The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 4: Maze

Maze

The conference room is chilled by air conditioning, a slow, steady hum that rises behind the birdsong outside. I take a seat in a plush chair that looks like it dates from the nineteenth century.

Ari, Neo, Robin, and Mandrake take seats around a round table.

No one says anything for a good minute. Then Ari waves her hand like a fan and leans forward.

“Markus’s problem needs to be solved first,” she says.

“Agreed,” says Robin. “We need to find a way to save his parents from the wrath of the Darks.”

The table is silent for a while longer. Then Mandrake speaks up.

“Are negotiations on the table?” he asks.

Robin shakes her head. “You know them,” she says. “They would never stoop to negotiating with their enemies.”

“And we shouldn’t either,” says Neo. “Those monsters do not deserve the kindliness of a negotiation that does not include fists.”

I look between the members of the Brights. “I really appreciate you trying to help me,” I say, “But if my network can’t find anything, then …”

Ari puts her fist into her palm. “That’s right!” she says. “You are the master of the contents of an entire S-class portal.” She pauses. “What did you do with them?”

“I just, kind of, stored them in my personal dimension,” I say. “I don’t really know what to do with a gigantic, aircraft carrier sized mammoth.”

“The devils serving you are smart,” says Ari. “So should the monsters you gained control over by using the bone sword. Ask them for help.”

I close my eyes. Come out.

Jirgrar appears in a puff of smoke. He bows. “Master?” he says. “Do you need something?”

“The Darks threatened to kill my parents if I don’t join them,” I say. “Do you think, with the minions from the S-class portal, that you would be able to protect them?”

“From the Dark Silverbones?” says Jirgrar. “Perhaps. We cannot promise anything. The Darks are very, very powerful.” He surveys the Brights. “I see you have already chosen a side?” he says. “I would have advised you against such a rash decision.”

“Thanks,” I say, to Jirgrar. “But I’ve made my choice.”

Ari continues to fan herself. “Ah, is this a tame B-class monster?”

“I think Jirgrar is A-class now,” I say.

Jirgrar bows to the Brights. “Thank you for taking care of my master.”

Ari chuckles. “No, no, thank you for keeping this young man safe.”

Jirgrar turns to me. “We shall do our best to keep your kin alive,” he says. “I must ask that you allow us as much freedom as possible in this endeavor.”

“This time, you can do anything except kill innocent people,” I say.

Jirgrar bows, and then disappears into smoke.

“Are you sure that was the correct way to phrase that?” says Mandrake.

I nod. “My parents are important to me,” I say. “If I lost them because I was too chicken to allow my minions to do bad things, then I would hate myself for the rest of my life.”

“Bad things?” says Robin, leaning back in her chair.

“I don’t exactly know what they’re getting up to,” I say, “But I imagine it involves at least a few shady practices that would get a normal person in trouble.”

Neo picks his nose and flicks the booger away. “As much as we want to tell you that was a bad idea,” he says, “It’s probably what I would have done.”

“Thanks,” I say.

Robin, during the conversation, flicks lighter-sized flames in between her fingers on and off in a manner that appears habitual. She seems to be paying attention, of course, but the habit is a bit distracting.

Mandrake rests his chin on his hands. “You have a job to return to, right?” he says.

I look at my phone to check the time. “Oh, this is bad,” I say. “I’m supposed to be at the lab in fifteen minutes.” I stand up. “Sorry.” I text Jirgrar.

I need to get to the lab!

Jirgrar: The ride is already at the manor.

I leave the conference room, wave at the Brights, and run to the manor’s entrance. Sebastian is waiting right outside the doorway. He bows, and leads me through the garden to the limousine. I step in and we rocket off.

We arrive at the Esmex building just in time. I am already wearing my work clothes and rush to the elevator. I ride it to the floor with my lab, and then burst into the room.

The twelve conjurers are already there, sitting and socializing.

“Mr. Red,” says Archey. “What are we doing today?”

“More practice,” I say, as I grab my lab coat. “We’re going to try until we get it.” I put the coat on.

We spend the rest of the work period trying to teach the conjurers how to create type 1 Rearden Metal. One of the conjurers, named Orion, almost manages to create a perfect replica. I can see him achieving it in the next couple of days.

As I step out of the lab, I notice something wrong. There are no sounds of people in the hallways. I look both ways down the corridor and the world is eerily quiet.

I walk to the end of the hallway and notice that the window is white like frost, and I cannot see through it. I touch it, and it is warm, not cold.

Orion walks up behind me. “Boss?” he says.

I turn to him. “I don’t know what’s going on,” I say.

The walls shift, wallpaper moving up and down, feeding into the floor and ceiling. A door appears right beside me.

“This isn’t good,” I say.

Another conjurer, named Edgar, approaches us. “Um,” he says. “Something is wrong with the elevator.”

I turn to face him, but before I can speak, a booming voice comes over the intercom.

“Markus Red,” says the voice. “It’s time for us to play a game.”

