“Oh, gross.” Leta pressed the back of her gauntlet to her nose as they skirted around a pile of human feces and trash. The rats appeared engrossed in investigating the small heap, their beady eyes swiveling between the group and their treasure as Leta and the team made their way through the empty water channel.

During the drive, Allister explained in depth about these water channels, which were designed to control flash flood waters during the rainy season while channeling normal rainfall into the city’s water treatment plant for consumption.

The channel’s interior appeared predominantly dry, with scattered puddles lining the center from the rainstorm that passed through two days ago. Green algae developed in the puddles and any place with moisture, saturating the area with the smell of mildew and decaying eggs.

The stone walls were covered in foliage and graffiti, with various piles of human trash collecting towards the channel walls.

The surroundings remained quiet despite their location within the city proper.

The channel walls had thick trees lining the top, which were well-watered from their proximity to the channel. However, moving forward, parked cars and bustling residential streets could be seen.

It made the idea of a den of nixies so close to people’s homes even more unsettling.

Two large passageways stood ahead, positioned to redirect the torrents of water to the treatment area, their entrances adorned with a graffiti image of a red-eyed rat hissing at a human skull with the words ‘ICK’ in bold artistic letters.

The irony was not lost on Leta.

A soft moan like a cave blew cold air up from the depths and sent chills down their skin as they approached.

“Hold here.” Atreus held up a fist as the team came to a halt.

Atreus turned to everyone and spoke in a low voice, “As we discussed in the car, the only advantage we have in this fight is the element of surprise. However, we will not have that advantage if we are charging in. Nixie’s at nocturnal, and our window of opportunity shrinks every second.”

“Bonnie. Allister.” He gestured to the two, “You will take point. Leta and I will be at the center. Hayato? I need you to take the rear. Nixies are crafty and known to ambush, so we stand the best chance of surviving an unseen attack with you there. Remember, nixie’s are healed by water, so the only way to kill them in their element is a direct shot to the brain or beheading.”

When everyone nodded along, he continued, “Most of the tunnels will have raised sections for walking, so whatever you do, do not fall into the water.”

Leta’s nose wrinkled. Not only was it disgusting, but Atreus went into some detail during the car ride about how Nixies could sense vibrations in the water they occupied.

“Unfortunately,” He gave her a pointed look, “We cannot have you throwing your lightning around for this one. These channels are old, and most have other pipes and cables running through them. You could kill us or accidentally turn off power and water to half the city. You will need to rely on your other talents for this. Is that clear?”

Leta pursed her lips.

She’d been thinking about that since he’d first described the tunnels. After three days of being in this world, she’d come to depend on her lightning for just about everything in a fight.

To not have it was like being blindfolded, with one hand tied behind her back, and being told to fight an Olympic boxer.

Allister must have taken pity on her because he’d given her a calming grin, “Donna, worry, lass. I’ve just the thing for ya.”

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From one of those hidden pockets - Leta had begun to wonder if they’d sewn small wormholes into their jackets - He pulled a small cylinder that looked like an old film roll canister. Leta recognized it as one of the pop-out quarterstaff she’d seen Hayato equipping just before they left the Sect.

Taking it, Leta flicked off the release with her thumb. The contraption barely emitted a sound as it sprung outwards until it reached a height almost equal to her own. The metal in her grip felt surprisingly smooth, and she observed the presence of a short cone-shaped tip on its ends that could effortlessly be used to impale an unfortunate enemy.

Allister nodded to himself, “Your lightning is a distance attack. Not sayin’ you’re no good in an up-close fight, but I think a quarterstaff or spear would be more of your style. And if they get through your guard? Well, that gauntlet isn’t for show.” He said with a shrug.

Leta tightly grasped the metal, sensing its weight in her hands and performing a few practice swings to familiarize herself with it.

Once she felt content that she wouldn’t accidentally impale herself, she pressed the slightly beveled button at its center, and the staff retracted as they commenced their approach.

From the first step past the threshold, Leta felt the goose bumps chasing up her arms as cold air blew up from the depths. It smelled like the ocean at low tide or possibly the color brown - notes of sourness, but still very unpleasant.

The wet walls exhibited a slight sheen, resembling a perpetual coating of mildew. The only sound outside of their muted footsteps was the moan of dank air and the dripping of water off the stone roofs.

Atreus held up a fist for the team to stop. Just ahead, standing water ebbed in the center channel.

From the depths of her nerdy brain flashed a scene from one of her favorite Middle Earth movies, the voice of a certain semi-immortal ranger giving some advice.

‘Do not disturb the water.’

Without a word, the team split into two sides and hopped onto the raised walkways on either side of the channel. Bonnie, Leta, and Atreus on one end and Allister and Hayato on the other crept cautiously through the tunnel, always keeping one eye on the water.

Bonnie had her nose to the ground as the darkness consumed them, occasionally picking her head up to look around and get her bearings.

The gradual descent of the tunnel turned left at an angle, left again, then pivoted right. As Leta’s night vision gradually came online, she could make out drain holes she assumed were from other channels or storm drains from above. Some had water steadily flowing and emptying into the tunnel, but most could only produce the smallest ‘drip drop’ of droplets from the last rainfall.

Allister pointed at something, and all three looked at small scratches in the wall of four parallel lines, all looking to be made around the same time and by the same maker.

A few meters away, another set of claw-like marks had been carved into the stone wall just below a drain mouth.

Following signs of bones and bodies confirmed that they had reached the appropriate spot.

At first, it had small bits of fur, then rib bones from a rat.

Leta stopped when they came across a pair of partially eaten cats. Their chests had been ripped open, and all of their organs had been removed, most likely a midday meal for the nixies, leaving behind a deflated spine full of maggots and shallow, glassy eyes following their movement.

The tunnel gradually descended and narrowed until Allister was in danger of hitting his head on the ceiling.

They were just about to turn a corner when Bonnie’s head perked up, and she sat on her haunches, looking back at Allister with concerned eyes.

Leta pressed herself against the grimy wall, her thumb poised over the spear shaft mechanism as Allister poked his head around the corner before looking back to Atreus. He flipped his palm face up to face down with one hand, then pointed his hand at his chest and dragged his fingers downward before holding up two fingers.

“Dead bodies,” Atreus whispered to her.

The walkways displayed the scattered remains of a man and a woman, partially submerged in the water.

The woman appeared to have been homeless based on the state of her unseasonal and mismatched winter clothes. Her body lay flat against the wall, one arm and a leg dangling over the walkway to vanish into the water. She had a pale and shallow skin tone. Her brown hair had been madly pulled out in patches. She looked to have been dead, maybe a day or so.

On the other side of the channel, the man was facing the opposite direction. There wasn’t a significant amount remaining of him - his body had decomposed to such an extent that the only indication of his gender was his stained collared shirt and dress pants. What remained of his skin had faded into parchment, making him appear like a paper-machete skeleton.

Like the cats, both of the corpses had had their internal organs removed. It was also clear to see that the limbs of the woman that were in the water had also been eaten away, the whites of the leg bones just visible over the bubbling of the water.

Allister was on the verge of moving forward when Bonnie sat again, lying down and pressing her belly to the cold stone floor of the walkway, her tail flat and ears alert.

In a flurry, Allister gestured over his weapon hand, and everyone pushed back into the walls, holding a collective breath as a faint humming noise echoed from where another tunnel intersected the one they were traveling.