The battle raged on, the desert forces slowly closing in on the last fortified settlement of the northerners. Soon, all northern forces had drawn back into the last few remaining walls; their westward river escape cut off by the enemy summoning of a giant winged serpent. A commotion at the south wall arose, and a second giant monster appeared, this one appearing to be made of stone. Dashing to the top of the last battle tower, the northern chieftess looked out in horror as a giant golden gryphon was summoned at the east wall. Gazing out over the amassed enemy forces, she quickly spotted the desert king, surrounded by his priests. The king, a young man of 19 summers, held before him the three talismans that had been used to summon his people's great beasts of the gods. Looking up, he rested his gaze upon the young chieftess, herself of 19 winters, the eye of Anubis glowing on his forehead as he spoke.
'You are not welcome in this land.'
The chieftess heard the king's voice as clearly as if he was standing next to her. Narrowing her eyes against the glare of the harsh southern sun off the sand, she said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
'You came to this land unbidden. You take what is not yours to take, and decimated the once fertile land along the river with your vile ways. You have angered the gods, bringing their wrath down upon my people. For that alone, you must be punished.'
'Is that all? You honestly mean to tell me that you're doing all this because of a few settlers from distant lands? You're more pathetic then you look!' The chieftess laughed in the king's face, much to his surprise. 'If you do not want something taken from you, ensure that it is well marked as yours. If you wish your land to remain fertile, do not divert the water for use in your pointless personal palaces. If you do not want your gods angered, do not attack innocent settlers.'
Looking down, she laughed at the rage and denial in the young man's face. Tilting her head to one side, the young woman grinned mischievously as she continued, the symbol of Thor glowing on her forehead.
'Besides, I think we both know what this is all about. You're just mad that you've finally met a woman who isn't blinded by the dazzle of your title, and can see you for what you really are. You're not mad at my people, you're mad at me, simply because I turned down your pathetic attempt at making a marriage proposal!'
'You're the pathetic one! You're too proud to save your people by simply giving in and becoming my wife! You'd let your own people die just to uphold your morals!'
'If it were that easy, I would. However, you attacked my people to get revenge on me, instead of being a man and facing me like you should have. Now our peoples are at war, and for us, that means a fight to the death.'
'Very well! If it is to the death that you want, then so shall it be! Prepare to feel the might of the beasts of the gods!'
With that, the king lifted the talismans over his head, preparing to send the monsters to attack the fortress. With a sigh, the chieftess simply shook her head at him as she also prepared for the final assault.
'Foolish boy. You have a man's body, but a boy's soul. You shall not control your god's monsters until you are much older. And control shall only be granted by the long passage of time.'
'What are you talking about? My soul is as old as my body, and I am the ruler of my people, as appointed by the gods. I can control anything I wish to!'
'Truly? Then you shall have no problem saving your three monsters from my one, nor your people from the effect the rest of your monsters will have on the world.'
Staring in fascination, the king watched as the chieftess withdrew eight golden objects from beneath her cloak. Laying all but one down in front of her, she turned back to the king.
'Know this! Within these seven items lies the power to seal up the might of your monsters, but only for a time. The only thing that can stop them completely is this sword that I hold in my hand. You may destroy my body today, but my spirit will persevere, awaiting the day some five millennia from now when we meet again. Then, and only then, will your spirit be old enough to truly understand the power of your god's monsters!'
With those last words, the chieftess raised the gold sword over her head; tip pointed to the sky. The king raised the talismans, and commanded the trio of monsters to destroy the fortress, and all in it. But just as the three were about to attack, the chieftess flipped the sword around and plunged it into her chest up to the hilt. As her lifeblood flowed out, she used the power of her self-sacrifice to summon the greatest monster of her people's gods.
"AKASUMON!!!"
Her body gave a final shudder as she cried out, and a golden light streaked out of the sword, enveloping blade and body before spiriting both off to the north. A short moment later, a great shriek was heard echoing from the northland and a phoenix bird of incredible size came winging in, bearing down on the northern face of the crumbling fortress. And all of the people of the desert who looked upon it felt the true meaning of the wrath of the gods, for this was no mere bird. It's body was a blood red, its wings were marked with red, black, white, and gold, and it had white trim where it's bones came nearest to the skin. But in it's eyes was the full impact of it's power, for through them, one could see that from which it drew its strength, and that force was the one thing that none could ever hope to control; the great and wild force known as time.
Sensing the threat to themselves, the three desert monsters broke off their attack of the fortress to face the newest enemy. Tensing in anger, the king tightened his grip on the talismans, and ordered the trio to resume the attack on the fortress. He then dropped the items in shock when they not only ignored him, but instead attacked the northerner. The four monsters surged forward, and a great and terrible light erupted from where they met. The force was so great that the fortress was reduced to dust, and all within, and most without, were killed instantly. When the dust cleared, all that was left standing were the king, some of his priests, a handful of desert soldiers, and the northern monster.
Staring in awe and horror, the remainders of the desert force watched as the battered forms of the desert monsters disappeared, and the phoenix turned north, without so much as a feather out of place. After the beast had vanished into the northern skies, the king walked forward, to the place where the tower had stood. The sun glinted golden off something half buried in the sand. Pulling the item out, the king quickly had all seven items that the chieftess had left behind dug out. Examining the first item he had retrieved, he ordered his chariot brought forth, and gave the order for all to head back to the palace.
