Mérast teleported Mania and himself back into The Pits on the 6th level. "We shouldn't have any problems with Rothar this time. He will think we are long gone."
"Nope he's still here dad." Mania pointed at Rothar lying on the floor drooling.
"Recklessness," Mérast sneered and grinned. Suddenly, he put out his arm and stopped Mania. "Quick, into this crevice," he whispered.
"The intruders were in this sector; search them out and bring them back to me – dead or alive!" As the taskmaster finished his orders, guards scattered in different directions. "It's time to bring out Cerbie!" The taskmaster's voice shook the passage. Four guards rushed past the spot where Mania and Mérast were hiding.
Mérast smacked his head. "Of course Rothar wouldn't be the only guard after the alarm sounded..."
After the footsteps had faded off into the far distance, Mérast and Mania quietly creeped out of their hiding place. Continuing to Mérast's goal, they snuck through the maze of passages: sliding around corners and diving into unoccupied cells whenever they heard footsteps.
As they slipped past the guardroom, Mania knocked out the floor's commander with a spray from his vial of Sleeping Pontoos, and Mérast seized the keys. They heard fooststeps in the distance. Mérast quickly dressed up as a commander and used Mania's fake beard. The guards marched past, but one stopped and questioned Mérast, "Tornear? You look a... um... a little different?"
"No, I'm not Tornear!" Mérast replied in the roughest voice he could manage. "He took a leave due to the festivities. Seniority!" He smashed the table – sending a splinter up the guard's nose.
"Hmm he was here this morning..." He began to dislodge the wood chip.
"Stop picking your nose! Or I'll have you in charge of cleaning the toilets!"
"Oh sorry sir, sir!" He saluted and ran off to join his squad.
Mérast ripped off the facial hair. "We have five minutes to get him out based on the last patrol." He tried a few keys, but they weren't the right ones. The previous patrol was coming back. "They must have suspected me. Next time carry a better beard Mania." Looking around quickly, he spotted a hole in the ceiling, grabbed his son, and climbed up the wall into the opening. Dropped the keys in his haste, caused a neighboring occupant to awaken. A deep rumble reverberated through the passage. In a cage labeled dangerous, a vicious creature grabbed the fallen keys with a tail and freed itself. The reinforcements arrived in time to encounter the rampage. He chocked two guards with his twin tails and flung them at another two. The remaining three ran up the passage pursued by the ferocious prisoner.
A minute later, a large group of guards dragged the escapee off to a lower level of The Pits. A few of them remained around his cage to search for the source of the disturbance – hoping to find the intruder.
Mania was eager to get back down, but Mérast prevented him. "More guards will be on their way here after that commotion."
Down the hall, a guard stepped out of the commander's room. "Look, Tornear is here."
"He's out cold." Another proclaimed, "We aren't dealing with an amateur."
The squad leader commented, "They probably heard us coming and opened the dangerous cage to cause a distraction as he escaped. I wonder what they are after."
"I'm glad we're not assigned to a lower level." The guard shuddered. "If he freed one of those..."
"Don't let anyone hear you being so pathetic." The squad leader snapped, "or you'll be assigned to the place where even the fearless lose their minds."
After what felt like ages, the guards moved on to continue their search elsewhere. Mérast dropped down. "Stay up there Mania. It still might not be safe." After a few more attempts with his keys, he finally found one that turned in the lock. He turned the key slowly to produce less noise, but it still creaked. "Narkus we are finally getting out."
A tall and slender creature, with the appearance of a Mipedian, zipped out of the cage. "You must have been the intruder I overheard the guards talking about... How did you manage to escape?"
"My son rescued me. I'll tell you all about it later…" Mérast chuckeld, "over a pie."
"Well, well, well." The taskmaster overseeing Levels 4 through 7 chuckled. "What a happy reunion,". Guards filed in from all directions. "'How did I know you would be here?' You may ask," He paused to consider his already answered question. "Hmmm... Maybe it was that you had 'promised' Narkus to escape together. We keep note of who is friendly with whom. Ha he hu haec." He paused to laugh. "Now, you have two options: A) you come, along with your rescuer, to level 7 and we'll 'forget' this ever happened; B) you die fighting us and eventually are forgotten like everyone else who's come before you. The OverWorld already thinks that you are dead."
