Deserts Of Naroosh

by Bradford Bates

  Their adventure to the Pyramid of Nemset would be Tim’s little Tomb Raider moment. He didn’t have cute little shorts or Alicia Vikander's rockin’ bod, but he did love Lara's swag. If he were honest, he’d pick to be Lara Croft over Indiana any day of the week.

  It was like being Indiana Jones with James Bond gadgets.

  System Message: You have gained a level

  How had he missed this notification? Getting his skills increased was nice, especially with the changes to his buffs, but a level increase was fucking awesome. Two more levels and he’d get to take on his next class change. He really wanted to find out what options he would have available for that and what parts of his new class would be different than they were right now.

  Since it looked like Tim would start getting Endurance on his gear along with increased Intelligence and Wisdom, he decided to put the point into strength. When he got his strength to twenty, he’d give up on boosting his secondary stats and dump everything into Wisdom like a good boy. It felt like in this game, hitting the first threshold was an important milestone. He didn’t want to walk around for his entire life thinking his staff weighed two hundred pounds when it probably weighed closer to twenty.

  With his strength up to fourteen, Tim lifted his arm above the water and flexed.

  “Impressive,” ShadowLily commented as she walked past the tub to get something from the counter.

  Tim lowered his arm in shock. He didn’t realize she was in the room. “Can you tell the difference?”

  “Not really.” She giggled at the crestfallen look on his face. “But you looked cute doing it so I had to say something.”

  He climbed out of the bath and dried off. “I wonder if hitting twenty will be noticeable.”

  “I’m kind of surprised you aren’t dumping everything into Wisdom.” ShadowLily leaned against the vanity as they spoke.

  Tim was kind of surprised too. Normally he was a min-max kind of guy, but in The Etheric Coast where everything was so real, it felt like having a decent baseline was a good way to start his adventuring life. Then he would follow his usual affinity for dumping everything into his primary stat and reap the rewards. If nothing else, he was all about playing the long game. There was no time for now. He was always looking toward the future.

  “It’ll happen soon enough.” Tim equipped his clothes.

  ShadowLily moved toward the door while motioning him to follow. “Come on. Everyone is waiting for us.”

  “Hey, I’m not late this time.” Tim checked the in-game clock and hurried to catch up. “Is everyone already there?”

  She laughed. “It’s not that you took longer than usual or that you're late. It’s just that no one else was willing to risk cutting it close when we’re going to meet the goddess.”

  Tim knew that being late to a meeting with Eternia would be incredibly embarrassing. It would be like showing up to work late. The bossman never cared why, only that someone was late and they had to cover the missing person’s work until they showed up. Except in this case, the boss was a goddess and disappointing her wasn’t like being a few minutes late for a minimum wage job.

  He needed her support to accomplish what he wanted to in this game. Having her on their side was doing wonders for the guild's progress, and there was no reason to put their relationship in jeopardy because he wasn’t on time. Although it looked like they would be early, Tim picked up the pace.

  His dad always told him that if you cared about something, being on time was as good as being late. It was time to put his father’s lessons into practice.

  “Let’s hurry.” Tim started to jog.

  Chapter Fifty

  The morning after a party used to suck.

  Now that he didn’t have to suffer the effects of the previous night’s debauchery, the morning after didn’t have to be that bad. With the floor not spinning and his head not throbbing as he prayed to throw up, Tim was able to notice more of the little things. Like Khalid’s giant new sword and Neema’s quiver of magical arrows. The goddess hadn’t been lying when she said they would receive amazing gifts.

  Light flooded the theater, and the Goddess Eternia descended from the heavens.

  Tim always felt kind of awkward in these situations. He was a Christian by definition, meaning he went to church on the big two. Whatever time service was for Christmas and Easter, his family was there. The rest of the year, not so much. So it wasn’t that he felt blasphemous or anything. He knew the difference between an in-game deity and God. He just never knew if he should bow or kneel.

  It was like meeting royalty, only on a grander scale.

  One thing Tim did know for certain was that standing there with his mouth hanging open wasn’t a proper sign of respect, so he dropped to a knee and lowered his head. Kneeling on one knee and bowing his head was the kind of thing a knight would do in an Arthurian tale, and it felt right. He was a warrior of light, after all.

  He didn’t bother to see if the others in his group followed suit, but Khalid remained standing.

  When he could see Eternia’s feet hovering above the ground, Tim stood and met her gaze. “Goddess.”

  Eternia flashed him a beautiful smile and addressed the group. “Today I ask you to put your faith in me, and together we will finally bring peace to the desert.”

  When no one interrupted her, the Goddess continued, “Khalid, I need you to muster all your forces. The task I have set before you is to march to Naroosh. This band of warriors needs to be large and bold. I want trumpets sounding their coming from the moment they leave these walls.”

  “That’s suicide. Phandar’s army will slaughter us all.” Neema’s mouth twisted in fury.

  Khalid reached out and placed a calming hand on her arm. “The Goddess knows our limitations.”

