3
KHEMET
IT WAS QUIET ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF KHEMET. The only sounds in the night where the sounds of crickets. The full moon and stars where on high when I made it to the market town. The wooden entrance doors where closed and bolted shut, for that reason I had to find another way in.
In the corner farthest from the palace I found my entrance. A part of the wall had cracked and weathered away leaving a great gap in the wall. So I climbed up the wall and into that gap. I looked below to see a thatched roof. Quietly, I jumped down and landed with not so much as a sound. Furtively, I walked on the roof hearing the snores of the home occupants. I glanced around to see not a living soul. So as silently as I could, I jumped to the sand, and dusty ground.
I surveyed the area. It was as quiet as a tomb, a few abandoned homes where in the corner and a iron black oil torch flickered in the night. I could hear a few people in the night, speaking in their homes but I did not see anyone. Not yet.
I hid in the shadows. Even though I did not see any one it didn't mean that thenight gaurds would patrolling the streets.
It was a good thing I did as well, as soon as I had hidden a guard that, not doubt, was on the night watch came to the small corner that I was in. I hoped that the shadows where hiding me well, as the guard walked about four paces in front of me. I quietly sidestepped, as the guard looked around.
It was then I stepped on, I surmised, a twig of kindleing. A small crack issued in the night. It was a small noise but it was loud enough.
"Hey You!" the guard said to me (thanks to the twig he knew where I was at).
Well, I thought to myself, so much for the silent approach.
There was the sound of metal scraping against leather, and in the torchlight I saw the guard unsheathe his bronze sword. He put the edge to my throat.
"Come out of the shadows", the guard said.
Damn!
Would he recognize me as an Akkadian? I wondered. I hoped not, butif so then it wouldn't be long until I would be (as my creedput it)dying well.
I stepped into the torchlight. He raised an eyebrow. Did he recognize me as an assassin?
It was then he spoke in a hash tone, "What the hell are you doing out at this late at night, boy?"
I thought quickly.
"I'mhere to apologize, Sir,"I said simply.
"For what?" said the guard.
I moved my neck so I wouldn't get cut, and crescent kicked the sword out of his hands. While the sword was in the air I punched him in the jaw knocking him unconscious.
As he hit the ground I spoke to him, "For that."
I grabbed the unconscious guard and pulled him into the shadows, I put the sword in his hand to make it seem as if his was merely sleeping on his late night duty. It was then I darted to the next shadow.
I was wary. If there were more night guards then this test would be a little harder than I thought.
-
It was while I was darting from shadow to shadow that I saw three guards ahead of me.
Damn it, I thought. If I knocked out more than one guard and they noticed, then the whole guard would, surely, be alerted. Besides they knew these streets a hell of a lot better than I did.
I glanced around to see a traders cart resting against a mud brick home. This home was connected to the other with thick wooden beams that had various sorts of weaponry on display.
I darted, silently to the cart and climbed onto it, and from the cart I climbed onto the thatched roof of the mud brick home. I quietly crept along the roof to the thick beams. Keeping in mind that the three guards where just below me. Torches in their hands would make it difficult to hide in the night. If they looked up then they most likely would of spotted me (I may be good at hiding but I can't turn invisible) and who knows what would happen.
I made it to the beam. Now I had to be vary careful where I stepped. I felt like an agile predator as I carefully stepped across the beam, aware that I was stepping on to the hangings of many weapons.
I may have been at least halfway across the beam when I heard a soft click behind me. I turned to see not only was a bonze sword sheathe was loose but, somehow, the leather sheathe was coming undone. Before I could go secure the sword and tighten the leather binding on it's sheathe, before I could snatch itthe bronze sword cut through its leather binding and fell freely to the ground.
There was a strange whistling sound as the metalsword fell, turning end over end. The sword hit the ground point first. Sheathing itself into the earth with a strange THR-UMP!
There wasn't anyway they could of not hear that. It had practically echoed off the mud brick homes in the silent night. All three of the guards stopped dead their silent conversation. They swung around to see the bonze sword in the ground then, instinctively they looked up straight at me.
Well, it was obvious that I wasn't here for a good night stroll or anything; after all who would have onthe high beams in the market place?One of the guards grabbed his bow and an arrow he quickly notched it. I thought quickly. He pulled back the bowstring and his arrow let fly. As his arrow came speeding at me I dived off the beam, narrowly missing it. I hit the ground (It wasn't a long drop) rolling to my feet, as I did that I unsheathed the bronze sword from its earthy scabbard.
