Crimson Sands

by J. Arthur Klein

  Turning around was an option, but we would be vulnerable during the maneuver.

  As I ran through potential solutions in my mind, a rider-less mount sprinted in from the south, its scaly hide covered in jagged wounds.

  Kjara and I quickly tied our mounts to the wagons as they closed ranks and took up a central position, scanning the hills for a glimpse of our attackers.

  I saw a flash of movement cresting a hill to the southeast; a humanoid figure, clothed in what looked like ragged commoner’s clothing was scrambled over the crest on all fours.

  A dozen other forms followed the first, racing towards us in a weird leaping gallop, and as they got closer my blessed sight revealed their true natures.

  While their physical forms rushed towards us, inside I could see a screaming, tormented soul bound by chains of necromantic magic.

  *** Lore (Necromancy) check successful! ***

  “Ghouls,” I spat. “I guess the undead don’t mind the sunlight in this game.”

  We had two or three minutes before the undead arrived and this seemed to be the perfect situation to bring all the guns out, so I called the spell for Summon Legionnaire to mind.

  It was the most complicated spell pattern I encountered so far within the game, but despite its complexity it formed almost instantly within my mind’s eye.

  I tried to direct my mana into the spell-form to activate it but nothing happened. I was confused for a moment, but then remembered that this spell didn’t use mana, it used divine favor.

  I concentrated on tapping into my divine favor pool, and instead of the feeling of warmth rising from within that normally accompanied spell casting, I felt a surge of warmth coming from outside of myself.

  My body felt like it was being bathed in sunlight, and that light was flowing through me and into the spell form.

  When the spell had absorbed what it needed, I released it into the earth at my feet where it formed into a complex golden inscription resembling the summoning circles from old school anime and a new prompt appeared.

  *** This is your first use of the spell Summon Legionnaire. Your Spectral Legion skill currently allows you access to one allied spirit. Several spirits stand ready and willing to answer your call, which will you choose? ***

  *** Amenhotep – Defensive Warrior ***

  *** Naferi – Offensive Mage ***

  *** Seti – Offensive Rogue ***

  *** Sanamini – Offensive Warrior. ***

  *** Note: The spirit chosen will become your bonded ally and will be the only Legionnaire that may be summoned until additional ranks in the Spectral Legion skill are earned, or a special quest is undertaken. ***

  The choice was really a no brainer. With Kjara as my normal dance partner in this game what we really needed was a tank. She was good, but from what I could tell she was aiming for a more DPS oriented build.

  I selected Amenhotep and turned my eyes back to the circle.

  From within the center of the circle a small cyclone of crimson sand began to form, growing quickly until it towered over me. The sand then started to solidify, building something from the ground up like an old school 3D printer. And that something was terrifying.

  I thought I had messed something up because instead of a man I had gotten some type of mummy, but the game told me otherwise.

  *** You have summoned Amenhotep, Temple Guardian. ***

  Every inch of his body was tightly wrapped in linen bandages, except for his eyes, which glowed with a strong golden light.

  He was decked out in intricately carved bronze armor and armed with a bronze tower shield and khopesh. He must have been a giant of a man in life, for in the afterlife he was still huge, even after having lost a good deal of his physical form to the ravages of time. Looking closer, I saw a brief flash of the man he had been in life.

  He bowed and I heard a voice in my mind. “Thank you for choosing me, Acolyte. How shall I serve?”

  I gestured towards the undead charging towards our lines. “We are under attack by a pack of ghouls, and likely whoever created them.”

  I felt his soul smile as he moved forward and took up a defensive position next to Kjara.

  The moon elf looked between Amenhotep and me, and when she caught my eye she gestured to him and mouthed, “What the fuck?”

  I gave her a wide smile and a thumbs up and she just shook her head and sighed before turning back towards the ghouls with her bow at the ready.

  Looking up and down the lines, I bowed my head and spoke a soft prayer to my patron, attempting to turn my RP game up to eleven.

  “Anpu, Lord of the Underworld, our foe has turned to the dark arts and will soon pay the price. I implore you to bless our efforts here as we free the shackled from their rotting forms and bring justice to those who would forge those chains.”

  *** You have invoked the blessing of Anpu, God of the Underworld on your allies! ***

  *** Blessing of Anpu: minor bonus to accuracy, minor bonus to damage against undead. Resistance to necromantic magic, fear, poison, and disease. Duration: 1 hour. ***

  The ground beneath my feet glowed briefly and then burst outwards in a wave of faint golden light, settling over everyone within fifty feet of me.

  Some of the tension seemed to drain from those affected and I could feel a surge of confidence within myself as I moved forward to stand beside Kjara and Amenhotep.

  The ghouls continued their charge across the field, close enough that I could see their hollow, hungry eyes, glowing with malice as the sight of their intended prey drove them forwards towards our position.

  At this range they were close enough to read their information, and from what I could tell they were all identical.

