Chapter 40 – Greed is Good

We trudge along through the sewers. I’m really looking forward to relax for a bit. Grinding is hard work, and it would be pointless to become the best if I can’t enjoy the trip to the top. I can’t burn out, especially not now when I can’t afford to play as fast and loose anymore. Well, not that I had it much better off before.

We make good time heading south and out of the Harbour District’s sewers. I didn’t really notice earlier, but we managed to push pretty deeply into the sewers. The monsters become increasingly tougher the deeper we go, and today was the first day I started fighting ghouls. They’re tough little buggers, and the two we came across were both over level thirteen. I’m still pretty impressed at how Cobra managed to fight them so well considering the huge level gap.

We round a corner and immediately come to a halt. Two dead ghouls are laying on the ground, and they weren’t here earlier. Shit. Who did this? Was it another player?

I immediately cast ‘Chameleon’ on myself and order my underlings to spread out. The gray mist envelops me, obscuring my features from view. The corpses are lying in the middle of a T-junction in the sewers, and my underlings form groups of three and move down each corridor. I have one of my low-level Hoodlums backtrack down the tunnel we came from, making sure I didn’t just walk into an ambush.

Who could this be? There’s no way Greg and Kevin could have caught up to me yet, could they? No. Not unless they recruited a few more party members and decided to go through an equally rough grinding session as I did. Considering the Dark Pegasus guild doesn’t have any other members below level twenty, I doubt they were allowed to reveal the existence of the sewers. Could this be the work of some other players? The sewers are well hidden, and it’s not impossible to believe that some other player managed to stumble upon an entrance. It’s actually very likely that someone did by now; but why haven’t they made that public information yet?

…

My mind is working overtime as I wait for my underlings to return. The two nearby corpses catch my eye, and something looks off. The way they died… Huh?

I break my spell and move over towards the dead ghouls. This is odd. The corpses look all wrong. Their gray skin has gained a sickly green tinge to it and their bodies are covered by bleeding boils that are dripping a thick black puss. I can also spot a few oddly shaped bumps all over their bodies, and don’t get me started on the stench… Oh, my. Nasty.

It’s clear that they weren’t killed by any type of physical weapon, and I don’t see any signs of regular offensive magic being used. It also sort of looks like they just dropped dead where they stood. No, what killed these two ghouls appears to be some sort of nasty disease. Is this a naturally occurring phenomenon? Could a player even have done this?

My musings are cut short by the return of my patrols. Cobra walks up to me, a grim look on his face.

“Boss, we walked a distance up the northwestern passage and we came upon a few more corpses. They seem to be a little fresher than these things, and they were definitely killed the same way.” He says, looking nervously over his shoulder. “I have a really bad feeling about this, boss. Whatever killed them is very powerful. I recommend we get the hell out of here as fast as we can.”

I’m inclined to agree. Whatever is ahead is definitely beyond my capability to handle. These dead ghouls didn’t look like they were able to put up much of a fight, which means the creature ahead is either a player at least ten levels above or a roaming boss of some kind. Neither of those options is particularly good for my well-being. Why would such a high-level player be down here though? It makes no sense. Killing these monsters should give him next to no experience, and the loot is pretty much useless to him. Could this actually be a roaming boss? If so, then it might drop some sick loot. This is still a level ten to nineteen zone. Perhaps the boss is something I can handle?

I need more information.

“We should follow it. Slowly, and from as far away as possible.” I say, looking down the corridor Cobra came from.

“Are you sure, boss?” Cobra says, throwing me a nervous glance.

“Don’t worry. We won’t fight whatever it is. I just want to find out who or what that is. The information gained could be crucial.”

Cobra nods but still looks pretty uncomfortable. I totally get it, and I’m not planning on taking any chances on this one.

Before I send my Cutthroat ahead, I pull out one of my few remaining traps. I’ve been saving the good ones for a special occasion, and this right here certainly qualifies. Thanks to game logic, it only takes me a couple dozen seconds to fully set the trap in place. The game mechanics assist in sliding the correct pieces into place with little effort from my side. I do enjoy these system assists, and using traps without it would soon become a tiresome venture if I had to spend half an hour for every trap I placed. Games are really convenient in certain regards.

