Recipe for Adventure Pt. 04

"It is almost time," one voice said in Arabic.

"The Burrower approaches," another invoked in a voice mixed with awe and fear.

I slipped forward and followed the tunnel to the heart of the complex. This bowl shaped chamber could house thousands of serpent folk. There were three other entrances and near one of them were seven hooded figures. Six of the cultists wore black and one of them red. I crouched down as they stared at the entrance opposite to mine. I could feel the bulk of the thing as it approached. As I waited for it to appear I figured there had to be another entrance into this place. The vibration grew stronger and now I could just make out a wet slapping sound as the Burrower grew ever nearer. What did it look like? Was it some massive white worm? Were those blood thirsty things we had burned the children of this thing? I learned quickly enough that they weren't. The dread bulk of the thing had to compress as I entered the chamber. It was hard to judge its size from my position but it was huge all the same. It was like some armored worm that sported four massive tentacles on either side of its body. That was the source of the slapping sound. It would throw them forward, grip the floor and then propel its body forward.

As I watched the Burrower retracted the tentacles and slithered like a serpent. It reared up like a cobra and I nearly cried out when the front of it split open revealing a maw squirming with tube like structures of various size and thickness. I couldn't take my eyes off the abomination as it lorded over its human minions. I watched as one of the black robed figures walked over to the monster and knelt in front of it. If I ever wanted a size comparison this was it. The man was tiny compared to its subterranean god. The cultist pulled back its hood and sat up straight. What was he doing? The Burrower lowered its mouth and a few of its smallest tubes shot out and struck the back of the man's head. I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. The man pitched forward from the force of the impact. His body began to contort and he cried out in a series of nonsensical sounds and words.

"I... oh god... not like this... NOOOOOO..." he managed before he fell silent.

The man stood up and stumbled before he was able to stand on his own. The voice that came out of the man wasn't human. It spoke fluent Arabic but the cold disdain could only be the voice of the Burrower. He was using the man like a puppet. It turned to face the cultists and all of them save the red clad figure fell to their knees. Was it religious fervor or blind panic that drove them now? I didn't know. I suspected it was fear. The Burrower told the leader in red that soon it would be free. Carol was right! The chamber with the glowing stones in the ceiling was a kind of time lock. Each of those constellations was a tumbler and only until all of them had been tripped could the Burrower leave this place. If it did it would destroy on a level that this place hadn't seen since the time of the pharaohs of old. It would make the ten plagues seem like a slap on the wrist. What the hell could I do? I had to stop it somehow. I had to slow it down. The alignment of the stars wouldn't last forever. I needed to halt its progress but how.

"Why are you hiding?"

I looked up and the Burrower was staring at me through its puppet. I rose up and stood in the doorway. The cultists cried out for my blood but the Burrower silenced them with a single gesture. The thing looked back at me and I held my ground.

"Who are you?"

"I am called the Professor," I told it.

"Why are you here?"

"I seek out ancient places to uncover their secrets. I had no idea you were real."

"You aren't like them. I can see that. You are worthy to serve me."

The last two words hit me like a punch to the gut. I had to test something that might be my only option. I raised my right hand and stroked my chin as if pondering its offer. The puppet cried out in alarm when it saw the Elder Sign. There was my answer. The Burrower was susceptible to the power of the ancient device.

"You are a bold one," it growled. "Perhaps I was hasty offering you my patronage. How fares Great Nodens and his pets?"

I had heard that name before in the writings I had so diligently consumed. He was one of a race known as the Outer Gods. He was called benign or at least not malevolent towards mankind. I didn't answer the thing's question as I tried to work out an attack plan. The puppet's body convulsed and while I watched one of the larger tubes was extended and sucked up the corpse of the cultist. A deafening fluting noise filled the chamber and the man in red kicked one of the other cultists. That man crawled over to the thing and suffered the same fate as his fellow cultist. The process went faster this time and soon I was locking eyes with the dire being once more.

