LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 2: rely
A new day dawned, and with the same excitement as always, Lusto turned on the camera. Raising his hands above his head. —Government! After months and months of calculations, I believe I have discovered the controlled teleportation with a single card. — From his pocket, he pulls out a card. Placing it a few meters away from the camera delicately.
In another scene, Zooe was sweeping the floor. When a scream emerged from Lusto's laboratory. —Zooe! Bring Soleria quickly! —
Zooe gives a slight grimace and leaves the broom against the wall, picking up and placing Soleria's chair on his shoulder.
Opening the laboratory door, he sees Lusto running out, engulfed in flames while screaming and waving his hands like a madman. In front of the portal stood a bombón, who, with a pointed smile, released fire from his head. Zooe didn't understand how a bombón could do this to Lusto, until he saw his arms and legs grow like magma and volcanic stone.
Zooe frees Soleria, who grabs the wall. Her normally circular eyes tense and turn into more suitable eyes for a hunter, changing from a brown hue to a red one, ready to hunt.
Lusto appears in the laboratory doorway, with his skin glowing and hydrated, holding the camera. —Look, government, this is the fantastic race of the Pilanin, natural-born hunters. — He says while recording Soleria moving with quick and precise movements, dodging the flames coming from the bombón. When the bombón gets distracted, as his flames were running out, Soleria delivers a clean cut, severing his head and completely extinguishing his flames.
—Do you think it's over now, Lusto? — With a smile that almost borders on mania. —Look, government, another demonstration of my intellect, the Pilanin race, once they've made a successful hunt, falls completely asleep, and that's when I, the great Lusto, take the opportunity to tie up Soleria, just in case. We don't want any problems. — He says while turning off the camera.
Stretching, while placing the camera on the desk and turning off the card to put it in his pocket. —Zooe will love Soleria! I'm recording this disaster.
After completing his tasks, and after Lusto had sent another memory to another pigeon to send to the government, they see the small monkey Foot enter through the door on two legs, with his eyes shining with pride. Zooe gently grabs him in his large arms.
Lusto looks at him in surprise. —I didn't remember monkeys grew so fast, two weeks since he arrived, and look at him.
Zooe, confused. —What do you mean two weeks? Foot has been with us for almost 6 months.
Lusto is surprised, touching his forehead while inhaling air.
Foot frees himself from Zooe's hands and walks over to Lusto, pulling a gray key from his mouth and handing it to him.
Confused. —Where did you find this?— Lusto inspects the key, seeing a number engraved on it, and bringing it close to his face to forcefully read what's engraved on it. —9-17, I know where this is!
Zooe, cautiously picking up Foot. —So, are we going?
Turning to look at Zooe with seriousness. —Zooe, do you know why we don't leave the laboratory and the 11th floor out of the 12 in this huge building?
When Zooe hears the seriousness in Lusto's tone, which he had never heard before, his fur stands on end, and his muscles start to tremble. —Why… why?
Abruptly, Lusto's tone changes to a more cheerful one. —You'll see.
Preparing to discover what lies in the other floors, Zooe takes a giant backpack with enough resources to survive for two days, along with two frying pans, one for cooking and the other for self-defense. And Lusto, putting on fluorescent green contact lenses, takes his axe as his only defense. They prepare to go down a floor.
Zooe grabs Foot, but Lusto stops him. —It's better if you leave him on this floor, he'll be safer.
Zooe looks at Soleria, who was sleeping in the chair, as if telling Lusto it's not safe.
Lusto picks up Foot and sets him down on the 11th-floor floor. —He's safer here than down there.
Zooe nods to Lusto's words. Taking off a hatch, they go down to the next floor.
As they descend, they see a large automatic door with the number 10 in yellow letters. When it detects them, it tries to open, but a bent tube blocks it. Zooe uses his large arms to remove the bent tube and lets the door open completely.
Passing through the door, the heavy and dark atmosphere of the hallways floods them, but with courage, the two teleportation scientists cross, searching for room 9-17.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the building, a familiar figure sat while the pigeon Lusto had placed the memory on approached him, landing on his arm. Joiden, with his robotic hands, takes the memory and inserts it into a port in his head. A grimace of disgust forms on his face as he descends from the roof.
Soleria wakes up and, tied up, tries to attack Joiden, who places a hand on her face, and from a small orange crystal, a light begins to emerge. —You're one of the main reasons I haven't completed my mission. — But the orange light quickly fades.
The monkey Foot approaches Joiden's feet, and with no ill intentions, he gently strokes his furry head, making Foot very happy. Joiden moves him off his legs and heads to the hatch below, a wicked smile forming on his face as he opens it. With a slow and sinister step, he leaves the building.
Meanwhile, strange sounds begin to echo from the open hatch, while the sound of the automatic door begins to open.
