Scarlet River Part 2

The duo of summoner and spirit made their way through the land of Desierto. The winged lion soared over the dunes of sand below, a vast landscape that had already gone on for miles and would continue for many more. Empty. Silent. Dead. There was nothing else in sight besides the clear blue sky and the roaring hot sun above them.

The summoner sat on the lion's back, scouting ahead, looking for any signs of what they were looking for. In her hands she held the map that had been given to her, but it was far from helpful in even providing landmarks. It didn't seem to match the current landscape of the land. Anything that was remotely significant on the map had been lost in time and sand long ago.

(Word Count: 131)

The woman rolled up the map and reached over her shoulder, stuffing the parchment away inside the open knapsack she wore on her back. The map was useless, she had decided. At least, until she could fully figure it out and that was just not happening no matter how long she looked at it. All they could do now was keep going until they came across the main clue they had been given. A river of scarlet. But, was it an actual river that was a bright unnatural color? Or was it something else?

The Wizard saint didn't recall such a thing existing on modern maps of the country so it was odd. Old Sanura didn't go into great details about it at all. Yet, even if more information had been demanded none would have been given. Her words had to be trusted. No. Not so much had to be. They already were. As creepy and strange as that old crone was there was no lie in her words. It hadn't been sensed and there was no obvious reason for her to lead the summoner astray. In fact, it seemed Sanura wanted the summoner to succeed in her task. For what reasons truly were still hidden under the veil of mystery.

(Word Count: 211
I'm Lazy Total: 342)

The air got hotter as more time passed. Had the high temperatures reached their peak yet? The summoner didn't rightly know. There were no plans to stop or take a break, though. Not that the one doing the flying cared to. The heat didn't affect him. Not because he was categorized as a magic “spirit” from some other realm really. Others of his kind would have disliked the heat and felt it. Some more than others, of course. He, however, was quite used to the fiery temperatures after having lived among the deserts for centuries. Even more so in his current form and part of his essence being of a god worshipped by the ancient desert civilizations. The heat was comfortable.

Still, he kept himself aware of the summoner's condition. It wasn't the sort of task he relished in taking, but it was his duty to be concerned, he supposed. He wanted to avoid the annoyances that were the other spirits that would do more than frown if they found out he ignored the summoner's status. They all played a role of being guardians. Or so the others would label themselves. He saw it as being a magical babysitter for an adult. An adult that rightly shouldn’t have needed one given who his summoner was.

(Muse Is Busy Elsewhere Word Count: 215
Total So Far: 557)

"If I recall you packed a means of hydration in that old bag of yours." Anhur commented, breaking the silence between them. "You should take advantage of our current peace and hydrate yourself. Whatever else the rest of the world may think of you, their misguided opinions do not change your biological state. You are still human, and humans require water. Especially so when in a land such as this."

Samira didn't react much to the suggestion. His words were logical and true enough. She just didn't care. It wasn't necessary. Not yet. Besides, the water bottles in her bag were just a precaution. There was no intention to drink them unless she absolutely had to and/or if she had zero access to her magic to either provide water or get back to normal civilization. That had been the first thing on her mind to prepare for before even setting out for the desert land. "I am fine, actually. Perhaps in another hour or so I will reconsider and do as you suggest."

"Hmph, there is no guarantee that you will have the luxury to do so an hour from now."

(Word Count: 191
Total So Far: 748)

Once again Samira wasn't phased by his words. There was truth to them, even wisdom since anything could happen between now and then. That did not necessarily mean that she had to change her mind. There was wisdom in saving her resources for when she truly needed them as well. At that moment, she did not need to make use of her resources. Rather than continue that line of conversation, she decided to slide it over to something just as relevant. "Possibly. Then again we may be still flying by that time as well. We have not had much success or hints that we are going the right way."

The lion growled. It was not a sound of anger or annoyance, but more of thought. A silent moment passed. Finally, he then spoke. "It can take a lot of time to find anything in these deserts. I would not be surprised if we find nothing even days from now. When someone comes out here to not be found they are usually successful. Only the foolish or the desperate would bother."

