The Fourth Zaldizko

Most of the Evadale Knights were keeping to their groups, no doubt debriefing over their mugs of ale or other beverages they drank. Some sat pensively at booths to watch the bra.s.s band or on stools at the long strip of bar on one side of the room.

Behind the bar counter were vixen-head animachines serving drinks from shelves that were populated with shining gla.s.s bottles and flasks filled with various coloured liquid that would release inhibitions and temporarily turn minds into mush.

It was my first time entering a drinking zone other than Gat Shiem"s kitchen bas.e.m.e.nt.

I naturally gravitated to a red cushioned booth near the stage, ignoring Death and War"s scolding for running off.

Like the knights, I wanted a place to empty my head too. It had been a h.e.l.l of a long day. Actually long few months or was it years? It was hard to think in time since I had been thrown in and out of different time periods due to the dimension slip"s side effects.

Not to mention, reverting h.e.l.l"s Labyrinth back to the right time and fate had left a weird disorientation of days and years in my head. So, I hoped downing some sweet and bitter alcohol would clear away those side effects.

Oddly, the music"s tw.a.n.g and swinging drum beats was doing the trick instead.

The large gla.s.s wall screen, opposite from where I sat, caught my interest. A group of knights peered at the screen like they were watching something. Some of them clutched white paper stubs in their hands. Their eyes held hopeful expressions.

"Man. This place be rockin"." War observed the atmosphere with a wide grin when he and Death took a seat at my booth.

His eyes were lit up with excitement.

"Here you go," Wilfred said when he placed frothing mugs of ale before three of us.

I yelped when Lita snuggled her way in between Death and I, so we filled up one booth seat before the table.

War cursed when Wilfred and Jensen pushed him close to the edge, so they could fill up the other side.
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"Jensen!" I piped up. "Finally decided to show your face!"

I smiled at the other gla.s.ses wearing knight of Trix"s squad. His blue eyes were less animated behind his square shaped frames than usual.

My eyes widened at the bulge of his biceps when he folded his arms over his broad chest, and I saw a lot of greenish stains all over his navy blue waistcoat and rolled up sleeves of his white cotton shirt.

"What happened to your tie?" I grimaced at the rips and snags to his navy blue tie. In fact, it looked like it had been gnawed and chewed on.

"Don"t ask." Jensen waved off my question with his large calloused hand that was free from a glove.

His dark hair was spiked and stylishly messy giving him an image of laid back and chilled. Although, having mucus stains all over your clothes and looking like having survived h.e.l.l didn"t do much for that impression.

"Bah! I saw you guys had all the fun whilst I was left behind with Andy and Miller to mop up Ratshiki demons and their s.h.i.t." Jensen loudly complained.

He pinched Wilfred"s arm really hard, giving him a cranky frown. "Thanks for nothing, mate! You guys left me on that rock with Orion Squad and Andy"s b.l.o.o.d.y yapping about protocols!"

"Not like I could help it! The tunnel path split between us. You couldn"t jump over fast enough!" Wilfred countered with his reason that stirred a heated discussion between the two.

War sighed and stood to take his drink to a vacant stool before the bar counter. I decided to follow, leaving Death behind with the others.

"Hey Famisto. Yah got some guts yah know, back there with h.e.l.l"s Labyrinth," War said when we took our seats.

We picked at salted peanuts from the bowl an animachine placed before us.

"Really?" I blushed.

War chuckled. "Dude, save yah blushes for yah man."

"WHAT?!" I blurted, almost spitting ale all over the bar counter"s surface.

"He be a good man dat Leinard, doing his best to keep yah safe an all." War rambled on absent-mindedly. "If yah were gunnin" for the other, I"d clobber yah."

"What the h.e.l.l are you on about War?!" I frowned, not getting his meaning.

It was almost like he was giving his blessings for my marriage.

"I"m not getting married you git! Besides, the Colonel doesn"t swing that way."

I gulped at the memory of when I was in Charlese"s body and Leinard"s declaration of love for another person when he realized the woman he had unrequited feelings for had indirectly dumped him.

"So, he liked chicks before dudes." War mused out loud. "She had a nice rack."

"Yeah. He likes chicks, alright?" I naturally answered.

I paused, realizing what I was answering to.

"Wait! Did you just read my mind?" I gasped.

War let out an evil chuckle and downed his ale in one go.

"Oi! Bar Lady! One more please!" He called out to an animachine for a refill.

"Don"t change the b.l.o.o.d.y subject War!" I growled at his smug expression.

