2024-10-12 08:00:44“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 me. My family….”
“Shhh”
Tydeus intercepted Apphathorus's plea
“Calm down old man, you are beginning to get me angry already”, Tydeus said to the old man, his voice above whispering.
“Okay, okay, Are you still going to kill me?” Apphathorus asked again, this time with his voice breaking; it seemed he was about to start crying.
“Yes, but only on one condition”, Tydeus replied; this time, his face seemed a little bit serious.
“What is that? Anything. I can give you anything. But I don't have any money.” Apphathorus said, his voice shaking as he began to bow his head gently.
“It's very simple; I only need you to answer some questions for me and… I might not kill you,” Tydeus said to the old man, being serious yet wearing another weird smile on his face.
“Questions? What kind of questions? I don't know much.” Apphathorus said his face like he was about to cry.
“Well, if you answer my questions, we would have no problem,” Tydeus replied.
“Alright, I will… I will answer your questions” Apphathorus said, wiping his face even though there were no tears there.
“Good!” Tydeus replied to the man, this time putting a real smile on his face.
“So the first question. Tell me, what exactly brought you here?” Tydeus asked the man with a straight face.
“Huh?! Okay, okay…. I, I. The Iron Mask, they accused me of stealing a treasure of theirs, Apphathorus said with a look of pity on his face.
“Oh! That's sad. So what exactly did they accuse you of stealing?” Tydeus asked.
“A scroll… it.. it was a scroll. I found the scroll myself but they stormed into the market where I was staying with my friend and dragged me out like a thief.”
“I needed to know more information about the scroll from my friend in the market and they accused me of stealing it from them.” Apphathorus narrated.
“Oh? Okay, so where is the scroll?” Tydeus asked.
“I have given it to my friend who stays in the market to help me keep it somewhere” Apphathorus responded.
Tydeus, massaging his chin, asked the old man, “What exactly is so special about this scroll to the extent that the Iron Mask locked you up for it?”.
“The scroll? It contains a map to a special treasure.”
“Treasure?!” Tydeus intercepted.
“Yes, a treasure in the forest of shadows, a thick forest somewhere after Giza”.
“Wow! The forest of shadows!” Tydeus exclaimed gently.
“Yes, but can I ask, why are you asking me these questions?” Apphathorus asked curiously.
“I am asking because I'm wondering what an old man like you has smoked that will make you think you can go to the forest of shadows to find a treasure and come out alive” Tydeus said, adjusting himself to the wall so he can sit well.
“My people, they need help and since there's no one ready to take the risk, I'm ready to help them”,
“They say if I can get the treasure in the forest of shadows, I can save my people from the destruction and the civil war taking over Egypt”. Apphathorus explained.
“So how do you plan to survive in such a dangerous forest, your witchery?”
“Not witchery, my science. My knowledge of science”. Apphathorus intercepted Tydeus again.
“All I need to do is to get the treasure in the forest and use whatever it is to save my people. I don't want my village to end up like Malja” Apphathorus explained to Tydeus.
“Malja? What do you know about Malja?” Tydeus asked Apphathorus curiously.
Apphathorus looked at his face and looked at the ground and said
“Decades ago when the civil war took over Egypt, many cities and villages were destroyed. People had nowhere to run to…”
“But Malja, a small village somewhere in Cairo, was like a sanctuary. They had food and lots of resources that could help them survive even though the civil war lasted a century…”
“Malja was everybody's safe heaven; many who had lost hold of their cities and villages would run there to seek shelter…”
“Not until about 15 years ago, when these crazy bastards attacked the village and ruined everything to nothing”.
“Which bastards?” Tydeus asked again curiously.
“The Iron Mask, of course. They stole everything the village had and even kidnapped the people”. Apphathorus lamented.
“Galdashkeh, that son of a bitch.” Tydeus said angrily, taking his eyes off Apphathorus.
“What? Are you from the village?” Apphathorus asked as he noticed Tydeus's reaction.
“No, not at all. I just needed to know more” Tydeus responded with a weird smile on his face again.
