(A/N: The following that takes place in Egypt was taken from the DreamWorks Direct-to-DVD movie from 2000, Joseph: King of Dreams for you will see moments that are similar to whatever takes place here. This chapter is also the one where Cortés becomes suspicious that he has one of the gold pieces of the Aztecs that was delivered to him on his conquests to end his conquest in vain. The storyline of the prologue will conclude in the next chapter where his first mate and ally for his adventure will be seen, for now this will further develop Tiburonkolt in his time that he spent far from home. Enjoy)
Indeed, Tiburonkolt and the prisoners of war now living as the prisoners of the Spainards has been flogged and starved over the time that none of them knew how long it's been; their life as slaves were going to be harder than what they could fathom but that's not to say that even the Spanish Empire were not animals as their prisoners were all fed. The conquistador want them to feel drained of their stamina, their resistance be lowered so they cannot disobey the orders to work and their skeleton's joints to ache so they can feel a kind of pain that strikes in their new lives to serve whatever master chooses to buy them off the marketplace
As for the case of our hero it was the hardest of times as he earned the worst offences of the wrath that came from the man who told him he knew both of his parents, but he didn't tell him that he's their son to further protect himself from his wrath. A smart choice from a prisoner of war like him who seemingly lost a friend of his father's, not knowing that he started the resurrections of him but he was not whom he was seen at first; something that Tiburonkolt will know once he comes back
He was ordered to receive the harshest floggings, be fed much later than normal from all the other prisoners and keep him isolated in the cell the longest while the others worked above deck to get a headstart on being a slave. He grew out both his hair and a beard as he looked a whole lot worse with various scars that showed signs of bleeding on the floor, which had the conquistadors clean up the dripping puddles made when he was taken out to be flogged and beaten for charges worse than Jesus in his final hours right after the last supper he ever had
The others became jealous when he wasn't put to work but they were, as such neither of the young warriors would speak to him while he refused to talk due to wanting to focus only on his attempt to threaten the guards; and assassinate the man that he assumed is the one who slayed his mother's people and for what, the failures of finding a lost city made entirely out of gold? Christ... who knew he was driven by the dreams of gold and glory for Spain? He did not want to set a foot into that awful sounding place but he did however wanted to see what Mexico was, instead he's being taken to Angola in West Africa due to there being no route for ships to enter that landlocked region so they had to settle for their backup planned route
One by one and two by two the prisoners of war were either transferred on the other Spanish Caravels to sail the rest of the way to Cuba or sold off elsewhere along the way, the former is a location that is not where he's going but even though with his lack of strength that caused a number of upchucking bile on the floor from starvation; his deprived sense of time he spent and his lost sense of distance from his home, he remained with his plan that by the time he got out of here he would bring out his tomahawk, threaten the guards and assassinate Cortés along with the slave traders that wait for him before leaving with his life swimming back over to Italy where he belonged. Hopefully, along the way he could find his black armored horse
Upon arriving at the destination Cortés had the Spanish Reals to pay the slave traders that are waiting outside his flagship, thus he ordered the lead commander to retrieve his last prisoner on board that survived the longest; garnering him suspicion that he held one of the pieces on him. When the fall of moonlight came last night he casted his hand under the glaring rays and ensured that he was still human, it didn't change to anything remotely resembling something else that wasn't human like the others
Still he wanted to make sure that he's not like the rest of the fools who thought that they could lay a finger on the gold that was given to him direct and up front, all in a vain attempt to cease his conquest that he refused to stop. The chest is in their possession at Mexico and as their governor, he had it hidden somewhere in the gulf where no man can find it except for those who know where it lies; that was a distortion from the truth to ensure that no other individuals would go to lay a hand on them unless they choose to share their fate. There was something wrong with the gold that Tiburonkolt wore around his neck, and he was not aware of the effects that were on him
The lead commander came down to the isolated cell and told the other three to back off and step aside with the others following without question, afterwards he opened the door to the side finding Tiburonkolt sitting with his head buried in his knees on the chair with chains that held it steady. Not reacting to the sudden shone of light that bathed on him. The time for him has come and no one dared disobey the orders of Cortés, thus he approached the prisoner of war before taking him by the bicep. "Consiga su asno de esta célula, hemos llegado a nuestro destino" He only snagged it away from his grip
"How much more can you take from me?" Tiburonkolt growled, showing his red ringed eyes from the dried water he used as showers for his awful sunburns when being prolonged in his exposures to the hottest of the hot days where the sunlight was at it's finest hour
"Su vida, porque le quise ejecutó si no para la orden de Cortés" The lead commander spited him, revealing that he wanted to kill him had it not been for the choice of his leader
"Then you should've killed me by the time I ran" Tiburonkolt further fought with him
"Esto sería mi mayor placer de ejecutarle" The lead commander snarled as he took him by the bicep again with a tighter grip, forcing him up from the chained bench and taking him up above the deck. The rest went as followed but resulted in failure for his freedom down below
Having his head down as he set foot on foreign land that didn't have the feeling like his home he walked with the lead commander all the way over to the slave traders as there were three of them with a camel, all of them had tight fitting linen robes with the leader not only coming from Caanan due to the brownish tan skin with black hair and a beard; but also wearing just a little bit light maroon red robes, wearing a headwrap while the other two had different looks as the second one was tending to the camel
The next slave trader was taller than the leader but sported a remarkable and uncanny similar appearance to Jacob's eldest son Judah while having the mustache of one of his brothers who was Asher, long blackish brown hair along with a keffiyeh that was designed like a open-face helmet with a rim around the forehead and on the sides covering his ears was a flowing helm skirt that blew in the wind. He was the buffest of them all and wore no sleeves, showing him all of his various tattoos that along with his evenly brownish tanned skin color that's lighter in the former but darker in the former; it confirmed that his nationality was of that where their prisoner of war was going to be sold off to. Like the leader he wore dark maroon clothing and black to mix it in with, with two shawl like strips going down on his upperbody's muscles all the way down to his waistline to rest and blow in the wind
The third one was short and stout but he was just as cold as the other two were, having a tan-creamish colored headwrap with a shemagh shawl combo that covered his throat; a brownish black tunic that had cream colored strips of cloth that went down from his obi. He had a beard with a thicker mustache than the second one and wore arm bands that covered his wrists, he happened to adorn an viciously cruel look on his face. Having the rope ready to drag him for miles on end to their destination at the slave market
The second trader was the first to take notice of him when he looked up, seeing the man that wore a red shendyt and looked defeated once he was brought over to them as Cortés arrived on his black horse that he still had upon losing Altivo. The main trader was in the process and counting the agreed amount of currency that was being taken, Tiburonkolt was thrown over to them as the leader caught him at his collarbone. "As agreed upon, thirty pieces of gold for the conquistadors" He threw him the pouch filled with the coins
"Then get him out of my sight" Cortés ordered for selling him the longest surviving prisoner of war to them, at that moment Tiburonkolt sprung his trap
Unexpectedly bringing out his tomahawk smuggled on board, he slashed across the leg of the main slave trader earning a yelp of pain before he turned around quickly and swung his blade downward; chopping off the third one's left wrist. "Dammit, my hand!" His limp hand fell off and onto the ground, bleeding into a puddle while his stump spurted with blood on his skin and shendyt which was dulled out by the red coloring of his waist cloth. The lead commander stepped in to help
He thrusted his sword forward to stab him but instead slipped through the hole of his bladed weapon, twisting it around before throwing it off to the side disarming him as he then landed a lunging elbow strike against his face. He flipped his tomahawk to his other hand in a icepick reversed grip before swinging back around and chopping him right across his throat, leaving a nasty gash that squirted more blood onto his face that also had him follow up with a spinning decapitation of the lead commander. Collapsing to the floor dead he chopped into the main slave trader's hip to cripple him, snarling when he faced Cortés
Recklessly he ran towards Cortés in a slobbering act of bloodlust taking a leap into the air that was thanks to the rock underneath his step helping him provide a boost upward, heavily with a white knuckled tightened grip he swung his tomahawk down against his skull to kill him but at the last moment guards arrived to save him; shooting a single shot from an heavy and quite powerful blunderbuss rifle which took their attacking prisoner of war at his lower jaw, he was thrown back while Cortés further harmed him by stomping hard on his jaw and speaking with a even more threatening tone of voice as if he was scolding him.
