A Hag in the Sewers

The dense aura of life energy spread through the filthy, rotten sewer, carving out a small haven that allowed Naomi to catch her breath.

With just one glance, Amber Xiu knew that at least three buff effects had been attached to this statue.

Life Recovery, Poison Immunity, Freedom of Movement... They were all large-scale blessings, and Amber Xiu was deeply envious.

This was an artifact—a true artifact whose powerful effects could be unleashed even by an ordinary mortal holding it. If this thing were put up for sale, it would fetch at least a million gold coins.

However, a Druid's artifact needed regular sacrificial rituals to keep its power from fading. If someone else took it, it might lose its effectiveness in just three to five months.

But no matter how powerful the artifact was, Amber Xiu was not blessed to enjoy its benefits.

That was because, to the undead, Sylvanus's divine power was even more terrifying than the sewer's poisonous gas.

The sewer environment merely made Amber Xiu uncomfortable, but the green natural barrier before him would corrode his undead body like sulfuric acid.

After all, the undead were a race that completely violated the natural order, making them the mortal enemies of Sylvanus.

"A Sylvanus Statue can purify the sewer's toxins. It should also have the power to dispel illusions. This is what you were relying on to rescue your people, right?" Amber Xiu asked.

Naomi took several deep breaths. Once she had recovered, she replied, "Yes. I've entered the sewers more than once, but by the time I found the place where my people had run into trouble, they had already disappeared. Although the Sylvanus Statue protects me, I need your help to find them."

This Druid girl truly did not have any ill intentions, so Amber Xiu had no plans to break the contract and give Alchemy City an excuse to raid his home.

"Then let's keep moving. We'll first take a look at the place where your people ran into trouble," Amber Xiu said.

No matter what kind of illusion it was, it would always leave behind some traces. If they could find out what had created the illusion, locating the missing people would become much easier.

Naomi carried the Sylvanus Statue at the front. With the statue's blessing, the sewer's harsh environment barely affected her at all. To speed things up, Naomi directly used Wild Shape to transform into a sleek black panther. She clenched the statue in her jaws and sprinted through the sewers, forcing Amber Xiu to cast Flight Spell just to keep up with her.

Before long, the two arrived at a somewhat spacious stretch of level ground. It seemed to be some sort of buffer zone, with a large expanse of smooth rock underfoot. Dirty channels of water still surrounded it on all sides, and the stench was even stronger than at the entrance.

Yet this place was exceptionally clean. Not only was there no Druid corpse, they could barely even see a cockroach.

"I've come here several times, but nothing was ever left behind," Naomi told Amber Xiu.

But before Amber Xiu could examine the area, countless scarlet points of light suddenly appeared all around them.

Naomi had not even seen what they were before those scarlet points shot toward her. The green light radiating from her stood out in the sewer like a torch in the darkness.

Naomi was a little slow to react. During her previous two trips into the sewers, she had encountered no danger at all. The power of the Sylvanus Statue could drive away every monster in the sewers, so how could monsters dare charge at her this time?

Naomi's reaction was a beat too slow, but Amber Xiu's was not.

Two Ice Rays flew from his palms, carving broad trails of frost in front of Naomi. The monsters at the very front were struck by the Ice Rays and quickly froze into ice sculptures.

Only then did Naomi see what kind of monsters were charging at them. They were a swarm of enormous rats, each about the size of a wolf. Their fur was covered in all kinds of ringworm and cysts. Just looking at them made her feel as though her eyes were about to be infected with deadly germs.

The Ice Rays in Amber Xiu's hands swept back and forth as if they cost nothing. Only after every diseased giant rat had been frozen solid did they finally make it through the crisis, at least for the moment.

Naomi was stunned by Amber Xiu's strength. Ice Ray was the simplest of ice spells, but to wield such a basic spell like a repeating crossbow—could an ordinary Mage really do that?

Naomi could not help edging closer to Amber Xiu. As a result, Amber Xiu had to retreat two steps to remain outside the natural barrier.

Amber Xiu hurriedly warned her, "Be careful. Are you trying to sacrifice me to Sylvanus?"

Naomi felt a little embarrassed. For a Druid to instinctively seek shelter beside an undead when danger appeared was frankly absurd.

Naomi could only change the subject. "What in the world are these things? I've never encountered them before."

Amber Xiu walked over to one of the giant rats frozen into an ice sculpture. A scalpel suddenly appeared in his hand, and he began cutting open the diseased rat. The bloody brutality of it made Naomi turn her gaze away.

Amber Xiu, however, did not feel the slightest discomfort. Bloodshed on this level was child's play to him.

Fur, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, organs, bones... Amber Xiu stripped away the various fragments and studied the body's structure. Once he was nearly finished, he even extracted the mutated rat's soul for examination.

Before long, Amber Xiu reached a conclusion. "I more or less know what your people encountered."

Naomi hurriedly asked, "You know? What kind of monster is it?"

Amber Xiu pointed at the mangled rat corpse. "These rats were modified by magic. Judging by the method, a hag probably did it."

"A hag?"

Naomi wore a puzzled expression.

"You've never even heard of hags? Don't you Druids scare children by telling them, 'If you don't behave, a hag will come and get you'?" Amber Xiu asked.

Naomi gritted her teeth. "We Druids would never do something like that. Using scary stories to frighten children is something you undead do, isn't it?"

"Are you stupid? The undead don't have children," Amber Xiu said.

Naomi: ...

This poorly informed Druid girl was rendered completely speechless. Just a moment ago, she had felt a tiny bit of goodwill toward Amber Xiu, thinking that this undead was powerful and reliable. Now she immediately began silently reciting Sylvanus's teachings—the undead really are all rotten to the core!

"All right, back to the matter at hand." Amber Xiu explained, "Hags were originally monsters from the Feywild, but they came to the Material Plane a long time ago. Terrifying tales of hags occasionally appear in the Nine Kingdoms as well. They are a group of evil, hideous old women with cruel personalities. Most of them are arrogant and conceited, and they love using all kinds of methods to torment humans."

"Using magic to modify creatures and drive them as servants is a common hag tactic. These rats were altered by hag magic, giving them potent toxins and fierce aggression. They aren't particularly powerful monsters, though. An ordinary person who worked up the courage could kill several of them. But without an antidote, they would soon be poisoned to death, and these things could still spread disease even after they died."

(End of chapter)