[egypt] and the road goes on forever. [edouard]

August 2000 

As the sun beat down on her neck Nessa came to a realization: they had spent two long months planning and preparing to die of heat stroke. August in Africa wasn't exactly luxurious and even with the help of magic Nessa couldn't keep the sweat off her forehead. She adjusted the pack she had strapped to her back, groaning at the chaffing she was getting where the straps landed on her shoulders. They'd trekked across the desert for a half of a day now. They had apparated in during the dark of night and thanks to some information she'd gotten from her cousin Nessa had even found them a nice little wizarding village to arrive at. Not that it was much cooler during the night with the temperature rarely dropping below 22C/72F even when the blazing fireball of a sun wasn't in the sky. After doing one last check of their supplies the company moved out and Nessa was eager to get started. She had hoped that they would find what they were looking for in the first tomb they came upon but luck was not on her side. Not only could they not get close because of the sentries on guard it looked like the tomb was being restored or recorded by historians, too much going on, she doubted the bug would be there.

They spent the next few hours drudging through the desert to the next tomb on the map. Aparating would be too dangerous because they had no idea where they were going, sometimes even magic couldn't make things simple. Her feet were sore and she was pretty sure there was sand just about everywhere on her body. Her throat was dry and her spirit was sinking low. She was getting cranky. "If we make it out of here alive I'm never coming back to Egypt." She huffed, reaching for a water bottle that was clipped to her rucksack. "And people think this is fun." She missed her comfy sweaters and her dragon whiskey. Nessa was all about the pursuit of intelligence but apparently exploring wasn't quite for her. She was good dealing with violence and mayhem, but she preferred it be in a civilized area. "Ed is that the tomb over there?" She asked, standing still for a moment as she clasped her bottle back to her bag. One hand rested on her hip, the other shielding her eyes from the sun as the scarf she had tied around her hair whipped in the sandy wind.

Before her eyes what she thought was the tomb seemed to shift with some kind of glimmer. She squinted her eyes and the image faded in and out, almost like her mind was making it up and then she realized it was a mirage. She'd read about these but she had no idea just how real they might seem. A part of her wanted to investigate if mirages were a natural occurrence or if they had some tie back to illusion magic. "Nevermind..." she said a bit disappointed. Looking to the horizon she saw nothing but hills of sand, each with their own unique ripples, untouched. Everything seemed like it was tinted with the same yellow tone of the sand, her boots, her skin, even the sky. As much as she hated to say it she felt drained. She was a pretty active person but trekking across the sandy desert was not exactly the kind of cardio training she had been working with. She knelt down, balancing on her feet and keeping her butt from actually touching the ground. The last thing she needed was a scorpion burrowing out of the sand and into her pants. "Maybe we should take a second." She was tired, warm, and hungry, and the day had barely even begun.

@Edouard Pontmerci

Edouard adjusted the Shemagh he had tied before leaving that morning. The scarf was doing a fair job of keeping the sand from mixing with his sweat and causing a muddy film to cover his face. He had made that mistake the last time he visited but it had not taken long for one of the locals to school him up on the right ways to tie a Shemagh and what it could be used for. The blazing sun was evaporating the heat quickly, but the scarf was doing a good job of keeping him cool relative to the heat that was around him. Ed and Nessa had been on the move for the majority of the day and had yet to take much of a break. Their supplies had been checked, double checked and checked once more. It seemed impossible that they had forgotten anything, but undoubtedly there would come a time where something would be needed and they would have to find how to manage without it.

Nessa had pointed out a pyramid within the first few hours that they had been marching through the sands of the desert, but unfortunately it had been swarming with Muggles and quite impossible for the pair of them to check out. A few hours after she had pointed out the first of their possible venues, Nessa once again broke the silence. Her comment about returning to Egypt made Edouard smile. He couldn't help but feel like the young witch was out of her element. She seemed to be much better at intricate labour, hard work and tedious detail oriented craftsmanship not necessarily hiking, travelling and adventuring. Her follow on comments only further cemented what Ed had thought previously about the witch. It wasn't surprising to see that she was rather irritated. She had probably expected to see a pyramid by now; she had most likely also expected to be almost done with their quest by this point. Ed had not done his job in managing expectations that they may be at this a long time and would even possibly never find  a creature, alive or dead that would work.

The wizard was shaken from his thoughts when Nessa called his name and pointed off in the distance. He did not think they had been walking nearly long enough to be at the next tomb, but he looked up and noticed the shimmering outline of what could have been a pyramid. Squinting slightly to try to increase his visual range, Edouard couldn't make out whether or not what he was seeing was real. He had come into contact with mirages during his previous trips into the deserts, but it was nearly impossible to tell the difference between the real and the heat induced illusions that were created in the desert. The soft edges and the shimmer though made Ed believe that it was unlikely to be the goal of their quest so soon.

