Goal of the day: 1383 words. Written: 1395.
Thinking about what we could understand from this and always looking back to see if no one was watching and following us from anywhere, or telling others that we were here, I followed Ruth. After turning past the trees and bushes growing on the edge of the square, we headed for a large, wide, blue and upward-pointing closed door.
We stopped in front of them.
"Here," Ruta commented, looking at the stone pointing through the front door.
"Shall I open the door for you as a gentleman?" Antonio asked sarcastically.
"You wouldn't open it, even if you tried," Rūta replied after a moment's pause, examining the door carefully.
Antonio gaped as if to retort, but shut up. I looked behind us at that moment, but the square was still completely empty.
- You know... Why should this square be so empty? - I asked quietly, continuing to examine her, the couple by the door.
"No, it shouldn't be," answered Ruth calmly, continuing to examine the door.
I rolled my eyes at her.
"What?" Shouldn't? So THEY already know we're here?? Is it bad or not??
– …But we have no choice but to go forward. - she continued before I could ask anything. "And now, it's true, don't say anything more, because the City Council or the Guard can listen to us."
"Oh!"
I quickly looked around, where could there be any sound-recording crystals or something else.
– …And to be honest, I know they are ALREADY listening to us. - she continued again after a pause, attaching some kind of black round stone to one of the doors, near the center of it. Then, turning his face away, as if greeting good friends among other things:
- Good day, what about you?
I looked at her without understanding anything and already starting to feel a tremor in my hands. Ruth didn't seem like one to poke and prod, but I didn't really see any creatures anywhere. where are they
- We retreat. Ruta ordered and pushed me and Antonio a few steps away from the door. - If they come this way, don't want them to shave your heads.
I took a few more steps forward until my back was against a large green and messy bush between the trees. It smelled sweet and sour, slightly irritating me.
"And get ready if someone is already waiting for us outside the door," warned our operation commander.
"Come closer," Rutai said to me, standing next to Antonio, throwing the guitar off his shoulder.
She immediately followed and came close, holding a small black stone in her hand.
"Three," Antonio began, adjusting the guitar in his hands, and I immediately stood up in a firmer position, holding Naoki tighter.
I felt the fresh seam through my palm open up a bit again and Naoki pumped and glistened again.
"I hope he doesn't suck me all up and I don't bleed!" Brrr!”
I even shook myself from that thought and a chill ran down my spine.
"Two," Antnio continued slowly, raising his hand over the strings.
- One! he shouted.
And at the same moment, when Ruth must have pressed the button and done something, the door opened with amazing speed, Antonio ran his hands through the strings and a greenish magic shield shone around us, and Naoki almost slipped out of my hand because of that excitement and surprise.
Although there was no reason for him to throw something.
For the high, pointed-ceilinged way was entirely empty, and the door, too, opened INSIDE it, and not outward, so that there was no risk to our noses.
I looked over at Ruth, who was standing just as confident as ever. Antonio just nodded his head silently as if approving what he was seeing.
"Well, there was nothing inside," Ruta confidently commented, still standing where she was.
"Or they were all hit by the opening door," added Antonio.
"Or this," the first one nodded.
"Is this a walk in the park for them or what, after a thunderstorm!?" … Well, we were in the park and we were walking, but it doesn't matter - they are always so relaxed??”
Annoyed, I silently shook my head and stepped forward. Because if there is no one inside and someone is really watching us - then, damn it, there is nothing to stand on.
And just a moment later, I bobbed my head into an invisible dome in the air. This one was above us appears.
- Ouch! - he blurted out when I hit him and almost broke my head back.
"What the hell!?"
"Careful, my shield will disappear in just a few more moments," explained Antonio, putting his hand on my shoulder. And added more sarcastically:
- Why do you think we are standing here like idiots in the middle of the field and cracking jokes?
“Ah yes, so the shield! ...But they are blabbering again with their sarcasm! Everyone here is sarcastic! You choke."
I rubbed my forehead with my free hand. Bathed her. The forehead, not the hand. However, I did not express my thoughts out loud and took a step back closer to Atnonis and stood next to him.
We stood like that for a few moments when the invisible shield rippled through the air and disappeared again.