Apphathorus, who has been acting like a child since took a breath of relief as he saw Tydeus smiling. He doesn't look like someone who was going to kill him after all.
“So is it true?” Apphathorus asked Tydeus with a straight face.
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The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 5
“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
The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 6
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
The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 7
“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
The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 8
“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
The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 9
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
The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 10
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
The Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 11
“…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 Avenger Of Giza CHAPTER 12
“How dare you???” The hefty barbarian said angrily as he got up slowly from his seat.“Uhmp?! Please I'm sorry, it's a mistake. I don't mean to”, The young man began begging, going down on his knees gently.The rest of the bar attendees who were partying began making way for the hefty barbarian. No one wants to get in the way of such a hefty gang leader. The last person he fought hasn't recovered from his injuries.“Did you know what you have just done?” The hefty barbarian said angrily again to the young man who kept moving backwards in fear.“I was only trying to go my way, sir; I didn't mean to pour away your drink”, the young man continued begging as he noticed someone behind him.He turned back and saw two other gang members of the hefty barbarian.“I will show you what we do to little brats like you”, the hefty barbarian said as he lifted his giant palm and landed it on the young man's face, sending him to the floor.The other bar attendees began murmuring, some of them already
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CHAPTER 93
They kept navigating their way in the renowned cave of the dead till they got to a narrow corridor, a creepy long passage, dark and appalling. Apphathorus quickly gripped the lamp he had in his hands tightly and swallowed hard.“This place looks scary, are we really going into this corridor?” Apphathorus asked“Everywhere in this cave is scary, there's no need to be dramatic. We must get the stones. So what did the map indicate? We are going through this corridor right?” Tydeus asked“Yes” Apphathorus replied “Fine. Just make sure you're very careful and you stay behind me”, Tydeus, whilst still holding his bleeding stomach warned Apphathorus, making his way into the corridor by leaping on his broken kneeApphathorus began walking behind him as they advanced further into the corridor. As Apphathorus walked, his legs were shaking terribly each step wishing he hadn't come into the Forest in the first place. With the lamp in his hands, he continued to turn his back often after each step
CHAPTER 92
The giant turned to Apphathorus again but could not see anything. Has he run away? It steered its body in different directions looking for the little human who just woke it up after sleeping for thousands of years. While the mummy turned back, Apphathorus furtively held his bag and began to make his way out of the cave. This was only their first encounter, and it was already looking like it would be the end of their adventure.Only one step was remaining for him to make it out of the cave from the big hole, but he noticed he wasn't moving forward again, it was as if an external force was taking him back. He turned his back in terror and saw the giant pulling him back into the cave. They had come to its playground, and it seemed the giant mummy wasn't done playing yet. The giant mummy gripped Apphathorus tightly with its wide, bony palm and brought it closer to its mouth, but just before he could swallow Apphathorus, who was already screaming beyond his voice, Tydeus emerged out of n
CHAPTER 91
“Watch your steps, old man; this place doesn't look like the playground you called it”, Tydeus said, breaking the ominous silence in the cave, and his voice echoed.“Oh my gosh! I'm creeping out right now. I feel like vomiting”, Apphathorus replied fearfully“Oh well, you can do that after we make it outside. As you can see this place is really dark and eerie. We are left to find the stones now”, Tydeus said, taking a closer look at the materials on the floor; they looked like dry bones of humans or perhaps animals. “Where could they be now?”“You have the map with you isn't it?” Tydeus cut in“Yeah?”“Then make use of it; where are we supposed to get the stones before something comes at us?” Tydeus asked Apphathorus sharply. “Uhm, This is what it says. We are supposed to…”“Hey watch it! Don't touch anything. Be careful!” Tydeus quickly informed as he saw Apphathorus almost resting on some of the creepy materials near the wall.“Oh, don't worry about me being careful; I mean, I was
