Chapter Eight Sewer Cleaning (Patreon)

Alicia joined Elie and Derrick. The other members of her party had been idle at a table while she spoke with the guild. Derrick looked up from his longsword polishing, rag in hand. “Anything good?”

She sighed, “Paywise I found a good one, high pay not particularly long either but...”

He groaned, “Don’t tell me... Sewer Cleaning.”

Elie winced, then pinched her nose, “Gods damn it! That job sucks!”

“Sorry, best I could find on short notice. On the plus side, we will be back in the green.”

The other two sighed. The Caravan mission was good pay but most of it came from completing the mission. There was a payout every time they reached one of the many stops along the road to Bordertown, but along the way they were also responsible for their own supplies. 

After a moment, Derrick spoke up, “So about Chloe, it’s going to be difficult to limit interactions between her and Krellik. There is also the question of what we...”

Alicia gave him a look, “We are taking her with us. When we rescued her, she became our responsibility. Do you really want to leave her in Tyna?”

He gave her a look, “That wasn’t what I was going to suggest, and certainly not. It’s an open secret that several kidnapping rings are active in the area, but I am starting to wonder if she wasn’t a victim of one.”

Alicia sighed, “The thought crossed my mind, but she hasn’t really been willing to talk about her past. Yet I sometimes get the odd feeling she doesn’t actually know what happened to her either.”

He blinked, “We just met her. What gave you that impression?”

“Women’s intuition,” replied Alicia.

Derrick just gave her a look for a moment, then said, “Why wouldn’t she tell us?”

“I don’t think she fully trusts us yet.”

Elie interjected, “Do you blame her? I wouldn’t, not if I was young and possibly a victim of something shady.”

They all shared looks.

Alicia finally let out a breath, “Clearly we just need to give her time to open up. Sae does seem to be good for her. The two were playing pretty well together. Once they got past the initial hiccups of Chloe’s dislike of wearing clothing.”

Derrick commented, “That’s a point to consider. She might be from somewhere in the Borderlands.”

“Maybe, but it’s also possible she’s from somewhere in Rosewood. While she follows Furea, Aceri’s church is strong there, so girls typically grow up not wearing clothes no matter the church.”

Elie frowned, “You know she is a foxkin, good chance she came from the south. Lots of beastkin tribes in Retha, and they tend not to wear much clothing.”

Derrick sighed, “Sadly we can debate this all day, she could have come from anywhere.”

That was a point they could all agree on. Aceri nodded, “You have a point, but I don’t think she came from the Elven lands.”

Elie said, “I wouldn’t rule it out but it does seem unlikely. I think the non-elven population is barely a fifth the size of the elven one and weren’t most of the non-elves human?”

Derrick nodded, “Yeah, that tracks with what I remember of our visit to Bluewood a few years back. But I couldn’t help feeling out of place there.”

Alicia giggled, “Yeah, I don’t blame you.”

Elie stood up, “Well we better get moving. Those sewers won’t clean themselves.” she looked at Alicia, “You have everything you need?”

“Yup, full supply of potions and reserve manastones in case I run low.”

Derrick interjected, “I’ve got a full belt of potions and rations for a day. Now what monsters have been sighted in the sewers?”

Alicia produced the guild’s scouting report, “The usual mix of monsters down there. Slimes on every level, rats on the upper levels, but the lower levels have been overrun with Roc’lings.”

Elie groaned, “Really? I hate those things.”

Derrick sighed, “I guess we should stop by the enchanters? Renew the imbuements on our weapons.”

Alicia said, “I’ve got us covered magic wise, but yeah that might be a pain. Let’s hope the nests aren’t too large.”

They all knew what Roc’lings were. It was an insectoid monster with several distinct stages of growth. The juvenile stage was the first stage and not to be underestimated. They stood on six legs and were armed with two long arms ending in scythe-like blades. In addition, they also had razor sharp mandibles and they were fast, very fast. They were half the size of a man, but they could overwhelm a fully armored knight in plate armor in seconds. Thankfully the juveniles had underdeveloped carapaces, and didn’t yet have the ability to spit acid like their more developed counterparts, making them quite easy to deal with.

