The rat was unidentifiable. It no longer looked like an animal, but a pile of organs and muscles, crushed into bits. On top of its carcass, which was now more of a culmination of miscellaneous meat, sat the humongous manhole cover that had previously slotted itself in the ceiling. It was deeply embedded between the body parts, showing that it had fallen with great power exerted onto it. The strength of said force on the cover, combined with Bon Bon's Windy Summer, was enough to finally end this horrid beast.
Sancho felt great relief in his salvation, grateful that his life had not ended prematurely. His heartbeat regained its steady pace; he felt the transition between the over-production of boiling blood into a relaxed stream. Although one would usually remain cautious in this scenario, for the rat had once already tricked him into thinking it was retired, Sancho no longer felt fear, as Giorgio was now here, and he could defeat any foe that dared challenge him. At least, so he thought.
He stared at Giorgio with admiration in his eyes, 'Giorgio! How did you find us?'
'I saw you jump over the wall whilst chasing that weird little guy. Initially, I thought you had gone mad and dived into the river, but when I saw that there was ground below, I was sure that you were gonna end up in a place like that.'
'WEIRD LITTLE GUY?!' Bon Bon popped out from behind Sancho, waving his fist in anger at Giorgio.
'SANCHO! HE'S BEHIND YOU!' Giorgio screamed, winding his fist up for an attack.
'Calm down! He's harmless, really. His name is Bon Bon, and he actually saved me from that rat, believe it or not.'
Giorgio lowered his fist and stuck his head through the open hole in the ground. 'I don't see any rat. And why'd you need help dealing with a little rodent? You know we're gonna be facing, like, real tough guys, right?'
Giorgio's mocking tone was one familiar to Sancho, yet it still infuriated him to hear. His sarcasm penetrated the ears and attacked one's emotions instantly; Sancho was riled up already. 'IT WASN'T A LITTLE RAT! IT WAS ALMOST THE SIZE OF THE ROOM!'
Giorgio suppressed a cunning smile of victory as he watched Sancho grow furious. He stared at Sancho blankly, but with a humorous and incredulous smirk peaking in the corners of his lips. 'If you say so,' he said in a tone that perfectly replicated his expression. 'So what's the plan with the kid? If he runs now, I'll forget about the whole amulet thing and let him live.'
Bon Bon recoiled behind Sancho, teeth together in fright.
'Hold on there, Giorgio, he's coming with us. He was attacked the same as me, and has nowhere else to go.'
'HUH! The little brat stole from us! Plus, he followed us all the way from home. There's no telling what he'll do next!' But it was futile. Even though Giorgio was right in having this weary judgment, Sancho's expression showed that he was sure of his decision, and wouldn't take no for an answer. This was unlike him to wear, and Giorgio knew that.
Exhaling and shaking his head, Giorgio departed from view momentarily. He then returned with a rope in his hand; he held one of the knotted ends before throwing it down the opening. As the rope fell, its twisted and interwoven body unravelled violently, lashing out at the air. It fell continuously; Sancho was amazed that it bore such a length to be able to reach them from all the way on the surface. It stopped on top of the cover and once more wrapped around itself. It was clear that, without the cover, the rope would end just before the murky waters, making it a perfect length for one to climb between the surface and the catacombs. The knot was extremely frayed at the ends, alluding to its continuous use and age; Sancho even suspected the possibility that the rope had been cut not long ago by another, so it would be in perfect proportions for this exact climb.
'I tied the other end to a post, so you're all good to climb.'
Sancho took a grand step forward onto the metal cover, which was followed by an unagreeable squelching sound from underneath. He immediately grabbed onto the rope and took a few large breaths before starting to pull himself up. The height of the room was vast and unnerving, tall enough to make any casual person cower from it. Yet, Sancho trusted Giorgio and managed to suppress his fears of the looming height.
After climbing three-quarters of the rope's length, his legs began to shake under his weight, and his muscles ached. The fatigue he had accumulated during the battle, along with this climb, started to affect his strength; he grew fearful of his ability to achieve freedom. He had been somewhat content with this excursion, but was now terrified about looking down at his progress, keeping his eyes solely on the increasing opening of light.
'Jeez, don't fall now, you're almost there.' Giorgio said in a voice of genuine sincerity and reassurance.
His words ricocheted through Sancho's mind and acted as the driving force for his motivation. He climbed with a surge of strength and almost faltered at the end, but Giorgio just caught him. Pulling him up, Giorgio brushed Sancho's shoulders and greeted him with a warm smile.
'See, not so bad.'
Sancho panted with pure exhaustion, 'You try to climb that after depleting most of your spirit in battle.'
'Please, that's nothing. A good climb is just what you need to strengthen those muscles,' Giorgio grinned, flexing his bicep and patting his blazer arm. He looked down the opening and saw that Bon Bon was yet to start his own climb.
Bon Bon tugged at the rope, superstitious of its security. He had watched Sancho climb for ages, yet his nerves for his own turn kept increasing, especially when it looked as though Sancho might fall. He had no confidence in his ability to scale this skyscraper of a rope; he considered turning around and trying to navigate back to the entrance through the catacombs. Furthermore, he was surrounded by the rat's dismembered body parts, which seemed to be drifting closer and closer through the slow currents.
'Hey, if you're gonna come with, then start climbing!' cried Giorgio in an indifferent tone.
Bon Bon audibly gulped and tugged at the rope once more. 'A-are you sure it's s-safe?'
