~Chapter XII~

El-Isfet, Egypt, over 5,000 years ago

The sun was bright. The sand was hot.

It was just another day in Egypt.

Four young men walked through the village together, heading towards the relatively small-sized palace.

One young man had dark skin, a little darker than the others. His teal hair was floppy and slightly long, flicking outwards at the bottom just towards the bottom of his neck. While he appeared Egyptian one thing did stand out about him: his eyes were a light, almost lime, green.

As for this man's clothes, they were mere beige rags. They were tattered and hung on him loosely, kept together by thick dark brown threads. The man wore practically nothing else aside from some worn sandals, and for some reason he had a leather collar tied around his neck.

The second man had lighter skin than the first, but he still had a dark tan colour to him. His hair was a wavy black bob, his bangs parted to the sides. He had one dark brown eye, but his right eye was practically the same colour as his beige clothing. There was a scar marking beneath his right eye as well, so it seemed as if he had gotten into a fight at some point and had himself blinded.

As for his clothing, he still wore rags. Only these rags fit him better and they were wrapped around him like actual clothes. They were coloured beige and light brown, and on his feet the man wore similar-coloured slippers. A brown leather strap of some sort - a belt - was strapped diagonally across his torso, and he wore a short beaded necklace around his neck.

The third man was definitely not Egyptian. His skin was pale, his face freckled slightly. The man's eyes were a dark purple and his hair was black, similar in length to the man before him but instead of being wavy it was straight and only flicked out just beyond the base of his neck.

This man wore a purple robe lined with dark brown on the inside and on his feet he wore leather sandals. Like the man before him he wore a tight necklace, only instead of being lined with beads it was lined with three fangs. Finally it could be seen that the man had both of his ears pierced, one earring in each earlobe. They weren't anything too fancy, just small hoop-shaped silver earrings.

The fourth man was relatively light-skinned but still tanned. His eyes were soft with subtle green eyes, the green not being as vibrant compared to the first man's eyes. Beneath his right eye was a small beauty spot, and his hair was that of a typical black Egyptian bob. His cheeks were lightly flushed, emphasizing his youthful and friendly appearance.

He wore rags similar to the second man, the cloth being wrapped around him rather neatly, but his outfit was coloured cream and reddish-brown. He wore fine slippers of a similar colour, and around his neck was a short golden necklace lined with three peridot stones. On his back he carried his bow and quiver of arrows.

Out of the palace stepped two young women - one with black hair and one with blonde.

The fourth man stepped forward and smiled as the group came to a halt. "Good morning, my ladies," he greeted, bowing his head politely. "Did you two sleep well?"

"Good morning, Haku," replied the blonde female, addressing the man by his name. "Last night was one of the most peaceful nights we've had in a long time; you and the others are doing a good job in warding off raiders."

"Not a single bandit even passed by the village last night," Haku assured, smiling in a friendly manner.

"Apparently criminal activity is increasing in the Capital," the second man commented nonchalently before flashing a flirtatious smirk while he rubbed his chin. "What a shame; I preferred it when I was the only crime out there."

"It sounds like the criminals were too afraid of us so they decided to cause trouble in the capital instead," the pale man guessed, grinning proudly.

"I kinda feel bad for the people in the Capital..." muttered the young man with teal hair. "I heard that last night an inn not far from the palace was burnt down by an infamous bandit..."

"You shouldn't feel so sorry for those ignorant Capital folk, Servus," the pale man responded to the teal-haired individual's comment. "If I wasn't a law-abiding citizen I'd burn the whole kingdom down! Heh heh!"

"Now, now, Kekku, you should be careful with what you say," spoke the powerful, commanding voice of the blue-haired ruler as she stepped out of the palace, catching the attention of all six people gathered outside.

"Oh! Good morning, my queen!" Kekku reacted, smiling nervously as he bowed. "Sorry, I may have gotten a little carried away!"

"Hmph," was all Nefertari said in response, her purple eyes not once glancing at him as she focused on Haku. "I'm guessing that last night was alright for you four?"

"Yes," Haku nodded. "Not a threat in sight, your highness."

Nefertari nodded her head in understanding before her stern expression softened and she smiled softly. "I'm proud of you four," she admitted. "Truly, I am."

The flirtatious man scratched the back of his head. "Aw, queen, you're gonna make me blush," he responded with a little smile on his face. Nefertari chuckled quietly and briefly.

"Oh, Kubui..." she muttered in the chuckle, amused at the man's response.

"Hey, don't we get any credit?" the black-haired girl chipped in, folding her arms. "Akuma and I were the ones who traveled to the Capital to get help, remember? If it wasn't for us, these guys would still be living in the city going about their daily lives while we were getting raided every day."

Nefertari's small smile was still upon her face as she walked over and pat the girl on the head. "Of course you and Akuma get credit, Kiro," she told her. "If it weren't for you two then we would indeed be in a dire situation."

Kiro seemed almost guilty for giving the leader an example of her bad side, so she scratched her arm awkwardly and smiled. "Heh... heh heh..."