I charged at they guard, sword in hand, as he reached back for another arrow. I was before him, when he had grabbed hold of one. I slashed at his bow with the sword and threw him one punch that knocked him to the floor, unconscious.
Then there was a swish as an arrow went byand then a painful burning sensation on my arm. I swung around to face another night guard with a bow in hand.
He threw his bow aside and took up his bronze sword. We ran at each other. The guard swung his sword at my side, I answered with a parry. The sound of clashing steel filled the still night. I swung with a slash of my own, that the guard parried. I then sent a, unexpected, snap kick in the groin. Then, as he leaned forward in pain, I sent my sword hilt crashing down onto the back of his head. He fell to the ground. I swung around to see the last guard.
His eyes widened in fear. Not even taking up his sword, he bolted through an alleyway. Most likely, he was off to warn his fellow guardsmen that there was an intruder.
Cowards, I thought to myself and, with the bronze sword in hand I set off, once agian,into the dark night.
-
I was a little while later I found myself before a wooden plank gate in what looked like a wall, looking to my right I saw a door. Could something through that door open the gate? I had to find out. I walked to the door, unsure of what I was about to do. I clasped the worn handle and pulled it open.
In this somewhat small room (that was about several paces from one far wall to the other) there was only a table with wooden plate and with small animal bones piled on it, and wheel that was in the center of the wall across from the only door in this small room. I sat my bronze sword on the table and went to the wheel.
With all the strength I could muster, I pulled the wheel that, I guessed, hoisted the gate, and, using a wooden block nearby, locked it into place. I snatched up my bronze sword and went to see if this wheel had opened the gate. It had.
Casually, I strolled through the gate into the Town Square. I glanced at the closed shops; owners had their best good secure somewhere so each stand was empty. At the far left of where I had entered was the greatly bolted doors of Khemet's entrance, and, just sixty maybe seventy paces down the line was the massive dark wooden doors to the great place of Khemet.
The hugedoors where elevated by ten or twenty steps of tan stone. Sitting next to the palace entrance where two marble statues of sphinxes, the legendary creature of protection that had the body of a fierce lion but the head of a king. However, the sphinx wasn't the only thing guarding the palace entrance. So where several night guards.
Suddenly there was a great WHAM! As the gate came crashing down. I didn't have time to hide as the guards appeared in seconds.
"Wait!" I said in mock concern, not in the mood for another brawl, "before you do something that could get you killed, can't we talk about this?"
One of the guards unsheathed a curved scimitar, he ran at me, brandishing his weapon in the torchlight from the not far palace.
"I guess not".
I parried the guard's blow. With that for a distraction, I punched him in the gut. I glanced over to see another guard charging at me. I grabbed the bent down guard by the linen tunic collar and threw him at the other charging guard. They hit each other with a SMACK! I turned to the next angry night guard with a spinning back kick that sent him colliding with another guard.
It was then the massive palace doors opened. Three palace guards came out.
"It's the Akkadian intruder!" gasped one.
"Bring me his head!" another ordered.
One of the guards ran at me, sword swinging. My sword met his with a loud CLANG! I kicked him in the stomach, and with the other hand pulled a fast hit, that sent him to the floor.
Suddenly, another guard was before me. I swag my sword at his side, he parried. He sent a fast punch that I caught in the jaw. He then lunged forward with his blade. I dodged out of the way for him to stab, not me but a fellow guardsman in the side.
Now he was raging mad. He yanked his blade out of his comrade and ran at me with a shrill battle cry.
Not wanting to waste time, I did a spinning crescent kick that knocked him to the floor unconscious.
"Well," I said to the unconscious guard, "you looked like a tough fighter".
I looked around, the cost was clear. I ran to the massive palace door and grasped their golden handles. I pulled and pulled but the doors where not opening.
Damn!
The doors must have been bolted from behind. I would have to find another way into this lord's strong shell. I looked to my right, over one of the sphinx statues, to see an alleyway that followed the palace wall. Hoping that there was another way to creep into the Lord, Kepren's home and fortress, I ran down the stairs and down the alleyway, sword drawn.
-
I followed the alley to what, at first glance, looked like an abandoned warehouse. Moving closer, I could hear voices. I, quietly, cracked open the door to see a group guards playing a game of Senet. I looked beyond them to see another door.
