Dan looked at the list of of ingredients and items that were currently on the paper.  There were a lot of them, and he really meant a lot.  The entire paper was full with words and ingredients he had never even heard of.

“We need all of this?”  he asked, looking the paper over in shock.  Why did the Gallu need to have all of this to make his weakness, why couldn't it be something simple? Like garlic to vampires or something along those lines.

“Yes we need to create a روح الختم” she said, speaking a language he not only couldn't understand but also had trouble even listening to, as the words she spoke seemed to quiver with some unknown power.

“A what?”  he asked.

“A soul sealing holy blade.”  she said. “It needs to be a Khopesh that has been forged in  ختم“ she paused and looked at Dan again, who was about to tell her she was once again speaking a load of gibberish again.”Khatam flame, it needs to be sealed in Khatam flame.”

“Ok, so a couple things, 1.  I have no idea what a Khopesh is, 2.  I have no idea what a Khatam flame is, and finally 3. Do we really have time to gather up all the things on this list?”  He asked holding up the list.

“Well, it all depends on how long the man can resist going mad, so it can take anywhere from a month to several years if he or she has a strong will.” she said. “Worst case scenario we have a month, best case scenario we have ten years.”

“Hope for the best plan for the worst.”  Dan nodded.  “Now will you answer my questions? What exactly is a Khopesh?”  he asked.

Amani clapped her hands and a sword appeared out of thin air.  It was a single handed sword, with the blade that was straight for a good six or so inches once it exited the handle before it carved in a sickle shape.  

“This is a Khopesh” she said, as the blade floated in thin air in between the two of them. “You will have to use it.”

“I've never used a sword before...” he said, looking at the blade with some trepidation.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“I will teach you how to use one.”  she smiled. “You will need to be the one that uses the blade anyway.”  she said.

“Why is that?”  he asked.  

“It will be baithed in Khatam flame, therefore I can not touch it.”  Dan still looked confused so she went on with her explanation. “Khatam flame is a fire that burns without light, it is also known as a devouring flame, or a black flame, it devours magic, if I were to touch it or get cut by it in my current state I would vanish, it would devour me.”

“So I need to be the one using the blade because it would kill you?”  he asked, he wanted to be really clear on that part.

“Yes,”  she said with a nod.  “Once drained of all magic they will simply be human, and the bracers will be simple bracers at that point, no longer imbuing them with my magic.”

“And all of these things are what we need to make this flame?”  he asked her.

“Mhmmmm,” she nodded.

Dan looked at the list again, there were well over 100 items on the damned paper, and he had to be the one who actually fought the Gallu, which meant he would have to learn how to use the sword, never mind the fact it was a creature that even Amani was worried about, oh, and he had to do this all in a month.  He didn't even know what most of these things were! He leaned back into the ruined couch and closed his eyes with a groan.

All he wanted was to be able to run his antique shop, what divine power had he pissed off to receive such a fate?

[unknown location]

The entire room she was in was lavishly decorated.

If you could call it a room, it was three walls and a roof held up by a pillar.  The floor was carpeted it rich red and golds and the walls were draped in tapestries that depicted several historical scenes, accurate and otherwise.  The rolling hills outside where a deep green that could never be replicated no matter how much fertilizer and miracle grow one used.

The wall tapestries depicted sumerian kings riding all manners of beasts charging the foe, sometimes even charging a god or Djinn.  

Ah the hubris of man.

To not only have the audacity to go against gods, but the will to actually see it through.

They were flawed yes, but it was what made them so interesting.  

She looked at the pool of water her feet were currently resting in, it was the deepest blue water anyone had ever laid there eyes on.  She looked at herself in the reflection, her deep amber skin and long black hair glistened in the sunlight reflecting off of the pool.  With a movement of one of her legs she caused a ripple, distorting her features and revealing an entirely different scene.

Below in the pool she watched as a young man with red hair and blue eyes was being taught basic sword forms by a woman who looked almost exactly like herself. She smiled as she watched the two of them work, occasionally the man would crack a joke to lighten the mood, and often it would cause the woman to double over in laughter.

They continued on like this for almost an hour before they both collapsed on the couch.   She watched as the woman snuggled over closer to the man with a contented smile which was mirrored on the man’s face.

“I am glad you are enjoying my packages,”  she laughed to herself, once again disturbing the water and returning it to the pristine blue it was before. “Best of luck to you in the hunt.”  she said with a small chuckle to herself...