CHAPTER 90
The rain had started to drizzle and the breeze blowing ominously, the trees had started to dance like horrible masquerades making the entire atmosphere in the jungle tense and creepy, but it seemed these two risk-takers were already getting used to the nature around these paths but they might just be making their way to the most dreadful part of all. Apphathorus and Tydeus, whilst still leaping with his stick, arrived at a wide spot under a big tree in the forest after a long walk, both of them started to gaze at the surroundings, trying to observe where they had gotten to. “Are we lost? Tydeus asked his voice sharp.“I think that's not the right word to use because we have been lost since we made our way into this jungle. But talking about ‘misplaced’, I think we…” Apphathorus was saying as he took another look at his map to study it again. “Oh no! Now we have to go back, we have been walking in the wrong route!” He said with a tone of disappointment.“Really? Let me see that” Ty
CHAPTER 89
Apphathorus's heart had started to drum in his chest, cold sweat trickling down his old, weak face as he awaited what would come out of the bush in the fog. But from afar, he saw something different; he was expecting to see the form of a monster or another hideous beast. Instead, he saw the form of a human, or maybe it was a monkey. He squinted his eyes to see who or what was coming behind the fog, every movement of his eyes begging it to be a human. He continued to focus his sight on the apparition in his front until he began to scream, “Help! Help!! Is anyone there?! Is anyone…” He halted his noise instantly as he saw what was coming out of the fog clearly. It was like a human being leaping with a walking stick coming in his direction. “Everybody in the forest can't be walking with a stick, except one person. But is it possible?” His thought swirled his brain as he continued to focus his gaze on the person coming his way. “No way!” he mumbled in shock with his eyes widened like
CHAPTER 88
“Aaauurrrrrhhh!” A loud weak yawn broke through the silence. But nothing was seen except the blurry view of two large eyes protruding out of a big green head with horns like… or perhaps antennas shooting out of the green head. But it seems what was seen wasn't much of a threat so… we can ignore it. Not until the creature whatever it was, felt like it was coming closer, closer? From where exactly? We can take another blurry look, but… it's gone, better! Not bad for another yawn of relief and… “aauurrrrrrhhh”*AATTTUUU!!!*Apphathorus let out a loud cough as the grasshopper almost flew into his mouth.*TUEH! TUEH!! TEUH!!!*He spat repeatedly even though the little grasshopper had flown away. “What was that for?! I was sleeping and you flew on my nose? That wasn't enough; I tried to yawn, and then you flew into my mouth till you finally woke me up?!”“Why don't you creatures of this jungle have any sense of humour?” He yelled out disgustedly at the grasshopper, which had flown into t
CHAPTER 87
Gnashing his teeth together and pulling with all his strength, the monster wasn't still moving, not even a bit. Still trying to do the impossible, he remembered how he broke down the gigantic gates of the Iron Fortress, but that was nothing to be compared to a three-headed beast with terrific size.The monster mockingly relaxed its body, waiting to see the magic this little human being is about to perform; perhaps it could get entertained for a while before it finally swallows him. With all his veins protruding from under his skin and his face tightened intensively, Tydeus continued to prove his bravery- or stupidity. He pulled with every last fibre left in his being, but the monster was only moving in his mind. The thoughts of his brothers, Rakeh and Sakoh, flickered through his mind like ghosts, trapped within the cold, unforgiving confines of the King's prison. He could almost hear their silent pleas, yearning for his strength, hoping he would come to their aid.Urshuz, hopeless i
CHAPTER 86
Caught in the tangled webs of his predicaments, Tydeus wrestled with his vague awareness of his surroundings. It was then that an unexpected breeze brushed against his skin, stirring him from his struggles. With a sudden jolt, he twisted around and was startled to discover that he lay precariously at the very edge of a towering cliff. The realization sent shivers down his spine as he crawled closer to the precipice, compelled by a mix of fear and curiosity. Peering over the edge, his breath caught in his throat. Below him lay an abyss of jagged trenches, their depths obscured by shadows. Massive, sharp rocks jutted out at odd angles, resembling the jagged teeth of a Dinosaur lurking beneath the surface. He faced the monster again as it continued to come closer, but he still hadn't gotten any idea. Perhaps the despair in his mind had clouded his thinking so badly. Suddenly, the last words he said on Isis' grave flashed in his mind. “I will kill Nezeron for you, Isis” his head rang li
CHAPTER 85
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
