With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of Inuyasha and Ouke no Monshou that rightfully belong to its owners Rumiko Takahashi and Chieko Hosokawa.
Hello everyone and welcome to another highly anticipated chapter of The Time Traveler's Pharaoh! I want to profusely thank the readers for their patience as I became very ill right after Christmas, where all I had done was just sleep and gotten absolutely no writing done. Fortunately I am feeling much better and thanks to Cyrus559, we've been able to create the next segment in Kagome's adventures! So without further ado, let the show begin! :)
The first time Kagome had tried riding a horse was after Sango and Kirara had joined the group to find the Shikon shards. Originating from a demon exterminator clan, the brown-haired woman had to be able to master the art prior to being allowed to use a weapon. That was her father instructed taught her, and how she instructed Kohaku. The group had been taking a small reprieve from traveling in a remote area. As compensation for riding their village of ominous spirits, the men were too kind to allow Sango to borrow one of their horses for the day.
Despite being a proficient and patient teacher, the time traveling high schooler was initially reluctant to mount the steed Sango had provided for their 'lesson'. After all, in the modern era transportation was limited to two options: walking or taking the train station. A horse, even a healthy one in a war-torn Japan, was a luxury in itself. Nonetheless, the exterminator persisted as she gently guided Kagome's hand to the horses' nose, instructing her to maintain eye contact with the animal and do not be afraid. Once the trust had been gained, learning the proper way to climb on top of it would be followed.
Unfortunately, the lesson ended with Kagome accidentally frightening the horse and being thrown off. She almost had gotten hit in the face if she hadn't rolled over to the side. Sango kept trying for the rest of their adventure, but to no avail. The priestess didn't want to ride another horse again.
And yet here she was, currently was riding a horse that was going at full speed across the rocky Egyptian desert with a prince and an entire army on her heels. She clicked her tongue and snapped the reins. The horse whined at her urging to go even faster than it already could, the dunes passing by her like the wind as Kagome did her best to stay ahead of her pursuers while clinging onto a terrified animal for dear life.
Right now she was leading the enemy right to the Egyptian army, but whether or not Memphis was prepared to engage in combat with them was an unknown factor. Furthermore, the priestess highly doubted that neither the king nor the Anatolian prince would listen to reason. She could only pray that Sekhmet could give her a sign on what to do.
Memphis rode in his chariot alongside his coachman and an armed warrior at the rear. Minue rode closely to the king on his steed. They were at the front of the advancing army; if the raven-haired male glanced over his shoulder, he would see his soldiers marching behind as well as the cloud of sand which hung over them. Very soon they would need to rest at the designated campsite before even considering the idea of going any further. Although the charioteers were nearly as tired as their comrades, they were aware that their beasts would also need to replenish their energy.
Turning his attention away from the army, Memphis called out to Minue. "How long do we have?"
"We should be arriving at the campsite very soon, Your Majesty. It is right below the red cliffs, over there!" Minue shouted over the army's thundering footsteps, pointing towards a mountain pass that marked the entrance towards the Sinai. Memphis nodded.
"Excellent. Are you certain the men you've sent over have prepared everything for our arrival? I don't see any smoke!" The young monarch squinted his eyes, unable to find any trace of civilization beneath the scorching sunlight.
Minue frowned. "Perhaps we cannot see it just yet, my king. I am certain that they have completed their tasks by now!" Memphis rolled his eyes at the general's optimism. While it was encouraging to hear such words, this was most certainly neither the time nor the place. The Pharaoh had been traveling the whole day. He wanted something to eat and some wine to drink.
"So you say. I say we go ahead and unpack our supplies before the men catch up with us! Once everyone arrives, chaos is bound to follow as everyone gets settled in before our strategy meeting tonight." Memphis said, taking the reins from his charioteer as Minue looked at the king with an exasperated expression.
