Nation Building

Issue #6 – Moving Forward

By: Robert Rock

 

The Ruins of Heliopolis, Egypt

 

Since the time the Barrier was first erected over the British Isles, it has slowly grow to encompass more and more of the world.  Recently Egypt has fallen under the Barrier and the old centres of worship have been heating up with the return of magic.

 

The pyramids at Giza glowed with an unearthly aura.  The Temple of Amen at Karnak the worlds largest existing religious site, with its avenue of seated sphinx’s crackled with power, and the Temple at Luxor, considered to be on of the worlds greatest open air museum’s radiated energy.

 

All of these sites paled in comparison to the transformation that happened at the ancient site of ON, or later known as by its Greek name Heliopolis.

 

At one time it was the centre of sun worship and the home of Amen-Ra. But time and the gods had moved on. Before the Barrier, only a single red granite obelisk remained of its once glorious past.

 

Since the Barrier though, the extreme northeast of Cairo has been slowly reverting to its ancient glory. It seemed as if the sun itself was bubbling up from beneath the ground. The light uprooted houses, business, mosques and the great temple returned once more.

It was erected on an artificial mound faced on all four sides with an enclosing wall of limestone. A long causeway topped by a covered corridor led up to the terrace from a large pavilion on the eastern edge of the desert. At its upper end, a gateway opened on to a paved court, 1250 meters long and 1000 meters broad.

The most recognizable feature was a rectangular podium, with sides sloping inwards and open to the sun, built of limestone on a platform of granite. It was probably intended to represent the mound of sand that once served as the original altar. Atop the podium stood a squat obelisk, the sacred symbol of the sun-god, which was also built of limestone blocks. The obelisk was topped by a representation of the bnbn-stone, a cone-shaped sacred capstone representing the primordial mound, which had arisen above the primeval waters at the moment of creation. It was coated in electrum, in order to catch and gleam with the rays of the sun itself out in the open-air court.

To the east of the obelisk lay a huge alabaster altar, built of one large circular block surrounded by four blocks, one on each side, each of these in the shape of the hieroglyph, hetep, meaning "offering". Near the entrance to the base of the obelisk was a small chapel, with two basins on both sides of its door and two granite stelae. The walls of the chamber were decorated with reliefs showing foundation-ceremonial and feasts in the temple.

 

This temple gleamed like a mirage in the sand. Its beauty was breath taking, but none could gain entrance to its gate. Every day more and more of the surrounding residents of Cairo, came to the Temple to pay respects and offer worship to Ra, but those who had tried to enter, disintegrated as if they had touched the sun itself.

 

 

On the sand before the temple there was a flash of blue light and a loud audible pop. Out of this light stepped Alter. He had been sent here by Mortigen on behalf of Ra to gather an object.

 

Alter had no idea what that might be, but it obviously had to be inside the temple.

 

He flexed his muscles, stretching them. The heat of the dessert poured down on him.

 

“Wonderful,” he said to himself. “The heat feels good, after all that time in that cold, bleak city.”

 

He began to trudge across the sand. His hoofs kicked up small puffs, as he got closer to the temple.

 

An aura of unimaginable power radiated off the temple. He felt his red skin begin to blister, as he got closer. He stopped to gather his wits and consider his approach.

 

“Continue forward servant,” the voice of Ra called. “Your life is in no danger of ending today, at least not as long as you bask in my glory and curry my favour.”

 

Alter cringed at the voice and quickened his pace towards the temple. The heat magnified and intensified and he felt like he was being cooked in his skin. Just at the point where he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, the blazing heat dissipated and return to the normal desert heat.

 

Alter gently probed patches of his burnt skin with his finger and saw smoke rising off of his body in several places. He could smell burnt hair and flesh.  He felt around his face and realized his stylish little soul patch was burnt away.

 

“Hotter than hell to get in here” he said to the open courtyard.

 

“More than you know,” the ethereal voice said seemingly whispering in his ear.

