Dieter knew it was bad when the Bumble Bee started losing altitude. The small single engine prop plane Dieter built by hand had been more than a trusted ally the last few years; but it appeared that the current request to traverse this portion of the northern African coast was just too much. Dieter fumbled through his pockets trying to see if there was anything of use. He could feel the old scarab his father gave him 28 years ago for his 8th birthday. The scarab was now one of the few things Dieter had to remember his father, and in many ways he carried for good luck, and that was something he sorely needed.
"Well dad, if you got a miracle up there for me, nows the time" Dieter looked heaven bound and closed his eye. The Bumble Bee engine began to sputter, turns out small arms fire is actually rather effective to take down a small plane, the left side of the plane was riddled with holes, but Dieter was hoping when she took off and fly her to Casablanca. That was just too ambitious, Tunis to Casablanca was just not in the cards, he needed to make sure he landed in Morocco, anywhere in Morocco.
As the engine stopped Dieter knew it would take all his piloting to make sure he kept the plane together, things couldn't get any worse he thought to himself. Crack! Dieter looked towards the engine, the propellor pointing North and South when he saw it, fire. His plane began to fall like a shooting star.
"Okay now is not the time to panic Dieter" he muttered to himself. Dieter began reaching behind his seat trying to pull a green satchel to the front of the plane. A silver arrow poked out of his satchel. He tried to cover the point with something, not wanting to lose an eye when his girl crashed. But all Dieter can find is his hat, "I guess that'll do. I need this arrow in one piece, the job won't pay if this comes back broken" Dieter thinks to himself.
The next 10 seconds were more chaotic than Dieter was planning. People say that when high stress life and death situations occur, time slows down. Dieter wished that was the case, because when the bumble bee crashed it felt like he blinked his eyes and he was upside down with a fire spreading from the engine to the passenger compartment of the plane. Dieter could no longer keep his cool, he struggled with all his might to get his seatbelt off, but the heat of the fire, mixed with the blood all over his arms made this prospect a bit more difficult than it should be at a time like this.
Click. The belt finally relented, he felt his head slam against the roof of the plane, but he knew if he could just kick the doors open he'd be home free. Dieter thought to himself "Thank God I crashed in Morocco." Moments later Dieter was scrambling from the plane as he crawled from the wreckage Dieter gives a small brave smile, gets up and begins to run. "I made it" he thought. As Dieter sat on a small outcropping of rocks he put his hands on his knees and looked to the ground. He decided that this might be a good time to gaze at his beautiful girl before she is completely engulfed in flames, when a glimmer of light catches his eye.
"THE ARROW" Dieter screamed. Instantly all the pain, the cuts, the likely broken collar bone leave him. Dieter is in a full sprint to get to the plane and rescue his bag. He would not have another Mask of the Devourer again. The image of the gorgeous mask slipping from his hands and shattering en-blazes across his mind.
The next second Dieter is on his hands and knees climbing in a burning plane reaching for his bag, He grabs it just in time, the bag is already starting to catch when he pulls it from the wreckage. Dieter quickly shovels sand and loose dirt on his bag to quell the flames. As if the crisis was over Dieter pauses a moment to catch his breath when he starts to feel the flame tickling the back of his neck and begins to smell the odor of hair beginning to singe. Dieter gets one last burst of adrenaline and sprints from the plane...right into the head of a large wooden club. Dieter crumbles to the ground and the world goes dark.
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