What neither Haruka and Michiru nor the Cultists could have known was that there was a third party observing the goings-on from up on a high alcove. As the cultists started to cut open the glass case to take the Jewel of Karnak, an eerie cackling laugh started to echo around the room. The laugh started low and steadily grew, until it was a booming laugh that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. At first the cultists were able to ignore the laugh, but as it grew it had an unnerving effect on them. The gun-wielding cultist was the first to crack, yelling "Stop that laughing!" and firing a random shot as if to emphasize his demand.
The laugh then stopped, and a voice that could have come from a man or a woman echoed from around them room "The weeds of crime bear bitter fruit. The evil that men do can no longer be hidden in the shadows, for The Shadow Knows!" At that, the booming laugh again resounded in the room. Several cultists dropped their short swords and ran. Or, at least they tried to run. The gun-wielding cultist regained his bearing and snapped "Stop running, you cowardly fools! Its just laughter! Search this room, find the interlopers, and kill them while I secure the Jewel."
The third party used the time gained by the momentary panic of the cultists to climb down a maintenance ladder to the floor of the room. Unseen by all the person made its way to an alarm box, but just short of it a pair of cultist, one with a flashlight. The light played across where the person was, but all that the light showed was the person's shadow. The cultist with the sword at the ready raised his sword to strike, but before he could utter a word his eyes glazed over as did the eyes of the cultist with the flashlight. In a strange, eerie voice the person said "Your wills are weak and eyes are clouded. You will forget about seeing me and go to sleep. When you wake up, you will tell the police what they want to know about the Cult." The cultist with the sword dropped the sword and in a monotone voice both he and the cultist with the flashlight replied "As you command." They then slumped to the floor.
Haruka and Michiru had taken advantage of the confusion of the cultists. Haruka and Michiru had not come unarmed to the museum. Haruka and Michiru had brought collapsible batons with them, and used the confusion to extend them. When two cultists came around the corner of the display case they had taken cover behind, Haruka managed to disarm one by bashing his wrist, causing him to drop his sword. Michiru managed to drop the other cultist by neatly hitting him on the side of the left knee. The two cultists didn't manage more than a cry of pain before Haruka and Michiru knocked the two of them out with almost simultaneous blows to the temples of the two cultists.
The lead cultist had managed to open the case with the Jewel of Karnak, and was just grabbing it when the museum alarms went off with a loud cacophony. The lead cultist put the Jewel in a pouch and yelled "We have the Jewel! We must return it to the dread Pharaoh!" With that, the group of cultists ran off into the museum. Michiru said "Love, I think we should do likewise. It wouldn't do for my father to find out we were in the museum after hours." Haruka replied "Yeah, that would be bad." The two then made their own escape. Unnoticed by either party, the third person made her own escape past the security guards who were converging on the Egyptian exhibit room.
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by John Dunkelburg
(Posted Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:19)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.