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THE CURSED ISLAND

I AWOKE TO THE SOUND OF SLOSHING WAVES. My head pounding with an insane throbbing pain. My small scratches and cuts stinging from the salty sea water. Rather groggily, I sat up, rubbed my temple, and looked around.

As far as I could tell I was on a sandy beach somewhere, small cliffs of rocks surrounded the small beach, pieces of wood littered the shore. The sun was blocked by thick gray clouds. Rain pelted down onto my alreadyacheing head.

At first I was extremely confused.

Why the hell was I doing on a beach in the middle of nowhere?

Shouldn't I be preparing for the test King Urmhet was to give me?

It was then it all rushed back, like the waves on the shore.

In flashes I remembered going before King Urmhet to take my test, arriving in Khemet by cover of darkness, reaching the chambers of the one that I was to assassinate to only find a half eaten corpse, fighting the monster that had killed the lord of the town, and then the Offer from the sorcerer, Magus.

I groaned as all the other memories came back.

I then remembered the underground prison, meeting the old and wizened Hammet, escaping with him and several other men, then just after escaping seeing the pillar of smoke from a far off valley. A Valley that had been my home.

In a terrible blur I remembered Akkad, Karatas, Latana, King Urmhet, and the rest of my people. I then remembered my quest and my oath. My oath to rid the tribes of the sorcerer Magus.

Then I got a flash of the galley leaving the Harbor City to go to Crete, then the storm.

"Oh damn," I couldn't help but mutter.

If that wasn't enough, I was now shipwrecked on an island in the middle of the sea.

I stood up on my unsteady legs, like a body reaction Igroped my beltfor my scimitar. Good. It was still in the leather sheathe that I had strapped to my waist.

I quickly looked around, hoping that somehow my pack of weapons had washed up onto the beach and not somewhere at the bottom of the sea. It was then I saw it, my leather sack, partially floating on a piece of wood that could have been none other then the deck of the ship I had been on.

Not questioning this rare blessing, I ran to it and grabbed my sack off the drifting wood. I quickly and thoroughly checked my knifes, blades, and other weapons that I had put in my sack. They seemed a bit damp but none had been lost to the sea, or started rusting for that matter. At this I smiled.

I may be trapped on a unknown island, but at least I was well armed.

After I put several new knifes onto my belt did I bother to look up at the small cliffs that seemed to cut this beach away from the rest of the island. It was then I noticed, for the first time a strangely worn crack in the wall of rock.

It looked oddly like a pathway.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to think of any other options that I had, and finding none that would do me any good.

Deftly I slung the leather pack over my shoulders and walked to the path.

I could only hope that the locals would take kindly to my sudden appearance.

---

The winding path lead me to, what looked like a high way of some sort. On this highway was a broken sign that I couldn't read, but I recognized it's strange style. It had to be Minoan. But was it the place I wanted to be was the true question.

I followed the highway a for a short while when I saw it, something that made me stop and sharply take in breath. From the small gouge that I stood in I could see, what looked to be, a towering city and it's thick walls surrounding it, but it wasn't this that had surprised me. It was what the city looked like from the distance I was.

It looked crumbled, cracked, and in ruin. Massive structures, seemingly had toppled over like a child's building blocks. Pillars where cracked, barely able to hold high the massive weight that they where burdened with. The walls that protected the city looked near crumbing and was cracked in so many places that it would not last a fierce attack. But what was the most disturbing is that it looked as if whatever disaster that had struck this city had happened quite recently.

I had heard as a child from the older warriors and their travels about things like this happening. They even mentioned of several places that they went where the grand places had toppled over on to members of the royal family due to a strange cataclysm, the ground shaking violently as if the gods themselves where playing with mortals. They even came to speak of it's name as well, it called a earthquake.

I took a step foreword to take a closer look. It was then I saw two guards near by two cracked doors of dark wood that any fool could see led to the city. Both men where wearing dyed woolen skirts, thick leather cuirass', and bronze helmets crafted to have (what appeared to be) a bull horn on either side of their head.

Minoans.

As I took another step closer I could see both guards where surveying the clearing with watchful eyes, as if expecting something terrible would happen. Suddenly, one glanced over in my direction so fast that I wasn't able to take cover and properly hide myself.

