Crynn POV
"So why are we here again," I turned to ask Evelyn holding a small pocket book with a lot of mixed Egyptian-English-Arabic-French words in it, that's a mouthful and a brainful. It was only about 30 minutes ago that we finally arrived in this non-exciting place. O'Connell and the team of course, won the race, camels turned out to run faster than horses which is a wow factor.
So far this whole place is a disappointment, beyond the high walls are small ruins, destroyed idols and collapsed buildings all of which are half buried underneath the sand. Henderson's team are located just in front of the main entrance, digging holes with (surprisingly) not with any explosives but shovels, that's new.
Meanwhile, we are on the more backside of the whole city, scouring and digging just beside a massive statue with a dog face? A horse face? Maybe a donkey? I don't know, it's a weird face alright. "We are digging underneath the statue of Set, a great Egyptian God with villain tendencies. If my calculations are correct, there should be something of a chamber underneath."
"Ms, Carnahan, why are we digging here when we can dig somewhere closer to the entrance where there should also be a chamber," I just want to see how much of an Egyptologist is Evelyn exactly and why would there be a chamber underneath a statue. "Would you like to dig straight into the main chamber or would you like to cross minor chambers and passages to get there! This is a statue of a powerful God and buried beneath a powerful God should be something of worth!"
Evelyn looks up from her book annoyed and she sprayed out words of annoyance right back at me, I could feel all the mental saliva scattered across my face. "Ok, ok, your call," I held my hands up and backed down, geez man, I'm only asking. Seeing as everyone else besides me and Evelyn is shoveling, I crossed my arm and leaned against the statue, pardon me Set.
You all might be wondering why am I not shoveling together with anyone else? That's simple, a small bribe to O'Connell took care of everything, now I know why so many people are bribing these days, it's easy and practical. Not to encourage anyone from the act, as easy it is, it's also as illegal as it is. "Hey! Have you guys made any progress yet!"
I shouted down to the three people digging, Warden and Jonathan looked up and gave me aggrieved looks while O'Connell continued the dig without any emotions. "We haven't seen anything as of yet," O'Connell answered while continuing to scrape the sand off the dig site. I looked down and saw nothing in the hole, and then on Evelyn or perhaps on her book.
"What's that book anyway? You seem so attracted to it," I'm known as quite the busybody, a lot call me Mr. Busy but I'm most famous for my other nickname, Want-To-Know-It-All. Hehe, reminds me of my old school days. "This is a journal written by Bembridge Scholars about Egypt, its ruins and The City of The Dead, I've always want to become a Bembridge Scholar," She looked hopeful saying that final sentence.
"I was sadly rejected the application," Now, not so hopeful anymore, only sadness and denial, that changed quickly. "Can't you apply once more?" Most institutions allow for more than one time of application requests, and there rarely is a institution or society that rejects after only one time of tried application.
"Nope, they very rarely accept those whom have been rejected. They say that its our fault for not studying more before applying," Now it changed from sadness to a little bit of hate, this girl has got some mood swings going. But that's honestly surprising, everyone should be given a chance. "We found something," O'Connell surprised us and poked his head out of the deep hole they created.
I and Evelyn took a peak down and there really is something. A brick? Maybe some type of chamber roof. "Have you tried detaching it?" Evelyn was the first to ask, damn she's fast at asking. I opened my mouth and reluctantly closed it back. "Wait a second," O'Connell positioned his shovel upwards directly pointing on the brick.
Brook! O'Connell hit it with the shovel's end, shaking and loosening it. "Once more!" Brook! This time to brick detached perfectly falling to the ground beneath and a rectangular gap shining light from the skies through the multiple millenium old hidden chamber. "Too small to get through, think you could set aside the sand and puncture a few more breaches into it."
"Yeah," O'Connell immediately got to work, dumping the sand around into the gap and continue making more gaps into the chamber. "We should be set to go, just jump," O'Connell looked through the light to see the ground below filled with sand. "Jump! Is it safe? I don't want to be breaking my leg."
"The sand below should cushion the fall," what is that logic, sand is solid and sand has no bounce and rebounce like a trampoline. "Is that theoretical or just guessing," Evelyn interjected at the right moment and teamed up with me against O'Connell, 1 for Crynn and Evelyn, 0 for O'Connell. "It's backed up by my logic and years of falling on sand, you won't break tour leg and no one gets injured."
Before I manage to say anymore complaint, O'Connell jumped down. I shockingly huurried to go look through the wide gap, to see O'Connell standing up among the sand. "See, no problem," if O'Connell is fine then that means I'll be fine too. I jumped down and as O'Connell said, my feet sinked into the sand and the force of the fall, perfectly absorbed by the sand.
I quickly swam my way through the pile of sand, fully concentrated only below the gap as a result of O'Connell's sand dumping. I looked around the chamber and saw walls, walls, walls and only walls, with two directions to go. Simply an empty room with nothing besides dust and bad air. What's interesting is the paintings on the wall, still surviving the effects of time, staying in its colors as it's supposed to be.
O'Connell waited for the rest of them to jump and one by one, jump they did and everyone got cushioned safely by the sand. "Well, here's our chamber, now, go left or right?"