Kip and The Bloody Red: Hall of Doors, #6

By zachary chopchinski

Sea monsters, pirates, and drag queens, oh my!

With Poet's instructions to find the Historian, the team finds themselves in a world made entirely of water, where marauders and monsters reign. But with enemies coming from every direction, can they find what they are looking for before the Senate finds them?

In comes the pirate drag queens to save the day.

The team strikes a deal with a fabulous ship of pirate drag queens and a deranged lone wonderer to help them navigate the strange water planet. Will the Historian be able to answer their questions, or will they be left with more mysteries to unravel?

• Language: English
• Publisher: zachary chopchinski
• Release date: Jan 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215288085

Book preview

Praise For

Kip and The Bloody Red

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Zach throws everything at us in these books and it all works!

-Author Jennifer Zamboni

It’s a stay up as late as you can because you can’t put it down and end up dropping it on your face as you doze off type of book!

-Amazon Review

Acknowledgements

It’s customary to write a letter thanking those that have helped you in your journey. This is a custom I adore more than anything, as I can tell those who love and support me just how much I see them and cherish them.

I truly am nothing extraordinary in my own way. My feats are a result of the extraordinary people in my life and this book will continue on after this letter as a testament to your hard work and understanding when dealing with me.

Thank you to my editor, Megan, for always giving me the feedback that I need. Thank you, Alex, for your amazing art that bring my work to life. Thank you, Molly, for the wonderful covers that never cease to amaze me. Thank you, Layla, Lydia-Renee, and Lilija for always reminding me what I am doing this for. Finally, thank you, whoever you are, for reading this. Without you, my loving readers and supporters, all this would be a lost adventure to the sands of time, but you chose to take this venture with me, and for that I will forever be indebted to you.

To my biggest fans, loves of my life, and my absolute favorite humans in existence: My loving wife Layla, and my daughters Lydia-Renee and Lilija.

The world for you, my loves.

Even when you don’t feel like it, keep going. You never know who you impact with your love. — Carrie Usmar

More from Zach

The Gabrielle’s Adventure Through Time Series:

The Curious Tale of Gabrielle

Gabrielle and The Hounds of Arawn

Gabrielle and The War of The Gods

Gabrielle and Arawn’s Penance

The Hall of Doors Series:

Webley and The World Machine

Webley and The World Machine Coloring Book

Kip and The Grinders

Arija and The Burning City

Ypsilon and The Plague Doctor

Van and The Demon Army

Kip and The Bloody Red

Adal and The Time Travelers

Maza and The Pyramids

Molly and The Hunted

The Tinkerers and The Golden City

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Others:

From Now On: The Last Words Anthology

1

Batten Down The Hatches

Hey you guuuys! Kip shouted.

Maza blinked to clear his vision and inspected his surroundings, but it was too dark to see anything. In Taraveil, darkness was not a common occurrence, and his eyes were having a hard time adjusting to each new world. His head pounded from the impact, his vision still blurry from the jump through the portal. He didn’t think he would ever get used to that feeling.

Adal grunted. Getting there, hold up.

Maza pushed to his feet. Every inch of his body throbbed, the pains of the battle with the Senate’s mutations hours earlier taking over.  The Senate. How could Maza not have known they were part of this somehow? The Senate had their fingers in everything. He pushed the pain aside. As far as he saw it, this was just another day at the office for a Tekaha warrior. 

The thought sent a sharp sting of sadness through him. His sister, Van, had renounced her Tekaha status. He was proud of her for forging her own path in the world, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. A Tekeha never left a brother, or sister, behind. They were proud warriors and stood by their own. He didn’t have a choice though. They had to keep going.

Something moved next to Maza. He reached out and snatched it, his hefty hand clutching the figure and preventing it from moving. The soft flesh flexed under his hold.

Ypsilon laughed. If you wanted to grab my ass, all you had to do was ask.

Maza released his hold, a flush of embarrassment warming his face. He squinted at the vague outline of his girlfriend. He had always towered over the Engineer chief, and yet he knew all-too-well that she was far more powerful than she appeared. That was one of the things he most admired about her. My fault.

Really? She raised one eyebrow.

Maza shrugged it off with a scoff. Ypsilon was playful and daring, never letting the heat of the moment get to her.

Is everyone here? Arija called in the dark.

One-by-one, each member of the team sounded off that they were present.

