Futuristic Riftwalkers

[luggage]

*Sorry! My internet connection's been a bit terrible recently so I haven't been able to post this up!*


Violent times and set about stabilising them? Are they crazy? What if we die in the process? Grumbling mentally to himself, Soren looked down from where he had been staring at the sky to run his gaze over the assembled group. There were now talks going on about rest and recuperation, but if he was completely honest, he didn't really feel sleepy. He was a bit too keyed up from the jump to actually close his eyes. And it seems the arrangements have been made. I guess I'm either alone or with Eric. Preferably alone. While more conversation went on, he took a quick inventory of the variety of aches and bruises that seemed to litter his body.


Soren yawned. Everyone seemed to be engaged in sleeping arrangements except Karen. Karen who had shifted away and was instead flipping her coin with single minded focus. Is it like a totem in Inception? Anyways, I need to find a way to talk to her later. She seems to know more than she lets on at times. Huffing out a breath, he flicked his eyes away from her and instead onto Mook - their new leader apparently. He didn't really approve, but it didn't seem as if anyone wanted to kill them yet so he was fine. Though they could always betray us later. Shaking away the unpleasant though, he instead sat straighter and cleared his throat.


"I want to go for a run," he announced. I want to figure things out alone - which I know is dangerous. And I want a chance to survey the area. I doubt they'd let me go alone though. "Alone would be better, but if it's too dangerous then I'm willing to go with someone." Please pick Karen to walk around. I can question her incessantly.

 

[Mitheral]

Soren was right; Mook didn’t go for the ‘alone’ idea. “Alone around here is pretty ‘stup’. Take someone with you. I believe in safety first.” He was a little surprised to see Karen practically jerk herself upright a little. She had always been hard to read. He could normally judge someone’s character extremely well. Karen was an exception. Even Elissa, an empath, couldn’t read the woman. But he had also never seen her seem even remotely eager to volunteer for anything.


Mook glanced at Elissa and Sly. “Safety?”


Elissa nodded approval. “I wouldn’t go far. No more than a hundred yards. And don’t go that way. Small river. If it is carrying anything mutated you could die before we ever got to you. But I don’t sense anything nearby.”


Mook seemed reluctant. “Karen, you can barely walk --”


Karen smiled thinly. “On my Earth is was one of the deadliest people on the planet. I could be on my death bed and take on an army with a Swiss Army knife.”


Mook grinned. “Well, a Swiss Army knife? Who couldn’t?” He sighed. “Pistol?” He watched Karen nod and pat her side. Then he grabbed his needler rifle and handed it to Soren. “Try not to waste ammo, but if you need to use it, don’t hesitate. Die and it might be used against us all. It’s pretty quiet so it won’t make an effective signal.”


Elissa spoke up again. “And Karen. No running unless you have to. Make him run circles around you.” She recognized the fact that Soren was paranoid and needed a long leash just as Mook had. It was pointless to make someone stay if they didn’t want to. “Soren, please look after her. She’s saved our lives before.”


Karen shrugged. “Yes mommy.” But she softened her grumble with a mischievous grin. “I really am getting stronger.”


As the pair started off into the waning light Lady Mira looked silently at Kritch…


+++++++++++


Karen walked slowly, using her katana for support. She didn’t say anything until they were well away from the group. “They’re not a bad bunch. But if you aren’t careful Mook won’t let you sleep. He’ll barrage you with endless questions about engineering. He’s a geek.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words. “He IS however, extremely intelligent - and not vain about it. He’s just very protective of his friends. But if he tells you he will do something or makes a promise - you can count on it. They told me more of the story how they met Talon. Talon was being held as a gladiator - a slave. That was the part they left out. It wasn’t by choice. Talon was raised as a slave. But as you might imagine this isn’t something he talks about. And Mook and the others respect that. Anyways, Mook followed the slavers to Grants, NM - where the arena was in their area. Mook asked his friends to volunteer and they followed him in. Mook laid his life on the line - and he isn’t really a warrior - to free Talon. And they did that simply because he was their friend. I’m not sure, but I think they would do the same for me, not that I am am worth them wasting their lives on.


