6
UNDERGROUND PRISON
MY HEAD WAS RACKED WITH PAIN. I groaned, and rubbed my temple. I then looked around. The only light came from the window in the crude, moldy door, and two torches on either wall.
By the looks of the dirt and stone walls, I was in an underground prison. The floor of the cell was covered with moldy hay.The murkysmell of mold and mildew was extremely strong.
Two molded and dirt covered skeletons where chained to the wall. Between them sat an old, extremely wrinkled man. His small beard was white and the hair on his head was thinning, he was almost bald. He wore, what looked like, a warrior's array of clothing that made him looked even more wrinkled and smaller then he probably was.
"Ah!" said the old man in a soft voice. "So, you wake at last."
At first I could not remember why or how I got there. Nor did I know this stranger. My first instinct was to act unkind mostlydurto the painful pounding in my head.
"Who, the hell, are you?" I snapped.
The old man shook his head as if I had insulted him.
"You are Akkadian," he said, wisely. "But you've lost your manners when speaking to your elders".
Well, he was right. Snapping at him like that was rather rude. I instantly felt guilt rush through me.
"Look," I said in a more softer, more apologetic tone than before. "I apologize for my rudeness. I am Mathayus."
The old man nodded and said, "Your apology is accepted. And I am Hammet an old man imprisoned here for almost as long as he can remember."
The old man, Hammet, cocked an eyebrow at me while I rubbed my still aching temple.
"I presume you musthave ran across my old rival, Magus", Hammet in a tone full of understanding.
"Your rival…? Magus…? I don't recall…" I said confused at first.
Then the aching from my head subsided, and then the memories of my test, and what really happened, came flooding back to me.
"Yes, I remember," I said, remembering well now. "The bastard set a trap for me."
"Hmm… " Hammet said, as if he was remembering as well. "He did the same to me long ago. We where colleges, almost the best of friends, he and I."
He paused as he remembered a time long ago, "But when I refused to follow him in his dark ways and vowed to stop him from harming innocent people the bastard betrayed me and locked me here out of his way".
He then stopped and held out his wrinkled arm.
"As you can see, I now have grown old while he is still young", he said.
"But how is it even possible?" I asked both amazed and inquisitive.
"He is allied with the forces of darkness, the dark gods of the Netherworld, My Akkadian friend," Hammet said. "He does their bidding and they reward him with youth and dark powers. While, his prisoners, the likes of us, rot and wither in his dungeons".
"Well," I said in a light, business like tone, getting up. "I'm not rotting here until I'm as old as you old man, if you see my dilemma."
I went to the locked door and inspected it closely. It was moldy.Somoldy it barely stood on it's hinges.
"I suppose they don't replace their doors down here, do they?" I asked Hammet.
"No, why?"
I got in to a fighting stance and gave the door a swift, strong kick that knocked the door right off it's placement.
"That's why," I said as the door fell the dirt ground, breaking instantly.
I turned to see an astonished Hammet, who got to his feet.
"Are you coming?" I asked, amused at the look at his face.
-
I glanced around the cavern. It seemed as if there was no one there. For the moment.
"Come on," I whispered to Hammet.
We glanced around. This chamber was no better then the dank and dark prison cell. A few human skeletons hung from the chains attached to the ceiling.
"And were do you think your going?" said a cold voice. I turned to see a man wearing a sand colored tunic and turban, with an iron knuckle gauntlet.
Oh great, I thought to myself, prison guards.
"What does it look like you stupid bastard? We're leaving," I said frankly.
His sarcasm instantly turned to anger.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" he yelled in a threatening tone, running at me.
"Well, you soon won't have anything to say soon! Dead Men don't talk!" I yelled back, running at him.
The guard lunged with a punch. I dodged and pressed two points on his arm before he could pull it back. Hitting the two points made his arm go completely limp. I then grabbed hold of his turbaned head and knee kicked him sharply in the forehead, knocking him out.
"Not bad," Hammet said, impressed.
I went to him and yanked off the gauntlet.
"I'll take this, thank you," I said to the guard putting theiron knuckleon to my own arm.
I then glanced up to see another crude prison door. Inquisitive, I went to it's window and peered in.