Almost as he felt comfortable enough to call it a mirage, Nessa confirmed his suspicions. It was most likely a mirage their minds had interpreted as the tombs they were searching for. Before Edouard could begin walking again, Nessa suggested the pair of them take a break. Shaking his head, Ed turned to Nessa and said "Taking a break would be ill advised. Stopping at this point only makes us more susceptible to heat injuries. Here, give this a try and see if it will not help you." Ed took the Shemagh off and handed it over to Nessa. If she needed help tying it off, he would be glad to help, it would take only a moment; but at least she would be shaded from some of the sun and protected  from the annoyance of the silty mud that likely caked her skin.

Before she could offer any more protestations, Ed continued walking and grabbed some food from the bag he had strapped to his back and took a bite. It was important to stay well fed and watered while working in the desert. Not taking care of yourself was a good way to ensure that you never made it back to the village. Offering some of his food to Nessa and continuing to walk, Edouard trekked for what seemed like hours. It was at that point he saw it. A small point on the distant horizon. "Nessa, don't look now but I have a feeling that we may have finally reached our destination." He pointed off towards the peak he saw and hoped against hope that they had found their first pyramid and could finally begin their search.

The mirage that glimmered in and out in the distance only pushed her further in her annoyance with the desert. She had not been entirely prepared for this and even the best of spells couldn't stop her from feeling the hot sun beating down on her. She thought they should stop but Ed did not and it would be stupid of her to not take his advice. After all his expertise in this area as well as trips abroad in general were part of the reason she had hired him onto the mission. She brought him for his knowledge and she was intelligent enough to listen to him when he used it. Instead of sitting down any further she pushed herself up and tried to get motivated again. He passed her the scarf he'd been wearing around his face and neck and she nodded. Normally she would of been appalled by the idea of using someone else sweater, especially with the sweat and dirt that was naturally going to be on it. Wrapping it around her own head she tried to ignore the fact that it was currently touching her hair, one of her most prized possessions. It was a soft breathable cotton but it did shade her at least a little and she nodded her thanks to Ed only after he had turned away from her to continue the journey. She walked in his foot steps before the wind blew them away, trying to use the smallest amount of effort she could and munched on the snack he had passed her.

It seemed like they walked forever in silence before he finally stopped and spoke. She hadn't seen him stop, her eyes turned toward the ground to help shield them from some of the sand that was blowing about, and before she knew it she ran into him with a soft 'oof' sound escaping her lips. She was too tired and warm to provide him with the usual Nessa snarkiness and instead she turned to look at what he was motioning to. In the distance she saw what he saw and it had to be real, it looked much more real than the last time and she couldn't handle much longer in this sandy hell. "Finally, it feels like we've been out here for ages, coulda brewed a whole polyjuice potion by now." She said sarcastically before turning on her heels and pushing on toward the tomb. It wasn't the largest but it was far from small. The feats of the ancient Egyptians never ceased to amaze Nessa even though she knew the hard work wasn't done by the Pharaohs but rather by the slaves. It didn't matter, the shear height they were able to build to with bare hands and simple machines was impressive. She'd done her homework on tombs and while most of them had been pilferred already there were still quite a few scattered through out the region that had stood the test of time. She had a feeling this was in no small part to the actual magical wards placed upon them by the Khopesh and other such societies of wizards.

"Be careful where you step." She told him, even though he probably knew better than her. She had plenty of research under her belt but he had real life physical experience and in times like this that was probably worth more. "It will be hiding in the darkest areas of the tomb so we will have to go inside but there will be enchantments to break first." She muttered a spell that would hopefully reveal any charms placed on the tomb before waving her wand toward it. The strings of the Shemagh and the strands of her hair that had fallen blew in the conjured wind as a large wall of sand was carried toward the tomb. Much to her dismay the sand was greeted by a nearly invisible wall that glowed the faintest bit of purple as the sand passed through. It was able to move through the barrier but that didn't mean they would be able to quite so easily. "Have you seen a protection ban like this one before Mr. Pontmerci?" She asked, turning to him to do what she was paying him for.

Ed was finally starting to feel at home on the expedition. To this point, much of the planning and preparation had been driven by Nessa and her research. She had told him where they would be apparating to and a lot about the movements. Ed knew what he was doing when it came to the desert, but there was no reason to take control from the witch. It wasn't as t though she was putting either of them in danger to this point. The fact that Nessa, a rather proper and well cared for witch who spent her time in the library rather than the field, was willing to put on his dirty, sweaty shemagh said quite a bit about her dedication to this particular trip they were on. As she donned the shemagh, Ed continued their trek through the sandy dunes that would eventually lead them to their goal, one of the few uninterrupted pyramids of the Egyptian deserts.

As Ed pointed out the peak in the distance, he felt the jolt of Nessa running into him. The lack of attention would normally have startled Ed, but when he turned to look back, he noticed her eyes were planted on the ground in front of her. Typically, dulling of the senses or lack of attention was a sign of some kind of heat injury, but he felt that the witch was coherent enough and had been taking care of herself enough that he was not worried in this particular case. Ed followed on as Nessa turned their course towards the peak he had pointed out. He laughed quietly at her comments about the time and said, "The desert will do this to us continually. We still have a good deal of time before we will be at the tomb." The pair crossed the hills and mounds in the sand until they were standing what seemed like a few hundred meters from the base of the pyramid.

