Ambush

By: Semfir Posted on: March 25, 2004

Disgusting. That is the most appropriate word I can find for this place. It's simply... disgusting. And I am even trudging along in one of the larger sections here. Filth and grime covers everything above the liquid I know is water, but with the nauseating stench emitting from it along with all junk and indistinguishable substances floating around in it, it's almost impossible to associate it with the life-giving fluid we need to survive.

The sewers under Shallam are not a place one would go to unless there's no other choice. Well, there are those who think this is a great place to hunt rats in, since this is where they come from. It's true, though. If you manage to stay down here hunting those pests long enough, you're bound to end up with a sufficient number to sell them for quite a few sovereigns. My reason for crawling down here this late afternoon, however, is of a far more important nature than gaining personal wealth.

While the sun was up this day, I was inside the Chrysalis Basilica, learning what different herbs do. Honestly, it was quite tedious and boring, but I do know it is important, not to mention required for my training, so I tried to listen and memorise as much as my aching head could stand. One of the herbs, and the reason I went down here in the first place, is the yellow skullcap flower. It's very useful if you smoke it in battle, but there's another, and to me far more important use for it. If you eat it, it gives you deathsight. It means you can see when other people die. Morbid, I know, but very important if you plan on resurrecting someone.

That is why I am down here. No more than half an hour passed, and I saw someone die, someone I know, one of my friends. She had complained that she was poor, and needed gold, but I didn't know she would come down here. Down here, where the darkness lures the shady kind of men, who make a living preying on the wealth of others. My friend had mostly likely gotten ambushed by one of them, and she probably had little chance, as there's not much you can do with a blade in your neck.

This is obviously not a place you should be alone in. Only the darkness alone could make one shiver with fear. Now, I don't remember ever being afraid of the dark, though with my amnesia, that's not saying much. Even so, not seeing much further than twice the length you can spit, despite the soft glow of my eternally happy guardian angel, isn't all that comforting. I would certainly not blame anyone for not ever daring to set his or her foot in this vile place. Luckily, I'm not alone.

As soon as she could, still panting from her aborted hunting trip far north, my dear mentor joined me here in the search for my dead friend. While I do admire her drive to help, I am not sure it is very wise for her to do so at this point. I can tell she is exhausted, and her guardian angel is probably even more so, as she doesn't even show herself. However, the presence of the beautiful woman does fill my heart with more than enough courage to continue this mission of ours. The sheer determination she effuses can inspire the most weak of souls to battle great evils.

But that doesn't make it any less disgusting down here in these sewers. We walk here, seconds feeling like hours with this foul smell invading our noses. No more than a few minutes have passed, yet I long for the soothing rays of the sun. Though that will have to wait until we can save my friend, and besides, the golden shine is probably gone for the rest of the night by the time I leave for the surface.

"Can you hear it?" her Pasiphaean voice gently peals down the dark and mostly quiet tunnel. "The whispers in the shadows..."

"Aye," I silently mouth at her, hoping her question didn't reach as far as the whisper we heard. If someone was talking further down the tunnel, there had to be at least two of them. Or one speaking to the body he killed a few minutes ago. I will not even try to delve into the mind of someone who voluntarily resides side by side with slime and rats in these darkened halls to explain why he would do that, but it's something I wouldn't be too surprised about, if it was it true.

In a violent motion defying the previously calm nature of my mentor's countenance, she almost heaves me to the side with such strength I will end up in the filthy sewage, but my reflexes kick in at the last moment. Feeling the ground end with one of my feet, I push away with the remaining one against the comparatively dry sidewalk in an attempt to reach the other side, as I don't even want to think about what diseases I might catch if I fall into the slimy waters below.

I hit the rocks making up the dry passage on what is now my side of the malodorous sewer sooner than I anticipated, and stumble in vain to gain any semblance of balance. With my legs trailing behind, it is an impossible task, and my back collides with the wall with enough force to knock the air out of my lungs. Although I am stunned and unable to act, I did not hurt my head, so I can still make sense of what is happening before my eyes.

A menacing thug stands almost in the same place I was standing just moments before, with a thin, wicked looking dagger in his hand and a sinister grin spreading out below his narrowed eyes. With horror I realise the woman in front of him is still off balance from pushing me out of his surprise attack. Dread wash over me like a cold shower as he plunges his razor sharp poniard straight into her stomach, obviously piercing the otherwise protective splintmail she wears. In this gruesome display, I am amazed that she doesn't even utter one sound despite the obvious pain she must be in when the wretched man pulls the blade out of her slender midsection, as an insane sort of glee shimmers past his rugged visage.