“But you clearly had picked me to walk with you. I am sure you had your reasons. You had questions that you wanted to ask me - away from them. I’m not from your Earth. I am fairly certain of that. So .. what did you want to talk about?”

 

[luggage]

By the time they had walked away - having jauntily saluted Elissa and Mook to let them know that he would 'take care' of Karen - Soren was practically vibrating out of his skin with the eagerness of finally getting away from the others. He was usually a social creature - he enjoyed conversations when he could engage in them - but the day had been trying and really, he still didn't know what Ross' plan was. Not to mention now they'd merged with another group he didn't really know much of and he didn't feel like sticking around for more niceties when he didn't know the area he was in. If there was one thing he'd learned it was to always know where you were.


"But you clearly had picked me to walk with you. I am sure you had your reasons. You had questions that you wanted to ask me - away from them. I’m not from your Earth. I am fairly certain of that. So .. what did you want to talk about?”


Soren snapped his attention back from where he had been surveying the trees and the ground, instead giving Karen an assessing look and a quick grin. He carefully set the gun near enough to Karen should she ned to use it. Rolling his shoulders, he began a series of stretches, making sure to occasionally glance up to make sure that Karen hadn't wandered off. She was still leaning against her katana.


"You seemed to know more than the others," he replied after a little while, hopping on spot for a second before starting a slow jog. The ground a bit soft under his feet but held firm. He jogged a circle around the woman. "And I did get that feeling from Mook. I guess I'll have to guard my tongue around him." Pausing, he collected his thoughts before glancing back at her as he jogged past. "I just want to know more. You seem to know more about the Matrices than you let on. Not only that, but you seem to have some idea about everything else that's going on, and maybe I can know a bit more about the people I'm supposed to be working with. To be honest, you seemed like the only one who'd tell me something and I wanted to ask you about your coin flipping habit."

 

[Mitheral]

“What coin flipping habit?” Karen gave Soren her best innocent look. Then she blew out a sharp breath as she decided to concede she did indeed have a habit. This was, of course, unlike her. She had held out in more glaring circumstances in the past. “My shrink - or perhaps I should say interrogator - said I was a little Obsessive Compulsive. I nicknamed her Miss Piggy. Basically my senses operate faster than my brain can handle. The data input gives me a headache. It’s my eidetic memory. I remember EVERYthing I see. And by habit I catalogue and analyze all that information. I could everything - stars, leaves - how many breaths you’ve taken and times your heart has beaten since we departed the camp - the steps you’ve taken. Footsteps, I mean.


“It isn’t that I know more about the Matrices than the others. I merely have a more advanced knowledge of computers. And I applied a little common sense to how a time travel system would be implemented. One piece of logic: if we can only travel into the past - times prior to the most forward point in time we have progressed to - then the race that built the Matrix are from the future. They had to travel into the past to set up the gateways. This means we can NEVER get to them. The best we could hope to achieve would be to encounter them in their past when they were traveling. It’s not knowledge, but logic. It’s obvious.


“As far as them telling you stuff. It is more of a matter of caution. They don’t really know you either. And they don’t want to be stranded in a strange time any more than you would. the simple truth, however, is that you can’t steal a Matrix. It doesn’t work like that. If the Matrix feels threatened it phases out of time. I figured that out real quick. Again, I just applied a little logic. The disease neutralization is to keep plagues from being spread. The language downloading is to facilitate exploration. And navigation? Obvious.


“I personally suspect that the creators of the matrix had technology that was immune to the hypergic energy differentials. And they probably draw power off Zero Point Temporal Differentiation - a zillion times more powerful that ZPE. That should tell you just how efficient the system really is.


“Now … I believe you had questions?”