With the trap fully in place, I order my Cutthroat to scout ahead. I make sure to stay far behind with Cobra by my side, and we move forward at a snail's pace. We follow the trail of dead monsters further northwest and deeper into the sewers. At every intersection of the tunnel we arrive in, I place another trap. We’re starting to head deeper into the sewers than I have ever been before, and the only reason I haven’t given up and left already is that the creature ahead has done a thorough job of murdering every monster in the vicinity. Still, there is a limit to how long I will pursue this venture.

We walk on eggshells for a while, slowly making our way forward. I’m getting a really bad feeling about this. After we move along for a few hundred meters, we are hit by a repugnant smell that reeks of death that only grows stronger the further on we move, which is kind of impressive, considering we’re down in the fucking sewers. This can really only mean we’re close to reaching whatever this creature calls home, and the ominous atmosphere is creeping me out. After passing the third junction, I’m about to call the pursuit off when my Cutthroat quickly scurries down the tunnel ahead. Stopping in front of me, he gives the sign that he found something. Finally.

I have Cobra and a Prowler follow the Cutthroat back down the corridor while I retreat a bit further back the other way. I can’t be too careful under these circumstances. After a couple of minutes, and without seeing a notification that my underlings died, the trio returns.

“Report.”

“We found a door.” Cobra says.

“A door?” I furrow my brows. What the hell is a door doing down here? I haven’t seen any doors here before.

“Yes, there is a wooden door blocking off the tunnel forty meters down. It was unlocked, so we decided to have a little peek at what was on the other side. You won’t believe this, boss, but there is an entire laboratory set up down here. It looks really valuable as well!” He grins. His greed completely evaporating his earlier fears.

A laboratory? Why would… Could this be a boss lair?

“Did you see anyone?” I inquire.

“Mmh. No, sorry, boss. There was some sort of fog or mist of some kind obscuring the view. No one jumped out to kill us though, so it might be safe. At the very least, I bet we would be just as hard to spot for them as they are for us.” He shrugs.

Interesting. I’m not sure if I should call it quits while I’m ahead or check this out further. If this is indeed a roaming boss, then the longer I stay, the higher the risk of my demise. On the other hand, if he is indeed roaming, then his laboratory should be ripe for a little plundering. If I move fast, that is…

Hmm. I’ve never shied away from a little risk before, and if this is indeed a roaming boss as I suspect, then my underlings' gear should be recoverable if we retreat back down the corridor. The potential gains should rival the risk. However, I need to practice being cautious at one point or another… Maybe this would be a great time to… Ah, fuck it. Greed is good.

I take point and lead my underlings down the tunnel. Even though I’m doing this shit, I will play it as safe as I can.

We soon come upon the wooden door. It’s a shoddy-looking door, and there is no doubt in my mind that it isn’t part of the original structure, as the wooden boards don’t match the chiseled stone walls of the sewer tunnels. A single piece of rope is used as a handle, and the door is resting on a couple of rusted iron hinges. Whoever made this certainly didn’t build it to keep enemies out. Another point in favor of this being a boss’ lair.

I gently place the last of my special traps directly in front of the door, connecting the tripwire to the handle. The way I set it up makes sure the trap will only trigger if the door is fully opened, and not if it only opens slightly, enough for a humanoid body to slip in. With the trap set, I slowly open the door, trying to take a good peek inside.

The smell threatens to knock me out cold. Holy shit, that reeks! I think it’s safe to say I found the source of whatever it is I’m pursuing. The room beyond is not particularly large. It’s round, with what I estimate is roughly forty meters across. There’s a dense cloud hovering over the room that makes it difficult to look around. The room appears to be a small cistern, where four corridors excluding the one I’m in connects to it. I’ve come across a few of these rooms earlier, but never one that appears to be occupied. If this is indeed a boss lair, then it should make it difficult to maneuver this area of the sewers without eventually ending up here. Very peculiar. It’s an odd place to create a lair, as they are usually located in the most remote area possible.

At the center of the room, next to the cistern, I spot a few wooden tables with a bunch of glass vials and various canisters containing unknown substances. There’s also a large cauldron at the center which is currently boiling. It seems like this is what is currently creating the smelly mist in the room.

