Qing's Quest book 2, Chapter 20: Monsters?

“Next time, consult me before you set something on fire, alright?” Qing said as he rubbed his singed face. He’d carved through the two remaining golems, but the biggest challenge had been the fact that they were on fire, throwing flaming missiles of crap at him.

“They went down fast enough, didn’t they?” Morgana said, tone defensive.

“Yeah, because we’d figured out how to kill them,” Qing said. “It would have been easier if they weren’t on fire.”

“Well, I’m sorry for helping.” she said, crossing her arms.

Qing took a slow breath of sewer air, closing his eyes for a moment. “Don’t worry about it. It worked out. But now we have to hurry. Someone might have heard the fighting and will come to investigate. I can’t imagine the city guard just leaving monsters down here unattended.”

“In the city guard, have you heard reports of sewer monsters?” Knut asked Taj.

The old man sat on his haunches, as if he wanted to lean on the wall but didn’t want to touch the dirtiness. “I’ve heard nothing about monsters like these. If the guard knew, they would clear them out. The city cannot survive without the sewers. We’d be flooded in crap within months, literally and figuratively.”

“Hopefully, this was all of them then,” Qing said.

Knut shushed him, and Morgana stared wide eyed. “Please, don’t!”

“What?” Qing said, looking between them. “I just hope that was the worst we’ll face.”

Blood-curdling shrieks filled the air, and Morgana facepalmed.

“Oh,” Qing said, dropping into a combat stance and looking every which way. He couldn’t pinpoint where the sound came from. The sewers bounced the sound too much. “What the hell was that?”

“No idea,” Taj said.

“How many monsters are down here?” Knut asked, putting arrow to string. “That was no lone monster. It sounded like a horde.”

“Worse than that,” Qing said. “It sounded unknown. Like something we don’t know how to defeat.”

“Time to go, Taj,” Knut said, nodding forwards.

“No! We’ve got to go back,” the guard said, backing up and shaking his head. “Leave this place, now.”

Qing crossed his arms. “The only way is forward. Into the palace to save our friends.”

“Are you crazy?”

Maybe a bit?

“Think about it,” Morgana said. “What should be the safest place in the city if monsters are around? The palace.”

“The safest place if you’re supposed to be there,” Taj said. “But—”

“That’s why we will dress up in guard uniforms,” Qing said. “And—”

Taj flinched as another scream bounced down the tunnel. It sounded like a mix of an alien and a ghost, one with the remains of a haunted house shoved down its throat.

“They won’t change their mind,” Morgana said to Taj, nodding at Knut and Qing. “And from the sounds, there are monsters behind us. We’re not getting out without them.”

Taj closed his eyes and sank to the floor, praying. Qing held up a hand to the others. They should give the man his moment. Then he walked over and squashed a mud golem’s foot that came hopping towards them. Inside, he found a copper coin with a hole in the center, aged and worn as if used as a pendant. He kicked it into the sewer.

Hopefully, it takes monsters months to coalesce around the totems.

Taj stood and touched his chest, belly, and groin, before leading them deeper into the sewers. With him in the lead, they set a brisk pace, going as fast as they dared.

Qing peeked at his character sheet. The fight had left him close to level fifteen, missing only fifteen percent.

I wonder what level the monsters were? Knut’s arrows barely scratched them. If my axe hadn’t been so effective, how would we have defeated them?

Sounds of monsters came from all around as their feet slapped on the slippery cobbles, and Qing could have sworn he saw movement down some of the tunnels they passed, but Taj led them unerringly and swiftly through the maze-like sewers. After fifteen minutes of jogging, the sounds faded behind them, and Taj sagged in relief as they entered a large octagonal room.

Sewers led in and out of eight tunnels, and there were bridges across each. In the middle of the roof sat a shaft through which shone daylight. A metal barrier blocked each end, and directly underneath lay a handful of coins.

“Thank you, God,” Taj said. “Maybe we’re safe.”

Or maybe the monsters fear what is in front. They had been keeping up with us the whole way. Why stop now?

But Qing kept his thought to himself, lest Taj decide to flee.

“The palace entrance is right up here,” Taj said, pointing at a tunnel. It seemed cleaner than the other seven, the sewer less clogged, and filled more with water than crap. “Remember. It is likely guarded.”

“Noted. Remember the plan. We approach with care, and Morgana goes to scout,” Qing said. “Then we make a plan for taking them out.” He helped Taj up, and the four of them crept down the tunnel.

A minute later, Taj paused and pointed to a hole in the tunnel. It looked wide enough for six people to walk abreast.

“Okay, Morgana, you’re up,” Qing said, whispering next to hear ear. “Time to test your new boots.”

She nodded, tucked away a loose strand of red hair, and walked on ahead. Her footsteps made not a single sound as she approached. For the last few feet, she crouched down to inch her way forward, hands on the floor, which here was devoid of slime. In her black leather outfit, it reminded Qing of the movie Entrapment. Then, ever so slowly, she peeked into the room beyond before twitching backward as if she’d put her nose in an electric socket. Her whole body looked locked tight.