"You've been warned about assassination attempts on either mine or my men's lives, and you dared to step over that line by killing my commander. I think your fate here is better than the others at Cuba, he left me to die at the New World and now I'm leaving you to die at a desert land far from Auditore; this makes us even..." He took the man at the throat and threw him to the slave traders, having his tomahawk which he lunged back at him but was restrained; throwing the tomahawk over to the slave traders
"You will not be needing this for your new life anymore, Auditorian" The main trader threw his tomahawk into the distance before restraining both wrists together tightly, wanting to cut off his blood so he'll be feeling numb by the time they arrive. Connecting him to the camel to get him moving no matter how much his feet aches in the distance he walks, sending him on his way. At last he was off disappearing in the distance and thus walked back to his ship
"We won't be seeing him again now" A conquistador that stood by him noted with a tone of relief and smugness
"If only I can be truly assured about that, the stowaways on our conquest to El Dorado from four years ago are still at large in Spain; no doubt that he will return seeing how he can live through even starvation itself" Cortés suspected that he was a carrier of the Aztec medallion on him, he didn't know the story behind it all
The slave traders took their prisoner of war through a many of few locations to name such as a field of sunflowers with one that Tiburonkolt took to remind him of his mother back when to when he was a infant in a playpen like structure built by his father. Standing happily in the sun and being basked in the warm rays of it's hot glares, standing back up to part way for the traders that took them across the fields of cabbages and sheathes that looked like they were cut; not pulled up but there was no sign of any kind of machine that have done so. What and who did all this to be exact?
Throughout this trek they went through the trees seeing a windmill like building from within the distance, passing onward past it and climbing up the hill which had Tiburonkolt trip a few times from stubbing his foot; though the second slave trader brought him back up gently as if he took pity on him. He made no attempt to talk to them but he did see his one tomahawk he was disarmed from resting behind him, he smuggled it back into possession when the trader looked back at the prisoner. Asking him what was he up to, he did not respond as he kept that defeated look on him; grunting he returned his attention to the front of him
Just as the sun was setting they had to stop in order for their camel to drain itself since it was clear he was looking a little bit fat, but returned to it's usual state before moving on; he didn't drink anything at this point so he had no reason to use the bathroom. The slave traders would foil his attempt to escape like before. Once the camel was done from the large tree, they got on with their trek forward from down the hill into a forest
Nightfall came upon the three as they walked on for hours in a trail of clovers and flowers the path before them was infested with alike, the moon bathing them and casting shadows upon the land from behind a few monoliths that stood towering over them. The clouds above were swirling around to blanket the twinkling stars, soon enough there was a meadow of a field as they looked back at the night sky. It was best agreed among them that they should stop here just outside the forest when it got too dark for them to continue any further, giving the camel the rest it deserved while igniting a torch for the fireplace for warmth
Tiburonkolt held a knee over the sunflower he took from the field as his feet burned from all the steps he took on the hot soil of the farmer's garden that they walked through, out from in his hand was his Aztec gold medallion that remained with him for the journey on through; he placed it on himself believing that they were now far from Cortés and his men as possible, he didn't feel right to wear it in front of that conquistador of the Spanish Empire. At least he had a valuble of his mother on him and a creation of his father back in his possession
The next morning the fire burned out but there were still some flames sprouting and one of the slave traders used water to extinquish it, taking him further along their route to his new home for a prisoner of war like him to die in. Moving on from the meadow fields, they past an number of rock formations that pointed to their destination; knowing that they're going the right way as this was far past Angola where they were waiting realizing that Botswana's not a good choice to walk for miles on end there. Pretending not to exist to them he tended to his own imagination, looking at all the various landscapes around him and not wanting the slave traders to go any slower than they are by asking how much longer
Now treading on hot sand that felt like walking on a dune filled a Sand Wraith's boiling grains of them that sprouted fire, he was hunched over and started to stumble about; tripping onto the sand that scorched his skin even more. He was sweating from the sun's scalding glares of above and bleeding from the nose due to the dried air that blew in the desert, he wanted to vomit but he had nothing from what the slave traders offered him. He rejected their spared kindness and they showed no mercy to his ill-conditions he was suffering from in return for that ignorance, falling onto the dunes once again the third trader who was the coldest to him only dragged him across to inflict abrasions on his naked upperbody that was scarred all over; the blood never left him even in this weather, the traders thought of him as if he wanted to die now rather than accept his fate
Leaving behind the number of footprints blown away by the sands of time under breezes of a blazing environment, he climbing above each of the dunes that stood but fell over as he's got a little more weaker from time that passed on; the sun was setting again and the blasted land remained the same as before. Going further along and even more far away when the earliest of the nightfall fell again, the camel was fed a drink from the bowl while he gathered as much as he could to drink; and slick his hair back for the presentable appearance once they reached their destination. After that he came to stand on his knees holding the sunflower close to his chest, freezing himself in the cold breezes of the night with no shading throughout his trek; it was a symbolic reminder of his home that he could only think about what could've happened
