IC - Child of the Gods

[Nazir]

HELL – that’s where I was, I was sure of it. I know of no religions on the planet that do not have a hell. The Christians have their fiery kingdom where Lucifer reigns. The Muslims have a many pits of hell, including Hutamah, Jahannam, Jahim, Zamhareer the freezing hell Hawiyah the lowest hell of all. The Hindu’s who believe in nerak also have many hells.
Alright, so I wasn’t really in hell, any of them, but I guessed this had to be pretty close to it.
I was lost, cold, and alright I admit it – frightened. Lost and alone in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by people who wanted nothing more than to see me dead. I tried to think of that sun baked golden isle in the middle of the Nile, Philae, but even that normally comforting image offered me no solace.
My friends were all gone, somewhere else in the forest, separated after our trek in search of the other downed plane.
Overhead the storm raged, lightning illuminating the canopy with its strobe like effects and thunder crashed, pounding my eardrums.
Every now and then I heard gunfire echoing through the trees, sometimes near, sometimes far. I didn’t know if Swift, Tink and the others were alive or dead.

In the mean time Tink was leading the young boy scouts we had met through the forest in the hope of getting them to safety. She came upon the Ranger station we had been told about. There was a Land Rover parked there in which Tink made a rather gruesome discovery. The occupant had been ripped apart, to the point where it appeared almost as though the body had exploded. Tink clambered up onto the bonnet of the of the vehicle and I think she must have tried to cast a spell of some sort, because she passed out.

While this was going on Alfie was slowly making his way through the forest and actually coming up behind our pursuers and picking them off.

These facts I was not personally privy to, but in the years that followed I have been able to gather small bits of information, and piece them together.

Meanwhile, I was in my own little zone of despair. I was struggling to find a way out of all this madness. I couldn't think. My mind was a blank and I couldn't even remember what powers Isis had granted me.
Why was I there?
‘Go and seek out the Chinese one and his companions,’ they said.
‘Persuade them to help us again,’ they said.
‘It's a simple task, so take young Duamotef so that he may learn from the experience.’
Yeah, sure! They didn't mention anything about saving dragons from their unscrupulous employees, ‘green bolt man’ or running for your life through some cold wet smelly forest. I wasn't ready for all this. Sixteen, that's all I was. I suppose I should have been in school or something!
Then I saw one of my pursuers through the trees. He also saw me and fired in my direction. I ducked behind a large tree and then something came over me. An image of Isis in full armour and beside her, her son Horus had flashed into my mind and I reacted. A quick Mirage spell followed by the Call Of Anubis and the mercenary lay dead at my feet. Typical really, as I didn't want him dead, I couldn't probe his mind if he was dead!
But at least I was thinking again.
I summoned a powerful spirit of the wind and had it seek out Tink and then convey me there.
I was taken to the Ranger Station and found Tink unconscious on the Land Rover with a young child of about nine standing there next to her. I picked her up and carried her inside the station and then had my spirit bring my other comrades here, however it told me the only one it could manage was the old man, but it would inform the others of my location.

It was cold and dark inside the station although at least it was dry. I struggled for some time to revive Tink even though the task was made so much harder by the kid interrupting me all the time. I hate kids.
Alfie didn't seem too pleased at being unceremoniously dumped in the station, but he soon recovered from the indignity and went to guard the door. He really is a moaning old git!
But he somehow knew that we were in danger because he span around and started shooting up at the false ceiling. Two huge wolves dropped through down startling us all. I summoned forth some raw meat just as Alfie leapt into combat with one.
Now I am used to the wild ferocious dogs of my homeland and knew them to behave in this manner when hungry. Normally they don't want to be anywhere humans, and I applied the same logic to these creatures. Ignoring the wolf with Alfie, mainly because the other one was closer, I threw it the succulent joint I had in my hand. However, it caught the meat in it's huge maw and immediately cast it aside, fixed me in its unnerving gaze and crouched as if to pounce.
A thousand different thoughts went through my mind; should I dive out the way? No, Tink is behind me and will get caught. Cast a spell? They very often fail me in dire situations. Fire, animals don't like fire. I called upon my fire spirit, Quetesh to burn the creature.
The results were rather more devastating than I had anticipated. Instead of just setting light to some of the wolf's fur, Quetesh appeared beside me and a huge jet of flame leapt from her hands completely engulfing the wolf. I glanced over at Alfie who seemed to have taken care of his side of things. Looking back at the wolf in the throws of agony before finally dying I was amazed to see it very briefly transform into a human and back again. It was then that I realised what the creatures were.
I glanced over at Tink and she gave me a look so full of loathing that it cut deeper than any of the mercenaries bullets could have done. I stood confused for a while, not knowing what I could have done wrong.
Tink however had a set of values that she could not ignore. As far as she was concerned these creatures were dual beings and as such were a higher life form than us and Alfie and I had just murdered two of them. She could not console herself or what she had seen and when we noticed more movement outside she grabbed the boy and fled into another room, where she hid herself and the boy in a cellar.

Apparently she then went out astrally to try and plead the case of the innocent youngster. She appeared before what could only be described as the leader of the werewolf pack put forward her case and then stood solemnly before the angry creature awaiting his judgement.

I was still very much confused, and the memory of Tink's disapproving glare weighed heavy on my heart to the point that I could do nothing for some time. When I snapped out of my reverie I noticed that Mr. Curren had arrived. It was then that I peered into the other realm, where beyond the wall of the station I saw Tink offering herself.
Claws bared and snarl fixed firmly in place the wolf man rapidly closed in for the kill. No matter what she thought of me at the moment, I could not stand by and see her harmed. I myself surged forward in astral space, my meat body slumping to the ground, and threw myself at the creature, knocking it off course and bringing it's attention onto me. It was all I could do to stop from being sliced to death.

I fell to the ground before the creature, tired and wounded..........

That day, I feel, had been harrowing indeed!