"I suppose we are fools then." Samira held her stoic expression. They were not desperate. Far from it. She could turn around and abandon the task at any time. Why didn't she though? Because she was after a piece to a large and complicated puzzle? Because she wanted to know exactly what secrets her grandfather had tried so hard to keep away from others? Perhaps she was desperate in a way. Desperate for knowledge. Desperate for whatever truth had been covered up long ago.

(Word Count: 264
Total So Far: 1012)

The two continued their conversation with their typical banter. Naturally, Anhur did not consider himself a fool. At least, not in the way that was previously stated. He was the fool for allowing himself to once again be caught up in whatever mess Samira had gotten herself into. That was what this mission would be if not a wild goose chase for nothing. He had already predicted it. He was rarely wrong. Not that he'd admit it if he were.

"Hmmm, do you suppose we should have turned or something?" Samira asked the summon after some more time had passed on by. She looked around, seeing nothing but sand all around her, and nothing but a hot boiling sun above her. The scenery was becoming dull. "We have been going straight for the most part. Maybe we should change direction. And no, I do not mean go back the way we came."

"At this point, I would not consider turning back. I would just keep flying until we reached the boundaries of this country."

"At the very least we have not seen any signs of the bandits and other criminals that supposedly live scattered around here." Was that supposed to be the silver lining to seeing absolutely nothing? Partially, she supposed. No bandits meant no repeat of her first mission in a desert. Her first real mission in general, actually. The memory of the events of that day replayed in her mind. A deep frown formed on her face. Those memories were not pleasant. It did set her on the path to shaping who she currently was, but that was the only good thing to come from remembering it. If she did not consider that to be so vital to her current self she would have chosen to forget it altogether.

Anhur chose to ignore the thoughts of his summoner as they flooded his mind. Still, he could see the memories play vividly as if he had lived them himself regardless. That had taken place long before he and many of the other spirits in Samira's collection had awoken. He did not desire to know or see the details of an event he had missed. That was not going to change despite his futile attempts to ignore it. The most he could do was choose not to comment on it. The summon chose to instead focus on the words that had already been spoken by the woman. "Not yet. Many are likely closer to the three main cities of the current rulers here. Those spread this far could be more active during nightfall. Even desert dwellers would prefer not to be out in the sun if it can be avoided. Then again, I could be wrong. Desert land can get too cold at night." His words were best described as he had zero clue. Anything was possible and he was sure bandits lurked around somewhere even if they could not be seen.

It would not be bandits that would interrupt the peaceful flight. Not at first anyway. Bandits were easily handled. What would change their course and plans was a bit more difficult to handle than a simple bandit.

(Word Count: 529
Total So Far: 1541)

The two didn't know it, but they had crossed over a boundary. Not a mark upon the sand or an imaginary line that worked as a border. It was one made of magic. A powerful spell had been cast some time ago at that particular part of the desert. It worked not only as a way to protect its caster by hiding them very well, but it also worked as a teleportation portal. One that went between dimensions and took the traveler to some unknown place. At that current moment, neither Samira nor Anhur fully understood what had transpired.

A strange sensation coursed through their bodies as they went through it. That was all. There was no visualization of a spell. No portal appeared. No strange interdimensional travel background during the process. The world around them had not even changed. Granted it was hard to tell when all one had to look at was sand, sand, and more sand, but there would still be something out of place or different. Oh, wait. Right there. The sudden appearance of a giant sandstorm directly in front of them was a clue that something was not quite right, and the strange feeling they had felt was not to be ignored.

(Word Count: 207
Total So Far: 1748)

To say that both summoner and spirit were surprised at the sudden arrival of a sandstorm directly in front of them would be an understatement. There wasn't even time to react before they were within its range and inside the thick cloud of sand. Visibility decreased even before Samira made the attempt to shield her eyes. Anhur could still see, having been used to being inside such storms before, but it still was not much. The wind also made him lose stability and speed. Even he couldn't fly in that for very long. Finding shelter was pointless. There was nothing like that when the world around them was nothing but oceans of sand. Finding a random cave would be too convenient to the point of being absolutely suspicious.