 

[luggage]

Amazing. She's like a superhuman. Categorising everything she sees and remembering it all too? What is she? How did she become like this? Soren could only watch as the information was spewed out at a surprisingly fast rate, Karen answering half the questions he had had in the few moments she spoke. He found that he had paused in his running, instead coming to a stop and staring down at the ground with a frown on his face as he separated the new information from the old. Indeed he was right. She was the one he would want to talk to. And strangely enough, she had seemed willing to talk. Another thing I should ask her about later.





"Well," he said dryly, still musing over the facts. "There goes my idea to steal your Matrix. And our team's one. Darn." He didn't sound particularly upset at the very real failure. Soren did want to get his hands on the Matrix just to pull up the images from before and to see it for himself, but he supposed he could do without it to. "And my questions, well, you answered most of them without me having to speak. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up having telepathy."


Here he paused, looking at her and tilting his head to the side.


"You don't have telepathy, do you?"


Dismissing the thought, he started walking again, pacing in circles around Karen as he thought over everything again.


"I feel that if they're so far ahead and had the knowledge to make Matrices, then they deifnitely had equipment that could withstand it. Though that being said, I'm wondering how you people came upon Matrices. I mean, yeah, you were given them or whatever, but why? Is that part of the Creators' plan? They can't possibly have wanted people jumping around different timelines - well, unless they were evil, I suppose. How many Matrices are there in the universe? I remember Ulana mentioning something about the Iron Wind wanting to capture them all to take over the world. Surely the Creators wouldn't have wanted them in anyone's hands if they were that strong?"

 

[Mitheral]

Karen considered leading Soren on about telepathy by acting all mysterious. But almost as soon as the thought took form she dismissed it. She’d have grown too bored with the charade to keep it up for long anyways.


She shrugged. “ No, I am not a telepath. I can, however, read a person’s intent. The methods I use are purely observational though - not mystical. Most of what I said was to answer all your obvious questions. I’d ask the same questions in your shoes. Regarding the other stuff, I have nothing to base a theory on. Maybe the creation of alternate timestreams is exactly what the Creators wanted. Maybe they wanted us to explore limitless possibilities.


“There IS one possibility. They were - or rather will be - a species with all the emotion that drive humanity. Imagine such a race - powerful, unsurpassed in knowledge and power. They might think themselves superior to lesser species. Look at how humans treated aborigines. Or - and here is more the theory I favor - go forward to the time of the US Civil War. The rights of African Americans was brought so question. What if the Creators had a similar schism in their culture. One side chose not to play God with lesser races. But a small few saw themselves as gods. They may very well have been the ones who gave the Iron Wind the ability to monkey with time. THAT may have been why the Creators placed these Matrices in our hands.”


Karen gave a sigh and her voice took on a simpler tone. “But all that is a little overwhelming. I do understand what that is like. Best I can suggest is ti not think about. Instead just concentrate on survival - like Mook and his friends. And when that isn’t enough anymore - explore. I am betting the rest will work itself out on its own.


“So we have 3-4 days to kill here - or be killed. We are near Tokyo in a world that has suffered a nuclear war. What do we do? I am thinking we should lie low and try to move along to some place that is either more of a place for R & R or more important. We have no reason to be in a hurry. We aren’t aging. Personally I think most of our group should be trying to learn. For example, Talon can’t read. He’s plenty smart and he IS trying to learn. And he is extremely curious about what to him was Pre Skydark - about stuff like cars, computers and the like. You’ll have to keep it pretty basic to start. Maybe that is something we should look for - paper and pencils. Or a dry erase board and markers. Maybe HE could teach you a little about self defense.


“And yes, I can tell you are extremely well trained in martial arts - maybe even as good as I am. Maybe.”

