Heart of the Void: Sosaku Online - Book 2

by J. Arthur Klein

  A flash of red in the ruins behind the guardsmen grabbed my attention, and I almost missed a critical heal as I stood there in shock.

  Ducking behind a piece of broken stone was a very familiar redhead, Maeve, and several of the other ladies from the Goose.

  I shook off the shock of finding them out here and continued my healing duties, recovering from my brief lapse with a rapid barrage of Cure Wounds spells.

  While I was focused on healing, Mika and Kjara had gone full murderhobo on the remaining skreel and the unlucky marcid who’d been tying up the guard. With my party and the guards hitting them from both sides, the remaining Kchil were mopped up in no time.

  As the battle came to an end, I closed my eyes against the influx of notifications.

  *** Your party has killed 2 Arothrok Warriors! Your party gains 380xp. ***

  *** Your party has killed 22 Skreel! Party’s average level is too high to gain xp from this creature. ***

  *** Your party has killed 3 Marcid Warriors! Your party gains 570xp. ***

  *** Congratulations! You have gained a better understanding of the Flamestrike spell! Rank 5 Achieved! ***

  *** Congratulations! You have gained a better understanding of the Cure Wounds spell! Rank 11 Achieved! ***

  *** Congratulations! You have become more skilled with Aura of the Underworld and have reached Rank 2! ***

  Annoyed at the message about our level being too high, I updated my notification settings to drop any messages for creatures that gave no xp and sighed as the useless message disappeared from my view.

  Kjara and Mika were standing near the guards, who seemed a bit nervous for people who had just been saved from certain death. As I approached their apprehension rose, and I caught more than one of them staring worriedly at my priestly stole.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a guard with a sergeant’s insignia waving the ladies behind him back into hiding before they could be seen.

  I nodded to him in greeting. “Sergeant.”

  He snapped to attention along with the rest of his squad and answered, “Adept. Thank you for your aid against these enemies. I fear that we would all be dead if not for you and your allies’ timely arrival.”

  Kjara and Mika were looking past the guards, who seemed to be getting more antsy by the moment. Mika wasn’t familiar with the ladies of the Plucky Goose, but I saw the moment Kjara recognized Maeve hiding in the back and an amused twinkle entered her eyes.

  I looked past the Sergeant and put on my most official sounding voice. “You in the back. Come out now.”

  The sergeant gulped, and a couple of the other guards’ hands clenched around their weapons, and I couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

  With a laugh I called out, “Maeve, please come out here before these guys have an aneurism or something.”

  “Oy lad, ‘twas wondering ‘ow long ye’d be pullin’ poor Sergeant Ash’s leg,” she said. “But wasn’t about ta let ye make me an’ the girls stay stuffed in the back much longer.”

  She pulled herself up and then helped some of the other ladies out of their hiding spots while the city guard stood by stupefied.

  Kjara gave Maeve a big hug and said, “I’m glad you got out in time. But what are you doing out here?”

  Sergeant Ash still seemed to be on edge, and the rest of the squad weren’t much better, so I decided it was time to put him at ease.

  “Don’t worry, sergeant. Maeve and the ladies of the Goose have nothing to fear from me. Hell, until the tsunami hit, Kjara and I were living there,” I said, seeing some of the tension leave his shoulders.

  He still looked a bit confused, his expectations about the priesthood likely warring with his ingrained desire to take me at my word. “Of course, Adept,” he finally answered. “That is good to hear.”

  Kjara did her best to diffuse the situation. “So how did you all find yourselves here? From what I heard in the refugee camp I thought the city was evacuated when the attack started?”

  One of the ladies whose name I didn’t remember walked up to Sergeant Ash and put her hand on his arm, causing him to blush slightly as he looked over at her with a warm gaze. She was a Saa woman with lightly tanned skin and jet-black hair. The sides of her head were shaved, and her remaining hair was gathered into a series of cascading braids that fed into a single long tail hanging down in the back.

