Blood in the Water (CotP)

This article is about a memory of Bayek from 34 BCE. For other uses, see Blood in the Water.

Blood in the Water was a visual representation of one of Bayek's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.

Description

With Tychon dead, Bayek discovers another is seeking the relic. He heads to Swenett in search of the ship belonging to the mysterious Lotus.

Dialogue

Bayek travelled south from Thebes to Swenett in Yebu Nome. There, he headed to the scribe's home and knocked on his door, receiving no response.

• Bayek: Place looks deserted, where could he have gone?

A man approached Bayek from behind.

• Atut: Ooh, and you are...?
• Bayek: Looking for the scribe.
• Atut: You and half of Yebu. But no one's seen him since yesterday.
• Bayek: I need to find him.
• Atut: Well are you not strong and masterful? But why would I know where he is, I am only the one who pays his wages.
• Bayek: (Grunts).
• Atut: Wait, wait. I can't bear to see anyone so crestfallen. Try the hunter's village. He has a taste for exotic meat, if you know what I mean.
• Bayek: No, no I don't.

Atut directing Bayek southwards

• Atut: Hippo, silly! Or maybe he headed to the papyrus village for more paper?
• Bayek: Thank you, neb.
• Atut: No, thank you... neb. And if you do find him, tell him he's fired.

Bayek headed south out of Swenett, where he found the body of the scribe and a broken cart.

• Bayek: Signs of a struggle. This doesn't look good for the scribe, or the manifest.

Bayek investigated the body.

• Bayek: Bandits ambushed him. I need that manifest, they must have taken his belongings to their camp.

Bayek at the hideout

Bayek investigated the nearby military hideout. He eliminated the soldiers and recovered a scroll from one of them.

Swenett Ship Manifest

Merchant felucca - "Amun's Bounty", carrying pelts and wine to Alexandria
Merchant Ship - unmarked - docked south of Yebu - The Lotus?
Merchant Felucca - "Pride of Sobek" - Grain, honey, wool

• Bayek: This is the Lotus' ship, says it docked south of Yebu. Hopefully it is still there.

Bayek headed to the south of Yebu Nome, where he found the Lotus' trireme anchored in the area. A crowd gathered on the shoreline near the ship.

• Bothered Woman: Those brutes are nothing but trouble, killing innocent merchants now!
• Man on Shore: I am not sure that Lotus is innocent. But they can do what they want, no one would dare defy them.
• Bothered Woman: They run the relic smuggling ring in Yebu?
• Man on Shore: Everyone is a thief and a liar, the smugglers, the soldiers, all lining their pockets with blood money.

Bayek investigating the trireme

Blood pooled in a trail between the shore and the ship. Bayek swam to the ship and boarded it to find signs of a massacre.

• Bayek: Looks like it has already been boarded.

Bayek investigated a bunch of food sacks.

• Bayek: All this food will go to waste.

He investigated broken vases.

• Bayek: Pottery, very fine craftsmanship.

He investigated the cargo of large urns, still covered.

• Bayek: They left the precious cargo untouched, looking for information, not profit.

He investigated a bunch of relics.

• Bayek: Pieces of broken relics.

He investigated a body.

• Bayek: They tortured the sailors. For information?

He investigated blood trails at the edge of the trireme.

• Bayek: A lot of blood, someone dragged a body towards the edge of the deck. But where did it end up? In the water? A distraction maybe?

He completed his investigation.

• Bayek: There was a fight here. But someone dragged a body overboard to try and create a distraction. Did they make it to the shore?

Bayek at the shore

Bayek followed the blood trail in the waters and followed it back to the shore.

• Naked Man: That scallywag made off with my horse!

Bayek spoke to the naked man.

