They should have been on an epic journey, a quest throughout an oversized dollhouse to both rescue the captives, and hunt down the bitch who kidnapped everybody.
"And that makes twenty, chu." Warechu finished tallying up the women, looking a little worse for wear as well. "Finally."
Literally the first room they came across, which looked to be the showers of all things, had all twenty kidnapped women chained to the walls; no different than Linda and Warechu themselves. The first course of action had then been to free them all, which was easily achieved by unwrapping the chains from around one another; simplicity itself. This lead to a mass exodus, ranging from young girls to old hags alike accumulating in the center of the area. Many complaints rung out, but those were mostly forgotten by the more excitable of the crowd taking to Warechu.
The little guy was an adorable relief in their many many eyes, and so he'd been swallowed up by the tide of rabid 'awe' and 'squishy' that echoed throughout the chamber. Linda was never so thankful for being a 'punk-ass kid' as right then, and called out to the little dude, assigning him the task of counting all the 'fans' he'd earned to make sure this was all of them. Warechu probably hated her, but it would pass like it always did. Seeing as they had everyone safe and sound, both Warechu and her decided it would be best if the group remain in the shower until the pair took down their opponent.
"Say, this girl's filthy rich, right?" Linda brought up, earning a cross expression from Warechu. "She's probably got some cash lying around somewhere."
"Filthy rich in stupidity, chu." The guy crossed his arms, and a crass scowl etched itself firmly in place. "She's using her mom's credit card, remember? The best thing she's got lying around is probably some old purses or something; they type of stuff socially awkward teens use to pretend they're competent."
"You're not wrong there." The woman did seem a little out of it, at least in the head. Seriously, who kidnaps people to use as dolls; mannequins work just fine as is. Linda looked out over the garden... which was right across from the showers. The rooms themselves were unlocked, which only added to the lax - or at this point non-existent - security. "I'm not sure we'll exactly 'get' how this place works."
"You're only just figuring this out now?" Warechu spit, and Linda sent a glare.
"Can it, cuddle-buns, or I'll toss you back in with your 'playmates'." Linda sent her gaze back out, eyeing up the space. The garden - if you could even call it that - was a flipping mess, with plants and flowers of all types scattered randomly across the dirt. There was no unity, rhyme, or reason as to what went where, with some rocks thrown down haphazardly across the space in some form of walking path, or so she believed.
The only thing of note was the small pond in the center, which contained maybe... three or so bathtubs of water at best. With one lily-pad on top, the small body of water was a deep blue, and Linda had to question why it was dyed such a stark color; it was clearly unnatural.
Wait, scratch that, on second glance Linda discovered the 'lily-pad' was a trash bag.
"Hold the line for a bit while I check something out." Linda told as she started out, ignoring the small sputtered words Warechu tossed her way, which were nothing but hot air to the gal. Drawing closer, she bent down and dipped her fingertips in the fluid, taking note of how sticky and warm it was; oh yeah, it was anything but natural. Even pulling said fingers free only added to the confused disgust, as the fluid clung to her limbs like glue, dripping with audible splotches back to the collective. It reeked of a strange odor; a cross of pine and rotten fruit.
Nasty. But ultimately curious. Everything else in the garden was real, even if it bore the unity of a shattered light-bulb across the floor. Why was the pond so obviously fake then?
"Hey." It was Warechu again, and she addressed him with a queer face.
"Didn't I tell you to watch the door?"
"Yeah, but they aren't going anywhere. Besides, I wouldn't go touching that if I were you."
"And why is that?"
In response to her question, Warechu just walked over to the edge of the pond, where he casually pulled away some grass near the 'water', revealing a sign above some metal grating, which read: Waste Disposal.
It was a sewage pipe.
"Bloody hell!" Linda tore her hand away, shaking it violently and rubbing it in the dirt. "Who the heck dumps their sewage in a garden?!"
"It ain't a garden, chu, it's a dump."
"In the middle of their house?!" Linda shot back, only for Warechu to put on a blank look.
