CHAPTER XXVIII: The Hawk Eye

Ness sipped on some lemonade as he sat in front of an air conditioner at the Seven Serpents Cafe. He looked across the table, eyeing Jeff, who had removed his glasses, and had his face pressed to the cool wind emanating from the other side. Poo had his eyes closed and his head bowed, and Paula rested her head in her arms. She sighed, sitting up, and taking a drink from her own lemonade. She gasped as she pulled her head away from the straw.

"Where's that food?" She asked in a tired tone. "I'm starving!"

"Patience is a virtue," Poo mumbled in a sage sort of way.

"Then heaven grant us all patience," Ness sighed. "But...please, hurry!"

That cracked a few smiles from the surrounding patrons. Jeff leaned his chin into one hand, putting his glasses back on.

"Hey, Ness," He said to the leader. "Where to next?"

"I don't know," Ness responded. "The stone tablet in Summers said something about a Sphinx, didn't it?"

A nearby waiter dropped his tray with a crash. The conversation in the Seven Serpents Cafe suddenly died. Poo opened his eyes and glanced around.

"It would appear that you've struck a delicate subject, Ness," He observed.

The young hero blinked in surprise. "I guess so. Hey," He turned to the waiter. "What's the deal with the Sphinx?"

The waiter, a squat, roly-poly sort of fellow, began picking up the mess on the floor. "Why do you want to know of the Cursed Sphinx?" He snapped accusingly.

"C...Cursed?" Ness asked questioningly. "There's a curse on the Sphinx?"

The waiter nodded vigorously. "The Pyramid has been sealed by the God of Fortune, and it secures the Accursed Hawk Eye in the form of the Sphinx."

"Accursed Hawk Eye?" Ness heard Jeff whisper to himself.

"Can you tell us where the Pyramid is?" Paula asked, standing.

"To the south," He grumbled. "If you walk past the southern gate, you'll be able to see it after about a mile. Please, don't go there, travelers."

"We are truly sorry," Poo bowed. "But we're guided by destiny."

Ness laughed at his friend's response. "That's a gross understatement if I ever heard one," he grinned. "Now, can you hurry up with our food?"

He lifted the flap on his backpack easily, jamming some rations into it. Paula was sitting on the edge of their hotel bed, combing her hair. Trust her to be packed first, Ness thought with a small smile as the young woman tied her hair back into a ponytail with her red ribbon. Jeff was arranging his Laser in it's holster, and strapping his bazooka to his back, and Poo was meditating quietly, floating a few inches off the ground.

Ness stood, shouldering his pack.

"Okay, everyone," he began. "We ready?"

They hiked southward, through Scaraba's gates. The waiter's information told true, and after about a mile of hiking in the searing heat, the very top of the mighty Pyramid was poking from the sands. Ness wiped some sweat from his brow. Poo breathed a sigh.

"There it is," he mumbled in his thick Dalaamese accent. "We should be there in about an hour."

Distances, however, can be very deceiving in the desert winds. They hiked and hiked, but didn't get to the Pyramid until late evening. The Pyramid was huge, reaching at least forty stories into the air. In front of it was the magnificent Sphinx, a man-lion statue. It seemed to guard the cursed place, it's presence awe-inspiring. In front of the Sphinx, there was a huge stone circle, about fifty meters around, with stones sticking out at five different intervals at the edges of the circle. Ness stepped forward, squinting up at the huge guardian monument. A light, powerful voice drifted on the desert breeze.

"Who disturbs the sleep of the Sphinx?" It demanded. "Who contains the power needed to awaken me from my eons-long slumber?"

There was no doubt in the young man's mind, the words coming unbidden to his lips.

"It is I, great Guardian," he shouted. "The Chosen One! I come to discern the meaning of the Hawk Eye, and I have traveled many miles on a journey against Giygasvormav, the evil Cosmic Destroyer Giygas!"

The Sphinx's huge stone head turned to look at him.

There was a huge, awkward silence.

"Know this," The Sphinx boomed. "Let the Chosen One dance at my feet, let the Path of Light be opened, let the Hawk Eye light the eternal darkness, and let the Evil One fall at the hands of the Chosen!"

Jeff tapped Ness' shoulder. "This is great and all," he whispered. "But how do we get into the Pyramid? There aren't any entrances..."

"Remember the Scarabian Tablet?" Poo asked. "It said 'Dance in front of the Sphinx!'. There was something else, too...something I can't quite place..."

Paula nodded. "That's right! I remember now...X...1...2...3...4...5...that was in a special pattern on the tablet!" She took a look at the ground. "They form a star!"

Ness nodded with a grin, then drew it out in the sand.

