By: Jo Ann/NeferIsis
Disclaimer: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and the characters from the game belong to THQ and Eurocom Developments Ltd. NeferIsis, her parents, and the other characters are mine. If I am given permission to use anyone else's characters, those characters belong to them.
Note: I came up with NeferIsis' name before I found out about Tut's girlfriend.
Chapter 1: The Town of Sphinx
"No kiddin'?" Sphinx asked with a grin. "A town named after me?!"
The young feline hero leaned on his seat on the barge taking him and his friends to the new town. With him was King Tut --at this point in time, a mummy-- and Bas-Ket, an animated basket. All three had seen more action in one day then most people see in a month. Now, they were going into a new adventure, in a new town, and maybe new friends.
"Yep," Bas-Ket replied. "A real town called, 'Sphinx'. It's not a very big town, but it's still a descent size. Some of the usual buildings: shops, temples, govenment building, homes, and so on. It's said that there's even a temple to Sphinx!"
"A temple?" the Mummy asked. "To Sphinx?!"
"Yep," the little basket replied. "He is a demi-god. Even demi-gods have their followers."
"Of course," Sphinx mused aloud, "How one is worshipped is as important as being worshipped at all. I hope no one gets harmed in this 'temple' to me..."
Tut and Bas-Ket just looked at one another and shrugged.
The three friends wandered about the town of Sphinx, stopping every once in a while at a shop or an open stall to look at --and sometimes, even buy-- the goods offered.
Tut wore a white, linan cloak to hide his mummified condition, so as not to startle anyone. If anyone asked them why Tut was banaged, they would tell them that he was in a terrible accident. It was the simplest explaination, and it was what they sticked to.
As they entered a temple dedicated to the goddess, Isis, they saw a couple praying with a priestess. They got near enough to hear what was being said, while still keeping a respectfull distance. What they heard startled them.
"Please, Oh Mighty Isis:" the priestess prayed. "Save the daughter of this good couple from the priests of the temple of Sphinx. Send us a sign, oh goddess, that you have heard us and will save the girl!"
"I'll save the girl!" Sphinx declared boldly. Everyone turned toward the entrance and saw the lean, young warrior standing there, his hand on his sword. Behind him, they saw a cloaked individual and an animated basket.
The priestess turned toward him and approached, her hand raised to cast a warding spell. Sphinx raised his own hand to stop her.
"I mean it," he said. "I will save the girl from these priests. I wish no harm to come to the innocent!"
Such a declaration from the lion demi-god caused the priestess to halt. She stared at him as she spoke.
"You would do this? Stop a ceremony dedecated to you, just to save a mortal?"
"I would," he answered. "And I will. What are the priests' plans for her?"
"The girl is named NeferIsis, and she was taken to be a sacrifice to you when the full moon is high. And it will be a full moon tonight."
"Then I have no time to waste if I'm going to save her," Sphinx replied. He turned to the girl's parents and added. "Don't worry. I'll have her home, safe and sound. I promice."
He turned to his companions and headed out the door, saying as he passed them, "Come on, you two. We've got a damsel in distress to save!"
Tut and Bas-Ket shrugged at each other and followed.
Finding the Temple of Sphinx was easy enough. All they had to do was locate the building with the twin, ten-foot tall statues of Sphinx guarding the huge temple door.
"You two stay out her and guard the door," Sphinx instructed. "If there's trouble, I'm going need both of you for backup."
"Okay..." Tut agreed. "I hope you know what you're doing, Sphinx."
"He does," Bas-ket replied. Sphinx grinned. Then the basket added, "sometimes."
"Hey!" the youth protested. Deciding that he had better get inside and to the rescue before he did something that he would regret the next dawn. He walked stealthily into the temple.
NeferIsis walked the the corrider of the temple of Sphinx. The young, feline demi-god had gained a few followers among the people of Egypt after he saved them from the plans of the evil Set. Unfortunately, new cults tended to overdo with their ways of worship, and the one for Sphinx was no exception. And one of the most unsettling of methods was human sacrafice.
This was to be NeferIsis' fate. She walked steadily toward the alter, flanked by priests wearing lionskins. NeferIsis, herself, wore a long, gauzy shift, with a minimume of jewelery. She carried a lit candle in each hand, long white sticks of beeswax. The scent of honey was still on them, calming NeferIsis somewhat.
From his vantagepoint on the second story of the temple, well-hidden behind a life-sized statue of himself, Sphinx watched in fasinataion as the presession filed past underneath him.
