*BANG!!!!*
The door of the prison in the ship was pushed open.
“Move out! Move!! Move!!!”
The Iron Masks pirates began bringing their captives out of the prison as they yelled at them like worthless slaves.
They have arrived at the Iron Fortress, a big tower situated somewhere in the middle of the water. This is the main hideout of the Iron Mask pirates and here, all their members are present. It seems the night just continues to favour the Iron Mask.
Walk faster! Faster!! Faster!!!
The pirates continued yelling at their captives as they marched them from the ship to the Fortress.
Gryza, the captain of the Iron Mask pirates, walks towards the main door of the Fortress, resting his back on the gigantic gate of the main entrance. He began saying to the captives as they dragged themselves into the Fortress,
“The Iron Fortress will be your final stop. Only a strong ship can sail around this area and survive”
“The Iron Mask ship is the only ship allowed within sight of this island, any other ship that comes closer to the Iron Fortress will be annihilated with immediate effect…”
“...No man has ever escaped the Iron Fortress, where are they even going to escape to?”
“May the gods favour you if they care, for it is the only mercy you have left in this Fortress…”
“Welcome to the rest of your lives!!!” Gryza shouted, wearing a villainous smile on his face.
All the captives got into the Fortress as they shut the main gate. The outside view of the Fortress tells what the inside should look like.
Inside the Fortress, there are many stairs leading to different rooms and cabins. The pirates kept marching the captives forward; it seemed the cabins and the rooms upstairs were not for them; luxury might exist here, but not for the prisoners.
Gryza opened the door of a large pit in the base of the Fortress as the rest of the pirates dragged all the captives inside.
“This is where you will all be having fun before you all meet your maker” Gryza shouted hysterically.
“Food! Food!! What about food?!” The old man asking questions earlier from the other captive in the harbour began asking Gryza.
“Oh?! I forgot.” Gryza said pitifully as he walked slowly to the old man.
“So what exactly do you love to eat, mister?” Gryza said his voice slow and gentle as rests his arm across the shoulders of the old man.
“Anything, Anything humans eat, just so we don't die here.” The old man responded, his voice breaking as he didn't expect the captain of the pirate to give him so much company, he was even resting his arms on his shoulders.
The other captives who have entered the large pit in the ground, the prison in the Fortress, began watching the scene between the old man and the captain of the pirate.
“Have you tasted pig poop before?” Gryza asked the man, his voice almost above whispers.
“Huh?!” The old man responded out of nowhere.
“Get into there, you bastard!” Gryza exclaimed as he pushed the old man down into the prison forcefully.
Seeing this, the other pirates burst into laughter as they walked away from the prison.
“Enjoy the rest of your lives”, Gryza shouted as he slammed the door of the prison and locked it with a heavy lock, handing over the keys to one of the pirates who were to guard the prison gates, and he went away.
The prisoners began looking at themselves, they're about a hundred of them in the prison. Some of them went to another to make new friends while some just sat and kept mute.
No one even moved closer to Tydeus, not even with the look on his face. He is a handsome young man, but due to the scene that happened between him and the pirate's leader, Galdashkeh, He seems to be the first person they are going to kill, and any other person they find with him will be the second target.
As the other prisoners began talking to each other, Tydeus stood up from where he was sitting. It got the attention of some people, but many of them just minded their businesses. If he couldn't escape when he was being humiliated by the pirate's boss, how is he going to escape now in a prison locked up in the middle of nowhere?
Tydeus began walking around the prison, moving his head from left to right, front to back. It seems he is looking for something or someone.
He stopped moving his head when he saw someone; it seemed he had seen who he was looking for.
Tydeus moved closer to the old man in the prison who had been making some scenes before Gryza, the pirate's captain, shut the door of the prison.
As he began moving closer to the man, the old man was shocked, as if a demon was coming closer to him. Other people around the old man began making way, giving the old man a large space for Tydeus to kill him or something.