The slave traders remained around the fire as the second one stood up, approaching him with a cold hand on his back to tell him: "Rub your chest, your arms will take care of themselves" He instructed him as he did as told, not knowing whose voice it was but nevertheless he is following without question; the dark prussian and murky sea sky of the night was brutal but it's not without being fair to him. Tiburonkolt kept his chest warm throughout the night until he collapsed in the dead of night, the fatique causing him to drool from his mouth and with a bit of steaming bile that was thrown up on the dune he slept on
Back home at Auditore, Rultherhuskton walked about during this time and Xiuhcoyota sat on a rock to occupy herself with sharpening her war club for better blunt strikes; as it's been too long for a battle like this to be prolonged into this much time. "Where could he have gone?" She expressed concern in her voice, coming over to her husband
"Nothing about this siege being led by the Ottomans is right, the sultan couldn't be paranoid to the point of launching a campaign to kill the prince of Wallachia. But nothing can and will ever stop our son from returning home alive" Rultherhuskton shared his concern though it's more about how the sultan of the Turkish Empire couldn't be this sure that the the man from Transylvania could be a vampire, he did show qualities of one like pale skin and fascination of torturing his victims but he was never a cursed man under a state of living death. At least not until now but if the rumors were true, he wouldn't change his opinion on him either way. "Sebastiano was also with him according to his parents, he had to live to tell the tale"
"Rultherhuskton... over here!" Sebastiano's father called to him as he approached with a few parents of those who were lost
"What's happened?" Rultherhuskton asked as the man had two other parents holding torches near him for vigil of the fallen
"This was as much and all we'd could find of our son" Sebastiano's father showed him the ripped, tattered and bloodied crusader armor that he wore in the Attack on Bran Castle. "He sacrificed his life for yours, but there is no body of him or those who survived"
Left in mourning Rultherhuskton left with Xiuhcoyota back to their household that all started with a bedouin tent but became so much more with the expansion of their son's interest, he looked over to the hill where he found Khantreijan galloping back to them. Informing him of their son's fate along with the others, Rultherhuskton and Xiuhcoyota wondered where he is if his body was not found; but most importantly who was responsible for this
But suddenly in a last minute bang of the conscious, one name was spoken out in his words as he could confirm that the man whom he stopped from killing more innocent lives with a help of his wife was still out there; still searching for the lost city of gold that had not been left to die and bite the dust. Rultherhuskton spitefully spat out venomously in his mind: "Cortés..!" Weather or not it was him who was responsible, it makes no difference to him as he entered with his wife to retire for the night
Tiburonkolt held onto the sunflower for the rest of the night when he was kicked hard at the back of his head. "Quit sleeping, you've got enough of beauty left for tonight at the markets" The main trader told him and laughed, as he tried to lunge for the sunflower but blew out of his hands when he got a grip; slipping through his fingers
He stood back up and watched the sunflower fly off in the wind in this surrounding canyon he was in, he could see a mountain in the distance that resembled the one from Caanan; there is nowhere in sight a sea that he could come to in order to spot his homeland at to be found. He couldn't even stop himself from shedding a tear of narrowed anger from his eyes, he came to this point in time where he wanted this to end when he hasn't even begun. Nevertheless he went onward with the slave traders while the second one stood next to him, having a cloak to wrap around him when the cold started to kick in; taking out a spare cloak for himself to wear like a cape. Leaving the burning wisp of smoldering, crackling smoke to dissipate into the line of dunes on either side
The morning was coming forth this way as the skies turned red above while purple toward an distant wave of dunes that came on their path, the white sun in the skies was rising above his spinal cord's three halfway segments. Bathing him in the warm bolstering air, he had gained a darker tan that inflated the warm Middle Eastern undertone and boosted the brownish side of him from exposure to the sun. He guessed that he's finally here in Egypt at last since there was no doubt about it in his mind that he's bound to see the familiar architecture from that of which he knows thanks to his father who taught him in Auditore
Having his head down the entire time he slowly raised it in the bright and pure blue skies, he was covered in the shade that he needed awhile back but didn't get; where the hell was he? Upon looking forward in front of them he saw the settlement at last, from this point of view after entering the tall gateway of the white wall; he could best say that he's in Cairo with an number of elements mostly taken from Memphis because after all it's next to the Pyramids of Giza at the western end of the royal palace. Various temples stood with statues from the pantheon watching over the newcomers of both the old and the new, the entrance into the city however was lined up with statues of sphinxes, ram headed criosphinxes and who could forget the avian headed hieracosphinxes. It's people all had red, olive like him, yellow, tan, brown and black skin tones as this was in Africa but there was no one who was remotely and close to being white as they don't seem to like the idea of whitewashing around here. Still it had plenty of palm trees, green fields and tons of square shaped buildings for the cities while having stout trapezoid shaped palaces to temples; all of which were not without it's forward skysplitting obelisks, nor without it's engraved hieroglyphics telling stories and splashes of various colors to describe the pictures that foretold what the imagination told of them. Pillars were there as well taken from Greece, but so were the number of khufu octremes ships and a number of solar barges that were coming back to be restocked and sell the resources that are much needed from them. He could only think about what slaves would have to do here
Looking at just about everything from the statues of the gods overlooking them all to both of the men and women alike working on the scaffoldings, the shining of the sun had him look at the others in the distance working on top of the white walls they called it before being taken through the gate that led into the marketplace. Some merchants tried to sell some things for the traders but were brushed off coldly when the main one came to ask: "Where's the slave market?" His response was met immediately when Tiburonkolt looked to see a jeweler and her offer to the couple, exquisite it was indeed
