Day Two: Dragon's Maw (cont'd)

The contrast between the exterior and interior of this place could not be more stark.

I didn't see much in this place -- except I suddenly got recollections of Egypt and the mummy. Lee Yao texted me and said he wanted to hear of my encounter.

The trouble was tracking him down. He was incredibly difficult to catch. Since he's athletic, he was very speedy. First I tried the bike, and then I tried on foot.

It almost felt like catching Yao was a quest in and of itself. Finally though, I managed to surpass him on bike.

Finally we got to Yao's, where he was practicing his martial arts. "Why'd you call me and then make me chase you all the way through Shang Simla?"

"Because you are a fine adventurer -- and I find you attractive."
I was incredulous. "You think I'm attractive."

"A lotus flower such as yourself? Certainly." I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

"Seriously. But we must not mix pleasure with business, for there are serious dealings afoot."

"Hence, the reason I chased you down. You texted me while I was in the Maw and then I flashed back to my time in the pyramid with the mummy."

"You are destined to go through that tomb completely. But I cannot say much more than that."
He certainly couldn't say much more than that. For my visa was up and it was time for me to leave.

Day Two: Dragon's Maw

I woke up ravenous, so I raided the kitchen. Luckily I found some pancake mix sitting in a cupboard. I also found some milk and eggs in the refrigerator. So I said, okay, I can make some pancakes. If only I could remember how mom made them at home...

Then I sat down and ate my reward. Mmmmm....



Okay, so maybe they weren't mom's pancakes, but they would have to do, since I'm literally thousands of sim-miles away from Sunset Valley. They weren't burnt.
Soon after breakfast, I got a phone call from a Lee Yao. I'm not even sure how he got my number (it may have been from Deng). He wanted an outsider's help with a 'delicate matter.' I had to go into the Temple of the Dragon in the Maw, up on this steep hill and tell him what I found there. I didn't see how any of this made sense or connected, so I just grit my teeth and started walking.



When I hiked up to the Dragon's Maw, I immediately sensed a foreboding atmosphere. Still, there was something drawing me closer. Since I'm naturally curious (you kind of have to be, for this work), I wanted to investigate further.

It looked like a deserted thicket, then I found a flight of stairs leading to a tomb below. I took a deep breath.

Day One: Phoenix Martial Arts Academy

I left the Halls of the Lost Army on bicycle and headed toward Deng with the relic in my backpack.

When I spotted him in his backyard, I called him out. "Deng! Deng! I'm back! I got it!" I could hear my voice echo in the air.

"You have it?"

"I sure do."

"I'm very impressed with your skill. What did you say your name was?"

"Savannah," I told him, "Savannah Rachel Plumb."

I knew when I arrived in China that I wanted to learn martial arts. I had seen a lot of the kung fu movies on television and wanted to learn it for myself.

So after I left Deng's with a fist full of simoleans and ancient coins, I went across town to the famed Phoenix Martial Arts Academy.

I was surprised that the facilities are so spartan. I walked inside and there were others using the apparatus to practice.

Since the apparatus was being used already I decided to go to the nearby retreat. Here, I was alone, just like I like it. I'm not shy, I just prefer my own company. I've always been that way.

I spotted the required practice apparatus on a balcony and decided to start practicing it. It was a rough go of it, I poked myself in the eye a couple times.

My practice paid off with a brand new white belt and a spiffy new uniform.

After getting my uniform, I tucked myself into one of the spare beds and went to sleep.

Day One: Halls of the Lost Army

There was a locked door, an inscription on the wall in Mandarin, and a keyhole. Deng had given me the key to get into the tomb.

Once I got in there I had to move around some marble statues and chop up more debris. The place looked like it hadn't been touched in thousands of simyears.

In an inlaid wood chest I found coins that seemed to be many millenia old.

A wall switch led me to unlock a hidden door. I love this stuff, unlocking hidden doors and disarming traps meant to kill me. I get a thrill when I've uncovered one more piece to a puzzle.

In the next room there seemed to be nothing but this pool of water, which (of course) I decided to dive into. Thank goodness for my 800 simolean pair of custom-made waterproof prescription glasses. Unfortunately, like my mother, I am nearsighted. But I don't wear my specs all the time.

There was an underground tunnel so I swam through it and found yet another room.

