Getting the gist of it, I turned the the notifications back off and continued milking the poor trog for all he was worth.
Eventually the trog ran out of stamina, and I ran out of patience and put it out of its misery. But all told, the battle had helped me raise my Combat Caster skill to rank six and my Cure Wounds spell to rank four.
I healed myself the rest of the way with Soothing Touch, getting my health back to a place where I felt healthy enough that I wouldn't be easy pickings for some wondering sewer beast and then let my mana recover.
I looted the corpses, gaining six more crests, a vial of unknown contents, and some additional leather scraps.
The room was full of piles of bones and rotting meat, which was all pretty useless but out of the corner of my eye I saw the telltale shimmer of my Discerning Eye skill at work.
Half buried under a pile of other junk was a bone the size of a greatclub. I grabbed it and pulled it out, and immediately got a readout.
*** Giant’s Femur (Rare) – Weaponsmith component ***
I shrugged and tucked the bone under my arm. I shrunk the Sunspear and tucked it away and then retrieved my steel spear and the leather scraps.
Having completed the quest, I decided to get the hell out of the sewers.
After giving the agreed upon knock, I emerged from the sewers and took a deep breath of clean air.
Ms. Rimmsford wrinkled her nose at the stench, and gave my bundle of salvage goods a dirty look but accepted the crests and paid me as agreed.
*** Quest Complete! Here be Trogs. ***
*** You have gained reputation with the Merchants of Sehkem! Neutral → Friendly. ***
*** You have gained reputation with the Temple of Heru-et! ***
*** You have gained 500xp! ***
*** Quest Updated: Prove Your Worth 2/3 Complete! ***
I headed back towards the Blacksteel Foundry to see if I could make use of Fragi’s tools to salvage my collection, but when I got there he wouldn’t even let me in the door due to the smell. He did however agree to sell me a set of tools if I promised to leave.
New tools in hand, I found a small clearing and broke down all of the leather bits I'd taken from the trogs and salvaged what I could. And luckily for me, when the leather materials manifested from the salvage process, the smell from the original equipment was no longer present.
I headed back to the Goose to drop off my materials before deciding on how I wanted to spend the rest of my session. I still needed to complete a third quest to qualify for the temple missions, and the undead near the docks weren't going to investigate themselves.
As soon as I entered the inn Maeve glared and shoved me through a side door into a room I hadn’t seen yet. She wrinkled her nose at me and pointed to a large tub on the side of the room and a bucket of soap.
“Don’t ye dare set yer foot again in me common room ‘til ye no longer stink o shite,” she said as she left the room, slamming the door behind her.
I chuckled and stripped off my clothes and headed to the tub. There was another smaller washbasin behind it with one of those old school washboards in it.
I took my armor and clothing and cleaned it all thoroughly in the smaller basin. It didn’t take long, another benefit of game mechanics. Apply water, apply soap, scrub for a few seconds until the item reads as clean, and then repeat.
I piled my now clean gear to the side and slipped into the still hot water in the tub. I scrubbed myself clean of the stink and sat back to relax.
I closed my eyes for an instant and must have dozed off.
The sound of the door opening woke me from my nap, and I looked up to see Lei’ti entering the room.
My hands darted under the water to cover my nether regions and I saw her lips curl in the hint of a smile. “Maeve sent me to make sure you were okay, you’ve been in here for several hours.”
“What!” I gasped, pulling up the game clock. It was almost 9PM. I must have been dosing for almost two hours. I must have been more tired than I thought.
“Please tell Maeve that I will be right out and that I am sorry for occupying the bath for so long,” I said.
“I will,” she said and headed for the door.
She paused in the doorway and turned back with a sly smile. “And Kheph, your hands aren’t that fast,” she said as she slipped out of the room.
I felt myself go red and then sighed, laughing at myself for a change.
I crawled out of the bath, noting that the devs had gone so far as to include the wrinkling you get when you are in water for so long.
I got myself dressed and suited up and headed up to my room to drop off the materials and crafting items, and my steel spear. The added missile weapon was nice, but not worth lugging it around the city when I had an alternative.
…
Chapter 29
I returned to the common room a short time later with my shield hung on my back and Sunspear tucked into my belt. Some of the patrons gave me a hostile look, but after a glance at my stole decided not to press the issue.
Most of the tables were full. Patrons of both genders were relaxing and eating a meal, or just enjoying the company of one or more of the Goose’s ladies. Unlike what I expected to see in a brothel, the common room was pretty tame, and it seemed that any true adult content was limited to other areas of the building.
Leaving the ladies to ply their trade without my presence putting a downer on things, I slipped out of the inn.
After soaking away the muck of the sewers I had decided that investigating the undead would be my next venture.
The stink and danger of the docks was much more appealing right now than the politics that I’d likely have to deal with at the temple.
The gates between the main city and the docks were wide open when I arrived with a steady stream of foot traffic passing back and forth between the two districts.
