Excerpt from ‘My Travels Across Hollow Queendom’ by James Baldcred.
Hollowcrest is the capital of the Hollow Queendom and one of the largest cities in the known world. One of the most impressive features of it is that there are two cities, one on top of another. The upper and lower cities are separated by a mile of the earth.
The upper level includes the commercial heart of the city, Skystone, as well as Divine Square, Vine Road, Waterrun and The Highway which is sometimes known as The Husk. This area runs to the lower level of the city.
The lower city features some of the most spectacular sights and impressive architecture that Hollowcrest has to offer. The Dawn District is home to the Dawn Forge which lights the entirety of the lower city. Then there is the Turned Sector, home to the sapient undead residents of the city. Divine Square stretches between the two levels so can be visited from both.
----------------------------------------
“There’s good news and bad news,” Roy said as they all settled into the seats around her desk.
Jake hesitated, half seated. “What’s the bad news?” he asked instantly.
Roy gestured for him to sit down. “One of the Rat King’s mid-level guys has come to look at Gage’s operation at the worst possible moment for us. He’s set up in the very warehouse we were going to use to get access to the basement.”
“But there’s good news?” Drak asked hopefully.
Roy glanced at Silt. “Yes, we’ve found a route through the underground sewers and the maintenance tunnels.”
“No,” Silt said flatly. “That’s suicide. There’s a reason that people don’t use those things.”
“Old wives' tales,” Jackson scoffed, shaking his head. “Sure there will be monsters down there but nothing we can’t handle.”
“Can someone fill me in please?” Jake asked, glancing from one local to another. “Just moved to the city, remember?”
“The sewers under the city are still the way that most of the waste gets to where it is going. The maintenance tunnels are needed to keep them functioning. Plus there’s a whole lot of important infrastructure stuff between the upper and lower city that uses them,” Roy explained. “But after a series of deaths among the workers here in The Husk, it was decided that maintenance wasn’t a big issue. So no one’s been down there for quite a few years now.”
“People have been down there,” Silt argued. “Only a couple of them have made it back up though.”
“Silt, there’s no other option,” Roy said flatly. “We can’t take on the extra guys that are in Gage’s warehouse now, even if we used all the personnel we have. And you know that would be a declaration of war. If we didn’t succeed completely, Gneico would be dead in no time.”
Silt leaned back, a thoughtful look on her face. “Okay, give me an hour, I know a guy near here who might have some blueprints for the tunnels. The last thing we need to do is get lost down there, that’s a surefire death sentence.”
Roy nodded and Silt left them. “What kind of monsters are meant to be down there?” Drak asked nervously.
“Old wives' tales,” Jackson repeated, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself.
“I’m not from the area so I’m not really sure,” the Goliath admitted. “You hear all kinds of crazy stories when you ask any of the locals. That’s why I’m coming with you and so are another couple of my guys.”
Jackson looked surprised at this, obviously being news to him. “Boss, you can’t risk it!”
She glared at him. “I can and I will. You know I have a great defensive range of essences which means I’m one of our strongest fighters. Combine that with the skills of our alchemist friends here and Silt, we have a strong team to get this done.”
“I want to bring another four guys with us,” Jackson said.
Roy shook her head. “Too big of a party and we risk being detected.”
“Two extra guys?” Jackson countered.
Roy sighed. “Okay, two then. Make sure they have useful essences and know what they are getting into. Volunteers only, Jackson.”
He nodded. “I know two perfect guys, I’ll go and find them.”
Jake watched him leave and turned back to Roy. “What’s the worst you’d expect to find down there?”
“Myphlers,” she admitted.
“I hate those things, I’ve seen them a few times near the big rock outcrop at the south end of Vine Road,” Drak said with a shiver.
“Never heard of them,” Jake admitted.
“They are usually found in the city. They aren’t so much dangerous on their own as a real problem when there’s a lot of the little buggers. They feed on the magic stone which is used to keep the maintenance tunnels in working order and because no-one has been going down there much, there’s nothing to stop them from increasing their numbers,” Roy said.
“Why do you need maintenance workers if there are magic stones that maintain themselves?” Jake asked, frowning.
Roy paused. “Honestly, I’ve never thought about it. But that’s not really what we need to focus on right now.”
Jake nodded, although there was something in the back of his head that said this was something he might need to study further at some time when their necks weren’t on the line. If there ever was a time when that wasn’t the case…
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
A short while later, Silt returned with some papers rolled under her arm. She laid them out on Roy’s desk. Roy grabbed a pencil and marked their current location and the nearest access point to the maintenance tunnels. She then marked where the smithy was.
“I think we need to leave ourselves at least an hour to get through these tunnels,” Silt said, gesturing along the route they would take on the map. “The only issue is finding how to get from the tunnels into the basement.”
“I can handle that,” Roy said. “I can make a way in for us.”
“That isn’t a long walk,” Drak pointed out.
She gave him a flat stare. “If you were just walking above ground, like a stroll in the park, sure. But this isn’t going to be like that.”
Jackson returned with two other burly guys, one blonde and one bald. “Two volunteers, boss.”
Roy studied them for a moment then nodded. “Let me grab a couple of things and we can get on the way.”
----------------------------------------
The grate to enter the tunnels was exactly as marked on the blueprints that Silt had provided. Jackson and his two guys lifted the iron grate easily and placed it quietly to one side. There was a series of iron rungs set into the wall of the tunnel entrance allowing each of them to climb down.
Jake went down after Jackson, his two guys and Silt. Drak followed him and Roy brought up the rear. The tunnel was larger than Jake had expected, even Roy could almost stand and she was the tallest member of the group.