"This is an army, not a bunch of bewildered women who have never seen a tent before, Your Majesty!" But the pharaoh did not hear him, shouting at the horses as the chariot gained speed.
The general could only sigh and follow Memphis, giving a small kick onto his steed's side so as to catch up with Ra's human vessel. He was not pleased with Memphis' behavior as it has degraded from a slightly calm individual to a man who has become not only impatient but also lacking in maturity. Minue had a feeling that it was due to Ankhesenamun's kidnapping, and he could only pray to the gods for her safety. If not for her to survive this terrible ordeal, but to also return to his king.
Together they quickly left the army behind and raced towards the camp with a promising dinner and a soft pillow to recline on for a few hours before proceeding onto the next step in this war. However, when they reached the campsite, there wasn't a single soul to be seen. Not even the engineers had come to kneel before their mighty ruler.
"Strange, where is everybody?" Memphis said, looking left to right with a frustrated frown. "My tent is laid out yet not set up yet, and the cooking pots are only partly divided through the area!"
The land was flat, paved accordingly to accommodate an entire army; it was often used for generations by the previous pharaohs and his troops during many voyages through Asia. Dismounting from the chariot, he searched the premises while Minue warily followed on horse.
"No one here either?" The general murmured under his breath. "Strange!"
"It will not be so strange when I fire those fools." Memphis growled, kicking the linen cloth that was supposed to be his tent like a petulant child. "To think they could be lazy at a time like this -!"
"But doesn't such a display of bizarre behavior strike you as odd, Your Majesty?" Minue calmly interjected. "Why should our scouts and engineers suddenly leave the camp without leaving any message or at least send someone to inform us?" However, once again his worried voice fell on deaf ears as Memphis continued to scavenge the area till his gaze fell upon a large pot. Thinking that there would be at least something edible inside of it, the king lifted the lid without a care till he saw something that made him cry out in shock.
Minue was by his king's side in a heartbeat, watching with horrific fascination as Memphis fell onto the ground. The lid to the pot had been thrown off to the side. "Your Majesty, what's wrong?!" He watched the young man raise a trembling ringed finger towards the pot. Following it, and carefully unsheathing his sword, stalked towards the item to see what frightened his pharaoh so much.
Peering down inside the pot, Minue felt his own face lose its color. Heads. There were heads of his men, twisted in agonized expressions were piled one on top of the other. Someone had found their campsite. Which meant -
"It's a trap!"
Those words were all Minue had been able to croak out before the twang of a bow sent an arrow piercing through Memphis' waiting coachman. The highly acclaimed warrior fell to the ground, with a hand clutching his chest where a large arrow sat.
Memphis took a step behind, but his servant acted quickly. The general jumped upon his horse, kicked his heels against its flanks and stormed towards the king which he scooped upon the horse's back.
"What are you doing?" yelled Memphis, lying on his stomach behind Minue.
"Saving your life! What else?" came the answer. And while they both stormed back to their troops, Memphis looked back and saw terrible creatures swarm down from the hillside above; grotesque and human like, big and small, but armed with weapons and bows which shot deadly projectiles after them. Internally, Memphis cringed; they had gone to war to fight against Hittites, not monsters. More importantly, where was Sekhmet?
The wild ride continued for an eternity, at least that was how it felt like. Every step and jump the horse made, sent a jolt of pain through Kagome's rear and up her backbone. Sweat trickled down her face and the ever-present desert sand made her mouth and throat harsh and dry like the god-forsaken nature around her. But above her loomed the red cliffs of Sinai and she knew that the Egyptian borders were closer than ever before, but unlike a game of tag, simply crossing it did not mean she would be safe. Everyone was destined to cross through it anyway, and although her pursuers were out of sight for the moment, the cloud of sand that countless horses kicked into the air, told her that they weren't that far behind.
Kagome kicked against the horse's side, wanting it to go faster, fully aware that it was only the constant injection of a tiny amount of magic that still kept it running at such a speed.