  “And I would not send you to die.” Eternia’s light dimmed a little, making her appear almost human. “Massing your resistance fighters will be for show, to keep my sister’s gaze pointed in this direction. All Vitaria understands is power and strength so she’ll think we will do the same.”

  Eternia turned away from Khalid and her eyes locked directly onto Tim’s. “The rest of it will be up to the Blue Dagger Society. The five of you will have to make it through the Tomb of Nemset and into the palace before Khalid’s forces draw close.”

  She pointed at Khalid. “When I say I want your army moving slowly, I mean broken wagon wheels, long stops for water, camping early. The two-day journey should take five. If at any point my adventurers fail, I want you to turn around and return to safety.”

  “Your commands from my lips.” Khalid bowed to the goddess. “As much as I would like to stay, there is much for me to prepare.”

  Eternia crossed the space between them and gave the warrior a single kiss on the forehead. “There will be time for us to speak after this is over. I owe you much, servant of the light, and if your wish is within my power to grant, then it will be done.”

  Her gaze turned to Neema. “I will do the same for you. Without your efforts to secure the oasis, where we are standing now wouldn’t be possible.”

  Neema looked like she was about to cry but held the tears back. She nudged Khalid gently. “Let’s go rally the resistance together one last time.”

  “So we will.” Khalid wrapped an arm around Neema’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug before returning his attention to the goddess. “I will see this through to the end if necessary.”

  “Let us hope it never comes to that.” Eternia laid her blessing upon both of them, and the warriors left together.

  Tim was putting the pieces together.

  Khalid’s army was a distraction. It would be their job to work their way through the tomb and breach the palace’s inner defenses. From there, they could use the item Eternia provided them to create a gate for Khalid’s men to enter, completely bypassing the army waiting outside the walls of Naroosh. It was a damn fine plan, and it all hinged on their success.

  No one said saving the world would be eas
y, only that there would be a cheerleader.

  There was only one question left for Tim to ask. “When do we leave?”

  Eternia moved her finger, creating a portal out of thin air. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Cassie shouldered her way to the front of the group. “Just in case there are any surprises.” She jumped into the portal and disappeared.

  “Tell her not to run off looking for trouble,” Tim called to JaKobi as he went through the opening.

  Lorelei stepped up next. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

  Tim sighed in relief. It was nice to have one adult in the bunch. Granted, if someone else was in charge of running their little band, he’d probably be twice as bad as the rest of them. It was a good thing that responsibility looked good on him. Most of the time, he’d rather be off looking at every cool thing and pushing buttons or pulling levers he had no business touching.

  The last time he’d stopped to look at a tapestry, it almost cost him his head.

  “Don’t take too long.” ShadowLily kissed him and disappeared.

  Tim knew this probably wasn’t the right time to ask, but he figured if he didn’t do it now, he might not get the chance again. “Goddess, is there any chance you can teach me how to do that?”

  Eternia laughed, but it wasn’t a mean one. It was the kind a mother has when her child asks if one day they can grow wings and fly. “Maybe one day, brave adventurer, but for now you must be content hitching a ride.”

  Tim wasn’t even disappointed.

  What he heard when Eternia said “one day” was there was a serious chance he could learn how to create a portal. Hope springs eternal and all that nonsense, but he would cling to this hope like it was the edge of a cliff, and the only thing waiting at the bottom was the sound of him going splat.

  “See you on the other side.” Tim stepped into the portal, felt his gut twist, then he stood on the steps of Nemset’s tomb.

  He was standing at the base of a pyramid. This was so fucking cool.

  Cassie was in the lead, and everyone had taken their regular positions behind her. So far there wasn’t a threat in front of them, so Tim felt pretty good about turning and looking the other way. He could just make out the bulk of Vitaria’s forces aligned outside the city of Naroosh in the distance. From here the soldiers looked like ants, but he could also make out large-scale siege weapons dotted across the landscape. Not to mention more boss-sized monsters than they could possibly take on.

  He wouldn’t want to face that army with a hundred adventurers by his side.

  Eternia appeared before them. “I cannot stay long, or my sister will detect me.”

  They moved toward the pyramid’s entrance, where the goddess cast a spell and the doorway opened. “You must first make your way to Nemset’s resting place. Find the key, and use it to escape to the palace.”

  She motioned for them to move inside. Tim could see the strain on her features as she held the door open for them.

  “Once you beat the final guardian and enter the palace, use my token. Khalid and the resistance will be only steps away.”

  As soon as their entire party stood inside the doorway, Eternia disappeared, and the door started to close. This was their last chance to back out of the instance. If they wanted to go or needed extra supplies, this was it. Tim looked at their expectant faces and wanted to pull them into a giant hug. Of course, they were ready to go.

  He shouldn’t have been surprised.

  “Let’s do this.” Tim grinned at Cassie, motioning for her to lead the way. “Keep your eyes open for trash packs. Let’s follow the stairs up. If I know anything about ancient leadership, it’s that shit rolls downhill so the treasure will be at the top.”

  Cassie tapped her staff on the ground. “As if it will be that easy. Bastard’s probably twenty feet tall and shoots those bugs from The Mummy out his ass.”

