A commotion erupted as a group of tall, muscular pirates in black-and-white striped shirts dragged a bloodied Richard out from within. Charles, his expression darkening, slammed his fist against the rocky wall. His man had been discovered.
“What do we do? Should we go rescue him?” Fairbach asked, looking to Charles for guidance.
Before Charles could decide, Richard, looking like a corpse, suddenly threw his head back and screamed in a hoarse voice, “Run! It’s a trap! They found us!”
At the sound of his voice, Charles’s body tensed, and his eyes darted around the crowd.
“There are two on the left. How about you?” Richard’s voice came quickly.
“Run!” Charles propelled himself forward, sprinting away from the crowd, with the others quickly following.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Gunfire erupted around them.
With bullets flying, Charles and his crew made a hasty retreat.
“Clang!” A bullet struck Charles’s prosthetic arm, sparking as it ricocheted off.
Charles spun around, his left hand flipping the revolver, firing at the pirates with deadly accuracy. Blood sprayed from their foreheads, and the pirates’ assault momentarily halted.
However, this did not resolve the situation. Charles's actions alerted other pirates on the street, who were not deterred by the gunfire. Snarling, they pulled out various weapons and began attacking, making Charles and his crew's predicament even more dire.
“Clang! Clang!” Charles’s grappling hook shot through a nearby rooftop, catching onto the rocky wall of the hillside city. “Pull me!”
He quickly reeled in the grappling hook, dragging everyone forward at speed.
They found themselves in a narrow street, and despite the surprised looks from those around them, Charles led the two others into a series of tight alleys, hoping to shake off their pursuers.
But for some reason, the pirates seemed to track them effortlessly, sticking closely to their tails, no matter how hard Charles tried to lose them. Their pursuers multiplied, including some who looked particularly formidable.
“Crack!” Suddenly, several spiked rocks jutted out from the side, shooting toward them.
Charles twisted his body like a snake, dodging the long spikes.
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But Lainis wasn’t so lucky; a sharp stone pierced her alluring body, and in her final moments, disbelief filled her seductive eyes.
“Damn it!” Charles’s face darkened. He couldn’t afford to mourn his fallen companion now; he pushed on.
However, ahead, more pirates wielding weapons awaited them in the alley.
They were surrounded! Just then, a filthy old man burst out from a small stone hut nearby. “Fairbach! Get in here!”
Recognizing the name of the green-haired youth, Charles didn’t hesitate and rushed inside.
The room was nearly a garbage dump, with layers of filthy, greasy debris scattered across the floor.
Charles had expected an escape route, but the old man simply handed him several yellowing paper crosses, his filthy fingers trembling as he offered them.
“Take these, one for each of you. Stick them on your faces like this. Hurry, once you do, they won’t see you!”
The old man demonstrated by pressing a cross to his own face, looking utterly deranged.
Seeing his bizarre behavior, Charles turned to Fairbach and asked, “What’s wrong with this guy? Can we trust him?”
Fairbach looked confused. “How should I know? I don’t know him.”
“You don’t know him, but how does he know your name?” Charles’s heart raced.
Just then, the rickety wooden door was kicked open. A horde of fierce pirates stormed in.
“Stop dawdling! We’ll have to take our chances!” Richard said, taking a paper cross and pressing it to his face.
Even the rats nearby huddled together behind the crosses.
The pirates froze, and Charles could feel their piercing gazes directed at them.
They can see me! This thing doesn’t make us invisible!!
Just as Charles prepared to fight for their lives, the snarls on the pirates’ faces slowly faded. They lowered their weapons and, as if nothing had happened, turned and left.
A few seconds later, the once-crowded alley outside was empty, as if everything that had just occurred was a mirage.
“This thing really works! Heh, nice, we’ve got a new relic,” Richard said, reaching to pocket the cross.
Charles stopped him, quickly flipping it over. It was just a tattered piece of paper crudely pieced together.
“It’s not this thing that’s useful; it’s this guy,” Charles said, turning to the old man, who was carefully tucking the cross away. “Why did you help us?”
The old man smiled widely, but suddenly his face twisted in fear, and he crouched down like a gorilla, scrambling around the cluttered room.
“They’re watching me! Oh my god, this is terrifying!”
Watching this ridiculous scene, Fairbach scratched his head in confusion. “What’s he doing? Captain Charles, is this guy crazy?”
Before he could finish, the old man pointed a trembling finger at Fairbach. “They’re looking at you! Oh no, they’re looking at me again! There are so many of them! I need to find a way to hide!”
The old man rummaged through the mess, and finally, he placed a half-rotten green mouse on his head, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank goodness! They’re afraid of dead mice! They find them disgusting and won’t look at me anymore!”
“Who are ‘they’?” Charles asked.
“I can’t say! If I do, we’ll all disappear!” The old man waved his arms dramatically.
Seeing his deranged behavior, Charles changed the subject. “What’s your name?”
“Tuba! Yes, that’s right, I’m Tuba!” The old man smiled foolishly, balancing the rotten mouse on his head.
“Why did you save us? Have we met before?”
“I… I knew you were coming! I saw you in my mind! I’ve known for thirty years that you would come! I even prepared a gift for you!”
As he spoke, Tuba began rummaging through the chaotic trash again, soon pulling out a dirty, one-legged doll and handing it to the white rat on the floor.
“This is yours, little girl. I remember I had a little girl once, but she was even smaller than you.”