(Am I Doing This Slowly Word Count: 129
Yes, Yes I am Samira Total: 1877)

Flying in the storm inevitably proved to be impossible even for the lion avatar spirit. It was simply too strong. Strangely too strong in his mind. If he had any more time to think about it he would have pondered if it had been magically created, but those suspicions would have to wait until later. Immediately his entire focus was placed on not crashing horribly. Anhur was forced to descend with little control in the direction or pace of altitude. Summoning a different avatar to take control of the storm was an idea that came too late in those quick seconds that the summoner had to react, nor did those summons act on their own by summoning themselves. Both lion and summoner became lost in the storm, crashing within it and only remembering everything else turning to black in a quick instant.

(Word Count: 142
Total So Far: 2019)

Time continued to pass after that. It never did stop for anyone. Well, almost anyone. Masters of time magic had their ways, but even Samira's god of time avatar could not stop or reverse what had occurred. The magical connection between Samira and her spirits had been severed. A temporary one to be sure, but the fact it had occurred at all was a rarity. In the past, it had happened when the Goddess of Ishgar had used too much of her power. The cure was simply allowing for enough time to pass for her magical power and connections with her avatar spirits to recover and recharge. It had also occurred while in the Haunted Castle. The strong darkness and evil presence there were able to weaken her power with ease. That was a long time ago though. Back when she was much weaker than she was currently. Still, those were two instances when her power left her. One did not apply now. No significant amount of magical energy had been used prior to getting caught up in the sandstorm. That meant an outside cause was behind it. Something even more powerful than that horrible castle of malevolent spirits.

As someone unconscious, Samira had yet to take notice even if her avatar spirits became aware instantly. As the hours passed the storm had weakened and stopped completely, but it was also during that time when both she and Anhur had been found and moved. The two would find themselves in different surroundings entirely once they awakened.

(Word Count: 256
Total So Far: 2275)

Black was all Samira could see at first. A dark empty space that was void of all sound. Void of all life. Void of everything except her. Until it wasn't. The Goddess of Ishgar recognized that space. She had been there before. A space deep within her own mind. It wasn't the space that kept her own darkness, as most humans were capable of having. Nor did it store the secrets that she often kept hidden from others, save for her avatar summons. It was a mind space that contained a prison but not one that was of her own making or one that was meant for her.

The familiar portal materialized. One of violent celestial energy that crackled and swayed like flames. Ancient runed covered chains covered it, locking it and preventing anything from going in or out of the red gateway. Save for herself. Samira was the only one that could enter and exit and only because of her natural and magical bond with the prisoner beyond the angry celestial particles. She would always choose not to do so. Only by force had she ever been through that portal. Those encounters were never pleasant and the summoner dared not add another experience to that tally.

She could feel the rage beyond that portal. The strong emotion that only amplified the moment he awoke. He always slept to pass the time and conserve energy. Only the events surrounding Samira's life would ever wake him. Nothing was a louder alarm than the summoner linked to him being in danger. Something threatening the magical link was the summoner equivalent of a siren. All at once the others had been blocked, all of them unable to see or hear what was going on around Samira. All of them disconnected from her thoughts and, even worse, her magic. Except for him. That was never a good circumstance to be in.

Nothing would be said between the two. Shockingly. Though Samira always preferred no communication with the cursed avatar spirit he was another story. The dark serpent loved to hear himself talk. That had never once changed throughout their previous encounters. Until then. She knew that was cause for concern. There would be no controlling him if he forced himself out of that prison. His tactic might have only allowed partial use of his power but it was no less dangerous even for her.

Thankfully there was time. He would not break out for a while yet. Not without a further push that affected Samira's mental and physical state to accelerate the process. It'd be slow otherwise as the locks still remained intact even without the other avatars there. How long that would last was anyone's guess. It was never consistent. Hopefully, it'd be long enough to solve the problem... Whatever the problem was. The memory of the storm had left her mind, its sudden appearance and its effects having not yet been imprinted into her subconsciousness. It wouldn't be that way for long. The portal and its dark surrounding landscape of that portion of her mind were beginning to alter. To fade. Until that version of herself was completely whisked away back to reality and consciousness.

