5
THE OFFER
THE LORDS CHAMBER WASFILLED WITHSHADOW, YET IT WAS PIERCED BY SMALLBEAMS OFMOONLIGHT. Couches made of the finest silks and linens sat in the chamber, tapestries hung on the limestone walls, and leopard skins lay under the furniture. A large deep red and gold rug sat on the marble floor.
And there before me was lord Kerpren's bed of blue linen and resin. I couldn't see his face but the figure in the bed was, most defiantly, a man.
I, furtively, crept to the side of the lord's bed. My scimitar raised high.
I knew at that moment I was born for the kill.
I had labored so hard for this moment.
Now it was finally my time to end it.
I took a deep breath, ready to pass my test. I then reached out and grasped the linen blankets that covered the monster lord's face, and yanked them back.
What I saw made me gasp and step back in surprise.
"The lord Kerpren of Khemet…dead?" I said astonished.
It was the lord all right. The body's golden jewelry could only belong to a lord. There was a sickening smell. What had happened to the lord was ghastly. There was dried blood, and the body was mangled in such a way that would send waves of nausea to the strongest stomach. But that wasn't the worst of it. The body, it looked frighteningly like…
" Something has…eaten him".
Suddenly, there was adeep rumbling. I swung around. Parts of the ceiling crumbled to the marble floor. Then there was a loud WHAM!
A beast fell down from a hole in the ceiling. The massive beast had the body of a man but the black fur and head of a jackal. It's pectoral of black iron and blood rubies, and in the beast's hands was a gigantic double blade tipped spear. Could it be…? It was.
The foul, eternally damned, demon of Anubis.
The demon pulled back his hand, as he did flames blossomed from his black-and-red clawed fingertips. He jerked his hand forward and flames shot out of his fingers. I dodged out of the way as flames came speeding at me. The flames hit the sandstone wall and went out as soon as it hit.
It was then the beast let out a roar. A blood curdling, glass shattering roar. Parts of the ceiling broke loose started to fall.
Damn it!
I dodged this way and that. Barely missing falling debris. The rumbling stopped. I looked over to see the beast was pulling his hand, flames started to form from his hands.
Desperate, I snatched up a piece of debris and threw it at the beast with all my might.
To my surprise, the beast crumbled to the floor. Seeing this as my only chance, I ran at the beast and started slashing, making it's blood ooze out it's cuts.
Before I could dodge it, the beast swung his arm back. The hit sent me flying to the other side of the chamber.As I hit the floora stabbing pain filled my back, but I couldn't stay there for long. I had to roll to the side to avoid another fireball the demon had sent.
I grabbed another, bigger, piece of debris and threw it at the Anubis demon. As soon as the cursed beast fell to the floor, I went at the beast, slashing and stabbing mercilessly.
The beast swatting at me as if I was an insect. I hit the wall with a loud SMACK!
Now I felt that internal firey rage, burn with a vengence.
The beast threw his head back and roared. I dodged this way and that so I would not be struck by falling bits of celing.
When the roaring and rumbling stopped I picked up a great piece and threw it with all the strength I could muster.
That sent the beast to his knees.
I went at him slicing and slashing. The beast's black blood seeped from it many cuts. I then lunged forward, stabbing the demon in the chest. I yanked out the blade quickly and stepped back.
The beast let out one last blood-chilling yowl, and then disintegrated until he was nothing more than sand and the dust of diamonds.
Then, suddenly,a chilling laugh rang out.
"Congratulations Akkadian," said a sere voice.
I swung around, scimitar at the ready.
"Who's there?" I called to the darkness, unsure. "What is the meaning of this?"
There was a sudden flash of light and color beside the late lord of Khemet's bed.
Then a man, who was clapping, appeared. He looked around forty but instinct told me he must have been older then that. This man had silvery gray hair, mirthless dark eyes, and sand-tan skin. He wore a golden headdress, a green-gray cuirass made out of some sort of scaled skin, a blood red belt, and night black breeches and boots.
I had only no other word for him but one.
Sorcerer.
"My name is Magus," said the sorcerer, who stopped clapping. "I've been searching for a man of you talent to assist me. I'm conducting an experiment. I need a man with strength such as yours if my work is to be successful".
"Searching for..?" I said. It was then I realized something that was so vile, so disturbing that I, at first, couldn't believe it myself. But now it made prefect sense.
"You set this up!" I said with astonishment and disgust. "You brought that beast that killed the lord of Khemet! You killed the concubine to lure me here!"
"The concubine is of no importance, my friend," Magus said as if is he was brushing off an insect. "Join me, Akkadian!"
I did not hesitate to answer him.
"Whatever your planning is evil, Sorcerer!" I said defiantly, disgusted that he had even thought I would join his forces. "I want no part in such deeds!"
For a short moment, a strange look flickered onto Magus' face. However, it quickly disappeared a soon as I noticed it.
"How disappointing," Magus said in a crusty tone, his face mirrored by his words. "And after all my preparations…"
He shook his head. Then lurched foreword with his hands. There was a blinding flash. The last thing I heard was Magus saying something that, at the time, didn't make sense: "Take him away to my dungeons! "
My vision turned, at first, a blinding white, and then aeverything wentblack.
AN- Hey guys! Just thought that I'd give you chapter 5 early as a Hoilday Present.
I don't know when I'll have time to update it since it looks like I have a booked hoilday. But I will continue Mathayus' story. I promise you.