Chapter 211: 112. Monsters of the Sewer -1 (Part Two)
The three of us, Hans, Alice, and I, stepped into the staircase going down into the sewers located near Benikin church.
“...It slls horrible.”
Alice blocked her nose in dissatisfaction while scanning our surroundings.
The interior down here was quite dark, so both her and I used divinity to enhance our vision to get a good look at where we were. It was the middle of the day outside, but here, not a sliver of light could infiltrate this damp and slly Negative Field.
I groaned softly, “Even I didn’t expect the stench to be this bad.”
In my case, I had all sorts of dwarf-made devices installed on the armour. If I wanted to neutralise the air that had been contaminated with toxins or so other pollutants, all I had to do was to inject divinity into the armour and it’d start the purification process all on its own.
“Still, what a relief it is that we’re here to catch so rats,” said Hans while looking around the area himself, wearing those magic-detecting goggles of his.
I tried to correct him. “I’m telling you, we aren’t dealing with regular rats here.”
I peered into the darkness and spotted so live rats. Except, these rats were not what you’d call ‘normal’ by any stretch of imagination.
These rats had bushy, stiff black fur on top of their heads. They were around one tre in height while they walked around on their hind legs like humans. They were even carrying things like sticks and rusted knives.
Alice imdiately froze stiffly on her spot as if indescribable chills had completely immobilised her just then, while Hans stood there with his jaw about to hit the floor.
I, on the other hand, stared at these Ratn with so interest. “See? I told you. They aren’t your regular rats at all, am I right?”
To be honest, I certainly didn’t expect them to show up while wielding knives, sticks, and even clubs.
And why was this? I picked up on demonic energy, as well as so kind of toxin, wafting out from them. Either there were so undead mixed among their group, or so Ratn might be capable of using demonic energy.
“I guess rats in this world do prefer to walk on their two feet.”
Another thing to note here was that their numbers had to be well over a few hundred. I wonder, was it because their nature forced them to form a large herd? And perhaps their nature also granted them enough intelligence to wield weapons on top of that?
There were so many here that the sewer entrance veiled in darkness was completely blocked up by them.
-Screeeeech!
The furs on all those Ratn stood on end. Hundreds of eyes glead murderously in the darkness as they began rushing towards us on all fours, all the while their jaws held onto the knives and sticks.
Rumble, tumble-!
Dozens, nay, hundreds of large rats were now dashing madly through the sewer filled with streams of excrents and filth.
Yup, even I was getting goosebumps looking at this spectacle. It’s like staring at an ocean of cockroaches scurrying towards .
And to make matters worse, the stench coming from them was the absolute worst. All sorts of filth and crap could be seen staining the monsters’ furs.
“...W-what should we do?” Alice asked while sounding rather scared.
Wait, what? Because of so rats? Or could it be because of the higher-than-expected numbers?
Oh, none of the above.
She was frightened simply because they were so filthy.
I an, really now. This girl was a Lady Martial Arts Master capable of one-punching a Minotaur to death, so there was no bloody way she’d get scared here.
Heck, even I wanted nothing to do with these dirty-ass rats.
I quickly summoned a musket and let out a breath into its chamber. Since there were no eyewitnesses down here, it should be fine to do whatever I want for the ti being.
As such...
“Ti to hunt so rats.”
I aid my musket at the incoming horde of Ratn.
**
(TL: In 3rd person POV.)
The fourteen year-old girl living in Benikin Church’s orphanage, Yuria, was currently walking alone inside the sewer while clutching onto a teddy bear. She looked to be in bad sorts right now.
It was so gloomy and slly down here. She had nothing to quench her thirst nor to appease her hunger. The tiredness of the mind and body continued to weaken her.
She was so tired that she couldn’t even properly recall how she managed to spend the day trapped down here.
Not only that...
“...Heuph!”
Yuria gasped out in surprise and almost dropped the teddy bear. A rotting corpse was floating down the filthy sewer water right before her eyes.
A corpse that had been badly maid by the fangs of all sorts of beasts, no less. Yuria covered her face from this grueso sight and stumbled back several steps.
She hated this.
How did things turn out like this?
-Big sis, please go and get my doll!
That was one of the immature little siblings of hers throwing a tantrum. It seed that the child carelessly dropped her doll inside one of the sewer openings while pretending to be on an adventure.
Since it was getting late in the day, Yuria decided to go and get the doll. If not found in ti, then it was obvious that the child would continue throwing her tearful tantrum for the rest of the day.
Besides, it was dangerous for a little child to enter the sewers alone.
But her decision to co down here turned out to be the beginning of her troubles.
-Uh? How co...?
The entrance she used to enter the sewers had been shut tightly.
Bang! Bang!
She pounded on the gate but no one opened it from the outside.
She did hear stories of the guards deciding to lock up all the sewer entrances due to the spate of dangerous events happening recently, but even then, she didn’t expect sothing like this would happen to her.
And to make matters much worse...
-Screech?
The monsters called Ratn had taken residence in the sewers. Yuria fled and barely managed to lose them.
The stench of the sewers had hidden her own sll, while the Ratn didn’t possess all that good of an eyesight, so they simply devoured whatever they happened to co across.
Yuria sobbed silently all alone.
She continued to struggle in order to get out of this place, but the number of Ratn seed to balloon up over ti and placed so much pressure on her. She had to flee for her life several tis, hid in the darkness, and had to lose them in the labyrinth of the sewers.
At tis, she had to hold her breath and enter the flowing sewerage to lose them.
But now, it felt like all hope was lost. She was too tired to even walk. She knew that at this rate, it was only a matter of ti before she ended up as monster rat food.
Just as she began to sob softly again...
Boom-!
An explosion noise could be heard.
‘What was that?’
Yuria shifted her gaze to the end section of the sewerage tunnel she was in. A flash of brilliant light suddenly brightened the passage there before chunks of what used to be Ratn were flung back, their blood thickly coating the sewer walls.
As she stood there staring at that spectacle in shock...
Tumble, splash...
A wave of sewer water tumbled out from the deeper part of the tunnel behind her. She turned to look, only to spot a massive monster rat at least five tres tall – one massive enough to scrape the ceiling of the sewer tunnel.
A Giant Ratman.
Yuria sucked in her breath at the appearance of this huge monster. She even forgot about screaming.
-Ku-aaaaaahk!
It screeched out violently.
Its maw split wide open as if to swallow up the small-statured Yuria in one go.
She tightly clutched the teddy bear and closed her eyes.
‘It’s over!’
It was at that very mont that she heard the distinct click-clack of tallic boots. Sothing or soone was quickly rushing towards where she was while noisily splashing the sewer water.
Just before the Giant Ratman’s fangs closed in to rip her apart, a lengthy barrel of a musket was shoved into the monster’s throat.
A bright spark lit up in the muzzle, followed by the back of the giant rat monster’s head exploding into gory bits. Blood and chunks of flesh rained down on the surroundings.
Yuria, who was still holding onto the teddy bear, flinched nastily in surprise and quickly raised her head.
She saw a person covered in a set of white armour from top to bottom. This unknown individual was wielding a musket rifle about one and half tres long.
A sacred aura oozed out from his whole body and ensured that even if his figure beca drenched in blood, he’d never be tainted by uncleanliness.
Yuria dazedly stared at this unfamiliar holy knight and muttered softly, “Lord Paladin?”
“Are you Yuria?”
The returning voice was soft, and yet, it was still filled with confidence.
The Paladin extended his hand towards Yuria.
“I’ve co to take you ho.”
< 112. Monsters of the Sewer -1 (Part One and Two) > Fin.
(TL: Only one chapter today and tomorrow.)
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