(Word Count: 533
Total So Far: 2808)

Samira would move slightly, the sounds around her finally loud enough to stir her awake. The echoes within a cavern surrounded her. A soft wind blew through, swirling the sand around that scratched against the walls. The mumbling of incoherent voices. Soft footsteps that passed by. It lasted for hours. Her consciousness barely registering it all the entire time.

The halfway state of mental consciousness came to an end after what seemed like a century yet only an instant at the same time. She let out a small groan as a wave of pain inflicted on her brain. It had been there the entire time but she was just then noticing it. Her memory of the mindscape was already there but whether the pain was from the anger of the serpent or from the rough landing that occurred due to the storm she couldn't tell. That is until she noticed a different sort of pain. The aching migraine threatened to split her head open but Samira was used to that kind of pain. It was the sharpness of another type of pain that stood out. Like a cut.

Knowing that, Samira raised her hand and touched the right side of her head. Near the front was indeed a cut indeed. A small wince escaped her as a mild reaction to the touch. Although gentle, the touch was more than enough to tell her not to mess with it further. There was dried blood over it now but the wound was still fresh. The fact that it was still there at all told her that her natural healing magic was not working nor were her healing avatars taking over.

So it wasn't her imagination. The connection between herself and her spirit avatars truly was being blocked. Her magic as a whole was not working. It was still there. She could feel the flow of energy within her body but it was weak. Blocked just like her spirits. There wasn't a panic. Rather she was just as calm as she typically always was. That instance wasn't the first time she had been without magic. At the rate her experiences in life were going it certainly wouldn't be the last either.

Samira slowly opened her eyes. At first, her vision was blurry but as she lay there still it began to focus and become clear. The ceiling above was the first thing she observed. Dark and cracked, it was what one would expect the ceiling of a cavern to be. The light upon it shifted and waved, creating shadows and movement matching the crackles of a nearby flame. Torches most likely. It was the only source of light she could see and expect.

(Word Count: 450
Total So Far: 3258)

She forced herself to sit up, working slowly through the aches that had been the physical consequence of the... Crash? Was that what it could even be called? Samira couldn't even remember hitting the ground to describe that detail with confidence in its accuracy.

Her body seemed to be completely intact. Nothing broken, missing, or cut deeply. Not that she thought there was anything wrong in the first place but it was still nice to confirm that everything was there and moved correctly. However, there was still an issue that caused her to deeply frown. She was absolutely filthy. Her clothes, shoes, and skin. All of it was covered in layers of sand. An even worse crime she could already suspect was true but she still had to be sure. Samira touched her hair and even slid her fingers through some of the strands. Her eyes narrowed. More sand. Her teal smooth locks of hair were now dirty and gritty. Disgusting. An immediate shower was needed to feel herself again but she'd be completely out of luck for quite a while. There was no plumbing where she was. That much was certain considering it was a cavern.

Looking around, there was no source of water in her little area either to even clean her hands. Oh, yes. She had her own little room apparently. One blocked not by a door but by bars. Was she seriously a prisoner? Interesting. It had been a while since someone last tried that.

Nothing else in the "room" was noteworthy. Besides the blanket she had been lying on there was an old and small stone table. A cup and bowl were on it but only the desperate would think to make use of them. They were far from clean. There were markings on the wall. Some were black in color, others red. Lines that looked like tallies to keep track of the days. Others were drawings. Some even written passages. Before looking into that further though she had to check the supposed barrier that kept her inside that small space. Just in case someone forgot to lock it. Maybe there'd even be a weak spot that could be broken.

(Word Count: 365
Total So Far: 3623)

Samira stood up slowly, her form being a bit wobbly at first as she adjusted to the pain that coursed through her legs. Her weight upon them made light that she had been more damaged than originally thought. She grimaced the entire way to the bars that kept her in, forcing herself to walk it off. That was more easily said than done for many but Samira was resistant enough to pain. It wasn't the first time she pushed herself past it, other times her condition far worse than it was right then. Such a thing wasn't exactly healthy or advised but she didn't have much choice and there were no over protective avatars around to stop her.

It was a shame the effort was futile and pointless. Her hands wrapped around two of the bars and then she pulled back with a small amount of force. The bars didn't move, the only effect for her effort was the walls they were attached to cracking slightly to drop sand and rock fragments to the ground. They were tightly placed all right and it would take someone much physically stronger than herself to pry even one bar out of place. If only she had access to her magic. Breaking it would have been as easy as breathing.

