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Post by Tim E. Vortex on Jul 4, 2011 19:10:34 GMT
.\V/. Timothy and the Curse of the Emerald Sky (part II) .\V/. I awoke with my familiar hybrid sensation of utter terror and excitement and unpeeled the thing Egyptian cotton from my almost fully-dressed body. I sat up firmly on the chair in which I retired and surveyed the room. The remains of Eduardo were lay uncomfortably close to me. Professor Amgine was sat on the couch opposite discussing archaeology with Richo and Frank, and Michelle was exceeding her reputation, flirting with Alonzo, the thief. Noticing my glare, she began to approach me with a cup of green tea.
“Why is it, no matter where we go, you are always the last one to wake up?”
She jested as she handed the fine crockery over to me. I smiled and took a sip, attempting to show some gratitude, despite her unique tea-making style. The professor jumped up from his seat.
“Right, gentlemen. Prepare yourselves. Today, we face one of the most powerful forces in the history of the earth. Some of us may not return, but we shall not die in vain. The curse of the Emerald Sky will be lifted!”
Motivational speeches are typically my forte, but I let him have this one.
“Erm, just one question though. To get to the pyramids is gonna take an hour or so walking, and I’d quite like to save my legs running from big, scary mummy guy, so... how are we getting there?”
Michelle enquired. The professor smiled and left the lobby of the hotel, and his three faithful followers stepped out after him. Placing my dusty, blue jacket over me, I brushed past Michelle, shrugging my shoulders as I did so. Reluctantly, she followed. I shielded my eyes upon exiting, as the blazing sun was more rabid than ever. I then heard a pathetic galloping sound and Michelle’s face dropped.
“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.”
Richo emerged from around the corner holding onto three pieces of rope, attached to which were three camels. Naturally, I laughed. As an explorer, I often indulge myself in a variety of cultures. As a Scott, Michelle did not.
“Marvellous!”
With great ecstasy, I leaped up onto the animal and offered my hand to assist my companion up. The professor shared with Alonzo and Frank and Richo were paired together. Off we went, under the fiery daylight across the vast dessert. Thirty minutes of casual chit chat later and the great pyramids were in sight; just as majestic as my memory served me. However, this feeling was soon interrupted by a tap on my shoulder.
“Tim. Don’t you think we should be getting a move on?” “ Nonsense, my dear. It won’t be dark for hours.” “ No, it’s just...” “ Always complaining. Can’t you...[/color]” “ Tim, I really think you should take a look at this.[/color]” She interrupted, and for good reason too. I could hear the distinct sound of Mozartian music, much like I have described to you before and in those times, I was faced with my greatest enemy.“ What on Earth is that thing?” The professor shrieked. I turned around and my suspicions were confirmed. It was the rift. The same rift I encountered in Atlantis... and the same I saw in the E.N.I.G.M.A. headquarters. Only this time it was bigger... much, much bigger.“ It’s the rift![/color]” “ What do we do?” “ Head for the pyramid![/color]” I ordered and we rode, forcing the camels to run as fast as they possibly could. The rift followed, spreading like germs, greatly increasing in size. Richo fell off. Either Frank was unaware or he was delighted by the lighter load, but in any premise, he continued his journey.“ No!” “ We have to go back for him!” Obviously, the notion had crossed my mind. I turned back and assessed the situation as the rift caught up with him, taking hold of his foot. Richo reached out with great horror in his desperate eyes. I made a decision... one that I’m not particularly fond of and one I’m never likely to forget. I carried on riding.“ Didn’t you hear me? I said we have to go back!” But I did hear her. I chose to ignore the statement and fortunately, Richo’s screaming was drowned out by the music of the rift as it swallowed him whole. Eventually, we reached the pyramid where a great sand slide burrowed into it. Without warning, the camels slid down to the bottom. The collision with the ground caused an avalanche of sand, blocking our entrance and sealing us in. [/color]
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Post by Tim E. Vortex on Aug 1, 2011 18:14:33 GMT
(OOC: Finally got around to doing the third part. I suggest giving the other two a (re)read first, otherwise, you'll be proper confused.)It has been a while since my last entry, and whilst I do enjoy keeping you on your toes, I feel the time has come to complete the story. A recap: Myself and Michelle had travelled to see the great pyramids in 2287 AD; however, upon arrival at a hotel, we were greeted by an eerie silence to the former top tourist attraction. There, we met an archaeological team lead by Professor Amgine. That night, one of his men was found dead, and so the Professor began to explain. He told us many a thing, including the Curse of the Emerald Sky, the return of Tutankhamen and the death of his daughter. The next day, we made our journey to the pyramids, but were met with a greater enemy than any ancient Pharaoh. It was the rift... for those of you unfamiliar with the story so far; I first encountered the rift in Atlantis following a recent “enigma” prophecy. Since then, both the rift and enigma has haunted me on my travels. More recently, on the way to the pyramid, one of the professor’s men had fallen off his camel to become engulfed. It was then we found ourselves hurtling down a sand slide under a tomb, sealing us in.
