Leo Komarov peeks out from behind his cover. The rotten old barrel does little more than disguise the Toronto Maple Leaf All-Stars shape, but Leo is happy to take what he can get. The sewer is quiet and nothing moves except for the gently lapping, greasy awful muck that stinks so thick as to coat the inside of Leo’s nose and mouth.

“Did you kill it?” Leo asks the darkness.

A ripple in the sludge slowly drifts toward Leo. A shimmer reflects dimly then seems to rise up dripping effluent and rotten stank. The shimmer expands and solidifies into Toronto Maple Leaf Tyler Bozak.

“I killed it.” Tyler answers.

Tyler has the remarkable ability to turn himself into liquid  mercury. This is a useful power. It allows Tyler to move through the sewage without getting any on his clothes. It also makes him invulnerable in every practical sense of the word. That’s why the blood streaming from Tyler’s left nostril is not just alarming but truly frightening.

“Your bleeding.” Leo says quietly, fighting to keep the fear from creeping into his voice.

“Yep.” Tyler wipes at his nose. “We knew they were magical, now we know I can be hurt by magic. I figured out their trick though so I shouldn’t have trouble taking them out.”

“And if we fight more than one at a time?” Leo asks.

“Let’s not do that.” Tyler answers.

The Leafs say no more as they make their way further into the sewer. They are on the trail of the same cultists responsible for hijacking Herbert the Toronto Maple Leaf tank engine (read that thrilling adventure after you finish this one: BLOINK). The black tentacle monster that gave Leo so much trouble that day was not a singular creature. In fact it seems that the creatures are worshiped by the group. In this last encounter the cultists seemed eager to be consumed by the tentacle beast. Worse, every time the monster ate it grew. It also grew every time Leo blasted it. It didn’t grow when the Leafs shot it, but it also didn’t die.

Finally Tyler had flowed into the tentacles maw and ripped it from the inside out. Apparently something in the beasts chemistry had disagreed with Tyler because the Leaf was still bleeding. He wipes his nose then pulls a tissue from a small compartment built into his Toronto Maple Leaf body armour. He rolls the tissue tight then folds one end and stuffs it up his bleeding nostril. He stick the other end in his other nostril for balance. Leo chuckles when he see his teammate.

“You look ridiculous.” Leo says. “Like a bull, but a teeny little soggy one.”

“I don’t want to get blood on my armour.” Tyler answers. “You wouldn’t understand, you don’t have any kids.”

Leo sighs, Tyler brings up his baby every chance he gets. Ahead the sound of rushing water slows the Leafs. They have reached a main junction in the sewer system. Several pipes dump into one larger one which leads to the Toronto Maple Leaf sewage treatment center, one of the more successful Toronto Maple Leaf green initiatives.

The Leafs lean over the the edge but pull back immediately. Instead of a pool of sewage there is a massive tentacle monster filling the chamber below.

“Holy fucking fuck.” Tyler whispers.

“You shouldn’t use that kind of language now.” Leo scolds. “You have a kid.”

“That thing is huge.” Says Tyler, staying on task. “There’s no way I’m jumping in there. It probably wouldn’t even notice.”

“It’s okay.” Leo says with a grin. “I brought C4.”

Leo pulls out six bricks of the highly explosive putty. It takes him less than thirty seconds to prepare the detonator. He holds out the bomb to Tyler.

“Go ahead dad.” Leo smiles.

Tyler grabs the C4 and lobs it into the pit without a second glance.

“Five, four,” Leo counts. “Three, fuck it.” He presses the button. There is a muted thud but no other effect.

The Leafs peer over the edge again. The tentacles seem slightly more active than before. Otherwise Tyler might as well have dropped in an apple core.

Without warning a tentacle whips into the sewer forcing Tyler and Leo to drop quickly to avoid it. The slippery sewage makes baking away from the tentacle tricky. The Leafs turn in time to see the other end of the sewer blocked by seven of the smaller tentacle monsters. Leo points his hands and blasts at the one in the lead, it grows.

“You have to stop doing that man.” Tyler shouts.

Turning again the Leafs see that two more massive tentacles have joined the first. Leo pulls out his knife while Tyler turns his arm into a blade. They attack the tentacles with reckless abandon knowing it is their only hope.

“Now!” Leo shouts when two of the three tentacles recede in tattered ruin. He holds out his arm and Tyler grabs it.Tentacles are reaching out from behind them even as the Leafs leap over the edge.

Turning liquid, Tyler flows up Leos arm to attach himself like a second skin even as Leo rockets himself up. Leo’s shield protects him from harm, and his blasts shoot him with the force of a rocket booster. That does not make blasting free of the sewers easy. He grinds his teeth as he fights through meters of earth and concrete. At last he bursts up into the street in a shower of debris. Several stunned on lookers are immediately thrilled to see Toronto Maple Leafs and they run over for autographs.

The Leafs sign everything put in front of them but neither one is really paying attention to the chore. They are watching their escape hole, looking for any sign of pursuit. Even after the fans move away the Leafs wait. Finally convinced that the danger has passed for a time the Leafs make their way back to Toronto Maple Leaf tower.

In the sewer the massive black tentacle mother beast glistens moistly and smiles in the darkness. It’s plans are proceeding exactly as predicted.

To Be Continued……….