142
Sorry this took so long. Writer's block = :P
Hekanakht had been wandering in the desert for days. His only food had been rabbits and his only water had been from inside cacti. Guided by the stars in the frigid desert night, Hekanakht had only a vague idea where he was. Somewhere to the north lay Tresad, the important desert city he’d left several days before, and to the south lay lands unknown, where Hekanakht hoped to find treasure. There were legends of ancient cults that had once inhabited this desert region, and it was said that they had built many temples for their gods, and many tombs for their dead.
Hundreds of years ago, the wealthy had been buried with all of the riches they wanted to bring with them to the next life. This practice had since fallen by the wayside and was now considered wasteful. As such, it was not uncommon for adventurers to take loot from ancient tombs. Hekanakht considered it a good source of cash, so he spent some of his free time at the practice. It made a good break from farming. So far that year, Hekanakht had found two tombs, one 600 years old, and one 800 years old. Neither were built for very wealthy people, so together, the loot they contained would buy about five years worth of food, if sold to the highest bidder.
Hekanakht continued to comb the desert for anything that looked man-made. He’d had no luck for many weeks, but that didn’t discourage him. Tresad and the surrounding desert district had been inhabited for at least 5000 years, and the ancient structures were not few, but they were far between. An important find could be life-changing, and important was the best adjective for what Hekanakht found that day.
Hekanakht walked deeper into the desert, past cacti and over sand dunes. Then, he noticed something on the next dune over. The dune was piled against a sandstone mountain in a vast valley, And it was shaped oddly, as if hiding something large and tall, like the enormous statues of a person. Hekanakht had a hunch about what it could be. The pharaoh Anubiset had ruled Tresad 1000 years before, and legend had it that his tomb was hidden in a valley, and protected by a colossus. If this really was the tomb of Anubiset, he couldn’t excavate it himself, neither could he face the colossus. He would need lots of help, but he hoped his hunch wasn’t wrong.
Hekanakht drew a map of the valley and headed back to Tresad. The way back was faster because he knew where he was going this time. When he got there, he posted an ad on the notice board looking for adventurers to help him explore the tomb of Anubiset.
Hekanakht’s notice was quickly responded to by many of the city’s treasure hunters. Soon, after 16 people had joined him, Hekanakht returned to the valley where he believed the tomb to be hidden. Once they got there, they all agreed that even if it weren’t Anubiset’s tomb, it was something worth excavating.
“According to the stories, the colossus will attack anyone who disturbs it or the tomb.”
Hekanakht declared, “So we have to be ready to fight as soon as we uncover even a tiny portion.”
“What chance do we have against a thirty foot statue?” asked one of the treasure hunters.
“We have speed on our side.”, Hekanakht replied. “If someone can run around it and break it’s ankles, we can defeat it.”
Hekanakht and the treasure hunters began to dig away at the gigantic pile of sand. The pile grew shorter and shorter as they continued to dig. First, a pair of ears poked out of the top. The statue was of a man with the head of a wild dog. As the sand dropped below the eyes, they glowed red, and the statue got up from it’s seat, and stood to its full height of 40 feet.
As soon as it saw the adventures, it began to walk toward them, trying to accomplish the task it had been given a thousand years before. In doing so, it walked right into their trap. Swiftly and silently, two treasure hunters with pickaxes in hand, crept up behind the statue as it bore down upon the rest of the group. They began to hack at it’s ankles, and before it knew what was happening, it was lying face down on the ground. As soon as it fell, the others brandished their pickaxes and begun to chop at the statue’s elbows and neck. Eventually, it was nothing more than a pile of rubble.
The adventurers turned their eyes toward what had lured them there. The tomb’s door was open, almost as though it were inviting them in. It seemed much too easy. Perhaps it was meant to seem that way.
The next step was crucial, and it could mean the difference between going insane and leaving with a bunch of treasure. According to legend, the tomb was protected by fear spirits, who would be awakened if something entered the tomb. Looking them in the eye could drive you insane, but otherwise, they were harmless. They would die in sunlight, but they were too stupid to know that. Hekanakht decided that the best course of action would be for someone to close their eyes, and throw a rock into the tomb. He volunteered.
Walking over to the collapsed colossus, he grabbed a rock, shut his eyes, and threw it in. His ears were greeted by the screams of a hundred angry fear spirits. The spirits rushed toward him out of the tomb, and immediately dissolved in the sunlight. When Hekanakht opened his eyes, everything looked the same, but he knew that he’d avoided losing his mind. Now, the tomb was safe to enter, and its valuable treasures were ripe for the taking. The tomb had more than enough treasures for them all to take 1/17 share, and the group become some of the wealthiest and most famous people in Tresad.