"It's a good thing Kiro and I are sociable people, huh?" Akuma added.

"Indeed," Nefertari nodded in agreement as she looked at the blonde woman.

Kekku stretched his arms out and yawned loudly, possibly exaggerating his tiredness just a little bit. "Well, I'm beat," he announced. "I'll be awake later this afternoon. See ya!"

As he walked off Kubui turned to Nefertari and said, "I'm feeling a little tired myself. I hope you have a wonderful day, ladies."

Nefertari tittered. "Sleep well, you boys," she replied with a smile. Haku and Servus were also quite tired and said their farewells as they too decided to head to their respective homes.

Kiro watched them all walk away before turning and beaming at the woman in the strapless black dress. "Do you have any plans today, my queen?" she asked her.

"I plan to relax," Nefertari answered, giving the dark-haired girl a mildly amused glance. "It's been a while since El-Isfet was this peaceful. The people have food, they have water, they have resources... and not a single bandit has been spotted in days."

Kiro smiled. "It is kinda peaceful, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically.

"I think I might bathe in the Nile," Akuma planned out loud.

"I'll join you, sis!" Kiro chirped before looking back at Nefertari. "How about you, my queen?"

Nefertari appeared to think about it for a moment. "Hm... I may join you later on," she answered. "I feel like doing some painting today."

"Feel free to join us whenever you want!" Akuma smiled. "Kiro and I will be there all day!"

Nefertari simply smiled and nodded. "Very well, but splash me with water and you're in for a very bad time."

Akuma laughed. "Haha, this time I won't challenge you to a water war," she assured before turning around. "Come on, Kiro, let's go and get our stuff!"

As the two girls ran off to get ready, Nefertari entered her palace to spend some alone time doing some art.

...

The Capital, Egypt, over 5,000 years ago

"Stop! Thief!" cried a city guard. He made a futile attempt to run after the grey-haired man, who had taken off on a stolen horse.

The thief spurred the horse to make it run as fast as it could. Last night he had stolen from an inn and caused a scene, but he didn't want to cause too much terror in the Capital. Not yet, at least. He had taken a few other possessions from houses and other buildings during the night and at some point he would most likely make trades with other bandits who know of him.

For now, however, he was going to return to his home.

Far away from the city.

Many villages were located near the Capital, but his was different. Every other village was vulnerable to being attacked by raiders and bandits, but not his.

That's because his home had no population. Nobody even knew it existed.

In fact, his village was hardly a village anymore. It was in ruins. Long ago it had been devastated by the selfish people of the Capital. The people were all killed.

All but the thief.

The tragedy wasn't something he was ever going to forget. It had stayed with him ever since that day, fueling his desire to make the Pharaoh feel the same pain.

Everyone in the Capital deserved to feel it.

He wanted to get the job done now, but he wasn't strong enough. It wasn't possible for him to single-handedly take down the capital city of Egypt.

He had to make it stronger...

The man rode for what must have been hours and the heat would have been fatal if he didn't have a canteen of water. He drank from it vigorously every so often until eventually he reached his village's remains. The thief tugged at the horse's reigns to slow it down, walking on for a few moments before coming to a halt. His dark purple eyes stared at the ruins before he hopped off the horse and made his way home.

The horse followed him for a moment, but a ghostly apparition caused it to rear up and let out a fearful shriek before it galloped away.

"Tch," the thief huffed. "Happens every time..."

With the horse now gone, the thief made his way to the heart of the ruins. Skeletal ghosts glided past him frequently, but he didn't seem to care. He had gotten used to it.

The eerie wails of the phantoms echoed through the collapsed remains of the man's village, but the sounds faded away as he made his way down some steps into a dark, cold and large room. This was one of the few places that had remained intact after the incident.

This was the room where everyone was killed.

The thief made his way up to what looked like some kind of shrine - a stone in the ground with different slots shaped to fit specific items into them.

Suddenly, a dark aura surrounded the stone.

"Have you found a DiaDhank yet?" asked a deep, demonic voice.

"...No," the thief answered vacantly.

The voice snarled lowly. "I've been waiting for too long."

"They are rather difficult to obtain," the thief explained. "But while I was in the Capital I heard quite a few conversations about an unusual village located far from the city's outskirts. There were rumours about unusual people who live there; spellcasters. Foreigners. Summoners. Nobility. Tonight I will travel to that village and steal a DiaDhank if one can be found there. If I cannot find one then I could simply take a wand or another item that these people use. Then we'd finally be a step closer to destroying the Pharaoh's kingdom."

The demonic voice grunted. "Do not disappoint me," he commanded. "I don't want to see you here unless you have made progess."

The thief smirked ever so slightly. "I won't disappoint you," he guaranteed.

...

El-Isfet, Egypt, over 5,000 years ago

Night had fallen. Nefertari was sleeping, as was everyone else in the village.

All except for the four protectors.

Haku, Kubui, Kekku and Servus were all on patrol duty once again, refreshed from their slumber. Servus was deliberately patrolling the area close to Haku's spot; either he was there or he was lingering near the village's warning bell.

