In the city of Jezekiah
She returned back home, accompanied by soldiers back to the main royal palace. She continued to head through the gold trimmed walls and fountains and hedges, the crate hauled behind her by the soldiers. For twelve years the Jezekiah Civil War had been waged over who would claim the ancestral gem. And now, it was finally theirs.
"General Rameer." A soldier reported. "All remaining rebels, including General Mohamm, have been captured. The spy you sent has also returned with the cargo."
The man turned to notice her, as the men set down the crate.
"So, you were successful, Megan?"
"Yes Father." She said. "The remains of Emperor Pukrah have been obtained. And with it…"
"The Jezekiah Sapphire…" His eyes went wide. "Open it up!"
One of the soldiers managed to get a crowbar and pried the crate open. Inside was a mummified corpse, wearing a necklace with a blue glowing gem inside. Rameer only reached inside and took it.
"Finally…after all these years." He stated. "Now this country can prosper at last."
"Sir, there's something else." A second soldier said. "When we captured the rebels, we infiltrated their base. And we found these."
He and several others pulled out six golden items. A khopesh, wings, a crystal, a scarab shield, a suit of armor, and a mask.
"The rebels were superstitious, as you know. But the reason why they fear that the mummy could destroy the world when awoken is because he was the very first ruler of all of Egypt. Hieroglyphs called him…the Golden King."
"With all six of these golden artifacts, Pukrah had the power of a god. But the location of these artifacts were lost to time. That is, until now."
"Those are just superstitious stories of nonsense." Rameer dismissed. "There's no way the dead can come back to life."
Suddenly, they noticed the golden artifacts…glowing. And the sapphire was glowing with them.
"What in the name of…?"
The wind began to blow. Several dogs barked like mad and wildly before ultimately running away. A storm of dust and locusts began to emerge in the distance.
Before their eyes, the sapphire began floating in the air. Suddenly, it flew right into the crystal, which in turn inserted itself within the chestplate of the armor, where the heart would be. The mask fused with the armor, transforming the helmet into a golden nemes headdress and a death mask very similar to that of King Tut's.
Just then, the mummy's remains began floating up from the crate, with the armor beginning to fasten itself onto the body. The wings flew onto the back as the sword and shield flew into the hands.
All went silent as the mummified body touched down. Stillness filled the air…
Before the golden eyes shot open!
"YES, YES!" The mummy roared and laughed. "I HAVE BEEN REBORN ONCE AGAIN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Megan screamed and ran. The soldiers opened fire on the mummy, but it extended a hand and stopped the bullets midair before disintegrating them. And with another gesture of green magic, that being a gripping clench of a fist, instantly green orbs were ripped from the soldiers, which dropped instantly. Rameer was speechless at this sight.
"Now, with countless souls, I shall rule for all eternity! Bow to me! Bow to your Golden King!"
He could not, for fear had frozen him like a statue.
"You have every right to be frightened, mere mortal. For it is no longer Narmer Pukrah that stands before you. Instead, it is I, the Eternal Emperor!"
With twin raises of his hands, flames erupted from the floors!
"Serve me, and savor riches beyond measure." The Golden King spoke. "Or refuse, and suffer the punishment!"
The only choice he made was fleeing, which the mummy only laughed at.
"Yes…run! It will only hasten the inevitable!"
With an upward wave of his hands, he summoned the storm and all the curses and plague brought with it.
"Achmun Day! Amun Dah! Teku Kari Kalu Mari! Rise, my soldiers! Serve your Golden King!"
He laughed as the mummies began rising from their tombs. As the dust and locust storm swarmed the entire city, more and more green soul orbs were flung into the mummy's everlasting body, and he relished in its power. Finally, after nearly a century, he had a new body. And what better than that of the very first Pharaoh?
The city began turning solid gold as the faint screams of everyone in the city ceased. As the soldiers rose back up as undead mummies, two more stumbled out where Rameer and Megan had gone.
Forming from the sand by his magic, the mummy grinned as the mummified woman warrior rose, twin pupils in each eye and a double-ended spear in her hands.
"Find the stone."
"Yes, my king." She bowed before turning, the mummies following the command she spoke in the ancient tongue.
The mummy turned the ground golden with each step, ending with the throne upon sitting upon it.
