OK, I had to kind of add a chapter to explain a random event in my game (see pic spam pic spam) so I didn't get to show the action in this update that I planned. The pics are taken for the next, so I just have to get it posted & written. I'm sure I'll have it done this weekend. Enjoy!
As they roasted life fruit over the fire pit, Bill & Ahkman talked about their upcoming trips. They both wanted to master their martial arts skills before leaving, so they would be ready for the big group trip to Egypt they were planning. They each had some time to complete some individual missions before that.
Bill was going to go back to Paris and finish the mission at the Landgraab mansion that he didn’t have time to complete. They were sure he was hiding precious artifacts in that home, and Bill was their best chance at finding them.
Ahkman had a mission to complete before exploring the Great Pyramid with Bill and Sookie. He was going to try and break into the computers at MorcuCorp HQ to get intel on who they were selling Egypt’s ancient relics to.
Sookie was going to stay home this time, as she found her gardens were suffering with her increased absences. She was nostalgic for her beloved China, and decided she would catch up via the phone with her friend Lin Hua while the house was quiet.
The moment Bill’s plane touched down, he found his friend Sophie Dubois waiting for him. They caught up over lunch in the market square. Sophie hinted to Bill that she had been thinking of moving to the states, and she would like a chance to visit there first, before making her decision. Bill felt the awkward silence, her hint hanging in the air between them. He’d never lied to Sookie about his friendship with Sophie, and Sookie trusted him with her heart. He wasn’t so certain that Sophie’s intentions were as innocent, and was afraid she might try and cause trouble between him and Sookie. Finally, he sighed and told her he would check with Sookie and see when they might have some time in the future.
As Sophie left, Bill paid the tab. He was on his way out when he bumped into Yvette Chandelle, a woman he knew casually from his travels.
She coyly nodded towards the table and asked, “So you two enjoyed a nice, cozy lunch, no? We are all getting used to seeing the two of you around town together. You make a very sweet couple.”
“We’re not together; we’re just old friends who have lunch when I visit.” Bill quickly corrected her.
“If you say so, Bill Compton.” Yvette giggled as she walked out the door.
Bill was really worried about the Sophie situation now. If others already had the impression there was a relationship, how long would it take for that gossip to reach Sookie? He knew he had to address this, but first, it was back to Landgraab’s. The sooner he finished up there, the sooner he could get back to Sookie and sort this out.
After seeing more of the Landgraab’s wine cellar than he cared to, Bill was finally able to find the hidden staircase down there that led up through the center of the house and to the office where the documents were kept. He turned those in to the MorcuCorp Resistance Leaders, and brought back all the relics he found in the mansion for Ahkman.
Still having an extra day on his visa, he was thrilled to find an actual tomb quest. He was so sick of Nectar and quests involving it, that he couldn’t resist and quickly explored the tomb. He found a sarcophagus, but alas, no mummy. He was really hoping to get some experience in with a mummy before he got to Egypt. He was tired of Ahkman making him look like an amateur, when he’d been around since the Civil War, for crying out loud. Oh, well. He’d be in Egypt soon enough. Time to head home.
Ahkman got off the plane and went straight to the Message Board, looking to make contact with his friends in the MorcuCorp Resistance. He needed to keep working for them so he had an excuse to be in the tombs. He had been working for them for years, and he believed in their movement with all his heart, but now he had his own agenda to consider. He didn’t have to look long before he discovered their message to him. He was to break into the secret MorcuCorp HQ and hack into their computers. That place had the highest security measures around. This wouldn’t be easy. Ahkman smiled, and headed out.
Ahkman met with his contact, and set out for the headquarters, which is hidden in an underground tomb. His mission was to retrieve stolen artifacts, then hack into the computers and email the info to the Resistance. With his instructions in hand, Ahkman was on his way.
Ahkman entered a shed behind the home of a prominent MorcuCorp employee, and found the hidden stairs in the floor. He descended lower and lower, following mazes of hallways. He knew he was getting close to the hidden HQ when the traps became more elaborate. Fire traps now filled the narrow hallways, stopping his progress while he took the time to disarm them.