Samira stepped closer to the gate until her face was right up against the bars. The intention had been to try and see something beyond that door. Anything at all really. But, there was nothing. The left curved around to where she could not see and the right just continued straight and further into the caverns. Nothing else of note was present besides more torches on the walls, hanging fragments of torn solid colored cloth, closed baskets, and broken old pottery. Not even a single other soul was around or other "cells". The sources of the footsteps and voices she had heard earlier were long gone. At the very least there was no blood splattered anywhere that she could see. She wasn't dealing with murderous maniacs. Maybe.

Still, her frown couldn't get any deeper. She needed a plan but aside from waiting she had none. Was Anhur also there somewhere? She couldn't sense the lion spirit at all but he had to be. Whether free or locked up as well she couldn't begin to guess. Even if he were trapped as well he wouldn't be for long. He was much physically stronger and could likely tear any cheap jail apart with ease. Samira crossed her arms over her chest and began to pace around in thought. Yes. Waiting was going to have to be the plan. Waiting to find out the who, what, and why behind her current predicament. Perhaps even waiting for Anhur to find her and go from there. She was patient. She could do that without going insane. Not that she particularly wanted to though. The goddess of Ishgar had gotten used to acting instead of waiting. It was difficult to be content with going back to the older ways of her past self.

(Word Count: 513
Total So Far: 4136)

As a minor distraction, Samira decided to check the markings on the walls that had been ignored earlier. She walked to the tally marks, counting them as a curiosity. Six vertical lines with another slashed through diagonally. A week's representation for each group. If she was correct about their meaning. Counting them came easy due to the organization and by the end, she had made it to an even five hundred. So, someone had been there for nearly two years. That or they got tired of marking the time by then. Samira had no intention of staying anywhere near that long. Her fate would not be the same as whoever that poor unfortunate soul was.

The next set of markings would get her attention next. Samira moved to the next wall and set her verdant gaze on the writings that had been carved onto the cavernous surface. How long that must have taken without the use of magic she didn't want to know. It had to have been ages. Perhaps those five hundred days if they were made by the same prisoner.

Upon first glance, it was clear the writings were not in the same language used in Fiore. Many would not have picked up on the language immediately but Samira could. It was an ancient form of Desierto writings. A language she was quite fluent in and could read just as well as the modern texts of the current age. The writings on the wall did not make sense though. For some moments she studied them, wondering if it was a riddle of sorts or if there were supposed to be other clues elsewhere. Unfortunately, she could tell that it wasn't pointing to a means of leaving the little jail she found herself in. Its significance was for something else that she just may find out later. The writings on the wall were memorized just in case. She would have preferred an ilac picture or a note in her journal but that was a bit difficult to do when those two things were in her missing pack of supplies.

A distraction would keep her from thinking further about it. Footsteps echoed through the cavern. Steps that got closer and closer until they stopped right in front of the barred gate that stood between the source and herself.

(Word Count: 388
Total So Far: 4524)

"Who are you?"

The new arrival spoke in the language of the land. The voice was deep though muffled as if covered by cloth. Male. Dieserto decent if the accent was correct.  Fluent in the language as well since that was the chosen language he had used to communicate. Neither of those came as any surprise. Before the strange occurrence, she had been in Desierto, after all. Though the language was a strange choice considering it was doubtful he knew she could speak it. Although her ancestors were of Desierto descent Samira herself did not completely look it. Her skin was too light complected to pass as someone from those lands. If it was the only language he knew, well, they were both fortunate that she could understand him.

"Speak, invader. Who are you?"

The man spoke again. That time was more demanding. He didn't like being ignored apparently. That or slow responses. Samira still had her back turned to him at that point, her eyes still staring at the writings on the wall. She turned around then to see who was speaking to her and to properly access the situation further.

"My name is Samira," the summoner replied kindly but also with confidence. If the man before her thought that she'd be someone that was terrified by the situation or intimidated in any way he was very mistaken. "I am a mage of Fiore and I am in no way an invader. Trespasser perhaps but that is very unintentional. Although I do apologize if this is a part of your land and I entered it without permission. A passing sandstorm made it difficult to avoid this mistake. I would have hoped that would have been taken into consideration before being labeled so harshly and transported to this place. I do not suppose you could tell me where we are?"