"Down at the docks near the ships" He was told as Tiburonkolt was taken exactly to that place at the bay where he saw many men struggle in hoisting the sails, he even took a line of rope from the man and pulled as he walked away; not slipping out until it was fully hoisted. Being thanked in return the slave trader only told him this directly
"You're not helping them with their jobs now pay attention, we're nearly there so I don't have to deal with you any longer" The main slave trader told him, only to be spat in the eye by his mucus instead
Tiburonkolt continued to watch the other slaves be brought down the board and unloaded all of them to the main block above to be auctioned off, he was not going there with them he is told but instead he was going to get in line with the others in front of him. He approached the one who drew the numbers for the sale. "I'm next" The main slave trader told him
"What do we have?" The manager asked
"Auditore of Italy" The main slave trader told him
"How much?" He asked
"Thirty pieces" He responded
The manager of the slave trading system in Egypt drew the hieroglyphics on the board before he was hunched over, placing the board on him before taking him to the line of others; and as such he shoved him into the middle. "Get in line bitch, you're gonna be someone else's now"
He did not speak once to the others standing near him but they did look at him with his head down, hair covering his face when one of the customers came over. Wearing a golden lined shendyt, white shemagh, golden wrist cuffs and a white tunic; he came to check him out as he examined him. "Now let's have a look at him, let me see his age" Taking him by the jaw he saw some unusually sharpened fangs on the sides with a youthful looking stature, checking out his muscles and looking at his chest. "Bagh! He's too young and greasy for my tastes, now this one is more like it" He rejected him before checking out the man next to him, turning him around to see the series of scars on his back
Tiburonkolt was angrily offended that he wanted someone who was bigger and who was less buff looking thanks to the trial and errors that he went through in the past than him, he simply growled to himself. Listening to the bald man who was wearing gold wristcuffs, a blue lined white shendyt and a lightly tan African servant to the Pharaoh about his situation to the main slave trader. "Captain of the Guard needs an slave for his household to handle the load of work, we do not have enough in hand to provide the best example of one to the others" His voice was common of that of Kevin Michael Richardson but it was fitting for someone like him, so the main slave trader suggested to him
"I have just the right one for you if it's the Pharaoh you're providing a example to" He brought him over to Tiburonkolt who read the board on his chest
"Thirty pieces of shena..." Checking out his look and seeing the youth in him for someone of his age he nodded to himself and ensured that he made the right choice. "He's healthy for the job, Captain!" He called as Paaurathos turned to face the slave that he showed to him, nodding to the servant accompanying him to the markets along with two guards
"He'll do" He confirmed his purchase as the royal servant looked at his hair and beard, seeing how there's bound to be some lice lurking around causing deaths of people like him; slowly he nodded to him
"Huegh... looks like we've got some work to do here"
With their new prisoner of war turned slave in hand taking him back to the royal palace that was the household he spoke of, the royal servant brought him to the shaving chamber that all must enter to avoid the lice that's been infecting their natural grown hair and killing men like him; it's not bad nowadays but it's a serious time and part of life in Egypt. Tiburonkolt looked at the image that showed a bald Egyptian and went in willingly, placing his arms up against the wall as he told him. "Over there up against the wall" Turning around he was splashed with water while the servant stripped him of his red cloth shendyt, his tomahawk being taken out beforehand and being thrown to feed the fires in the pit
Stripped down naked he was blinded with powder and wrapped around with a golden lined shendyt on the back of his waist, turned around before the second servant along with him got up close to start cutting his hair down to a reasonable level so that no lice can hide and infect everyone else. "Pharaoh's law I'm afraid, we can't have lice even from a foreigner like you. Hold still" The royal servant told him as he applied the kohl on his eyes. "You're done" He smacked him on the back
"He's ready for work" The second servant told him as Tiburonkolt came out and looked at himself in the water, he had never been more spiteful towards the events that transpired. The image was rippled when the bucket was dropped on it's surface, being thrown a towel that he caught and flung over his shoulder. "Not for your body, it's for the floor" Turning to growl at him he left upstairs to the courtyard above
At the courtyard where there was a line of pillars on both sides that connected at the middle of the two inch outward rectangular shape jutting outward along with a stack of stairs behind him, Tiburonkolt was hard at work cleaning the floors with no one but himself alone. That is not to say that he got a twisted cramp that sent a shock of pain up his arm, his palms were red as he smacked the towel away from him which splattered the water across the tiled floor
He clearly had enough of this and found a halberd that was left behind by a guard downstairs, as he took it back with him above the steps. He removed the blade by sliding it off the end and flipped the towel over his shoulder to relief himself of the grease that soaked him through a long travel here to this vast desert land. Taking a sponge for himself instead he stuck the now bladeless stave to create a mop, aggressively working to cover each and every part of the tile floor. He was so caught up that he did not see Paarauthos and his wife Hquet approach until he was called for
"You there" Paarauthos wore gold lined headcloth that resembled a nemes though there are no stripes, with a white tunic and a blue lined shendyt along with sandals as he too had gold cuffs with a half-circular bib like accessory around his collarbone. His wife on the other hand liked to stand out the most to him in order to attract his attention, though that didn't work as Tiburonkolt looked up. He still wore his jackal sandals that now fully resemble them like his ancestor years later though so he's not entirely naked at least. "Did you clean this courtyard all by yourself?"
