Authors: Philip Mcclennan
Sophie dropped to the ground as the creature realised its grip. The Irish girl nodded to herself, realising guns were no use against these creatures, but apparently blades were. She picked another blade from her belt and continued on down the pathway after Chad.
Speaking of whom, Chad rushed onwards, passing several other pathways to the side of him on his way downwards. He stuck to the descending path, knowing whatever it was that the creatures had found, laid on this route. Other shadow figures came running out of the other pathways, rushing after him as he passed. Chad was undeterred, however; nothing was going to stop him. He rushed on, using one creature that attempted to block his path as a battering ram. He sent the creature hurling to the ground with a loud thud as he crashed into it with a shoulder barge. Another creature approached him but Chad quickly jumped up at the roof of the pathway, which was a low descending rock formation. He grabbed onto a piece of the rock and hanged on it as he kicked the creature back using two feet.
Another large sound of lighting could be heard, however, this time it lit up the entire cavern. Chad turned around as the lighting hit. A few levels down he spotted a gold sparkle. An object was stuck in the rock, and this was what had gotten the attention of all the creatures.
So that’s what you’re digging for,
thought Chad. He continued on his charge. He ran down the two remaining levels of the cavern as fast as he could. Four more creatures were sent tumbling as they attempted to stop him in his tracks.
Chad rounded the last corner of the pathway to stand before the object that he was drawn to. A golden axe stood embedded in a large rock on the ground. Chad stopped in his tracks as soon as he sighted it. He had seen the axe before in his dreams.
The golden axe.
In his dreams, Chad became a warrior when he wielded the axe. He felt immortal once he gained possession of it.
Chad’s curiosity overpowered his feelings of caution and he slowly began to walk towards the golden axe that lay within the rock. He could feel great power shimmering from the object as he approached. A large lightning bolt crashed through the roof of the middle of the cavern and gravitated onto the axe for a moment. Chad looked up towards where the lighting bolt had come from. He then focused his attention back upon the axe and smiled. He didn’t know why but the closer he got to it, the better he felt.
The agent got to within ten feet of the axe when suddenly he was punched to the ground with great force. A little stunned, Chad looked up from the ground and saw before him a huge shadow like creature, at least ten feet in size, and somewhat bulkier than the rest. “You’re Big!” said Chad, who was a little impressed that the creature had been able to knock him off his feet. Chad picked himself up and unleashed a fierce right-handed punch at the shadow figures head. To the agent’s surprise, the punch barely phased the creature, which replied with two punches to Chad’s stomach. Chad felt the full force of the blows.
The creature launched itself towards him and both of them crashed into the wall to their left, which shattered upon impact. They fell to the edge of a bank near the long drop in the middle of the cavern. The pair rolled around on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand in the fight. The creature placed one of its arms around the agent’s neck and applied great force as it attempted to choke him out. Chad tried to remove the creature’s arm with his own but the creature’s strength was much greater than he expected. Instead, he elbowed the creature three times in the chest, which forced it to release its hold on him.
Chad placed his own hands around the neck of the creature in retaliation and attempted to choke it. The creature easily overpowered the agent and tossed him aside. This was the first time Chad had fought someone stronger than himself. He was a little at a loss as how to handle the situation. The creature stormed to its feet and lifted the agent off the floor with both arms. It threw Chad high up in the air, but instead of throwing him down the endless pit to their right, it launched him at the wall to their left. Clearly, the creature wasn’t finished brutalising him. The agent crashed through the wall, landing back on the upper level.
Chad wiped his nose. Blood appeared on his hand. In fact, Chad was cut in several places across his face and head. The blood flowed from the man’s nose into his mouth. It was the first time Chad had tasted his own blood. Indeed, it had been the first time he had ever drawn blood at all. However, Chad’s attention was drawn to the object that now lay directly in front of his face, the mystical golden axe! Chad stood to his feet, brushing off the creatures assault on him and focused on the axe. He felt the power flowing through the object and he smiled once more.
Further down the pathway, Sophie emerged from around the corner. She looked on as Chad reached down and took hold of the axe’s handle. A flash of white light originated from the object for a moment and then vanished just as quickly. Sophie watched as the light faded. Chad now stood with the golden axe in hand. The creature that had given Chad such a beating climbed up onto the level of the pathway where he was standing and it now stood directly behind him poised to strike
“Chad! Look out!” shouted Sophie.
Chad, realising he was in imminent danger, turned around quickly, swinging the axe as he did so. The axe pierced through the chest of the shadow creature, splitting its body clean in two. The creature’s body turned to ash as it hit the ground. Chad looked at the object in amazement. As he held the weapon in his hand, he felt invincible. A great force flowed through him. It gave him strength and the wounds he had received from the fight only a moment earlier healed themselves in an instant. It seemed that the object enhanced his already extraordinary abilities. Sophie looked on from the distance in awe at what she’d just seen.
#
James, Cody and twins Rachel and Jade made their way through the narrow pyramid passageways. Cody checked his radio, trying to get a signal so he could get in touch with Chad and Sophie. He was irritated by their losing of the pair, but also by the heavy sand they were all walking on. More than once it filled his boot and not for the first time, he took it off and turned it upside down, allowing the sand to fall out. “It’s still not working,” said the young Texan, referring to the lack of a radio signal.
“You won’t get that working in here, there seems to be some sort of force stopping all communication,” said James.
“How do you know that?” asked Cody.
“I just feel it,” replied James.
To the groups left was a selection of large tombs, which were engraved into the stone.
“I’ll give you three guesses what is inside them?” asked Cody.
James didn’t bother responding for he knew what would likely lay inside.
“I wonder what is inside them?” asked Jade.
“Dead bodies ditzy twin!” said Rachel, as the agents continued onward.
