Chapter 145: Underground Tunnel
Joe Joe had finally gotten to the well that Xani had informed him of, he peeked within it and found nothing but darkness. It was unknown to him how deep tbe structure was, but he still had to go down regardless.
In Helmand, as a result of the atmospheric state, it was difficult to tell if it was day or night, as the City rested in perpetual dimness.
Joe Joe realized it would make no difference waiting for nightfall as Helmand did not operate under such basic laws, he would fulfil his mission as quickly as possible.
He turned his head around to make sure no one was watching and he quickly climbed into the well. Luckily, his body was big enough that he was able to suspend himself on the walls of the underground structure, so he took his time as he climbed down.
He used his Qi to produce a small light that enveloped his hand, therefore, he was able to see that the well was very deep, it’s length spanned a couple meters.
The air grew thicker as he delved deeper into the darkness, the air in Helmand was already thick, now he was in an enclosed space.
He looked upwards and saw that he had gone considerably far from the top of the well, then he looked down again and kept going.
He finally reached the base, he dropped down from the walls into an empty space, it smelled like a drainage pit, but again he had the cloth around his nose to protect from most of the stench.
He landed onto stagnant water that splashed upwards as a result of the force of his feet crashing onto it, he made a face, then heaved a sigh of relief for the boots he wore.
’Disgusting.’ He thought as he raised his hand up to light the path.
The space was wide, infact, it seemed like another world entirely. There were two pathways ahead of him, presenting a dilemma of which one to follow.
The demon storekeeper had not informed him about this, in the end he was going to have to trust his gut. It was in moments like this that he meditated, but since the floor was covered in water that had been there for heaven knows how long; he would just rely on his intuition.
He closed his eyes and gave way for his Qi to manifest, he raised his hand towards both pathways and allowed his spirit to guide his limb towards the right path.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes to his lit up hand facing the left pathway.
"Never lies." He said with a close mouthed smile and took a step forward.
In the tunnels, he could here nothing but dripping water and distant clanging, the cloth tied over his face was not doing much to suppress the stench that filled the air.
He kept walking forward, the road never bent or curved. It remained in a straight line.
Eventually he could hear some screeching sounds, sounds that seemed like they would come from rodents, but these were almost roars.
He could hear them projecting from all sides, similar to the sounds that the Kobolds made, but he doubted that kobolds resided in the tunnels of Helmand.
No, this was something he had never seen, something that most likely was only to be found in a place as despicable as this.
The first one emerged, it was almost three feet tall, it’s eyes blood red and it’s mouth foaming furiously. It looked like a rat, but it was much bigger than a regular rodent.
The creature growled deeply, as though it had not seen a meal for years. Just as he drew his blade, two others appeared behind it, with the same ragged look, their saliva dripping onto the soaked ground.
"You all look very disgusting." Joe Joe said, making a disgusted face that could not be seen through the cloth.
The only response he got was three snarls that echoed throughout the narrow walls, their jaws snapped repeatedly as though they were ready to eat him in that exact moment.
Joe Joe had been alive for over four hundred years, but in all his time, he had never seen any creature that remotely resembled what he was seeing in this moment.
All the same, he would not allow anything get in his way of completing this mission.
He grabbed the rapier handle as tight as he could, the blade hummed faintly in his hand, crying out for the blood of its enemies, he smiled as the beasts lunged at him. He wasn’t really too pleased at the dirty water they splashed around.
The first two lunged from the sides, even though they seemed like ferocious beasts, Joe Joe could easily predict their behaviour, the one who stayed behind seemed like the leader,
Joe Joe twisted in the air, he raised his blade casually as he turned, the shape edge split the snout of the first beast from its head, causing its blood to spill recklessly from its face.
Just as the spin move was about to be completed, the blade went straight through the second beast’s neck, another round of blood was spilled instantly, but Joe Joe made sure he wasn’t stained by the blood of these filthy creatures.
He moved with practiced grace, and technique. Both creatures dropped dead instantly after his attacks, laying lifeless in the stagnant water, their limbs still twitching.
Joe Joe pointed his bloodied rapier tip at the last creature, who surprisingly didn’t retreat after seeing its comrades die. It instead snarled and snapped its jaws multiple times, foamy saliva dripping down out of its mouth.
’It’s gone into a frenzy. It’s too hungry, it has no control over itself anymore. Putting it to sleep would be mercy enough.’ Joe Joe mused. He had dealt with creatures of this nature multiple times, so he knew what a perpetual state of hunger did to a living, breathing being. He didn’t believe any creature should live in that way, but the world was cruel. If you don’t work, then you can’t eat, except you were born of a noble home.