Gamers' Quest by George Ivanoff Read Free Book Online Page A

there are.’
    Zyra glared at him.
    They continued for another few minutes before Tark spoke again. ‘I don't likes rats.’
    ‘They're not all that fond of you either,’ said a mysterious, squeaky voice out of nowhere.
    Tark and Zyra stopped and scanned the tunnel. The rat horde stared back at them, some with phosphorescent slime reflected in their dark eyes, others with a glowing greenness all their own.
    ‘Don't says nothin’,’ said Zyra, holding up her hand to stop Tark.
    Tark nodded and they kept walking along the tunnel. But Tark couldn't go for long without saying what was on his mind.
    ‘Ya don't thinks the rats can talk, do ya?’
    Zyra glared at him.
    ‘It wuz a squeaky kinda rat-likes voice.’
    Zyra didn't respond.
    Under the watchful gaze of the rats, they finally came to a fork in the tunnels.
    ‘Which ways?’ asked Tark.
    Zyra indicated the left-hand tunnel.
    ‘But the other way is much more interesting,’ said the mysterious, squeaky, rat-like voice, echoing around the sewer.
    Ignoring the voice, Zyra headed down the left-hand tunnel, Tark following.
    ‘Not willing to take advice,’ said the voice. ‘No matter! This is my domain. And all tunnels lead to … me!’
    ‘Are ya sure we is goin’ the rights way?’ asked Tark.
    ‘Yes!’ hissed Zyra.
    Suddenly the rats were scurrying forward. No, not scurrying, thought Tark, running forward, as if trying to escape something.
    Tark glanced nervously over his shoulder, hoping that there wasn't anything chasing the rats – and them.
    But there was.
    Tark yelled loud enough to make Zyra stop in her tracks and turn around to see a wall of fire whooshing down the tunnel towards them.
    ‘Run!’ she yelled, grabbing Tark with one hand and the trolley with the other.
    As they ran, the sludge at their feet seemed to become thicker and stickier, slowing their progress. Tark chanced another glance over his shoulder. The fire was almost on top of them. In his fear and panic, he never stopped to ponder the fact that they could feel no heat. As the fire bore down on them, Tark pushed Zyra to the tunnel floor and threw himself on top of her.
    After a few seconds, Tark realised that he was not being roasted alive. He warily raised his head. His eyes widened with surprise.
    ‘Woulds ya get off a me,’ gurgled Zyra through a mouthful of sludge.
    Tark rolled off and sat up.
    Zyra got to her feet, wiping green slime from her beloved coat, ready to yell at Tark. But then she looked around.
    They were in a cavernous space, a juncture where a dozen tunnels met. And they were surrounded by rats, thousands of them. The rodents were glaring at them and gnashing their pointy little teeth. Some were even foaming at the mouth as they scuttled about in a frenzy.
    ‘Why is they hangin’ back like that?’ wondered Zyra.
    Tark shrugged.
    Then some of the rats started to walk forward. They didn't run or scurry or make any type of rat-like movement. They walked, on their hind legs – slowly, determinedly and with purpose. There were thirteen in total, and they were big. They stopped in front of Tark and Zyra and arranged themselves like a team of acrobats on each other's shoulders. Three along the bottom, then another three on top, then three rows of two, and the final one perched on top.
    Tark scrambled to his feet and stood beside Zyra, eye-level with the top rat.
    The rat smiled at them.
    ‘Welcome,’ it said in the mysterious squeaky voice that had been following them through the tunnels.
    ‘I tolds ya it wuz a rat,’ said Tark.
    The talking rat's eyes glowed brighter and brighter. The acrobatic rats seemed to melt into one another, until there was only one rat – a very large rat; an almost human-looking rat.
    ‘I am the rat-mage of the sewers,’ it said. ‘And I am here to tempt you away from Designers Paradise.’ And then it spat a large glob of green phlegm.
    ‘Oh, yeah,’ said Zyra. ‘That's real temptin’.’
    The rat-mage smiled. ‘Things are not