“What do you think Lucius could be looking for in a place like this?” asked Cody.
“I don’t really care, I just want to find him!” said James. The truth was, he did care.
I want to know what he is up to and what exactly it has to do with me.
The group reached a large opening in the passageway. It now cut off in two directions. Both pathways were either side of a statue. The statue was of a large hooded figure that held a spear in front of it. At the foot of the statue was ancient writing. It was written in a language that none of them were familiar with.
“What’s this Lucius guy doing down in a place like this?” said Jade.
“He’s probably lost, just like we are,” replied the girl’s twin, Rachel.
James paid the girls no attention, instead focusing on the statue that stood before them. He had walked up to it and was examining the statue closely.
“What do you make of it?” asked Cody.
“I’m not sure…” replied James, who’s focus was on the writing below the statue.
“If you ask me he looks like the grim reaper!” said Chad. “I mean look at him, with the bad ass hood and cloak and that large blade!” The twins looked at each other, clearly not impressed with Cody’s explanation of the identity of the statue.
James looked at the writing carefully. He had never seen the language it was written in before in his life. Still somehow, he knew exactly what it said. ‘
Only those from Alexandria may pass’
were the words he could make out. He whispered the words to himself as he figured them out. Suddenly the statue began to move to one side, opening up revealing a doorway. The rest of the group looked on stunned.
“How did you do that?” asked Cody.
James played off the opening of the statue as sheer luck. “I didn’t do anything, it just opened.”
The group looked into the doorway from where they stood. “I can hear something inside,” said James.
“Maybe it’s Lucius?” asked Jade.
James listened harder. “No, it sounds like…”
A huge flood of water came gushing out of the doorway. The agents’ faces filled with horror as water raced towards them. They had no time to run…and nowhere to run too. The water hurled towards them, like a huge tidal wave, sweeping them all off their feet. They flew around the room, crashing against the walls as the waves tossed them about violently. “James, what do we do?” asked Cody, who was struggling to keep his head above the water due to the erratic current.
“I’m working on it,” said James, who truth be told, was in just as much trouble.
The agents had another problem, though, for the water was beginning to fill up the small area they were in at an alarmingly fast rate. The roof of the passageway now lay only a few feet from the agent’s heads as they struggled to keep above the water.
Realising they didn’t have much time before the room would fill to the top with water, James dived beneath it, looking for a possible escape route. He swam all around the small room, but there was no exit to be found. The passageway they had entered the room in was too long for them to try and escape. They would never be able to hold their breath long enough. James was getting desperate now, as he was becoming short of air himself. He began to punch the wall, hoping his extra strength would be enough to create a hole for the water to go through. It was no good though. The water hampered the speed he was able to punch the wall and his blows had little effect.
Then an odd thing happened, the palm on James’ right hand, which he had been using to try and punch a hole in the wall, began to glow blue. It was only the faintest of glows, but still, a glow nonetheless. It felt almost as though his will to remove the water had empowered his hand. He could now move his hand at normal speed, despite being beneath the water. Then, something else curious began to occur. Bubbles began to form around his right hand and the level of the water began to slowly descend. James concentrated harder; willing the water to work its way out of the room. The speed of the waters descent began to increase.
Within a few minutes, the water was no longer in the room, and the agents sat on the damp sandy floor, wondering just how they had managed to get themselves out of their predicament. James kept quiet as the other agents began scratching their heads. He discreetly looked at his hand, trying to figure out just how he managed to manipulate the water.
“What the hell happened?” asked Cody, who was at a loss as to how the agents had just escaped drowning.
“Maybe there’s a gap in the wall or something?” said Rachel. The girl knew that something bizarre, something unexplained had just occurred, but she knew now was not the time to speculate. “Shall we move on James?” she said, gesturing towards the middle door that was now clear to go through after the passing of the water.
James however, hadn’t heard Rachel’s words. He had a strange sensation flowing through his body. It had gradually become stronger ever since he had begun to manipulate the water. Whatever this feeling was, it wasn’t something negative. In fact, it filled him with confidence and even happiness. He felt at home now, even in this strange place. He felt he had lived here all his life.
“James?” said Jade, who realised that something was odd about him.
“I’m fine, it’s just…the feeling?”
Cody and the twins exchanged a puzzled look. “Hey man…did you bang your head under the water or something?” asked Cody.
“No, I’ve never felt better!” said James. He felt a presence within him. It was as if a guardian angel was watching over him. This was, in fact, the spirit of the lost descendant of the Alexandrian bloodline. The descendant had been buried along with the temple many years ago, assigned with the duty of guarding its ancient walls against unwanted introducers.
Before Trenkenth had merged the two worlds of Alexandria and Underworld, the temple had in fact been stood in the far southern region of the Alexandrian realm. The descendant had died some time ago inside the walls of this maze, however, even in death, it still honoured its duty and its spirit still protected the temple walls.
After James had accidently tapped into the Alexandrian elemental ability of water manipulation, something all those native to Alexandria possessed in some form or another, the descendant had become aware of another Alexandrian within the temple. The fallen soul had now come to him and it wished to aid him in his quest. The descendant did not speak directly to James. It could not for it had lost the ability to talk in death. However, it spoke to his soul. It bestowed within James, the knowledge of every passageway and chamber from within the temple.
James now knew how they would be able to locate Chad and Sophie, and even Lucius too. Inside of the temple was an enchanted fountain. Any who stood inside of it who were of the Alexandrian bloodline were granted the gift of sight. The gift would enable James and his friends to view any area of the temple they desired. It was the fountain that James now had to seek. “Come on, we’re going through the door to the left,” he said.
“What about the middle one. It opened up for us?” asked Rachel
“Trust me, we go through there and we won’t come back out,” replied James.