There where three men, warriors by the looks of their clothes, sat in the cell. All three of them looked as grey, asshabby, andas beaten as Hammet looked when I first saw him.
I felt the, now, unmistakable feeling of pity. They looked as if they had sons my age daughters they never got to say good-bye to, and wives they missed dearly. I felt compelled to help them.
"Mathayus, what are you waiting for?" Hammet said.
"We have to help them," I said with a determined.
"What?" Hammet said. "Why?"
"Why?" I said.
What the hell?
"What do you mean why?" I said. Cocking an eyebrow at him.
"Akkadian, Magus put them in his dungeons for a reason you know", Hammet said as if he thought I was losing my sanity. "They could be backstabbing bastards for all you know. What if they-"
"Hammet," I said cutting him off. "What if they have family just as me and you do".
"No", Hammet said firmly. I could tell I touched a nerve. "Your wrong, Akkadian. I don't have a family. Not any more. Magus killed them years ago".
"Sorry," I apologized.
Hammet nodded and stared at the ground as if he found the dirt fascinating.
"But then you know why we must free them", I said stubbornly.
Hammet groaned, "Fine, damn it Akkadian. But if they stab us in the back while we're dying expect me to say 'I told you so'."
"Fair enough," I agreed. "But I doubt you'll utter those words".
"We'll see," Hammet muttered under his breath.
I chose to ignore that last comment. Stepping back, I kicked the door open. The door splintered and fell off its hinges.
The three menlooked up with apprehension and fear on their faces and in their eyes.
"Hello", I said as if I was making a friendly visit. "Me and this old man here-" I motioned to Hammet-"are escaping this hell-hole. I thought it would be polite if I asked you three to join us".
All three of them looked to each other as if they couldn't believe it.
"Your-your joking aren't you?" said one, as if he couldn't comprehend my words.
"Trust me, if I was joking it would be a hell of a lot more funnier then that," I said motioning for them to leave their hellish cell.
-
We ran through the next few tunnels with out any event. It was when we found ourselves at a place in the tunnel where it forked into two different tunnels that we ran into a problem.
"Now where Akkadian?" asked one of the men. I could feel my hopes fall.
"I wishI knew. I was unconscious when I was brought here." I said my hopes falling.
"Well where do we go now?" asked another.
"Uh… Mathayus," Hammet said suddenly poking me in the shoulder.
"Not now", I said over my shoulder to Hammet. I turned to my fellow warriors and said, "Does anyone have any ideas?"
"Not one", said another warrior.
"Mathayus," Hammet said more urgently, jabbing his finger painfully into a pressure point on the back of my neck.
"What?" I said. A little angry that the old manwas bothering me at a time like this.
"Did you see that?" Hammet said, not catching my irritation, pointing. The other warriors and I looked at what he was pointing at.
There elevated on a filigree golden pedestal and made of polished silver was a mirror. Shafts of light seemed ring around it. It seemed to be made for a place.
"What the hell?" breathed one of the warriors.
"Yes, That's what I was thinking," Hammet said
"But why, of all the places in the land of the living, did Magus put a mirror here?" I asked cocking an eyebrow.
"Maybe he's gone insane by some sort of madness," suggested one of the three warriors.
"I doubt it," Hammet said, "he may be unhinged by power but I'm sure he has some reason for this".
"Wait. Wait a minute! I got it! It's brilliant!" said one of the warriors, smiling, he ran to the mirror as if it was a long lost friend or brother.
"What is he so damn happy about?" I asked one of the other warriors.
"Well, he has been locked in that cell for awhile…" said one of the warriors, scratching his scalp.
"No, listen to the inscription carved into the back of mirror," he said. "It says:
Light into Darkness
Darkness into Light
Darkness may blind you
But keep in mind
Through it Light shall always shine bright
Light into Darkness
Darkness into Light".
Silence met this reading. All of the other warriors (myself included) didn't know what to make of this. We all looked at each other, apparently thinking the same thing. Meanwhile, the warrior by the mirror looked at us waiting for one of us to make a statement.
"Um, for how long", I asked the other warrior who had spoken before the reading of the inscription, "was he locked in that cell?"
