A giggle floated to him from behind, attracting his full attention. The room was vast. Since the curtains were drawn, Ezra had to rely on his glasses to see in the dark. 002 updated him over the situation outside. Everything was going according to plan.
A faint scent of lavender lingered, piped in by a hidden air purification system. A canopy bed was at the center of the room, the undeniable focal point. Ezra stared in that direction for a few minutes. When he realized he was wasting time, he got pissed and returned to his task.
There was nothing charming about a girl tied to a bed and it wasn't his problem. It was a Feylindra's problem.
"A true gentleman never ignores a lady!"
A gentleman? Who? He looked around, searching for that gentleman sarcastically but there was none anywhere. He was certainly not a gentleman.
"I don't see any lady anywhere," he retorted.
The girl was tied tightly to the bed, her wrists bound to the posts. No matter how much she squirmed, the cords refused to give in. She found it annoying and especially, she wasn't scared, which tipped him off.
"You've got a point. I'm not a lady but I like to pretend to be one. I'm beautiful. All men lust over my body. Turned out, even women do."
She rolled her eyes, checking the ceiling. There were some fancy paintings on it. It would have cost a lot to paint them, as expected of the rich. Still, it was odd that the Feylindras didn't move their abode to the Elysium Tier.
"Why are you still tied there?"
The girl didn't look like a Feylindra. The latter had distinct features that set them apart from normal people. They gave off the impression they were animals. More importantly, they didn't have emotions.
"I'll tell you where is the thing you're looking for if you promise to save me, daddy," she giggled.
Before, Ezra wasn't interested in the girl. Even now, what she said was suspicious. But if she knew the Feylindra's secret, he would definitely give her a helping hand.
He strode over to the bed and watch her put on another show of squirming to set herself free. She scanned his features, her eyes slowly going down, checking, calculating. A smirk played on her lips when she checked down.
It didn't help him trust his last decision. He should have ignored every word she said. A naughty twinkle shone in her eyes, giving him chills.
"You're pretty at ease for someone who is helpless and weak."
He could feel her Lumen. She was a mage that escaped cyborg's supervision. If she could do so, then she could be staying still for a reason.
"If I could escape, I would have done it, handsome. These cords are tied tightly around my freedom. Let me be free so I can spin over whatever's down there. I bet you're big."
She trembled as she laughed. Her bright blond hair was a mess, tangled around her face and in the bed. He could only pay attention to it when she started laughing uncontrollably. Little flowers were woven into her hair, as if someone had tried too hard to turn her head into a bouquet.
To him, it was ridiculous. Stupid even.
He tore one of the flowers and checked it. His glasses scanned it, detecting Lumen. They weren't normal flowers. He tore another, then another. She let him do so, the twinkle in her eyes turning brighter.
Each time he tore one, another one bloomed instead, replacing the old one.
He scanned the rest of her clothes. They were normal but for certain, vines tangled down her thighs, appearing in his field of vision. She wore a plain white dress, boring, with loose threads at the seams that made it look old or rushed. The way it hung on her didn't help—too big in some spots, too tight in others. She reminded him of a bug caught in a web, struggling uselessly but stubbornly refusing to stay still.
Her expression made it worse. There wasn't fear or even guilt, just this stupid calmness that made his jaw clench. Like she was above it all, despite being tied down and clearly in no position to act smug. It wasn't elegance or grace. It was infuriating. As if she thought this was her idea of playing along, even when the situation made it clear she was nothing but a nuisance.
"You know, you can tie me all you want once we're out of this place."
"I'd rather finish what I started."
He walked back to the stack of papers and swiped them all down the floor. There was nothing that betrayed a weakness. All the papers were about stupid stuff no one would care about.
002 scanned the room through his glasses and he couldn't find anything. The mansion was as old as the Atkinson's.
"You're so rough. I like that," she replied. "There was a terminal somewhere… ammm… where did I see it?"
Ezra had a hand over his glasses, still scanning when he heard her. He thought she was bluffing.
"Ammm… It was a mighty button, yes. The lady used it to call a bearded ugly old man…"
"Where is it?"
"I wonder about that. You see, my brain isn't fine with all the knots blocking blood from reaching up. I might remember something if the blood rushes back where it belongs…" she licks her lips. "And maybe I can help little brother get some blood too…"
She was about to keep going so he rushed to her side and closed her mouth with a pillow. As he was working to free her, her mouth broke free and she started talking again.
"Tick Tock! Time's running out, handsome. Anyone will hate it if a gorgeous flower like me withers before being smelled and eaten."
No matter how hard he pulled the cords, they refused to give it to his strength too. He even used Lumen to strengthen his hold but in vain. Instead, he felt his Lumen being drained. Then, he understood why she couldn't break free.