"They never last very long," it said. "They are not very durable. I suspect you find me a menace to the poor humans above. You are right. When I reach the surface I will wreak such destruction as your species has never known outside an act of nature. You are wise to hate me. But you don't matter, your entire race are specs of sand beneath me. I will reshape things in my image."

I heard the footsteps behind me and tore my gaze from the monster to look over my shoulder. Felicia and Carol had returned early. I suspect they had heard the roar of the Burrower. I glared at them but I understood why they had come back. They looked at the horror before us and Carol actually screamed when she saw it. Felicia drew her weapon and took aim. I touched her hand and shook my head.

"I need your help," I said in English hoping the puppet didn't speak it. "I need you to go back to the first set of double doors. I need you there as soon as you can. We need to stop this thing. The last conjunction is almost here. Please don't argue... go... GO!"

Carol and Felicia raced back the way they had come. I turned to face the unholy monstrosity resolved in my plan. It had to work. The thing seemed indifferent to me like the insect I was to it. I drew on the knowledge I had gleaned from the tomes I had read. One simple spell came to mind and I decided to try it. I held up my left hand and made the proper hand gesture and performed the Voorish Sign. It was used to make the invisible visible. I took a step back when I beheld the full unmasked terror of the Burrower. Now I understood and I nearly broke and ran. But I had to give them time to reach the doors.

"I see now," I said as I spoke to the Burrower. "You are a multidimensional being. That is how you were locked away."

"YES," it roared through its puppet and the thunderous piping of its own voice.

"How long," I asked.

"In your reckoning of things... hundreds of millions of years... the Elder Things were quite cruel and meticulous. But today that changes and nothing can be done to stop me. I will be free!"

"The world has changed much since then," I said stalling for time. "Perhaps we can come to an accord."

"You want to bargain, how amusing." It chuckled.

Neko appeared and informed me that Carol and Felicia were in place. The Burrower stared at Neko and found her interesting. It asked if she was my familiar, a bound spirit. I shrugged and nodded. I suppose she could be seen in that capacity. I had Neko dance for the Burrower to eat up as much time as possible. It didn't last long. I felt the shift in the air. The thing cast aside its puppet but this time it didn't consume it or request another. The stars were coming into alignment. There was nothing else I could do so I turned and ran. I sprinted the entire distance from the center to where I had told the girls to wait for me. The last tumbler was falling into place and I hoped to god I was right. I saw them waiting for me and they looked relieved. The roar from below cut the sense of security short. I walked over to the damaged door and examined it. I leapt up and bashed the upper corner with a double fist strike. The corner shifted a bit. I jumped up again and struck even harder than before. The fourth time the corner popped back into place. I told Felicia to draw her weapon and fire it when I told her.

I cleared my head and brought the spell into my thoughts. I hoped it would work. It had to work. I took the combat knife from Felicia and we began closing the doors. The Burrower appeared suddenly and silently. How the hell could something that huge move so quietly and so swiftly? Felicia needed no prompting. She took her stance and fired. The thing cried out. But we never knew if it was in pain or simple outrage. The doors slammed shut and we all braced our backs against it. I used the knife and slashed both of my palms. I placed one on either door and began incanting the spell. Carol and Felicia cried out when the monster thrust its bulk against the doors. They opened for a second but Felicia fired a few more rounds from her gauss pistol. When that failed she thrust her hand with the Elder Sign in the gap and the thing roared a second time. The door closed and I continued chanting. I felt the energy being drawn from my body in vast amounts. It took everything I had to remain standing and continue with the spell. The Burrower howled and raged but the ritual had already begun to take effect.

"Look," Carol gasped.

"It's fusing together," Felicia added. "It's working... it's almost done..."

I spoke the last syllable of the last word. I staggered back to see my handiwork. I saw the huge Elder Sign emblazed upon what was now a wall. The two doors were now a single piece of metal. The incredible drain took its toll and I lost consciousness. I didn't learn what happened next until hours later. I opened my eyes as the first light of dawn hung in the air.

"It worked, oh thank god," Carol called out weeping with joy.

"I told you it would," Felicia said her own voice cracking. "Don't move we have to take out the needles."

"Needles, what needles," I said feeling a bit tipsy.

