Her eyes scan the darkness first, the light following as her body turns. She feels her boots sliding slightly in the water as she moves.
For a moment, she doesn't see anything in the darkness, but then her light catches up, and she almost starts laughing. Standing chest-deep in the water is what looks like an alligator crossed with a corgi.
Alex can't contain her laughter and starts to laugh. The tension bleeds away as she stares into the yellow eyes of this maybe foot-tall monster. It has stubby legs and large ears poking out, almost goofy-looking on its very reptilian head. Its body seems to be covered in scales with some sort of fluff or padding causing them to puff out. Its stubby legs disappear into the water almost immediately, its belly close to the top of the water.
She can see its thick, round body narrowing into a powerful tail behind it. Its face is simultaneously adorable and terrifying, with long, sharp teeth in an extended jaw that looks like it belongs on an alligator, not this almost puppy.
A screen appears as she is looking it over.
Identified: Guttercorg
Type: Monster
Condition: Dungeon
Rarity: Common
Level: 5
She waves the screen away, crouching down so she is closer to the water. She holds her hand out.
"C'mere little guy," Alex starts clicking her tongue, scooting forward. "I swear every corgi mix is just a corgi pretending to be that thing." She coos softly, trying to coax it forward.
The guttercorg twists its head as if examining her hand, one of its large ears flopping with the movement.
Alex keeps scooting forward. The guttercorg sprints forward, webbed feet rapidly coming free from the water before plopping down. It moves in a rapid staccato, its entire body almost blurring with speed as it sprints at her.
Alex lets out a shout, falling back into the water as the guttercorg's teeth snap in the air where her hand just was.
"NO BAD!" She tries to scold as the guttercorg recovers from its first snapping bite and bites into her boot. The little guttercorg starts swinging its head side to side, as if trying to tear meat.
"Oww, you little shit!" Alex yells as the long teeth of the guttercorg punch through the side of her boot, trying to roll it off and ripping her foot to the side. Between its rolling and shaking, it manages to wiggle the thick boot off her foot.
Alex glares at the guttercorg as it sprints into the darkness with her boot, shaking it as it goes. "Eww, get back here! You knock me over in this literal shit and then you take my boot!" Alex stands, trying not to think about the water she is now soaked in.
She tucks the edge of the bag into her pack strap to pin it to her body, freeing up her hand as she starts moving. She glances at the grate behind her and the larger space before she begins to follow the guttercorg, wanting to leave the sewers quickly.
As she moves into the tunnel where the guttercorg just sprinted off with her boot, she stops when her light reflects off eyes in the darkness. Gripping the light, she shines it where she saw the eyes and sees another guttercorg scampering toward her. Then she sees five more coming from the darkness, then ten.
Their bodies are inches above the water, swaying slightly, their tails dragging behind them. Alex stares at the reflections of her flashlight off the eyes as a low growl and hiss comes from ten throats. All ten guttercorgs open their maws, displaying rows of teeth in what almost looks like a coordinated display.
"You are all bad. RAH!" Alex yells, trying to look big to scare the small animals back.
The lead guttercorg hisses with a low growl finishing off the distinctly reptilian sound. The other nine fan out behind it, starting to circle around the sides. The ten of them spread out in the tunnel, blocking it entirely. The ones on the edges come out of the water onto the stone, their clawed feet grinding against the surface.
"Well, fuck. That didn't work." Alex curses looking over the small army of still adorable and slightly terrifying monsters.
Alex fumbles with one hand at her back, pulling her turnout clothing bundle free. She scans the walls and ceiling, her skill highlighting a chunk of bricks a bit past the guttercorgs. She lets her turnout pants fall into the water with a loud splash as she unrolls the clothes, getting a grip on her turnout jacket and holding it out in one hand as a partial shield.
Getting lower to the ground, she growls in her throat at the guttercorgs, moving suddenly and rapidly to focus on whichever is closest.
She feels the cold water running over her bare foot, slime coating the stones as she moves it back, spreading out her weight as she prepares for a fight.
I really don't want to hurt them, she thinks, looking them over.
As she faces one that starts moving closer, it hisses and contorts its body, blocking another's path.
One of the guttercorgs from the other side lunges forward.
Alex swings her coat into its path, tangling the creature as it lunges in the turnout coat.
Alex slams the side of the axe into the wall, a loud clang rattling through the tunnel.
The nine not tangled in her coat flinch back with hisses, scattering as the metallic sound reverberates off the walls.