This room had a chest with a key inside in the shape of a star. So I grabbed the key and put it in the marble hole and went inside.

This tomb, by most standards, was fairly straight-forward. While I was in there, drenched with water, I realized something. Most girls of my background don't become tomb raiders. Actually, most guys of my background don't become tomb raiders either. And yet, when I look back on it, I seem to have been born for this work. It's no different than when I was exploring the catacombs back in Sunset Valley. I'm doing what I love.

Having located the relic Deng was searching for, I headed out of the tomb and back to him.

Next stop: China

Well after I went home and rested a bit and recuperated and told my mother that I'm a professional adventurer, I was back on the road. This time, in Shang Simla, China.

Shang Simla is a picturesque village nestled in the mountains of China. It's a rather quaint small town, smaller than I'm used to, actually.

I was summoned here to Shang Simla by Deng Wang, who said upon meeting me that he'd heard of my exploits in Egypt. I can't say I did much in Egypt to warrant Mr. Deng's recommendation; but apparently when I was introduced to him, I was described as a "relic hunter and weapons expert."

Mr. Deng (the Chinese have this curious custom of writing their last name first) looked surprised to see me. After all, I'm taller than he is, and I'm a fair, blond, green-eyed woman. He asked me to go into the Forbidden City, to go to the Halls of the Lost Army and fetch an ancient relic in the tomb below.

I said, okay, no problem. I can do that. Hey, after surviving a mummy in the pyramids in Egypt, I kinda feel like I could do just about anything. I pretty much feel bulletproof at this point.

This is the base camp in Shang Simla. An improvement over the tents in Egypt, n'est-ce pas?

I approached the Forbidden City (which is actually the main square in Shang Simla) at about nine-thirty local time, and got to the Halls of the Lost Army soon afterward.

Day Three: The Trapped Basement

After getting paid a sweet king's ransom for mapping the sights, another local asked me to disarm all the traps in his basement. Seems when he got his new house, he didn't realize it was built over an ancient tomb.

So I said, okay, disarming traps is a cinch, I did some in the last tomb I was in.

But first, before I went there, I went to pick up a beginner's photography book. Because I'm artistic (thanks mom) I was curious about the 'art' of taking pictures.

When I got there, the poor chap wasn't home, so I sneaked into his house through a back door and went right into his basement.

The first couple were fire traps, and they of course were a cinch. But I learned there were different kinds of traps...and some are only activated when you walk on them!

I made an attempt to cross this trap after I couldn't disarm it. This was an electric one, and thousands and thousands of bolts of white-hot lightning shot through my body.

After pressing a bevy of switches, I'd disarmed the last trap and sneaked, sight unseen (I hope) out of the basement and went to find the house's owner.

After the guy paid me for disarming his basement, I decided to try to lighten the mood by practicing snake-charming a song one of the locals taught me. I figured I'm fairly decent at the guitar, so snake-charming should be a snap. The guy came out and he was standing over me, and I didn't realize why he was standing over me -- except, when I looked down, I was snake-charming in my underwear!

Before long, though, the clock struck midnight on the third day... and it was time for me to go home. Before I left, though, I made a promise that I'd be back.

Day Three: Seeing the Sights -- for a Price

On the third day, I rested.
Yeah, right. Like rest is easy to come by when you're adventuring. Not that it's a bad thing; besides, I get plenty of that at home. Now was not the time.



Failing miserably at my attempt to grab those five flame fruit (and encountering a mummy in the process!), my next challenge was to map out five Egyptian landmarks. I said, okay, piece of cake. I can do that.

Of course, with these things there's usually a catch. And there was. They were strung out all over the desert, and I had to do them in a specific order. Which meant that even though there were 2 right next to each other, I had to go to another one across the desert before getting to that one.

These were all awesome structures, such as the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx. But I think I was most enchanted by the Ruins of Karnak.

I stood there amidst their beauty and grandeur, contemplating on where I'd been and where I was going. Adventuring is a lonely life, but ironically it is a life I seem uniquely suited for. I'm not entirely sure why this is. When it was me and the desert, I was the happiest girl in the world.

I am fully capable of going days without talking to a living soul -- I suppose it's an inherited trait of Plumb women, Aunt Margaret was like this as well. I suppose that's why she and I got along so well; in many ways we were kindred spirits. That probably explains why I feel her loss so keenly. I think she would have enjoyed Egypt.