_"Yah mind"s like an open tent with a welcome sign on it." _War sn.i.g.g.e.red in my head. _"Let"s see what yah think of this!"_

I cursed out loud when an image of myself in the black and white maid"s outfit popped up in my mind, showing my hairy legs and all. There was nothing attractive about the image. In fact, it was all kinds of wrong.

"Stop messing with my head you stupid brother!" I ranted, almost smashing my mug of ale on the counter when I dumped it down hard.

"How about this then?!" War continued with his sick mental projection of myself in various silly outfits.

I was wearing a banana suit, gorilla outfit and a butler outfit. Actually, I didn"t mind the black and white butler outfit. The tailcoat made my torso and legs longer. The white open rose pinned to my right breast was an elegant touch.

"What am I thinking?!" I brushed off the images.

"Yes, what the h.e.l.l is going through that strange mind of yours. Do you really like cosplaying? I mean, you"re kind of knowledgeable on fashion." Wilfred grimaced as he approached us and occupied a stool next to War.

"It"s b.l.o.o.d.y War putting them there!" I growled.

"Ah yeah. Figured as much." Wilfred chuckled.

"What do you mean you figured as much?!" I directed my growl at the four-eyes who looked apathetic to my reaction.

"Well, we were all in the juxtapositioner"s lair, right? What do we have in common from being there?"

I groaned with realization. "b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. You could read my mind the whole time."

War laughed.

A rowdy din of voices and cheering interrupted our conversation. We saw a mob before the large gla.s.s screen geeing each other up. The blank screen was now showing a moving image, which seemed to be coming from within h.e.l.l"s Labyrinth.

I frowned when parts of the scene were keenly familiar.

"Um, that shiny gold coin tree is the Lotus Bridge right?" I whispered to War and Wilfred.

"Yeah." They both mumbled in unison. Their eyes were fixated on the scene being played out on the wall screen.

Death, Jensen, Ryoko and Lita joined our sides to watch the screen from our position. It was a clear line of sight of the event being played.

I gasped with shock when my mug was visible in the screen. I was wearing the Mapgla.s.s and standing next to Death in the gold column of light that formed the trunk of the gold coin tree. This was the Lotus Bridge"s Primary Core.

"Aah! I didn"t get to see this. My maplink cut out." A knight blurted as he raced for a place in the betting mob.

"Ten daro, the map"s a heart shape!" Another knight called out a bet.

A seasoned knight, wearing a white flat cap, was taking note and keeping tabs on a blackboard beneath the screen.

Ryoko grumbled that the scruffy looking veteran in the white cap with a toothpick hanging off his lip was the designated Bookie.

The Bookie used magic to set the knight"s name on the board along with his stakes and bet. More knights were shouting out similar bets and currency to be captured on the board.

"Hey, Famine, what map did you see? My maplink had cut out too." Jensen picked at my brain, hoping for winning insight.

"b.u.g.g.e.r off!" I answered back, thinking of a monkey doing a ma.s.sive dump on his head.

Jensen snarled and grumbled about being a bad team player.

"Can"t they turn this off. It"s embarra.s.sing." Death groaned, not enjoying the sight of himself being played out on screen.

"Nup! Rule of h.e.l.l"s Labyrinth and wearers of Maplinks. Everyone"s view is transparent. In other words, I get to see what someone else saw. It"s to make sure we"re all doing our duties, or we can see trouble around the wings and tiers at all times." Lita stoically explained.

"Don"t you have Trix for that job?" I innocently blurted.

"Idiot. Trix is one man. We still need to know what"s happening around the labyrinth. Otherwise, we can"t help each other if we get trapped." Ryoko added on to the explanation.

"Then why are they taking bets. Clearly, this is not an official activity." Death"s dreary expression was a clear indication that he was not impressed.

"Bah! Gotta have some fun while you"re at it!" Jensen piped up with a grin going from ear to ear.

"I bet 50 daro, Famine saw a star shaped heart!" He called out his bet from where he stood.

His name magically appeared on the blackboard with his bet.

"Hahaha. I"m gonna get me a girl and get busy tonight!" Jensen danced and jigged on the spot excitedly. "You losers can go back to HQ without me."

"Like what girl will have a nerdy looking four-eyes git for a bed partner." Ryoko sarcastically commented on Jensen"s face.

Jensen pushed up his thick framed gla.s.ses up his nose. "Chicks dig smart looking dudes."

"You"re not mistaking yourself as smart a.s.s." Ryoko smirked.

The bets continued to increase until the moment was at hand. The Bookie waved off all incoming bets when the image changed to the view from the mapgla.s.s.

The mob fell silent when the image showed a shape being formed.