An Unsettling Discovery [Job/Solo]

As the sun rose over Heliohapt, Kaveh found himself once more at the doors of the Historical society. The day before, Kaveh met with his mentor and was reminded of a few of the cultural basics of the country of Heliohapt. It was important for Kaveh to be well versed in those manners if he was to be a member of the Historical Society. The man was quickly becoming the forefront of the Society's Torran division... At least in the Heliohapt Sector of the society. With him becoming the forefront of Torran studies, he would also be called upon to take care of official studies that the Pharaoh may send the society on. This was the one thing that Kaveh was NOT looking forward to. He didn't know how he would react when in the presence of the leader of this nation.

Today was a light day, though! He was going to go with Akmet to the Black Pyramid to study the texts along its walls and speak with the priests inside to learn more about it. Kaveh was particularly interested in the myths around the pyramid. Especially about it being able to bring people back from the dead. This myth confused Kaveh the most. How could this temple bring someone back from the dead? It was a mystery that he would love to solve for himself. Afterall, he did feel bad for having been in Heliohapt for a few years and he hasn't tried to figure this mystery out.

When Kaveh arrived at the society's head quarters, Akmet was already standing on the steps waiting for him. Kaveh smiled at the man and greeted him with a friendly handshake. After a moment of explanation, Kaveh removed his cloak, surging a bit of his magoi into it. Akmet watched in surprise as the cloth stiffened and floated a bit off of the ground in front of them. Kaveh, noticing the confusion, decided to give the man some sort of explanation. "My mother gave me her old flying carpet... I dyed it the color of my old cloak and replaced it." With a smile, the two men climbed on top of the carpet and it ascended before heading towards the desert at an alarming speed.

It took the men a little more than forty minutes to begin to approach the site on Akmet's map that he designated as the Black Pyramid. However, when the men looked up at it, the monumental building couldn't be seen. This caused a bit of confusion for the men as the carpet flew through the air. I could have sworn that Akmet said it was out here.... We couldn't have passed it, could we? He thought to himself as he continued to move forward. The sight before him a few seconds caused his heart to skip a beat...

The place where the men were wanting to go was left in complete ruin. The site where the noble black pyramid once stood was now left in rubble. The holy shrine that was said to revive others was mixed upon the sand along with the blocks that once stood as the foundation. The carpet instantly descended and the men didn't take any longer than three seconds to dismount and go to see what was going on. As they walked among the rubble, they found five priests that were laid out along the sand. They quickly made it to the men and laid them on top of the carpet. They inspected the men's wounds and found that they weren't fatal.

As Akmet began to tend to the priests' wounds, Kaveh walked towards the rubble of the great Pyramid. He walked along the rubble and sighed as his efforts to find out the secrets of the pyramid was wiped away. Who the fuck would do something like this?! A place crafted so intricately for magic... the lessons that could have been learned from these walls... wasted. The man couldn't believe that he was walking among what he was. However, as he stepped over pieces of rubble, Kaveh found a rather large slab. The slab of the pyramid had a few caricatures on it. The picture was that of a man coming out of a tomb and then entering the black pyramid. THe next few pictures had the same man kneeling at an altar and images depicting power returning to him. What...? The idea of what he was seeing confused him. How could someone who was dead return to life and pray within the temple?

Before Kaveh could continue to analyze the slab and grab a few others to try and make connections, Akmet called the heat magician over to him. Kaveh hurried towards his carpet with the damaged strength magicians. "What is it, Akmet?" The elder member of the Historical Society smiled as the men lying on the carpet began to regain their consciousness. Taking the hint, Kaveh spoke to the men before they could come to any assumptions, "Thank goodness, you're alright. What happened to you men? What happened to the pyramid? Can you remember?" The men rubbed their heads until one of them spoke up. The other four still seeming to gather their wits about themselves. "T-take... Take us to the Temple... Ra Temple... P-please..." Kaveh and Akmet looked to each other, and the group of men wasted no time in heading back to the capital city of Heliohapt.

---

Kaveh and Akmet sat in the main shrine room in the Temple of Ra with the High Priest. They were accompanied by three of the five strength magicians that served as priests and guardians of the Black Pyramid. The High Priest spoke up, Kaveh and Akmet believing it best that he led the questioning. "Now... Tell me what happened to you men... and to the Pyramid that was bestowed upon us by Ra and Anubis." The head magician nodded and sat a little forward ahead of the other two.

"Well... while we were making our rounds through the temple, we felt a strange tremor shake through the temple. We went to investigate it and some strangely dressed man was using a strangely crafted sword to attack the pillars of the pyramid. A few of us engaged him while the others repaired the destroyed pillars. Eventually, the man overpowered us. When we came to... those two of the Historical Society were standing over us."

Kaveh and Akmet narrowed their eyes at the mention of a magician attacking the foundations of the pyramid. Why... Kaveh thought to himself. What would that man gain from that. Either way, the High Priest of the temple smiled to the three men and had a priest come and escort them from the room. The man's eyes then turned to Akmet and Kaveh. A shiver went down Kaveh's spine. He had spoken to the man once before about the appearance of the cultists, but now there was a completely different air surrounding the gaze. It was almost... accusatory. "So... What were you two doing at the Black Pyramid?"

Kaveh sighed as his assumption were correct. "I was intrigued in the rumor of the pyramid." Kaveh's words were quick. He stole the Priest's attention before he could truly bear down on Akmet. "I was always told about the Pyramid's ability to revive those that were deceased. I wanted to go and see it for myself and find some explanation of the myth." Kaveh spoke the truth, and it was apparent to the Priest. The smile that lit his face was the final touch that convinced the man.

After a moment, the High Priest could only laugh at Kaveh's earnest response. "I see! Well. I'll tell you about this myth... It's true. The Black Pyramid grants life to a select few who have passed from this world. It was a shrine that we were instructed from the gods Ra AND Anubis to cherish and protect. The souls of those who have great potential are guided by Anubis back to the land of the living, though they are initially restricted to those walls. Those souls can then choose whether to pray to Ra for their life back, or to challenge the fates on their own." Kaveh blinked as the information was absorbed.

After a few more minutes of explanation, Kaveh and Akmet left the temple. Each of the men, heading their own way. Kaveh had a lot to think about on the way Heliohapt seemed to run. The place didn't seem as... barbaric as he initially thought....