She whips her coat with a grunt, launching the guttercorg into the darkness.
Alex hears the wet thump of it slapping the water a few feet back and sees it roll over, retreating rapidly from her light.
One of the guttercorgs summons some bravery and charges her still-booted foot.
Growling, Alex puts the steel toe of her boot into its mouth. It clamps down and yips in surprise as its teeth hit the steel plate.
"BAD!" Alex yells as the guttercorg tries to rip its head side to side.
Alex turns her axe around and bonks the top of its head with the back of her axe. It lets out a whimper and scuttles back before retreating rapidly into the darkness.
The small pack of guttercorgs scuttles into the darkness around her. Water continues flowing as the sounds of them splashing and their talons grating against stone fade into the distance.
Stolen story; please report.
"Fucking stupid they are cute," Alex growls under her breath as she reaches into the water, pulling out her turnout pants.
I knew a girl back home that would one-hundred percent adopt one. In fact, I'm pretty sure she had a chihuahua just like those. Alex thinks as she rolls her wet pants and reaches back to try and put them under her pack with the straps again.
I hope the one I hit will be okay. I just wanted to scare them off, not hurt it. Despite them stealing my boot, they were cute. I really hope no one flushed them down here, Alex almost laughs at the thought of guttercorgs being the alligators haunting the city's sewers.
Alex starts into the tunnel slowly, being careful to pan her light around for more guttercorgs.
Every step in the water makes her want to swear more as she goes up and down between her boot and bare foot on each step. The slick stones under her toes make her shudder every time she thinks too hard about the sensations.
Continuing upstream, she tries to keep a solid pace while being aware of the space around her.
She doesn't see the guttercorgs again, but after a few tunnels, she starts checking behind her occasionally, hearing the scrape of something sharp against the stones.
I guess I should be glad the water isn't deep enough for them to submerge, she thinks as she looks over the tunnel, seeing one of the spots she looked over earlier that had structural issues.
As she starts seeing more light ahead and slows when it's streaming into the tunnel, she stops shining her light behind her to look for her little predators.
She catches the edge of a guttercorg before it stretches and scampers back into the darkness.
Of course now it looks like they play instead of eat my boots, Alex grumbles internally to herself.
Turning off her light and packing it back into her bag, she separates its battery again, Alex keeps her turnout coat in her hand as a shield from the little predators of the sewer.
She holds the coat behind her, making sure everything is secure, pulling the bag back onto her shoulders before rounding the corner and squinting against the daylight streaming into the tunnel from the sewer entrance.
Heading back to the grate and coming out, she looks through the square, seeing the stone buildings lining the street and square. People move through headed for the gates and deeper into the city.
Not immediately noticing any issues, she turns to close the gate and swears under her breath as she sees a pair of guards leaning against the wall near the gate push off and approach her.
"Care to explain your trip to the sewers?" the lead guard asks, the initial huskiness giving way to a lithe, melodic precision.
"Just returning a friend's property," Alex says, nudging the soaked bag and looking the guard up and down. "Been waiting long for me?"
She continues smiling at the guard confidently. "Yes, actually. We have some questions to ask you. As I'm looking you over, I'm thinking we may have more questions for you though," the guard pulls off her helmet as she stops a few feet away, revealing her short cropped hair and bright blue eyes.
"Would you like to answer them now or in a cell?" the guard continues, obviously not amused at Alex.
Alex looks herself over and winces as she realizes the smell she must be exuding.
"I'm happy to answer your questions, but, um, I'm a bit filthy and like I said, need to return a friend's items," she shrugs, trying to look nonchalant.
"Perhaps we could talk later?" she tries. "Maybe over a few drinks?"
The guard narrows her eyes. "May I see the bag?" The guard asks holding out a gauntleted hand expecting her to hand over the bag.
Alex pulls the sack free and hands it to the guard. The bag makes a wet squelching noise as it settles in the guard's hand. The guard's eyes crinkle in disgust as she pulls it over and looks inside, making a face at the smell before handing it to the other guard to inspect.
"May I have the bag back now?" Alex asks, adjusting the weight of her axe and turnout coat from one hand to the other. Both guards eye the movement but don't say anything.
"Look, no pun intended, but I've had the shitiest day and just want to wrap this stuff up, maybe find a bath, and a place to sleep," Alex says, trying to keep her tone calm and reasonable.
