A Raider's Savior

[Note: There is minor violence, mentions of blood, and swearing]

[Al’ama (العمى) - Damn]

**

Luck was not on Seth’s side today.

All he had to do was sneak into the temple, retrieve the chalice of Heh, the Egyptian god of personified infinity, and escape before the looters discovered his betrayal. Still, nothing seemed to be going his way.

After entering the temple with zero struggle, Sethos had cautiously and quietly slipped past the booby-traps, nearly getting his head taken off by an oversized axe in the process, and once he crept into the center of the structure, the young man marveled at its beauty and intricacy.

With a shake of his head, Seth brought his attention back to the task at hand, whiskey brown eyes discovering the chalice placed on a stone pedestal, and he smirked cockily, his confidence skyrocketing at the sight of the object.

“Oh, what a beauty you are,” Seth murmured.

Making his way to the pedestal, Sethos kept his head on a swivel, knowing all too well that there would be more traps and protective measures surrounding the chalice. When the man stood before the chalice, he reached his hand out and his fingers delicately traced the pottery, the Lotiform Cup within his grasp, and the blue of the goblet contrasted beautifully with his sun-kissed skin.

With gentle movements, Seth cradled the cup in his palms, then he lifted the goblet off its podium, and out of instinct, the dark-haired man squeezed his whiskey-tainted eyes. The native-born Arab was waiting for some drastic reaction from the temple after he picked the chalice up, though he wasn’t sure what that reaction would be, but when a few seconds passed and nothing happened, Seth let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

His triumph was short-lived, though.

Rumbling began shaking the ground, causing debris and sand to come loose and crumble to the temple floor, and Seth stumbled, catching himself on the pedestal just in time before he fell and lost the goblet.

“You!” shouted Malek, Seth’s former employer, “You slimy, little weasel! Someone get me that chalice, now!”

The other man’s voice boomed and echoed through the temple, startling Seth but also sending Malek’s goons after the young man, and the dark-haired Egyptian cringed, snapping his head back and forth in hopes of discovering a swift escape that he hadn’t planned for.

Guns began to fire at Seth only moments after Malik’s orders, bullets whizzing through the air, and Seth cursed under his breath and ducked before a bullet could embed itself into his skin. Quickly realizing he would be dead soon if he lollygagged too much, Seth recalled seeing makeshift stairs when he scouted the Heh’s temple previously in the week, but he would have to somehow get past Malik and his men to get to them.

Grumbling in frustration, Sethos shuffled backwards, hiding behind the chalice’s podium, and that is when he noticed a worn rope hanging from above him. His eyes travelled up the length of it, noticing it connected to the rickety stairwell, and he smirked as Malik proceeded to scream at his men.

“C’mon, Malek! Give up! You and I both know I am better than you and I always have been,” Seth taunted, jerking as a bullet ricocheted off the side of the pedestal, the nearness of it making Seth shriek uncharacteristically, but his words seemed to get under Malek’s skin, if the other man’s swearing and bellowing was anything to go by.

After checking to see exactly where every one of his assailants stood, Seth took note of them reloading their guns, and he seized the opportunity to leap up. He stuffed the chalice into his satchel, securing the bag behind him, and he booked it towards where the rope hung and threw himself at it.

Seth’s hands burned as the worn rope gouged into his palms, even though they were calloused from hard work, but he ignored the stinging sensations as his body swung through the air. His mobility provided Sethos the ability to kick a few of his assailants down, giving him an easier path to land on the makeshift staircase, and without looking back, the young man scaled the ancient structure as fast as he could while attempting to dodge bullets.

With his back turned, Seth was not able to avoid one bullet lodging itself into his shoulder, the pain making him scream, and as he got to the top of the staircase, he slipped into the open doorway.

“Ah, Al’ama (العمى)!” Seth swore, pressing his right hand into his left shoulder.

Blood leaked from the wound and stained Sethos’s grey shirt, the substance warm as he attempted to slow the bleeding, but the crimson liquid trickled down his arm, and droplets splattered onto the sandy floor beneath his feet.

Without assessing the damage, Seth bolted down the long corridor, not wanting to be caught, nor did he wish to be shot again. Then he took a sharp turn and scrambled down the corridor, and unexpectedly collided with a wooden door, knocking it down completely and he with it.

Groaning in discomfort, Seth peeled his eyes open, and once he realized he was outside the temple, he clambered back to his feet and ran.

**

Sand flew as Seth tripped over himself, the adrenaline from the chase now starting to wear off as he trudged mindlessly through the desert, wanting to get as far from Heh’s temple as possible, and the young man grunted as his bloody shoulder ached and burned from the bullet still buried in his flesh.

“Great, I’m gonna die out here with no one to contact,” Seth complained, swaying as he trekked over a sand dune, “And I still have this stupid chalice!” He finished while toppling over into the sand and sprawled out, heaving for breath.