  She was very attractive, and I could tell the Sergeant was quite taken with her as his eyes continued to drift towards her as he answered, “When the attack started, Maeve, Car’efi, and Vela here were with the volunteers who came to assist with the wounded at the wall.”

  He absently reached up and took Vela’s hand in his own as he continued, “When the invaders were driven off, the survivors were on our way back to the barracks when news of the wave reached us.”

  Vela smiled back at the sergeant and took up the telling, “One of the temple guard came through and ordered everyone to retreat to the temple. We gathered everyone who was able to move and fled as quickly as we could. We barely made it through the gates before they were slammed shut behind us.”

  One of the other guardsmen stepped forward, his blood-soaked armor a testament to the hell these men had experienced over the past few days. He shuddered and said, “It was horrible. We could see the wave’s approach over the temple walls and thought we were all doomed, but the gods spared us.”

  The rest of the city guard and Vela all bowed their head in a silent prayer of thanks before returning to the story.

  “Thanks be to Heru-et,” Sergeant Ash replied before continuing with the story. “When the wave reached the temple wall it was split in twain by the power of Heru-et. The golden falcon on the obelisk came to life and spread its wings to shelter us all, creating a glowing golden dome that cut the wave in two and protected all of those within.”

  I looked over to Maeve who nodded in agreement.

  “But why are you out here?” I asked.

  Sergeant Ash dropped his gaze and frowned. “Once the waters cleared, the invaders returned and we found ourselves fighting once again. This time on the walls of the temple complex. The ladies were sent to the infirmary to assist, but-”

  Maeve cut in, “Don’t ye go blamin’ yerself again, sergeant. Ye weren’t anywhere near when they came fer us.”

  Vela rested her head on his arm, and he sighed and nodded.

  Maeve turned to me and said, “Someone in the infirmary recognized me, an’ ye can guess what ‘appened next.”

  I frowned. “They made you leave? In the middle of a siege? What the hell, Maeve?”

  Maeve nodded. “Got it in one, laddie.”

  “Wait. What?” Mika said, “I’m completely lost here, guys. Obviously, I’m missing something. Aren’t churches supposed to be all about protecting women and children and all that?”

  Maeve snorted. “Who’s yer friend, Kheph? Can’t say I’ve ever seen one o’ his folk before? They all ‘ave such fanciful ideas?”

  I gestured to the dýrafólk. “Maeve, this is Mika from the not so lovely Isles Njor,” I said and then gestured back at Maeve. “Mika, this is Maeve, Madam and proprietor of the Plucky Goose.”

  Mika’s eyebrows furled for a second. “Madam? I don’t…” he said and then froze as it clicked. “Oh. Things now make a little more sense.”

  “Exactly,” I said, turning back to Maeve. “It’s still an asinine thing to do.”

  “Aye, well. Not much we could do about it at the time though,” she said and waved dismissively. “At least we knew o’ a place we could probably ‘old up fer a bit. This ‘ouse used ta belong to a wizard friend o’ mine. He ‘ad a nice secure room in ‘is basement that should o’ been safe, and we managed ta get there with little problems. Unfortunately, that did nae last.”

  Kjara’s face was set in an angry frown. “That’s just wrong on so many levels.”

  Sergeant Ash nodded. “When we returned to check on them after our shift on the wall, we found out what had happened. We would prob
ably have gotten forced out ourselves if not for Hierophant Kaluitep.”

  I smiled. Kaluitep was a gem in the pile of turds that was the temple of Heru-et; a kindly older priest who I’d met when I went looking for a teacher for some new spells, and unlike most of the other priests he seemed to be a genuinely good guy.

  “He took us aside and told us what had occurred,” Ash continued. “He was able to scry their location and let us know that they were in danger. I was ready to go on my own to rescue this wonderful woman,” he said, wrapping his arm around Vela’s shoulders, “but my squad insisted they be allowed to come.”