What the hell is in there?

Qing put a tense hand on Knut’s shoulder, seeking to share in the mans patience as they waited for her to return.

She moved twice as slowly, creeping half the way before standing up and walking back, heels silent as if walking on air. She furiously signaled for them to back up.

“What is it?” Qing mouthed, barely above a whisper.

She flinched, putting a finger to her lips, before shooing them back again. Qing rolled his eyes but backed off.

Morgana refused to speak until they were back in the octagonal room, only mouthing “danger.” Only once they had entered the opening of a side tunnel did she take a deep breath, and said, “The entrance is guarded.”

Qing threw his hands up. “Of course, it’s guarded. We know that.”

“No, you don’t get it,” she said. “It’s guarded. Like, really well guarded.”

“What do you mean?” Knut asked.

“It’s not a handful of soldiers. It’s a damn regiment.”

“What!?” Qing asked. “No way! There’s no way they can fit a thousand soldiers there.”

“What?” Morgana said, looking at him funny. “A thousand?”

“Yeah. A regiment is a thousand soldiers.”

“What? No. A regiment is like fifty.”

“I…” Qing shook his head. “Just…how many did you see?”

“I counted at least thirty,” Morgana said. “And they are bloodied and rough, as if they’ve been holding back the hordes of hell themselves. Not only that, but I saw a mage leading them.”

“What the hell?” Taj said, “How?”

“Since when do mages do sewers duty?” Knut asked, stroking his chin.

Morgana looked to Qing, “I’m sorry, but even with your strength, there is no way we can fight through that force. At least not before they send for backup and get help.”

“A platoon,” Qing said.

“What?”

“For future reference, thirty soldiers make a platoon. Here, it sounds like there are three squads of ten soldiers each. If there are three or four platoons, then we’ve got ourselves a company.”

“Who gives a shit?” Morgana asked.

Qing looked to Knut and Taj for support, but they just shrugged.

I guess just me.

“You said they were blooded?” Qing said instead.

“Yes.”

“Maybe they’ve been fighting the monsters,” Knut said. “That could be why the monsters stopped following us.”

“What does the room look like?” Qing asked.

“What does that matter?” Morgana said.

“Humor me.”

She sighed. “It’s fifteen paces deep from the entrance to the back wall, and ten paces wide. Wooden barricades stand three deep, each with a one-pace gap, but not aligned. So, to get to the back of the room, you have to walk in an S. Half the guards carried javelins, spears, and shield. The other half crossbows and two-handed axes. But it doesn’t really matter, because the door at the back of the room is made from reinforced and only has a thin viewing slit. No lock or mechanism on the outside. Even if we could somehow defeat the entire…” she glared at Qing, “…platoon, we’d be stuck outside.”

“There is always a way in,” Qing said.

“Haven’t you heard a damn thing I said?” Morgana said, growling. “This battle would be suicidal! Not only that, but worthless. Even if we cleared them all out, we’d be left grasping ourselves outside the door, like beggars at a whorehouse.”

The monsters are a bad sign. We can’t afford to wait. What if Rufus leaves? What is he doing with Cleo right now?

Qing squeezed his eyes tight, fighting back frustration.

“I hear you,” he said, “but we can’t just give up. What if the monsters are here because Rufus has started the ritual? No. There is always a way.” He balled his fists. “There has to be. What if it was your parents in there? You’d find a way, wouldn’t you?”

“If it was my parents in there, I’d set the whole damn palace on fire and walk away, whistling happily,” Morgana said with a snarl.

Qing raised his eyebrows, sharing a quick glance with Knut. “Oh. Okay... Sorry. Maybe your sister or someone?”

Morgana scowled at him.

I guess not everyone has someone to fight for.

He held out his hand.

“What’s that for?” she said.

“Grab it,” he said.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Skeptically, she reached out, and he shook her hand. It was warm, clammy, and felt tiny within his.

“Thank you for being here, Morgana. Thank you for coming with us, and for coming back when you could have fled. It means a lot, doesn’t it?” He looked over at Knut, who leaned against the wall, somehow having found a clean and dry spot.

“It sure does,” Knut said, beaming a smile. “You don’t have to be here, yet you are. For that, you will have my eternal gratitude. At least for like a couple of weeks.”

Morgana chuckled and looked away as Qing let go of her hand. “Just…I’m here, okay? But I don’t want to throw away my life for nothing. Suicide…I’ve avoided it this long. I’m not about to start now.”

“I hear you,” Qing said. “But here’s the thing. I’ve done worse, seen odds that make this feel like a walk in the park, and…there’s always an angle. A play. A…strategy.” He started hopping back and forth across the sewer, hands on his back. “We have two problems. The guards and the door.”

“Don’t forget the monsters,” Taj said, glancing nervously into the darkness.

Qing snapped his fingers. “That’s it! You’re a genius!”

“I’m what?”

“I know how we are going to get into the palace,” Qing said with a grin. He gathered them close and laid out the plan.

Morgana’s face fell. “You’re crazier than a sailor using a shark as a life raft.”