Crimson Sands

by J. Arthur Klein

The caravan master laid claim to all of the collected goods to recoup his losses and to send some money to the families of those who lost their lives. While the loss of the loot wasn’t ideal, I couldn’t argue with his logic.

  Surprisingly, the PC corpses had been ignored by the caravan NPCs. I headed over to the necromancer’s body, knelt down and initiated to the loot interface.

  From what I remembered from my own deaths, since the mage was below level ten the most I could hope to loot from a player corpse would be a small percentage of their coin, so I was quite shocked when that ‘small percentage’ happened to be one hundred and eighty two gold.

  They must have been loaded. A second surprise came in the form of a small steel plate that looked like the dog tags the military used to issue. I took it and held it up to the light to see what the engravings said.

  *** Achievement unlocked – Poppin Tags! ***

  *** During PVP, when you kill another character their corpse will produce a tag with their name and level. These tags hold no monetary value and cannot be sold or traded. These tags might be useful should you pursue a career in bounty hunting, assassination, or gladiatorial combat. ***

  The inscription on the tag was as advertised.

  *** UrNewMasta ***

  *** Level 5 ***

  Sensing a presence at my back I turned and saw Kjara standing there, looking a little unsettled.

  “Kheph…” she said softly. “About that, I’m sorry it wasn’t you I just…”

  I raised a hand to forestall any apology. “No need to explain or apologize. Something was obviously bothering you, and I should have realized that you needed some space.”

  She looked at me and continued, “Well, I’m still sorry. That fucker just got me so pissed. Some guys can be such douchebags, especially when you’re a female gamer.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, there are a lot of bad apples out there. On behalf of my entire gender, I apologize.”

  “We good?” she asked.

  “Of course,” I said with a friendly grin. “Hey check this out.”

  I kicked the body of UrNewMasta. “Killing douches is profitable. This idiot gave me a hundred and eighty two gold.”

  I gestured towards the body of the player she had taken down. “What did Mr. Ax2UrFace have?”

  She shrugged. “Haven’t looted him yet, why don’t we see?”

  We headed over and she knelt down and started looting. She picked up his tag and then I saw her eyes lose focus as she read the achievement and message. Then her eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open. “Three hundred twenty five gold…. Holy shitballs.”

  “Woah!” I said. “Congratulations! Maybe Sehkem will have some sweet gear you can buy!”

  She gave me a double thumbs up, and we laughed together about the names those PKers had chosen for their characters as we rejoined the caravan that was now packing up to get back underway.

  We cleared the barricade from the road, salvaging some of the building materials and burning the rest.

  I spent the rest of the trip in the back of the wagon, repairing my armor and even gaining a rank for the effort. I was also pleasantly surprised to receive numerous messages from the system that the quests I’d left behind in Tael’va were being completed.

  The caravan finished its trek through the mountain pass and then down into the lowlands that surrounded the mouths of the Saa’eth river where Sehkem was built.

  When the caravan came within sight of the city, I emerged from the wagon to take a look.

  It was breathtaking. To the north was the clear blue ocean while to the south the banks of the Saa'eth river were a sea of rich greens and golds.

  Sandwiched between two of the tributaries that formed the main river was a huge city that stretched for miles.

  The city was surrounded by stone walls the color of the desert sand, standing in stark contrast to the dark soil and scattered greenery of the rivers’ banks. At the center of the city a massive obelisk stood above everything else, piercing the sky.

  I recognized it instantly as my destination and possibly the next step in my character's personal journey: The Temple of Heru-et.

  Radiating from that central monument were massive buildings constructed of limestone and granite with courtyards teaming with towering statues that gleamed with gold and bronze in the fading daylight.

  From there the buildings grew smaller, and less well constructed the further they were from the central temple.

  The exception to this was the docks, although you could say they didn’t count since they were outside of the main city walls.

  Ships of all types filled the harbor, waiting their turn to unload their goods into the large wooden warehouses scattered around the district.

