19 Part 2.8

After all the prisoners I had brought with me armed themselves with whatever they could scavenge from the bodies surrounding us we were on our way once more. This time the destination was the staircase leading to Level Three. We needed to get the invaders and the transvestites where they were coming from, in this case, the entrance to Impel Down.

Normally I would never even entertain the thought of trying to get to higher Levels of Impel Down, let alone the entrance which I have never seen. But this is a desperate situation, and desperation changes people.

"Now listen up everyone. Normally I wouldn't do this, but we need to stop this invasion. Invasions are like leaks, you need to stop them at the source. Do you know what that means?"

They all shake their head, so I tell them.

"It means we need to get to the entrance of Impel Down."

They all start smiling or smirking. I don't understand why they're so happy about all of this. We're technically breaking the rules right now. Personally, I'm having a panic attack right now. I can barely believe it myself.

"Now, before we go, I have an important question for everyone."

They perk up and look at me. A pause for a moment for dramatic effect and then ask, "Does anyone know where the entrance to Level Three is? Because I only have a general idea."

They look amongst themselves and begin muttering. They ask around and a couple point in random directions, but none of those fingers point in the same direction. I feel upset at the fact I may have to just walk in a general direction and hope I find it.

Then a voice calls about above me, "Hey, I know the way to the stairs."

I find the source quickly. Inside of a cell suspended in mid air is a prisoner with short purple hair. He's gripping the bars of his cage and has a manic expression in his eyes.

"Let me out and I'll show you the way!" He pleads.

Good thing I still have those keys I got from the guy I accidentally broke on Level Five. I was just about to let this guy out when another voice calls out to me.

"Don't listen to that fool. He can barely tell the difference between his left and his right. I can guide you to the entrance where your invaders are coming from. Release me from my confinement."

The man calling this out is in another hanging cage, thsi one over a pit of boiling liquid. He's a lanky man with slicked back black hair and he's wearing glasses. I watch as he uses the palm of his hand to push his glasses back into place while keeping his fingers pointed up.

The two men begin to argue about the invalid claims the other is amijng and why I should let them out to guide me to the exit. I know I'm running short on time so I make a quick split-second decision.

"I don't know who to trust, so I'll let both of you out." I tell them both.

The man with purple hair seems disgruntled, but the man with glasses seems satisfied.

I notice their cages are held aloft by a series of chains and pulleys. I follow the chains until I find their anchor point in a wall. I quickly make my way over there and begin the process of lowering the cages with a crank that is attached.

As I lower the cages some of the prisoners I brought with me break off from the rest to form a small group. When the man's with glasses cage gets close enough they reach out and swing it. That makes it so he doesn't fall into the pot beneath him.

When the cages land on solid ground I use the white keys I still have to release them. They seem immensely pleased by this.

The man with purple hair just introduces himself as Kreig. The guy with glasses however takes a deep and noble bow. He then introduces himself.

"I am immensely grateful for you releasing me. My execution was tommorow and this should stall it until a later date. You may call me... Klahadore."

I nod to them. Then say, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Arm yourselves and get ready to fight. We're probably going to come across the attackers soon. Now, which which way to the stairs?"

They both point down one of the walkways, and thankfully they are both pointing in the same direction. I guess that means that way must be right. If they had pointed in different directions, we would've had a problem. I would've had to use logic to figure out which way would had been right.

Klahadore, Kreig, Gurry, and the rest of the prisoners follow me as we head to the stairs. We have a mission we must accomplish.

We make good time, and soon I come across a particular sight after turning a corner. One I can't look away from.

Five guards are clustered around a woman I remember from my time on Level Four. Sadie.

I remember her using her whip to tear prisoners apart and to command the Jailer Beasts. She's just as I remember her, skimpy clothing and all.

Except now her whip has been used to tie her up and she's hanging upside down and is struggling and screaming. She's very pretty... No! Focus. This is the woman who drove her heel through my stomach. I still have the scars from that. I had to watch as she stood above me and licked her lips sensually and drove her shoe right through me.

"Ahhh! There's someone, mmmmm, behind you fools!" She calls out to the guards both oggling her and making a half assed effort to untie the complicated looking knots keeping her aloft.

They turn to look at what Sadie was talking about, just to come face to face with me and the prisoners from Level Five behind me. Their eyes bug out of their skulls and they begin sweating up a storm.

One gulps, then asks nervously, "W-what do you prisoners think y-you're doing! Go back to your cells."

I nod. "We will."

Both of his eyebrows shoot so far up they disappear up into his cap. "You will?"

I nod again. "Oh, we will. Eventually. Just not now."

"What do you mean?" He asks. The guards' knees begin knocking together as I walk closer so that way they can hear me better and explain the situation. I can hear the crowd of prisoners following behind me.

"You see, Impel Down has just suffered a prison break. The first one ever if I'm not mistaken. Do you know what that means?

"N-no. What does Straw Hat Luffy attacking have to do with anything?"

"I don't care about who is attacking. Just the fact that someone is attacking to begin with. You see, I am a model prisoner, and I have a duty to perform in situations like these. Do you know what that is?"

I'm so close now, that I lean up into the guard's face so he can hear me as clearly as possible.

"Attack-" The guard's eyes roll up into his head and he falls backwards unconscious. The other guards quickly follow. "-the invaders..."

I just look at them laying there after falling unconscious. That can't be comfortable laying on the horizon stone floor like that.

"Huh. Awkward. Here I am trying to calmly explain how we're trying to help him and he suffers from some sort of narcoleptic attack."

Klahadore pushes his glasses up in his odd way. Then he comments sarcastically, "What a shame. Perhaps they have low blood sugar." He then looks at Sadie who is struggling to get free. "We should leave the woman and continue on our way. We must hurry if we wish to... stop the invaders. We need to get to the exit with utmost haste."

I agree. It does make the most sense. I turn to Sadie and tell her, "Sorry, but I'm going to leave you tied up here. This isn't because you stabbed me with your heel that one time. I'm not that petty."

I ignore her screams of frustration and run past her, the prisoners following after me. I also ignore the sounds of the prisoners kicking the unconscious guards as we pass. We're in a hurry and on a mission, I can correct them on the error of their ways later.

We have a prison to save.