Tydeus sat near the old man.
“Hey Hello,” Tydeus said.
People near the man began wondering, so he could talk.
Everybody faced their businesses again, leaving Tydeus and his new friend to have a proper discussion.
“Hello, can you hear me?” Tydeus asked the old man again who refused to talk.
“Hey, listen to me, you are Apphathorus right?” Tydeus said gently to the man again as the old man remained speechless.
“What is he doing here? Even though he knows my name, I am telling him nothing”, the old man said in his mind.
Tydeus sighed and asked the old man again, “You're Apphathorus the wizard, right?”
“I am not a wizard!!!” Apphathorus, the old man shouted out of nowhere.
“Take it easy, old man, I get angry easily”, Tydeus responded to the man, his face squeezed like he just tasted an unripe lemon.“I am sorry, I don't just like it when people call me a wizard. I know nothing about witchery. I am just an ordinary scientist.” Apphathorus the old man said, wearing a look of apology on his face.“Oh well, that is your problem,” Tydeus responded.Apphathorus began wondering, “Out of all the people locked up in this cell, why has this man, the one who has been getting everybody's attention so far, come any close to me, let alone having a conversation with me?”Out of curiosity, he asked Tydeus “What exactly have you come here to do?”“To do something unusual”, Tydeus said as he rested his back properly against the wall where they were sitting.“Something unusual? Have you come here to kill me?” Apphathorus asked, his face covered in fear.“Maybe yes,” Tydeus responded jestingly.“Huh?! Please, I beg you in the name of all the gods. I don't have anything on
“What?” Tydeus asked the old man. Apphathorus, with fear written all over his face, asked Tydeus, “Is it true that you killed Apophis, the great beast of the dark world with…”“With my bare hands. Yes, I like it sounding that way?” Tydeus intercepted Apphathorus.“No way!” Apphathorus exclaimed gently.“So how were the Iron Mask able to capture you? If you could kill such a gigantic creature like Apophis, how in the world would it be difficult for you not to save yourself from ordinary pirates?” Apphathorus asked curiously again.“Capture me? Who said they captured me?” Tydeus said, almost laughing.“So how did you get here? How is it that you are here now?” Apphathorus asked fastidiously.“To do something unusual as I have said before. I came here to complete my job”. Tydeus replied confidently.“Job?? What job? Who comes into a prison to complete a job? That sounds like madness.” Apphathorus replied to Tydeus, his face covered in confusion.Tydeus looked at him and smiled again.“W
Only two pirates were guarding the gates of the prison.With an astounding shock, the other pirate guarding the cell's gate turned to his colleague.“What do you mean took you so lo…”Before he could complete his sentence, Rakeh, Tydeus's friend who has been disguising himself as one of the Iron Mask pirates since, threw a spinning kick to the face of the other pirate, hitting his head on the wall.Rakeh pulled off his pirate's Mask, picked up the keys from the other pirate's pocket and opened the gate of the cell. “Come on man, move out, let's go. We don't have much time anymore” He said as he pulled Tydeus and the old man out of the prison. “This pirate outfit looks good on you,” Tydeus said hysterically to Rakeh. “Oooh, spare me the crap; what the heck have you been doing in there since?” Rakeh questions Tydeus as they begin running, finding their way to the nearest exit.“I was only having a little conversation with our man; I wanted to be sure so we do not make a mistake rescu
“Oh boy!” Rakeh whispered as he held Apphathorus behind him.“Giant gate in the front, pirates behind. Good job, Rakeh!” Tydeus said sarcastically to Rakeh.“Oh brother, I don't plan on hitting anyone tonight”. Rakeh responded to Tydeus as they kept on measuring their distance from Galdashkeh at the front towards the gate and Gryza and the other pirates behind.“Hitting someone? I feel like killing someone already”. Tydeus responded as he began massaging his knuckles, getting ready to fight.Gryza, with a weird smile on his face, said, “You've got pirates behind you and this giant gate in your front,”“There's no way you're getting out of here alive. I have locked the gate and the keys…”“I have tossed it into the river.”“Good job, Gryza!” Galdashkeh responded out of nowhere.“Then we will do something about the gate”. Rakeh responded to Gryza as he kept close eye contact with the rest of the pirates surrounding them.Gryza and Galdashkeh burst into laughter after hearing what Rakeh