  One of the squad chuckled and added, “As if we would let you go and get yourself killed. Or worse, come back a hero and hog all of the glory for yourself. Plus, it wasn’t just you that they patched up during the battle against those fishmen. How could we abandon them, especially when an opportunity arose to pay them back?”

  Sergeant Ash bowed slightly in gratitude. “The Hierophant showed us an old passage to one of the estates near where the ladies had taken refuge, and from there it was a quick trip here to get the out to bring them back to the temple.”

  He looked thoughtful for a second and then gestured towards my shield. “But now I think he had more than one motive for sending us out here.”

  “What do you mean?” I replied.

  “When we left the temple, he told us to watch out for the bronze jackal,” he said. “I thought it was just his way of telling us to stay safe lest we meet Anpu in the afterlife, but now I think he may have meant you.”

  I wasn’t sure what to make of the implied prophecy on Kaluitep’s part, but the whole situation seemed a bit too good to be purely random. The chances of running into this particular group of NPCs who just happened to have access to a secret passage into the temple and were in the service of my one friendly contact at the temple while also including another group of NPCs who I felt I could trust… let’s just say they weren’t good.

  Blissfully unaware of my inner musings, Mika said, “So, what you’re saying is you have a way we can get into the temple without fighting through an army of fishmen?”

  Ash nodded in agreement and I grinned, tossing my suspicions on the fires of suspension of disbelief.

  “Perfect,” I said. “Let’s get moving before any more Kchil show up.”

  Maeve piped up, “That may be all fine and well fer ye all, but won’t they just give us the boot again once we get there?”

  I shook my head. “No. If Kaluitep is involved, I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out. I’ll speak to the High Priest directly if needed.”

  Ash added, “Correct. The Hierophant gave us his word that they would be allowed to stay.”

  Kjara grinned. “Great!” she said and readied her bow. “No reason to wait around here for more patrols to show up. Let’s get going.”

  Sergeant Ash and his team led us through the ruins back to the noble’s house where the secret passage to the temple was located. As we walked, he filled me in on what he knew of the current state of things within the city.

  The Temple of Heru-et was pretty much the last bastion of the empire remaining in Sehkem. Hundreds of people from the surrounding areas had managed to make it through the gates before the wave struck the city, but that still left the vast majority of the city unaccounted for.

  The Kchil were constantly attacking the temple walls, trying time and time again to get inside. I knew the reason, but most of the soldiers and refugees within thought it was simply a desire to wipe them out. I considered letting the sergeant in on the secret but decided it was not my secret to tell.

  Ash led us to the secret door and flipped the hidden switch that opened it to us, and when the doorway finished opening, Hierophant Kaluitep was there waiting.

  …

  11

  We followed the Hierophant through the underground tunnel and back to the temple itself. When we were all safely inside, Kaluitep stood before the entrance and raised a hand towards the passageway.

  I could feel power building around the older priest, and then with a flash the open passage was filled with solid stone.

  Kaluitep seemed to sag with the effort. I dashed forwards and lent him some support as he recovered from his exertion. He gave me a warm smile and said in a shaky voice, “Welcome back, Adept. I heard from a very reliable source that you’d be coming our way.”

  “So ‘ere’s the one we ‘ave to thank fer the rescue?” Maeve said, earning several looks of shock from the soldiers and even her own Saa ladies at her lack of decorum.

  Kaluitep chuckled and gave a small nod in her direction. “Yes, well. While the policies of the temple are quite clear on certain things, I cannot countenance sending anyone to their death solely based upon their profession. So, while you are here, I will extend my protection, but would ask that you please refrain from any, shall we say, transactions within the temple grounds? My influence only goes so far.”

  The madam just glared at the older man. “Do ye think we’re daft? Sure,” she said with obvious sarcasm. “I’ll just slip one o’ me girls into the High Priest’s bed and leave ‘im a bill in the morn. Bah!”

  The Hierophant just chuckled at the thought. “Well, there is little time to waste,” he said and turned to the city guard. “Sergeant, take your squad and escort the ladies to my guest quarters and then return to the barracks. The attacks have become more and more frequent of late and every spear is needed.”