The second stage was when they reached maturity. By this point, they’d developed a thick rock-like carapace that could turn most blades, and could even resist some magical spells. But like an Armored Ant, they remained vulnerable to fire and lightning. Not only did they have that strong armor, but they also had the ability to spit a powerful magical acid. Thankfully the process of maturation slowed them down, so they were oddly enough less lethal than their juvenile counterparts, if less likely to die from a stray arrow.

The final stage was exclusive to the female bugs and was referred to as the queen stage. In this stage they grow massively in size, the abdomen notably swelling to four times its normal size or more.  Queens were the center of the nest able to lead the swarming bugs to some degree but most importantly they were the ones who laid the eggs. A mature queen could in her lifetime birth tens of thousands of these things. When it came to culling a nest, it was common practice to locate the queen’s chamber, eliminate the queen or queens as the case may be, and then burn the eggs. The rest of the nest would perish on its own soon enough without the queen.

Alicia watched their rear, while Derrick and Elli prepared to breach a gate. The three of them were in their usual gear and had already cleared the upper levels. Well mostly normal, Ellie had added a pendant to her attire. It was a fancy silver disk set with a glowing purple stone in the middle, around which was a symbol etched out in gold inlays. One that seemed to shift and change with the light. Right now it seemed to depict two crescent moons orbiting the glowing stone in the center and above which sat a strange symbol that her mind fogged on every time she saw it.

Still the pendant was pretty useful with several powerful enchantments. Elie was protected by a magical shield equal to a hundred thousand points, her mana regen was doubled and her health regeneration was vastly increased. Allowing her to recover from wounds that would normally be fatal in a matter of minutes.

Features that were perfect given that Elie was going to be in the thick of the battle. Hell it meant they had two tanks now, not just one and both of them were well versed in martial skills and fitted with enchanted weapons. Pretty expected for adventurers of their rank. Alicia was the strongest of them at level 98, with Elie not far behind at level 95 and Derrick was their weakest member at level 92.

Sure parties of their level often had more members but they couldn’t help that. She’d been adventuring for years, the three of them had started as childhood friends. In her case her mother had been an adventurer, while dad lived a more peaceful life holding the fort. Elie didn’t have the luxury of two parents, but her mother and Alicia’s had been friends, members of the same party. Derrick’s mother had also been part of that party. A party they’d later train under. It had been fun adventuring together with their mothers, a good family bonding experience, but all things came to an end and their mothers eventually retired. Nothing that really mattered at the moment, they had a nest to clear.

Elie grunted and the gate she’d been working screeched, the old hinges having not been oiled in years. Not many people came this way after all. The screech however was most unfortunate, as it alerted the nest. Almost immediately she could hear the damn bugs vocalize an alarm.

Elie shouted, “Brace! They're coming!”

Alicia shifted her focus onto the grate, it was an old iron grate positioned over a stairwell leading down. To her right was a flowing line of water, while beneath her feet was worn old rock. This entire tunnel had been carved straight and true decades ago. Not far from her she could see several slimes scouring the shore by the flowing water. A common sight down here, but slimes weren’t usually hunted on these trips. Not unless a dangerous breed emerged. Like most of the sewer, old light stones were placed at regular intervals that provided just enough light to see by. More light came from the usual veins of fluorescent rock found all over the underdark, and the occasional bit of luminous plantlife which the slimes happily ate, causing them to start to glow in turn.

Yet none of that really mattered to her at that moment, instead she was focusing on the sounds of scraping and clicks coming from the stairs below. The sounds grew louder and then the first bug came into view. Its clawed feet dug into the stone as it ran, several more behind it. Alicia started channeling a spell, even as she counted the things, several juveniles and a crapton of mature Rok’lings behind them.

Lightning and water weaved around her palms and into her staff, growing stronger with every second before reaching the magical gem at the tip, the prongs beyond it began to glow, as she leveled her weapon at the swarming bugs and called out to warn her allies,  “Hydro Shock Pulse!”