  Tim laughed so hard he started to cry. The last thing he ever wanted to do was be in another fight where anything came out of anyone's ass.

  “We all know that no one likes beetles in their ass.” JaKobi wiped a tear from his eye.

  Tim’s laughter hadn’t subsided much since they started talking. “I know the last couple of bosses had some gastric issues, but I’m pretty sure the Goliath was the last we’ll see of that nonsense.”

  He looked over his group seeing a few unbelieving faces. “If the next boss shoots beetles from its ass, I’ll give you each ten gold and a hearty apology for my ignorance.”

  “I’ve never prayed so hard for a fart in my entire life.” Lorelei cracked a smile.

  Cassie spat on the ground. “Speak for yourself. You're not the one who has to stand in the cloud. One of you guys farts, I might start having PTSD.”

  “All right then, people, tighten up those assholes. We can’t have an incident.” Tim scrunched his buns together really tight.

  The effect was lost on the others because of his robe.

  “Fuck off.” There was a little toot sound and Cassie spun to glare at JaKobi. “That better not have been what I think it was.”

  Tim started moving into the corridor. “Maybe we should get going just in case.”

  He didn’t have to ask twice.

  Cassie took the lead, and the group fanned out behind her. Tim looked at JaKobi and mouthed, “You’re playing with fire.”

  “That’s what I do.” The fire mage had a reckless grin on his face.

  He ignored the man for now. If he wanted Cassie to beat him up later, that was his business. Tim focused on what was in front of them. He expected if they were going to see trash mobs, it would happen sometime soon.

  The entrance to the Tomb of Nemset wasn’t all that spectacular. It was merely a square room with a flat floor. None of the walls had been decorated. If any thief broke into this place, they would have thought it was empty. The only feature the room had was two stairways. One led up, and the other led down.

  Neither looked very appealing. Claustrophobic was the word that came to him. Tim was a big fan of horror movies, and in more than a few of them, people got trapped underground and attacked by monsters. He would always say that won’t ever happen to me. I’m not stupid enough to do something so asinine, and yet here he was walking single file up a flight of stairs thousands of years old and hoping for the best.

  At least there was magic in this world, so the ruins were probably a little more secure than they would have been back in the real one. Tim was starting to think there would only be a cave-in if they triggered some kind of trap. Wait...didn’t the ancient Egyptians line their tombs with traps to keep people from stealing, or was that only something he’d seen in a movie?

  “Keep your eyes open for anything that looks funny,” Tim called to Cassie. It was vague, but he had no idea what to tell her to look for.

  “Explain funny?” Cassie shouted back. Having a conversation with three people between them wasn’t ideal.

  “Traps.” Tim had no idea what one would even look like.

  If this passage were much smaller, he wouldn’t be able to stand normally. All it would take to wipe them out was anything coming down at them from above. There was nowhere for them to run, or duck, or hide. With JaKobi and Tim at the rear, anyone up front was totally screwed.

  Cassie sighed. “Next time you think there might be traps, we should probably have ShadowLily or Lorelei lead the way.”

  “I’ll grab you if I see anything.” ShadowLily tapped Cassie on the shoulder to get her moving again.

  The rest of their trip up the stairs went without a hitch. Tim felt as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders as they stepped into a small antechamber. They were still underground. Well, technically they weren’t underground, but there was enough stone sitting on top of them they might as well be. Something about not being so confined in the tunnel and having a little breathing room made him feel normal again.

  Hopefully, they were done with small spaces for the foreseeable future.

&nb
sp; The door into the next room was already open, and Cassie stood on the threshold peering inside. JaKobi sent a ball of flames past her and into a large urn in the center of the wide-open space. Flames raced out across the floor in the four cardinal directions, and a series of smaller urns lining the walls lit up, covering the area in warm orange light.

  This was the kind of room Tim imagined when they talked about treasure. Large statues lined the chamber. They looked as if someone had carved them from the solid stone to make it look as though the people were holding up the roof. Miniature versions of the same servants were scattered through the room. Some of them were bronze, and others were even more precious metals.

  Vases lined the tables, and incredible pictographs covered the walls. It would have taken an army of archaeologists a hundred years to decipher and catalog it all. And yet, it didn’t feel like a treasure of wealth. This room felt more like these items and pictures were meant to tell a story. Most likely the one of Nemset’s life. There was probably something they could learn in this room that would help them in the next fight, but he had no idea what to look for, and the room was huge.

  For now, it was probably better if they moved on.

  “Hands off the loot.” Tim looked at all the things he’d love to see in their rooms back at the inn. “If you want something, mark the location, and grab it on the way out.”

  ShadowLily nodded. “This time, I’m with the paranoid one. Taking things that don’t belong to you never works out well in the movies.”

  They moved through the room, heading slightly upwards as they did. It was hard not to marvel at all the cool artistry, but they were here to do a job. When they reached the opposite side, there was a staircase wide enough for all five of them to ascend simultaneously.

  Tim sighed in relief. When they hadn’t run into any trash mobs, his imagination started to get the best of him. Part of him was still waiting for every statue in the room to come to life and try and murder them. Instead, they made it to the exit without an incident.