Luckily, he’d had much experience with the movable statues while exploring the tombs, and knew they could be pushed over certain traps to de-activate them.
Just when he thought he was finally reaching the end of his quest, a giant pile of rubble blocked his progress. He had thought ahead this trip, borrowing Bill’s ancient Axe of Pangu, which Bill had found in China. Holding the powerful artifact above his head, he took a mighty swing and cleared away the rubble. Behind it was the door he had been seeking.
Ahkman found a small chamber that seemed to have no way out. There was a pair of sarcophagus in the chamber, one containing a sleeping mummy. Ahkman quietly plundered them both, and came away with some ancient coins. The sleeping mummy didn't even come out to fight! Now that he didn't have to worry about a mummy attack, he turned his attention to a new problem. How to leave this room.
Looking around for clues to help him exit the room, he found the skeleton of another adventurer who never found the door that must surely be hidden. Ahkman would not let the death of this explorer shake him. He gathered his wits, and calmly began checking the walls for any place that might be concealing a hidden door.
As he felt his way along each wall, Ahkman’s fingers found a crack that seemed to run from floor to ceiling. He stopped to study it further.
He was right! With enough prodding, he was able to trigger the mechanism that opened the ancient door. He was led to another small chamber, but this one looked much more promising.
Inside was a chest. Could this be the chest that hid the Second Sacred Relic he was searching for?
It was not. It did, however, contain other relics. Some the Resistance would be happy to have, and one that Ahkman would need for himself. Ahkman had just found the last fragment of the Sarcophagus of the Kings. All he needed now was the last Canopic jar, and he was certain it rested in the Great Pyramid.
When his business here was finished, he intended to visit the Great Pyramid with Bill and Sookie. With three of them searching, the odds of them finding it were much greater.
The chest before him also held a keystone, which would gain him access to the adjacent room.
He found it! The hidden MorcuCorp HQ! And amidst all the computers and alarms sat another chest. This one, Ahkman was glad to see, contained the precious relic he was sent here for. Looking behind him, he spotted another office – a more official looking office. Ahkman went to investigate.
There it was. The computer he had to get MoruCorp’s info from. Ahkman wished Bill were with him now. Bill was much better with computers than he was. With time racing against him, Ahkman’s fingers flew over the keys, using the notes he was given by his contact. Soon, he was in! Ahkman forwarded the info to the email address he was given. He was sure this address would not exist by this time tomorrow, when his treachery was discovered. By then, the Resistance will have gotten what they needed and shut it down so it was untraceable.
He watched the info float past him on the screen while it was being uploaded, and couldn’t believe his eyes. MorcuCorp was planning to assassinate Kafele Khalfani! Ahkman knew Kafele all his life, and knew that Kafele had a young boy that he often brought along on quests for the Resistance. Kafele’s wife had died some years before, leaving Kafele with no one to care for the boy. Little Quentin could often be found at the base camp, where other explorers and their families often took turns caring for him while his father was in the tombs. Ahkman hoped this info would reach the Resistance in time for them to stop the attempt on Kafele’s life.
When Ahkman had finished, he closed things up and left the way he came, setting all the traps again behind him to cover his tracks. He passed by the cemetery on his way back to his contact, and decided to stop and see if he would have another vision of Naima.
The graves were silent this night. Maybe he did imagine the whole thing. Maybe it was his conscience, taking Naima’s form to tell him what he already knew. What he was planning was wrong, and there would be a terrible price to pay. Ahkman mourned his lost friend, wishing he had her guidance, and continued on to the rendezvous.
When he got there, he was given another task. He was to retrieve the third and last of the Precious Relics from the Tomb of the Sun. He was anxious to get to the Great Pyramid, but he could not refuse to help the Resistance when he was told that Kafele was already there. He hoped he could catch up to his old friend and keep him safe. The trip was a long one, taking Ahkman across the country.