Narkus responded instantly, "You forgot option C) I wipe your existence off the face of Perim and get back home." He became a blur as he sped around the room – attacking UnderWorlders with a flurry of techniques. Mérast followed his lead and started blasting everything he could, including a few support beams. Mania just sat back to enjoy the show.
Surrounded by a few dozen conquered guards, Mérast and Narkus were fatigued. With no Mugic to restore their energy, they wouldn't be able to take more fighting. The commander, who had snuck behind a pillar, was laughing, "Ha he hu haec horum he hac hic."
"Ok that laugh is really, really bad." Mérast winced. "Not only is it the worst laugh I've heard aside from Bloot's," He struggled to talk in between each gasp for breath, "it also means that this was a trap."
"They didn't give us much opportunity to keep in shape." Narkus commented.
Mérast responded, "But they sure gave us a workout today." He turned his attention to the source of laughter. "Ok Tardikmus, come out and fight; unless your intimidate courage has been reversed."
Narkus couldn't help but smile.
Tardikmus is bigger than his cousin Dardemus, but not as fat or ugly. According to Chaor, he was one of the more clever taskmasters and one of the most powerful – with the ability to yield a Doomhammer in his right hand and a Burithean Axe in his left. To fit him, the UnderWorlders had to widen the arches in the passages for this section.
"That was quite an entertaining skirmish." He clapped "Luckily for me, this one won't be too exerting on my part." Tardikmus equipped his Doomhammer and swung it around beside him. A flame simmered in his left hand. "Ash Torrent!" He aimed for Mérast.
Mania, who couldn't just watch his father die, jumped down from the ceiling fracture, dived in front of his father and pushed him out of the way. He pointed his palms toward the incoming attack. "Rock Wave!" The torrent was too powerful and broke through the barrier he created. It hit him full force – smashing him into the wall behind him. A heptagonal-shaped object rolled out of Mania's hand. "Use it," he whispered hoarsely. Mérast picked it up.
As the Mugician left Mérast's body and entered the Mugic, a sound played like nothing anyone there had heard. First a sizzling, then hissing, and then popping: a delightful yet horrid smell filled the nostrils of those present. "That's the Sound of Baking Pie!" Mania sprung up with a pie in his hands. A look of surprise formed on Tardikmus's face, and quickly faded into a grin. "Ho ha ha ho, you think you can hurt me with pies. Ha he hu haec horum he hac hic." His laugh rumbled throughout the halls.
The Mugic's effect was coursing through Mania. Mania became surrounded by an arsenal of levitating pies. He consumed one he was holding to heal some energy.
Mania grabbed two pies from those encircling him. "Throwing Pie!" Tardikmus swung his Hammer at the incoming projectile and scored a home-run with the pies. Mania took out a large pie from his backpack. "Taste my pie!" It flew at Tardikmus, who had, through his shock, equipped his Burithean Axe. His swing sliced through the projectile – the blade lodged into the ground. Mania grabbed two more and threw them faster than he had previously. They were coming too fast for Tardikmus to block them. Tardikmus' smirk quickly gave way to a terrified shock as those two pies hit him full force. Because of his lowered speed, the taskmaster wasn't able to dodge.
Mania pounded Tardikmus and the newly arrived guards with a shower of baked treats. Tardikmus crossed his arms and created an earthen barrier. His subordinates, though, were not able to defend. After Mania had defeated the other threats, the flurry of pies stopped. Now Mania could focus on Tardikmus. He flung high-explosive pies to destroy the barrier. Tardikmus hurled his Doomhammer at Mania. Narkus stood in the way and blocked the impact for Mania – the head of the hammer cracked on collision with Narkus' left fist. Mania jumped over Narkus to throw a pie steaming a rainbow of colors. "Yokkis' Surprise!" Despite shielding his face with his left hand, the pie hit him rendering him unconscious. Mania was victorious but fell to the ground, exhausted.