The man glared. Whether it was because he took offense to her words and was angry or because he thought he had a certain level of authority she was not sure. "I ask the questions," he said in a very disrespectful tone. Well, Samira couldn't rightly blame him. The only respect she had earned so far was that of an "invader". That was surely below the respect every person deserved by default. Until a transgression and offense occurred and clearly he thought she had done just that.

"Of course. I meant no disrespect. I am sure you can understand my wanting to know given this change of scenery for me." Samira kept to her kind ways. Patience would do her more good than to use the tempting annoyance or anger that was strong in many others.

(Word Count: 446
Total So Far: 4970)

The man said nothing to carry on that topic. He wasn't going to divulge that information. He didn't need to. "Your mark, Fiore mage."

"I take it you are referring to a guild mark?" That was no issue thankfully. If she had been guildless the conversation might have taken a bit of a turn if he thought all mages in Fiore belonged to a guild. She had considered educating him on that little fact but she later thought not to. Furthering his knowledge didn't seem to be the reason he was there. He might have even taken offense to it. There didn't need to be more of that.

The man didn't answer. Not even a nod was given. Samira let out a small sigh. Those that refused to communicate really did make things more difficult than they had to be. Nevertheless, she saw no reason not to show him her guild mark just in case. There was no other mark she could think of that related to the conversation. At least she wasn't the type that had the guild mark placed in what could be considered as an inappropriate place on the body. Hers was just on the arm near the shoulder. Obliging her host, Samira rolled up the sleeve of her right arm until the mark was revealed. "Will this suffice?" She turned to the side so the golden mark of Sabertooth could be easily seen.

The man stared at the mark, remaining silent for a long moment. Far too long. Samira had been patient but now was the time to move things along before he had too much time to think or consider less than pleasant options to handle surprise intruders. "You know now that I am a part of a legalized guild based in Fiore." Samira began to say while pulling her sleeve back into place and covering the mark. A gentle smile formed on her face. She wasn't sure if being all smiles and kind would do any good but surely it'd be more effective than putting on ugly frowns and stoic expressions. "Now can you be so kind as to tell me where I have landed? This conversation between you and I might move more smoothly if I understand the details that have caused this offense."

The man drew his blade then in slow motion. He stared at it, holding the weapon on its side and running his free hand along the smooth metal that glinted and shined under the flickering light of the torches. Gently he touched the tip and even that small touch was enough to tell him the weapon was still as sharp as ever. Of course, he already knew that. A simple intimidation tactic for a simple man. "In time you might find out. We're still deciding what to do with you."

Samira wasn't impressed. Why would she be? Even the desert pirates of one of her first jobs as a novice mage were more dangerous. Without the use of magic, she could still take him. It was a shame that wasn't the strategy she could take. Being behind bars made that a bit difficult and there was no telling just who she'd be angering if she attacked the man. After all, he had given a clue without much nudging. He wasn't the one deciding what to do with her. There was someone else involved. Possibly an entire group. She needed to continue being careful until she knew more. Or found a means of escape that didn't involve the use of violence unless and until absolutely necessary.

"Well, then how much longer am I to wait?" She asked curiously. Hopefully, they did not expect her to remain there for weeks, months, or longer than that. As patient as she could be that just would not be acceptable. Surely deciding to ransom her off, sell her as a slave, or kill her wouldn't be so difficult a decision that it'd take so long. "Will I be meeting the ones making this decision?" Another question was added before an answer had been given for the first. There were questions of her own. What power kept her magic locked away? What was that place? Who were they? So many that a simple peon could not or would not answer.

"Enough with the questions! I told you this before. I will ask them."

How disappointing. Not only would she receive zero answers to anything she asked but she would be tortured with boredom. Why couldn't there have been a more chatty guard that could carry on a conversation? She may as well have decided to go back to staring at the wall. "True. I am still waiting for more to answer," Samira allowed a tiny bit of sarcasm to enter the conversation. She'd love to answer questions if there were any that had been asked. The list he had must have been very short and he could not or was not allowed to come up with his own. "I cannot help that I come up with my own during the pauses in this conversation between us."