"Who goes there?" Called the Minoan guard, a hand noticeably going to the pommel of his sheathed bronze sword.

I stepped into the clearing, hands raised so I was at the mercy of their arrow should the have comrades waiting with bows and arrow.

"My name is Mathayus and I don't mean to cause anyalarm, but I was shipwrecked here," I told them.

The two guards exchanged glances and let got of their sword handles. Meanwhile, I lowered my hands, and started walking to them. Each step I took, the condition of the city seem to worsen. It was when I stood before the Minoan guards did I ask.

"What has happened here?" I asked. "Was it some sort of earthquake?"

One of the Minoan guards shook his head.

"No, much worse," He said. "It was a beast! The bullheaded one himself has come to our island!"

"A bullheaded beast did this?" I breathed. Quickly remembering the old man, Hammet's words that he had spoke at the beginning of my quest:

Across the sea to the north, there is an island, Crete I believe, where a great city stands, blow this city is and ancient chamber, or tomb, where legends say the Sword is kept, guarded by strange beasts…

Meanwhile, the guard nodded.

"When it came upon our shores the ground seemed to tremble with the steps of it's mighty hooves," Spoke the other Minoan guard. "Our great building began to topple. Our people ran to the boats, but there were few of us (warriors and guards mostly) who stayed behind to fight. We have the beast trapped in the tomb. But it still shakes our island."

It was then at that moment the ground seemed to shudder. As it did I could help but noticed that it rumbled in perfect rhythm of a giant beasts footsteps.

Quickly I made up my mind.

"Take me to this beast, Minoans," I demanded. "I must see it."

Both guards looked to me as if I lost my sanity.

"What!" Exclaimed one of the guards. "Many of our men died to lock the damned thing up! We can't let you in there!"

"I can look after myself," I told him coolly.

"I'm not worried about you, Akkadian," said the Minoan guard, shaking his head. "But the beast mustn't get loose again."

"Don't worry," I told the guards. "It won't get loose."

The two guards looked to each other, it was from that look I could tell where this conversation would soon lead.

"Listen, if you'll just let me explain-."

But before I could go on, both guards whipped out their bronze swords from their scabbards.

"No, Akkadian, you listen," spoke one of the Minoan guards, an edge in his tone. "We don't care what your purpose is on this island, but whatever that reason is we can't have you open the tomb."

"Leave our island now, Akkadian," said the other guard in a harsh tone. "Or you will have to face the consequences."

I didn't want to fight them but it looked as if I didn't have any choice. I had to get to that tomb, I just had to.

"My quest does not involve you, Minoans," I told them, observing their stances, deciding what would be the best way to take them down.

"But if I must fight you to reach the tomb," I paused to pulled out my gleaming metal scimitar.

"Then I will."

"Attack him!"

Quickly, one of the guards leapt foreword, bearing a downward slash as to cut me in half. I quickly blocked it up high with my scimitar, and with my free hand, sent my fist into his stomach.

The guard grunted in pain, and slumped foreword, giving me a chance to send my sword hilt crashing on his head. He fell to the ground unconscious.

Almost as quick as his comrade had fallen, did the other guard act.

He swung a slash at my side, that I quickly parried, and gave a counter attack. He dodged, but barely, my blade had cut a thick red line in his arm. Angry, he swung again, this time at my head. I parried, taking enough time to unsheathe a knife from my belt. I then, quickly, swung at his head, forcing him to block it, as he did so, I stepped foreword and plunged the knife into his shoulder.

He stepped back, howling and muttering curses in pain.

"I warned you to stay out of my way," I said coldly, leaping foreword, punching the man in the jaw, making him fall like his friend before him.

With but guards laying like the dead weights they where, I turned my sights to the door. Quickly sheathing my scimitar, I ran to the doors. Putting my hands on each door, I pushed with all the strength I could muster, almost instantly, the door opened. And I went in.

---

It was only when I stepped into the city did I truly see the damaged that the bullheaded beast had done. Parts of the great buildings littered the dirt streets, the buildings that did remain standing looked as if they would topple over any minute. The current rain that fell down in a sheet, made the city look even more depressing.