Hekanakht had been wandering in the desert for days. His only food had been rabbits and his only water had been from inside cacti. Guided by the stars in the frigid desert night, Hekanakht had only a vague idea where he was. Somewhere to the north lay Tresad, the important desert city he’d left several days before, and to the south lay lands unknown, where Hekanakht hoped to find treasure. There were legends of ancient cults that had once inhabited this desert region, and it was said that they had built many temples for their gods, and many tombs for their dead.
Hundreds of years ago, the wealthy had been buried with all of the riches they wanted to bring with them to the next life. This practice had since fallen by the wayside and was now considered wasteful. As such, it was not uncommon for adventurers to take loot from ancient tombs. Hekanakht considered it a good source of cash, so he spent some of his free time at the practice. It made a good break from farming. So far that year, Hekanakht had found two tombs, one 600 years old, and one 800 years old. Neither were built for very wealthy people, so together, the loot they contained would buy about five years worth of food, if sold to the highest bidder.
Hekanakht continued to comb the desert for anything that looked man-made. He’d had no luck for many weeks, but that didn’t discourage him. Tresad and the surrounding desert district had been inhabited for at least 5000 years, and the ancient structures were not few, but they were far between. An important find could be life-changing, and important was the best adjective for what Hekanakht found that day.
Hekanakht walked deeper into the desert, past cacti and over sand dunes. Then, he noticed something on the next dune over. The dune was piled against a sandstone mountain in a vast valley, And it was shaped oddly, as if hiding something large and tall, like the enormous statues of a person. Hekanakht had a hunch about what it could be. The pharaoh Anubiset had ruled Tresad 1000 years before, and legend had it that his tomb was hidden in a valley, and protected by a colossus. If this really was the tomb of Anubiset, he couldn’t excavate it himself, neither could he face the colossus. He would need lots of help, but he hoped his hunch wasn’t wrong.
Hekanakht drew a map of the valley and headed back to Tresad. The way back was faster because he knew where he was going this time. When he got there, he posted an ad on the notice board looking for adventurers to help him explore the tomb of Anubiset.
Hekanakht’s notice was quickly responded to by many of the city’s treasure hunters. Soon, after 16 people had joined him, Hekanakht returned to the valley where he believed the tomb to be hidden. Once they got there, they all agreed that even if it weren’t Anubiset’s tomb, it was something worth excavating.
“According to the stories, the colossus will attack anyone who disturbs it or the tomb.”
Hekanakht declared, “So we have to be ready to fight as soon as we uncover even a tiny portion.”
“What chance do we have against a thirty foot statue?” asked one of the treasure hunters.
“We have speed on our side.”, Hekanakht replied. “If someone can run around it and break it’s ankles, we can defeat it.”
Hekanakht and the treasure hunters began to dig away at the gigantic pile of sand. The pile grew shorter and shorter as they continued to dig. First, a pair of ears poked out of the top. The statue was of a man with the head of a wild dog. As the sand dropped below the eyes, they glowed red, and the statue got up from it’s seat, and stood to its full height of 40 feet.
As soon as it saw the adventures, it began to walk toward them, trying to accomplish the task it had been given a thousand years before. In doing so, it walked right into their trap. Swiftly and silently, two treasure hunters with pickaxes in hand, crept up behind the statue as it bore down upon the rest of the group. They began to hack at it’s ankles, and before it knew what was happening, it was lying face down on the ground. As soon as it fell, the others brandished their pickaxes and begun to chop at the statue’s elbows and neck. Eventually, it was nothing more than a pile of rubble.
The adventurers turned their eyes toward what had lured them there. The tomb’s door was open, almost as though it were inviting them in. It seemed much too easy. Perhaps it was meant to seem that way.
The next step was crucial, and it could mean the difference between going insane and leaving with a bunch of treasure. According to legend, the tomb was protected by fear spirits, who would be awakened if something entered the tomb. Looking them in the eye could drive you insane, but otherwise, they were harmless. They would die in sunlight, but they were too stupid to know that. Hekanakht decided that the best course of action would be for someone to close their eyes, and throw a rock into the tomb. He volunteered.
Walking over to the collapsed colossus, he grabbed a rock, shut his eyes, and threw it in. His ears were greeted by the screams of a hundred angry fear spirits. The spirits rushed toward him out of the tomb, and immediately dissolved in the sunlight. When Hekanakht opened his eyes, everything looked the same, but he knew that he’d avoided losing his mind. Now, the tomb was safe to enter, and its valuable treasures were ripe for the taking. The tomb had more than enough treasures for them all to take 1/17 share, and the group become some of the wealthiest and most famous people in Tresad.
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