The cliffs soon made way for an open desert scene, and from there it would be nothing to shield her from the sun or her pursuers until she reached the swamped Nile delta.
However, she had barely made it pass the cliffs and into the open landscape when she discovered that she was far from alone! Not far away on her left hand, a horde of beasts were charging down the mountain-side, somewhere already running over the flat desert sand ahead of her in pursuit of something. It took a full moment for Kagome before the truth sank into her.
Demons.
There were quite a few of them - no, make that four - in pursuit of two humans on their own steed. Gritting her teeth Kagome sent another pulse extended her powers through her horse and reached forwards to the fleeing figures.
"What the heck!" she practically yelled. "Memphis and Minue?!" Her eyes bulged, she had no idea how these two could be on their own out here, chased by demons that seemed to be just as out of place as herself in this world.
Nevertheless, Kagome bent forwards, lying as flat as she could over the horse and wrapped her arms around its neck.
"I'm sorry for pushing you this far," she told her steed, the animal clearly nervous and unsettled by the approaching demons. "But I need you to go faster, faster than you've ever gone before. Don't worry, I'll lend you my strength."
Ignoring the sound of thundering hooves and scorching sand, Kagome closed her eyes and focused on channeling holy powers into her steed, charging it up for a battle that was about to come. Her powers woke like a soothing breeze, filling her with strength and courage as it flowed through her body, and a portion of this, she also steered into the horse.
"Please, trust me and be calm, we are going to get through this together. You will take me to my friends and I will level the bumps in the road for you, no monster will ever be able to hurt you." she solemnly said to the horse. The animal hesitated while it seemed to take an imaginary deep breath and snorted, but Kagome could swear it talked back to her, then, with a shriek on its own, it lowered its head and sped up.
Rocks and stones flew past her at an astonishing speed, she had fed her steed with holy magic and now the horse dashed through the desert faster than any mortal would travel for millennia to come.
About a dozen fast running demons - more than she had originally thought she'd seen unless they popped out of the desert sand like daisies - had almost reached Memphis and Minue and where hurling spears at the fleeing humans with one hand while waving with iron swords with the other. and it would only be moments before the fastest would be able to strike down the Egyptian king and his general.
"Shoo, ride like the wind and I will be your tempest!" Kagome yelled and charged right into the horde and took them by surprise. "None shall be left to stand!"
Fully charged with powers, Kagome dared herself to straighten up in the saddle and waved her right arm above her head as if swinging a whip. Divine powers, potent enough to be seen by mere mortals spread out and slammed into the confused demons, disintegrating the closest ones and sent others dismembered or mortally wounded through the air all around them.
Their shrieks made both Memphis and Minue turned around to look and gasped in horrified wonder upon seeing her sudden appearance and display of power. But before any of them could find a way to respond, a grizzly looking wolf demon sprang forth, and with a broadsword of iron, it was aiming to decapitate both with a single chop. Kagome willed the horse to jump, and jump it did.
Her beast sprang forth and flew through the air, over demons who were struck down to earth by her powers and landed on the wolf that had never seen her coming. The hooves slammed into the demon's back with tremendous power, killing it before the head hit the ground and was trampled over.
"Memphis, Minue. Are you alright? Why are you being all alone?!" Kagome inquired with great authority. The few remaining demons abandoned their chase and fled back to the safety of the slower moving army behind. "And why are you being chased by demons?!"
"Demons!" Memphis stuttered. "How is that possible? And where did YOU come from?"
"And what did you do to these monsters?" Minue added while trying to divide his focus on steering his horse and staring at the priestess.
"I escaped from the Hittites, but they are following me with their entire army!" Kagome said and rode up to them. Her white horse shone with pride, strength and elegance that greatly contrasted the heaving horse of the general. "I was hoping you would come and save me!"