  Goods from all over the world made their way into the Saa Empire through Sehkem’s port, and it seemed some of their culture and influence did as well.

  Inside the northern gates, a small section of the city sported buildings of a more western style, likely catering to the rich foreign merchants who spent some of their time in between cargos.

  Other than that, the city was something straight out of the Encyclopedia Egypt-ania.

  Chapter 21

  Night was falling by the time we reached the city gates. Master Tel’vaar was concerned we might be shut out for the night, but he needn’t have worried as the traffic at the west gate was nonexistent by the time we arrived.

  Climbing onto our camels, Kjara and I rode side by side next to the wagon as it entered the city. She gave me a grin and gestured to the city, saying “I wasn’t expecting something so huge. If I didn’t have the mini-map I’d be scared I’d get lost in there.”

  As we followed the wagons through the gates and towards the warehouse district that was the caravan’s final destination, I looked around at the city and chuckled, drawing on some of my racial memory and playing the role of tour guide for my elven companion.

  “Sehkem is the second largest city in the empire. Only Khem'et, the capital is bigger, and not by much. It’s the only real seaport in the empire and almost all foreign trade goes through its docks. It’s also the center of the Saa religion, as you could probably tell by the ginormous temple right in the middle of the whole thing. That’s the Temple of Heru-et, the patron god of the Pharaohs.”

  I tapped the side of my head as I continued, “Occasionally the info the game provides is actually relevant. I need to go to the Temple to talk to the High Priest and scope out news of a necromancer taking up residence in the city.”

  I glanced at the clock, seeing it was a little after seven. “I’ve got another five-ish hours left on my play time today. I think I would like to get the next steps of this quest rolling. How much longer are you going to be on?”

  Her eyes unfocused a bit and she frowned, “I’ve got to log out in an hour or so. Guess I should find an inn. How do you play for so long?”

  I shrugged. “I rented a pod at a local place and this is pretty much my job right now. The subscribers on my stream and the bug bounties keep my expenses covered and even let me help my mom out paying our rent. I’d get my own place but I’m not sure if my mom and sis would be able to keep up with everything if I didn’t stick around. I hope to make enough one day to afford my own place and still be able to help out my family.”

  “Your family is really lucky to have someone like you looking out for them,” she said.

  I blushed a little and shrugged. “Family is family. We’ve always been there for each other.”

  She looked away and said wistfully, “I wish my family was like that. I wish I could play this game for a living but my family has their own expectations for me, and I’m nothing if not a dutiful daughter.”

  Not knowing what to say to that, I paused and was saved as the caravan turned a corner and we arrived at our destination.

  This warehouse district was one of the outermost districts of the city. It filled several blocks of the city and acted as a sort of buffer against the desert winds whipping in
from the east.

  Each warehouse was at least two stories tall and was constructed of both wood and stone. When we reached our final destination, the wagons lined up before a large set of double doors and Master Tel’vaar and Haegir stepped inside.

  Soon after, the double doors opened and the entire caravan pulled inside. There was a short ramp leading down to the floor of the building, which seemed to be about six feet below the level of the road.

  The building seemed even bigger from the inside because of it.

  The dwarves quickly unloaded the wagons and then parked them towards the back of the warehouse, while the drivers lead the lleven out through the back.

  Haegir and Master Tel’vaar approached us as we were securing our mounts near the entryway.

  The caravan master addressed us, speaking in his native tongue while Haegir translated, “Master Belgar Tel’vaar asks me to tell you that he is glad that he was wrong about bringing you along and wants to thank you for your assistance on the road. He would like to thank you with a gift for the lives that you were able to save.”

  I bowed deeply to the caravan master. “Thank you, I only wish we could have saved more.”

  Kjara nodded to the older dwarf as well and said, “Yes, I am sorry we were unable to save all of your Kin. They fought bravely and were true heroes.”