I moved with the flow of the people, heading closer to the water and east towards the location the other adventurers had reported seeing the undead.
The last rays of the sun had long since set, and the streets themselves were only dimly lit by some form of foul smelling oil lamp.
The docks of Sehkem were a twenty four hour operation with ships arriving and departing in a pretty much endless stream of commerce.
As I moved further eastward the size and condition of the docks shifted from worked stone piers capable of handling the largest of merchant ships to shoddy wooden slips barely capable of supporting the local peasant fishing fleet.
At this time of night the fishermen were home and sleeping, so it was quiet.
I reached the eastern end of the docks and began searching for the sewer drain the other players had described.
It took a few minutes of searching, but eventually I discovered a convenient stairway leading down below the docks to a large pipe sticking out of the stone foundation of the city itself.
The pipe was about eight feet in diameter, closed off by an iron gate that covered most of the opening, leaving only a small a gap at the bottom through which a constant stream of sewage flowed.
The gate was intact, but I could see the discoloration where the chains that would normally secure the entrance were missing.
I opened the gate just wide enough for me to slip though and entered the tunnel.
Reviewing my current status, I was happy to see that I still had an hour or so left on my food bonuses since at that point my appetite was completely and utterly destroyed by the smell. I cast Jackal’s touch on my Shield and then did the same for my Sunspear.
The sides of the tunnel rose as I moved forward, gradually transforming from a completely circular tunnel to a set of small walkways with a deeper channel in the center, allowing for a single person to walk on each bank without bathing in the muck.
The channel itself was twice as wide as the walkways and was currently flowing with a shallow stream of poop soup. I walked as close to the wall as was possible.
The residual moonligh
t from the tunnel entrance gradually faded as I moved deeper into the sewers, the now familiar background sounds of dripping “water” a constant reminder that the game's developers were sadists.
Every fifty feet or so a narrow bridge spanned the sewage, allowing a crossover for whatever workforce might delve into these tunnels to keep the shit flowing out of the city. I didn’t envy them their job one bit. I was definitely going to need another bath after this for sure.
Eventually the tunnel connected with a small maintenance room. The channel continued through the center and onwards into the rest of the sewers while the walkways connected to a worked stone floor.
I moved cautiously into the room and then gagged as the wind shifted, bringing with it the stench of death and decay.
I turned towards the source of the smell and almost gagged again. Almost a full half of the room had become a makeshift charnel pit. Corpses in various states of decay had been stacked like cordwood just out of sight of the main passage.
I threw up a little in my mouth at the sight. The game engine was really pushing the boundaries of realism.
I looked for any signs that the corpses had been animated but nothing was apparent to my blessed sight.
A flash of cold shot up my leg as I took a step further into the room and I glanced down and saw a spell glyph glowing softly under my foot. A wave of sickly green energy pulsed out from the symbol and washed over the pile of bodies.
One after another, the corpses began to rise from the pile as their souls were forced back into the decaying meatsuits and forced to attack.
*** Quest Update: Tainted Roots. ***
*** You have discovered the location of the undead reported by your fellow adventurers! Now discover their source and eliminate the foul abominations! ***
“Shit”, I cursed and glared at the symbol at my feet that was still glowing softly. A veritable horde of zombies and skeletons were pulling themselves free of someone’s sick corpse collection, and while they were the lowest forms of undead, enough of them would be enough to kill just by swarming the target.
Acting quickly, I cast Flamestrike and sank the flaming javelin into the monster mash. I ducked behind my shield as the spell detonated, wincing as chunks of rotting meat and shards of bone bounced off of it.
The blast devastated all but a handful of the undead that were already clear of the pile, and those were easily dispatched with my Sunspear.
*** You have released the tormented souls of the undead horde! You gain 1 Divine Favor! ***
*** You have released the tormented souls of the undead horde! You gain 1 Divine Favor! ***
*** You have released the tormented souls of the undead horde! You gain 1 Divine Favor! ***
*** You have released the tormented souls of the undead horde! You gain 1 Divine Favor! ***
I was hoping for more of an influx of favor, but apparently Anpu took level scaling into his calculations when it came to doling it out.
According to my logs, I was gaining minimal xp and one favor for every five or so undead destroyed since they were all under level two.
I looted the horde and found a few baubles, but most of the meat mountain’s possessions were worthless and badly burned.
The rune on the floor was still glowing ominously, making me wonder what else it had set in motion.
The main channel continued through the room and then into another smaller tunnel leading deeper into this section of the sewers.
As defined in the Sehkem Sewer Architecture Specifications, the tunnel bent ninety degrees to the right after twenty feet.
I started towards the turn and paused. Things were likely to be a lot more challenging going forward and with undead in the mix, I had zero doubt that summoning Amenhotep would be appropriate.
I formed the spell in my mind and let the divine favor flow, casting the golden summoning circle on the stone floor and watched as the whirlwind of sand rose from the circle and solidified into Amenhotep’s armored form.