 

[luggage]

Soren looked at Karen, absorbing the information that had been handed to him and thinking about the possibilities. There could be so many ways what they had done - this jump - could go bad. Of course the most obvious one was death. It didn't seem impossible right now that they would all die from a freak radiation blast. In fact, Soren thought, it would be a surprise if they didn't. It was, after all, a barren world. He blinked. Glanced at the sky to ascertain how much time they had spent. It had been quite a while that they had been talking. And yes, while he had been energetic, he doubted that even he would stay out talking for this long.


He sighed shortly, starting his slow jog as he went over what Karen had said. Hadn't she mentioned something about reading my training? There was a pause as he looked towards her again, swiping his gaze over her katana appreciatively. He wasn't really one for weapons, but he had taken up shooting after his little...encounter. To be honest, though, he wasn't very good at it something which irked him to no end.


"Martial arts are my thing. I'd love to take you on sometime," he said, rolling his shoulders and slowing to a stop, deciding that they might as well head back since he was momentarily sated. "As for the Talon thing, I'm sure we'll manage something. Back to the writing in dirt with sticks time, yeah, but we'll manage something. So are we going to be chilling out instead of actually getting things done? I thought jumps are more interesting than that. Well, they do sound that way in theory."

 

[Mitheral]

OOC: Well, I had never intended this thread to get drawn out into a second by second conversation. We do NOT have to run every minute of the four days. If you want to move it along, just say so. If there is a planned encounter I’ll fast forward to that - or push it along to the next jump. When it comes to making the next jump, an idea of when / where / etc you hope to get to would be a good idea. I am going to handle this next one as “random” just to move this along.


I've been very sick for over a week and am still pretty sick. I can barely sit up. So my apologies if any of this is incoherent, stilted, jumps, etc. I just wanted to go ahead and move on into a scene in which there is something of the local world to interact with.


IC:


Karen gave a wry grin. “I’m not so sure ‘interesting’ here would be such a good thing. We’ll be luckier if we can get by with some uneventful time. Too many of us need time to heal up - myself included. In fact, that may be a good idea for our next jump - some place for R&R and medical supplies. I could go for a nice tropical oasis.


“I could take you up right now on a little sparring, but Elissa would never let me hear the end of it. She seems to think I could kill myself if I pushed too hard. Of course, I did just spend time in a medically induced coma in a hyperbaric chamber trying to heal.”


Karen finally reached out to grab Soren to halt his lapping her. She was grinning. “Stop. You’re making my head hurt. I’ve been counting your laps by reflex.” Her grip was weak. And Soren could tell she was hiding her exhaustion stubbornly. This was a woman not accustomed to showing weakness. Then again, she had mentioned being caught in a bomb blast, so perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise.


++++++++++


The next few days went by - thankfully - relatively uneventful. Catching dinner proved to be quite the event. Gigantism had affected the wildlife in some cases. Mook’s warning not to stray close to the river proved wise. They managed to catch a 12 FOOT long catfish. It had been a mutated variety that had extra spines, with tentacles for pulling itself onto land - and grabbing prey. Fortunately it was Romulus that discovered the fish and drug it well onto land. But he did catch a barb that made him sick and stiffened his muscles for over an hour. It was even more impressive to see Mook and his friends methodically scavenge everything they could preserve fast and move the camp away from the scent of fresh meat before other predators arrived.


In the end it was a general consensus that they needed one good jump to put them where they could really relax and recuperate, replenish medical supplies and maybe not have to rough it for a change. Basically they just wanted a place where everything wasn’t trying to kill them.


******************

In the wake of their jump - once they had recovered from trying to puke their guts out - the group found themselves near at a large calm river with grass and reeds growing on either side. There was a palm tree not far off, its silhouette visible against the night sky. The temperatures of the region felt almost tropical. It was still dark out which promised a blazing hot daytime weather. It looked as though it might be sunrise in a couple hours. A full moon cast its dim light across the river, lighting up the sky to a deep azure.


At least it looked like the moon they had grown up with. That was a plus. And the stars in the sky looked familiar enough - though perhaps a little off considering the latitude.


