Chapter 17: Ch 16. Part 3. Knight and the nightmare

Navigation in the tunnels was always a problem, but now it was even worse, since the way he knew was nowhere close to this tunnel. Their only hope was that this way would lead into the tunnel he passed when coming down here.

To their greatest luck, it was just a fork of the tunnel leading to the bandits’ hideout.

Antony glanced at the way to the brothel, and wondered why it was so silent now. There was no sound, and he could see no people coming this way. No matter what or how, the entire crowd would in no way be able to pass the bottleneck in such a short time, nor would they all go this far. But he had a rough guess, thanks to the wet traces they passed.

The surrounding silence made the already cold tunnels feel even colder.

‘Are you cold?’ He asked the naked woman.

‘No. I only want to escape this place…’ She tightened her hug.

Antony glanced at the way to the brothel one more time, and went towards the surface.

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When the tunnels started going up, leading to the first level, the knight felt something nearby. It seemed to follow them in the darkness of the tunnels, but when he heard sounds coming from behind the tunnel walls, Antony understood that it doubtfully was a human being.

He turned his head to the woman on his back. She appeared to be dozing off.

Reluctantly, Antony shook his shoulders, making her wake up.

“Um?!”

‘Alice, please, listen to me. There is something following us. Be ready to run.’

‘Ah? Y-yes, I will hold tight.’ The half-asleep woman clung closer, her soft chest pressing even more.

‘No. I will not be running with you.’ When he said so, all drowsiness disappeared in a flash and the woman’s hand gripped his shirt.

“N-no! I…! I will not leave without you!”

‘Alice. My love. Please. You must run. I will protect you.’ The strange sound was getting closer, seemingly coming from everywhere. This time it was loud enough for the woman to hear it too.

‘I… I will be waiting for you… You must come too…’ She whimpered and rubbed her face against his back, smearing something wet.

‘I will.’ The knight put her down and they looked at each other. The stern face of the warrior steeling his resolve by looking at someone precious to him, and the woman steeling herself to part with someone precious to her.

‘Take this.’ He gave her a broche with coat of arms.

‘This is the proof of me being member of Prudentios family. They will take care of you if I am gone.’ Antony nodded, and after a moment of hesitation the woman started running.

Her feet hurt from running on the rough stone floor of the tunnels, but her heart hurt more from hearing roars of the young knight coming from behind.

She heard something chasing her, but soon the sound stopped, leaving only the eerie silence, all the way until she reached an exit to the surface.

She waited. For hours. But nobody came.

‘L-liar… “LIAR!!!” She broke into tears and held the little broche by her heart.

Together with the future baby, the former prostitute headed out, to find the family of the man whom she owed her life.

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And the man…

Antony took a stance and waited for the source of the sounds to come.

The tunnels here were lit with oil lamps every 50 meters and he stood by one of them. It would be a bad idea, but since he believed the enemy was not a human, there was no need to worry about being shot with an arrow.

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'Hisssss…’

Stray monsters sometimes do wonder into the tunnels, but for an entire bandit gang to fail in subjugating it?

‘Hshaaa…’

At the very edge of the lamp’s light Antony saw something lurking. After a few rounds of going back and forth in the darkness, it finally stepped out.

A monstrosity. A black skeleton-like creature with bony arms and disgusting head with metallic teeth. Its saliva was dripping on the floor as the monster sat down and gazed at him. There were no eyes visible, but the knight clearly felt it staring at him.

But what was worse, it was not alone.

‘Hissss’

Another such monster appeared from the other side of the tunnel, cutting off both ways.

Both monsters were not hurrying to attack. One kept sitting, the other was standing. They were exchanging ‘glances’ and hissing at each other.

‘HRAAAA!!!’

But then, like two black lightnings, they charged at the knight.

“AAAAAAAA!!!” He raised a cry of war, and swung the sword to block them from approaching.

The monsters performed several more attempts at attacking like this, but the more it continued, the more Antony felt like they were not being serious in attacking him.

If the reason the bandits disappeared was them… One knight? It was already a lost battle.

But he felt there was a chance of winning.

“AAAAAA!!!” While the monsters were ‘talking’ to each other, he suddenly charged at one of them.

“URGH?!” But the creature simply threw him into the wall like a kid.

And that was it. The monsters watched him further, terrifying the knight more and more.

He was a prey.

No, a toy.

And soon the hunters grew tired of the play, and he felt it clearly when they bared their teeth.

“You want to play, you bastards…? COME AT ME!”

‘PING’

The sword hit a monster’s head.

And a body fell dead.

‘Hissss…’

The drone scornfully hissed at the other drone, and after looking at the body with a gaping hole, the drones disappeared in the depths of the tunnels.

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