Here, Maza responded. Though if we aren’t alone in this place, everyone now knows we’re here. His voice reverberated around him. They were either in a small space or one with hard walls for the sound to bounce off.

This way, Ypsilon whispered, her face close to his ear. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

Ypsilon’s abilities still shocked him. They found out a while ago that she was Cog’s creation, a mixture of human and Dweller D.N.A., but not even she knew her full potential yet. Maza had never met the mechanical creature that lived in the World Machine, but what he did know was that Cog was Webley’s second in command and Ypsilon’s father. And for that, he mourned Cog’s death.

Maza let her push him through the dark, into the lead. His steps were muted by the creaking of boards beneath their feet. He looked down, wondering if the structure would hold.

Hey man! Adal shouted as Maza smacked into him, sending Adal backwards.

Maza reached out but missed Adal in the dark.

Felt like I just got run over by a tree. Adal pushed himself up.

Arija laughed. You found Maza?

Or a maple tree.

Maza huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Maybe if you put on a little more muscle, you wouldn’t be so fragile.

Muscle is one thing I have, Adal protested. The physique of the Jolly Green Giant, on the other hand...

Maybe someday you’ll hit puberty, Ypsilon added.

Arija sighed. Can we not right now?

Found something! Kip’s distant voice drew Maza’s attention.

Everyone fell silent, waiting.

Distant shuffling sounded and, after a few moments, an electric hum filled the space around them.

Slowly, the void began to soften as a warm orange glow spread through the area. Maza let out a soft sigh of relief. At least now he knew this wasn’t a trap.

The stone sides of a carved tunnel came into view, the orange light enhancing the smooth curves of the man-made cave. The small passage was twice Maza’s height and wide enough they could all walk shoulder-to-shoulder and still have space to move.

Maza glanced down at his feet. The path they stood on was made entirely of narrow wooden planks. Many looked half-rotten and barely held together. He shifted his feet to examine the boards.

Guys! Down here! Kip shouted.

Maza looked at Ypsilon. Her pale skin was flawless and free from injury. The assortment of colors in her long dreadlocks were muted in the yellow hue of the lights. She was the only one not sporting any battle-rattle from their fight from earlier. Not that she didn’t hold her own; that was just Ypsilon. She pushed forward, no matter what stood in her way. A true warrior. If she ever decided she wanted to dethrone him of his Tekaha Chief status, she would. She was easily the strongest, most cunning, and most vicious fighter he’d ever known.

Arija whispered something to Adal. The Earth woman reminded Maza of Ypsilon in certain ways. She was smart and tough. The main difference, other than their looks, was the fact that she was more in control of her emotions. Arija was truly good. She never faltered in making the right choice, unlike Ypsilon, who played hopscotch with the line between hero and villain.

Adal, on the other hand, tended to wing it most of the time. Maza found him irresponsible and slightly annoying. His ego got in his way, but he was fiercely loyal to those he loved and that was a quality Maza could get behind.

Maza steadied himself on the wet, slimy walls as he made his way towards Kip. Everything seemed to have a thin layer of moisture on it. Great, he growled as he wiped his hand on his pants. The wooden steps made several twists and turns as the group descended deeper into the cave, following Kip’s voice.

The sound of running water bounced off the stone walls. The steps leveled into a steady path, making it slightly easier to navigate the slippery surface. The sound of rushing water had gotten so loud, Maza could no longer hear his own footsteps or the boards creaking beneath his feet. Kip?

Yeah? Kip chirped.

Maza flinched as the robotic boy stepped in front of him.

Damnit, Kip, you did that on purpose! Maza thundered, his fists up and ready.

Kip raised his hands in surrender, a wide smile plastered on his face. Woah, calm down, big guy. Check this out.

Kip, the mechanical Dweller from the World Machine, radiated a glow in the dim light of the tunnel. With his metal skin and workman’s clothes tattered and well worn, he looked like the epitome of an abandoned orphan.

The boy turned and sprinted away from the group. Maza glanced over his shoulder and was met with a uniform shrug from Adal, Arija, and Ypsilon. They followed Kip around the corner.

It’s right here, Kip shouted charging into a large, open chamber.

Maza dug his heels into the wooden boards beneath him, sending the other three crashing into him.

Hey! Adal shouted.