"We're really discussing the decisions of the psycho who kidnaps people as toys?"
"Okay." Linda grunted, staring disgustedly at her hand before shaking it off and looking back. "Point taken. But why the hell doesn't it smell like one? If this is a dump, shouldn't this place be rancid? The only thing stinking of trash so far is the muck here!"
"Beats me, chu." Warechu took a glance all around them, with his eyes settling on the door way up on a balcony to the left, and then it fell down, following a series of other doors placed in random spots across the dusty brick wall. "But making sense of this probably won't do nothing. We should just look for a way out, and scram once we get the chance."
"Not without the girl." Linda clenched her teeth. "Damnit! Why can't they ever be normal?"
"Wouldn't be a target if they were normal."
"Yeah, I guess." Linda looked ahead, and pointed to a window just above some railing. "Okay, we go there."
"And why is that?"
"When you're in a crazy wonderland, you gotta think like a crazy."
"But through a window, chu? That's even a little much for me."
"Wait, are you for real?" Linda looked to her little buddy with a... less than stellar face. "Tell me this is a joke."
"We don't know if it's safe or not, and it's too fogged up to even see what's inside. Hell, it might be locked for all we know."
Linda at this point ignored the rat, instead running for the window. She reached up, and clicked it open, turning her head back slowly as if to question what the heck he'd claimed just seconds before. Warechu rolled his eyes, and Linda grew even more fed up.
How is it I'm the one coming up with the plans, and you're the one giving me the look?!
It wasn't fair, but most things weren't either way, so it didn't really mean much to consider. Whatever, it didn't matter, they were free to carry on, so that's what Linda was about to do. She hopped up, not bothering to look back, and stepped inside. Warechu called out something, but the pasty girl wasn't listening; far too tired of his nonsense.
Had she listened, perhaps she wouldn't have fallen down a shoot, as it just so happened that the mouse spied another sign, this time tucked underneath the window, and only visible if one were to part the grass; which was what Warechu had done.
"Damnit, chu." He said under his breath, staring at the sign with a face of disappointment. "Doesn't that jerk know how to read? How do you keep ending up in the dumps?"
Linda would have asked that very same question, had she not been holding onto the ledge of a dip deeper in, dangling just barely above the filthy river of muck below.
What the heck kind of sewer does this bitch have?!
.
.
Linda cracked her neck as she walked out, followed by a suitably less disgruntled Chuko.
"Ah. Now this is much better, chu. Anyway, thanks for the help. With this out of the way, we're one step closer into the hearts of our valuable customer-base."
"By repairing a rival's shoddy mess?" Kurome wasn't quite sure how that helped them in even the slightest, but hey, it beat wasting away behind the counter - even if Chuko was the one to do most of the work.
"Yes. Think of it like this: we're not only now a reliable aid to whoever runs this dump, but we were also seen by most of the customers in the arcade. If they hop on over to our shop later and see us there, they'll know we're reliable and trustworthy."
"Right." She had no clue how the mouse came to that conclusion, but their work was done for the day, so she wasn't about to drag it out further with a twenty or so minute lecture about business practice. "If there's nothing else left, I'm going to head off."
"Need a ride home?"
"It's fine." Kurome denied, breathing in as she stretched herself a little. "I wanted to get some walking in today; that place was a little cramped.
"I see, and I suppose with the other two out helping Linda's relatives with moving, you don't have much to do at home. Alright then, I'll see you later; take care."
Kurome offered a final nod as Chuko took off, setting her sights down the sidewalk as her thoughts drifted off; it was both a blessing and concern to know Chuko was so trusting, especially to buy the excuse she gave for the pair's absence. Her mind soon fell away from that topic however, delving deep into her own personal concerns. Seeing two Uzume fans had a rather... unpleasant effect on her mentality; looking straight at the finish line, only to learn you were going the wrong way all along. It was disheartening in a sense, and reminded her of why she walked this new life path to begin with; to reunite with her other half.
A race that was looking like it would never see its end.