"Just appeasing the Captain, wherever he is" Tiburonkolt didn't pay a lot of attention to who Paarauthos was though his tone told him that he hated this, so he had to explain it up front
"That would be me, suppose the heat's driving you insane; it drives us all insane really but it's something that we don't seem to mind anymore these days" Paarauthos informed and even told him about how they deal with it
"He's a hard worker for an artist you wanted, hmm... you better put him to use at the banquet hall" His wife Hquet suggested
"My wife believes you should work for her in the banquet hall for today to get familiar with all the new surroundings, what say you?" Paarauthos asked him
"Independence is for those of importance to the Pharaoh, if there's a food fight that erupted I will not hesitate to deal with mess that's been made while the offenders are punished" He stood up from his kneeling stance and inserted the mop in the bucket
"You've been taught well, and it's no food fight that erupted but it sure looks chaotic from the way I passed on our way to the courtyard" Paarauthos turned to the fan bearer. "Find him some new clothes and someone to finish the job here" He then left while his wife remained having gained an interest in him, she was known for her unfaithful infidelities but
"Yes, my lord" The fan bearer replied to him as Hquet took a sniff of that grease like smell
"I have water from the Nile that can make you feel closer to the gods" Hquet told him
"You like something in return for that kindness, lady...-"
"Hquet, the wife of Paarauthos; don't strain yourself on the first day"
Tiburonkolt got himself ready for the next job that waited for him at the banquet hall, seems like he could learn a few things from Egypt
Paarauthos was right as the banquet hall was in chaos, Hquet's niece's fat black cat adorned in a necklace with cuffs and a dark grey primordial pouch underbelly along with tan markings on his eyes and a thick ringed tail seemed to be all feisty. Must be from the fairies that's riding him it seems, you can't see them but it's clear that they're the reason for causing a ruckus. As the other women tried in their best to calm him down, the cat was too crazed to respond; not even Hquet's niece could try to calm him. At least not until Tiburonkolt was in the kitchens as he carried the food over to the table, but the cat startled him enough to make him fall over on his face spilling the food onto the floor; quickly recovering to sweep it off the floor while also dusting and washing it so no Egyptian here can be poisoned by that accident. Best he not tell Hquet or the chefs what happened
The other women were too occupied to notice him entering but what he did notice was a jug of milk that was dripping, pouring it in a thin bowl he lured him over and stroked his back; as the cat took a liking to him immediately. Purring before he leapt up onto his ear to suck on it while caressing his claws down his neck in a obliviously painful matter, looks like he's been weaned too early because back at Auditore he had a goatling that sucked on his ear; it didn't caress his neck so painfully though. Hquet's niece approached him as he held him in both of his arms
"He seems to like you" Handing her back her cat, he laid against her upper shoulder
"Come my travels to India and I'll learn how to tame animals like him so easily, but I'm more into owning a hyena just to be fair with you" Tiburonkolt stated
"Hmm... I haven't seen you around here before" She stated
"New servant to Paarauthos, nationality is Italian if it hadn't been stated before"
"No wonder there's been talk about a oliveskin slave around here"
"First time we've met so I can't call you out for calling me an Italian's equivalent to redskin"
"Firenze?" She guessed judging by the natural tan color of his skin, having knowledge of an few Italian countries outside in Europe
"Auditore" He corrected her. "Consider it a mixed berry of beauty thanks to elements from Firenze as I prefer to call it rather than Florence and Monteriggioni before it fell to a siege all being absorbed to make the greatest flavor of all time for Lady Italia"
"Zahar!" Hquet called for her niece
"Coming, Aunt Hquet; farewell" She bid her goodbye to him while Tiburonkolt nodded
The two parted their ways for the time being as he went to fix everything on the table though the women came over to tell him. "We'll take care of this mess"
"Just thought I spare women the cursed role of having to clean up after men so you can do what you wish to do on your mind" Tiburonkolt assured them having recognized this as one of the stereotypes seen from the Auditorian brothel
"We've been trying to calm him down for awhile now, it's fine"
Tiburonkolt nodded as he left the banquet hall afterwards, the rest of the food having been delivered for tonight's dinner as the next thing that was known; he was painting not what he chooses freely but what he was tasked with in his time in the Pharaoh's Royal Palace. There's been a number of paintings that he was given to fulfill what was desired and he did them all well, in fact that was his main role and reason he was taken by him; he was the artist for the Captain of the Guard. Painting what is demanded and not what his chosen by him freely and though he hates being restricted on what he imagines, he's gaining better work for it as it is being loosened over the weeks; still this is his first day so it's going to be hard for him
The call of a white stallion outside did nothing to deter his attention from painting the upper sash of the room above that he was in, creating a pattern of hieroglyphics that would match up to the existing patterns of the other sides. That was when he was called down by Hquet who requested him. "Auditorian, I'm waiting" Without a word he came down the stairs and wiped away the last of the colored ink on him, now wearing what Paarauthos was wearing with the cloth in the middle of him overlaid above the blue colored cloth of his shendyt; taking a fan to cover Hquet from the sun and the flies that bothered her
Both Tiburonkolt and Hquet looked at the Captain and his new white stallion that he loved as she was a beauty. "What a magnificent stallion, fast and endurable; built for speed as well" She noted as her slave watched on with wonder, leaning his arm in place to keep her in the shade he provided. "You're quite the multi-tasker aren't you?" She commented on him
"I was just reminded of my own black stallion, Khantreijan. He and I have been on countless rides with him since I was a pup who loved nothing more than my homeland, he ran away to god fuckin' knows where. lui mi manca così tanto (I miss my horse)" Tiburonkolt told her, muttering at the end
"What was that?" She turned to him overhearing the last part
"I miss my stallion, he and my father have been through everything prior to meeting my Aztecan mother; saving her people so they can live another day" Tiburonkolt explained, he wondered if Khantreijan returned home to gather help from his two parents; though first he had to lead them here if he had a idea of where he was
Riding around the secluded oasis walled off by white stone the Captain stopped in his tracks, with the horse trader coming over to ask him. "What do you think?"
"You're right, I haven't seen a much finer horse in Egypt. She's all that you promised"
"Wait 'til you see mine" Tiburonkolt muttered, this time not being heard by Hquet
"Oh yes I'm glad the Captain of the Guard is pleased, as such there is one last practice left"
"As agreed upon, the pieces of shena should cover the costs" Paarauthos brought out the bag and weighed it on the scales, though there seemed to be a problem. Tiburonkolt caught onto this as the horse trader mentioned the exact price of his new horse
"A little light it seems, forgive me for you are a busy man; but I think we're missing a few more pieces. Anyone can make a mistake after all"
"I was assured I brought the right amount"
Adding extra to the scales it now weighed above as the horse was purchased, sealing their deal at last. "She's yours, the Pharaoh himself 'ought to be jealous of her" Tiburonkolt knew that too well as he stabbed the fan into the ground behind Hquet, checking the scales as he called over the Captain; wanting to show him something that would surely make a fool out of himself. Removing both items on the scales to show that they're fixed in place to have him pay extra
"Looks like a fool's been made out of you, best come to see this" He added a weight on one end and it evenly balanced itself, now the horse trader's in deep shit. "Now you're in merda profonda (deep shit) for betraying the trust of the Captain of the Guard for a little more silver pieces of shena"
"Captain I was not aware of this, I swear" The horse trader tried defending himself