Maza pointed at the platform. The group stood on the start of a long, thin dock that stretched over an open body of water. Bright light poured into the chamber from holes in the stone ceiling hundreds of feet above. The light from the sky bounced off the water and illuminated the entirety of the space around them. Several large caves broke through the wall, allowing massive waterfalls to pour into the lake at the bottom of the room.

The air smelled of salt and seaweed. The smell made Maza wrinkle his nose.  

In the center of the cave, connected to the long dock, was a giant boat. Kip stood in front of the boat, his arms stretched towards the sky and a proud smile across his face.

A boat? Arija asked.

Ypsilon pushed to the front of the group. A boat!

Verne’s Jewel? Kip blurted, reading the name on the side of the ship. He turned and headed for the open deck. The boy’s eyes locked on the gangway.

Maza jogged to catch up. The ship was bigger than any vehicle he had seen before. It gently bobbed in the waves created by the waterfalls. Old wood lined the craft, and there were planks missing or damaged in areas, revealing the dull glint of a metal skeleton.

A pair of giant propellers, one on either side, protruded from the sides of the ship and dipped into the water. Judging by the height they rose above the surface, Maza could tell they also extended deep below.

Are we just going to crawl up on this old thing? Ypsilon asked as they neared the gangway.

Maza glanced over his shoulder. Ypsilon had managed to fall several steps behind the rest of the group. He eyed his girlfriend, his right brow cocked in observance of her visible discomfort.

Where else are we gonna go? Maza asked her. I don’t see another exit. And Poet said we need to find the Historian. I don’t think we can do that from inside this cave.

Ypsilon propped her hand on her hip right above her trusty pistol, Bangerang. Yeah, did we even look though?

Guys, come on! Kip shouted as he neared the top of the gangway.

Maza shook his head and turned back to the ramp.

Kip’s eight-piece hat popped out of sight as he ventured onto the deck.

As he stepped onto the ship, Maza was surprised by the overall poor condition of the craft. The fact that she still floated was an engineering feat.

Netting and ropes ran in all directions along the platform. Small traps and broken barrels sat in piles, almost successfully covering the holes in the deck that led to the lower levels. All of it culminated with a smell of rot rocketing up from the depths.

Maza took several timid steps across the deck, his eyes scanning their transportation for threats.

You think this boat still works? Arija asked, running her hand across the dust-covered railing.

She and Adal walked the area in opposite directions, inspecting everything they saw. Adal kicked over various items while Arija pressed down on the floorboards to gauge their durability.

Not sure, but this wouldn’t be the first time we did something questionable, Adal replied.

Yeah. I’m still not sold on this thing, Ypsilon said from behind them, her voice a little shaky.

Maza turned towards her. She stood at the top of the gangway, still yet to set foot on the boat. He looked at his partner, confusion muddling his brain as she swiped her gaze from side-to-side. You good?

Ypsilon huffed. Yes! Ask me again and you won’t be! She turned her head up and stepped on the deck. The creaking of the wood under her boot caused her to pause.

Maza watched as she took calculated steps. This was the same warrior genius that scaled buildings a thousand-stories high, leapt from one to the next, even free-jumped dozens of stories to land on a moving vehicle.

Once she gained her footing, Ypsilon let out a puff of air. Her pale complexion warmed under her frustration. She looked up at Maza with a scowl and shrugged.

Maza looked around the ship for signs of Kip. An open door at the end of the deck bore a label that read ‘Captain’s Quarters.’ From within the darkness of the cabin, Maza heard rustling and shifting.

As the group walked the tattered deck of Verne's Jewel, Kip shouted with excitement. His pilfering through the Captain's Quarters had rendered fruitful. He appeared from the cabin with a leather ledger in hand. I found a crew roster of the people that used to run this thing. Looks like it’s from a long time ago. He laid the ledger on top of a barrel and opened it to the first page. Looks like the captain of this steamboat was S. Clemens, and the first mate was Herman M. Weird names for pirates. Always thought they had names like Gold Beard or One-Eyed Billy. Something cool that hinted at their adventures.

Adal laughed. Well, if that was the case, none of them were anything along the lines of Lovecraft. This tub is a piece of junk.

Let's see, his crew was made up of Sean, Josh, Corey, Jeff, Jon, Kerri, and Martha. What kind of pirates were these? Wait, this says this is the ship’s log for the Inferno, not Verne’s Jewel. I give up. Pirates do not keep good records! Kip tossed the book to