At long last, he could begin the search.
…
CORY
"Earlier today, the Middle-Eastern country Jezekiah, which had been torn in civil war for the past 12 years, has suddenly vanished without a trace. Where it once stood now stands a massive dust storm the likes of which has never been seen. No one has been able to get in close, as the weather is too severe. Cairo, a neighboring country, has also seen some disastrous conditions as of late as a result. More to come as it follows. In other news-."
Gabe only shuts off the combo unit TV, the thoughts I have about how it was now enchanted into a Mystic Monitor having long gone.
"Lemme guess." Lisa says. "This is bad."
"If you remember the legend of the Golden King, then yes." Gabe says. "There's only one surviving heir to that throne: Micheal Clarke. He was taken to America at a young age to be raised safely, and he's from Long Island, New York. I should contact him and inform him of what's happening, but there's something you all should know about what my Uncle was looking into."
He shows us six photographs of six golden artifacts. Woah…they look rather cool…
"You may know that the Jezekiah Sapphire is a highly valuable gem the country's treasury is based around. But if anyone steals the gem and the remains of the mummy it is with, the first pharaoh Emperor Narmer Pukrah, he will awaken with fury and cause destruction upon the world. From its ashes will a new kingdom of death rise, which he, the Golden King, shall rule for all eternity. Legend has it that the sapphire is also magical. And it was used by the most powerful family of sorcerers in all of Egypt to forge these: The Six Sacred Treasures."
He shows us the golden sword.
"First was the Golden Khopesh of Sobek, the Guardian of the Nile. With this blade, he who wields it becomes a master of combat. And the blade itself can cleave entire mountains in half."
"I want that sword…" I can almost see the sparkle in Lisa's eyes as Gabe shows us the wings.
"Second came the Golden Wings of Horus, the Rightful Heir of Egypt. With them, the wearer can take flight at speeds beyond measure."
"Ha! Super Duper can do just that!" Gazelle adds as Geb shows us the crystal.
"The third treasure was the Golden Crystal of Geb, god of the Earth. Allowing complete elemental control and manipulation over stone and sand. They say that this crystal was a body part of the earth god."
"Uhh…w-what kind of body part?" Lisa asks.
"You don't want to know."
"UGH! GROSS!" Yep. She pictured it and instantly knew, just with those five words. Still, at least she tries not to hurl. Gabe only shows us the scarab.
"The fourth one was the Golden Scarab Shield of Khepri, the being who pushed the very sun itself. Said to be the shedded molted exoskeleton of the scarab god, the shield is highly impenetrable. Any warrior that goes into battle with this shield is invincible."
"Ugh, what is WITH Egyptian Gods and body stuff?!" Lisa gags.
"Yeah, you're probably better off not knowing of the Salad Incident with Horus and Set." Gab continues with the photo of the armor. "The fifth artifact was the Armor of Anubis, the god of the dead and afterlife. Wearing this armor makes the user immortal, untouchable by death."
"Wait wait wait, how can someone be both immortal AND invincible?" Lisa asks. "Aren't they the same thing? Or is there a thing like multiple invincible-immortal levels? That's like, the opposite of overkill, right?"
Gabe just rolls his eyes before presenting the final photo.
"Finally, there's the Mask of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God. Wearing this, the user can see in any area, no matter how dark. But two eyes can give two powers, in this case, the ability to see into the future. All six of these combined with the Jezekiah Sapphire, and the Golden King may as well be called a God."
"Yep. I called it." I note. "Bad. So why hasn't he destroyed the world already? Is he…waiting for the right time? I mean, Slappy sure doesn't want to, because HE wants to rule."
"This seems rather far-fetched, but…I think the Emperor is…searching for something. What it is, I have no idea." Gabe says. "But if it's the heir to Jezekiah, he may be looking to destroy him to ensure that he has no rivals to the throne. Once he gets that location…there's no telling how many would fall."
"Oh man. So…how do we get him to safety?"
"He already moved in search of the mummy and the sapphire after it was stolen from his place." Gabe said. "I bet he learned of how his home country became, well…that, and chances are he'll catch onto us. So I'll introduce him to us. But if it's not him the Emperor's after, then we're in trouble if we don't know what it is he's after."