  The guardsman saluted and led the ladies further into the temple, leaving us alone with the Hierophant.

  Once they were out of earshot, he continued, “The rest of you, come with me and I will bring you to the entrance to the tomb. Unfortunately, we don’t have the leisure to let you rest before heading in, but I have taken the liberty to gather some supplies and things that will assist you in your quest.”

  He led us deeper into the temple, passing through hallways so dusty I was certain we were the first to walk them in quite a while.

  Eventually we ended up in a large hall with an intricately carved golden disk in the center of the floor. Even as deep as we were under the temple, the room was bathed in bright sunlight. I relished the feeling as the warm light washed over me and seeped into my bones, resetting my Aspect of the Sun racial skill.

  I wondered how there could be sunlight this far underground, but as I examined the area it became clear. The room was lined with a series of large, brightly polished mirrors reflecting beams of sunlight streaming in from an opening in the ceiling.

  I knelt next to the disk and read the engraved hieroglyphs.

  *** Lore (Saa Religion) check successful. ***

  The carvings told the tale of Asah and Aset according to the official history of the Pharaohs. How Asah was murdered by the storm god, Sett, and his corpse scattered throughout the empire. How the mortal Priest Hokatutem avenged his god’s death by razing the storm god’s city to the ground, sought out and reunited the god’s remains, and returned them to Aset for burial.

  The story as told in the engravings was only partially accurate. From the understanding I’d gained from the Codex Vitae, the part of the story where Asah was murdered by Sett was true, but the resulting quest by Hokatutem and his eventual marriage to Aset and fathering of the Pharaonic line was pure fiction.

  Did Aset knock boots with some of her mortal followers? Undoubtably. But the rest was just one family’s propaganda to justify their rule of the empire.

  In any case, that part of the history wasn’t relevant to the current quest. The tomb was believed to be the official resting place of the remains of Asah, entombed within a dungeon of unknown deadliness. But instead of the corpse of one dead god, we’d be recovering a piece of the corpse of a Primordial. Lara Croft would be green with envy.

  Mika broke the silence. “So, you mentioned supplies?” and gestured around to the empty room.

  Kaluitep nodded. “Packs for each of you are within the entrance. Leaving them out here could attract unwante
d attention.”

  I glanced up and saw he was looking directly into my eyes. I quickly glanced away but not before I caught a slight grin on his face. He continued, “It would be wise if you did not mention entry to the tomb. Even with the times as they are, some would still raise issues if it were known that someone other than the Pharaoh was allowed to enter.”

  We all nodded our understanding, and the Hierophant continued, “When you have completed your quest, come and find me and I will see if there is any further aid I may offer.”

  With that, he whispered a quiet prayer over the golden disk. The metal shimmered and faded from view, revealing a spiral staircase leading downwards into darkness.

  Mika started down the stairs, scanning ahead for any surprises.

  “Wait!” I said and then focused on binding myself to the temple and sighed when it took effect.

  *** You have set your bind point to the Temple of Heru-et—Tomb Entrance! ***

  “Make sure to bind here,” I said, and watched as both Kjara and Mika paused to do so. It would have really sucked to die in the dungeon and have to trek all the way back to the temple.

  I gestured to the stairs and said, “Ladies first,” and then dodged a kick to the ass that was Kjara’s only reply. I smiled and followed behind Mika with Kjara in the rear.

  As we descended, I heard Kaluitep from above shout as the disk began to reform, “Good luck, Adept. I can’t wait to hear the story of those eyes,” and then the entrance was closed.

  *** Quest Update: Find a way to enter the Tomb of Asah [1/1] ***

  …

  12

  The stairway descended even further into the earth and eventually opened up into a small room that with a large, gold plated door blocking the way forward. The door’s surface was covered in hieroglyphics that immediately drew my attention.

  *** Lore (Saa Religion) check successful. ***