  Haegir continued to translate as the other dwarf spoke, “We all return to the stone when it is our time, and without you there we would all likely be some necromancer’s puppets.”

  Master Tel’vaar reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of rings and handed one to each of us as he continued to speak through his kinsman, “These rings were crafted by Master Tel’vaar himself. His crafts are much sought after amongst my people, and to have something made by his own hand is quite an honor.”

  I closed my hand around the ring and felt a warmth emanating from the golden band. I bowed again and said, “I am truly honored by your gift.”

  Kjara thanked him as well and Master Tel’vaar nodded and then left us with Haegir, heading back to finish unloading the wagon.

  *** Hidden Quest Complete! ***

  *** You have earned the gratitude and friendship of Belgar Tel’vaar, Elder of the Tel’vaar Dwarves and artisan renown amongst the Dwarves for his runesmithing skills. ***

  *** Your party has gained 1000xp! ***

  *** You have obtained Mastercrafted Ring of Vitality (Soulbound)! ***

  *** You have gained reputation with the Tel’vaar Dwarves! Friendly→ Trusted. ***

  Haegir looked me over and chuckled, “You’ve come a long way from when we first met, Priest. We’ll be taking the Sun-gate back to Alderholme on the morrow. If you ever find yourself amongst my people, show them that ring, it’ll at least give you a chance to talk your way out of whatever mess you’ve made.” With that he let loose a loud laugh and walked away.

  I turned to Kjara and shrugged. “I guess that was dwarven for ‘Goodbye’?”

  She was glancing down at her own ring in wonder, her eyes focusing on something only she could see.

  I glanced down at my own reward, a thick golden band etched with several gem encrusted symbols that looked similar to the glyphs I used for spellcasting. I put it onto my finger and tried to study its affects.

  *** Mastercrafted Ring of Vitality (Soulbound) – Crafted by the legendary Artisan Belgar Tel’vaar, this ring may only be used by its intended recipient and provides a bonus to constitution, hit point regeneration, and resistance to disease and poison. Note: Soulbound items may not be traded, sold, or lost. ***

  A quick look at my character sheet showed that the ring was giving me a two point boost to constitution, which in turn raised my total hit points.

  The interface didn’t have any information displayed regarding regen rates or resistances, so I had no way to quantify the bonuses to those attributes.

  “Wow,” I said out loud, looking over to Kjara.

  “Definitely wow,” she agreed. “What does yours do?”

  I told her the effects and she nodded in appreciation. “Mine is a Mastercrafted Ring of Adroitness. It increased my agility by two as well as giving a bonus to dodge and parry chances.”

  “That’s perfect for you,” I replied. “Kjara the whirling dervish of death! Now with extra whirl, and death.”

  She laughed. “Hurricane Kjara, coming your way soon,” she said and spun around in an exaggerated circle, blades dancing into her hands for a moment before returning to their place on her back.

  “Nice!” I said, “Ready to go find an inn?”

  She nodded and we headed out into the city.

  We eventually found our way out of the warehouse area and into what the locals called “The visitors district”.

  Between the docks and the city proper, the visitors district was full of inns, taverns, and a hodge-podge of other businesses that catered to those not native to the empire.

  Walking through the city felt a bit strange. I was used to ignoring the hostile stares from the people of Tael’va, but in Sehkem those looks were gone.

  Instead I could see that here Kjara was the one on the receiving end of the dark looks and occasional sneer. She seemed to shrug it off so I decided not to bring it up.

  When we reached the visitors district, the population began to resemble Tael’va more and more, but this time without all the Saa hate. I was feeling good about the move already.

  Within five minutes of entering the district we saw at least four inns, each more rundown looking then the rest. One I was even pretty sure was a front for some sort of criminal enterprise.

  Not wanting to waste too much of Kjara’s remaining play time looking into every inn, I started looking for a likely guide.

  A minute or two later I spotted a local kid skulking in the shadows near an alley. Based on my knowledge of normal fantasy tropes, the kid was likely a pickpocket or spotter for the thief’s guild.

