By the time they reached the world the sun was high in the sky, and with that the normal rest time for the Medjai had begun. Even if they were to work them in the heat it would only defeat the purpose at hand. If they were too weak to work or died on them it would be a waste. The medjai were gathered in a large tent to the right of the ruins. There they were fed and hydrated as well as allowed to sleep. Especially since they were put to work for at least twelve hours. This was their only time to rest. Once it cooled down then they would be back to work.
The portal opened into a separate section of the tent where Ra slept. This was his room, and it seemed bare in comparison to even Adreth’s room back at his home. There were only two beds, a small table, and a single chair. There was nothing else in the room.
Once they arrived the portal closed and Ra could hear a small prayer being spoken by Sohail. The man was asking for the protection of his people and his son. Ra didn’t interrupt the prayer for now he just pulled his prisoner to one of the beds sitting him down. From there he removed Sohail’s sash from his waist and it was time to seal his words. Placing the sash in his mouth he created a gag that he secured tightly behind the medjai’s head. This serves two purposes. The first was to keep him from being able to talk the medjai into revolting, and the other was to keep Sohail from biting his own tongue and killing himself.
Looking down at the man once more he knew what he was going to do was not going to be nice, but if it got the Medjai to start working in earnest then it would be beneficial.
“It is time for you to make an appearance to your people.” Ra said as he lifted him off of the bed by his arm, and began to lead him to the center of the tent where his people would be.
Sohail winced briefly as he was gagged with his own sash, but did not utter a single sound after that. The stoic front he’d maintained up to this point had started to slip, worry for his family and his people gripping his heart more firmly than ever before. As Ra lifted him back to his feet and led him deeper into the tent, Sohail’s eyes darted to each and every one of the shocked faces of his people, desperately hoping at least not to find his wife or son among them.
Most of the tribe’s women and elderly were already hurrying to bring food and water to the able-bodied men, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the men would be forced out of the tent and back to the horrible task set before them. The cries of children could be faintly heard from somewhere nearby, from infants being tended to by their relatives to older children crying for their fathers and brothers. Several of the men were visibly exhausted from the labor in the desert heat, but not nearly as much as one might expect: a clear sign of their unwillingness to fully yield to their captors’ demands.
Sohail was greatly relieved to see that neither Nadira nor Ardeth were among the captives, and that the tribe’s spirit still remained unbroken. However, here was where the true battle began. The Medjai could not let themselves yield, and now it fell to Sohail to set the example for them all. With that in mind, Sohail still did not struggle, instead keeping his head held high and mentally preparing himself for whatever plans their captors had for him.
As his captive didn’t struggle as he was taken into the tent all he did was hold himself with dignity and restraint. Showing the Medjai that were shocked to see him held captive. There were a couple of them that wanted to spring forward to help the man they held in such high regards. As Ra took him deeper into the center of the tent they stopped in front of the main pillar of the tent. All of the Medjai were circled around the tiny stage where his new show would begin.
“Now that I have your attention.” He said as not a true word had been spoken since he stopped at the center of the tent. "I have brought your elder before you because through this action you will submit to our will. You will dig, and you will get me what I want. Or…" Ra said as he sent a surge of electrical energy through to Sohail.
Sohail grunted and collapsed forward, the electrical surge causing his heart to race and his legs to give out from underneath him. All around him, what little semblance of order existed within the tent began to fall apart. Nearly every adult Medjai present charged as far forward as they could and fought back against the guards and restraints holding them back, all shouting at Ra in outrage at such blatant abuse toward a Medjai elder. Several of the infants and younger children began to cry, startled by all the noise, and their relatives immediately hurried to try to calm them down, lest their cries provoke their captors even further.
Through it all, Sohail pushed himself through the electrical shock and got up as straight as he could. Still breathing heavily, he gave all of his people a calm but firm look, saying with his eyes what the gag prevented him from voicing aloud. To aid in the creature’s return was to seal the fate of the entire world, which the Medjai could not allow.
As the commotion started Ra stopped the current running through Sohail allowing the medjai a chance to breathe. He knew that if he killed the leader then he would not be able to get them to do any work. Yet his attack didn’t do what he was expecting. The Medjai were still as defiant as ever, and that was a problem. However, he was nowhere through with his demonstration.
“You people are as stubborn as your ancestors.” Ra said as he just shook his head. “Just imagine that everything I do to your elder I am willing to do to the rest of your families.” Ra said as he pulled Sohail up as straight as he could force him. With the effects of his attack still evident. He sent a second wave of energy through the Medjai elder. He was going to break all of their spirits before this was all done.
Ra’s threat considerably diminished the uproar among the Medjai. Aside from the infants still crying, the noise level in the tent was definitely reduced. Nevertheless, the Medjai stood their ground, knowing that the suffering that the creature would inflict on their families was just as horrible, if not potentially worse.
Sohail, however, wearily looked at Ra as he was pulled back up and tried to speak through his gag, struggling against his bonds for the first time since this all began. He tried to appeal for some form of mercy on his people’s behalf, at the very least on the civilians. However, not only did the gag forbid any such appeal, but even the muffled sounds that Sohail could manage were cut short when another electrical surge rushed through him. Sohail grunted again and all but fell onto the ground, Ra’s grip barely holding him up at all.
Ra kept a firm grasp on Sohail as the medjai leader fell once more though because of the weight of the man his grip almost slipped. The medjai elder was only being held up by his grip. Deciding to let go of the elderly man and allowing him to hit the ground. Ra then looked out to the Medjai who were still as defiant as ever. He didn’t want to resort to a worse tactic, but maybe he would need to. The medjai would need to break, because if they didn’t a worse fate would be brought to the land than just the curses that the creature would bring.
“Are you going to force me into killing this man and then moving on?” He questioned as he knelt down next to Sohail. “Your tribe better behave soon, or they might find that the creature was not as bad as they think.” Ra whispered into the man’s ear as he placed a hand on his shoulder once more sending yet another wave of electricity through his body.
Sohail could only look up at Ra, visibly weaker now than he’d been at the start. His heart was still racing and his breathing was still heavy, but he willed himself to make eye contact with Ra, caught between a firm defiance and a genuine wariness of what exactly Ra was talking about now.
Then Ra sent another shockwave through Sohail, who grunted once more as his entire body stiffened, only relaxing again when the electric shock was over.
“You want to see something that is worse than being electrocuted?” Ra asked as a breeze began to blow inside of the tent. Reaching down he removed the gag that was restricting the Medjai’s voice. Standing up once more he backed a couple of steps away from Sohail as he pointed at the man. The breeze began to get stronger just around the older man as the wind increased in strength the wind turned into blades that began slicing the man's flesh.
Sohail grit his teeth and willed himself not to scream, letting out the occasional groan as the blades of wind cut into his flesh. The Medjai were forced to shield their eyes as the wind picked up, but by the time it was over, the bloodstains on the ground were more than enough proof of what had happened to Sohail.
Sohail could no longer move, already feeling the last of his energy slipping away. He couldn’t tell if he was about to pass out or about to die, but either way, he now had a chance to speak up and no time to waste.
“He…” Sohail said hoarsely to the other Medjai, needing all of his willpower to even speak. “Spoke of… an evil… worse… than the creature.”
Those words provoked shocked murmurs among the Medjai. A threat worse than the creature was unthinkable, and yet if the servant of this evil could be capable of such destruction…
“Live today…” Sohail continued. “Fight… tomorrow…”
And with that, Sohail finally lost consciousness and collapsed among the splatters of his own blood, the electrocution burns still fresh on his skin and clothing.
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