"Of course not, you're a busy man and anyone can make a mistake. Unlike mine, it's your mistake that has costed you both your freedom and a death sentence in the next month" Paarauthos recalled from him and told him of his sealed fate
"Please, take the stallion as a gift from me!" The horse trader begged for his life
"Take him away" He ordered his men as the horse trader was taken out of his sight to be thrown into prison, and in the next month executed because the Pharaoh don't fuck around here in Egypt
"Please I have a dozen more horses, take them; take anything, please!" That was the last he heard as Paarauthos took back his bag of shena, upset that he's been made a fool out of
"Paarauthos, you should keep it; you did say it was the finest horse in all of Egypt" Hquet tried to persuade him
"Own a horse taken from a thief, what good does that say about the honor I have?" Paarauthos asked her
"Oh you and your honor"
"I may not have Khantreijan by my side Captain, but I want to have you ride him if I ever leave Egypt as a man freed from this bondage. He too is a good horse, finest one in Auditore and for me all of Italy alike" Tiburonkolt suggested. "And I always have a story ready for when you're asked about the horse you liked"
"Hmph. You've done well to save face from others including my wife, tell me; I've never gotten your name before" Paarauthos asked him as Tiburonkolt looked up, no one has asked him of his name for a long time according to him; it's as if he's forgotten himself
"Tiburonkolt Xhuskalthazudtaϊre (Shusk-Kaul-Zuda-Tair-Rae) di Auditore, I am also of Aztec nationality to coincide with my Italian origin" He introduced himself
"Tiburonkolt... you're a well educated slave, who taught you?" Paarauthos complimented
"My father Rultherhuskton of Auditore and my mother Xiuhcoyota of the New World" He explained
"They taught you more than well, tell me what else they taught you"
"I'm able to read and write Egyptian hieroglyphics along with an assortment of languages like Chinese, Russian, French and the like"
Heading back inside he got ready for his next task that involved the two doors that stood right in front of him, this felt like the start of a new friendship between a slave and his master
Opening the doors Paarauthos showed him the armory which was used as storage, there was a lot of objects inside as there didn't appear to be any time taken to sort them out. "Seems you've made quite the mess, at least I can envision what I see without being restricted on my imagination; so let's get started"
"Never lift with your back if you wish for the strain to kill you" Paarauthos joked with him, leaving him for the time being as Tiburonkolt looked at the mess before him and nodded to himself. Time to get down and dirty for this one as he'll be sweating with the air that runs through him
Checking out the scene before him he visualized what he saw before him, wanting to grasp an image of the finished product; once he had a clear idea on where he wanted these objects and set his mind on the look that he had thought of. Thus he started out by removing that of which he can carry outside the armory and now what he can't do by himself without the aid of others at his side, taking a look at the space that there was inside. So he went back in and did the first step by lining up the six vases on each side, putting the next three of them from smallest on the top to largest on the bottom in a order that can be put away easily
Taking cluster of staves into one hand before putting them inside the first of each vase next to the shelves, leaving the rest for the others to decide what to use them for. He lifted the golden statue of Anubis that looked down on him with his blessings and took the three desks, moving them to the sides of the main entrance; while he sorted out the rectangular shaped boxes that had the statues of tribute for the gods into a more comfortable position. Lifting the head of the bronze bull from Greece on his shoulders, he hooked it up onto the middle center while crossing the two fans underneath
He took care of the hardest jobs here so now all there was is the easiest of them all which was a number of boards to hang up on the walls, lifting the number of melee weapons like khopeshes to eplison axes and nakhtuaa shields all onto the boards while chaining a trio of halberds to fall on the intruders if they try to steal from the Pharaoh's guards. All they had to do was pull on the triangular shaped ring and activate the traps as though there would not be someone so stupid to attempt to steal from their ruler of the upper and lower regions of Egypt, Tiburonkolt wanted the Pharaoh to always be prepared for whoever came to infiltrate his palace. Afterwards there was one last job as that was to light up the dark room and provide some atmosphere here, and once that was done; so was he as Tiburonkolt waited outside the room. Not seeing Hquet come down to talk to him but got away as soon as Paarauthos came back to see the progress
"Done already?"
"Hardest jobs taken care of first, the rest fall without a challenge"
"Really? Let's have and take a look"
Paarauthos entered inside the dark armory illuminating the red walls with a golden light of the fires that were lit into lanterns to prevent embers from setting the vulnerable objects ablaze in a inferno. He was impressed though Tiburonkolt had to warn him of the traps installed in case of infiltrators that would arrive, so he had a chain lever to pull and activate them; including the falling halberds that were near the racks of weapons. "Well done, Tiburonkolt; there's been a problem with our fruit outside in the gardens, hope you're up to the task" He nodded and ran out of the palace, turning in the hall and coming outside
The gardens were in peril as the fruit were dried up not from the sun but from the crows that've been snacking on them, the roots were strong but the branches and leaves were dying out due to the crows that have been flying in taking this as their free estate. This murder of crows was like a group of freeloaders that if they ain't doing their share of the work, neither is he; but he's got an idea of what to do. Let this be a lesson towards the black birds that come to starve these Egyptians of their vitamins of the gods
Returning back to the armory with no sign of Paarauthos nearby he took a number of staves along the heads of the gods before coming back out here to put them all on the top. From Anubis, Apis, Bastet, Horus, Khnum, Ra, Seth, Sobek, Thoth, Osiris to Hathor, Isis and Khepri; the crows looked at the bush that shook before the first scarecrow is put up to frighten them off. The other scrap iron scarecrows were set into place around for the gardens to be protected by the pantheon, let's see the crows try to come near this place now
The scrap iron scarecrows of the pantheon kept the crows at bay as he who was now the chief slave of the others along with the rest of the slaves were able to provide the freshest of them all, getting a good bounty of them at the turn of the orange golden afternoon. Paarathuos had come upon his horse that he kept thanks to the cover up story Tiburonkolt provided so he can save face from those who wondered where he got one from. Seeing how the crows didn't dare to come near these gardens again, it looked like he got just what he wanted for him; taking an drink from the barrel keg that was built the two of them shared a good year together all thanks to him and to the friends he made
"For the good year thanks to all of you, especially your new friends" Paarauthos pointed out to the scarecrows fashioned after the pantheon, both him and Tiburonkolt were becoming less like a slave and his master to more like friends; he wanted it to stay like that for as long as he can please him
However, things would become sour when after one night because of how Hquet was known for her infidelities and unfaithfulness towards her husband; she's taken quite a interest in Tiburonkolt but for him he had only one woman that he loved and her name was Barbara the Barbarian
Before that happened though, there was a few moments that Paarauthos sent him out into the markets to get while he was occupied with other matters of the moment; one of these was an Aank that was needed for a temple dedicated to Anubis which he used the shena to buy
The other was for an anniversary that involved a gift for Hquet, she's had her mind set on but due to the circumstances he has not been able to reach above the demands that were asked to be met for purchasing the gift. So he went to see what was wrong and found out that the merchant is facing a foreclosure threat under someone who was from Persia, getting himself involved into these matters he asked him what happened. Hearing his story and seeing that the Persian was not important looking due to appearing like a everyday man, he told him that whatever he was using against him is a empty threat that he can't follow up on