I went up a stone staircase that lead to the square. Quickly glancing around I could see a several tent's that looked as if they had been set up quite recently. My guess was the few Minoan soldiers that did survive the hard job of trapping the bullheaded best were now forced to camp in tent in the shadows of the buildings that they once lived in.

After I had surveyed the area, I quickly dashed to one of the many piles of debris that sat in the square. I looked around, hoping to see a sign of some sort that could lead me to the tomb.

I dashed to hide behind another pile. It was a good thing I did as well, at that moment a band of Minoans walked past my last hiding place. I could faintly hear them speak several words. I inched closer to the edge of the pile, wanting to get as far away from them and the possibility of another fight. As soon as I did I could hear a threatening hiss just above the rainfall and chatter of men.

I glanced over to see the last thing any man would want to see in my position.

An adder of the most deadly variety, curled up on a nearby stone, and ready to strike. I quickly unsheathed one of my throwing knifes, as the adder gave an even more persistent hiss; making it clear that it did not like me so near it's new home in the debris. I flicked the knife, so it would be in a better position to do what I knew I would have to next.

The deadly adder then striked as fast as a lightning flash, but I had anticipated this. As the adder lunged itself forward I, narrowly, dodged it. Then quickly raised the knife and sent it crashing down upon the adder's skull. The knife killed it on impact, the blade pinning the once deadly viper on to the stone where it once sat curled up on.

It was then I could hear footsteps draw close, quickly I dashed over to another pile of debris. Once I felt I was safely hid I took a deep breath, trying to regain myself over that sudden bust of energy. I peered over a rock to see the Minoan soldiers…

…who where regarding the dead snake pinned with my dagger!

Damn it!

There was no way that they could ignore the fact that that dagger was not of Minoan creation. It wasn't bronze like there's nor was it simple like theirs as well.

I winced a bit when I heard the now familiar sound of bronze scraping against leather as they unsheathed their swords.

"We know you're out there, Intruder!" Yelled a voice threateningly. "Show yourself! Or are you a coward?"

Anger filled me with his statement.

If he has seen what I had seen these past days he wouldn't dare to call me a coward, I thought to myself.

I quickly unsheathed several other throwing knifes that I wore on my belt. Taking a deep breath I stepped out from my hiding place. The Minoan soldiers gasped.

"It's an Akkadian!" one of them exclaimed, suddenly.

Using this sudden hesitation, I tossed two of the blades so, in the air, they faced point down. Quickly, I caught them, and threw them both. The blades, broke threw the thin bronze helmets and lodged themselves between the eyes of two of the Minoan guards. I drew out my scimitar, as the third ran at me.

The guard slashed at my shoulder. I parried the blow and quickly swung around with a slash of my own at his chest, my blade cut through, although not as much as I would hope it would. It was a gasp, making a bit of blood seep from it.

The soldier winced in pain, and angrily lunged forward. I dodged it, by stepping to one side, letting him come to me. It was then I elbowed him forcefully in the jaw, knocking him out and on to the ground.

It was then I heard the sound of running footsteps behind me, I forced my scimitar so far behind my back that when the guard that was running at my with a sword swing I blocked it with ease. I swung around with a punch that caught him in the jaw, making him stumble back. I held the sword in my hand and spun around, giving him a deadly deep slash from his shoulder to his side, making him fall to the ground.

I sheathed my scimitar, went to the stone where my knife was sheathed into stone and snake skull. I yanked out the blade, and put in onto my belt. It was then I could swear I felt something behind me.

I swung around to see a demonic looking gate, made of wrought black iron, and icy silver. Somehow, with a knowledge I couldn't explain, I just, well, knew, that the cursed tomb was beyond that. My training had taught me years ago to listen to my instincts no matter how strange they may seem.

Taking a deep breath, I strode up to the gate. The closer I came, the more evil it looked. Once I was before it, I could see a rusty chain and lock wrapped around it. I took up my scimitar, taking a deep breath I raised the blade above my head, and sent it crashing down.

There was a loud CLANK! Then the chain snapped, almost as instantly as the blade hit the rusty metal. The chain fell to the wet ground. Gingerly, I opened the gate and stepped in.