Could that door open to the palace? I wondered. The alley stopped here. I had no choice.
I swung open the creaking door. The bunch of guards that where in this warehouse looked up and backed away in a mixture of fear and surprise.
"He's Akkadian," one breathed, quickly noticing my braids.
"It must be the intruder," another said, hand going to his .
"New travels fast around here, doesn't it?" I asked simply.
Suddenly one of the three ran at me punching. I dodged the punch, and slashed his side and pushed him away.
Another ran at me with a scimitar in one hand a metal shield in the other.
"Nice shield," I spoke up in a cocky tone, "you'll need it".
The guard slashed, I parried. I quickly sent him at slash of my own that he shielded himself from. I then snap kicked him as hard as a could between the legs.
He bent down, muttering a few words.
"Well," I said in a tone of mock concern, "that must of hurt."
I then yanked my sword handle down. He fell to the floor as if he had fallen asleep.
Suddenly, one of the guards grabbed me from behind. As I struggled to free myself, I looked up to see a guard behind an armed crossbow. The guard had fired when I swung around; offering the guard who had me from behind's back. He yelled in pain as the arrow got him. I threw him off my back.
"Akkadian bastard," he muttered, "desert scum."
"That's what you get when you attack a warrior from behind, you stupid bastard", I said darkly, and gave him an upper cut punch. That sent him flipping to the floor.
I swung around just in time to dodge an arrow from the guard's crossbow. I dashed to the guard, sword swinging. I was at him before he had notched another arrow. I swung my sword at his crossbow, and with the other hand I gave him a right hook in the jaw. He fell to the dirt floor.
That brawl was over.
I looked around the unconscious guards for something I could use. I grabbed the one guard's metal shield, a sheathe that I strapped to my waist, and, to my surprise, I found an iron knuckle gauntlet that I put on my left hand.
I was making my way to the back door when I heard the creaking and clanging of the door behind me. I turned to see who it was.
A man that was about my size had entered the warehouse. I could tell from his leather breeches, light green tunic and matching turban that he was a royal palace guardian.
"Well, well, well," The palace guard said in a cool tone, "you must be the Akkadian intruder".
Not waiting for me to answer he drew out, not one but two swords. The curves of these swords where more extreme then the curve of scimitars, and enameled in blood red and gold was a single flame. These swords where Flame Tongues.
"My fellows may of failed", the palace guard said in an arrogant tone, "but I will give you your most deserved beating".
"Good," I said unsheathing my bronze sword, "I was hoping for a challenge."
The palace guard and I ran at each other. He swung his two swords at me. I raised my shield to block the first hit. I gave him a kick in the stomach. He stumbled but quickly recover
It was almost like battling Jesup and Rama all over again. His every hit came harder and faster then the last.
Quickly I thought up a risky plan. As soon as the guard came at me again I shifted my shield, the guard hit the side of my shield and then…
…The guards swords cut into the metal and where now unmovable! The poor idiot's strength had gotten the better of him.
Now was my chance. I sweep kicked him to the floor.
"Pity", I said throwing the shield aside, taking up my bronze sword. "You really did promise me a challange."
I swing my bronze sword around, so it pointed down,and sent it crashing down upon the palace guard…
-
Instead of leading to the palace, the back door led to another alleyway, but this one was close to the palace walls. I furtively hid into the shadows waiting, and watching.
There was not sound besides the sounds of a squeaking unlocked window. I glanced up to the see the filigree window was one of the windows of the palace!
I looked to another thatched roof below it; wooden beams connected it to the mud-brick home to another right across it. I looked down the row of several mud-brick homes to see the last one had a trader's cart next to it; it was a good climbing distance away from the home. Glancing at the mud-brick homes I noticed each was a good three, or four, paces apart. I could jump that without any problems.
Sheathing my bronze sword, I ran to the home that was next to the cart and climbed up. I then, quietly, climbed on to the thatched roof. I ran and at the last minute jumped into the air. I landed onto the next roof with a soft thump. I then quietly ran and jumped the next. This process happened four, five times, before I was on the roof that had the beams that connected to the other home.
I stepped onto the wooden beam, careful not to lose my balance. It was not long until I stepped off the beam onto the thatched roof below the window. Silently, I went to the window, opened it and went in.
A.N- Yeah, I know, I'm evil when it comes to cliffhangers.