At least not since the conquistadors that arrested and sent him here to live out his youth as a slave to them. As a sign of gratitude in this boost of confidence, he let him choose whichever item he wanted and that was the gift for the Captain's wife; a excellent choice he mentioned and she loved it by the time he came back for Paarauthos from the markets, explaining his story in a simple matter and leaving him to let him embrace the love of his wife. All seemed to be nice and well, but Hquet was gonna spoil all that fun of his
That's not to mention that his life in Egypt was merciful as he's been painting without freedom to choose what he desires but what he is given a task to, never been the man to back down as he returned to the halls where he painted on the walls. He wanted to be alone with himself as such, but Hquet's not the hearing type to understand a slave's demands; since this is a violation of the statement he made awhile back which was and he states: Independence was for those of importance toward the Pharaoh, and he was not one of them
Nevertheless he was the chief slave of the Pharaoh's Captain of the Guard so there's no reason to say something like that, he's proven himself to be an artist alright so she can at least have an moment to talk with him. After all she's looking for so much more than his love, she was never satisfied with the things she has and was seeking out a little more shena to fulfill her pet peeve that was greed itself. It's not bothersome, she just thinks that it wouldn't be fair to not sell these pieces of artwork at the markets of course. Even if this means putting a dent in the relationship between him and her husband
Late in the following night at Egypt one light remained lit as Tiburonkolt dipped his brush into the pot he held in one hand, stroking it across the missed spot on the wall which was revealed to be a sunflower among the roses. The entire image itself was of his homeland, the castle and stronghold built walls was Auditore which was the second largest settlement only dwarfed by Rome where the once great empire was no longer standing there; they have fallen a century in the time just before the Vikings arrived and the first ever strike took place with a raid. There's a number of things that made it recognizable to him, he stood as the single born son while there was his father who worked on his anvil in the forge that he spent his time with and sparred with his mother in the other side
Both parents trained him to be the greatest while also showing off his various weapons for the fair that came to fulfill the demands of mercenaries everywhere, a second image depicted what he believed was El Dorado itself according to the descriptions of his father as though he was never shown this lost city before; he has been told stories about it though never thought that he would come to enter the place because the main exit was sealed off by the two heroes who were worshipped as gods. Every time he hears that story he can't begin to imagine what became of the two heroes at the end because though they lost their treasure, they can begin a new and exciting adventure that was the real treasure in the end
Oh how he missed them both so much, he couldn't begin to live this life without seeing them for this long; because he lost his sense for time on the Caravel flagship as a prisoner of war, he had no idea what they looked like now. His mother Xiuhcoyota must be dead like Rachel after Joseph was sold off here, his time along with his ancestor Moses had ended but Egypt ruled on with it's philosophies and lifestyle as if it did not change in the slightest. Tiburonkolt imaged the drawing coming to life on the red stone wall as the sun shined down while he worked back at his desk, studying like a scholar with his father working in the forge and his mother sparring on the target. The two embraced each other while he rode upon Khantreijan to Auditore, exploring the entire city itself before coming back home for dinner that they shared as a family; that was when the unexpected arrival from behind took him out of his thoughts
"Tiburonkolt" Hquet asked him while he came out of his thoughts
"There's something wrong isn't it" Tiburonkolt felt like he hated where this was going as Hquet approached the paintings that were foreign to her
"No there's nothing wrong, it's this land you've drawn; this is where you've grown up in?" Hquet asked as she came over
"Auditore" He revealed to her
"There's so much I've heard you speak highly about, but I've never seen such beauty of a land before. Tell me what it was like there, so much mystery surrounds this place" Hquet sounded as if she was seducing him
"The sunflowers of my mother Xiuhcoyota had tended to when I was a toddler, this swordsman was my father Rultherhuskton; a blacksmith who came from his own forge in a place that was called Queensbroad Bay, Jamaica in the Caribbean. This stronghold castle of a city is Auditore, built off elements from Firenze and Monteriggioni; this black stallion is my horse Khantreijan and this place... is" Tiburonkolt explained softly with hints of loneliness, looking at his depiction of the lost city that he remembered hearing but didn't understand what that conquistador was talking about due to focusing on other matters at the time
"You miss them don't you?" She asked him
"El Dorado, I along with the late Sebastiano di Tuscany were sent to our deaths in a vain suicide mission that took the life of the Transylvanian ruler Vlad Tepes III. He sacrificed himself to lead me to the throne room and defend Bran Castle from the Ottomans, I was too late to save either of them and I slayed the rest in a fury of anger. I've been arrested by the conquistadors and sold off by the slave traders where I tried to kill their leader for my freedom, but I was reckless and didn't take him on by thinking things through. I travelled endlessly all over Africa and carried a sunflower with me until it was blown away by the wind when we were nearly there, reminder of home was lost before we arrived here that fateful day. We were set up, the Ottomans played us like a violin...! But the Spaniards were involved behind this suicide mission" Tiburonkolt growled at the end of his explanation
"Tiburonkolt, we're your family here now; we care for you here. We... I feel that you are special and with this artwork that you can tell a story out of unlike the other artists here in Egypt, why leave it here in the royal palace? You can create so much more and earn your freedom with just enough shena to buy your old family a place here to stay in" Hquet was fully onto him
"Was there a reason you've come to me tonight?" Tiburonkolt asked
"To be with you, to give you a feeling that can thaw out those thoughts of being doomed to live as a slave for the rest of your youth" Hquet made it clear to him but was rejected as Tiburonkolt expressed his loyalty to a woman who was his mentor at the academy of swordsmanship
"Hquet I have a woman not back home but in a different place in the Archipelago, her name is Barbara and though you act like a mother here I cannot betray the love of someone we agreed to meet up again once we're older" He explained but the wife of the Captain didn't appear to be pleased
"Tiburonkolt look at me" She ordered
"No, I drew these paintings at the command of your husband. My loyalty has been earned from the hardwork I do for him since I first exposed that horse trader as a thief, he has shown me an kindness that no one in Cuba could give to the other men on board the Caravel flagship toward other prisoners of war like me" Tiburonkolt refused her advances
"I'm talking to you-" She was interrupted
"I will not betray the trust of the Captain as his artist who draws not what he chooses of a free spirit he has been stripped of by selling my art on the black markets to fullfil your avarice, there is too many privileges I earned from him to be stripped of"
"Wait! I order you to stop" Hquet took him by the half chest exposing toga like tunic before fully ripping it off of him exposing his entire body. "Submit to me that your artwork is valuable to the higher class civilians like me, you will face a serious punishment for this if you do not" Resorting to threatening him, he only turned back from her
"The only thing that is high class is this act of blackmail born from your greed, I may be a slave but I am not a traitor to the Captain himself; I will not betray his trust he has given into me" He remained stubborn
"Everything that you are, you owe this to me!"