"As you command, my lord Pharaoh" the head priest bowed, then swung around and started snapping out orders.
A few short months later, the young king sacrificed himself, in order to seal the power of the monsters within the items, and save the world. And so his spirit rested, and slowly aged over five millennia, waiting patiently within the first of the items, and the tombs of his descendants were modeled after the small pyramid that was his abode.
'You are not welcome in this land.'
The chieftess heard the king's voice as clearly as if he was standing next to her. Narrowing her eyes against the glare of the harsh southern sun off the sand, she said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
'You came to this land unbidden. You take what is not yours to take, and decimated the once fertile land along the river with your vile ways. You have angered the gods, bringing their wrath down upon my people. For that alone, you must be punished.'
'Is that all? You honestly mean to tell me that you're doing all this because of a few settlers from distant lands? You're more pathetic then you look!' The chieftess laughed in the king's face, much to his surprise. 'If you do not want something taken from you, ensure that it is well marked as yours. If you wish your land to remain fertile, do not divert the water for use in your pointless personal palaces. If you do not want your gods angered, do not attack innocent settlers.'
Looking down, she laughed at the rage and denial in the young man's face. Tilting her head to one side, the young woman grinned mischievously as she continued, the symbol of Thor glowing on her forehead.
'Besides, I think we both know what this is all about. You're just mad that you've finally met a woman who isn't blinded by the dazzle of your title, and can see you for what you really are. You're not mad at my people, you're mad at me, simply because I turned down your pathetic attempt at making a marriage proposal!'
'You're the pathetic one! You're too proud to save your people by simply giving in and becoming my wife! You'd let your own people die just to uphold your morals!'
'If it were that easy, I would. However, you attacked my people to get revenge on me, instead of being a man and facing me like you should have. Now our peoples are at war, and for us, that means a fight to the death.'
'Very well! If it is to the death that you want, then so shall it be! Prepare to feel the might of the beasts of the gods!'
With that, the king lifted the talismans over his head, preparing to send the monsters to attack the fortress. With a sigh, the chieftess simply shook her head at him as she also prepared for the final assault.
'Foolish boy. You have a man's body, but a boy's soul. You shall not control your god's monsters until you are much older. And control shall only be granted by the long passage of time.'
'What are you talking about? My soul is as old as my body, and I am the ruler of my people, as appointed by the gods. I can control anything I wish to!'
'Truly? Then you shall have no problem saving your three monsters from my one, nor your people from the effect the rest of your monsters will have on the world.'
Staring in fascination, the king watched as the chieftess withdrew eight golden objects from beneath her cloak. Laying all but one down in front of her, she turned back to the king.
'Know this! Within these seven items lies the power to seal up the might of your monsters, but only for a time. The only thing that can stop them completely is this sword that I hold in my hand. You may destroy my body today, but my spirit will persevere, awaiting the day some five millennia from now when we meet again. Then, and only then, will your spirit be old enough to truly understand the power of your god's monsters!'
With those last words, the chieftess raised the gold sword over her head; tip pointed to the sky. The king raised the talismans, and commanded the trio of monsters to destroy the fortress, and all in it. But just as the three were about to attack, the chieftess flipped the sword around and plunged it into her chest up to the hilt. As her lifeblood flowed out, she used the power of her self-sacrifice to summon the greatest monster of her people's gods.
"AKASUMON!!!"
Her body gave a final shudder as she cried out, and a golden light streaked out of the sword, enveloping blade and body before spiriting both off to the north. A short moment later, a great shriek was heard echoing from the northland and a phoenix bird of incredible size came winging in, bearing down on the northern face of the crumbling fortress. And all of the people of the desert who looked upon it felt the true meaning of the wrath of the gods, for this was no mere bird. It's body was a blood red, its wings were marked with red, black, white, and gold, and it had white trim where it's bones came nearest to the skin. But in it's eyes was the full impact of it's power, for through them, one could see that from which it drew its strength, and that force was the one thing that none could ever hope to control; the great and wild force known as time.
Sensing the threat to themselves, the three desert monsters broke off their attack of the fortress to face the newest enemy. Tensing in anger, the king tightened his grip on the talismans, and ordered the trio to resume the attack on the fortress. He then dropped the items in shock when they not only ignored him, but instead attacked the northerner. The four monsters surged forward, and a great and terrible light erupted from where they met. The force was so great that the fortress was reduced to dust, and all within, and most without, were killed instantly. When the dust cleared, all that was left standing were the king, some of his priests, a handful of desert soldiers, and the northern monster.
Staring in awe and horror, the remainders of the desert force watched as the battered forms of the desert monsters disappeared, and the phoenix turned north, without so much as a feather out of place. After the beast had vanished into the northern skies, the king walked forward, to the place where the tower had stood. The sun glinted golden off something half buried in the sand. Pulling the item out, the king quickly had all seven items that the chieftess had left behind dug out. Examining the first item he had retrieved, he ordered his chariot brought forth, and gave the order for all to head back to the palace.
"As you command, my lord Pharaoh" the head priest bowed, then swung around and started snapping out orders.
A few short months later, the young king sacrificed himself, in order to seal the power of the monsters within the items, and save the world. And so his spirit rested, and slowly aged over five millennia, waiting patiently within the first of the items, and the tombs of his descendants were modeled after the small pyramid that was his abode.