  Either occupation suited my purposes and would allow me to solve two problems at once if I could secure his aid.

  “Hey kid,” I called and flipped a silver coin to him as he glanced my way. “My friend and I could use a local to help us find a decent place to crash. Take us to a place with a good cook, decent beds, and an honest owner and there’s a gold in it for you.”

  The kid came over and smiled. “Puc here, at your service, sirrah, and the Plucky Goose is the place ye want. Best cook around, even feeds us street kids when times are tough. You’ll like it, I guarantee!”

  Kjara looked a bit nervous but I sent her a quick private message, subvocalizing it.

  >>>Me: Just keep an eye out. Kid’s most likely legit, but there’s always a chance he’s leading us to an ambush and our bloody deaths.

  >>>Kjara: Ha, Ha, Funny. Where would we even respawn? Last save spot I bound at was in Tael’va.

  >>>Me: Wait, how do you bind? When I respawned, I appeared where the tutorial dropped me off.

  >>>Kjara: Really? You have to bind in a safe area. Your inn room, a temple, whatever. You just focus on setting it as your bind point. Nothing that complicated…. Newb!

  >>>Me: Ha, ha, ha. Well then, let’s make sure we get to the rooms!

  Puc led us east through the visitor’s district until we arrived at a small city square. The architecture was a mix of the Saa aesthetic of sandstone blocks and the granite and wood more commonly seen in the west.

  The boy pointed towards the largest building in the square and I saw the sign hanging on the front and laughed. On the sign was a painting of a goose using its wings to cover its plucked bare nether regions, Marilyn Monroe style.

  “There it is, sirrah, the Plucky Goose! Best place in the visitors district,” he said and held out his hand.

  “Not so fast,” I replied. “We still need to test out the food to see if you’ve truly fulfilled our requirements.”

  His face fell and I saw a small spark of anger in his eyes which faded as I continued, “So of course you will have to join us for dinner so you ca
n back up your claim.”

  The kid nodded emphatically. “Of course, of course! Right this way!” and led us into the building.

  ...

  Chapter 22

  The boy darted ahead of us and I heard a woman’s voice yell “Puc! What’d I tell ye about comin’ in ‘ere durin’ me business hours? Now git ye gone or I’ll give yer share o’ the leftovers to wee Bili!”

  “No Miss Maeve! I brought customers! Here, here they are!” he said, pointing to us as we entered the common room.

  It was pretty much what one would expect from a decent inn, wooden tables, benches, a bar. What I didn’t expect were the rows of benches against the wall, or the scantily clad women seated along those benches, and elsewhere around the room… or the innkeeper of the establishment.

  Correction, the Madam. The kid had brought us to a brothel.

  I felt my cheeks flush, and my face must have been quite a sight because Kjara took one look at me and started cracking up.

  Puc was looking at us in confusion as I took a deep breath, trying to overcome my embarrassment.

  “Wow,” Kjara said between laughs. “Your face. You sure you’re not a priest in real life, Kheph? Or have we discovered the Kryptonite for the Mighty Kheph… Cleavage! Bahahaha.”

  Regaining some of my composure, I responded, “Ha, Ha, Ha. I was just surprised is all. Didn’t expect the kid to take us to...” I gestured to the room.

  “What da ye mean by that boyo”, the proprietor said. “Ye got sometin’ against me trade? Against me girls?”

  I raised my hands in denial. “No, No, Not at all. I was just expecting a normal inn.”

  Puc tilted his head in confusion, “You didn’t specify an inn, sirrah,” he said and held up three fingers, counting tapping each in turn. “You said good cook, decent beds, and an honest owner. The Plucky Goose has all of those.”

  I blinked at him and thought back to our meeting. The kid had me there. I never did specify an inn. I chuckled a bit and said, “You got me there, kid, that’ll teach me to make assumptions.”