"Now let's go," Antonio said as he stepped forward, skipping Ruth to lead us forward.
I immediately followed the two, putting Naoki's bag back in my pocket, but holding my hand with him. Because who knows, you might need it right away.
We walked down the corridor. The walls of this one were like the door, blue and rippled like water or rain on glass. But more like water in a puddle on a windy day. A few hundred meters down the hall from us was a door exactly like the one we passed.
I looked over at Ruth, who had her navigator out again. However, it was clearly not strange to her and she seemed completely at ease.
"It's amazing how she stays so cool!" Maybe she's been operated on for some sense of fear or something?"
So, we were walking straight ahead, wondering what was going to happen next (or at least I was the only one thinking, because I don't know what the others were thinking), when suddenly there was a hum behind us.
I jumped and turned around. And the door through which we had entered was already closed.
"So, good afternoon," a calm female voice was heard from somewhere high up. Or all around in general.
"Pala. I know this voice! He is kind of cute and memorable. I just don't know where exactly I heard it and who it was from..."
"Good day," Rūta greeted again, looking around. Some other crystal was already in her hand and she was pressing and twisting it in all directions.
"So," said a woman's voice, "it seems the cat has come to the mouse, hasn't it?"
"I heard somewhere... I don't remember where. But it doesn't matter what is being said here? What should I do?"
- The cat came to the mouse? - repeated Ruth, addressing the voice. "You seem to have messed something up, madam."
- Oh exactly. - after a short pause, the owner caught her voice, - I meant the mouse came to the cat... Literally... His. I'm so sorry, could you try again?
I snorted and almost started quacking from such words. But I looked at the serious faces of Ruta and Antonio and realized that maybe I shouldn't do that.
"I find it very funny, don't you?" - asked the voice, and I, realizing that he was talking about me, cringed and nervously looked around again, looking for at least some person or at least a speaker, with Naoki clutched in the palm of his hand. The owner of the voice immediately added:
- So could you tell me why you went to the cat's den, mice?
I glanced at Antonio, who turned to the one slight grill in the ceiling that I hadn't noticed before, shoved his hands in his pockets.
- Ah, you know that, I wanted to visit anyway. Visit. And you know, I ran out of sugar at home, so maybe you should accidentally lend me a few teaspoons? - playing with the cup in his hands, he held it up to Antonio.
At the time, Ruth was vigorously rummaging through her pockets and juggling between perhaps a million different crystals and crystal devices, probably trying to figure out what to do next.
"Well, well, no one goes to the cat's cave with reasons like that," the woman's voice told him instructively.
"Cats don't live in caves," Naoki commented quietly, interrupting the two's conversation.
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. What is more important is what the hell is going on here and who is that voice. And what does he want from us?"
"Well, we're first then," Antonio shrugged back, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
"He is like an actor - he calls each person differently. He usually doesn't put anything in his pockets or put his hands in them, or at least I haven't seen him do that before."
- Then you know what! - said the voice energetically, - I must reward you then! Let me do it!
And after less than a moment, something crashed... And holes opened in the walls. And the door through which we had entered opened, and in came the automatons of the Guards, slowly flying towards us.
"Oh you shit!"
- Shield! Ruta shouted, but he didn't even have to say it. Before she could even finish speaking, a guitar chord rang out and a large dome of magical energy flashed above us.
And just in time - because from the holes opened in the wall, a hail of small... Well, I had no idea what it was, but they are small and they must have hurt. But instead of going through the shield they just bounced off and fell around this one like crumbs falling on a table around a fork plate.
- We are moving towards the door! - Ruta ordered and we immediately started to move. Antonio's shield was more mobile this time - and really, I didn't know the difference between them. But this time we could move in it and it followed.
The automatons raised their hands towards us and they started to glow yellow.
- Gil, if you can do something - do it! Antonio blurted out quickly.
- Drop me! Naoki shouted.
And I had about a second to react. Because in that time the yellow light turned into a wall of fire coming towards us.
I didn't understand why I had such a reaction, but in just a moment, Naoki was already flying along the wall with a wolf like a tornado... I didn't know what he was going to do - but if he was going to do something, then so be it...