"Don't you get it?" said the warrior by the mirror, he tried to shift the mirror the pedestal but, I could tell from his shabbiness, he had lost his strength many years ago. "It's a clue for what the mirror's use is!"
"Hang on," I said, suddenly it made sense.
"What is it?" Hammet asked.
"I just thought of something".
I went to the mirror, beside the warrior. I looked to the warrior, silently asking. He nodded, confirming my question. He stepped away from the mirror. I went to the pedestal and grabbed a hold of it pushing it into the light. Then I grabbed a hold of the mirror itself. At first the mirror wouldn't budge and then … There was a scraping sound as I pushed and pulled the mirror and it's reflected beam of light to the now split tunnels.
"Akkadian?" said Hammet, "do you mind telling us what…?"
Hammet may of finished his sentence but I didn't listen. The beam of light that I was directing hit the tunnel on the right…
…and somehow the beam was reflected off the wall as if there was and invisible mirror there!
"What? How…?" stuttered one of the warriors.
"This prison must be a labyrinth of tunnels and dead ends", said the warrior who had helped me with the mirror, "so, if in doubt, the prison guards could go to the mirror and reflect the light beams off the mirror and they would find a way out".
"Not only that but it would be too clever for the average prisoner", I added.
"You got that right", said Hammet.
"Come on lets get out of here!"
-
We spent most of the next few moments following the light reflected off (I surmised since Magus was a sorcerer)bewitched mirrors. As we ran I felt a ray of hope.
The light beam led us to a great chamber. In it's center was a great ash gray rock, three times my height. On it was another silver-and-gold mirror, along with…
"Get down!" Yelled one of the warriors with us.
We all dived to the floor as the archer on the rock let several arrows fly. All of the projectiles hit the ground behind us.
I leapt up yelling, "I'll take care of this!"
Quickly, I climbed up the rock to the archer.
"Hi," I said knocking the arrow he hadout of his hand.
I drew back my gauntleted fist a punched the archer in the jaw. He fell to the floor as if sleep had suddenly overtook him.
"Akkadian!" yelled a voice.
I turned to see the four other warriors (Hammet included) scrambling up the rock, fear was written on their faces.
"What-?"
It was then I saw the reason why these men looked terrified. Two extremely ugly, extremely fat, dirt caked, bald, and vary smelly prison guards had been chasing the men with thick wooden clubs. I yanked Hammet up by his cuirass and helped another one of the warriors up. I went to the unconscious archer and pulled out a much needed bronze sword from his sheathe.
I leapt off the stone, sword in hand. On of the guards roared swinging his club threateningly.
"Whoa ugly!" I yelled as he ran at me.
He swung his thick club at my head I dodged and, before he could swing again, I gave him the back of my fist. He stumbled back a little. Then as fast as I could I lunged forward stabbing him in the stomach.
"ARGH!"
I swung around to face the other prison guard that, in my opinion, looked even uglier than the first if that was possible.
The guard ran at me. I swiftly kicked him between the legs. To my surprise he didn't even stumble.
"Oh great".
I swung the sword at his side, he suddenly grabbed a hold of my wrist of the hand that had the bronze sword. He raised his thick club high.
Die well, I thought as he raised the club.
I stood ready to meet my gruesome end. Suddenly there was a faint whoosh as a arrow came flying out of nowhere.
The arrow hit the fat guard in the side of his head. His grip was suddenly loose and his club tumbled out of his hand. He hit the ground with a THUMP!
I looked up to see one of the warriors had the archer's bow in his hand. I nodded to him my thanks. I glanced to see that once again the tunnel split into two.
"Where to now?" I called to them.
Hammet seemed to have some trouble at first moving the mirror at first but he eventually managed to move the mirror. The beam of light (That came from a shaft in the high ceiling) reflected off the mirror on to the tunnel to the left in hit another unseen mirror and reflected once again.
"That way", Hammet said pointing to the tunnel to left.
-
We followed the beam of light to another great chamber. At least four steaming geysers rose out of the earth like steaming mountains. In between them was a puddle of water. The top half of skeletons hug from the chains that came from the ceiling hung over the geysers.
