I Don't own anything
Thankfully my sleep was uninterrupted by any dreams or visions, and I wasn't awoken in a violent or annoying manor.
"Sleep well"? Asked a refreshed Gisco.
"Yes, finally." I responded.
Gisco chuckled at that, I could tell that his sleep was also uninterrupted from his cheerful expression. Much different from his mood yesterday.
"We should be reaching Chicago today; I think we are well overdue some cooked food."
"I on the other hand can't wait for an actual bed to sleep in tonight." Elissa said emerging from below deck.
"I don't know what you're talking about I find these makeshift beds quite comfortable." Bethóc said behind Elissa.
"You're just used to not sleeping on real beds." Gisco said causing Elissa to roll her eyes and Bethóc laugh.
A few hours later Chicago's skyline appeared out of the clouds, the Sears tower, and the Aon Center towered in front of us. When I turned my attention towards the John Hancock Tower something flickered above it causing me to believe that there was a thunderstorm underway but I looked in the sky and there wasn't a single cloud.
Our little vessel made its way to Navy Pier and we just had enough time to disembark with all of our supplies before it turned around making its voyage back to its master.
"Now what"? Asked Bethóc shouldering her bow.
"Get out of this crowd and try to find others." Gisco said already walking into further into the crowd.
We decided to take the river walk to get further into downtown. Hopefully the other Carthaginians would have decided that the best place to hide would be in plain sight of everyone. Fortunately no one seemed to notice that we were armed to the teeth, maybe they thought we were lost reenactors or something. Anyway we somehow found our way to bus station keeping our eyes open for any Carthaginian looking signs.
I used the last of our cash to buy bus tickets as we loaded on I could swear that the driver could see through the mist and was about to call for police but as I was about to make a run for it he simply turned the next passenger.
After getting off at a stop and walking around for a couple more minutes I finally had to admit that we were lost. All of the buildings were tall enough to block the sun preventing me from locating one direction from another.
We continued to walk for a while until we were in front of a tall single tower. I decided to stop for a while trying to figure out some way to find others when a bellhop approached us.
"Hello good sirs, if you would come this way please." The bellhop said in a very thick French accent.
He led us into the tall building past a line of tourists and into an elevator.
"Thank goodness you're all here." the bellboy said dropping his accent and taking off his hat revealing his short messy brown hair.
"I hate playing bellboy this ridiculous outfit and the French accent," he said tearing of his suit revealing a chainmail coat and a leather jacket.
"Mathew told me about you, said you were coming." he said sticking his hand out and shoved his uniform in my outstretched hand.
"Thanks."
He then pushed a button that resembled the sign of Tanit and turned to face us.
"Thomas J. Kirk, Captain of the African Legion. You four are about to enter New Hippone, safe haven for mortals and demigods alike. Keep yourselves in line and don't conduct yourselves in an offensive behavior. Enjoy yourselves.
"Is there anyone in authority here, I would like to speak with them."
"I already know the hundred and four are already expecting you."
"You have one hundred and four people hear"? Gisco asked.
"No, it's really the council of one point four. Rounded down because we only have two people in the whole place." Thomas said taking back his uniform.
"Just two"? Gisco asked.
"Now, six." Thomas said stretching his arms out at us as the elevator dinged and the doors opened revealing what looked like a janitor's closet.
"Welcome." A young bald man wearing a purple robe greeted us. "I am the head of the one hundred and four and the rest of New Hippone. Before we conduct anymore business perhaps Thomas here would like to show you around." the man said looking over to Thomas.
"Right sir." Thomas said as he gestured for us to follow him.
"Except for you." the man said looking at me. "I would speak with you. Come with me."
The man led me through a door to the left next to what I could only assume was a wine rack, into a small conference room.
"Sit down, you must be tired after such a long journey." he said gesturing at the table.
"As I recall you come from New Carthage I had hoped for a larger party of survivors, but that matters not, at least you made it here in one peace. Please if you would be so kind to relay the events of your tale for formal record keeping." the man said taking a pen from his pocket and sliding over a notepad.
So I told him everything, from Gisco's and my quest, the revolution of the mercenaries, the destruction of our ship and washing ashore to find myself in the Hunter camp the Stymphalian Birds finding the young Greek boy and the dracon until I had relayed the entire trip back to him.