"But instead you came and saved us!" Memphis said in a moment of instant thinking. "For which I am eternally grateful, but I hope you can repeat your deed because although you neatly took care of our immediate pursuers, the rest of the army is still still approaches."
"Are you really all alone?"
Minue shook his head. "No, and with a little luck we will be able to reach the Egyptian army first and warn them." He said. "They will hopefully be able to protect us. But you said the Hittite army also is coming, is that true?"
"Yes," Kagome sighed. "They're coming, but I will tell you this: if you wish to defeat the demons, both you and the Hittites have to put your enmity aside and fight together. A demon has the strength of several humans so it won't go down so easily. If you just stand by and let the demons slaughter the other, you they will come for the spectators next and any chance of survival will be next to none!"
"But how will we be able to convince the Hittites?" Memphis growled, not liking it but understood the emergency of the situation.
"I will try to speak to them, but I think it will be best if we let them encounter the demons first. That way they will learn who the true enemy is!" Kagome said and gazed forward to the horizon, seeing the bulk of the Egyptian army approaching them.
Beads of sweat trickled down Izmir's face as he and his army raced across the rocky terraces. The prince knew he was pushing everyone - including himself - to their limit. Even his generals have voiced their protests and kept asking Izmir to stop. The men needed to rest. But they couldn't overrule their prince's final word; should they allow Ankhesenamun to reach the Egyptians and warn them of their plans, then the entire operation was at risk. She had to be apprehended at all costs.
Izmir rode at the forefront. The horsemen and charioteers flanked on either side of the Hittie noble as the army rode past the red cliffs of Sinai and out into the open desert. Yet even with their sharp eyes, they haven't seen any sign of a woman on the run.
But they saw something that they haven't seen before. eIzmir quickly raised his hand, signaling the army to halt at the edge of what appeared to be the ruins of a campsite occupied by inky, spindly creatures. The only shred of decency they seemed to carry was a dirty cloth clothed wrapped around them, barely covering their nether regions.
"What the hell? What in the world is that, are those," The dumbfounded prince turned around to the closest man. "Do you know what sort of creatures they are?"
"No, my lord!"
As if the deity of thunder wanted to prove to him that it wasn't a hallucination caused by the desert heat, one of the strange inhabitants- its molten skin peach-brown and face twisted - released a loud cry upon seeing them. The monster that seemed so small from afar was quickly cutting the distance between it and the army, revealing just how large it was at least twice the height of a man and trice the width.
"Watch out!"
"Prepare!"
People were screaming and watching in utter confusion as it ran straight into their army and swung its spiked club in every direction. Men were sent flying in every direction as it swatted its way through their ranks, scaring the horses and tearing apart the chariots.
Izmir turned around and shouted to his men. "Don't stare, attack it. Kill the monster less you want to be killed! Forget about your swords, use your bows and spears to attack"
His skills as a strategist took immediately over. The creature was far too big and strong to approach with a tiny sword. The best course of action was to put some distance between them and the monster. This theory was soon proven correct after several impromptu attempts. Five men managed to bore their spears into its belly from every direction. The beast let out a roaring gurgle and stumbled slowly to the ground while blood oozed out from its maw.
"Status report!" shouted Izmir, and after a hurried reorganization, the conclusion was clear. Five dead and no less than twelve wounded, seven seriously. Two chariots were useless while the four horses gravely wounded still attached.
Izmir looked around, first at his men and then at the battle that was going on not far ahead of them. It seemed to him that the Egyptians had arrived already and were fighting the monsters themselves. "Your highness, what shall we do?" one of his commanders asked, seeing the same as he did. "Do we return to our camp and let our enemy fight the creatures? The bulk of them seems to be too busy dealing with the Egyptians to pay us attention."
The commander's questions immediately set off a chain of other questions and suggestions, all of which Izmir tuned out. While it was no denying that most of the creatures were fighting the other army, those who paid attention to the Hittites, left their group and ran towards them.