X

4 3

2 5

"Dance in front of the Sphinx...the 'X' is one and six...we step on the plates in this order, and...viola! It makes a star, and the door opens!"

He ran from one raised stone to the other, stepping on them in the indicated order. With a grinding noise and a blast of stale air, a door suddenly grated open on the Pyramid.

"Wow," Paula looked inside. "That was pretty cool."

Ness nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "To tell the truth, I didn't think it would work," he laughed. "But I'm glad it did! Let's go!"

"Hold it," Jeff grabbed his shoulder. "Let's be reasonable. We've been walking all day in the hot sun, dusk is close by, and we're drained. Let's camp here tonight."

"I bought a tent in Scaraba," Poo put in. "Ness, help me put it up, and we can get out of the cold. Deserts are freezing at night."

"Yeah," Ness nodded with a small smile. "I'll help. Good foresight, Poo."

"Thank you."

Before you could say "Eric Robinson" (well, actually it took a bit longer), the two had set the rather large tent up. Paula had built a small fire after Jeff had found some palm trees a few yards off for firewood.

Ness, the all-American cook, fried up some burgers for his friends over the open flames. The scent wafted into the night, drawing the other three into the ring of light. They ate with much boisterous laughing and joking. After dinner, they had Ness perform a blues piece on the harmonica while Jeff sang in his best blues singer voice.

A few hours later, the four friends rolled out their sleeping bags inside the tent. Jeff tied the flap shut, and hopped right under his blankets, shivering. Poo eased under his own, and Ness flopped down on top of his, the cold only mildly bugging him. Paula was busy removing the ribbon from her hair.

"Just like a camp-out, eh, Paula?" Ness grinned. "A campfire, singing, burgers, a tent..."

She smiled in the almost total blackness. He could just barely make out the features of her face. He leaned back, cradling his head in his hands in a relaxed position. Somehow, his pillow had managed to stay warm, and it felt comfortable against his hands. Paula yawned, stifling it with her hand, then leaned back as well, and turned a bit to the side, snuggling up against Ness, one hand laying on his chest.

"Mmm..." she mumbled sleepily. "Warm..."

If one was able to see in the dark, one would see a young man, eyes bugging out of his head, a bewildered, nervous, amazed look on his face. Paula's breathing eventually mellowed, but it took the stupefied Ness a lot longer to fall asleep.

He woke slowly, a shaft of early morning sunlight lashing comfortably across his eyes. Those two brown orbs opened. He felt very warm, and content somehow. With a small start, he realized something: he was still intertwined with Paula. She still had her face nuzzled into his shoulder, one hand resting on his sternum, the other tucked under her head, sleeping soundly.

He eased her hand from his chest, and stood quietly, combing his hair with his fingers while he went out to greet the day.

He started a fire in the smoldering remains of the fire pit, stoking it with the end of his baseball bat. Jeff was the next to rise, and he and Ness sat on logs, talking idly of their lives before the cataclysmic meteor touched down in Onett. When the final two warriors awakened, they made ready to go into the Pyramid to retrieve the Hawk Eye.

The inside of the Pyramid had a dank, musty smell, something like that of a retirement home or a hospital, except ten times worse. Ness formed the customary light ball above his head, and took the front of the line down the wide hallway, bat drawn.

The hallway lead endlessly on, sloping deep into the earth. Poo moved over to one wall, looking at some glyphs that were etched there in dark ink.

"Interesting," he mumbled quietly. "They seem to be moving, as though alive..."

As if on cue, the drawings peeled themselves from the wall, grabbing weapons made of some unknown substance. There were a few jackals and snakes in the crowd as Ness took a defensive position. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face as the evil pictures stepped towards them.

"All right," Ness growled, baring his teeth. "Time to fry! PSI ROCKIN' BETA!"

His hand extended, his voice echoing in the tunnel. A deep red and blue beam crackled from his palm, plowing a path right through the evil etchings. Poo leapt into the fray, feet flying, knocking down the flimsy drawings. Paula was swinging her frying pan, belting them upside the head as she fought her way through the ranks, and Jeff lit a bottle rocket, sending in directly into a large clump of the hieroglyphics.

Ness drew his bat, running into the battle to help his friends. He swung again and again, the evil drawings falling under his rain of blows. Without knowing it, he was back to back with Paula, the devil hieroglyphs pressing in from all sides.

"Paula," He yelled over the moaning of his enemies. "Give me your hand!"

She reached her hand back.

"Get ready to fire!" He screamed, clubbing a hieroglyph away, and clasping his companion's hand. "Go with everything you've got!"

"Right!" She cried. "PSI Fire Gamma!"

"PSI Rockin' Beta!"

