Rise of the Fallen Princess (Ahmanet - The Mummy)

Chapter 15 - A World of Monsters

Having narrowly escaped Prodigium, Mathias and Ahmanet now found themselves in the sewers of Paris, through dark, dank tunnels, walking in stagnant water that came up to their ankles. The princess's wound did not seem to want to heal and this greatly worried Mathias who continued to support her to help her move forward, Ahmanet struggling to remain conscious. They had been helped by this mysterious man dressed in black and with his face hidden under a scarf, who had now been guiding them through the sewers for several minutes.

_"Hey! Who are you and are you taking us?!" Mathias then asked while following him.

_"In a safe place." simply replied the stranger, who dodged the first request.

More than suspicious, Ahmanet broke away from Mathias' help and despite her injury, quickly moved to grab the stranger by the collar, lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing and suddenly pinning him with his back against one of the walls. Unceremoniously, she tore off the scarf, revealing a face that Mathias immediately recognized with great amazement.

_"Loomis?!"

It was him, Dexter Loomis, the young student and cameraman who was present during the expedition to Iraq. Mathias had no further news from him following this mishap. Loomis raised his hands in surrender, remaining very curiously calm despite the presence of Ahmanet right in front of him and openly threatening him. Mathias reacted, however, and stopped the princess's hand.

_"Ahmanet, no! Don't hurt him, please. I know him."

The princess felt the urge to get rid of this stranger, but once again, she decided to trust Mathias and with a certain frustration she let go and took a few steps back, leaving Loomis to readjust his shirt collar and reassured to see he would not be killed. With a look, Mathias thanked the princess for not having reduced him to pieces but that in no way explained his presence here in Paris.

_"Loomis, what are you doing here?" asked Mathias.

_"Look, I'll tell you everything but not now, we have to..."

The student was immediately interrupted by Mathias who, at the end of his patience, blocked him against the damp wall of the sewer and almost threatened him with Set's dagger that he had kept at his belt.

_"No, that's enough now!" demanded the young man. "I've been patient enough like this but now I want answers! You're going to tell me what you're doing here, or I'll let Ahmanet finish what she wanted to start."

Behind them, Ahmanet, although injured and covering his wound inflicted by Set's dagger, showed a sullen expression towards Loomis. He swallowed and finally agreed to explain his presence, Mathias letting go of him.

_"After the Iraq expedition, me and Professor Winters had returned to Cairo University. But for some time now she had been acting really strange, and so I decided to follow her discreetly when she got on a plane to Paris, for no apparent reason. That's when I discovered that her job as a professor was just a role she played and that she was working for this organization, Prodigium."

_"And how does this concern Ahmanet and me? And how come you know the name of this organization? Who are you in the end?" Mathias asked, Ahmanet right behind him.

Loomis seemed hesitant, biting his lip, but knowing in advance that the couple would not give up on having answers, he knew he was stuck now. Sighing heavily, he agreed to reveal his secret.

_"I know them..." Loomis revealed, looking them straight in the eyes. "...Because they have been hunting me for years for what I am."

With these words, the irises of his eyes changed drastically, turning yellow and taking the shape of those of a canine, or more precisely... a wolf! Opening his mouth, he revealed sharp wolf canines, and also his nails gradually becoming black claws, and an abnormal amount of hair growing on his forearms under his sleeves.