“Sethos,” a raspy, deep baritone whispered the boy’s name, startling him.

At first, Seth believed it was his imagination, a trick of the mind since he had lost a fair amount of blood, and it was scorching hot in the desert. Chalking it up to his imagination, Seth went back to brooding. Sweat glistened on Sethos’s forehead from the beating sun as he lay in the sand, and he sighed softly, lashes fluttering, and shut his eyes.

“Sethos,” the strange voice spoke once more, this time louder. “Get up.”

Mumbling under his breath, Seth begrudgingly sat up, checking his surroundings for the mystery person, but he didn’t see a person, instead, his attention was grabbed by a cave off in the distance, and a statue standing proud next to it.

Wincing in agony, Seth crawled across the hot sand. The torment he was enduring from the bullet wound proved to be too much for him, but the tomb raider simply gritted his teeth, grappled his way up onto his feet, and decided to head to the cave, seeking refuge there.

When he was standing before the cave, Seth observed the statue at its entrance, realizing it was Anubis, the god of death, mummification, and the afterlife. Seth did not think much of it, choosing to enter the cave, and he sighed in relief as the shadows of the abode provided significant coverage for his injured, exhausted body.

“At least I will die having done something I loved,” said Seth, though no one was listening.

Well, he thought no one was listening, that is.

As the events of the day and the pain he endured caught up with him, Seth could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness, having no choice in the matter since he was shot and still bleeding, but as his vision faded, a silhouette loomed over him. Before he completely blacked out, Seth swore the mystery person resembled an animal, though he could not dwell on it as he passed out and drifted through the abyss of dreamless sleep.

**

As Seth began to wake, his mind was foggy, and he was disoriented, but the distinct smell of soot and a hint of incense filled his nostrils, and his eyes suddenly flew open.

With a furrowed brow, the young man sat up, whimpering at the dull sting in his shoulder, and as he checked his immediate surroundings, Seth realized he was deep inside the cave he had used to hide from his attackers.

“Ah, you’re awake,” spoke a low, rumbling voice, capturing Seth’s attention.

The young Egyptian’s gaze fell on a man crouched near a fire, his back to Seth, but the boy could tell he was older. Confusion settled in Sethos’s gut, not fully understanding what had happened or how this man discovered his hiding spot, but then the man stood, and Seth was taken aback by how tall, lean, and broad-shouldered the stranger appeared to be.

“Who are you? And how did you find me?” Seth questioned the mystery man while preparing himself to fight if needed.

“I saved your life, Mortal. And who I am does not concern you at the moment,” The man firmly replied.

Sethos rolled his eyes at the other man’s vague response, but when the foreign man turned around to give Seth his attention, the young man was rendered speechless.

The person standing before Seth had piercing golden eyes that rivaled 24 karat gold and hair as black as night, but what threw him off the most was the shape of the man’s face. Seth couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the stranger’s face almost resembled a canine-like creature.

“You—Saved my life?” Seth did not mean for his tone to sound sarcastic, but he had been through hell only a few hours prior, and he wanted answers.

“Yes, I saved your life, and you are healing right now. You are not fully conscious, Sethos.”

That last sentence made Seth tilt his head, but when he looked down to inspect himself, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he twisted around to get a better look at what he had seen, nearly screaming in shock at the sight.

Seth’s body was still sprawled out on the stone floor of the cave, twitching slightly in what he assumed was reflex, and he shuddered before dragging his attention back to the newcomer.

“Why can I see myself? What in Ra’s name is this?” Seth exclaimed, anxiety stirring in his stomach.

“You are in limbo. I have brought you here to make the healing process faster, Mortal. If I had not, you would have bled out and died right here in my temple,” The stranger gruffly responded, approaching Seth with confident but slow steps.

“You’re—Temple?” Seth muttered slowly.

“Yes, Mortal, you are in my temple. Well, the highest tower, actually. The rest of it has descended underground over the last decade or so.”

The man nodded, affirming Seth’s words, and the young man lifted a hand up to rub at his forehead, his thoughts muddled and his mind hurting from all of the thinking he was doing right now.

“Okay, okay, I get it. So, when can I leave?”

“I will allow you to leave once you have your strength back, Mortal. So, in the meantime, drink this and get some rest.”

A small ceramic cup is handed to Seth in that moment, to which he cautiously takes, and as the native-born Egyptian inspects the contents of the cup, he gives one last good look at the stranger before bringing the cup to his lips and tossing the liquid into his mouth.

“Good. Now, sleep,”

With that command, Sethos placed the cup aside, then got back into the lying position he had been in prior, and as he let himself drift off to sleep, his last conscious thought was that his mystery savior looked a lot like Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld.