“Right it is,” I say and turn that direction.
We start walking, Svetlana on my shoulder, Stevie in the air beside me. The sewers are large concrete tunnels. While there is concrete where I walk, there’s also a canal to my right with water rushing along it. It doesn’t look deep, but the things floating in the water make me not want to get anywhere near it. The tunnel turns, and I follow it, my eyes searching the dark as I listen for any semblance of sound.
“How do we know where to go?” Svetlana asks.
“We don’t,” I admit. “I’m kind of just hoping that we end up somewhere important.”
The first NPC appears from the dark so suddenly, both Svetlana and I scream at the same time. Stevie glows brighter for a second, as if that is his own way to scream, before he fades back to his normal brightness.
“Hello, player,” the NPC says. “I have a quest for you if you’re brave enough to take it.”
I stare at the NPC, growing more and more horrified as details come into focus. He’s a human man. That much I can tell. But he’s clearly extremely sick. In Dross, Black Lung is the biggest killer. Young and old alike die by Black Lung every day, the poisoned air getting to some people more than others. Because of Black Lung, the chances of survival to adulthood are only about fifty percent. I never could understand how so many people are willing to risk those terrible odds on having a child, but I suppose humanity will always hunger for connection, even at the risk of death.
Besides Black Lung, there are a handful of other sicknesses. Rust Throat will make your throat feel like razorblades, the metal dust trapped in your skin making you constantly taste the rust digging in there. Crowd Rot came around when too many people were living packed tightly together. It’s typically an issue in the higher towers, where the poorest are forced to share too small apartments. Wire Bite is an infection caused by cutting yourself on the decaying metal or wiring. The skin turns black and stiff, and it could sometimes cause muscle spasms you can’t control. Pulse Shakes are from prolonged exposure to chemicals, usually suffered by those who recycle their food or water supplies. People with the Pulse Shakes tremble, have an irregular heartbeat and twitching muscles, and grow manic before collapsing. Pulse Shakes is, at least, a quick death.
The man in front of me has none of those things. Instead, it’s gotta be something far worse.
His skin is peppered with open wounds that weep something milky and pink. Around the pustules, small mushrooms grow, tiny and infectious looking. There’s a particularly large one on his shoulder, growing right through his shirt. One of his eyes is cloudy and dead. The other stares at me with crystal clear lucidity.
“Hello, player,” the NPC repeats. “I have a quest for you if you’re brave enough to take it.”
I want to ask, but that seems rude, and I don’t know how this NPC will react. If the Ice Hotel taught me anything, it’s that NPCs are capable of terrible things. There’s no way to know if this one is as well.
“Oh, uh,” I reply, glancing at Svetlana. “Sorry. We can’t.”
“Fare thee well, player.” And then he settles back against the wall, his eyes staring blankly back into the darkness.
As it turns out, he’s not even the creepiest NPC we run into.
Strange creature after strange creature appears from the darkness, making me jump every time at their sudden appearance. After the second NPC, I slip my Fang from my inventory and keep it in my hand.
“Beware the sewers,” a particularly grotesque NPC says as we round another corner. This one isn’t human. It’s just a really big cockroach wearing clothing. His long antennae dance around as he warns us against the darkness. “For there are threats afoot. Would you like to trade?”
I grimace at the sight of him, stopping far enough away that I don’t have to touch him. I’m tempted to tell him I don’t want to trade, but fuck it. He might have something I need. “What do you have?”
He gestures to the ground with one spiney leg and I look down to see a variety of items. “A jar of leeches, Spider Brew, a handful of killer candy, and a Bag of Tricks.”
I’d been about to decline but the Bag of Tricks catches my attention. It’s a small leather bag, relatively inconspicuous. Inside it appears to be a bunch of fuzzy balls. “What does the Bag of Tricks do?”
The Roach Trader holds his leg over the bag and a description menu pops up on my interface.
BAG OF TRICKS
Wonderous item, uncommon
You can pull an object from the bag and toss it in front of you. The object will then transform into an animal. You will have a one in eight chance for each animal that may spawn. The creature will be friendly to you and your companions and will remain at your side for twenty-four hours. You will be able to command the creature, or give it general orders, such as to attack your enemies. It may or may not listen depending on your affinity with animal handling. In the absence of such orders, the creature will act in a fashion appropriate to its nature. Only one animal may be spawned at a time.
NOTE: Every Bag of Tricks spawns different creatures. Please tread carefully.
“Svetlana,” I murmur. “Can you see this?”
“Yes,” she replies. “It is a good item. I recommend trading with the roach to secure it.”
Nodding, I point to the bag. “How much for the Bag of Tricks?”
“What do you offer, player?” the roach coos.
I check my inventory. “I have a mysterious liquor bottle.”
