A few moments after I had shut the trapdoor and fallen in a heap beside it, the closed room disappeared and I found myself sitting on the brown tile. A hornie manservant who had been progressing towards me froze, wide eyed.

“Vicky… is there any way I can help you?” he asked me.

I shook my head.

“Nah, I don’t need anything.”

The hornie lingered for a few seconds and then with some hesitation he left for his chores. Meanwhile, my mind was replaying my underground adventure. I had really escaped by the skin of my teeth.

***

“You used that map didn’t you?” Kiara narrowed her eyes knowingly, raising a finger, after coming to my room through the portal. I had left the map on the table.

I avoided her eyes. I didn’t want to involve Kiara in any of this. I imagined the creatures capturing Kiara and throwing her into a grimy cell, and a chill ran down my spine.

Kiara let out a cough, declaring she already knew a good deal of what had transpired just by reading the lines on my forehead.

“Yes,” I admitted in a small voice.

“So what did you find?” she asked curiously.

I recounted my fruitless campaign. Kiara listened with a tense breath.

“If they had captured you then I would have never known what happened to you,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.

I nodded, hanging my head. A little self control went a long way in deflecting potential traps.

“I think I should have at least taken some of my soldiers with me,” I told her. I recalled my haughty thoughts from earlier in the day. Being powerful is only helpful as long as you are conscious. Those beings could have put me to sleep, and I would have never woken up.

Some time of silence passed. Kiara sat near me, lightly swinging her legs. She picked up the map and stared at it for a while.

“Did you see any of the imprisoned monsters?” Kiara asked.

“No, but I heard them,” I told her. “They spoke inside my head, pleading for help.”

“But aren’t you the king of all the eviluns?” Kiara asked. “And you said those creatures were made of monster parts. They should have listened to you, right?”

“Their inclination has changed,” I said. “They are helpers of the players.”

“So you want to go there again,” Kiara said, leaning forward, “don’t you?”

“I want to free the monsters,” I said. “But…”

“But?”

“Please don’t ask to come with me,” I told her.

“You know I would be helpful,” Kiara said, waggling her eyebrows.

Her eyes were twinkling with excitement, she really wanted to accompany me. The entirety of the next hour she made relentless attempts at persuasion, her arm around my neck, occasionally running her fingers down my cheeks as she pointed out all the advantages of taking her along. I told her that unlike me she had only one life, but she reasoned that she had a single life in the real world too. I finally consented, partly because I became exhausted from saying ‘no’.

I felt terrible, but I vowed I would not let any harm come to her in the tunnels.

The next day was a Sunday, so it was perfect for Kiara to come with me. That night, I summoned the prime ministers of all the races and told them of my discovery.

Their faces twitched with bewilderment as I spoke of the horrifying frankesteins that I had come across. After at least two long hours of talk, we decided on the best course of action.

Many soldiers would be required to free the prisoners. I wanted to go with maximum security unlike the last time. This was a serious matter, not anymore a quest for boredom’s sake.

***