Kekku just wandered around, looking eager to fight someone if they approached him. He was loitering in the shadows, making sure that he wasn't even seen by the bright moon; his pale skin would probably reflect any light source and make him look obvious.

Kubui was the one making sure to cover the areas nobody else covered. He was also keeping his distance, but he didn't look at all cautious. He hummed quietly to himself as he strolled through the streets, probably not even focused on looking out for intruders.

Haku was mostly patrolling the outskirts of the village. Since he was the one using the bow and arrow he could shoot people dead before they even entered El-Isfet, but at the moment he hadn't spotted anybody.

Perhaps he wasn't a great lookout; either that or their newest intruder was just really good at keeping out of sight.

Servus heard a shuffle and quickly turned his head. Nobody was there.

Kekku felt a gush of wind brush past him as if somebody had ran by. Nobody was there.

Kubui saw a shadow move in in the corner of his eye, causing him to turn his head swiftly. Nobody was there.

Servus remained completely cautious, stepping warily towards the alarm bell. Something must have been there.

Kekku looked around and went down various pathways. Something must have been there.

Kubui squinted his eyes and walked forwards, wandering in the direction the shadow vanished down. Something must have been there.

Servus thought he heard something and turned his head quickly, but there was nothing.

Kubui thought he heard something and turned his head quickly, but there was nothing.

Kekku thought he heard something and turned his head quickly.

He saw a man.

"Halt!" he shouted, running after the man in the shenti. Since the village was silent his yell could be heard by both Servus and Kubui. Immediately they ran to find their friend.

There was an intruder.

The man did not intend to listen to Kekku as he ran straight for the palace. He had to get inside; that was obviously where most of the treasure was kept, and something such as a DiaDhank or wand must have been present there.

Servus was well aware of the situation now and returned to his favourite spot - where the alarm bell was - and desperately rang the bell to alert the villagers. Was this man alone or were there others? Was this man armed? Nobody could be certain yet.

People started to wake up and the thief knew this. He grit his teeth and considered turning and running away while he could, but he had to get something. He couldn't leave this place empty-handed.

The palace was just ahead...

...No, he had to turn and run for now. He had to get these people off his back.

So he ran...

But then a sharp pain suddenly stung his leg.

At first he tried to ignore it, but as soon as the thief placed down his foot he ended up stumbling over and collapsing. He let out a yell of pain, grabbing his leg as he snarled, curling up into himself.

His hands were wet and gloopy. The thief looked down and realized that he was bleeding. Badly.

An arrow had gone straight through his leg.

Haku appraoched the man and grabbed him, hoisting him up angrily. He met the thief's eyes and simply glared silently, waiting for his comrades to come over and see the situation.

"You caught him," Kekku noted. "Well done; wish I could've done it myself, though."

"It looks like he's working alone," Kubui acknowledged. "I haven't seen anyone else."

"Me neither..." Servus muttered shyly.

"Let's bring him to the queen," Kekku grinned. "I hope she let's me cut his throat, heh heh!"

"Easy now, Kekku," Kubui eased. "You'd be worse than him if you did that."

The thief glowered at everyone before him before looking down at his feet. He was forced to walk along with the four men to the palace itself, where he would meet the so-called "queen" in person. Great.

Kiro and Akuma stepped out of the palace together, frowning as the man was shoved forward by Kekku. This man was the intruder, and he did not look sorry for his actions.

"Vile cur," spat Riko. "Bend your knee and show some respect for the queen!"

The thief kept his head down, ignoring the girl's demand. She looked greatly offended, but before she could speak Kekku forced him onto his knees. The grey-haired man showed barely any emotional response to the action, his eyes still focused on the ground.

And from the palace, she stepped out. Nefertari, the Queen of Outcasts.

"I see we have a late night guest," the woman remarked as she stepped closer to the thief. He almost seemed to tense up, but not enough for it to be noticed.

As expected, the man in the shenti gave no response. The queen frowned slightly but remained calm, bending down while still towering over the accused thief.

"It seems that you're not a very talkative man," she noted. "Not to worry, I've made fools like you talk before; we have our ways in this village."

"He had tried to enter your palace," spoke Haku. "Once we spotted him he made an attempt to flee, but I was able to slow him down by shooting him in the leg with an arrow."

Nefertari raised her eyebrow and looked, nodding her head once she saw the bleeding wound on the side of the thief's thigh.

"I can see that," she stated, her eyes never leaving the man before her. "Take him to the dungeons and make sure he's chained up in a securely locked cell; I will deal with him tomorrow."

With that, Nefertari and everyone else in the village retired to get back to sleep. The four men forced the thief into the palace and took him down to the dungeons, chaining him to the wall and locking him in the cell. They hadn't even bothered to treat his bleeding leg, clearly wanting him to suffer as much as possible.

The thief sat on the floor of his cell, his expression vacant. He wasn't going to sleep well tonight.

~End of Chapter~