The cords were made with another special material that he ignored. Since time was pressing, he took out his Plasma Arc Blaster. It was a versatile and devastating weapon.
Ezra wired it on its first phase, utilizing plasma bolts. They were fires concentrated bolts of plasma, causing intense heat damage and melting through most materials, including metal and reinforced armor.
With precision, he shot a few bolts and the cords melted. However, they started regenerating quickly. He had no choice but to look for the key.
He was sweating profusely when the girl talked. "What a shame! It seems I have to help. Do it again. I will blast it with my Lumen."
He did what she asked. Before the cords connected to the one holding her hand, she used flowers to make a wider opening and freed her hands. With her legs swung over the edge of the bed, she rubbed her wrists, smiling broadly.
"That's so kind of you! I can feel the blood rushing to my brain," she giggled. "How about I help you with what I promised?"
"Just don't talk," he groaned. "Whenever you open your mouth, you traumatize my ears."
"Where is the terminal?"
She replied with humming, nodding and using her hands to draw shapes in the air. Ezra knew she was wasting his time. But unfortunately, she was the only lead to what he was looking for.
"Answer properly," he glared.
She hummed again. With her flowers, she formed a sentence. "But you told me to stop talking."
"You're wasting my time," he yelled, his patience reaching its end. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Where is it or you won't like what you'll see?"
She smirked. "Oh tie me, handsome. I'm at your disposal… Oh Alright! Alright!" she raised her hands in front of her, surrendering. "I saw the lady pushing some kind of button in her drawer."
He let go of her and emptied the drawer in the desk. But nothing was there. He touched the surface inside, checking every corner. Then, he noticed a hidden compartment underneath the main drawer cavity. He removed it with the support of a pin and finally found a red button.
Upon clicking on it, the entire desk shifted. A holographic interface materialized, which allowed him to interact with the system. He grinned widely as he ordered 002 to hack the system and download all important files that would become the Feylindras weakness.
002 needed an hour to finish its task. But Ezra had everything he needed but time.
"You're bold. I'll give you that," a voice echoes to his left.
Ezra turned his head slightly to see a woman elegantly standing by the door. She was tall and beautiful. Her crimson dress flowed like liquid silk and her sharp features bore a regal air. Her lips curled into a smile that didn't reach her cold eyes.
"And you're late."
The girl giggled as she clapped, as if she was enjoying a show. Ezra wished she would just disappear as she was supposed to. He freed her, so why was she sticking around?
While the girl attracted the lady's gaze, Ezra returned his focus to the terminal. The files were downloading but the process wasn't as quick as he'd hoped. Probably because 002 was busy calculating other things.
"I see that my food is free." The woman took a step forward, the soft clicking of her heels echoing menacingly in the room. Ezra didn't know if the woman recognized him or not. "Do you know whose house you've just walked into?"
The lady reached for the light switch but Ezra shot the lamps, thanking darkness for cloaking him.
The lady smiled. "So you must know where you are. You mustn't be a normal thief or you wouldn't be here. The question is: do you truly understand the danger you've put yourself in?"
Ezra smirked but didn't answer. He'd learned long ago that silence often unnerved people more than words.
"Or perhaps, you're underestimating me."
The woman tilted her head, her elegance unwavering as she studied him. There was nothing plus infuriating than seeing intruders acting arrogantly in front of her.
Her elegance was completely lost when her form started to change. Her arms elongated, ripping her dress. Her face contorted, the refined features melting away to reveal a grotesque creature. Her voice deepened, a guttural snarl replacing her measured tone.
"You think you can steal from the Feylindras and walk away?"
It kinda scared him. Ezra peeked at the girl. She didn't seem bothered by the change in the atmosphere.
He never thought that the Feylindras harbored a monster. She certainly had their cold traits. Moreover, this should be their secret.
"I was hoping to," he said, too happy that he forgot his earlier decision to not use his magic abilities.
With a broad grin, the creature lunged towards him. The head resembled a disfigured wolf but the arms were too long for them to belong to one. It felt as if someone put together a creature from different animals.
Ezra glanced furtively at the terminal. It was still downloading but too close to the half. 002 would take care of the rest. He should merely entertain the monster till it was over.
His gun in hand, he shot the monster. The attack repulsed the creature backward but it didn't damage it at all. Instead, the bolts deviated and broke the wall of the room. The monster immediately got on two long legs and threw itself again, this time, dodging the upcoming bolt.
Ezra had no choice but to use his Lumen. Because of his blood, he had a special affinity with electricity. He was about to cast a spell when the girl, who was watching till now, reacted.
A vine knotted around Ezra's leg, holding tightly and pulled him as she broke into a run. His body landed on the ground in a loud thud and his eyes watched as the creature ended up behind him. Before knowing it, he got dragged quickly to the girl's side, as she kept laughing.