I don’t see anyone in here though. Whoever calls this place home is either not here, or they are hiding in the mist at the other side of the room. It could be a hidden boss that only triggers when its prey is already inside the room though, trapping us inside when we walk in deep enough.

Not one to take any chances, I order my two half-orc Hoodlums to take point. Not only are they some of my lowest level underlings, but they also have the worst gear. If this is indeed a trap, my losses would be minimal.

The two Hoodlums soundlessly comply and push themselves past me and into the room. I watch with anticipation as they inch their way deeper into the room, spreading out to cover as much ground as possible. When the two half-orcs reach the laboratory without being attacked, I release a deep breath. Whatever monster calls this place home, it’s not here. Excellent. We should probably grab whatever we can and run as quickly as possible.

I quickly step into the room, pausing at the door to make sure I didn’t accidentally trigger something. When nothing happens, I order Cobra to follow me in while the rest of my underlings wait outside. Time is of the essence, and if we have to hightail it out of here, then I’d rather not all my underlings get stuck in a bottleneck at the door.

Reaching the laboratory, we take a peek around. Now that I’m closer, I can see a wide variety of alchemical ingredients stacked on the table. Damn. These things must be worth a fortune! It would take months of grinding to get some of these. What’s going on? Why are all these expensive materials just lying around, and what are they used for? I recognise a few of them, and most can be used in some rather nasty next-level blight poisons. And this cauldron... What is this boss creating here?

I take a step towards the ominous looking cauldron which spews a steady stream of vapor into the air. Peeking into the boiling contents within, I accidentally breathe in a direct dose of some of the mist.

[You have been afflicted by Poison. You take 10 damage per second for 30 seconds.]

Oh shit! I throw myself backwards as quickly as I can. That shit is poison!? Oh hell no. That thing can fucking kill me!?

“Everyone, grab as many ingredients as you can and let’s get the hell out of here! Cobra, with me. Now.” I shout as I quickly backtrack while pulling out a health potion from my inventory. What the hell is such a strong poison doing in a level ten to nineteen zone anyway? Roaming boss or not, this thing is way out of my league.

We make it two-thirds of the way back towards the tunnel when a voice booms across the room. “Who goes there!?”

Oh, shit. My eyes go wide as I search the room for the source of the voice. A lone figure appears to the right side of the room, entering from a different tunnel adjacent to the one I’m in. Quickly walking into the room, the person glares at my two Hoodlums who are busy pilfering his stash of ingredients. “Hoodlums, here?” He mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. “No. I know what you are.” His head snaps to the side, his eyes staring right at me.

Shit.

I momentarily freeze as the man squints at me. “Who the hell are you? And how did you get down here?” He shouts at me, surprise evident on his face. His head turns back towards the two half-orcs who step away from the laboratory. “Oy! What do you think you are doing? Those ingredients are mine!” He bellows, glaring at me.

His sudden shout breaks me out of my trance, and I immediately inspect him.

[Human Plaguebringer - Unknown(23). Villain. HP: ???/???. MP: ????/????.]

Oh, shit! Another Villain!

“Hey, sorry about that! I didn’t know this stuff was yours.” I quickly say, raising my hands in front of me.

“And you expect me to believe that? A level ten Thief Lord wouldn’t survive this deep inside the zone. Were you following me? Since when!?” He shouts at me.

“Dude, chill. I haven’t followed you for long. I spotted a trail of odd corpses that led this way. I thought this was the lair of a roaming boss or something. How about we just laugh this off as a mistake and walk our separate ways, yeah? I didn’t see you, you didn’t see me. Ok?”

“Bullcrap! You triggered my alarm twice. You knew exactly who and what was in here. How much do you know!?” He screams, his face turning red. This is bad.

“That was just one of my underlings scouting ahead. Dude. I don’t know anything. I’ll give back all the ingredients we took, ok?” I try to calm the angry man.

The Plaguebringer glares at me, not saying a word. “You’re damn right you are giving it back.” He eventually says. “And everything you have on you.” He adds, his eyes starting to glow green. “You won’t stop me from wiping out this city…”

Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap!