Monster Hunter Bloodlines - eARC by Larry Correia (read a book .txt) 📕

I temporarily moved the phone away. “Great. Owen, son of Auhangamea. Nice to meet you, but we’re in a hurry.” I moved the phone back.

The rat began typing again.

“Wait . . . That rat can write?”

“Yes, Trip,” I said while Atticus wrote. “Big brain rats, escaped science experiment. Long story.”

THE CHANGELING WAS TAKEN BY A SUCCUBUS BUT SHE SURPRISED IT AND ESCAPED. THE DEMON SEARCHES FOR HER.

That sounded like Sonya. And it wasn’t like her getting snatched was good news, but it was better news than her betraying us and knocking out Cody. “Where is she now?”

While Atticus rapid-fire punched the letters, Trip said, “Why didn’t you tell me we had smart rats?”

“I made a promise to their emperor and Sid to keep them as secret as possible.”

“Sid the janitor?”

“Yes, Sid the janitor.” But Atticus had stopped, so I flipped the phone around to read.

GO LEFT, THEN RIGHT, THEN GO STRAIGHT PAST TWO TUNNELS, THEN RIGHT AGAIN AT THE THIRD. SHE HIDES THERE.

Trip read over my shoulder. “The little dude is good with mazes.”

Atticus was gesturing for me to give him the phone back.

BEWARE. THE EVIL YOU WARNED US ABOUT HAS ONE BODY LEFT. TWO WERE KEPT IN RESERVE BUT WE TOOK CARE OF ONE OF THEM FOR YOU WHILE IT WAS WEAK. THE LAST HAS GROWN IN STRENGTH BEYOND OUR DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS TECHNIQUE.

Even taking one was really impressive. “You guys rock.”

WE DO ROCK. ONE MORE THING. THE HUMANS YOU WANTED US TO WATCH DID NOT BETRAY MHI YET. BUT THE CHANGELING INTENDED TO.

“Sonya? What do you mean?”

WHILST FLEEING THE DEMON SHE REVEALED THAT HIDDEN UPON HER PERSON WAS A PAGE TORN FROM A BOOK. IT IS A MAP OF THESE TUNNELS. SHE IS TRYING TO ORIENTATE HERSELF NOW IN ORDER TO ESCAPE.

“Son of a bitch.” So that was what Sonya had been doing in the archives when I’d found her. She must have ripped it out of a book in the library and had been planning on bailing the whole time. Looking at her dad’s original memoirs had been a handy excuse. She’d probably turned the tears on when she’d heard me coming and stuck the map in her dad’s book to hide it. I’d even sent her back to her room with that book! “Thanks, Atticus.”

The rat bowed to us.

I bowed back. Trip bowed too, because that seemed like the thing to do. Then we rushed in the direction the rat had indicated.

“What else do we have down here that I don’t know about? Ninja turtles?”

“You say that like it’s not a possibility.” I was forced to crouch because the ceiling was getting lower. It was a good thing I was wearing my lightweight helmet, because otherwise I’d have banged my head on the bricks a lot. When the Shacklefords had dug these tunnels, there hadn’t been very many 6'5" Hunters.

When we took the next turn, I saw something that made me freeze in my tracks. A hole had been ripped in the ceiling. Bricks and dirt had been spilled everywhere. From the dust hanging in the air, it was fresh. I went over, looked up and saw the night sky above. This must have been where the river of ectoplasm had zipped upwards to join with its final host through an existing crack, and the now empowered monster had clawed its way down.

“The last Drekavac is in here with us,” Trip whispered.

“Yep.” And the second-to-last one had been damned near indestructible and cutting his way through a bank vault until Earl had surprised him and, unfortunately for us, the king of the werewolves was currently indisposed. “Be careful.”

We moved cautiously, following our rat guide’s directions. Sonya had told me that she couldn’t see in the dark. Assuming that wasn’t a lie like everything else, she must have had a flashlight on her to make it this far.

Trip held up one fist. I froze. He tapped the muff of his ear protection, and then pointed at the last tunnel we were supposed to head down. He’d heard something. Rock music and guns had left me half deaf. I’d have to take his word for it. He kept moving that way, weapon shouldered. I was right behind him with Cazador at the ready. A moment later I could hear what he’d heard. A woman was talking. As we got closer, the sound got clearer.

“Come out, Sonya. I know you’re in here. I can smell you. Sonyaaa.” There was something about that voice that made me mighty uncomfortable and set off all sorts of warnings deep down in my caveman brain, because it was sensual and predatory at the same time. Like she’d screw your brains out but then eat your head like a praying mantis. That had to be the succubus.

I’d dealt with a few different kinds of demons over the years, but never that kind. Harbinger had warned us about the seductive ones. It didn’t matter how mentally strong you were. They were telepathic and designed to get into your head. I’m talking lust-based mind control shit. A succubus could supposedly charm her way through your defenses, mess with your thoughts, show you one hell of a good time, and then leave you as a desiccated corpse with a big smile on your face.

“Wish Holly was here,” Trip whispered.

“She’d be in danger too.” I was pretty sure succubi swung both ways. “No talk. Just shoot.”

“Got it. She can’t flirt if she’s dead.”

I didn’t want to correct him on that, because a couple of undead things had flirted with me over the years, but that was just semantics. I motioned for him to follow me, and then crept forward as quietly as possible. This tunnel was familiar. I knew where we were now. The voice was coming from the room where we’d stored our old Ward Stone. It was one of the bigger spaces down here.

“Why are you hiding, Sonya? I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to save you. If you stay here, you’re gonna