"It is over Hquet, I owe you nothing!"
Tiburonkolt ran out of the chamber as he disappeared greased in garlic scented sweat that he is always finding himself to be showered in from even the slightest breeze of hot air, Hquet had followed up with her threat to him and let out a horrified scream; the guards came to her aid as he was apprehanded afterwards. The guards brought him from behind and threw him down to the floor as he met with the Captain himself
Paarauthos had heard the pleads of his wife and faced away from the chief slave he thought he could have a friend in, disappointed that it had come down to this because he was one shaping up to becoming a good friend before this had to happen. He hated his next decision as well for that matter but he decided to take it up with him, his tone infused with fury and for the fact he hated lying from those he first met
"You stood apart as a lone worker from the other slaves, I had you work here in my household of the Pharaoh; I had kept you from hard labor and have done all tasks well, even for the most simplest tasks like being sent to the marketplace for an anniversary gift. You've done all that in the following days that passed, gotten familiar with the layout of my home and with your style of working the others are following your example with areas that need cleaning. You did well for me... or so I thought" Paarauthos turned half of his face towards him
"Captain" Not once did he ever refer him as master
"No other slave was ever given this opportunity, I gave you my trust in the end... what have you tried to keep out of my knowledge; what else is there are you not telling me?" Paarauthos demanded from him
"I warned Hquet about trying to have me sell my artwork on the black market and seduce me, I know now that the rumors of the woman you thought you loved were true; she is unfaithful as she is unsatisfied with the things she does not have and not what she has herself. I am not the conquistador that led that conquest against my mother's people, and neither am I the rapist she pleads. I am loyal to one woman and that is Barbara, I have done you no wrong!" Tiburonkolt defended himself
"Still you insult me with denials when the evidence is presented before you!" Paarauthos came over to reveal his wife on the bed, horrified under the rapist that she pleaded as tear streaks from the kohl applied to her eyes were formed. "What fool of I is to make of this?" She was tended to the other women who tried to calm her of the worries that haunt her
"Her sorrow is nothing but the false tears of Sobek, you know nothing of the events that went on in that chamber! I have told her everything she needed to know of my loyalty towards you, a trust in me that I hold over the freedom that I seek from the life of a slave; her history of faith in you is questionable as there are other witnesses who were forced to seal their lips in fear of an death sentence by the highest authority"
"Insolence! Am I to believe a slave over my own wife?!" He held his wife caringly to soothe her of the unwanted lust that she believed he was trying to slake for himself
"I did nothing to betray the favor you cast over the others, and I told you before that there is no woman here in Egypt that I love over the one I grew to bond with in an Norse region on the far western side of Africa!" Tiburonkolt remained firm with his defense but Paarauthos had enough of this
"Silence! For this act of injustice against the man who has authority over all slaves of this house, you must be executed and put to death..." Paarauthos stated as he loomed over him while his slave only growled angrily, the guards who held their halberds readied their weapons. "Kill him" He coldly ordered with a hint of remorse
"If you want to hear the truth, open up your ass to the unfaithful history of your wife that she's been hiding behind your back for years; if not then hear out the witnesses who kept this secret from you!" Tiburonkolt's voice became gutteral, snarlish and husky as his angered expression stood while the guards spun their halberds and spears to impale him; he was then stabbed by two spears and slashed with their halberds against his lower gut deeply but not enough so he can die slowly. Hquet witnessed this as blood stained their tipped blades and knew that at the cost of her marriage to the Captain, she had to reveal her lecherous history
"No! Stop them, he doesn't deserve to be executed..." She saw nothing but innocence in the teen that was bleeding profusely, holding his gut while his throat was held back by the guard's right arm
"Explain..." He demanded wanting to know this sudden change of heart towards the rapist that was going to slowly die from blood loss
"Ask the witnesses who were present in your absences, and hear me out in this bedroom for the truth I tell" Hquet told him as Paarauthos looked at her for a few moments before softening up on his coldness
"I understand" Turning to face the narrowed eye Tiburonkolt whose face was stained with his own blood, he only turned away as though he has his trust in him; he can't risk his honor to the Pharaoh for the sake of his own wife. "How could I be cursed to be made into a fool by the gods above? Take him out of my sight and into prison, I know everything now but... I don't want to admit my error in front of those who still respect me for being married to a loved one whose true colors have been made clear" Paarauthos calmly told the guards while muttering the first part to himself, still appearing cold but now remorseful to his friend
"Captain, no! Hey believe me! I did you no wrong Paarauthos!" Tiburonkolt was taken out of his sight as he looked back at him, turning back as his wife approached
Paarauthos was through with the lies of Hquet and threw his nemes like headdress down onto the floor, sitting on the far end of the bed with his head in his hands; he had just killed his chief slave that he grew close to in the time he spent with him. Rejecting his wife's touch from him she only looked down on herself for her greed and lust for the man he bonded with, the only thing he would tell her is: "Start from the beginning of how this happened when I first left on request of the Pharaoh" As result from the beginning to the end of her history of infidelities, he divorced from her as punishment
The prison director led him through the long tunneled hall where the was light at end and with a locked door that he started to open. "Get your hands off of me, I'm not going anywhere and I am not going to be handled by a sun baked tightass pig of high cholesterol!" Tiburonkolt fought with him before throwing him in and kicking him in the ass to send him flying towards the main center of the prison, illuminated by the golden fire light before it was slammed shut and closed tightly so he cannot leave
The entire cell was made of the same red canyon rock with a rectangular hole dug in the left of the room and a wide amount of space to grow a tree inside, there was also a stone flattbed for two along with a ramp that led up higher towards the grate on top. The hole in the center was dug down by two steps and was being filled by a puddle of blood that was pouring out from his skin, this time he was for sure going to die as he passed out from the loss of blood; yawning one last time until he fell silent for the rest of the night
Little did he know that the Aztec medallion that he wore around his neck which he refused to let go no matter how much strength they had to pry from his hands in vain was keeping him out of the hands of death, but this was not a miracle in fact; this was something that's worse and it was the reason that he was still alive rather than dead from that suicide mission at Bran Castle
There is more that's connected to the Aztecs than he could know from his mother who held the knowledge he sought out, and when he awakens the next morning he will continue his painting that starts with a single outline to soothe his loneliness in Egypt...