Mystic: The Tablets of Gilgamesh

Daniel sat on his throne as a figure appeared, Daniel’s trident in hand and his left hand resting under his chin. A smile placed on his face as he eyed the one walking in.

“You returned, with the tablet, I assume?” Daniel asked.

“Yes, my Lord,” the man replied. He traveled from Germany and now was with his leader presenting the fragment. He handed it to Daniel as it was placed on the stand, now a few tablets left. He smiled, but soon the smile faded as he thought about his wish: To become a God, through-and-through.

He was already old, youthful, but old. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, however, he was over five hundred years old. He had absorbed the essence of Poseidon and earned longevity, but to become a God he’d need the tablet. His goal was simple, become a God and reshape the world. For too long the Greek Gods and Goddesses ruled with an iron fist, yet, despite this, they never intervened with humans. They watched with total indifference as wars were raged, babies died, people were given cancer, aids, and more. They watched with indifference and never thought of intervening, yet they thought themselves better than their predecessors, the Titans. After becoming a God, he’d release the Titans from their hold and take over. At least then the world would have an active leader, wrought from the depths of human potential, the betterment of society.

He had to do it, somebody had to! Why not him? He had all the skills from his years alive, but, despite that, he had some learning to do. He began to ponder his thoughts on his time before Poseidens' death. He was in the Holy Crusade, led by Richard Lionheart I, King of England. He was a mere crusader, a Templar, to be exact, one of the best and most skilled.

It was 1191, on the noon of Tuesday, August 20, about 12 o'clock in the desert near a coast with Richard I of England, also known as Lionheart or Richard the Lionheart, Daniel, along with a group of other men, led by Captain Moss, the armies were told of their order while Daniel and his group were told theirs: To extract the Holy Cross from a location suspected to be heavily fortified.

Daniel was part of an elite group of Templars, they wore no masks or helmets, just thin armor, and their two swords: A long blade and a short blade with a dagger on the belt. The idea was a ruse, as they would attack and slaughter Saracens, or Muslims as they were now called, distracting the Islamic armies and defenses of nearby cities while the real cross was moving. There was another cross, but it was also a ruse by the Muslims to draw out the Christians into a losing battle.

“Daniel,” Moss shouted.

“Sir!” A young daniel said. He looked the same, but he was much younger, age-wise. He saluted the captain as he stood straight up.

“You ready for battle?” Moss asked.

“What do you mean,” Daniel asked inquisitively. Of course, he was, he was a soldier, a knight, he could handle this.

“This is the real cross, son. It will be very fortified.” Moss smiled, “but don’t worry, I know you’ll be fine.”

Daniel smiled back as he and his eight men began to march out. They wore a mud-covered set of armor to camouflage them. They rode out on horses as some were dressed like the Saracens. As they rode out, Daniel rode up to Jeremiah, an old friend of his.

“Jeremiah, it’s been a while. How’s your father?” Daniel asked.

“Ah, he’s good. He has a shop opened now making blades. He made mine,” he said as he drew his blade out and displayed it to Daniel. It was a blade mixed with silver and steel, it had a silver handle of a dragon's tail wrapping around a pole with the head at the butt of the sword, a gem in its mouth. “The gem, he told me, is for good luck.”

This astounded Daniel as he eyed the sword. He grabbed it and inspected its craftsmanship. It was very impressive, to say the least. As he finished looking, he handed the blade back to Jeremiah as he thought of how his family was, but he never had one. He was adopted, he was told, found on the shoreline.

“It truly is a fine blade, Jeremiah, keep it well. I’d hate to see it draw any blood, it would ruin its craftsmanship and looks,” Daniel said.

“Ha, yes, I couldn’t agree more,” Daniel replied. “I hear that there was a traitor among the group,” Daniel said.

“Hmm?” Jeremiah reacted, “I did hear that, who do you think it is?” He asked.

“I don’t know, Moss has a lot to lose, but he has the most reason: That position as a general.”

“There’s Geoff, too,” Jeremiah mentioned. “He was seen sneaking out at night.”

Geoff was a weak man, the idea he would betray them did make sense, those who make history control it.

“Ah,” Daniel started, “I could see that. The Holy God, at least, blesses us. I’m sure he will reveal the traitor to us soon.

The two laughed and drank as they rode deep into the south. Upon arriving, they huddled behind a rocky hill, it was night and cold out. The ocean in the distance slammed into the rocky shore. Before them was a tower surrounded by guards. There were only five of them. Two dressed like Saracens while the others wore a type of sand armor. Tight plates, yet loose clothing.

“Here’s the plan,” Moss began, “Gerald and Geoff, you two will head up there, speak Arabic and try to get in. Tell them the story we told you.”

“Right, sir,” they both replied.

“The rest of us, Jeremiah, Daniel, we will go behind to the pit. Down there is the cross. Those two will try and slay the enemy while they sleep.”

“As you command/Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

As directed, Gerald and Geoff walked to the front, dressed as the enemy. The other three, however, made their way behind the tower and where a large pit sat. They climbed down slowly where a large brass door sat. It looked ancient, but they non-the-less entered only to find stale air and cobwebs littering the place.

“What is this place?” asked Jeremiah.

“It’s an ancient crypt or tomb of some kind, maybe a lost civilization?” Moss pondered.
Being inside, Daniel felt a strange tingling in his body, like he was getting an adrenaline rush. They continued down until they came upon a large open-source where a pedestal sat with a strong object: The Cross.

“There is it!” Jeremiah said in a louder voice than he should have. Soon crypt sarcophagus’ opened up and bodies began to walk: Bodies of the old place. Their eyes glowing light blue as their rotten corpses began to come to life.

“Bloody hell, you idiot, are you trying to take the piss out on us?” Moss shouted as he smacked Jeremiah over the head. “Get ready, these unholy beasts must be slain.”

The three huddled together into a triangle, back-to-back as they drew their weapons. One came at Moss as he stapped it in the head while another leaped at Daniel, he spun around and sliced its head off. They fought for a while until finally, the beasts were dead.

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Suddenly, Daniel awake to find he was still in the throne room. “My Lord?” asked the man. “My Lord, I have some bad news.

Daniels's eyes stared deep into his eyes, instilling fear at what he was about to hear.