Karen was the first to recover - which just seemed so wrong given her state of health. If she did anything it was to feign lag effects just a little bit longer. But her eyes were already focusing on details.


Mook and Alex decided to make a base camp and leave the rickshaw contraption they had engineered behind. It wasn’t going to travel well in sand or across water. They could always come back for it when they were ready to leave. Then he made plans to follow the river in hopes of finding civilization.


Not long after sunrise the group spotted an ancient city in the distance. It was no tiny village, but one filled with a handful of temples as well as a monument to Akhenaten III.


Eric frowned. “I had guessed where we might be, but I have no idea which city. Some of this area would have been flooded by my time. I am guessing, but we could be near Memphis or Bubastis. Any signs of cats - like LOTS of cats? It would depend on the dynasty. Bubastis was founded somewhere in the 4th dynasty - when the Great Pyramid was built. That would be 2600 to 2400 BC. But Bubastis didn’t become important until about the 19th Dynasty, or about 1300 to 1100 BC. I’m not sure the exact dates, but it was after all the really famous rulers like King Tut. I think that was around 1330 BC.”


Elissa nodded. The dates were meaningless, but the point was clear. “If we see lots of cats, we love cats and would love to pay our respects to whatever goddess is big about cats.”


“Bast. Bubastis became the center of her religion. This whole region gets flooded after the construction of a dam in the 20th century AD.”


Alex Tanis just stared at Eric. “You really HAVE read a book. I didn’t know you knew anything about this stuff.”


Eric grinned. “I dated a girl who was a cat fanatic.”


Mook decided to take input from the group. “If we go in, we need to maintain a spread of weapons. I doubt these people will understand a rifle or pistol.


He handed Eric a needle rifle and a couple spare clips. “Don’t use it if you don’t need to. It isn’t worth risking your life for, so if it falls into some ravine, don’t cry over it. These advanced weapons probably won’t work for too many more jumps. I say we go in armed. Thing is if we all go armed, that isn’t going to look right. We could explain some of us as bodyguards.”


Elissa smiled. “We are on our way to pay homage to their goddess? We got enough jewelry - gems anyways - from the last jump. Guys, every jump is slowly degrading the gems. We may as well make count. Thing is, we need a reason to be travelling so far from some distant lands.”


Eric shrugged. “Fact is our skin would just support our story. The fact that there are just a few of us, not some invading army would probably suggest diplomacy to these people. The 18th dynasty was a peaceful one.”


Elissa nodded thoughtfully. “It looks like they have a strong agricultural community. The farms look pretty healthy from here. We are low on water.”


Eric nodded back. “And you said you needed herbs. Egypt was pretty advanced in medical science. “


Mook made his decision. “Sly? The city. In or out?”


Sly frowned. She hated cities. “In, I think. If we have an emergency, I’d rather be there with you guys - just in case we have to jump.”


Elissa nodded. “No emergency jumps. And we need to agree on where we want to go next. For now, let us just agree to some place where we can get good medical attention until we’ve taken care of if here. If we find what we need here peacefully we can change that. Remember the 3 meter rule.”


“Maybe some place with more weapons like the needlers?” Eric suggested.


++++++++++


The group’s approach on foot barely raised notice. Certainly they got some strange looks because of their skin color. There were curious looks at their weapons, but noone seemed to care about them. Oh certainly there were some suspicious glances. But Eric had been right about the diplomacy. The group was even pointed in the direction of the Temple of Bast. Their luck wasn’t absolute though. They were told by guards that weapons would be forbidden in the Temple, that to bear arm in the presence of Bast was punishable by death.


Mook had decided that once they had established a story it was best to follow through. When they arrived at the Temple, Elissa suggested that she and Ulana should make the first visit, leaving weapons with the others - all weapons. She seemed reluctant to part with her own weapons, but she admitted she sensed only mild hostility - distrust. And the very act of disarming was helping with that.