(Word Count: 851
Total So Far: 5821)

Almost immediately a former thought crossed her mind. It had to be asked. "By the way, have you seen a lion anywhere around here?" She asked, knowing full well that it was likely to not get an answer. It was worth a try though. Anhur's well being was very important and at that point, he was more likely to find her than the other way around. "I am uncertain which form he would be in right now but both should be very obvious of the type of animal."

The guard raised the blade he held and struck the bars. "Silence!" It was at that moment the question of where her lion companion was at was answered. As the man shouted a roar soon followed, overpowering the man's intimidation and whatever little power he had as a guard with his own. A lion was now there. Not in the flaming four-legged version that existed before and during the sandstorm, but of his warrior version that could have easily passed for a beastly Joyan.

It had all happened quickly. The man had started to turn around the moment the roar echoed through the cavern but that was all he had time to do. Before he could use his blade to block a flying spear had already pierced through his shoulder. The thrown weapon had sailed through the air with such force that the man did not act as a suitable blockade. He was taken with it, only coming to a stop once the cavern wall had been reached. There, the tip of the spear forced its way into the wall and remained there, making the impaled man the newest wall ornament.

A trail of blood now soaked the ground. The sight was not at all pleasing but it was also nothing that phased Samira much. She had seen too much of it before. Shifting her gaze, she followed the blood trail to stare at the man on the wall. He was alive, of course. Angry, shouting in pain, cursing like she had never heard before, but alive. Not for long though if he kept struggling. In his effort to free himself, he made the wound worse. The blood pouring from him was quickly becoming a scarlet puddle that got darker with more drops that joined it.

"Nevermind. The last question has been answered." It was doubtful that the man could hear her what with his own voice drowning out her own, but that was fine. If Anhur had managed to escape and find her then it was only a matter of time before the rest of the questions had answers as well. Or a full uneventful escape transpired. That was possible though the chance of that was very slim, especially with how things so quickly escalated already.

(Word Count: 465
Total So Far: 6286)

"Did you have to impale the poor man?" Samira asked the lion warrior spirit that now stood where the guard once was. There was very little concern for the well being of the man in her tone and mind. Some might have been in a panic and demanded to be set free just to rush over to help him. Not Samira. She cared, of course, but there was very little she could do. The man was only making his situation worse by trying to force his way free in such a manner. She would have asked Anhur to free him eventually. Now his impatience was making any aid they could give him ten times more difficult. After all, she had no access to her magic and thus no way to help him that way. "He had not even done anything that warranted such an action just yet."

"Did you have to waste time chatting while stuck in there?" Anhur originally had his threatening glare on the man, watching him stupidly struggle, but it soon became evident that the man was weak. He was nothing to worry about any longer. The lion's fierce golden eyes changed direction, casting their powers of judgment and disapproval upon the summoner behind bars.

"Well, yes. I did not have many options for escape. I am afraid that physical strength is not my forte. Though I will say that without my magic weighing me down I do feel that my punches would have more effect." It was an unfortunate thing. Magically Samira was powerful but unlike other mages, hers came with many costs and sacrifices. It was a choice her ancestors had made long ago and it flowed through the bloodline river until it reached her and any other current living descendants. It'd continue for even more generations into the future. Summoners with great magical capabilities with the cost of some of their physical traits. Physical strength and natural speed were just two of those sacrifices. At that moment she felt light. Lighter than she had felt in a very long time. As great as it was to be reminded how she once felt long ago physically she still preferred how she felt with working magic. It was more convenient and useful. For her anyway. "That silver lining is a bit useless in this case if that was not too obvious already." The summoner smiled innocently.

"Without your magic?" Anhur asked in both suspicion and confusion, though his expression remained as strong and confident as ever. "You are without the use of your magic?" He knew the link between summoner and summons had been severed. He was one of them and had felt it when it happened. For Samira to have her entire magic unusable and blocked was for the most part unheard of and even that was when she was much weaker. Nothing should have been able to affect her that way now.