From a not all that safe distance, I can see her eyes close and her mouth utter a silent prayer as she puts her hands on the now bloody spot on her garments. Panic almost overwhelms me when she starts to drop forward to the ground, still clutching her midriff. A small sense of relief halts my fears when she holds down her hands to dampen her fall, even if she still makes a fair impact with the soiled ground.

Knowing she can't do anything to stop him, her attacker puts a gloved hand under her delicate chin and lifts it, forcing her to look into his sadistic eyes. He is turned away from me, but something tells me he whispers something to her. I'm not sure she heard what he told her though, since her eyelids flutter weakly a few times before finally closing.

Remembering me, he turns around, checking if I'm still conscious, but I close my eyes to the point where it looks like they are completely closed, before his meets mine. From the sprawled position I am in, he mistakenly assumes I'm out of the fight as well, leaving him as the lone victor. He throws a final calculating glare behind me, and first then I perceived why I hadn't cracked my head towards the stone wall behind me. My guardian angel had selflessly put herself in between, taking the burnt of the collision. Mentally, I can feel she is only dazed, but from the mugger's expression I can understand that she appears to be far more injured.

The shift in attention when he puts a hand below the wounded woman's neckline, hopefully only searching for jewelry, causes her to open her eyes once again, and I meet her glance. In her eyes, I can see determination, more than I've ever imagined before. I can see hope, for a future in this life and for a successful solution to this quest. I can see confidence, for my ability to make it happen, and finally, I can see the shining, heartfelt pride from mentor to protege surpassing everything else. In only one brief moment, the whole situation is reversed completely when adrenaline and strength quickly overcome all my previous doubts, and I grope for the handle I know lies beside me.

Divine inspiration fills my muscles as I gather as much momentum I can while sitting down to hurl my weapon at the offending villain. It strikes him in his shoulder, throwing him slightly off balance, and catching his full attention. At the same time I'm raising to my feet, he lunges at me, his vicious dagger reflecting the comforting glow of my angel. His attack is met by an immensely strong magical shield, summoned by my heavenly companion, and I counter him with a wide arced swing with the holy weapon I just called back into my steady grasp.

With a repugnant crunch, his skull is shatters, and he plunges lifelessly into the putrid sewage I almost fell into earlier. As the waves ebb out, a strange kind of tranquility settles, almost as if the location becomes safe from danger. Even the horrid stench seems to fade a little. Some semblance of reality manages to stay in my mind, when I remembered why I came down here in the first place.

Before I take action, I can't help but notice my angel hovering in front of me with mirth written all over her face. Then she holds up a small, leather pouch that I immediately recognise. It is in that container my currently dead friend keeps her gold. I caress the divine being's hair in thanks and she drops the item in my awaiting hand.

The woman on the other side of the channel had, without me noticing, sat up, and is now leaning wearily against the wall behind her. I think she has managed to heal her wound, and she holds a vial in one hand, probably filled with elixir of health. A pointed look and a slight tilt of her head is all the incentive I need to go on by myself to find my friend. I don't think she's far, though, considering that we just met her killer, from the look of his loot, so I swiftly turn into the side tunnel he made his ambush from.

The shine of my angel increases to illuminate the narrow and previously pitch dark passage. There, visible even from the entrance in the pleasant light lies the pale body we've been searching for in these disgusting halls of moist filth. Not thinking twice about it, I gather the limp form, which is surprisingly light, and head back to my mentor.

As soon as I place the beautiful shape I was holding in front of the awaiting healer, she begins praying and in no time, the lying girl opens up her eyes and smiles at us. At the same time, the older female collapses forward, unconscious, but I manage to catch her shoulders well before she traps the newly resurrected one below her. When my friend stands up, I carefully gather the peaceful lady in my arms and rise to my feet as well. Feeling her slow but steady breathing against my chest, I'm confident that she will be alright tomorrow, after a night's restful sleep.

A quick telepathic message to another friend up in the Basilica, and we finally shimmer out of that dreadful place, to appear inside the large building I consider my home. A slow walk later, and I'm standing in front of one of the beds in a sleeping chamber. Gently laying her on the comfortable mattress, I gaze at her serene face, admiring her altruistic and caring nature. Her tired eyelids opens up halfway to reveal her dark eyes glancing back at me with a proud gleam that matches her approving smile. I tenderly stroke away most of the grime left on her cheek before calmly making my way back to where I sleep to write down the evenings events down in my journal.