Of course, it was dark and smelled strange. It wasn’t the smell he had expected, not a sewer-type smell. But it did smell stagnant and there was a strong scent of ammonia that often came from lots of animal droppings in one area.
Drak used his light essence to create a ball of light and one of Jackson’s men did the same. Instantly, Jake could get a better look around the tunnel, although there wasn’t much to see.
The walls were mostly dark, either because the stone used was dark or because there were years worth of mess on them. There was stagnant water in the bottom of the tunnel in some places but not as much as he’d feared when the words ‘sewers’ were mentioned.
“We head this way,” Silt said, gesturing in one direction. She took the lead with Jackson immediately behind her. Jake and Drak were in the middle of the group with Jackson’s other two men falling into step behind Roy.
The group walked in silence for ten minutes. There were plenty of strange noises but nothing seemed too close to them. Silt made a series of turns with confidence, giving Jake the feeling that maybe she had been down here before at some point.
They reached the point where the sewers met the maintenance tunnels and were confronted by a large iron door with a massive wheel to open it. Jackson and his two men needed to put a little effort into it but the wheel turned and the door swung open.
The maintenance tunnels were cleaner and brighter than the sewers and there was none of the water standing at the bottom. The tunnels were also wider and the base flatter so walking was a little easier.
They continued to walk for another fifteen minutes when suddenly there was movement in the tunnel ahead of them. Lots of movement, low to the ground and furtive.
“Shit,” Silt said with real feeling. “Myphlers.”
At first glance, Jake thought they didn’t look too worried. They were somewhere between the size of a large rat and a small rabbit with dirty grey fur and small dull red eyes. They had short snouts and the first one hissed at them, revealing surprisingly strong and sharp-looking teeth.
Within a few moments, the tunnel ahead was teeming with them. None of them came any closer to the group but there was plenty of hissing and baring of teeth. More kept pouring into the tunnel behind them until the creatures were on top of one another, the weight of more arriving preventing them from departing but the group’s presence stopped them from moving forward.
“Will they attack?” Jake asked.
“Not as such but we are blocking their way so they don’t have anywhere to go,” Silt replied, still watching the creatures.
“So what do we do?” Drak queried.
“Let me try something,” Silt said. She stepped forward, holding her hands in front of her with palms facing each other. Electricity began to flow between one hand and the other, sparks flashing and lighting up the tunnel.
The Myphlers hissed and squeaked with the front ranks trying to back away from Silt but the pure numbers of the creatures present made it almost impossible for them to go anywhere.
“That isn’t working, Silt,” Jackson pointed out.
“I noticed that,” Silt snapped back. “I can start flash frying them but it could turn the rest into a frenzy and that’s when they are actually dangerous.”
“Try this,” Jake suggested, reaching for one of the vials on his belt. “Wyvern blood isn’t a strong best repellent but these are small creatures so it might just work enough to get them to turn back.”
“Just throw it?” Silt asked, accepting the vial.
“Try scattering a few drops to start with and see how they react,” Jake suggested.
Silt did as he said and the front creatures began to back up more vigorously than before. The big difference is that the other Myphler behind them also started to back away as Silt continued to sprinkle the wyvern blood.
“It’s working,” Drak said excitedly. “Keep going!”
Silt took a step forward and then another as more of the creatures remembered they could go backwards as well as forwards. Behind her, Drak increased the power of his light ball and used this to further drive the creatures backwards.
Abruptly, the creatures must have backed up enough to reach a fork in the tunnel and their numbers suddenly started to decrease as many of them ran down the other tunnel, away from the group.
“Move!” Roy prompted and Silt moved to the far side of the tunnel, edging around the mass of creatures. Everyone followed and they passed the tunnel entrance that the Myphler had taken when Drak gave a shout.
“What’s on my back?” he cried, trying to reach behind his shoulder blades.
Jake turned and looked at his friend at the same time Jackson did. Both jumped back a half-step when they saw one of the Myphler clinging to Drak’s backpack.
“Must have been on a ledge as we went past,” Silt observed. “Are you sure you haven’t been around any unusual stone in the last few days? It would like that kind of thing.”
“Like, as in wants to eat?” Drak said, horrified.
Silt laughed. “They are stone eaters, not meat eaters. They will attack if they have to but not to eat, to defend. It is more like they are a little confused and decide to follow the largest creature they run into. Or, in this case, the one with the worst dress sense.”
Drak looked offended. “What do you mean? I’m the epitome of style!”
Silt pulled a face. “Depends on your definition of style.”
“Enough, children,” Roy growled from the rear of the group. “Throw the damn thing on the ground and let’s get moving.”
“I would leave it alone,” Silt advised. “It is going to make a lot of noise if we try to move it and that could call the rest of them back.”
“You can’t leave it there!” Drak exclaimed.
“It won’t hurt you,” Silt said. As she spoke, the creature moved across the backpack and stood on Drak’s shoulder, looking at the Dragonkin with interest.
“Okay, that’s great, you have a new pet,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Just make sure it doesn’t eat all the stone ingredients in the store. Or the building’s foundation.”
“We need to get moving,” Roy stated. “And try to keep the noise down, we can’t be too far from Gage’s territory and there are iron grates along the way. Sounds carry in these places.”
They resumed walking and could hear more noises in the distance that sounded like the Myphler but none were as close as the ones they had already encountered. After another few turns, Silt held up her hand to stop the group.
“We are nearly there,” she said softly. “The next but one grate should lead out into the basement of the smithy.”
“Is everyone ready?” Roy asked, glancing at each in turn and receiving a nod of the head. “Then let’s get this done.”