  *** Ghoul, level 2 ***

  The dwarven guards began firing, the sound of crossbows launching their deadly payloads coming one after the other. Several of the ghouls went down, twitching in the dirt before falling still.

  Kjara’s bow sang as well and her target tumbled to the ground with an arrow in its hip.

  The dwarves behind me were trying to reload their crossbows in time for another volley but abandoned that effort as the ghouls got closer, tossing them into the wagons as they readied their axes and prepared to meet the charge.

  As the first of the ghouls reached us, Amenhotep slammed the edge of his shield into the ground, releasing a shockwave of rocks and dirt that sprayed into several of the enemy and knocked them off of their feet.

  *** Amenhotep uses shockwave, drawing the enemies’ attention! ***

  The ghouls in its area of effect turned their ravenous gaze on him, ignoring the rest of the line.

  Using his shield and khopesh, the guardian deftly blocked and parried their first frenzied strikes and then lashed out, slashing deeply into one of the ghoul’s legs.

  I took advantage of the ghouls' focus and buried my spear into the closest one’s chest, piercing its dead heart and ending its tortured existence.

  *** You strike the Ghoul with your steel short spear, inflicting a mortal wound! ***

  *** You have killed a Ghoul! Your party gains 100xp! ***

  *** You have released the tormented soul of the Ghoul! You gain 1 Divine Favor! ***

  That last notification brought a smile to my face. Killing undead would net me both xp and divine favor which I definitely was going to need a lot of going forward.

  Amenhotep was proving to be one hell of a tank. That taunt ability alone was worth its weight in gold.

  I glanced at my party window and could see Amenhotep’s stats. He had taken some minor damage so far, but nothing serious, and Kjara seemed to be holding her own with a few minor wounds.

  Kheph Sa’tep:

  HP: [100%]

  MP: [100%]

  SP: [89%]

  Amenhotep (Minion):

  HP: [90%]

  SP: [85%]

  Kjara Mistwalker:

  HP: [82%]

  SP: [72%]

  I moved up alongside Amenhotep and used
my own shield to guard his flank while I lashed out with my spear.

  Two more ghouls joined the fray and lunged at me with a flurry of attacks that I barely managed to block.

  *** Ghoul slashes you with his rotting claws! You block its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul slashes you with his rotting claws! You block its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul bites you with his fetid maw! You deflect its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul slashes you with his rotting claws! You block its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul bites you with his fetid maw! You deflect its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul bites you with his fetid maw! You deflect its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul slashes you with his rotting claws! You block its attack! ***

  *** Ghoul slashes you with his rotting claws! You block its attack! ***

  *** Congratulations! You have become more skilled with your Shield and have reached Rank 3! ***

  *** Congratulations! You have become more skilled moving in your armor. Medium Armor increased to Rank 3! ***

  I cursed as my view was filled with text, causing me to miss the ghouls next attack and take a nasty gash on my arm.

  *** Ghoul slashes you with his rotting claws! You have taken a moderate wound! ***

  *** Disease resistance check successful! ***

  Screaming in pain, I focused on muting everything except status effects and critical notifications and sighed as the text stopped scrolling and I was able to focus my attention on the undead.

  I bashed the one who had clawed me with my shield, sending it stumbling backwards and then thrust my spear into the second ghoul’s stomach as it tried to take advantage of the opening.

  I ripped free my spear and took the time to use Precision Strike to finish off the first when it recovered from my bash, watching my stamina drop by ten percent with the skill use.

  When the number of ghouls became more manageable for Amenhotep, he shifted into a more aggressive stance, using his tower shield to cave in a ghoul's skull on one side and then beheading another with a quick slash of his khopesh.

  The three of us mopped up the last of the ghoul pack in our immediate area, working together like a well-oiled undead killing machine.

  Kjara and I were breathing hard by the end of it, but Amenhotep seemed none the worse for wear. Being a divinely fueled mummy without a need to breathe had its benefits.

  The sounds of battle faded as the dwarves finished off the rest of the ghouls. A pair of guards searched through the remains of the undead, making sure they would stay dead.

  I couldn’t tell if we had sustained any losses, but from the sounds of cursing coming from inside some of the wagons not everyone had survived unscathed.

  Another glance at the party interface showed an icon next to Kjara’s name with a small '1' and countdown timer below it that read fifty two minutes.

  I focused on it, wanting to see its affects, and was rewarded with a description.

  *** Fetid Plague – While infected by this plague spread by ghouls and other undead of that type, the victim will be affected by detriments that increase as time progresses. Stage 1 prevents the victim from regaining hit points and stamina through normal means. Stage 2 adds a constitution penalty and a damage over time effect. Stage 3 results in instant death. ***

  I originally thought the countdown timer that was the duration of the debuff but now I knew better. The little one probably indicated that she was in the first stage of the disease for the for the next fifty two minutes.

  The ghouls were all dead, but I had a feeling that this wasn’t the end of it. What better way to take out a strong caravan then to send in a horde of fodder that would cut of the enemy’s ability to recover, and then strike them when they were weakened.