Kurome allowed these thoughts to run rampant, even as she stepped into the small corner store. It was a quaint little place, with two short isles filled with snacks and basic commodities. Sure, her life seemed to have spiraled a little towards the wrong direction, but she at least had money now, and being able to actually eat for herself was interesting. With this in mind, Kurome wandered over to the end of the last isle, as a small red lolly was sitting back there, practically calling her name.
Yes, they had food at home, but she herself had a particularly needy sweet tooth at the moment, one that could only be quelled with red colored candy - admittedly a trait Uzume often hid from the others. The blue-shifted soul reached for the sugary droplet, when she crossed hands with another.
The little girl looked up to her, and for a second Kurome stared before pulling back.
"You can take it." Kurome wasn't particularly in the mood to wrestle with candy, especially with a kid. The little one smiled, swiping up the sweet.
"Thanks!" The child offered a toothy smile before skipping along.
Strangely enough, there was something familiar about the girl, but Kurome couldn't quite point out what. Maybe it was the long snowy hair, or perhaps the little shirt with 'Jackpot!' displayed across its face in a broken sort of font. The skirt reminded Kurome of Uni, but the stockings and shoes called both Rom and Ram into action. But no, recollection of the goddesses didn't scratch that itch of familiarity. The little girl reminded her of something, no, someone, but for the life of her Kurome was unable to put a name to it.
Shaking herself from the daze, the woman simply picked a parallel lollipop from right next to where the red one sat; a deep blueberry shade this time.
Somewhat satisfied, the often assigned goth went to pay, and afterwards stepped outside on the street again. Blue raspberry; honestly it was a pleasant surprise, and helped to bolster her mood a little. Curiously she saw the kid again, leaning against a large transport truck, and right beside someone who instantly got her mind rearing.
"Vante?" She called, both intrigued by seeing him again, and relieved that the itch she had plaguing her mind moments ago seemed to vanish. Looking at the little girl standing next to him, Kurome could see the resemblance from a mile away.
The man raised his head to face her, and as his eyes left the phone in hand, a smirk tore across his mouth.
"Hey! Good seeing you again."
"What are you doing here?" Kurome probably had no right to pry, but she had nothing to do but go home later. She wasn't exactly looking forward to watching TV for the next few days, so killing time was the only goal Kurome really had. Besides, Vante didn't look like he had much going on, at least right at the moment, so he could probably spare some time to chat.
"Taking a rest stop before heading out." His smirk twisted into a victorious grin. "The gates are open again thanks to some meddling from the guild, so I don't need to spend weeks driving across the open road."
"Gates?" What did gates have to do with cutting down on travel time? She supposed it opened some faster routes, but even then that begged the question as to why they were closed to begin with.
"You don't know?" He cocked a brow. "But ain't you a transporter too?"
"No. Last time was an exception." Kurome corrected, crossing her arms as she settled on a heel. "I work at a small used games shop just up the neighborhood."
"Chuko's?" The little girl at Vante's side perked up aloud; her eyes almost glowing in anticipation.
"Yeah. You've been there?"
"Heck yeah!" The kid shouted, nearly stumbling over as the lolly in her grip almost slipped out, prompting her to catch it with a sigh of relief. Afterwards the child faced her again with a giddy look. "Chuko's is awesome!"
A hand came down on top of the kid's head, ruffling the hair a little and forcing a small annoyed growl from the smaller one.
"What my little bro means to say is we've been there a few times before." Vante let go and leaned back against the truck. "He likes the old consoles, but it's mostly because he thinks the art looks better when you can't really tell what it is; he has a pretty active imagination."
The kid scowled deathly, but from his tiny face it came out more as a pout, and then Kurome realized what Vante just said.
"Hold on... little 'bro'?" Kurome flattened her face, holding back the waves of confliction derailing her thought process. "As in 'brother'?"
"Yep." Vante crossed his arms behind his head. He looked down to the little kid, and nodded his head towards Kurome. "Go on, introduce yourself."
The little guy then stepped up with a smile and a wave.
"Hi, I'm Dergil; I like video games and arson!"