 

Alter spun quickly at the words and saw a vision of Ra standing before him in His commonest form, that of a strong-bearded man who appears upon his head lofty double plumes, the various sections of which are coloured alternately red and green; round his neck he wears a deep collar necklace, and his close-fitting tunic is supported by elaborately worked shoulder-straps. His arm and wrists are provided with armlets and bracelets, in his right hand is the symbol of life, and his left the sceptre. Hanging from his tunic is the tail of some animal; the custom of wearing which by gods and kings was common in Egypt in the earliest times.

 

This strong image was undermined by the fact that it appeared to be spun out of gossamer and was semi-transparent. Ra did not yet have the power to enter the world, but Alter could tell that that time was drawing very close.

 

Around Ra’s neck hung a leather strap that was obviously missing a jewel of some size.

 

“The time is close, servant. Soon I shall enter this world once more, and I shall retake was is mine.” Ra cast a glance around the splendour of his temple. “My home is beautiful is it not?”

 

Truly it was a marvel, Alter was always taken aback by the grandeur of the Ancient ones. He and those of his time had adopted modern ways. Alter felt more at home now surrounded by technology than with the pomp of old. Still the majesty of the Ancient ones had its allure, he completely understood Mortigen in that moment, and it terrified him.

 

“Deep within the temple the jewel that I miss sits,” Ra informed Alter. “With the power contained in it, combined with the return of magic to my lands, my form will be complete. Go now and retrieve it and bring it to me at my alabaster alter.”

 

Something about this plan was starting to not ring true with Alter, but he also knew that he had no options available to him. A deep feeling of dread swelled in him.

 

“Damn set up,” he mumbled to himself as he set out for the rough-hewn stone stairs that lead down beneath the temple itself.

 

The lighting was poor but after a search, he finally came upon some torches. He used a low level spell to ignite one of them and set out to find the chamber that held the jewel.

 

The search felt like some real life video game that he had played before the Barrier and dramatically changed technology. Long hallways that all seemed to look a like stretch before him in all directions.

 

With some grim determination, Alter began along a passageway that lead off to the east. He had remembered a legend about Ra warring with Set for the right to rise in the east everyday and it just seemed to make sense that the object lay that way.

 

 

Fulham Broadway

 

Damian had walked from Putney over the bridge into Fulham and onto the Broadway. He was happy with the body of Dust, it felt good, and the magical power available to him would definitely come in handy.

 

“Damian, what’s going on, what about me?” the voice of Dust called in Damian’s mind.

 

“Dust my lad, what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine. Shut up and enjoy the ride you little puss. I’ve been quickly flipping through your memories on the walk and I have to tell you that I’m disgusted with the type of person you are. You’re a coward, a weakling, and terribly afraid of the true power you have. If you were in front of me right now I’d bitch slap you around. Work needs to be done in what’s coming and nothing I’ve seen in your personality lets me know you’d have the set to get it done.”

 

“Bastard,” was all Dust could muster as he slunk further back into Damian’s mind.

 

They came upon a lively looking pub with the sounds of music, and the smells of beer, cigarette smoke, a pasties pouring out.

 

“Just what we need, a drink and maybe some action.” Damian said with a smile and entered the pub.

 

As the door swung open, all eyes in the place rotated to take the new comer in. The strong feeling of the place was that of a local, same crowd most nights, and no outsider either interested of going or welcome to come.

 

The eyes of the men flashed in anger or announce at his arrival, but several of the women’s eye said they were glad he was there.

 

Damian made his way through the crowd to the bar. He lit a smoke and call to the tender, “I’ll have a pint of Best’s Bitter and 20 John Player’s Specials.”

 

The bartender pulled the pint and grabbed the smokes, placing them both before him.

 

“4 quid mate,” he said.

 

“Right, here your are Guv, keep’m coming.”

 

Damian took a long swig of the pint and as he was placing it down, a woman approached.

 

“Never seen you before, have I?” she asked.

 

“No luv, not that I know of. Coarse, I’d have to seen the top of your head clearly to be sure.”

