When we left last time, we were descending into the musty halls of Old City to see what
we could see! We make our way through the narrow corridors, following the fairly
straight path before us. The first few encounters let us know that the enemies are most
certainly tougher down here, but the rewards they bring are also greater. At the end of the
first long hall, we come to a larger chamber that "reeks of death." Beyond the stench, all
we find is a gated passage way and three small antechambers. Tragic's keen eyes spot a
hidden switch in one of the alcoves, and beyond that a secreted room with a with a tasty
treasure chest waiting to be opened.

Liam does his thing and disarms the trap, and inside we find a small assortment of magic
potions and scrolls, as well as a key. Hmm... gated passageway, hidden key... I think we
know how this works.

Returning to the gate, we pop in the key and it swings open. Stepping into the next hallway, we are assaulted by a "stinking waft of putrid air" as a hoarde of oozes come pouring down atop us. This is one of the toughest battles we've had yet, not just on numbers, but because the tougher Puxic Oozes can both poison and nauseate us, as well as dealing some serious damage. With the assistance of Styos's powered-up Fireball spell, and Hito's constant healing, we manage to make it through, damaged but alive. At this point, out of magic points and in dire need of healing, we exit the dungeon and head back to Father Rulae for a sip from his magic fountain. We could've found a quiet corner in the dungeon and camped out, but resting too long in this game carries two threats: First, you are an easy target when you are asleep, and that's always a bad thing. Secondly, the world of Dark Savant is a dynamic one, and the NPCs you encounter are always on the move. They fight each other, they explore, and worst of all, they can get to the always-critical hidden Maps before you do. And if they get their hands on one you really need, you have to first hunt them down and then either take it by trade or by force. So early-bird definitely gets the worm in this case, and camping out for a few days to heal is not such a great option early on.

After a refreshing gulp or two from the fountain, we head back down for further exploration.
Pushing onward, Tragic once again spots us a hidden door, beyond which we discover another treasure chest full of goodies (and monsters guarding it, of course). As we are about to leave, our attention is drawn to additional hidden door out of this already-hidden room. Heading through that, we find a lone chest in a tiny room.



Cryptic, eh? But these maps will ultimately lead us to what we seek. How? I don't know,
I'm just along for the ride.

That ends Part I of our adventures in Old City, but there is still a lot of dungeon left to explore...