The man clicked his pen on the table twice and stood up
"Thank you. I believe that will be all. You can find your friends now. However when you do go to free Khasis if you could find more recruits that would be extremely helpful.
I rose from my seat and was almost out of the door when he spoke again,
"You should know that we are at the base of Mount Zephon, home of the gods. However ever since the sealing it remains dormant and dead. If you were able to free the gods from their prisons life again could return there. Just a thought." He turned back to the paper smiling.
After taking a door on the right I caught up with Gisco and the others. Thomas nodded at me and continued to lead us through another hallway which led to the basement of an apartment.
"You can take your pick of rooms I have the keys for two right here." He said handing a key to me and Elissa.
"I already have a training program for you Gisco, Himilco wants you to study the culture while you are utilizing our little base of operations here, and I suggest the Field Museum and various libraries. Thomas said handing Gisco a map.
"You girls, I want you to go out and start finding more mortals who are at risk that is anyone who can see through the mist or anyone who shows promise."
"You," Thomas said looking at me "as soon as you come back from you errand Himilco wants you to report to him directly. With that, I
wish you good day." Thomas said leaving us.
Gisco's and my room was on a second floor of a skyscraper, two beds a book case and a desk, and it almost reminded me of a hotel room except for the giant fountain on the balcony. It depicted "Ba'al Hadads struggle with Yam and his Leviathan. Each club of Ba'al Hadads was in contact with Yam and the Leviathan, water arching from their wounds.
"Brings back memories doesn't it." Gisco asked coming from behind me, I hoped for his sake that he was being sarcastic.
"I call the bed next to the window."
"Yeah, sure." Gisco said taking a book from its case.
"What is it"? I asked throwing myself down on the bed.
"Ancient military strategy. That's more your forte." he responded throwing the book to me.
"The entire bookshelf is filled with just strategy books, can he not find any others"? Gisco asked scanning the other books.
"This looks like a hotel, try inside of the nightstand."
Gisco looked at me strangely then shrugged and opened the drawer and held up a very old book. "The Ba'al Cycle." He said after blowing the dust off of the cover.
"Come on, we still need to find Khasis." I said rising. "Take the book along, I have a feeling that it will come in handy."
When we reported to back to the head of the hundred and four to let him know our plans he issued Elissa and I with simple wood and leather shields as seeing that both Bethóc and Gisco carried bows.
"Wait!" Captain Kirk…
(Shut up Elissa, I don't care how trekkie it sounds, his last name was Kirk and he was a captain.)
"Wait!" Captain Kirk shouted as we reemerged to street level, "Each one of you gets one of these." He said handing me four black tickets.
"For public transportation, they know us; we've hired them to ignore any incidents that may happen."
"Incidents"? I asked taking the tickets.
"You know, in case anyone sees your weapons or that through the mist." Thomas said pointing at Gisco's book.
"I'm glad you found that anyway should make things easier for the four of you." He said and then returned to the John Hancock Building. However before he entered the doors he turned around and shouted
"You should start in the Field Museum and then the others." with that he was gone.
Taking the buss to the museum was easy, like Thomas had said the bus driver saw our tickets and let us through, getting into the museum was also easy after I pulled out my wallet and started searching for cash the attendant caught a glimpse of the black ticket and ushered us through, finding the food court was also easy.
After purchasing food with the little spending money I had we found a table with few others around. One was a male who seemed to be a volunteer for the museum, and a single young women that just so happened to be a teacher who was leading her class on a field trip.
Needles to say we didn't end up talking about anything productive and tried our best to act like your stereotypical teenagers.
It didn't go well.
(I believe I told them that.
All right, all right.)
By the end of it I'm sure everyone thought Gisco and I were automatons, Elissa was on a sugar spaz and that Bethóc was undergoing some sort of cruel and unusual punishment.
However finding where Khasis was being held, was another matter altogether.
We decided to start our search in Africa after finding nothing of use we looked around the evolving world, but found nothing of interest.
Then Gisco came up with a great idea.
"Let's head to Inside Ancient Egypt."
The first time through it was the same as all of the other exhibits, but then something hit me.
"Gisco, weren't there figurines of Ptah found in Carthage's ruins"?