“If you have another way to escape, that would be better. This gate? It can't be broken. I know the metal it was made from”. Apphathorus, who was hiding near the gates, told Tydeus.“Oh really? Which metal?” Tydeus asked as if he was about to receive lectures from a physics teacher.Apphathorus moved towards the gate, feeling it with hands and said to Tydeus “It's bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. I think we should just find another route to escape.”“Old man, are you going to help me bring down this gate?” Tydeus asked with a weird smile on his face. “Uhmm, no”“Then keep quiet!” Tydeus shouted at Apphathorus who was flexing his science muscles.When it comes to breaking down a giant gate, flexing physical muscles would help faster than scientific muscles.“We don't have much time!” Rakeh screamed out of nowhere as he kept on battling with the other pirates.Tydeus, looking at the giant gate again, took a deep breath as he cracked his knuckles.Gryza, who was about to attack Rakeh
Tydeus raised his big boot and brought it down forcefully on Galdashkeh's testicles, crushing his balls. “Aaarrrggghhh! Somebody help me!” Galdashkeh kept shouting and screaming for help.Gryza immediately closed his eyes pretending to still be unconscious. Tydeus has once broken his left arm, crushing his testicles to be worse.“This should teach you a lesson. But if I ever set my eyes on you again, I promise you; I am going kill you myself”, Tydeus said angrily to Galdashkeh, who remained on the floor groaning and holding his balls.Tydeus ran outside the Fortress to catch up with his friends. The whole Fortress continued to tremble with noise coming from the inside, the prisoners continued fighting the pirates to escape.“Do you need to waste any more time? We were about to leave you behind,” Rakeh, who had been waiting for Tydeus, said with a straight face.“Yeah, I told you I needed to attend to an unfinished business”. Tydeus replied as he ran towards Rakeh and Apphathorus.“Wh
Tydeus looked up suddenly; the wind had already lifted the waters; if it came down, it would crash their boat deep into the river.*BOOM!!!!*“Everybody jump!” Tydeus shouted at his companions, and they all jumped into the river.This might be Tydeus's last mission. He has survived many tremendous dangers, but swimming out of a storm in the middle of the Nile might be the last history he is going to make. Galdashkeh and Gryza, from the top of the Fortress, saw as Tydeus and his men fell into the river and their boat wretched.“At last! He dies and dies for good”. Galdashkeh shouted exuberantly as Gryza beside him continued laughing. Their enemy has just killed himself.Tydeus swam and grabbed Apphathorus who was starting to drown. They all held on to the woods of their wrecked boat.“Where the heck is the ride?” Tydeus shouted as he held Apphathorus who had already fainted, onto a wood.“I don't…” Sakoh was about to reply to Tydeus when a big ship sailed towards them, and a rope lad
“…97, 98, 99 and 100. There you go, bro”, Rakeh said as he poured a hundred golden coins into a small bag and passed it to Tydeus.“Are you sure this is complete?” Tydeus asked Rakeh, smiling as he picked up his cup to sip some of his fresh wine.“Of course, you want to count it again?” Rakeh asked curiously.“Nah, never mind. I'm just joking”, Tydeus said as packed his bag of money off the table.“Don't worry; when Sakoh comes back with the balance payment, the calculation will be straightforward”, Rakeh said to Tydeus.“But why is he taking so long?” Tydeus asked Rakeh.“I don't know, he only has one job there, to just collect the balance payment and meet us in this bar. Maybe he's busy playing hide and seek with his little bird again.” Rakeh replied to Tydeus as he gulped some wine off his cup, too.“Or maybe those people are just delaying him”, Tydeus intercepted.“Delaying him? Under this hot sun? They better not. I told you those people don't look like they have our price. Somet