 

The woman’s eye grew wide and just as she was about to respond, she was pushed aside by a large many in a Sava #26 FFC jersey. “Oi, watch you mouth with my lady prat or you’ll be sorted in short order.”

 

Damian smirched and turned fully towards the man, his eyes blazed and he was mumbling quietly under his breath. “Normally lad, I’d beat you with my bear hands, but at the moment, I’ve got some new powers to test.” He went back to mumbling.

 

“Right them smart mouth,” The man said and moved toward him. He balled up his meaty fist and began to drive it towards Damian’s face. Damian could here Dust squeal like a girl in the back of his mind, but he paid no attention, abruptly he stopped mumbling and the fist spun mid-air and rounded right back into the man’s face. The force of the blow shattered the nose and blood gushed out.  The man stumbled back and dropped onto his ass.

 

“Splendid,” Damian said, very pleased with himself. He looked around the room, “Right then, let’s get started shall we?”

 

With that a very large bar brawl started.

 

 

Soho

 

In an alleyway between Leicester Square and Trafalgar three men were talking.  On closer inspection, one would notice that they weren’t really men at all, but then again if you got close enough, that would probably be the last thing you thought.

 

“Damn heroes flitting around this city. There seems like there’s a new group springing up every minute.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I couldn’t give a crap though; I just want Union Jack’s head on a platter for interfering with us. *

 

* 1st Union Jack Mini

 

“Look, a bunch of cute little puppies.” A voice calls from behind them.

 

The three werewolves spin and begin to alter their form.

 

“Wrong place, wrong time jackass. There a name you want me to crave into your hide when you’re dead?”

 

“Oh, I’ve been called many thing, Cain, John, but now I’m on a mission form God. Call me Solomon Kane.”

 

With that the man once named John Gideon tore into the three werewolves. He used his mutant power to turn biological matter to stone, as well as his vicious, hyper violent nature.

 

The battle was brief, but bloody. Three dead werewolves lay at Kane’s feet. He ripped a part of shirt off of one of the dead werewolves a tied it around a large gash he got during the fight.

 

When he was done, he light a smoke and exhaled. “Three down, so many more to go,” he said with a mad gleam in his eyes. “It’s good to be on God’s team.”

 

He cackled maniacally and went on the hunt for more beings to kill.

 

 

Hot knives flashed through the air with and audible sizzle as they flew. Two well-placed shots drove into the eye socket of a charging troll.  The troll screamed out and clawed his burning orbs.

 

“Bloody Hell, you’d think after all this time I’d be less fazed by this type of thing, but that was an actual bleeding Troll attacking us.” Johanna called to Pete Wisdom over the wailing of the troll.

 

Pete walked over and snagged a brown package off the ground.

 

“Right, let’s get out of here while he’s still distracted,” Pete said as he made his way out of the Green. “Lots of people will be terribly pissed that we pilfered the communiqué bundle before Mortigen could receive it.”

 

They began to briskly walk down the round looking round to catch a taxi.  They finally flagged one down and as it rounded to pick them up Johanna turn to Pete.

 

“Fancy a drink?” she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

 

“Dirty slag,” Pete said with a smile. “Let’s talk to Eccles and we’ll see what happens after that.”

 

“Business, business, business,” Johanna said as she lit a fag. “Well then, let’s be off and get to the Mystery School, I’m parched and really need that drink.”

 

As the taxi pulled away, the newly christened Solomon Kane watched them go. “I wonder if they count,” he said to himself as he made his way into the Green determined to add the wounded Troll to his death list.

 

 

Next: Alter finds the jewel, Ra’s return to the mortal plane, other gods are pissed, Damian is still looking for trouble testing out his new body, and Solomon Kane’s rampage continues.

 

 

Author’s Notes:

 

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve written an issue of anything. Not my best work, but after months of personal issues, work issues, and brutal writers block, I think its all turned around for me.

Let me know what you think.

 

Rarock2002@yahoo.ca or on the Yahoo Pendragons Group.

 

Cheers,

Robert Rock