Chapter 5: Heka

Shadow gathered more tightly than usual around the citadel of the hunters.

The hunters traditionally worked as assassins, their superior speed, strength and sight allowing them an edge over most other races. They were descended from the Egyptian Goddess Satis, Goddess of the hunt and were thus gifted with near demigod abilities.

There were two ways to become a hunter. If you were a direct descendant of the hunter class you needed only to awaken those abilities. If you, however, were not related to Satis by blood, after training you could have the Ha, or human body, of a fallen hunter fused with you own. The result either way was a period of intense pain as the hunter form took over for the human form. Afterwards, assuming you survived the process, was a period of intense training to master such new abilities.

Khnum Heka had begun to study combat as a normal hunter child would at the age of four. Like his classmates who had also lost their parents, by the age of twelve he had mastered all forms of human combat and weapon usage. It was at this point that he could decide to join the ranks of the hunters.

His mind made up he approached the clan leader. After consideration of the high members Heka was allowed to begin the process. Though his ancestry was withheld from him he learned he was a direct descendant of the clan.

He was brought to a white room and chained to the wall. The survival rate, though higher for descendants, was still well below ten percent. As the body changed, the mind was no longer in control. You were chained to a wall not only for others protection, but for your own as well.

It was then that a master in a white coat came in. He took up a basalt dagger and approached Heka. The master raised the knife and carved the symbol of the wedjat into the boy's chest. As the blood began to run the symbol glowed a fierce red and the boy's blood turned a dark blue. Heka fell to the floor as his body began to change.