The three-headed leviathan, which had no iota of pity, rammed into the log all with all its three heads, pushing both Tydeus and a massive log out of its way. And with such a merciless impact, Tydeus was projected into the sky. For a second, he noticed he couldn't breathe.The altitude from where gravity intercepted his projection to the ground level made his heart jerk in his chest. He immediately closed his eyes and covered his face with his elbow before he fell ruthlessly to the ground, landing him many contusions.The three-headed monster, unshaken, writhed all its head of the dust from the log, trying to get sight of its prey again, but it never saw Tydeus. It continued to roar powerfully, shaking the entire jungle but still didn't see its prey anymore. Tydeus lay under the root of a big tree full of thorns; he dragged himself onto the root perfectly to hide from the monster. His eyes fell on his arm which had started to bleed heavily, with bruises all over his body.He sorrowfu
With every one of his muscles vibrating involuntarily, Tydeus's stick dropped from his hands in bewilderment at what was in his front. He let out a deep, sharp gasp as his hands went behind him, looking for what to hold on to.The creature gnarled again with a deep low noise from one of its heads. Yes, one of its heads because Tydeus also had now realized that Apophis was only child's play and the Scorpion, maybe an insect to what he was seeing before him. With its hideous hide, a patchwork of rugged scales like swords protruding out of its body, four magnanimous limbs that looked like mountains each extended with massive claws, the Leviathan's body covered the surroundings like an embodiment of primordial horror and dread.Having its triple commodiously scary heads towering with formidable horns twisted and curled, the colossal beast stretched its monstrous tail filled with rocky spikes that ran up to its vertebra and snarled at the two human prey in front of it.Apophis was actuall
“If you remember, I told you last time in the prison that the Iron Mask captured me because they accused me of stealing a map that contains the road to a treasure from them, do you remember?” Apphathorus asked. “Uhm, yeah, you said it was a treasure hidden in the Forest of Shadows, and if you find it, you can use it to save your people”, Tydeus replied.“Yes, Exactly. And that is what I have come into this jungle to find before I was trapped here”, Apphathorus explained. “Why not? You must really be crazy to come into this cursed forest in search of some treasure. What makes you think you're going to make it out of here alive? Your witchery?”“My science!” Apphathorus quickly countered Tydeus with a strict tone. “Oh, I see. Well good luck to you on your search for your pissant treasure”, Tydeus replied as he started to turn back again. “If you had the opportunity to make one wish and what you wished for no matter what it is, will be granted immediately, would you consider that as
Tydeus lifted his gaze and saw a tree a few meters away from him and a human figure trapped on the entwisted branches. He squinted his eyes and bent his back, shooting his face forward to see what exactly the situation was and who the person was. He picked up his walking stick and began to walk stealthily towards the tree, marching into the muddy and wet ground with his bare foot. Perhaps, this has got to be a trick or a prank by some of the ghosts or spirits in the forest. Nevertheless, he has to go and see what exactly the situation is before he can consider himself safe. “Thank your stars, you listened to me and didn't take any more steps in the direction you were going previously. You could have fallen into a mire under those thick bushes”, the person said to Tydeus, who continued to move closer. Tydeus processed the person's voice in his head as he continued to walk furtively to see who it was, but something was off; he realized it was a familiar voice, one that seemed like he
Navigating the forest with only one leg was very tiresome and slow, but the sunrise felt even slower as if the darkness might linger forever. Yet, at last, dawn broke through the formidable canopy of the forest.The once-silent creatures of the jungle stirred to life under the gentle warmth of the morning sun. Grotesque monkeys swung from the gnarled branches of the rugged trees, their chattering filling the air with an almost chaotic vibrancy. Nearby, a pride of elephants ambled to a murky swamp, their massive bodies creating ripples in the viscerally unappealing waters as they quenched their thirst.Tatty snakes, both large and small, slithered with a chilling grace, dragging their sinuous forms across the muddy ground. Above, the sky was filled with an array of frantic birds, darting to and fro as if searching for their next prey. Meanwhile, other four-legged creatures roamed lazily, running after the grisly insects that danced over the damp foliage surrounding them.The trees stoo
