An explosion shook the entire hall. Flames flickered, guests screamed, and chaos spread like wildfire.
Grim looked behind him, “What was that explosion?!”
Lazaro, no more smug, “I think that’s Ash’s fire show, but I don’t think that’s the buffet.”
Ash (muffled voice through the earpiece): “That wasn’t me, but you guys proceed I’ll be heading to the site.”
The duo turned back to face 3 guards. And they weren’t just your ordinary guards.
Grim, stood at the entrance to the lower floors, clenched his fists. His eyes sharpened. His stance tightened.
"Enough running. Time to fight."
Lazaro, still dressed as a woman, sipped his wine. “Oh boy, here we go.”
With absolute determination, Grim charged forward—straight at the biggest, burliest, meanest-looking guard blocking their way downstairs.
The guard barely even acknowledged him before swinging a massive fist.
BOOM.
Grim soared through the air.
Past the chandeliers.
Past a floating shrimp.
Past a waiter who just barely dodged him.
He saw Heaven. ?
A peaceful field.
A warm light.
A beautiful angel reaching out to him—
Then, THUD.
He crashed straight into the cold, hard marble floor.
His brain rattled. His body ached. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear Lazaro struggling to hold in his laughter.
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Grim groaned, barely conscious, as a shrimp fell onto his forehead.
Lazaro strolled over, staring down at him with ‘genuine’ awe.
"I think you left your dignity back there, bro."
Grim barely lifted his hand to flick the shrimp off his face.
Meanwhile, Ash was absolutely losing it through the earpiece.
"Did—did you just—?"
"Shut up," Grim muttered weakly.
"Bro, you went airborne."
"Shut up."
Lazaro, grinning, squatted next to him. “Y’know, I was worried this job would be too stressful, but watching you get yeeted like a ragdoll? Therapeutic~”
Grim slowly sat up, groaning. The pain was still fresh.
But his determination burned brighter than ever.
He stood up. His fists clenched. His resolve hardened.
"I'm not going down that easily."
Lazaro blinked. "You're literally on the ground right now."
Ignoring him, Grim turned back to face the guard.
This time, he wouldn’t be caught off guard.
This time, he would dodge.
This time, he would—
The guard sidestepped him.
Grim missed entirely, tripped over a chair, and slammed face-first into the wall.
Lazaro put his hands on his knees and wheezed.
"I— I can't— dude, just STOP."
"Shut. Up."
Ash, barely containing herself, crackled through the earpiece.
"Are you actually TRYING to lose?"
Grim let out a low growl.
Lazaro wiped a tear from his eye. “Bro, I dunno if we’re gonna make it out alive, but at least you’re making it entertaining.”
For the next two floors, they tried everything.
- They tried sneaking past. (Guards immediately stopped them.)
- They tried bluffing their way through. ("We work here!" "Then where’s your uniform?" "We’re in disguise!" "Security.")
- They tried acting like VIPs. (Lazaro got handed a champagne glass, Grim got thrown out like yesterday’s trash.)
- Grim tried fighting again. (The walls continued their undefeated streak against him.)
By the time they made it to -3, Grim was running out of patience.
"How… big… is this place?!"
Lazaro took a slow sip of his stolen champagne. "You think rich people live in houses? Nah, bro. They live in LAIRS.”
That’s when Ash’s voice crackled through the earpiece.
"Alright, listen up. You two are struggling."
"We’re not—"
"—And since you’re struggling, I’m gonna be the MVP."
Grim squinted. “How?”
Lazaro leaned in. “Yeah, what’s the play?”
Ash sounded way too smug.
"Buffet Fire."
Silence.
Grim and Lazaro glanced at each other.
"That… sounds bad," Grim muttered.
"Trust me," Ash said, and cut the connection.
Lazaro stretched his arms behind his head. “Well. That’s either gonna help us or kill us.”
Grim sighed. “50/50 at this point.”
And then—
BOOM.