"True, but what if there are more of these creatures out there, and what if they decide to follow us back to the camp?" Izmir asked loud so everyone could hear him. "Do you want to run the risk of having them attack us at night or through an ambush? The mountains we passed provide an easy way for us to hide in and to make an attack from, and how do we fight these? Just one of them was enough to kill five and wound twelve Hittites!" Izmir heard the tramps and yells from three other figures who ran towards them, one looking like an overgrown lizard on two legs, while the other two didn't resemble anything he could describe. "We've been attacked again! The first one took us by surprise, but do not let it happen one more time. Pride yourself as warriors and sly the beast, send it back to the netherworld!"
As the men roared in agreement, Izmir then hurried to reposition himself in the front. He wasn't stupid enough to let them attack him head-on when his only weapon was a sword that wouldn't be bigger than a knife for the monsters. However, prepared or not, the same thing happened as with the first one. The three of them ran into his army, but by staying closer to each other, they managed to protect themselves while attacking his men in their frenzy, causing a great deal of damage before they were put down. Furthermore, another worry weighed heavily on the prince's mind. Ankhesenamun has not to be seen and he feared greatly for the strange woman's safety.
Kagome watched as Minue took charge of the army and managed to organize the troops into a defensive position that at the same time allowed the charioteers to attack from the sides. Impeccable timing on top of all that. Memphis had mounted another horse and also wanted to give orders, but after he received a stern look from the priestess made him shut up before he had come half though his first sentence.
"Ankhesenamun, will you please tell me where you have been and what all this is about? What are those creatures?" Memphis shouted at her. "Did you know about any of these, did you lead the monsters to us?"
Stressed as she was, Kagome took a deep breath and decided to give the king the short explanation to defuse the temper she saw in his eyes.
"I was minding my own business when this stranger who turned out to be the prince of the Hittite empire, decided to kidnap me for reasons I do not know. I managed to steal horse and escape. I have been on the run from them until I met you, so no, I have nothing to do with these creatures to do. But I bet Sekhmet know more about this than I do. What I can tell, however, is that these creatures are called 'demons'. They are probably beings you know better from stories about the underworld and explanations for pests and diseases, but be warned. Unlike the stories you might've heard, these demons are very much real and each of them possesses the strength of at least ten men. You won't survive a one-on-one fight against these, so don't try anything reckless. Attack in groups and don't come close enough to let them deliver a fatal hit."
"And how do you know all this?" Memphis asked suspiciously. Kagome's brow disappeared behind her matted bangs as she cooly delivered a half-truth to the king.
"Unfortunately I have encountered demons when I was younger. To protect myself, I had studied under a Persian monk to learn how to repel as well as fight them. I haven't heard from him after I completed the training. That is how I know who and what we are fighting against, Your Majesty."
The priestess watched as the raven-haired man opened his mouth to retaliate when he paused, his gaze no longer locked onto her but from...behind? She followed it and saw Sekhmet towering over the oblivious troops, hands behind her back. One of the perks to being a deity: to remain concealed unless they want to be seen.
"Time to see what the esteemed war tactician wants from us!" Snapping the reigns of her horse, Kagome rode through the stunned ranks. She was quickly followed by the baffled king. Minue had chosen to stay behind so as to handle the arriving army. He would most likely wait to strike until he had gotten word from the king, or devise a temporary strategy with his men. Is it just my imagination, the time traveler thought as the distance between herself and the lion-headed goddess shortened with each step, or has Sekmet gotten...taller?
Commanding her steed to halt about several feet away from the deity, Kagome bowed her head respectfully towards Sekhmet. As much as she wanted to get off of the blasted horse permanently, she'd lose precious seconds if a second wave of demons appeared in the middle of their conversation.
"Sekhmet," Kagome began, looking up at the lioness who for the occasion had grown to inhuman proportions. "Is this what you warned us against? is it Set behind all of this, making the demons fight us?" she asked. Upon finishing this sentence a gluttonous roar echoed across the terrain, followed by men shouting. Kagome gritted her teeth. Shit. She just jinxed herself, didn't she?