.\V/. Timothy & the Curse of the Emerald Sky (part III) .\V/. Far too many a time have I awoken with the uncomfortable feeling that I have passed on to the other side, but alas, I’m still part of this horribly exciting nightmare. A single match struck from Alonzo’s pocket provided surprisingly sufficient lighting.
“The wall.”
I croaked, pointing over to a wooden torch that rested in metal brackets. Alonzo advanced and set it on fire, giving us a clearer view of the situation. I dragged myself up off the ground and exhaled some excess dust from my lungs. Frank was assisting the professor to his feet and Michelle, maintaining her vanity, was sat with her legs crossed, adjusting her fierce, red hair.
“One day, I shall teach you how to prioritise. You may find it useful at some point.”
Location-wise, there’s a lack of things to describe. Sandy bricks made up the wall of our narrow prison, but that’s all there was.
“So, this mummy...”
“I can assure you, that is the least of our worries.”
“Och, a rotting corpse looking for immortality is sucking the life out of us and you’re telling me there’s something bigger than that?” “ Mr. Vortex. What was that thing out there?” The professor interrupted. I wasn’t being rude, but we were running out of time. I began to walk down the narrow hallway of the tomb, hoping the others would follow. Naturally, as the one with an impeccable amount of knowledge, they did, avoiding my embarrassment.“ It was the rift... an explosion of time and space occurring all around the universe. Anything it touches is erased.” I began, inciting further interest from the group.“ But what about us? That... thing came right for us. It took Richo!” “ Indeed. However, the only explanation I can conceive would be this pyramid. It’s a very old structure... it’ll take the rift a while to get through that.” “ So, we’re safe?” “ Are we ever? It’s not stopped, but it did buy us some time.” I came to a halt. We were greeted with a new wall and there, in a perfect cliché, was the word “AMGIN3” written in blood. The professor drew back.“ No! That’s my daughter’s handwriting. She must have done this!” “ Probably...” “ Try not to be too sympathetic.” Said Michelle with her omnipresent sarcasm. The professor broke down, cradling his head in his hands. Taking Michelle’s reverse psychology on board, I patted the professor on the shoulder.“ It must have been the last thing she did. Maybe... maybe it was a message. She knew I’d come and she wrote it for me... to guide me.“ She wrote it for me.” I bragger, drawing uncertain and confused looks. I grabbed the torch from Alonzo and guided it towards the right. There, taking up the entire height of the room was a mirror. Obviously, Michelle took the time out from the horror to make sure her red blouse was accurately in alignment, but the rest of us saw differently. Whilst at first, the message did indeed appear to incorporate the professor’s surname, but in the mirror, it read “ENIGMA”.“ Oh my God!” Frank ejaculated, giving him his first notable dialogue of the story. I looked at Michelle, whom had already fixed her eyes upon me in hope I could offer some explanation. I began to examine the mirror, trusting there was some passage behind it, otherwise, we’d be stuck between two dead-ends.“ There must be some kind of switch... something to open this up to...” I was then interrupted by a loud smashing sound. I looked around and Michelle was poised in her best karate position with her foot still hovering after a stern kick. I was right... there was a passage, but I wish she had more patience. There was an uncompromising machinery noise emerging.“ What was that?” “ Typical Scott. I think you may have triggered a physical alarm.” “ So what d’we do?” “ My dear, I think you’ll find in situations such as the one we are currently divulged in, there is a particular phrase that’s fitting...” “ Which is?” The noise became more intense and the behind us transformed, shooting out conical spikes. Everybody traded glances as the wall began closing in. I smiled.“ Run.” And we did. Deeper and deeper into the new passage. We ran and we ran, until we couldn’t run any further. We came to yet another dead end. Looking around, I saw nothing. Michelle leant back against the wall, inadvertently pushing in a brick. The floor below us caved in and down we went.“ See, Timmy. I am useful.” I slanted my eyes, but was then greeted by a new wonder. It was the most majestic sight I’ve ever seen. The room was filled to the brim in glittering gold with jewels scattered around, surrounding a sarcophagus that lay in the middle.“ Haha!” The professor was ecstatic. All his worries seemed to momentarily vanish as his work appeared to be nearing its end. He could finally avenge the death of his daughter, Richo and Federico. Alonzo took off his backpack and knelt down to open it. At which point, I firmly placed by foot on top. He threw his eyes up at me and I shook my head.“ This is it! I just know it. The Emerald Sky must be in this room!” “ I know where I’d put my money.” Michelle skipped over to the sarcophagus and ran her fingers over the design. The rest of us stood around it and the professor gave the nod to his men. Taking a side each, the men began to lift the lid off of a casket and tossed it to one side, at which point, a herd of dust spattered out, momentarily blinding us. Once it had cleared and I had coughed excessively, I looked inside. It was empty.