We had made it half-way across the chamber when there was a soft hiss that made us stop. We all looked to the pool to see several deadly black cobras rear up, hissing threateningly.
"I hate snakes", Hammet said shaking his head in disgust.
"Damn," said a warrior behind me, "have you seen cobras act like that?"
"Magus must have them under an enchantment," answered another.
"That's a comforting thought," I said sardonically.
As soon as I spoke more cobras reared their heads. Until it looked more like a pit of deadly cobras then a pool of water.
"I don't know about you guys but I really think we should MOVE!" yelled one of the warriors.
We ran across the room to a wooden door.
"It's locked!" Yelled Hammet after he had tried to pull the door open.
I swung around the many cobras where starting to get closer.
I turned to see all of the other warriors where looking at me like I had a plan to get us out of here. I thought quickly.
"BREAKDOWN THE DOOR!" I yelled to them, "I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!"
I swung around and unsheathed my bronze sword. I sliced the first cobra that came across my path, then another then another.
Taking a quick glance behind me I saw that the older warriors where having some trouble breaking down the door.
"Are you done yet!" I yelled jumping back to avoid a cobra bite.
"We're working on it!" Hammet yelled back.
"WELL HURRY!" I yelled back over my shoulder, "I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN HOLD THESE DAMNED THINGS OFF!"
I sliced through another to see more appear from the pool.
Oh Damn!
I was taking a deep breath to prepare myself for my possible end when there was a loud BAM!
"Akkadian! Come ON!" Yelled one of the warriors.
I turned around to see that they had some how managed to break open the locked door. Not hesitating, I ran to the now opened door, cobras swiping at my ankles and heels. I jumped threw the door and as soon as I did the older warriors slammed the door shut behind me.
"No wonder why you don't like snakes," I said to Hammet as I sheathed my sword.
-
It wasn't before long while we where following the reflected light that we found ourselves before a door.
We all looked at each other like we where almost afraid to open the door and see what was on the other side. Taking a deep breath I clasped the rusty handle and pulled the door open.
This chamber was as massive as the one with the cobras had been. A wooden winding staircase was built next to the walls of the chamber.
But the only problem with this wasn't the winding staircase, it was the fact that there must have been seven archers on it.
As soon as they saw us they pelted us with arrows. I pushed the others back as the arrows fell. I ran, dodging arrows as I made my way to a simple wooden chest that was just across the door, hoping that there was something of use in that it.
I pulled out a thick broad sword and a metal shield.
I ran up the spiraling staircase punching the first archer (who was scrambling for an arrow) in the jaw with my iron knuckled hand. I ran up a few more stairs when I found another archer before me. He had his bow and arrow ready when I crescent kicked it out of his hands. The now useless bow and arrow fell off the staircase onto the ground. I raised my broad sword and sent it's handle crashing down onto the back of his skull. I thundered up the stairs to face another. He sent an arrow at me suddenly. I blocked it with my shield. Before he could even reach back for another arrow I lashed out and kicked him in the ribs. When he leaned to the side in pain I grabbed his head and slammed it hard into the wall.
The next three archers where dealt with in the same fashion as the ones before. It was when I was before the seventh archer who had not one arrow notched but three and had sent them speeding at me as soon as I was in his sight did I discover my reflexes. I dodged the arrows (that just barely missed my face) and went running at the archer, brandishing my broad sword. The archer, meanwhile, threw aside his bow and took up a sliver glinting scimitar.
The archer swung his sword at my side. I blocked with my shield and, with my sword sliced his shoulder (mostly because I was a little slow with the heavy broad sword). As he winced in pain I gave him a right hook that set him flipping backwards. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Well, I thought to myself as I glanced down the stairs that had unconscious archers laying there as if in a deep sleep, it looks like my training was well worth it.
"Akkadian! You alright?" called one of the elderly warriors.
"I'm fine," I called back, "it's safe now".
I grabbed the unconscious man's bag putting his bow and scimitar in it. Knowing that me and the others may have need of it.
"Grave robbing are we?"asked a liltingvoice behind me I turned around to see the warriors and Hammet who was leaning on a wooden staff.