The Priestess of Isis was right! Sphinx thought. This new cult worships with human sacrafice! But what gives them the idea that I would want to be worshiped this way? I gotta save her! Sphinx moved carefully among the shadows. Sure, he could just appear now, and stop them. But he wanted to do it in such a way as to make the biggest impact on the priests. He wanted to make sure they understood that he did not want anyone to die in worshipping him. If they wanted to worship him, fine. But he did not want anyone to be hurt in doing so.
So the feline demi-god followed the priests and their victim, waiting for the right moment to intervene. It came almost in the next moment.
NeferIsis was laid on the alter and strapped down. The head priest stepped up, a golden dagger in his hand. The pommel of the weapon was fashioned into Sphinx's face, and the place was silver. The head priest began his chant:
"Oh great Sphinx, brave warrior god who saved our people from the evil Set: Behold! Your bride awaits the embrace of her divine husband..."
'BRIDE'! Sphinx's thoughts yelped at him. She's supposed to be my bride?! Well, she is pretty...
The priest held the dagger above his head, ready to bring it down and complete the sacracfice.
Uh-oh! I'd better get a move on if I'm going to save her... Sphinx lept out from his hiding place, grabbing the wrist of the priest as the dagger was about to be driven home.
"NO!" he shouted, trying to sound the way he thought a deity would sound when giving a divine command.
The priests and the other worshippers gasped in superstious awe as their deity-come-to-life appeared before them. They all dropped to their knees, except the head priest --who is still being held by the wrist by Sphinx-- and NeferIsis, still strapped to the alter.
"I don't want to be worshipped in this way. If you want to worship me, that's fine. But I don't want anyone to get hurt or killed in the process. I'd rather not be worshipped at all, than for anything to happen to the people."
Okay, so it was not his best speech. But it got the job done. The head priest dropped the dagger, and when the weapon landed on the ground, Sphinx let go of his wrist. The priest knelt with the others. Satisfied that he had done what he set out to do, the feline warrior turned to the girl on the alter and smiled.
"My bride, huh?" Shyly, the girl nodded. Sphinx tore through the leather restraints and freed NeferIsis. He helped her stand. "We'd better get going," he told her. "I promiced your parents that I'd bring you home safely." He turned toward the priests.
"Remember: It's fine if you want to worship me, but you must not harm anyone in doing so. If I hear of any of you doing something like this again, I'll come back and take this temple apart brick-by-brick. Understand?"
"Y...y...yes...oh great Sphinx," the head preist stammered. "We will remember. We will obey..."
"Alright," Sphinx nodded. He turned to the girl. "Come on: We need to get going." Sphinx and NeferIsis left the temple, meeting up with Tut and Bas-Ket on the way.
"Looks like you didn't need us after all," the basket said.
"Nah," Sphinx grinned. "I took care of it. Let's go." The four of them headed back to the temple of Isis.
Sphinx, Tut, and Bas-Ket watched as NeferIsis had a happy reunion with her parents. They related everything that happened in the temple.
"'Bride'?" NeferIsis' father repeated. He stared at the young warrior.
"Yep," Sphinx smiled. "Although I don't know how they expected for her to marry me if she were dead... Not really possible, you know."
"Yes..." the man agreed.
"Say..." the youth asked, "does anyone know of a place to stay the night? Or a couple of nights? We planned to stay in town for a while, then head home."
"You can stay at our house," the man offered. "It's the least we can do for the man who rescued our daughter."
"Are you sure?" Tut spoke up. "We don't want to impose..."
"I'm sure," the man replied.
"Well, if you're sure..." the Mummy said.
"Thanks," Sphinx said. He shook the man's hand. The family and their new friend bade farewell to the priestess of Isis and left the temple.
"By-the-way," the man said. "My name is Hesep, and my wife is Seba."
"Pleased to meet you," Sphinx grinned.
The priestess of Isis watched as the group left, knowing that the priests of Sphinx would behave themselves from now on, and would become good allies for the temples of the the small town of Sphinx.
Hesep means garden in anchient Egyptian, and Seba means star. Nefer means beautiy, or beautiful, so NeferIsis means beautiful Isis. (I've got a book on Egyptian Hieroglphs, and there's a glossery in the book.
I figured that the goddess, Isis, would be an ally fo Sphinx and the other good guys, because Isis is Osiris' wife, and Anubus helped bring Osiris back to life after his brother, Set, killed him. Incidently, Horus is the name of Osiris and Isis' son, and --in Egyptian mythology, anyway-- is an enemy of Set. So maybe there's some hope for Sphinx and Horus' friendship...
Maybe...?
Not too bad from someone who got most of her information from Sabertooth Kitty's wonderful Sphinx: The Series fic.
Chapter 2: NeferIsis: Sphinx and NeferIsis get to know each other better. But will she go with him back to Imhotep's temple?