The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Absolutely Devious

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Chapter 13: Absolutely Devious Lucius’s routine was ever the same. There he laid on the cold hard tile, breaths silent and body full of style, when his eyes fluttered open, and thus he said with a smile: “Good morning. My, what a pleasant day!” It was six-o-clock somewhere, and after a good night’s rest, Lucius was ready to tackle whatever new challenge awaited him. One problem, however: there was no food! No yogurt or fruit to partake in—oh, the horror. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and yet here he was… bereft of even a light snack. The only thing to eat in the maze were the fleshy creatures outside, at least for those desperate enough to try. That was a thought he didn’t bother to entertain. Lucius sighed and was just about to groom his hair when he heard a loud groan. It was Jack, and his condition looked significantly worse for wear. His arm that had stopped bleeding now practically oozed with pus. It was healing along nicely just yesterday; whatever measure the young man had taken must’ve expired. “Mister Thames, are you alright?” Lucius said, doing his very best to make Jack look presentable. “To be honest? It isn’t looking good for me, Lucius.” Jack laughed, but it was a bitter one. Still, the hope in his eyes hadn’t dimmed just yet. “We need to find Marco. He’s the only one who can… who can fix me right now.” “You’re in no condition to be moving around.” “It’s either that, or I die.” A firm determination settled into Jack’s expression. His eyes and brow hardened, and he gritted his teeth to distract from the pain. “I can survive for another day. Let’s keep moving.” So he said, but Lucius couldn’t have him deteriorating any more than he already had. Thus, the gentleman proposed an idea. “How about this: You stay here and preserve your energy, Mister Thames, while I go and search for the others.” Lucius pulled out a bright blue handkerchief and tied it into a long ribbon. “I will leave this hanging just outside the entrance. It won’t be difficult to find, both for me and our missing duo just in case they pass by, and I shall also leave a trail so that I won’t lose my way back here.” Lucius didn’t actually have anything to leave a trail with, but he was certain in his memory. One must be bold in the lies they spout in order to come across as trustworthy. Jack stayed silent, pondering. On one hand he didn’t seem to like the idea of being left alone, but it was also he that was most aware of his current condition. “... Alright,” Jack said. “We don’t have much of a choice. But will you be okay out there?” Lucius chuckled. “Never mind me. If nothing else, I trust these two feet of mine to dash like the wind.” Jack’s mood became a little brighter, and he grinned as he bid Lucius farewell with a weak wave. The thought of the man abandoning him never seemed to cross his mind. “Stay safe out there.” With that, Lucius stepped back into the dreary halls of the maze. It was time to get to work. Though he didn’t know for certain where Marco and Mili could have gone, he had his predictions. The day before, Lucius had discovered a long winding stretch of wall that felt different from the usual. When he tapped on it, the sound was subtly different. More solid . The normal bricks had a slight echo when touched as if the space behind it were hollow. What did this mean? It meant that the maze was not as endless as it seemed. The reasoning for the more solid sound had to be because it had an actual base behind it - something that wasn’t intended to be moved or broken into. Something that could stop a certain monster from escaping. Lucius understood it then: he had found this realm’s very edge. But he couldn’t be certain if it was uniform all throughout. He checked the mental map in his head, measured the distance (it was approximately twenty football fields up and ten to the right from where they started), and so all that was left to do was prove his theory. Lucius warmed himself up and took off sprinting as fast as he c