10-03-2016, 12:31 AM
I decided to camp out back at the village in the center, mainly because I didn't have a tent and I felt too uncomfortable around the other structures to use them as shelter. I could've just waited outside the pyramid, but the cold, night air kept me from making things simple. Inside of the largest hut, I took account of my stuff: my wand and staff; a magician's kit filled with clay, rope, papyrus, ink, and a brush; all the hygienic necessities a traveler needed; and about a week's worth of beef jerky, raisins and water.
'It'd be nice to find a way out of this place,' I mused, laying down and staring at the stars through a little hole in the ceiling. Truth be told, I was sick and tired of the desert; as soon as I found out what was in that pyramid, I'll get out of here and find a jungle or a town or something. I somehow fell asleep, even though I didn't want to. What if I missed my chance and it was morning when I woke up? I didn't want to stay here longer than I needed to.
And that was when the dream started.
Back in my world, whenever magicians fell asleep, they needed a special pillow lest their Ba, their personality, decide to go on a little adventure. Since our Ba often helped us to learn of things in advance, Carter and I didn't use the pillows that often. So this didn't surprise me that much. What did catch me off-guard was the fact that I was still in human form and not flying off into the distance. Typically with Ba, they're phoenixes with a human head, and you couldn't control where you went. I can usually turn my Ba into a human form, but I never started a dream like that.
The sky was no longer visible; the hole in the roof was no longer there. I could tell by looking out the entrance that it was day outside, however. Stepping out, I saw that the huts were in better condition than before. This must've been in the past. Not only that, but the black structures surrounding the place had vanished, save for the pyramid. How long had that thing even been there?
I noticed some figures in front of the pyramid, so I went to investigate. It turned out that there were six people, three men and women dressed in tribal garb, bowing before the structure. As I drew closer, I started hearing discordant voices trying to harmonize inside of the building. I also saw that the tribesmen's skin were beginning to blister.
"This pyramid is almost like a second mother," one of the men said.
"Agreed," said a woman. "It cares for us. We don't need to hunt as long as it's here. It basks us in its warmth and sings to us."
"It sings worse than a dying cheese demon," I interrupted. They showed no signs of hearing me, continuing their praise of the pyramid. I closed my eyes and sighed. And then I gasped-- whenever my eyes were shut, I saw that the word "oblation" had been engraved onto the back of my eyelids. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I doubted it meant something like "happy fun times." I blinked rapidly, trying to see if the word would disappear. Once I finished fluttering my eyes, I was awake, staring up into a pitch-black sky. The word was still there, but what worried me more was that the terrible "singing" was back, much louder than before. It was calling to me-- I just knew it.
Raising myself to my feet, I readied my staff and wand and exited the hut. There were no moon or stars to light my way, but the pyramid had a silhouette that was obvious enough to follow. By now I was starting to have second thoughts about entering the structure, but I had gotten so far. And if those people were still alive, they needed me!
I stopped in front of the pyramid, my hands wrapped around my magician's weapons. It was difficult to tell from the lack of light, but the jade door was no longer there. I still couldn't see inside the entrance though, and the horrid voice of the pyramid was so loud that I could barely hear myself as I called "is anyone in there?" There was no answer. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, watching the word that had appeared like it was an omen.
And then I entered.
'It'd be nice to find a way out of this place,' I mused, laying down and staring at the stars through a little hole in the ceiling. Truth be told, I was sick and tired of the desert; as soon as I found out what was in that pyramid, I'll get out of here and find a jungle or a town or something. I somehow fell asleep, even though I didn't want to. What if I missed my chance and it was morning when I woke up? I didn't want to stay here longer than I needed to.
And that was when the dream started.
Back in my world, whenever magicians fell asleep, they needed a special pillow lest their Ba, their personality, decide to go on a little adventure. Since our Ba often helped us to learn of things in advance, Carter and I didn't use the pillows that often. So this didn't surprise me that much. What did catch me off-guard was the fact that I was still in human form and not flying off into the distance. Typically with Ba, they're phoenixes with a human head, and you couldn't control where you went. I can usually turn my Ba into a human form, but I never started a dream like that.
The sky was no longer visible; the hole in the roof was no longer there. I could tell by looking out the entrance that it was day outside, however. Stepping out, I saw that the huts were in better condition than before. This must've been in the past. Not only that, but the black structures surrounding the place had vanished, save for the pyramid. How long had that thing even been there?
I noticed some figures in front of the pyramid, so I went to investigate. It turned out that there were six people, three men and women dressed in tribal garb, bowing before the structure. As I drew closer, I started hearing discordant voices trying to harmonize inside of the building. I also saw that the tribesmen's skin were beginning to blister.
"This pyramid is almost like a second mother," one of the men said.
"Agreed," said a woman. "It cares for us. We don't need to hunt as long as it's here. It basks us in its warmth and sings to us."
"It sings worse than a dying cheese demon," I interrupted. They showed no signs of hearing me, continuing their praise of the pyramid. I closed my eyes and sighed. And then I gasped-- whenever my eyes were shut, I saw that the word "oblation" had been engraved onto the back of my eyelids. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I doubted it meant something like "happy fun times." I blinked rapidly, trying to see if the word would disappear. Once I finished fluttering my eyes, I was awake, staring up into a pitch-black sky. The word was still there, but what worried me more was that the terrible "singing" was back, much louder than before. It was calling to me-- I just knew it.
Raising myself to my feet, I readied my staff and wand and exited the hut. There were no moon or stars to light my way, but the pyramid had a silhouette that was obvious enough to follow. By now I was starting to have second thoughts about entering the structure, but I had gotten so far. And if those people were still alive, they needed me!
I stopped in front of the pyramid, my hands wrapped around my magician's weapons. It was difficult to tell from the lack of light, but the jade door was no longer there. I still couldn't see inside the entrance though, and the horrid voice of the pyramid was so loud that I could barely hear myself as I called "is anyone in there?" There was no answer. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, watching the word that had appeared like it was an omen.
And then I entered.
![[Image: 2itsutg.jpg]](http://i64.tinypic.com/2itsutg.jpg)