The guard holding the bag hands it back to her as the lead guard looks her over appraisingly in a way Alex doesn't care for.
"Where did you say you're from?" the guard asks, looking at Alex's bare foot and her turnout boot before focusing on the axe and coat in one hand.
"I didn't. I just said I was getting something for a friend," Alex responds, keeping her gaze steady.
The guard nods. "We recently found some lost equipment that looks like it might be of similar make to your own. Could you tell us who crafted it so we can find out who else might have owned it?" The guard's voice is very casual, but there's an underlying tension in the air.
Alex thinks back to her helmet and the SCBA breathing apparatus she left in the healer's clinic.
"Oh, this old stuff? I found it in a gutter," Alex says casually. "No idea who made it. But it's warm." She holds the coat up, water still dripping from it.
Both guards reach for their handles as she moves the axe. Alex stops and lowers the axe and coat back down. "No need to get jumpy. Just trying to show it's warm. No threat," she says, keeping her hands non threatening.
The pair of guards look at each other, their expressions exchanging a lot of information.
The lead guard puts her helmet back on and says, "Right, well, thank you for your time, miss?" She trails off in a question at the end.
"Alexandra," Alex says, giving them both a nod before turning to head into the city, trying to ignore the feeling of the stone beneath her bare foot.
She can feel the pair watching her as she walks into the city. As she turns a corner, she looks back to see one of the guards following her, the other gone.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she swears under her breath, keeping moving back toward Bernard's shop, hoping the guards will get bored.
She moves down fairly empty streets, trying to remember her way back to the shop. Stone buildings line the road. Occasionally, someone looks outside or she passes someone who moves away from her. She hopes it’s due to the smell and not the guard a hundred feet behind her.
Alex turns onto the street with Miria's Trading Company and stops as she sees twelve guards walking down the street toward her.
The previously busy street is conspicuously empty, the guards lined up and moving forward, blocking her from getting to the shop.
She turns, intending to just make herself scarce, and finds three guards behind her now, blocking the stone street.
"By order of his majesty, we are arresting you under suspicion of being a World Walker. By law, the maximum punishment is exile. Lay down your weapon and come back with us or face his majesty’s guard," the husky melodic voice from earlier calls out from among the twelve.
Alex grits her teeth, knowing that on her best day, fighting two heavily armored and armed soldiers is stupid, let alone fifteen.
She lays the axe down on the cobbles. "Look, I'm not a threat to anyone. I'm just going about my life. I'm not sure what this is about," Alex calls out to the guards as they close ranks around her.
She hears the clomp of boots approaching behind her. She makes the mistake of looking behind her, and as she turns, a guard reacts, a gauntleted fist slamming into her jaw.
Her vision is speckled with spots as she lies on the stones of the street, the taste of blood filling her mouth. The guards aren’t gentle in manacling her wrists and feet before rummaging through her bag right there in the street. She has to bite back her anger when one of the guards shows her patch and other gear to the lead guard before throwing it back into her bag none too gently.
"Hey, careful with that!" Alex calls out, her voice slightly muffled as she lies on the stones.
The lead guard motions for them to collect her, ignoring her comment. She looks over and sees Bernard looking out of his door at the scene before closing it. The guards seem not to care.
The guards surround her and parade her through the city. Alex still feels dazed and works her jaw as she walks, trying to stretch it out and run her tongue over her teeth, checking for any loose ones.
"Think you could find someone to heal my foot? Maybe get me some boots since I'm pretty sure I lost my job now," Alex asks one of the guards conversationally as they begin approaching a large stone building.
The guard looks at her one boot, and she sees his armored shoulders rise and fall in a shrug.
Alex debates asking about her rights but realizes it will only confirm her status as a World Walker for them. "Seriously, man. I just wanted to do my job and get a bath. Can I do either of those things?"
The guard ignores her, several stopping in the main room while six break off, leading her through narrow hallways. She is led through multiple thick wooden doors and down stairs. She is fairly impressed when her skill doesn’t make anything on the doors glow.
They lead her down a hall with thick wooden doors, each with narrow bars allowing her to see huddled forms inside. A few faces watch from inside their cells, cat-calling her as she is led to a cell.
They open a door, gesturing for her to enter. Inside, she sees a low bench on one wall and a bucket in the corner, and nothing else but stone and the door behind her.
When she doesn’t sprint into the hole, they shove her inside and close the door behind her as she stumbles over her chains.
Would you pet a Guttercorg?