"Well, ifpreparing for the worst counts as grave robbing," I replied, not really careing.
One of them grinned and said, "I doubt it".
I grinned back and glanced to see another door. My face fell. Not another one.
"I'll get this one this time," said one of the warriors seeing my expression.
He went to the door a pulled it open.
We all looked at him unsure.
He turned to us and nodded that it was safe and we followed him in.
-
The door led us to the area above the snake pit chamber. A mirror glinted at the end of bridge made of wood was made along the stone wall. Parts of the molded bridge had broke away making it, well, dangerous to cross.
"First snakes now this," said a warrior behind me.
I looked closely at the bridge. It looked like it could support our weight but, only just.
"I think we can make it across," I said surely.
"You sound so sure," Hammet remarked.
"I am, at least I hope so. We should go one at a time", I said.
The others nodded their agreement.
"I'll go first".
So, very reluctantly, I stepped onto the bridge. The boards creaked in protest, but accepted my weight. Every step I took made the creaking even louder. I turned to see the warriors waiting on bated breath, wincing every time a board shuddered below me. I tried not to think of the drop that awaited me if the boards below me should break. If the fall didn't kill me the snakes would.
After what seemed like forever, I finally made it to the end of the bridge. I nodded and, very slowly, the other warriors followed my lead across the bridge.
Soon all of the warriors, besides Hammet, had made it across.
"Are you coming or what?" I called.
The other warriors where behind me, pushing the mirror (the tunnel had split in two again) to see where we should where we would go next.
Hammet groaned and slowly started to walk across the bridge.
He was about half way when suddenly below him was a sickening CRACK! It as if time slowed as the boards broke beneath Hammet.
As the warriors yelled I ran and dived after him. In the air I had the mind to do two things. I grabbed Hammet's wrist with my left hand, with my right I unsheathed my scimitar and stabbed it into the wooden bridge.
Using all the strength I could muster I my right arm, I pulled myself up. I pulled Hammet out of the newly made hole in the bridge saying, "If there everis a next time watch out for that one step".
The rest of the way we both treaded cautiously on the bridge. We arrived at the end of it as soon as one of the warriors had managed to move the reflected light beam the was reflected from an enchanted mirror on the left tunnel.
-
As we followed the light beam Hammet thanked me for saving him, countless times.
"Hey, don't mention it alright", I said simply to him as we took another turn.
Suddenly the beam of light led us to another chamber. In this one was a cavern so deep we could not see it's dark bottom. The only thing there to keep a man from falling into Anubis's realm was the shards of earth that acted like stepping stones, each where several paces across. Above where several mirrors that reflected the beam of light around a small bend.
And on a few of these earth shards where archers.
Damn it, not again, I thought.
"Well, this just keeps getting better and better", I said sarcastically.
The other warriors got down as they sent arrows at us. Using my shield, I blocked their arrows and ran at them. As soon as I jumped at the first archer I got down and gave him sweep kick. He fell back, screaming, into the dark unknown. As soon as I got up I dodged an arrow that went speeding over my head. I looked at that archer that had sent it.
Vary. Bad. Idea. I thought angrily to myself.
I jumped onto the shard of earth he was on and before he could notch another arrow I had lunged with a punch that knock him unconscious. I looked over to see that not only was there an archer waiting for me but two fat, ugly, disgusting prison guards where there as well.
I quickly grabbed the unconscious guards bow and three of his arrows. I quickly notched all three arrows as soon as the other archer did and aimed. I pulled back the bowstring as far as it would allow and let go.
Each arrow hit it's target dead on. Hitting them all in the chest. The force of my arrows seemed to knock them off their feet. Making them all fall to certain death.
I looked back to the other warriors, all of them looked amazed.
"You never cease to surprise do you, Akkadian?" said one of the warriors in an amused tone.
"No," I said. "And I don't plan to".
I tossed the bow aside. Without arrows I had no use for it.
When we made it passed the last jump we found that the light beam was shining on to a golden door handle in a door made of deep rich wood.
I took a deep breath.
Well, I thought to myself, here goes everything.
And with that thought I opened the door.