Mummy Evolution-Chapter 21: Old World

Once they entered the city, the ground was no longer made of sand. Limestone roads and clean architecture made this place a city worth visiting, not to mention the occasional date trees or shrubbery.

Sett, Zainah, and Zarah moved through the throng, the camel plodding steadily behind them. The city was a stark contrast to the desolate desert they had just left behind. Here, life thrived in all its messy, vibrant glory.

"Chufa cakes! Chufa cakes!" A hawker shouted as he saw Sett and his party pass by, and it immediately attracted Zarah's attention. But then, she immediately looked away by instinct.

Sett frowned and stopped. Instinctively feeling guilty for wanting something was not good—it was a sign of trauma.

"Do you want a chufa?" he asked.

Zarah shook her head and walked forward. "I know you are kind, Big Brother Sett. But I am a Tomb Raider now, so I don't want to be a burden anymore. I don't want you to keep buying me expensive things.

"Yes, I want a chufa. I really do. But no, I won't eat now. I will learn to live on my own two feet!"

A second later, Zarah had a mouthful of Chufa cakes stuffed in her mouth as she walked. She looked comical, lovely as she walked infront of the two adults with a pout.

Sett threw a gold coin at the hawker and walked behind the girl, eating a chufa cake himself. To his chagrin, he couldn't taste anything. It felt like eating air—since he couldn't even feel touch.

"None for me?" Zainah asked from the back.

"No," Sett replied.

"Why?" She clicked her tongue.

"Because you don't like chufa cakes anyway."

Zainah's eyes twitched. "How do you know that?"

Sett just walked forward with what he assumed was the cool gait of a Pharaoh. But as he walked past, many people looked at him warily and held their noses in disgust. Nobody liked the smell of ancient tombs and Sett had a distinct stench around him.

His cool gait immediately faltered, making both the girls chuckle.

They had been in the Tomb for hours, so the smell was nothing to them. But to people who were just out of fresh baths and just happily roaming around the town, the stench was incredibly disgusting.

Especially to people near food stalls.

Sett's pace increased, his face becoming incredibly unfriendly as he stared at everyone gloomily.

Soon, he was basically running.

The girls followed him with smirks and they soon showed him the way to their house.

As they ventured deeper into the city in the path that the siblings guided through, the grandeur of Burrhen began to slowly fade.

The wide, well-paved streets narrowed into cramped alleyways. The towering buildings with their intricate carvings gave way to crumbling structures, their walls stained with soot and grime. The air grew heavier, carrying the scent of decay and unwashed bodies.

People around also began changing. Soon enough, nobody even noticed the distinct smell around Sett—in fact, he became just at home in a place like this.

They had entered the slums.

Women haggled over scraps of food, their faces lined with venomous resentment. Men lounged in doorways, their eyes hollow and lifeless.

Slums. It was a place where hope came to die.

As they passed by, the people of the slums looked at them with ill intent too. It was not normal to see people with camels in a place like this.

Sett looked around with his golden eyes.

Zarah's earlier excitement had dimmed, replaced by a quiet unease. She clung to Sett's arm, the explosive temper hidden behind a veil of something.

Zainah, on the other hand, walked with her head held high, though her knuckles were white where she gripped the camel's reins.

Soon, they turned a corner and reached the back of a building.

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Sunlight was sparse here, but that was not a big problem in a place like a desert.

There was a big container in this area, something like the ones seen in ships. And Zainah and Zarah went directly towards it, making Sett look at them and then at the container. Zainah took out a key hidden behind the container—very well hidden—and then opened the iron locks at the front.

"Where can I take a bath?" Sett asked.

"There is a river in this city but now is the time for women to bath there," Zainah said. "Men are not allowed into that place for another few hours. But if you want to take a bath now, there is a tank of water inside along with soap and buckets."

That is what Sett did. He went into the contai— no—house and then took a look. It was a small, cramped place with a single bed and a shelf. Kitchen, bedroom, and everything all at once. But it was clean, well kept, and—obviously loved for what it was.

He walked up to a tank of water placed in one side and used a bucket. Carrying the bucket, he left the house and entered a bisection that the girls had built inside their small room. It was the simple, cramped bathroom here.

The place smelled distinctly feminine, just like Zainah. The floor wasn't metallic either, but desert sand, which made the water poured on it to vanish by itself.

Sett began washing himself, regretting the fact that he couldn't sense the coolness of the water.

...

When he was done, Sett dried himself with a clean cloth he found nearby and wrapped it around his waist. He smelled rather alright now but he still didn't smell good enough. To completely clean the stench, he would have to get help from someone with an Axiom related to cleanliness.

Just as he was wondering what to do next, the door creaked open, and Zainah stepped inside, looking away while holding a bundle of clothes in her arms.

It was a black shirt and black pant combo.

"Here," she said, tossing the bundle to him. "I figured you'd need something to wear that doesn't look like rags."

Sett caught the clothes and raised an eyebrow. "You went out and bought these?"

Zainah shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. "I had some coins left over from our last job. Besides, you can't exactly walk around the city wearing clothes like the one you stole."

Sett chuckled, though there was little humor in it. He unfolded the clothes—simple clothes made of lightweight fabric, perfect for the desert heat. They were plain but well-made, and he quickly dressed, feeling more human with each passing moment.

He then walked out and saw Zarah sitting on the bed with a somewhat gloomy expression.

"What's up?" he asked.

She showed him her golden bangles, which had been bent completely out of shape.

Sett blinked. "Oh, I forgot you couldn't control your strength."

He took it from her hand and gently straightened it back out. Then gave it back to her. There was still a small dent but it was barely visible.

"Want another one?" he asked.

"No." She rejected vehemently.

Sett shook his head and said, "Take a bath first. You guys also stink. After that, let's do something interesting."

Zarah's eyes lit up and she nodded. "Yeah yeah, let's go out!"

"I just want to sleep," Zainah said while stretching, giving Sett an amazing view of her assets.