It was here that the pair recognized the first of the enchantments that would bar their passage to the end goal of their expedition. Nessa's magic was somewhat impressive as she identified that an enchantment was present. While he would have been more impressed if she had been able to identify the actual ban, this was a good first step as it gave him the time to work and  determine what was needed to make their way into the tomb. Ed racked his brain for charms that would help him in the identification and beating of the wards that were in place to stop their progression into the deeper portions of the pyramid.

Raising his wand, Ed began a series of complex and dramatic wand movements accompanied with a low muttering of words in an ancient language that he was sure Nessa wouldn't recognize. As he continued with the defacto troubleshooting Ed saw a streak of green flash up the protective wall that Nessa had coaxed into the light of the sun with her magic. Smiling, Ed turned his attention back to Nessa. "That flash of green, why yes I have seen something like this before. With a little time and some concentration, this will be the easiest of the challenges we will face today." Ed wasn't trying to overplay his importance or skill, but this really would be the easiest challenge they faced today. Looking back at the pale purple wall in front of them, Ed began working his wand and chanting once more. This time, he felt the strain a bit more than before. After a few minutes of waving his wand, Ed heard a wooshing sound that gave him cause to believe the wards were down, at least momentarily. Taking a small piece of the food he had in his pack, Ed tossed it towards the wall and it passed through without issue. Stepping through he picked the dried meat back up and beckoned to Nessa, "Miss Regan, our tomb awaits" The young man smiled and began making his way towards the pyramid's base.

Watching Ed work was fascinating to the dark witch. She excelled at many things, but not nearly as many as she strove to, so seeing others in their element always intrigued her. A tiny tinge of jealousy passed over her as he said he recognized the ward. She was a strange type, jealous of the intellect of others but completely without the vengeful emotion when it came to her relationships. She nodded at him as the green flash appeared before them and she took note of it. Nessa might not of been experienced at this yet but she was determined to leave Egypt with more than just the ingredient she was after. She had an insatiable hunger for knowledge and Ancient Egypt was chalk full of it. "Nicely done Mr. Pontmerci." She said, mirroring his formality with ease.

She stepped forward, pushing the toe of her boot through the barrier before following just to make sure. "What sort of enchantment was that? Do you think it was ancient or something placed more recently?" She questioned, her mind always turning. "There are many stories lingering about these particular tombs, that they are guarded by much more than the lesser creatures that inhabit them." She was talking about Spirits and ancient ones at that. She knew that the Book of the Dead was not only a real thing but might possibly of still been in use by the Egyptian wizards of today. And if they could successfully send spirits to see Osiris and help them travel through Duat there was also a possibility that some of them got lost along the way.

"Have you had any experience with such things during your travels?"

Ed was slightly warn out from the ward he had just removed. After showing Nessa that it was safe to continue, Ed reached into his pack and grabbed out one of the bags of dried fruit and nuts he had packed before leaving. Coming into the desert without a full stock of provisions was not only stupid, it could more than likely end up getting you killed. Grabbing a handful of the mixture from the bag, Ed swallowed it down quickly, following after his employer. He wasn't, after all, being paid to stand around and eat mixed nuts and dried fruit. As they made their way towards the tomb's entrance, Edouard heard Nessa ask a few questions of the wizard.

Taking a moment to clear the food from his mouth, Ed responded to the questions that Nessa had just posed. "Miss Regan" Ed began in a thickly accented English, "the enchantment that you just witnessed was undoubtedly meant to be one of the friendlier deterrents in our journey. This enchantment is much like our spell 'Repello Muggletum'. This particular enchantment was meant to repel wizards not known to whatever group or society set this ward." Ed hoped his explanation made some sense. The way he thought of it, this spell was exactly the same as the Muggle repelling jinxes used on several of the magical buildings around the world. It would have certainly reminded them of something or caused them to have to turn round rather than allow them to continue towards the tomb.

"As for the second part of your question, I believe this enchantment was placed quite a long time ago. Enchantments such as these tend to grow stronger over time. This was one of the strongest repelling enchantment I have come across to date. It is my estimation that this particular magic has been in place for very near twenty-five hundred years." When Nessa began talking about the protections they were likely to face, Ed couldn't help but smile. While the ancient wizards of Egypt were renowned for their magic, they were wizards none the less. Their magic may have been of a more primal nature, but they were still bound by the same rules of enchantment that governed the work he would be doing throughout their trip.

Ed was most worried about the creatures that inhabited the tomb as he had little to no skill when it came to the creatures that could kill him in more than one way. "Miss Regan, my experience rests almost entirely on the enchantments like the one we just came across. The creatures, spirits, and other magical defenses are not my area of expertise. While I will be able to ensure we are protected because of a knowledge of the desert and the country, my true value is in removing and placing enchantments. Speaking of enchantments, please stand just there." Ed pointed to a place a few inches in front of him and readied his wand. Ed needed to cast a protective enchantment before the pair of them entered the ancient building ahead of them. Pointing his wand at himself, Edouard chanted the incantation of the strongest protective enchantment that he knew. Hoping that Nessa would not have too many more questions before they continued their journey, Ed waited for her consent to cast the protective enchantment and continue on.