"Of course." Gisco responded smiling.
"There should be images of him on the walls. Come on. He said leading us back into Inside Ancient Egypt.
Now that we knew what we were looking for the hunt became tremendously easier, inside of the market we found the picture of him. Now all we needed to do was to release Khasis.
"Any ideas"?
No one answered.
"I think I have something." Gisco responded after looking in his book for sometime. "Just, don't let anyone sea this." he said turning to the wall.
"*Qds Khasis rs W…" Gisco started speaking in a language similar to Punic, but not. It was the same language that I had heard in my dream.
However I didn't have any time to think about it any longer because Bethóc nudged me out of my trance.
"Behind you, it's the same man that was siting near us during lunch." she said looking at a display trying to blend in.
"Elissa," I whispered, "distract him."
Elissa happily obliged and ran over to the man and started to bombard him with questions.
"Can you hurry up, I don't want the school group to come next." I asked.
Gisco grunted and continued on. I turned my look back to the image and blinked when i saw that it was glowing green, almost as if it was trying to pop itself off of the wall.
That's when everything went wrong.
"Stop right there, what do you think you're doing you vandal"?
Elissa had been trying to keep the man from looking at us I turned around and saw the man holding a curved sword to her throat.
"Who are you"? I asked hoping to give Gisco more time to finish his chant.
"I am a volunteer here now scram before I call security."
"That wouldn't explain why you have a sword to my sister's throat."
"Ah, mortals who can sea through the mist, I feel for your kind so i'll let you go without any trouble if you leave now." the man said releasing Elissa
"Answer my question, who are you"?
The man narrowed his eyes, "Fine I'm the head magician of the thirty seventh node based here in Chicago. Now step back or I will show you why I am called that."
"All right, Gisco are you almost done"? I asked.
"I need more time this isn't easy." he snapped.
You're Egyptian." I said turning back to the man.
"Hardly, I've just moved here from the Netherlands.
"I mean an Egyptian magician. A follower of the Egyptian gods."
"What are new recruits doing here"? The man asked. "You should be at the node studying. And please step away from the wall."
This was problematic, Gisco still needed more time to finish his... whatever it was he was doing, so I did the natural thing I made sure we were the only people and pulled out my sword.
"We are not new recruits and we are most certainly not moving away from the wall."
The man was startled for a minute but then quickly regained his composure and drew his blade.
"if it's a fight you're looking for I will certainly not back down." The man said pointing at Bethóc and Elissa both of their weapons fell to the floor.
"I will not have my first battle in years be hindered by arrows and knives."
I unsheathed my falcata as he brought forth his sickle shaped sword. When he looked at my sword he raised an eyebrow.
"You're not Egyptian at all."
I thought about using my shield but if my training had taught me anything it was that it was best to avoid using a shield against a curved blade, as the swords curve allowed an easier access around the shield. Also I didn't want to waste any time.
The first blow came as a surprise, instead of slashing at me like I had anticipated the man dropped down to stab at my stomach.
I jumped to the side almost knocking over a market board of dates, however his blade still managed to cut my side.
I now started to regret all the times I had fled over my past adventures as I realized my swordsmanship had deteriorated.
His next blow I was able to easily guard against since it was an overhead swing and all i had to do was backstep avoiding the strike altogether.
However the man was certainly a veteran, as his miss did not faze him and used his forward momentum to strike my falcata from its path to his chest resulting in a giant opening for him.
Luckily for me though he reacted surprised which gave me all of the time I needed to knock his sword out of his hand.
The man backed away eyes wide, "Who are you"?
"Mago Anderson."
"That sword isn't Egyptian or Greek, what is it"?
"It's a falcata, a Carthaginian blade made from Spanish steal."
"Well, you certainly know how to handle a sword, you managed to hold on to it even after my last blow, my compliments."
"Oh, yes, that's actually the sword doing the work, the hooked shape hilt prevents it from flying out of anyone's hands easily."
"Oh, well I, uh, you still need to stand away from the wall." the man said awkwardly.
"Done." Gisco said. "Have a good day sir.
We all started exiting the exhibit, I stopped and turned around.
"I'm sorry I never caught your name."
"Michael Desjardins."
*Phoenician for approximately; holy khasis to raise and...