The dual elemental spell coalesced as a stream of charged water. Dense and powerful, the beam of water crackled and sparked as it shot past her friends, who stepped aside a fraction of a second before it passed them with practiced motions. It struck the bugs with so much force that their carapace simply disintegrated as the water punched through the first bug then the ones behind it in a line. Lightning arced through the bodies of the bugs struck, several bolts arcs off to strike nearby bugs stunning them.

Elie and Derrick wasted no time, and charged in with axe and sword cleaving through carapace and flesh in every motion. In moments dozens of corpses were on the ground, and the path was clear.

Elie cleaned her axe commeting, “That spell never ceases to amaze me.”

“There is a reason it is one of my favorites,” replied Alicia in their usual banter while Derrick took a moment to clear a few bodies.

“Elie, Alicia, let’s get moving. The queen might get spooked...”

The two hurried to follow his lead, “We know, let’s just get this over with.”

Hurrying down the steps, they were intercepted a few times by bugs. Elies new shield came in handy, as she intercepted them each time and dispatched them with a well placed blow of her axe, the magical barrier blocking cuts that might have dismembered her or worse otherwise.

Soon the stairs opened up into a new space. Elie blinked, “Damn the bugs have been digging.”

“I can see that” said Alicia as she took in the tunnel, or what should have been. To her left was a rushing stream of water, and below her was the old tunnel rock but directly to the right claw marks covered the walls, which had been dug at with claw and acid. Widening the space for what could only be called a larval chamber. Several worker bugs were hissing at them, larval broods secured in their claws.

Clicking sounds signaled another swarm of warriors rushing towards them. With barely more than two words they shifted to meet the bugs. Derrick blocked the claws of a juvenile as it came around the corner. A clang echoed, as a second bug hissed before spitting acid at him. The creature missed, but the ground sizzled as the magical acid began to eat into the stone.

Derrick wasn’t idle, throwing off the first creature. He danced out of the blades of a second, and dodged another acid spit before his blade found its mark in the neck of one of the bugs. Beside him, Elie was a blur of motion, her twin axes taking limbs or heads with each graceful move.

Alicia left that to them, instead turning her magic on the larva. Being a storm mage meant she lacked fire, but she didn’t need it for this. Her spell now finished, she fired it at the larva and worker bugs, who let out dying squeals as bolts of lightning arced through them and the larva. Each form slumped to the ground with charred marks on their carapaces from where the bolts had hit. The larva were even less intact, as their flesh ruptured sending spray everywhere.

Elie broke in, “Alicia! If you are done with the larva, we would appreciate a little support.”

“On it!”

She turned back to the fighting, it seemed they were doing fine, but she lent her aid, channeling another spell through her staff. “Thunderstruck Pulse!”

A boom ripped through the tunnel as lightning shot from the tip of her staff. Like a force of god it ripped through the insects rushing to maim her friends. The insects hissed, some of them collapsing as fluids leaked from their charred carapaces, while others just sat there stunned. Making them easy prey for Derrick and Ellie.

More hissing answered in the distance, the hive was fully on alert, but the queens couldn’t be far. They were quite slow, and the larva was never far from the mothers. Coming into the nests this way had been the right call, she was glad they’d taken the time to pick the scout report apart. “We better hurry before the bugs catch on.”

Ellie nodded and Derrick took the lead with Elie close behind as they moved beyond the corner to find a new tunnel just out of sight. Dug right through the rock with alcoves in the side. Many with larva still in them. Ellie and Derrick paused only to use a fire stone to set fire to the larva as they hurried past. More bugs could already be heard moving to defend the nest.

Alicia kept her spells ready as they made their way through the larval chambers. Turning another corner the group grimaced. Broken bodies and half dissolved limbs sat mixed together with goo, a few of the parts were recognizable as people. She could see someone’s severed leg, half of a woman’s face frozen in horror, and what was left of someone’s arm. Likely some unlucky souls the insects captured and evidently prepared as food for their young. The mound was surrounded by wiggling larvae ready to emerge from their cocoons and guarded by a couple of workers, both hissing at the intruders.

Ellie struck first, her axe cleaving through the sturdy carapace of the mature worker. A mere moment after, Derricks blade pierced the head of the second. Leaving nothing but the grotesque mound for Alicia to deal with. Rather than waste a spell, she used a firestone on it and the entire mound burst into flame, the very gel used to keep the corpses in that pile proving to be quite combustible.