++++++++++++++++++


While the time travellers were preparing to go in and pay their “respects” to the local goddess, Bast, the human guards of the temple were reporting to the goddess Herself. As the commander if the guards approached he covered the lower half of his face with a cloth, then bowed deeply with reverence and waited for her to speak. He could remember his terror as a young boy when he first met two of her Guardians, the large panther and spotted leopard. He had been surrounded by a pack of jackals and the great Guardians had interposed themselves on his behalf. Neither left his side. He could only guess that the Goddess had seen through their eyes for she had arrived - in person to pick him up and take him back to the Temple to tend his wounds. From that day forward he had vowed to serve the Goddess.


“Yes Bakari. Does something trouble you?” Bast asked. She stood tall and proud. Her form was anthropomorphic, like a human, her fur of midnight hue. Her tail twitched with curiosity tempered by wisdom. She already knew of Bakari’s concerns.


“Strangers, Goddess. The come from the East. They bear strange weapons and wear strange clothes.” Bakari did NOT like the idea of such strangers in Bast’s presence.


“Yes, I know. Even now two of them are leaving their weapons with their friends in preparation to meet me. Send them in. All of them - weapons and all.”


“Goddess!” Bakari started to object.


“Bakari. Do you truly believe they could harm me. Surely you recall the stories of the last test? I will be fine.” Bast tried to be patient. Her jaw dropped in amusement as he backed away. “Oh … and do not forget to make sure they cover their mouths. They come in peace. They will NOT bow in my presence.” She didn’t want to mistake a human smile for a challenge and forget all her training in dealing with humans. It was unlikely she would, especially after all her experience, but it was protocol.


++++++++++++++


Commander Bakari arrived with a priestess as the group was just about ready to make their way in. He studied them for a moment and nodded to the priestess to hand out the veils to cover the lower half of their faces.


“The Goddess has commanded me to bring all of you. You will wear these veils covering the lower half of your faces at all times in her presence. You need not leave your things behind.” He glanced at the priestess. “It was Her will.”


++++++++++++


When the group was brought before Bast, it was done with great reverence. When they were done with the ceremonies, Bast dismissed her servants - including Bakari - who clearly objected. “Commander Bakari, I will be fine. But there are matters I must discuss with these strangers that are are for their ears alone.” She gestured to her Guardians. “And surely you of all people remember how formidable my Guardians are.”


Once Bast and the group were alone the feline sank into her throne wearily. “Please,” she gestured to the many large pillows, “make yourselves comfortable. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Bubasta M’tara, medtech 2nd class. I crashed on your world 127 revolutions ago and found myself mistaken for the local deity.”

 

[luggage]

Ancient Egypt was...interesting. If Soren had more time - and if he had come alone - he would have certainly loved to find the local engineers and talk to them about their theories. Maybe help them out a bit, though it hardly looked like they'd need any. It was almost like heaven for him, getting to see the monuments of old in their true glory. He wanted to stop, drag his feet as he gazed longingly at the various buildings and the people around him. I guess I'm like a child. I really just want to go everywhere. The temple loomed ahead of them in all its beauty, the cooler and more shadier interior looking rather inviting. Soren glanced at the statues carved, nose wrinkling as he mused if he would somehow get the time to make a nicer one. Though really, I don't know anything about carving. It wasn't really my area. But still, I could give it a try. Maybe make something nicer?





They were going to pay their respects when they had been called away by some man, weapons and all, to meet the Goddess? It made Soren strangely nervous and excited as he put the veil on, sniffing experimentally to make sure he wouldn't sneeze. The others looked just as confused about the weapons, though admittedly more happy. So well armed again, they made their way into the shaded interior and then they were left alone with the goddess.


Soren couldn't stop staring. She was covered in fur. Midnight blue fur. He blinked slowly as if that would help in what he was seeing. And she was talking too, it seemed. And wasn't a cat-goddess after all. He fell backwards onto a pillow, gobsmacked.


