DROWNED NATIONS

Hargrimm showed me an exit that led to another part of the underground complex. Before I left I decided to check on Soego, to see what had been his fate.

On the way to his room, I tried out my new 'Stories Bones Tell' ability on a female zombie. The rotting, female corpse at first seemed completely unaware of me. As I approached, however, she turned and nodded slowly, as if greeting me. Morte stared and her, and chimed in.

"Wow, chief... what a beauty, eh? Not everywhere you can meet a sweet little chit like that, ya know."

"Well, perhaps if you can get past the entire 'stench-ridden, maggot-laden, rotting carcass' thing..."

"Yeah, see, that's what I'm... hey!" Morte spun to face me. "Are you getting sarcastic on me?"

That was the first time I had succeeded in putting anything over on Morte. I questioned the zombie, and found I could easily understand her, but her mind was as slow as her body, and I learned nothing new.

When I reached Soego's room, I found his corpse. I examined the body; however he had died, the corpse had been left mummified. I felt little sorrow for him, but I had the feeling the Dustmen would want to have the corpse, even though he had abandoned them. The corpse was too awkward a load to drag along, but perhaps just the head. In a moment it was bagged, and I was ready to go.

We came to the area Hargrimm had told me was known as the Drowned Nations. The ghouls, acting as scouts for the dead, were prowling this area for eventual use by the Dead Nations.

Besides ghouls, the area was infested with more vargouilles, and trocopotocas, large white lizards. In one section, after sloshing through ankle high water, and fighting off a pack of vargouilles, I found a flask on the floor, its stopper loosened. I turned it upside down, to allow the water to run out. Which ran, and ran. The water did not stop coming. This must have been the magical flask of water the stone face Glyve had mentioned.

Further along, after killing two trocopotocas, I was able to reach the body of one of Pharod's collectors. He must have had a rare skill, for besides having penetrated so far I found the bronze sphere on his body! I examined it. The simple bronze sphere was about a foot across, but it was surprisingly light, as if hollow inside. Although its basic appearance was normal enough, the sphere somehow managed to offend the rest of my senses. The texture of the sphere, just the 'feel' of it gave me the impression it was an egg that was just about to burst open -- just touching it made my skin crawl. To make matters worse, the faint smell of rotten custard emanated from it, and it made my eyes water.

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