"You bitch!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" she rejoiced. "I'm all in for compliments but it's better if you don't fight them."
She stopped running and tried to help him up. But Ezra got mad and slapped away her hands. He planned to jump out of the window when the downloading was over. He just had to play with that monster a little. It wasn't like he was weak.
"I don't want to see you ever again," he glared, his eyes full of hostility, which didn't sit right with the girl.
"Now, now, even I would get mad at such things," she glanced back and upon seeing the lady following them, walking slowly, she continued. "We must keep running. I'll explain why I loved dragging you from that place. I love ruining plans."
She giggled, grabbed him tightly, using her vines to intertwine their hands and resumed running. Ezra couldn't understand such woman. His sister was easy to deal with. He could get why she was acting the way she did.
The girl opened a random door, closed it and pulled them behind a stack of boxes. It was a storage room and the smell wasn't welcoming. It sounded as if they kept cadavers inside.
"I'm listening," he retorted.
"Why do you think I ended up the way I did," she whispered. "I tried to fight her but magic just fades in their touch."
Ezra recalled how his gun couldn't hurt the creature. It was a weakness from his part to not notice such things.
"Then, what did she want to do with you?"
The girl got on top of him, using her fingers to feel his chest. "Are you jealous?"
The girl slowly crept on him, making him wonder why she had great confidence. Ezra hated women. They never influenced him in good ways. His sister made him feel inferior with her glares, the woman in his dream made him lose his mind and his mother was never there for him till the day she died.
The door opened and several men walked inside, each holding a gun. Ezra could see them through his system's eyes. Again, another woman would bring his end, why did he have to follow her without using his brain?
They sounded the alert and called their masters. The lady in monstrous form appeared by the door. The smell got to her nostrils and made her lose rationality. Her large hands grabbed one head after the other and brought them to her mouth, eating them.
The sound of chewing human bones made Ezra sick. He held the girl in his arms and pressed a hand against her mouth so she wouldn't speak. Until now, she had been ruining his plans. He didn't want her to bring them more danger to their doors.
Not a single man survived the massacre.
"It's not enough," the guttural voice said. "I need my food back. Food… where's my food?" she singsonged.
Ezra forced himself to think fast. There was no way to run away in a room with no windows. Instead of running, he needed to fight. But if what the girl said was the truth, then fighting was suicide.
It was then that a bunch of explosions started happening all over the mansion. 002 who has been running since it got there, planted more explosives along its way. Calculating that her master was in a dire situation with probability less than 20% to get out of it, it activated them all and the entire mansion started to crumble.
Unlike the basement, the mansion was still built with normal bricks and rocks. It was so old that it couldn't hold itself well. One of the Feylindras weaknesses. They were renovating it in time and spending a lot of money in using expensive, regenerative material to replace the defective one. But they didn't have time to complete the constructions.
The lady, sending danger but still not ready to give up on her food, started researching every corner of the storage room, flipping away every box or shelf in her path.
Once the lade got into a corner, Ezra quickly got out of his hiding place and shot another bolt at the creature. It was true that it wasn't effective in harming them but it still got them out of the way.
The monster bounced back, unable to dodge with all the noise hurting its ears. Ezra took advantage of the situation and rushed towards the window, shattering the glass with another bolt.
He jumped out of the third floor, thinking of using a spell to halt his fall. The girl enjoyment was clear with the giggles she let out.
002 appeared in her master's periphery vision, catching him midair while the girl used her flowers to cushion her fall.
"That's so rough, handsome! I was so obedient earlier, you should reward me."
"Master, you're cutting it close as always."
"Save the commentary for later," Ezra snapped. "I've got what we need. Let's move before we're buried underneath this mansion."
002 nodded, already calculating their escape route. The girl followed them, using her vines to repulse herself forward. They couldn't take the same way they got in. So they escaped through the main door, followed by a score of men shooting bullets.
"Haha," the girl laughed. "You're so silly for taking the main door as escape route."
They darted through the labyrinth streets of Subterra Core, doing their best to dodge anything that moved. 002 caught signs of approaching drones and calculated an escape route that would keep her master safe.
Ezra was used to these kinds of missions so he was agile. He dodged bullets and managed to stay out of drones' ranges. The faint glow of a hovering train station came into view. It was the fastest way to leave the area.
Ezra locked gaze into the nearest platform, intending to jump on a moving train. He used his Lumen, attracting the attention of the patrol units in the area. His heart races as he stuck to the surface of the moving train.
They snuck inside and sat down, breathing heavily. He thought that the girl would be left behind. He didn't want to save her but her vines got her out of her misery.
When she sat in front of him, her eyes full of mischievous twinkles, he couldn't help but ask. "Who are you?"