  I knelt next to Kjara and gave her a small grin. “Hey Lady, looks like they gave you the cooties huh?”

  She gave me a weak laugh and buried her face in her hands. “If I didn’t feel like complete and utter shit right now, I might just smack you for that one. They didn’t have any heal disease potions in Tael’va, did they?”

  I grimaced. “No… but I can probably do something about it. Be warned, it’s going to hurt like a bitch.”

  She muttered, “I feel like I have the flu mixed with a migraine with a side of strep throat all at the same time. I think I’ll take the cure for five hundred, Alex.”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I said and brought the spell-form for Purifying Touch into focus.

  My hands started to glow with the cleansing fire of the spell, and I winced in sympathy as I placed my hands on her back and let the spell do it's work.

  She shuddered in pain as the magic burned the disease from her system while simultaneously healing both her current wounds and those caused by the fire flowing through her veins.

  *** Kjara is no longer affected by Fetid Plague. ***

  As soon as the disease was cured, I ended the spell and reached down to help her to her feat.

  The look she gave me was far from kind, so I wasn’t that surprised when she punched me right in the stomach. Hard.

  I fell on my ass, and grunted, looking up in time to see Amenhotep’s khopesh raised to strike Kjara from behind.

  “No, Stop!” I gasped, and Kjara looked up to see the warrior’s blade halted inches from her throat.

  “What the hell!” she yelled and jumped away, her own swords raised as she glared at the legionnaire.

  “You…” I gasped, still catching my breath, “…attacked… me. What... did… you think he would do?”

  She grimaced and with a sheepish smile said, “Oops.”

  I laughed and said, “I told you it would hurt.”

  She gave me a look that could strip paint. “Kheph… there is pain, and then there is having your blood set on fire. They are two very, very different things.”

  She held out her hand and I took it, accepting the unspoken apology as she helped me to my feet.

  “So… what are the odds that the ghouls were meant to soften us up for the actual raiders?” I asked.

  Kjara scanned the horizon and replied, “That would be a good plan. If the dwarven fighters are infected with that plague then they won’t be in much of a condition to resist another attack. Let’s check in and see what the caravan master thinks.”

  We turned to go but I paused as I heard Amenhotep’s voice in my mind. “I must return to the underworld for now, Acolyte. We freed many souls today, and I will eagerly await your next call.”

  I turned back to him and answered, “Until next time, Amenhotep. Thank you for your aid.” and watched as he disintegrated into a small pile of sand that was then blown away on the wind.

  “Quite an exit that,” Kjara said, watching from a few steps ahead.

  I grinned and we headed over to where the scouts and warriors were beginning to gather near the caravan master’s wagon.

  …

  Out of the eight dwarven guards, one had been killed and four were currently ill. The dwarven race was resistant to disease, but when every wound was infected eventually something would get through.

  The scouts had missed most of the hand to hand fighting, using their bows to better effect from the backs of their mounts so they were mostly fine.

  The missing scout, one of the humans whose name turned out to be Billiam was found amongst the remains of the ghouls, confirming my suspicions that raiders had a necromancer with them.

  I asked to be taken to the infected dwarves, letting Haegir know that I had a spell that could purify them of the disease if they were willing to deal with the pain.

  He laughed and took me to the diseased guards who all reacted similarly. Once they were healed, I think they had a better understanding of what I meant by pain and lost a little bit of their bluster, but still thanked me for my aid.

  My mana was completely spent by the time I was done healing everyone, so I grabbed the remaining meat skewers from my pack, ate one and handed the remaining two to the more severely injured dwar
ves. That five percent bonus to regeneration would help us recover faster in case the raiders decided to strike soon.

  Haegir and I returned to the head of the wagon where Kjara was laying out a plan of attack. I listened along with the rest of the crowd.

  “The ghouls were likely just the beginning,” she said, “The raiders probably expect us to be battered and bloody and unable to recover due to the ghoul’s disease. If I were an evil raider captain, I would wait until the disease had a chance to advance to its second stage, which is about forty minutes from now. If we were infected, we wouldn’t be able to mount much of a resistance.”

  “They won’t be finding us such easy pickings!” one of the guards chimed in, followed by another. “Damned straight! We’ll make them sorry they ever crossed the Tel’vaar!”

  “No,” Kjara answered calmly. “We won’t.”

  The assembled dwarves were all outraged by her statement and were clamoring to be heard, but Haegir raised his hand and called for silence.

  A small grin peeked out of his beard as understanding flashed in his eyes. He gestured for her to continue, glaring at the other dwarves as if to challenge them to disagree.

  “They think we will be weak and vulnerable, and that belief is their weakness,” Kjara said with a sly grin. “When they attack, we can use that against them. Lure them in and then show them the strength of the Tel’vaar and crush them utterly.”

  Now the dwarven crowd’s rumbling took on a different tone as they grinned and planned out their vengeance upon our attackers. I caught her eye and we shared a smile as we began to prepare for our eventual visitors.