24-On the 7th day Pt.3
The pungent scent lingered in the cold breeze of the night. Eferail stayed in the same alleyway from sundown. Now, the moon is up on high, and the night is around the highest level of the Time of Obscuros. He lurked long enough, and he couldn't wait another moment more.
He emerged from the dark alleyway and snuck his way to the center square. Sanatoria already looked deserted during the day, but during the night, it looked eerily haunted. From the small block houses you can hear wails of pain or sobbing cries from disembodied voices. The cold night could have affected their sores, making it more painful due to the low temperature biting the open wounds.
There were no watchers on site and understandably so. The guards wouldn't bother themselves doing rounds in this wretched place. Firstly, the people inside Sanatoria are obviously contagious. Secondly, their sores and bulbous punished them enough to the point of immobility. Lastly, The entire place is haunted. Eferail was worried about creatures lurking in the darkness more than those damned crow-masked guards.
He made it to the center square and finally saw the drainage in all its gruesome glory. Ash and human grease formed a sludge sticking at the corners of the drain. Although disgusted, Eferail had to what he could to get out of there.
The drain was around 4 footlings in diameter. Created from bronze steel, the huge drain weighs almost close to four decablocks. It also had runes engraved on it. Eferail read them, and understood what they were, draining runes. The one who built the drain knew that someone might have the audacity to use magic on it and thus made some countermeasures. Grabbing the slimy grates, he tried with his might to budge the drain--it didn't work.
He needed to use enhancement magic to move the heavy object, but he will risk draining his exousia. He thought of it for a second and realized, there's no other way but that! Eferail breathe deep and began to enhance his strength by letting his exousia overflow into his muscles. Normally with the amount of exousia he had, this feat never posted any challenge. This one is different.
Putting his hands back on the grate, he attempted to slowly yank the damned drain out of its place. It proved harder than expected due to the draining runes. With every pull he did, the draining runes took away double the amount of exousia.
His arms trembled in fatigue as inch by inch the grate finally moved. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he moved the heavy drain to a decent, opening enough for him to fit in. He laid down on the ground for a moment trying to savor the obstacle he overcame.
But, just as he wanted to savor the moment as much, a sharp whistling sound broke the silence of the night. The guards finally saw him and now trying to pursue him. He sprung up from the ground and hastily slid into the man-sized opening. He got swallowed by the darkness of the dark pit.
According to standard Principalia measurements, a main sewer line should have to be eight footlings in width and at least around fourteen footlings in height. Apparently, this one is higher than the standard height.
Eferail fell so far below the sewer that he had enough time to use his ice magic. He created a make-shift slide out from ice to aid him with his descent. He slid down while gliding gracefully on the ice.
Trying to avoid contact with the disgusting fluids flowing in the sewer, Eferail opted to use another elemental magic trick he learned from his father. Using his water element magic, he placed enough exousia on his feet to repel the dirty water away from him, while at the same time, walking on its surface.
Eferail took out the light rune from his satchel and activated it. The blinding glow of the rune took a few moments for him to adjust. When his eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing he saw was the grotesque looking Mandragora slime.
This type of slime for the most part acts like a normal slime, it only attacks when provoked. But for the most part, its docile unless approached. Like any other slime, the Mandragora slimes loves wet environments, the sewers included.
As what Eferail knew about this creature, this slime is a mutation from a regular slime. It's primarily composed of human sinew and other human parts. Other variation of this grotesque slime is that some might have undeveloped human parts as well.
The slime he saw in the sewer looked like a melted face. Its glossless eyes were twitched as it reacted to the light. Its mouth looked like two flaps of grayish skin sewn on top of each other moved randomly as if it was to speak. The grotesque creature was annoyed by the light that it floated away from Eferail.
Disgusted with the harrowing appearance, Eferail moved quickly to get out of the waste tunnel. As he walked, he also tried to shine some light on the ceilings and walls, only to be surprised and disturbed by the number of melting faces and glossless eyes stuck on the damned walls.
Eferail had already walked an estimated of one ildwyrm, but it seemed like the sewer tunnel is endless. Using his exousia to escape and walked along the disgusting liquefied human waste, had been exhausting for the knight. His body is on the brink of collapse and finally he submerged into the cold neck deep sewage.
Unfortunately, his light rune submerged under the dirty waters. Eferail tried to retrieve the wooden rune but to no avail. What he caught instead was something else. It stuck into his arm. He could feel tooth-like things brushing against his. Suddenly, something is tugging his right foot. It was a frail tug, but it became stronger as it went on.
Panicked and afraid Eferail struggled his way out of the damned sewer, dragging whatever thing latching on him into the open. He dragged himself further to the tunnel with only his determination as his strength. He definitely did not want to die there, being eaten by these wretched creatures that lurk in the sewers.
Finally, a small ray of light peeped into the tunnel. He knew it was his way out of the hellhole. Moving faster and more desperate, he finally managed to see the opening of the sewer. He finally saw thing latching from his arm. In the pale moonlight, he saw the same monster that glided away from his light earlier--the Mandragora Slime.
The monster slowly gnawed into his clothes and is close to getting his skin. He also felt it on his boots, the slow gnawing action of the slime. Seeing how close he was to the exit, Eferail ran his way to freedom and went straight into dry land.
After seeing the anomalous slime slowly gnawing his clothes and skin, he finally decided to use one last magic. With the remaining exousias he had left, Eferail chanted a high-level magic that even he had not tested yet.
"Of he the gods showed mercy, I convey my plea to thee. I ask for your benevolent light and purify thine body!" He paused in horror as the slime slowly devoured a chunk of his skin. Undettered, the brave knight screamed the last word of the chant.
"PURIFICATION!"
A blinding light suddenly enveloped Eferail. The warm and calming light erased the slime out of existence while, at the same time, healing his wounds. The extent of this powerful spell has drained the knight completely. He laid down on the ground unconscious after the spell.
Eferail woke up later that day on the same spot where he collapsed on. The sun's glare coupled with the stench of the sewage attacked the knight's senses that it woke him up. He checked his body for missing parts, luckily there was none missing, except for a patch of skin where the damned slime bit.
Other than that, he is fine. He looked around and saw the capital from a distance. He knew it's going to be a long walk back to Arterius, but the knight was determined. Today is the 7th day since he attempted to give the letter to Prince Arterius, and he's not giving up.
He will deliver.