"Hopefully it's not what we're after." Lisa gulps. "Or else Horrorland's gonna have some nastier-than-usual visitors…"
…
The renovations on Terror Tombs were coming smoothly. Through portals, the zombies, skeletons, and Horrors brought more and more lost relics and structures from Ancient Egypt.
"Good work, slaves! The A-Nile-Ator is almost complete! Soon, it will be the most dangerous ride in Horrorland, and Terror Tombs will be the most deadly of all the sections! Ahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Just what is the purpose of smuggling artifacts of a lost age for…entertainment?"
"Oh, don't be that way, Mr. Dark and Stormy Knight!" Slappy responded to King Robert. "I want Terror Tombs to look and feel as real and ancient as possible!"
"Even if you must bring unknown curses and unspeakable plagues upon your own house?"
"Exactly! My humble abode could use some plaguing."
A zombie only groaned in confusion as it held up a strange slab. It looked like it was chipped off of something bigger.
"Just put it on the A-Nile-Ator ride!" The ghoul Nightshade demanded. "It could use some extra decor."
As the zombie shuffled away, Robert could have sworn that he had seen it glow an eerie golden, as if the eye was staring right back at him.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The gate was pounded three times loudly. The wooden man grew slightly agitated.
"I'm not expecting visitors today." He said. "Send them away, my king."
He obliged, but only because he needed to clear his mind of this nonsense. Very soon, he could bring HIS kingdom into this era as well.
The gates opened by his iron hands, the knight clad in his black armor and helmet. All he could make out was a foggy mist. And from it, a shining eerie shape.
"Who goeth there?!" The dark king bellowed, drawing forth his large sword. The figure slowly stumbled forward, clad in golden armor, sword and shield in hand with wings unfurled. The face was deathly hollowed, the eyes glowing a dark amethyst.
"I speak from one king to another." The undead being said in a cryptic tone. "Return the slab, or suffer my curse."
"You cannot threaten me, ghoul!" He said, readying his blade. "Return from the crypt that spawned you!"
"Should you refuse to surrender the Slab of Ramses, then you will suffer one plague after another. Each is worse than the last."
"This is not my kingdom. Bother the wooden man who rules this land at your peril. For he will send forth his legion of nightmares upon you and your army."
"Ha! You underestimate my power, Robert! Like you, I serve a higher power. But that puppet is but a mere plaything compared to the horrors the God of Monsters can deliver! Once the Eternal Night is at hand, not even the Magi can save you now!"
Magi? Robert has heard legends of that cult. Were they the mentors of Merlin, or did he mentor THEM?
Wait…what else did the ghoul say? God of Monsters? Eternal…Eternal Night?!
No! It couldn't be!
"That dreaded darkness shall never come to pass!" He roared. "The only thing eternal about that night is how long until it occurs!"
"Perhaps you believe this to be a bluff." The ghoul smirked. "Allow me to show you, the Dark Lord, a taste of the Golden King's power! Behold your fate!"
He extended a hand and green magic seeped from it. Robert let out a grunt as he felt something slowly become yanked out of him. This…this was witchcraft! The unholy ghoul was attempting to drain him of his soul!
With a clench of his iron fist, Robert channeled his own magic to armor his spirit just as he had armor for his body. The drain was broken and Robert was free, drawing his sword as the Golden King only readied his own.
"You dare try to steal my soul, dead man?!" Robert roared. "I shall return you to the corpse that you are! OFFETH WITH THINE HEAD!"
He charged with a roar and leaped upwards, ready to swing down his sword. Once he did, the blade connected with the ghoul's golden one…
And in a blast of golden energy, Robert felt as if the world around him was slowing as he witnessed his own weapon shatter like a twig before the corpse's.
The energy blew him back with the force of a catapult as he slammed into the wall of the park. How could this be?! His stamina…completely depleted…from a single hit! Inconceivable!
"Know that the god I worship is capable of far more, stronger than even myself." The ghoul said. "Warn what master you might have. Under the blood-soaked moon, only one monster god can rule…"
The last thing Robert heard as he slumped onto the ground was the laugh of the dead man as he faded away. The last thing he felt after he fell to his knees was his face falling onto the ground below…