Elie sighed, “I hate seeing things like this.”

Alicia nodded, “I get what you mean. Come on,” she gestured at a passage, “Scout report says the queen's chamber is that way.”

The group broke from the burning mound as smoke started to fill the passage. Magical enchantments on their equipment kept them safe from the flame and smoke. More hissing and clicks could be heard drawing closer as they burst into the queen’s chamber. A widened part of the sewer, sections of the wall rounded out and coated with resin. Several mounds were filled with wriggling larvae, many of them quite young.

Alicia focused on the queen however, her large form towered over the party and she wasn’t alone. Her royal guardians were impressive mature specimens, twice as large as the average with thicker armor and a higher level to boot. Where most of the bugs were around levels twenty to thirty, these appraised at level sixty with the queen being level eighty.

The group signaled each other as they moved into combat. Several new bugs rushed into the chamber, weaker juveniles all under level twenty, but a few mature specimens around level twenty five were with them. Alicia didn’t consider them much of a threat but given enough of them they’d be worn down and exhausted. Meaning they were on a time limit.

Leveling her staff she started channeling a spell. Ellie intercepted several bugs that tried to rush her, her axes glinting in the poor light of the sewers. Light that was especially poor here with all the resin coating the walls, but a few old light stones remained uncovered. Limbs flew as her twin axes cleaved through carapace, sending legs and chunks of Rok’ling everywhere. Derrick joined her, the two forming a wall of death keeping the swarming bugs at bay, buying her time for her spells.

Taking a breath, she called out as she once more unleashed a favorite of hers, “Hydro Shock Pulse!”

A dense stream of water lanced from her staff and punched through the carapace of the first royal guard, cutting through the bug entirely before piercing the queen with much less impact. She screeched as the lightning the water carried arced through her large body. Her wounded guard did the same, twitching. Yet it wasn’t downed, merely stunned and leaking life fluids, but surprisingly combat capable.

She didn’t give it a chance, and unleashed her spell again. Several bugs swarmed in front of the stream. Over a dozen Roc’lings perished, and a second Royal guard took a portion of the blast as well. The queen screeched again as she took a shallower hit. This time shaking off the stun and spewing acid their way.

Alicia quickly projected a ward of pure darkness in front of them, “Dark Ward!” 

The magical barrier took the acid attack, but they could still hear it sizzle as it ate into the magic wall. More bugs appeared swarming around the edges of the walls, where they met a swift end to the blades of Ellie and Derrick, both of whom seemed to be sweating a bit. Alicia knew they were starting to tire a bit, but they were still good for now.

Taking a moment, she took a swig of a mystic stamina potion to bolster her stamina and help her mana recover from the heavy use. She could already feel her pool swelling back up. Then she set to readying another spell.

The moment the ward came down, she blasted the queen with two more shock pulses. A loud screech filled the air, as the swarm went into a frenzy to kill them. She grinned, this was it, now they just had to finish her off!

A wounded royal guard rushed at her, but Ellie’s axe cut deep into its thorax and the beast slumped to the ground dead. A second died from its wounds. Wounds taken tanking spells meant for the queen. The third died in the same moment to Derricks blade, while the forth spat acid her way.

She sidestepped the bolt of acid and countered with a spell of her own, “Dark Lance!”

A lance of pure darkness shot from her staff and tore into the creature before exploding into spikes. The dark spikes of solidified mana dissolved into the ether a moment later, leaving the creatures ruined hulk to slump to the ground, joining the other corpses all over the ground. Its blood joined to that of the others.

The swarm was thinning, more could be heard in the distance, but they wouldn’t be here in time. She took a breath, leveled her staff one last time, and unleashed a spell. Her aim was true, the queen shrieked one last time before her lumbering form crumbled.

Ellie slashed down one more Rok’ling, “Derrick! Light this place, we are getting out of here.”

“On it!”

Alicia fired a few more spells, covering the others before they broke to retreat the way they came. Flames and smoke filled the path but their equipment would keep them safe, the bugs not so much.