Sekhmet stared down, baring her fangs at the time traveler and the pharaoh as she answered with the slightest of nods. "Indeed, although I knew Set was up to no good, I had imagined he would have thought twice before encouraging an army of demons to attack. When Ra learns about their presence in the mortal world, he will most certainly be displeased!"
"Illustrious Sekhmet, goddess of war!" Memphis shouted towards the seemingly empty sky even when he could clearly see the unworldly being. "Will you stand by our side and help us win this battle? Never before have I heard of the imperial army raised their swords against demons, and although the honor would be immeasurable if winning against these wretched creatures, will you fight with us?"
The goddess lingered in her answer, taking measure of both of them and the king's men before she reluctantly shook her head.
"Under other circumstances, I would personally been the first in your battle line. However, things has stirred in the realms of the gods; Ra and the other deities demand my presence there, no doubt this is caused by Set's machinations. Truthfully I shouldn't have appeared before the two of you as I am here now. But fear not, you will not be completely defenseless against these monstrosities." Sekhmet added before the mortal king could protest. "In fact I have a tool that will help turn the tides of this situation, that is, if you are able to convince those Hitties that you're not the enemy." She smirked, averting her attention to her oracle as she pulled out the tool from behind her back - an ivory bow and a leather quiver filled to the brim with arrows. "Look familiar?"
Kagome's eyes were widened upon recognition at the equipment being gently cradled in
Sekhmet's claws. "T-These...these are the items my teacher had given to me before he left!" She looked up at the goddess in shock and awe as they were pushed into her trembling hands. "Where did you - how did you?"
Sekhmet shrugged. "Pulling a lot of strings and performing a few favors for certain deities. 'Tis a mighty weapon you were blessed with by your 'teacher'. Use them well in this fight." Kagome nodded, a determined grin stretching across her face as the time traveler slung the quiver over her shoulder. Memphis however, was not impressed. "That's it? No armies, no swords for my men? Just these items for your priestess? How will we fare against these demons with such items?!"
Sekhmet clicked her tongue. "No need to fret. After all, my precious oracle already has the strength of an entire army!"
"Oh, don't worry, Ankhesenamun has also provided you with an entire army herself!" Sehkmet grinned.
The time traveler blinked. "Huh? How did you draw that conclusion?"
"Well…. Your escape from the Hittite camp wasn't exactly unnoticed, and the prince set off after you together with the bulk of his army, so that's a good start there. Persuade them to fight on your side, or else this world shall fall into chaos. Don't disappoint me, Ankhesenamun, and her pharaoh!" In a twister of glitter and sand, Sekhmet vanished.
Kagome glanced at the frustrated Memphis before she held up her bow, studying it for a split second when movement caught her eye. Quickly knotting the arrow between her fingers, the tip began to glow brightly till it was sent flying behind her companion, who squawked in shock. He was about to yell at the priestess when he saw the reason for her madness: an axe-wielding demon collapsed onto the ground, twitching with the arrow embedded in its inky chest as the body crumbled into dust.
She grinned grimly at both the result and seeing the astounded look on Memphis' face. "Not bad. Let's see what happens when I decide to widen the distance just a tad."
Pulling out another arrow, she moved her feet so that she was facing the army, their tense backs facing her as a horde of demons cascaded from the mountainside. Kagome pulled the string as far as the length of her hands would allow and let it fly. The glowing arrow sped over the helmets of the Egyptians, leaving gasps of wonder through their ranks when it pierced through half a dozen demons, disintegrating them into dust.
Considering how much time had passed since she had held a bow and arrow, the results were a little lackluster but better than she expected. Kagome just hoped that she would at least live through this madness long enough to use the vacant courtyard back in the city as an area to sharpen her skills once more.
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