"We used the statue of Osiris," Carol said as she plucked one needle after another and returned it to the statue. "The rising sun did the rest."

"What happened?"

"You nearly bled out old boy," the First Minister said from off to my left.

"Yeah, about that," I said but he told me to rest and recoup my strength.

The last needle was removed from between my eyes and they helped me sit up. I felt like I had been out all night drinking. I blinked a few times and looked around. My entire team was there and that was all the reward I wanted. I smiled and fought back the tears. I was helped to my tent where I dressed. I sat on my cot while food and drink was brought. I ate and it was the best food I had ever had in my entire life. I stood up and staggered outside. The kiss of the sun on my skin was the best tonic I could have asked for. I closed my eyes and felt the strength return to my limbs. I stood there for a long time until I heard Carol walk up to me. Her heart was beating so fast. I opened my eyes and she leapt into my arms. I held her as she clung to me crying openly. Felicia was close and watched wiping tears away but refusing to succumb in front of others. Carol eventually relinquished her hold on me and we all smiled. The First Minister approached and I asked the girls for some time to speak with him alone. They agreed but told the older man not to wear me out.

"You are a very lucky man," he began. "To have not one but two women that loves you so deeply. Tell me what happened and why you went into the tunnel."

"After reading the writing on the side of the temple and seeing the drawings on the walls of the first chamber I just knew. I knew that when the three bodies reached Cairo you would halt our work on this site."

"What did you expect us to find?"

"The remains of serpent men to be honest," I said and he nodded. "You mean that is what you discovered?"

"Yes, but why would I shut you down," he said smiling a little wider now. "We have been finding their artifacts all over the place for over a century now. What else happened... how were you injured?"

"I saw it," I said feeling a sudden chill. "I saw the Burrower. I saw it turn a man into a mouthpiece. It was horrible. I used the Voorish Sign on it and saw all of it. I raced back to the double doors and used my blood to place an Elder Sign to seal it away. I guess I overdid it a little."

"Impressive, very impressive my boy," he said shaking his head. "There are a handful of trained people in the world that could have pulled off that feat and you did it and survived. I think I underestimated your value. So you can quit worrying so much I am not shutting down the dig. In fact I plan on expanding it. We are going to triple the manpower here with you still running things. However, I do need you to come with me for a few days. You need to be brought before the elders and your membership officially sanctioned. When they hear about this you are a shoe in."

"Thank you, I will leave Corey in charge while I'm gone. He has a pretty level head. I will have them wrap up the statue of Osiris for delivery to Cairo right away."

"No need for that my boy," he said. "All things considered I think you should keep it as a kind of good luck charm. Besides, it isn't like we can display it at the museum. I am sorry we can no longer access the tunnels below."

"There is a second entrance," I said and watched his eyes widen in surprise. "The cultists were already there and I suspect if we can find one and convince them we can go back in."

"Aren't you worried about the Burrower," he asked and I nodded.

"But he can't leave for a very long time. The tumblers have all been reset by now. We are safe for the time being." I said as I wiped the cold perspiration from my forehead.

"I want you to celebrate your victory. Take the girls someplace nice and I will catch up once I have been able to settle a date for your entry into the Order."

He left and walked over to the waiting jeep. He waved like some foreign head of state and off he went. I told the girls we were returning to Sardinia for a short vacation. They disappeared to pack and I walked over to the edge of the dig site. Everyone was working and focused as if nothing had happened. I was so thankful that they all survived. The haunted details of Antarctica were on my mind and this time we had beaten the odds. That was all that mattered to me. I pulled Corey to the side and told him I was taking a few days off and that he would be in charge. If anything came up I told him to text me. He was thrilled that I trusted him enough to leave him in charge of the dig. I searched out Terry and thanked him for Neko and told him she saved my life. He smiled and was glad anything he had done helped me out. He also offered anything I needed in the future without hesitation. I think how close Carol came to danger deeply affected him.

"You are good for her," he said after a long silence. "I think all three of you need each other. Where are you taking them?"

"I was thinking Sardinia since it is so close," I said.