• Bayek: Someone stole your horse? Did they come from the ship?
• Naked Man: Yes! Some rust haired demon. Slithered from the river like an otter. Stole Ganymede and rode off towards the smuggler's village.
• Bayek: And your clothes...?
• Naked Man: A man can't even have a refreshing swim without thieves and vagabonds setting upon him. Now what am I supposed to do?
• Bayek: Pray to Sobek to return your robes.

Bayek finding Sutekh at the village

Bayek travelled to the smuggler village in the south and found the thief, who turned out to be Sutekh.

• Bayek: Sutekh? Of course, how many more red-headed thieves are out there.
• Sutekh: Thief! I'm no thief, Bayek.
• Bayek: Your uncle's auction? That fisherman's horse?
• Sutekh: When you put it that way...
• Bayek: I know you were on the ship. Who owns it?
• Sutekh: Trouble dogs my every step. Am I responsible for those desecrators? Can I help it if one was my blood, another pays my wage?
• Bayek: The ship, Sutekh!
• Sutekh: Ah yes... Now that was an adventure!
  I was doing important work when we were boarded. Of course the crew panicked. Me, I was cool as a breeze at the Oasis. They were shouting for Merti to come out, but she was never on board.
• Bayek: Wait? The merchant woman?
• Sutekh: They searched the whole ship, killed anyone who got in their way. Until they found the captain. Dragged him out kicking and cursing. Killed his men in front of him until he told them where she was. I was the only survivor. Crocodiles below me, soldiers everywhere. I made my epic escape.
• Bayek: By throwing a dead man in the water to distract the beasts.
  Now we have established your heroism, where is Merti?
• Sutekh: Probably at her villa west of Yebu, the House of the Blue Lotus. It's by the pretty waterfalls. I could come with you? Fight by your side?
• Bayek: I'll find her, and you keep out of trouble.
• Sutekh: Of course, of course. I wonder... how would someone become a smuggler? I'm asking for a friend...

Bayek finding Merti's villa

Bayek took his leave of Sutekh and headed to Merti's villa. He found it to be overrun by a group of soldiers.

• Bayek: Merti has visitors.

Bayek approached the courtyard of the villa and eliminated the soldiers. He then entered Merti's home, where she tried to cut him down. Bayek dodged the attack and drew his Hidden Blade against Merti's throat.

• Merti: You? You're behind these soldiers at my door?
• Bayek: You lied to me in Thebes.

Merti explaining her actions to Bayek

Realizing he had no intention of killing her, Merti lifted her hand to lower his.

• Merti: Don't be naïve! I told you all I could. If I'd betrayed the others I would be dead already.
• Bayek: The relic, you knew of its power!
• Merti: No! Until you came to my shop, with bloody blades and a debt to be paid.
• Bayek: A debt still owing.
• Merti: Your Aten... we searched for it and it eluded us. A gilded myth of order, truth, justice, painted upon the walls of a Heretic's tomb. And after what happened I stopped looking.
• Bayek: What happened?
• Merti: Slaughter. Of some poor soul who tried to stop our desecration. I never knew who, didn't want to know. But I profited, and for that my heart is heavy.
• Bayek: Then lighten it.
• Merti: When you came to Thebes, I started searching again and I knew... someone had found it.
• Bayek: Did you discover who has the relic?
• Merti: That knowledge is shrouded. But it doesn't belong to men, it holds the power of the gods...
• Bayek: And it won't be long before someone discovers how to harness that power completely.
• Merti: Then Amun help us all.

Merti handing a scroll to Bayek

Merti handed a scroll to Bayek.

• Merti: This is where the trail led me, bought from an Antiquarian at the Necropolis of the Nobles.
• Bayek: It says the relic was used in a Ma'at ritual, a ritual long forgotten...
• Merti: Take it, I am ready to leave this cursed land.

Merti left the house, with Bayek following behind. They were confronted by a Shadow of Anubis.

• Merti: The claimer of hearts comes for me!

Merti fled from the area while Bayek confronted and defeated the being. He then travelled to the Necropolis of the Nobles, where he overheard an argument in a large tent.