"Hi... I'm Kurome... good to meet you." Shaking the gir- boy's hand, Kurome wrangled in her senses yet again. Vante appeared satisfied at least, and looking closely it seemed the cheeky prick was having a small laugh at her expense; this type of whiplash must have been common for him. It didn't last, and he got back on track.
"Alright, cool, now then, I suppose you were asking about the gates right?"
"Yes." Kurome fully recovered from the debuff inflicted of pure shattered expectation, and focused once more as Vante hummed.
"Well, think of it like portals in a game. Most of us truckers, both company and independent, use the gates set up by the guild as a way to quickly get around without burning too much gas; saves us money and allows quick delivery. Every major city in all the nations have one, so we can zoom around without having to use ships or planes."
"Wait." Kurome had to stop him there. "If you can teleport so quickly, then why do people even use other means of transportation at all?"
"Excessive pollution."
Well that was an answer, in fact, it was so much of an answer that Kurome had to blink twice just to re-orient herself. Vante looked to have expected this, sighing a bit before he continued.
"Using the gates takes a ton of energy, which also results in a crazy amount of waste that gets pumped out after every trip. So, to try and regulate this, the gates are only allowed to be active a few times a year, and even then we truckers are given a limited number of uses before we're cut off. Basically, once the cut-off point is hit, they shut the gates down and let the waste expel completely before opening them up again, controlling how much is polluting the land at a time. You catching any of this?"
"Somewhat." Kurome kind of understood... a little. "Okay, so you're allowed to use them only sometimes?"
"Basically." He nodded, patting the side of his truck. "Hell, right now I've got a delivery for some supplies headed to Leanbox, so catching me right before I left was a bit of luck on your part; ten minutes and I would have been off."
"Hold on." Kurome stopped him there. "You're headed to Leanbox?"
"Yep." A grin covered his face this time. "Basilicom out there needs some engines brought over. Personally I don't know what for, but what type of businessman would I be if I denied an opportunity like this; the pay's also good, so there's that too."
Engine transport was a little odd, but this was the Basilicom they were talking about, so who knew what they were up to? The more important matter however was slapping her right in the face, and Kurome was not about to pass up the chance; especially with the idiots all on their lonesome.
"Would you mind if I tagged along?" Kurome tried, earning some mild surprise from the guy.
"Um... sure, I suppose. Any particular reason for going so suddenly?" He looked around her. "You don't seem to have any bags or nothing with you."
"A few friends of mine are over there on business, and I guess you can say I don't exactly like leaving them on their own."
"Ah." His grin took on a scheming aura. "A more 'take care of it myself' type of woman. I get you, but are you sure you want to ride with me? I can bring you over, but I'll need to leave as soon as I'm done with my own business, so I can't guarantee I'll be able to bring you back."
"That's not a problem." Kurome confirmed, straightening her posture. "I have ways to return on my own; I just need to get there quickly."
"Well, me and little D here are on our way out now, so how about you hop aboard, if you're ready that is?"
"Deal." Kurome smirked to herself and took the chance. She climbed aboard, already familiar with the truck from before. She could attest to how pleasing the seats felt, even as 'little D' made himself comfortable on her lap - why he chose to sit there instead of the seat in the middle was anyone's guess. The oddity didn't really matter, as right now Kurome was satisfied that she'd scored a free ride out.
All she had to do now was hope Linda and Warechu hadn't messed up the job, an easy enough endeavor on paper. Really, there was no possible way they'd gotten themselves into trouble yet; they didn't start their mission to try and capture the woman until tomorrow.
They were probably held up in the base Lonk told them of, bored out of their minds.
Author's note
...
Hello again.
Back again, and with the dynamic duo having already made progress... and by 'progress' we mean saving all the damsels. But Linda and Warechu shouldn't count on such easy success for too long, as who knows what trouble awaits deeper in this dungeon - aside from sewers that is.
Kurome is on the move, and with Vante offering a fast ride, it seems the reunion of the trio is quickly approaching.
Things are getting wacky again, and soon enough, probably even weirder.
See you next chapter.