"Good but uh... I'll send you someplace close that might suit your needs even better." He said smiling.

I packed up and received a text from Terry. The only thing in it was a set of GPS coordinates. I picked up my bag and met the girls by the helicopter. I gave the pilot the coordinates Terry had sent after I had climbed in and buckled up. He nodded and fired up the engines. We flew to Alexandria and refueled there. After that we headed for the enigmatic destination offered by Carol's uncle. We flew over the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the island came into view. The three of us gawked as the helicopter landed at the private heliport. We disembarked and were met by the staff of the private island. The maids were gorgeous and their male counterparts were Hollywood handsome.

We were led to the sea side villa that appeared to be carved out of the living rock. We settled into the Master Suite while the staff unpacked our things. There was an Olympic sized pool as well as a hot tub and sauna. The three of us piled into the hot tub as drinks and snacks were served. We enjoyed the water as well as the view. A few weeks in the desert environment had made the island seem like heaven. We sipped champagne and talked about what happens next. I was eager to see what kind of artifacts we would unearth now that the danger had been eliminated, for now. The Burrower was sealed away for god only knows how long. I shivered despite the bubbling water around me. Felicia and Carol moved closer and snuggled.

"Monstrous..." Carol said suddenly.

"What are you talking about," Felicia asked.

"I was just thinking about the calculations required to build the lock. You know the diamonds on the ceiling. They represented stellar conjunctions that had to be charted to a degree of accuracy that is almost beyond imagination."

"So they were good at math," Felicia said.

"No, the intellect required is far beyond even the A.I.'s capability given thousands of years. Whoever or whatever built it was like gods. All the minutia involved is mind boggling." Carol continued.

She fired up her A.I. and displayed a map of our galaxy. She showed all of the stars involved in the tumbler system that kept the Burrower trapped. We watched as one by one the conjunctions took place. The entire cycle took millions of years to complete. Smiling like the Cheshire Cat Carol showed us a secondary aspect to the chosen stars. Lines of force appeared and converged on a central location in the cluster of stars. Carol told us this is where they came from. This was the home world of these god like builders. I wondered what they were like and felt my curiosity burn brighter than ever. I asked her to transfer her work to my watch so I could look it over at my leisure.

The next three days went by far too quickly. The girls and I enjoyed each other's company as much as we could. We woke on that last day and dressed for our mutual destinations. I dressed in a handmade suit while they returned to their desert survival gear. One final kiss and we parted company. I headed for one helicopter while they headed for another. I slipped on the ring given to me by the First Minister. I climbed aboard and belted in. I had no idea where I was heading only that it was within range of this aircraft. I watched the girl's chopper take off and head for Cairo. We lifted off a minute later and flew over the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean Sea. We seemed to be following the other helicopter for most of the trip until we dropped altitude and made landing preparations. I recognized the massive luxury craft instantly, it was the Numenor. The chopper set down and the all-female ground crew was waiting to greet me.

I unhooked my harness and climbed out. The ladies took me down to the main deck and the ship's dining hall. There were several dozen men of all ages there. The room was stocked and it appeared that I was the guest of honor. I looked around and while Carol's Uncle Terry wasn't present Nick Shaw was. He was the first to greet me and began the introductions. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that one of the smartest and wealthiest men on the planet was a member of the Order. I was informed that the Hidden Master and Eternal Master would be present via hologram. While they had the time to spare to induct me into this fraternity there was other pressing matters that required their attention. I understood that and didn't expect anything too grandiose.

The Grandmaster was here in person and greeted me. He welcomed me with a strong handshake and guided me to the center of the room. We waited for the materialization of the other two members of the triumvirate. The soft hum of machinery preceded the appearance of the two masked figures. I knelt and with the blessing of the Three I was officially made a member of mankind's oldest secret society. The Grandmaster reached down and triggered the device on my ring so that it now showed the triangle of swords and the All Seeing Eye. There were cheers, whistles and a great deal of well wishing. A toast was made and the mingling began. The Grandmaster told me the duties of the Archivist and what was expected of me. Once I had taken the oath the celebration began.