“Are you with the Darks?” I say, turning around and around.

“I cannot answer that,” says the voice. Its tone is heavy with some sort of sadness. “All I can say is that it’s your turn to experience true despair.”

I sense someone looking at me from behind. Dread fills me. I turn around, and the feeling disappears, leaving only a black feeling floating in the middle of the hallway.

I notice that Orion and Edgar are gone. I turn around again, and then I realize that I am not in the same place. The hallway stretches infinitely in either direction, with periodic doors placed along the walls. I rush over to one of the doors and open it. It is lined with fish tanks containing tropical fish. I am pushed inside by a gust of wind and the door closes behind me.

I try to reopen it. It is locked, and it recedes into the wall and disappears. Another two doors appear on either side of the room.

“Red fish, blue fish,” says the intercom voice. “One fish, two fish.”

“What do you want?” I say, turning around. “Did you somehow put me in a dungeon?”

“Not just any dungeon,” says the voice. “My dungeon.”

I get the feeling that I am being watched again.

“Run, run, as fast as you can,” says the voice.

I open the right door and enter another hallway, finding myself face to face with Orion. He appears to be panicking.

“No, I don’t like dungeons!” he says, covering his face with his hands. He jumps in surprise. “Boss,” he says. “How—how did you get here?”

“Did you see the fish tanks?” I say.

“No, I saw meat. Hanging slabs of meat,” says Orion. “We’re in a dungeon, aren’t we?”

“I’ve heard of these before,” I say. “This must be an instant dungeon. The man who we heard on the intercom must have called it up.”

“There are monsters, right?” says Orion. “I’m not a fighting spirit. I don’t want to die.”

I cross my arms. “You’re not going to die,” I say. “I’m going to make sure of that. Just don’t get separated from me again.”

Orion bobs his head up and down. “As expected of an S-class adventurer.” He appears to be a bit more relaxed now.

I feel that I am being watched again. I turn around in one motion. A shadow dissipates into the atmosphere, and I catch the scent of roses.

“Someone is following us,” I say. I turn again. I think I may have learned about this one in Monster Taxonomy. A wraith.

That doesn’t make it any less scary, though. A sense of dread percolates through my body. Wraiths are A-class monsters that stalk people through dungeons and strike when their guard is down.

A piece of paper appears on a door frame. I walk up to it and take it off. It reads: Collect all the clues before Jerry catches you.

I crumple the note up. They’re playing with us. I turn to Orion. “We’re going to have to find the others,” I say.

A scream, from a woman, echoes through the hallways.

“We might already be too late,” I say. I grab Orion’s hand and we both sprint towards the source of the sound.

The hallways twist as we run and before we can get our bearings we’re back to where we started.

There are four doors, set at intervals in the walls. I open one at random and run into the room.

The interior of the room is filled with dolls. Their smiles stare with the same intensity as their dead, glass eyes. A low cackle rises from the shelves.

“Mary had a little doll, little doll …”

I conjure a blade. The dolls, strangely enough, do not attack, instead continuing to sing nursery rhymes in minor key.

Orion enters the room, craning his neck to look at the dolls.

“I don’t think they’re dangerous,” I say. I pick one up, and it chatters its teeth as its eyes roll around in their sockets. “I don’t see their purpose, though.”

The doors lock, and iron bars descend in front of them. I sprint towards the door before the bars close off our only exit, but I do not make it in time. The bars slam into the concrete.

“You have five minutes to find the clue,” says the voice, over the intercom. “Five … Minutes …”

A timer descends from the ceiling and displays a countdown.

“A clue,” I say. “There’s a clue in here somewhere.”

“Baa baa black sheep, have you any porcelain …” sing the dolls.

“I think the nursery rhymes are trying to tell us something,” says Orion.

“Look for the character in the rhyme they’re singing!” I say.

I find a black sheep doll and tear it off the shelf. There’s a little button on its back, made of magic. I press it and one of the iron bars lift.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little eyeball …” sing the dolls.

I find the doll with a star on its forehead and press the same button. Another bar rises.

The first bar slides down, and the bar on the far right rises.

“We’re going to have to coordinate the button presses,” I say. I press the sheep doll’s button again and the same rod comes down, and two others rise up.

“Row, row, row your boat, gently down the porcelain stream …” sing the dolls.

I take the doll inside the boat, and press the button. Two rods go up and one goes down.

“Now I know my ABCs …” sing the dolls.

I think that means we have them all. I close my eyes and concentrate.

If this one goes up, these go down. If that one goes down, these go up.

One minute left on the timer. I press the black sheep button, and three rods go up. There’s only one rod left.

I press the rowboat doll and the last rod rises. The door clicks, and opens. A small piece of paper floats down from the doorframe.

I grab it, and then Orion and I sprint out into the next hallway.

“That was the creepiest thing I’ve ever been through,” he says. “The eyes, man. The eyes.”

I shake my head. “I have a feeling that we’re only getting started.”