“ Where is it?” “ Someone must’ve been here before us.[/color]” “ I think that someone’s still here![/color]” Michelle trembled. Turning around, I caught a glimpse of him for the first time... it was Tutankhamen. He began to hobble slowly towards us, grumbling and murmuring. I could sense his pain, but was more concerned with my own safety. Once again, we ran, but there was nowhere to go. We huddled together in the corner, desperately fearing for our lives. It was then that Frank snapped.“ It was you, wasn’t it Alonzo? You took it!” It was the obvious conclusion, but I always prefer the more interesting ones.“ Me!? I may be a thief, but I’d never put us in jeopardy like this. If I had it, I’d give it to him.[/color]” “ That’d get us killed!” “ If anything, I’d say it was you.” There’s a point. When we came into contact with the enigma message, it was Frank who appeared the most shocked and frightened.“ The professor said you were British, Frank. Is that correct.” “ Really, Timothy? Now?” “ Yeah, so what. You are too.” “ Professor, how did the two of you meet?” “ He told me his company would fund the expedition. He said they’ve been studying the Emerald Sky for years.” And there we have an answer. I knew now about the mysterious Frank and I could give it a good guess who he worked for. I stared at him, hypnotising him to confess.“ Oh, alright! I’m Frank Noir from E.N.I.G.M.A. My family have told me all about you, Tim E. Vortex. We know you plan to close the rift, but you can’t!” “ So... he took it then?” So, it appears we are stuck between a thief and a member of E.N.I.G.M.A. King Tut was drawing closer and closer and I had a decision to make. I could forgive Frank for his line of work, but when Richo fell off the camel, I saw him smile. I could never forgive him for that. I grabbed him by the collar and picked him up, throwing him towards the mammoth mummy who gripped him by the head, sucking the life out of him.“ What has gotten into you!?” “ I needed to buy us some time. Great mind like this, I need time to think.” “ But he had the Emerald Sky!” And then it hit me. Frank, despite being a scumbag, didn’t have it. Richo the thief... he didn’t have it. As is often the case, it’s always the person you least expect.“ I’ve been so stupid. Your daughter, professor. She died, I know, but I can save her. I know you took it, and who can blame you? You’re just a father trying to give his daughter eternal life, but you can’t do it. You can’t play God!” Once again, the frail, old man broke down. Suddenly, Tutankhamen looked like mother Teresa. A great light came from behind him. The rift had broken through.“ Fan-fucking-tastic.” “ Professor!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful green gem. Vine’s of gold surrounded it in all its glory. I stared into it, just for a moment; it truly was mesmerising. I then tossed it over to the mummy.“ What are you doing!?” “ Look at him. Hundreds of years have gone by. He may still be living, but he’s still been aging... decomposing. His eyes are mush; no wonder he couldn’t find the thing.” “ So... he just wanted to die?” “ So much pain and torture. It’s okay... you can rest now.” The King smashed the gem onto the ground. It broke to pieces and a green fog erupted, spreading through the air. It encompassed Frank, reviving him in his full form and shot through the rift. Tut looked at me and smiled. He then collapsed to the ground, dead. The building began to shake.“ Erm... Timothy?” Bits of brick began to fall down, narrowly avoiding us. The tomb was closing in on itself and the group huddled together once more... Michelle, the professor, Alonzo and Frank. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my trusted watch. Covering the group, I quickly managed to set in some coordinates. I then pushed the button.Opening my eyes, I found myself exactly where I wanted to be. Spain. No, I wasn’t there on holiday.[/i] “ This... this is my house. How did you...?” “ I’m very clever.” “ You did it!” Not long after, we were outside the professor’s house to make our farewell. Frank had disappeared and Michelle was linking my arm as we stood, ready to take our descent.“ So what will you do now?” “ Do a little dance... make a...[/color]” “ Thank you, Michelle. We’re travellers, Professor. We’ll travel. And your good self?” “ I think it’s about time I retired. I’ve had a long life... just me now.” “ I’m sorry.” “ It’s okay. You didn’t kill my daughter, Mr. Vortex.” “ Oh, you misunderstand me. I meant, I’m sorry for not explaining this to you.” “ What on earth do you mean?” I smiled and gave the nod to the house. The professor turned around, and then turned back, still confused. It was then that a soft voice could be heard beaming out of the building.“ Daddy!” It beckoned, silencing the professor. He stared at me and tears began to stream down his face. A grin was forming and as he lacked the ability to speak at this point, he simply mouthed the words, “Thank you”. He then began to run back to the house to live a happy life with his daughter. I checked in on them a few years later, from a distance. His daughter married Alonzo and they remained happy until the day they died. I love happy endings.[/color]
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