The warrior raised his khopesh in salute and spoke into my mind, seeking guidance. I filled him in on the situation and the likelihood that we would be encountering more undead within these tunnels.
I could feel his enthusiasm course through our connection as he turned and took in our surroundings.
I cast Jackal’s Touch on his khopesh and shield, and we proceeded together down the tunnel, ready to kill some undead and liberate their souls.
We rounded the bend and entered another large room. Most of the area was taken up by a swirling pool of sewage in the middle of the chamber.
Several large rotting undead pulled themselves up out of the swirling muck and turned towards us as we approached.
To my enhanced sight they appeared to be riddled with veins of glowing green necromantic power that emanated from a dense sphere where the body’s heart would normally be.
The undead were all wearing armor ranging from leather to chain, and they were all equipped with much sturdier looking weapons.
I counted six of the abominations and grimaced as their info popped up.
*** Congratulations! You have become more skilled with Lore (Necromancy) and have reached Rank 2! ***
*** Deathless Swordsman, Level 8 ***
*** HP: 100%, SP: 100% ***
*** Deathless Knight, Level 9 (Elite) ***
*** HP: 100%, SP: 100% ***
*** Deathless Swordsman, Level 8 ***
*** HP: 100%, SP: 100% ***
*** Deathless Raider, Level 7 ***
*** HP: 100%, SP: 100% ***
*** Deathless Raider, Level 7 ***
*** HP: 100%, SP: 100% ***
*** Deathless Raider, Level 7 ***
*** HP: 100%, SP: 100% ***
Unlike the ghouls I had encountered before, these undead were not mindless murder hobos. They moved with purpose.
They approached slowly, their weapons raised as they radiated a sense of dread. I directed Amenhotep to pull back to into the corridor and backed away, trying to secure a defensible position and keep the tunnel behind us open in case we needed to retreat.
The elite creature, a Deathless Knight was equipped with a set of plate reinforced chainmail with the traditional heater and longsword favored by the knights of the middle ages. He formed the center of the undead line, flanked on either side by the aptly named Deathless Swordsmen. They were clad in tattered chainmail and each carried a nasty looking greatsword.
The Deathless Raiders rushed in first, the tatters of leather armor that still clung to their rotting forms falling off as they charged in and raised their paired axes.
Going for the big fish first, I cast Flamestrike and threw it at the knight’s chest. The flaming javelin flew through the air but was batted to the side with a quick shift of the knight's shield. The ensuing blast was far enough removed that it barely singed the closest swordsman’s armor.
Amenhotep stepped up to meet the rushing raiders and used his shockwave skill. One of the raiders lost its footing but the other two continued on, their axes slashing down to be met with the Temple Guardian’s shield.
I formed my Sunspear into a short spear and stepped up to assist.
Amenhotep absorbed the brunt of the charge without a scratch, easily parrying the wild strikes of the raiders who were compelled to target him by the taunt component of his shockwave skill.
My spear thrust in, piercing the glowing green ball at the closest raiders heart, causing it to shred.
The strands of necromantic energy pulsing through the undead’s body disappeared and the once again lifeless corpse collapsed to the ground in a heap.
*** Your party has released the tormented soul of a Deathless Raider! You gain 1 Divine Favor! ***
The third raider had regained its feet and resumed its charge only to meet Amenhotep’s shield up close and personal. The flat of the shield slammed into the raider's torso and knocked it backwards and to the floor once more.
The other raider’s axe flashed behind the guardian’s shie
ld and opened a rent in his armor, releasing a trickle of crimson sand that spilled onto the sewer floor and then dissipated.
After that wound Amenhotep's health was down to seventy five percent so I cast Cure Wounds on him and then moved up to challenge the fallen raider who had again gained his feet.
A series of quick attacks drew its attention to me, allowing Amenhotep to finish off his foe.
*** Congratulations! You have become more skilled with Endurance and have reached Rank 3! ***
*** Your party has released the tormented soul of a Deathless Raider! You gain 1 Divine Favor ***
*** Congratulations you have reached Level 9! ***
*** You have gained 1 Combat Skill Point. ***
*** You have gained 1 Divine Skill Point. ***
*** You have gained 1 General Skill Point. ***
*** You have gained 15 maximum Hit Point. ***
*** You have gained 18 maximum Mana. ***
*** You have gained 7 maximum Stamina. ***
The text of the level up message was lost in my scramble to block a hail of blows from the raider.
One of its axes snaked its way past my guard and cut into my shoulder, leaving a painful gash along my collar bone. I felt my shield arm go numb as a stunned status icon with a five second timer appeared near my gauges.
My health was down to forty percent from the critical hit, and I prepared for even more pain as the raider raised its axes to capitalize on my defenselessness.
Its axe began its descent but never connected as Amenhotep stepped in and slammed the raider away with his shield before turning to face the knight and swordsmen who had finally joined the fight.
Crimson Sands Page 39
