoed in the corridor.
A rat yazumi, its fur matted and eyes wide with surprise, tumbled backward, landing hard on the stone floor. Before the creature could recover, Yasushi was upon it. With a swift, brutal motion, he swung the crowbar, the metal connecting with a sickening thud against the yazumi's face.
The yazumi's head snapped to the side, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of its mouth. It looked up at Yasushi, its beady eyes filled with fear as the young prince leveled the crowbar at its face.
"Tell me where the girl is," Yasushi demanded, his voice shallow and murderous. The yazumi's whiskers twitched nervously, its mouth opening and closing without sound.
Suddenly, the echo of approaching footsteps filled the corridor. Yasushi's heart raced. In a split-second decision, he grabbed the yazumi by its threadbare shirt and dragged it into a shadowy alcove. Pressing the yazumi against the wall, Yasushi brought the crowbar across its throat, applying just enough pressure to make breathing difficult.
"Where can I find the girl that Lee's holding?" Yasushi whispered urgently, his face inches from the yazumi's twitching nose. The creature's breath came in ragged gasps, its eyes darting between Yasushi's fierce gaze and the crowbar at its throat.
""I... umm... he... uh hu..."," the yazumi nervously wheezed, its voice barely audible. "Please, I'm just a guard. I don't know anything!"
Yasushi pressed the crowbar harder, his patience wearing thin. "Tell me!," he hissed. "I know she's here. Where are they keeping her?"
The yazumi's eyes bulged, panic setting in. "Wait! Wait… The springs!!" it gasped. " She's at the springs! The child was covered in blood. Zei ordered the turtle to bathe her."
The footsteps were getting closer. Yasushi could hear voices now, rough laughter bouncing off the stone walls.
"Is he with her?" Yasushi inquired, loosening the pressure slightly to allow the yazumi to speak.
The yazumi shook its head frantically. "I don't know. I swear, I don't know!"
Yasushi's mind raced, weighing his options. The voices were almost upon them. He pressed his body closer to the yazumi concealing their presence in the darkness as he watched Zei's men scroll past, never looking in their direction.
"Where is he keeping her?" Yasushi whispered, easing his body off the yazumi.
"Chained up in his back corridor," the yazumi wheezed, its eyes pleading. "I'm begging you… Please, don't kill me..."
Yasushi's jaw clenched at the thought of Kaname in chains. "Take me there!" he ordered, pulling the yazumi away from the wall.
The creature's whiskers twitched hysterically. "I can't. I'm a lowly yazumi. I only open and close doors. I'm not allowed in those areas."
Yasushi paused, listening intently. The footsteps that had been approaching earlier had now faded away. He looked back at the terrified yazumi and sighed. The aura of malicious intent formed around Yasushi, his eyes blazing with hostility causing the yazumi to quiver.
"This is what we're going to do then…"
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