• Isidora: You are a traitor to our people!
• Tahemet: You think I choose to do the Strategos' dirty work? I am not here freely, priestess.
• Isidora: No, I'm sure he's paying you a pretty fortune for your betrayal.

Bayek stepped into the tent's entry.

• Isidora: Do you care nothing for our ancestors? You rape their tombs, our history!
• Tahemet: Athames will desecrate them without my help, at least this way I protect what I can.
• Isidora: Protect? This is nothing but coin to you, more drachma to lose on the roll of a dice.

Bayek tried to approach, but Isidora's followers rebuffed him.

• Tahemet: Priestess, I beg of you, be prudent. Trust me, justice will be served.
• Isidora: These are not Pharaohs, they are our brothers, fathers... mothers. And trust me, our mothers will have retribution.

Bayek confronting Tahemet

Isidora left with her followers without a word to Bayek. Tahemet called to him.

• Tahemet: It seems to be habit of yours, Bayek. Arriving in the nick of time.
• Bayek: Since when have you been working for tomb robbers, Tahemet?
• Tahemet: Our little altercation at the gambling den didn't go unanswered. I had a choice, prison or helping soldiers catalogue the tombs.
• Bayek: So you're the Antiquarian Merti spoke of? You've been researching the Maat ritual?
• Tahemet: Ra's breath! Keep your voice down, if Athames' men hear I've been hiding things from them...
  Walk with me, and please try not to bring too much attention to yourself.

Bayek following Tahemet to the necropolis

Bayek followed Tahemet.

• Tahemet: The Ma'at carvings are here, in the Necropolis of the Nobles. I haven't had a chance to review them all yet, but there are red-haired worshippers... an orb... wait, could they be Ramesses' descendants? Ah! Speaking of the great Pharaoh, I have a fascinating papyrus that...
• Bayek: Perhaps I should see the ritual for myself.

They reached near the necropolis' entrance.

• Tahemet: Go carefully. The tombs are crawling with Athames' men. If you find the orb, I would love to see it? A relic passed down from the gods... a once in a lifetime find!
• Bayek: Once...? I wish it were so.
• Tahemet: May your blade be firm against your enemies, Bayek.

Bayek sneaking into the necropolis

Tahement returned to her camp. Bayek navigated through the tomb, eliminating soldiers in the process. He investigated a carving on one of the walls.

• Bayek: Someone is using the orb, a Pharaoh?

He investigated another carving.

• Bayek: People, worshipping the relic? Priests of Akhenaten? But the rays are missing.

He investigated a carving of Amun.

• Bayek: Amun? Is this connected to the ritual?

He investigated a final carving covered in sand.

• Bayek: The descendants that Tahemet spoke of.

Bayek inspected it closer and the sand fell from the relief.

• Bayek: A woman holds the relic aloft. The wife of the Aten? Nefertiti? Did it hold any real power then? Or was it just symbolic?

Descendants of Ramesses used in the ritual

More sand fell away from the bottom, revealing distinctively red-haired people.

• Bayek: They bring the descendants of Ramesses forward. But the ritual? It is not to the goddess of truth, but dedicated to another god. The twin plumes of Amun?

All of the sand fell away to reveal the full truth of the ritual.

• Bayek: The ritual restores Ma'at to everything under the sky. In honor of... the Lord of Thebes... And the God's Wife at his side. The priests have the relic... She's been lying to me from the beginning.

Bayek made his way back through the tomb as he reflected on the truth he had learned.

• Bayek: Isidora, she brought down the Pharaoh's Curse. Tried to justify it to me. Isidora's argument with Tahemet... Could her own mother be buried here?

Outcome

Bayek discovered the whereabouts of the relic, which was revealed to be in the hands of the priests of Amun.

References

An image gallery is available for Blood in the Water (CotP)

• Assassin's Creed: Origins – The Curse of the Pharaohs