"How intriguing. It would seem that Abbas Naeem chose to stay in the Field of Reeds with his daughter. Miss Charobim, could you pour me another cup of tea? My eyes are beginning to shut, and I'm afraid it would quite ruin our notes if I begin to drool on these copies."
Fatima grabbed the teapot rather unceremoniously and poured two cups of the steaming liquid. She grabbed hers and drained it in one pull. The professor eyed her for a moment, then took a genteel sip.
"I can tell something exciting's about to happen. The next slide's got all kind of snake imagery, and the paint is solid red. You couldn't get more obviously Apophis if he did a tap dance and put up a billboard."
"Indeed. Your assessment seems to be spot on. Our wonderful adventurers reach the bowels of the Underworld, where they find the way to Ra lies only a bit further. However, their path is impeded by the Chaos Snake himself. A pitched battle ensues, and a hero falls... you may as well pour yourself another cup, my dear. It will take me a while to pick out the cartouche of the fallen from the names in the battle. However, it says something more; although the gods provide blessings to their champions, the divine power is hindered in two ways: by a form the Snake takes in order to battle them, and by a term which I think means 'sapper,' although the context is somewhat muddled."
Fatima peered at the paper. "'Sapper' isn't quite right. I'm doing my dissertation on Egyptian battle tactics and their influence on other cultures, and I'm acquainted with the term. Though it literally means 'one who weakens the walls,' it can in general indicate someone who weakens the foe, but any means, in the days prior to an assault. You know, by spreading plague, encouraging dissent and espionage. 'Underminer' is probably closer in terms of the meaning carried by the word."
The professor stared at the page for a long moment. Then, he grabbed a previous page, marked liberally with notation, and compared the two. "Hum. Well, my dear. That would, in fact clarify the danger posed by Heruisfet."
"Yes. I believe it would."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Requirements
-Guess what? Time for a boss fight! Apophis the Chaos Snake, the enemy of Ra, has captured and wounded the sun god, who lies dying somewhere further on.
-However, the battle has weakened the snake somewhat. You now stand a chance to banish him and rescue Ra. Of course, a weakened Apophis is still powerful and terrifying... and clever enough to take a shape that it feels you will find difficult to fight and kill. What that means is entirely for you to decide.
-To give you an edge, the gods have decided to send you, their respective champions, a token of their divine power, which can be used in the battle. They are:
From Nut: Your clothes become starry black and are harder than any earthly armor.
From Shu: Wind will immediately (and temporarily) choke any being who attempts to lie to you.
From Isis: You may cure any injury in seconds by laying your hands on the one who has come to harm.
From Neith: You become temporarily seven times stronger than a normal human.
From Nephthys: Any water in your immediate area will move automatically to physically protect you from harm.
And the kicker? You may only receive your blessing if you refused to give Heruisfet your name. Otherwise, Apophis gets the blessing instead.
-Banish Apophis. I don't care how. Just do it.
Deaths: Two tributes will receive byes this round, and the rest will go up for votes. One tribute will be leaving us.
Due Date: Tuesday, December 27 at 10 PM EST
YOU ARE READING
Author Games: The River of Night
FantasyIn Ancient Egypt, the day begins normally. Ra, the mighty god of the sun, rises in the east at dawn, rides his boat across the sky, and descends into the Underworld at dusk. All is well and good. The next day at dawn, he does not emerge again...