"For the most part..." Samira's expression changed; darkened as the memory of her unconscious state came to mind. She could feel the dark serpent. It wasn't so much terrifying as it was concerning. When the others had been gone before he was never silent. It was a grand opportunity to get his words and opinions in with no interruptions. He never passed on that yet here he was not saying anything through their telepathic bond. Maybe he couldn't. Maybe whatever blocked the others and the rest of her powers wasn't quite strong enough to sever him from her but effective in at least silencing him.

"You mean him, don't you?" Anhur asked. It wasn't a hard conclusion. Samira's expression said everything. That look of mixed and dark emotions was unique and only appeared when that particular summon was in their presence or discussed about. He also would have been the only one close enough to have an intact connection. One could say power had something to do with it as well. The dark serpent was powerful. Moreso than any of the other god avatar spirits. Only Sagittarius exceeded him as a Zodiac but even he was cut off. Power had nothing to do with it.

Anhur now had an idea of what was going on but there was one other question to ask. "Are the abilities he gives you also usable?" To anyone else, that question would have been obvious. No. If she had use of his powers she would have used them to break herself out long ago. Anyone that thought that did not know her. Samira hated using the abilities of Apophis. It took a lot for her to use them. Desperation or loss of control of her magic mostly. That had only ever occurred a handful of times in years. It was more likely that she would have stayed in that place for ages before she made use of the darker power.

Samira shook her head. "Not that I can tell. He is awake though but silent. That is concerning, do you not agree?"

(Word Count: 835
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"Better for him to remain that way. I do not want to have to deal with him." At that point, Anhur had already moved on to freeing Samira. The man pinned to the wall was starting to annoy him and it was only a matter of time before either he drew attention with all that yelling or someone found out they were missing a captive.

The lion spirit stepped forward and grabbed onto two of them. With one pull the entire gate snapped off the connectors that held it in place. Small pieces of metal went flying, missing Samira who had already taken steps back to get out of the way. The broken gate was then thrown to the side where it crashed against the wall and sand-covered ground.

"You still have your strength," Samira observed inquisitively. Anhur's strength was more than him just being physically gifted when he was created. It was enhanced by magic. The essence of the original war god, the magical items that he wore, the weapon he wielded, all of it contained the magic that enhanced his strength significantly. Was not all magic unusable? Until Anhur ripped the gate out she had thought it was. He wasn't even a tiny bit weaker. "How? Why is mine locked away by whatever source runs strong here but you are unaffected?"

"Because I was in a similar setting for centuries. Do you even remember that or am I to waste time explaining that as well?"

What a walk down memory lane. Samira hadn't even thought of that place for years. It didn't exist anymore and it was never spoken of since the day she had collected Anhur. "You mean that small hidden civilization that was created by your original, yes?"

Anhur nodded though his glare narrowed and intensified and his tail swished angrily. He disliked remembering that place. Hated talking about it even more. Being a guardian of that place was like a prison sentence. Centuries of his existence were wasted watching over a population of zealots that were better off destroyed when the original desert war god left. "Magic still existed in that example but those connected to the gods and goddesses that once took a more active role in these lands were stronger. This one works differently but the same rules apply. The essence of my original overpowers the limitations and rules of this place. The same should have applied to you and the others in some capacity."

"Because they too have the power and link to their originals." Samira said, now understanding why Anhur still had his strength. The real Anhur's power fueled him and that marking in his very blood worked as a pass. There may as well have been a true and official desert god standing there as far as the rules set by that place were concerned.

"The ones of the desert, yes. Geb, Serqet, Anubis, Bastet, Isis, Ra, Ma'at, and Apophis. Even those not at your call if they were to show up now they'd have their full strength here. As a summoner line that was "blessed" by one of these originals you too should overpower the limits here. The parts that connect with us. Not the generic celestial avatar magic you are capable of wielding."

"And yet they do not."

"They have less experience in these circumstances than I do. You may have my key and my existence may be bound to you in this age but I have more freedom and control. It is why I can exist permanently outside our realm. I do not need your bond or power to do so. The others are not even if a few are more powerful than I. They still need you. Their weakness here can be blamed on you."

(Word Count: 629
Total So Far: 7750)