Following the hallways on floor 10, they see a flickering light with a door marked with the number 9, but before they could pass, they see a blue deformity emerging. It was an disgusting monster, its body dragging on the floor with many tiny hands it had, over 4 meters long, with a large mouth always leaking red liquid. Suddenly, Lusto sees its huge head rise as if it had smelled something and looks at them. It had no eyes, but a great sense of smell.
Lusto touches Zooe's chest, pushing him. —Run.
Zooe, confused. —Why?
The beast reveals a smile and begins to drag itself toward them slowly, but gradually speeds up.
Lusto, desperate, pushes Zooe. —RUN!
Zooe, hearing that voice and the slimy sounds the beast makes while moving, becomes alert and starts running after Lusto.
The deformity is slowly catching up, but they see a door that Lusto opens, letting Zooe pass. However, he locks it behind him, trapping the blue beast. Lusto turns on the light and sees a floor filled with blood, which disturbs him, but his anxiety calms when he sees a room full of technology. But something catches his attention even more: an athlete lying on the table. On the screen, there was a blood mark in the shape of three fingers, and even with 5% battery, a scientist stood in front of what seemed to be a miniature version of the current beast, starting the video.
The standing scientist begins. —Hello, government and laboratory colleagues, I'm pleased to present the waste beast. This beast eats plastics and assimilates them to convert them into a more workable form, like petroleum, through its sweat and urine. This invention…— Lusto pauses the video with a maniacal smile and pulls a card from his lab coat.
Zooe, doubting his plans. —What are you going to do, Lusto?
Lusto looks at the door and notices the scientist's body, which is covered in bites and missing body parts. Lusto, with a human gesture, closes his eyes and carefully grabs the cold body. He sets the card on the floor and opens the door.
Zooe, scared, tries to close it, but sees how the card activates, and a bombón rolls out. Lusto apologizes, throwing the body into the beast's mouth, which begins to chew it. Meanwhile, Lusto runs to the table, carrying Zooe. The blue monster, finishing the body, sees the bombón, who had a smile, and begins to generate a body made of magma and volcanic stone. With a huge blast of fire from the bombón, the beast burns and explodes into a thousand pieces. Not a second passed before the bombón could celebrate, as Lusto swiftly cuts off his head, deactivating the card.
Still wiping his sweat. —Let's go, Zooe, there should be no more danger.
Zooe listens, but the bombón, as a final reflex before dying, shoots a small flame at Zooe's fur. Reacting quickly, Lusto applies green cream to him.
—Snail Marine cream, with this your skin regenerates, hydrates, and eliminates imperfections. — He stands up like a commercial. —"Crecaracol by Lusto Pariz, of course, it's worth it."
Zooe pulls him toward the 9th-floor door, crossing it and descending the hatch. Passing through three rooms before reaching room 9-17.
Lusto places the key, which fits perfectly, turns it, and turns on the light. They see…
A face of disappointment is painted on both of them. —Nothing. — Lusto's gaze falls in frustrating fatigue, but Zooe enters to take a look.
When he enters, he sees a white table with a wooden guitar. When he grabs it, it has Lusto's name engraved on it. Zooe walks over to Lusto. —Is this yours?
Lusto looks at it, but his expression of disappointment is palpable. —I don't know.
Zooe grabs it and places it on his back. —Alright, big baby, let's go.
Zooe grabs it and places it on his back. —"Alright, big baby, let's go."
Upon returning to the 11th floor, they open the hatch, but Zooe notices an unsettling red liquid on the floor. Alarmed, he drops Lusto to the ground next to the guitar. Fearing the worst, he looks down the hallway and sees Soleria holding Foot in her arms and a monster that appeared to be dead, with a tooth embedded in its head. Soleria had a large wound on her head, and Zooe, worried, approaches her, but she attacks him. With one hand, she holds one of her sharp teeth, and with the other, she pulls Foot back. Upon recognizing Zooe, she calms down and collapses to the floor, exhausted.
—Alright, tie her up, Zooe,— says Lusto, shaking his hands.
—No, Lusto, I think I owe her, — Zooe says as he grabs Foot and carries Soleria to a bed to let her rest.
Lusto is confused and complains to Zooe that it's dangerous to have her loose.
—Calm down, Lusto. Give her a chance, maybe she'll surprise you — Zooe says as he leaves with Foot to another room.
Lusto grabs the guitar, and with a confused expression, he says, —Trust her?
With the guitar in hand, he heads to his lab, turning off the light. In the darkness, Joiden appears, holding the monster's tooth, with a distorted, whispering voice. —Pilanin, haha, they're more surprising than I expected.
He places the tooth in a compartment on his chest and leaves a card on the floor, which opens a portal. Joiden enters without hesitation, disappearing quickly, and the card vanishes with him.