"How old are you?" He blurted out, eyes still wide and feeling somewhat out of his depth. First time travelling and then this. I feel like a half-sucked lollipop.

 

[Mitheral]

“How old? Maybe 150 revolutions. Medtech 2nd class. I was barely past my cadet days at the Academy when I ended up here. Now I am very curious as to how all of YOU got here. It is very apparent to me that you are either not of this world, or of this time. Your technology is well beyond that of the current cultures. And you,” she pointed at Karen, “have cybernetic technology far beyond my own. It is Precursor level technology. If I hadn’t been conducting a full medical diagnostic I would have missed it.”


Karen blinked. “Really?”


Bast’s jaw dropped. “Your friends didn’t know.” She sounded a little embarrassed. “And it wasn’t a subject you preferred to discuss. My apologies.”


Karen shrugged. “It was bound to come out eventually.” She glanced about. “I used to be a cyborg. It was the only way they had to save my life back when it first happened. The explosion that nearly took my life, destroyed most of my skin, my eyes, ears, throat, lungs. The chemicals didn’t do me much good either. Lots of carcinogens. One of the conditions of my turning State’s Evidence was the use of our most advanced technologies to remove as much of the cyborg technology as possible while keeping me alive.”


Karen looked back at Bast. “The implant YOU mean, is something noone understood - either its source or technology. I was sort of an experiment I think.” She shrugged again. “I managed to put the story together. It really isn’t an important story. What’s important is the choice I made in the end - to live my last days as a human. To simply see a sunset with my own eyes …”


“Last days?” Bast cocked her head a little.


Karen shrugged. She really hadn’t wanted to tell the group about her condition. “Six months …. maybe …. give or take. And that would be why I don’t like to waste a lot of time.”


+++++++++++++++++


Romulus had not been among those who had entered the city of Bubastis. He had been left behind at base camp. To mollify him Ulana and Mira had remained behind as well. The strong daytime sun of the egyptian desert had been rather harsh on them.


++++++++++++++++++++


The initial interview continued with Bast ordering some treats - mostly meat dishes. It was the custom of her people to be good hosts. Hers was a highly civilized race. It’s specialty was cybernetics. That is what had impressed her most about Karen’s implant.


Karen, for her part, did her best to escape the conversation. Mook and his group didn’t really know much about Egypt. Still they seemed impressed with the architecture and that opened up the topics of Soren’s greatest interests.


Bast nodded. “Perhaps you would like to tour these lands? I can provide you escort. I fear these people overreact to my presence, so it is probably better if I do not join you. I am not trying to shoo you out. You are very welcome to stay here as personal guests. But I strongly advise against demonstrating advanced technologies or knowledge that would make them consider you are divine. They have a tendency to test such claims..”


She turned to Elissa. “And I have a detailed knowledge of medical herbs and techniques of these people. I believe I can help you replenish your medical supplies."

 

[luggage]

"Yes!" Soren gushed out before he could get a grip on himself, the mere idea of touring the lands filling him with the same excitement he got whenever he got given a particularly artistic task to do. He settled down just as quickly, feeling embarrassed at his little outburst but nonetheless eager to have a chance to get away from Bast and into the cooling sands to tour the area. He could already picture the ruins - not ruins in this time, at least - that he wanted to visit. Maybe he could even get a chance to see building in action.


Yes, it wasn't as exciting that they weren't allowed to show off, but just getting to watch would be enough. Mentally doing a happy jig at the chance to explore, he cast a glance over the assembled group, noting the out-of-depth looks the others were sporting and Karen's own slightly uncomfortable attempts to get out of the conversations. I still want to know about the cyborg thing, but this seems just as good. Shifting in place, he looked over at the 'goddess'.


"Touring and an escort sound amazing. We even promise we won't get into trouble." Which is probably a lie knowing us. Ah, but we can try.