Tydeus was strong enough to endure the Stone-bane poison for almost twenty-four hours, but there's only a little a weak female like Isis could do when it comes to containing such a vicious poison in her veins. Her condition continued to get worse as the moment passed. Tydeus held her sorrowfully in his arms and stroked her hair gently. His eyes fixed on her pupils which had started to turn white. “Tell your friends. It was nice meeting them”, She said again, letting out another stern cough which splashed blood out of her mouth onto Tydeus's face.The impact deepened his grief as his tears increased. Perhaps he wasn't pained that the poison was eating deep into her veins but the fact that the young woman was dying and there was nothing he could do about it but held her in his arms weeping bitterly.She flashed her eyes again and locked her gaze on his face with a warm smile as she continued to caress his cheeks with her thumb. She started closing her eyes gradually, and suddenly, she
The Scorpiodon appeared again, threatening to take its revenge, but this time, Tydeus was totally defenceless. He was tied with a chain to a rugged-looking pillar in the dungeon. He would try to move his body but they weren't responding.Having its tail positioned for a disastrous sting, the Scorpiodon began to move closer to Tydeus, who remained helpless, chained to the pillar. As the Scorpiodon came closer, Tydeus's vision began to blur, making it look like the Scorpiodon was duplication itself.He would shout but couldn't hear himself, only the echoing roar of the monster resonating deep in his ear drum. The Scorpiodon came close and was about to strike with its tail, but this time, Tydeus summoned all the energy left in his being and yelled; now he was starting to hear himself gradually.He struggled harder, but the chains weren't moving, and suddenly the black lava-like liquid sprouted out of the Scorpiodon's tail, projecting to his face. He gasped in terror. The chain had to bre
While pulling him away from the river, Isis fell on her groins as her grip slipped off Tydeus's hands. “Ahh!” She gasped with her tiny voice. Perhaps pulling him was more tedious work than getting him out of the river.The sun had dipped below the horizon, surrendering its warm brightness to the moon's silvery glow against the darkening sky. The Forest seemed pretty much tolerable in the day, but as night fell, it revealed an eerie side.Nightfall transformed the atmosphere into something truly haunting. Strange bird calls filled the air, creating a mix of unsettling sounds. Tall trees stood like ancient guardians, their twisted branches full of sharp thorns. They cast long shadows that moved ominously on the muddy ground, one would not know when he would fall into a quicksand covered by thick underbrush.Leaning against the rugged stones and the other structures in the Forest would be a reckless gamble as large bats hang upside down from the branches like creepy decorations, their g
The day dragged on, enveloping the city in an eerie twilight. The sky was painted a striking shade of red, its turbulent clouds woven with jagged silver linings that shimmered ominously, casting a foreboding shadow over the landscape. An unsettling coldness permeated the atmosphere, amplifying the gloom that settled over the city like a thick fog. Even the birds, usually a source of life and sound, seemed to have retreated, their occasional flutters lost amidst the oppressive silence.The heavy, stifling air seemed to drain away any remnants of joy or vibrant energy, leaving behind a desolate stillness that once thrived with laughter and light.The people of Giza went about their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the impending calamity that loomed on the horizon. Though Mother Nature had been sending them subtle hints and eerie omens, darkening skies, restless winds, and nature's unusual behaviour, they remained oblivious to the magnitude of the disaster that awaited them.Perhaps n