They began spinning, their twin energies flailing like a top. Jeff and Poo threw themselves to the floor as the beams of fire and energy wailed like a fan, cutting down the vile drawings as the two friends whirled. When they stopped, they were both panting, but the hallway was clear of enemies.

They pressed on diligently, walking deeper into the pyramid, the hallway turning at points, spiraling down. Then, abruptly as it had begun, it stopped going down, and started going up again. They followed the musty path for about half an hour, and then came to a huge, stark room. At one end, there was a pedestal with a tear-shaped crystal floating above it, rotating in a shaft of golden light.

Ness took a step forward. "The Hawk Eye," He whispered. "The legendary artifact that can light the darkness..."

Paula started forward as he did, but he held her back.

"Let me do this," He said quietly.

He walked across the room, his footsteps sliding across the floor. Paula whispered a quiet "be careful" as he made his way towards the Hawk Eye. Slowly, agonizingly, a stone golem rose from the floor. It was huge, about eight feet tall, with thick, bulging stone muscles, it's chest bare, a giant stone helmet atop it's head. It blocked the way to the Hawk Eye, holding a long, rock spear.

"Chosen!" It bellowed. "I am the Guardian General! I challenge you for possession of the Hawk Eye! A one-on-one duel, you and me! I will test your might in combat!"

Ness’ smile was grim, evil. He held his bat in a defensive position, one leg extended, the other bent back. "Let's go," he growled. "I have to stop Giygas, and you're standing in the way of world peace!"

"Ness!" Jeff shouted. "We're on our way!"

"No!" He yelled back. "This is between two warriors! One-on-one! I've got to get the Hawk Eye!"

With this, the young man ran towards the huge stone giant. With a yell, he leapt into the air, whirling his baseball bat once before bringing a two-handed slam down towards his foe. The Guardian General blocked with his massive spear, throwing Ness across the room. The airborne young man slid on his back for about ten feet, flew onto his stomach, rolled onto his back again, and struck the wall with a loud "SLAM".

"Ness!" Paula called his name, running to him.

"Get back, Paula!" He shouted at her, rising, holding one arm, his bat ready in the other hand.

"You cannot take the sacred Hawk Eye if you cannot defeat me!" The General wailed, charging. He raised the stone spear, smashing it down where Ness lay. The prophetic warrior jumped free just in time, however, and landed in a crouch.

"All right! PSI Rockin' Beta!"

The now-familiar blast rocketed towards the golem, wailing as it went. The blast took his enemy full in the chest.

"Yeah!" Ness laughed, running a thumb across the bridge of his nose. "All right!"

When the smoke cleared, however, the Guardian General was still standing, laughing.

"Fool!" It growled. "Your pitiful psychic attacks can't hurt me!"

"What?" Ness looked his enemy up and down. "It...wasn't...enough...? My strongest attack didn't even SCRATCH him?!"

The butt of the spear caught him in the gut, sending him sprawling across the floor. The Guardian General thumped towards him. Ness raised his head weakly, a shocking amount of blood leaking from his mouth. Paula streaked towards the two combatants, throwing herself in front of Ness as the huge stone spear descended.

"Fool!" The General growled as Paula was about to be struck.

"NO!"

What happened next was too quick for words. In a flash, Ness had struck Paula, sending her to the ground. The spear was suddenly shattered in half, and Ness' bat was driven right through the Guardian's rocky chest. He was growling, his hair hanging over one eye, the other glowing with white-hot light.

"If you even think of harming her," He breathed heavily, more blood leaking from his mouth. "You answer to ME!"

His hands tensed, and a rage of raw energy flew up the length of the baseball bat, throwing the Guardian's body into a thousand pieces, dust and rubble blowing outward in a cloud of dust. Ness leaned back on one knee, panting, wiping at his chin with one hand. Quietly, without a single word, he rose, striding towards the pedestal, and clasping the tear-shaped crystal in one hand.

"We have it," he whispered to himself. "Now, the prophecy is starting to be fulfilled."

"Ness!" It was Poo, gesturing from the other side of the room. "Come here! I found something interesting!"

He walked over, Paula helping him along. Poo was running a hand along the wall.

"Listen to this," he said to them, his eyes scanning the wall. " '...and lo, the hero will be thrust into the eternal darkness, facing the final evil of Giygasvormav, standing alone against the hoards. And the Hero of Prophecy will be swathed in a glowing light, and be granted the power to defeat the forces of Giygasvormav'. Wow..."

Ness sighed, falling. Paula caught him, holding him up.

"We need to rest," The young woman said. "Ness used up most of his energy in that fight."

"Good idea," Jeff deduced. "Now that we have the Hawk Eye, the exit can't be far off. Let's go, guys!"

Part 29