After travelling for days, he approached the smaller pyramid, hoping for signs that Kafele had been there before him.
Upon inspecting the door, he was unable to find any proof of his friend’s visit. Maybe he hadn’t arrived yet and Ahkman had gotten there first? He found the trigger, and the door came crashing down before him.
As he walked in, he found only a straight path leading to the idols. There were deep pools of water on either side that seemed to have no way around. If he could cross the pools, there were doors on the other side of each, but he could see that they required keystones.
Ahkman decided to start with the pool on the right. He didn’t think the water was poisoned in any way. As a matter of fact, it was cleaner and bluer than any water he had seen in Egypt. There was no way of telling how deep it ran, but he didn’t think he would need to find out. He crossed the pool and came up on a landing that contained a chest.
And as he’d hoped, it contained a keystone that he was able to use to open the door on that side of the pool. Inside, he was faced with an oasis.
He came across a statue that appeared to be moveable, but wouldn’t budge when he pushed it. Ahkman had a feeling about it, and continued to inspect it. Finally, he was able to rock it off the base and get it to move. Moving the statue opened up a hidden door that led to another chamber.
As soon as he entered it, Ahkman was tempted to walk foolishly ahead, taking in all the amazing sites of the underground pools and gardens. Luck for him, his walking rustled some leaves that were strewn across his path. The sound jolted him from his thoughts and brought his attention to the ground before him. Inspecting it, he found a hidden fire trap, which he was able to disarm because of his high logic and handyman skills.
As he kept his focus low, scanning for more traps, his eyes lighted on a keystone, hidden in the cattails growing near a pond. He picked it up, knowing he would have need of it soon.
Finally, his exploration led him to a small chamber with no way out. In the center gleamed the water of a sparkling blue diving pool. Ever since Ahkman lost his best friend Naima to a diving pool, he hated to use them, but he could see he had no choice if he was to find the Third Relic.
Ahkman follows the tunnel at the bottom of the dive pool, and just when he thought his lungs would explode from holding his breath, he saw light above him. He swam to the top, and found the Throne Room. In his haste to rush the mission, he wandered into a hidden fire trap! 'A stupid mistake, Ahkman! You must pay attention!' he scolded himself.
Finally, front and center waited the Third Relic. He wasted no time leaving the tomb so he could return the relic and get a report on his friend Kafele. He hoped to catch him on the way out.
Ahkman passed other tombs and areas of exploration on his way back to the meeting point, but saw no sign of Kafele.
Was it possible Kafele stopped along the way to do some exploring on his own? If the Resistance could not get a hold of him, he wouldn’t know there were assassins after him. His worry caused him to quicken his pace.
In the distance, he could see the Great Pyramid. It beckoned to him, hinting at secrets hiding inside that would undo the wrong that had been done. But he could not visit without finding out about Kafele. Just as he had the thought, his cell phone rang.
It was his Resistance contact, telling Ahkman that Kafele called in and left a message, saying he was following his new orders and proceeding to the Great Pyramid. The Resistance gave no such orders. Things did not look good for his friend Kafele. As soon as Ahkman got off the phone, he called Bill and Sookie.
“I need you two to come out now, if you can. Something’s come up, and I really need your help. I know we weren’t planning the Great Pyramid exploration for another week, but it needs to happen right away. Can you come?”
He was relieved to hear that they would catch the next plane out. They should be arriving at the base camp right around the time Ahkman travelled back to the meeting point and delivered the relic.
Ahkman hung up, anxious to deliver the relic and get to the Great Pyramid. He thought of the young boy who was probably playing with other children at the base camp right now, not knowing that he may already be an orphan. He had to find Kafele, and he had to do it quickly. Ahkman opened his pack and looked at the fragment one more time. He let thoughts of Nabila fill his heart as he began the long voyage back.
Oh! I thought there was an update, on the story?
;D OK! I am waiting for the under construction sign to disappear! 
WOW! you set that transition up so well, I bow to the master of words! 