'Huh? Of course I am, I tied it myself.'
'W-what if it snaps, or I f-fall! I'll land on the cover and d-die here with Nezumi!' His voice shook in fear. Even if he wanted to start climbing, his legs would not allow him to move from this position.
Giorgio saw Bon Bon's trembling body take control over his posture; in that moment, he pitied the boy and put aside his impulsive judgment on him, for he saw himself in the boy. 'Good grief; fine, stay still, and I'll lift you up.'
Bon Bon looked at Giorgio with surprise, but also confusion; was he going to have to hold onto the rope and let Giorgio pull him up? Even though he wouldn't have to climb, he still doubted his ability to hold on. Then, he noticed Giorgio lean over the opening and make a circle with his thumb and index finger. He proceeded to say something under his breath and blow through his fingers with all the breath in his body. Bon Bon was starstruck as a massive bubble began forming from Giorgio's hand; it slowly expanded until it was the size of a human! Its iridescent glow was beautiful to Bon Bon, and reignited his childish nature. It descended towards him until they finally came into contact. The bubble pressed down on Bon Bon's temple, reshaping its body into a large curve that folded over him, and then ultimately collapsed, completely consuming his head. Bon Bon panicked as the bubble enveloped him, grabbing onto it to try to pull it off, but stopping after realising its silky, moist skin was impossible to break; it would continue to expand far beyond his arm's length before a tear could be made.
Once his entire body was secured inside the bubble, he realised that he could breathe perfectly fine. He sat comfortably at the bottom, which felt as soft as clouds, bathing in the sweet fragrance of vanilla that engulfed the spacious bubble. Now that he was settled inside, it was almost too nice to leave. The bubble quickly ascended back to the surface, never drifting from its straight path upwards. It continued to float until it exited the opening, and only popped once it was safely on the ground. Bon Bon's smug, relaxed face changed to one of distress as he found himself back on land.
'Hang on, you could've done that the whole time?! How come I had to climb all the way up here on a rope, and he gets the luxury of a bubble elevator!'
'Well, I was planning on conserving my spirit in case of a fight, but how could I let the little guy climb all that way, huh?' Giorgio grinned, patting Bon Bon's head. 'His arms and legs are too short anyway; he'd take ages to climb that rope.'
Giorgio's arrogant tone and jests caused both Sancho and Bon Bon to grind their teeth and wave their fists at him.
Sancho looked around, perceiving a square plot of land, surrounded by buildings. It looked like a small residential area where the neighbours would meet occasionally, whilst smoking cigarettes or just before going to bed. A light breeze touched his sweaty cheek; he sensed that it had swept in from the northern side of the area. Retracing the wind's path with his eyes, he saw a narrow but tall entrance leading back onto the city street, created purely by the walls of the connected buildings. This was definitely a private area, cut off from non-residents.
'How'd you find this place anyway? It's pretty well hidden from the general public.'
'Ah, that involves one of my many amazing feats! Of course, I didn't wanna go through those tunnels; my clothes would be filthy, and I'd smell terrible afterwards. So, I simply sent a bubble down there to follow you, which then gave me a satellite image of the area. After that, all I had to do was break that cover and save the day, just like always.' Giorgio spoke with care-free elegance, as if the actions in his retelling were simple and without effort.
Sancho was familiar with this attitude, yet could not help but admire it each time. That self-love and confidence were projected so strongly, it was difficult for anyone not to appreciate them. 'So where are we now?' he asked.
'We're close to the plaza,' answered Bon Bon. His gaze had not left the tiny property square, but he spoke with absolute certainty.
Giorgio did not respond, but shot an inquisitive glance towards the boy, his eyes squinting.
'You planned to lure me into that room from the start, didn't you?' asked Sancho.
Bon Bon nodded.
'In that case, does that mean you have all those tunnels mapped out? I mean, it's basically pitch black down there, yet you could still navigate it as if the sun were following you.'
The boy did not hesitate in his reply; in fact, he was willing to share almost everything with these people, despite them being strangers and even enemies up until moments ago. 'I don't know them all, but I'm familiar with most of the routes. They get more complicated the deeper into the city you go, because that's where they start to split off. The room below us is used a lot for travelling between the surface and tunnels, and for ambushes sometimes.'
'Who is it used by?' asked Giorgio.
'The Merchants of Venice, of course.'
Both Giorgio and Sancho repeated the name in surprise. Their curiosity had spiked rapidly: Is that an organisation? What do they need these tunnels for?
'The Merchants of Venice… Is it a group of people?'
'Yes. I am…' Bon Bon paused for a moment, lowering his head. It looked like a ripple of bad memories and regret swept across him. 'I was a part of them. I don't know everything, but I do know that they're everywhere. And, you never know who's a part of them: it could be anyone! They made me steal stuff like old ladies' jewellery and keys to different buildings, to then give to the adults, but there are others who do more secretive things.'
'Like what, for example?'
'I don't know. Master Gero forbids anyone from sharing anything about the Merchants of Venice.'
'... Gero?' Giorgio was suddenly very interested in this concept. It seemed as though a hierarchy was in place within this secretive, underground organisation, and it ruled over the city without the public knowing. This could greatly hinder both their stay here and their search for Nero, especially if he also found out about the group's existence.
'Don't say anything else, kid. Let's wait till we're with the others at the apartment: I have a feeling that this isn't the only time these "Merchants of Venice" will come up during our stay here.'