Apep and the Sacred Scrolls of Duat.
Chapter 1: A Stirring in the Underworld.
In the middle of an ancient desert, amidst the shifting sands and the shimmering air lay a large settlement of hundreds of small houses with interweaving canopies of coloured fabric to block out the sun. There was lush, green plant life and a large, life giving river of purest blue to match the sky. In the centre of the settlement stood the proud palace of the King, begun by an avenue of sphinxes and cornered by obelisks and grand states of gods and kings. The entirety of the settlement was encircled by an outer wall of dusty gold and it rivalled any mirage or dream of paradise granted by the gods.
This sacred land of Egypt was protected by the powerful Gods which were revered throughout the world, but on the horizon, darkness lurked. A darkness banished to the shadows by the Gods now slithered in the sacred sands of Duat on the borders of Pharaoh's kingdom. It threatened the souls of the dead with fear and eternal darkness. (*1)
It crawled out from the darkest region of hell and its poisoned, pointed teeth hissed forwards as it moved ever closer. Its scales were made of pure shadows and its eyes were pure black which brought the darkness with them wherever it went. A snake, a snake made from evil, designed to intimidate and to destroy and it was now, somehow free of its prison, free to wander the dunes of the desert, and free to gorge itself on the souls of the dead.
"Hold your ground! These foul beasts must not breach these sacred walls!" cried priest Seto, sacred guardian of Pharaoh's court.
He was stood at the far walls of the Egyptian capital with soldiers at the ready and his own shadow creature and ka, the almighty, Duos at his side ready to fight.
"Sir, mortal weapons are useless against this," one of the soldiers told him in fear.
"No matter what we do, we cannot win," another said.
"This evil does not belong here and it is our duty to defeat it," Seto narrowed his eyes and they snapped to attention once more.
In truth the holder of the Millennium rod was very worried. This was the fifth time the dark creatures had attempted to breach the walls of the city and each time, the snapping jaws of the serpents grew ever closer. The foul demon of the afterworld was not meant to touch the souls of the blessed, and for centuries it had not dared to try, but now something was wrong. Something had changed and it meant bad news for the souls residing in Pharaoh's kingdom.
Together with Spiria, Two Headed Jackal Warrior, Illusion Magician, Curse of Dragon, Dark Magician Girl and Black Luster Soldier, Seto's Duos watched with anticipation from separate vantage points, as the golden sand in the distance was polluted by the shadows, turning it into a blackened and withered dust, marring the landscape. It stirred up a strong wind which created a sandstorm, shaking the very foundations of the buildings and loudly rustling the leaves of the plants. It blew away the hanging, cotton canopies of the houses and showered dust across the land, making it difficult to see as it moved silently over the dunes and towards the walls of the sacred city.
Once it was within mere metres of the walls, the shadowed serpents reared in a terrify display of power, spitting up clumps of blacked sand and tossing the wind with their tails. They hissed and snarled at the people behind the walls and the thousands of black eyes all narrowed simultaneously in excitement.
"Duos, Aura Sword!" Priest Seto yelled. The shadow creature spread its large wings and took to the air as it raised the large sword in it hand. With a confident battle cry the creatures sword let out a burst of shining light against the shadowed serpents. It hit its target with a loud 'crack' like thunder, and the shadows screamed in pain and anger.
Around the city limits, Seto could see the other shadow creatures attacking also, and the serpents were soon inundated with attacks. The soldiers fired pointed arrows, flaming rubble, and long spears in retaliation while Black Luster Soldier and Illusion Magician attacked at the front lines side by side.
"Dark Magic Attack!" shouted the Dark Magician Girl as she flew quickly upwards to avoid being engulfed by serpents. Spiria flew forwards at once in a blur of white feathers as she formed a strong shield from her pale blue hands in front of the Dark Magician Girl. She saluted the winged female creature with a smile then continued her own attacks.
Meanwhile, Two Headed Jackal Warrior crashed over the sand below, barreling into the shadow serpents with its dual bladed axe and shield with loud battle cries of exhilaration. Karim's Curse of Dragon flew above it, setting alight any serpents that dared to threatened the ka of its master's friend, when suddenly, a serpent wrapped around one of its wings, brining it crashing to the ground. From his vantage point, Karim grimaced as he felt his creatures' pain as his own and he fell to his knee, breathing heavily.
"I call forth The Magician of Black Chaos!" the king yelled, "Chaos sceptre blast!" The tall, and mysterious Magician of Black Chaos floated down immediately from where it had appeared to aid the Curse of Dragon in its plight. It attacked using the dark sceptre it wielded and the serpents surrounding the Dragon were vanquished.
Slowly, piece by piece, the shadows were illuminated and the serpents were forced to retreat back over the desert leaving a wave of dark destruction of what was once pure golden sand in its wake. And the people rejoiced at the power of the king and his loyal guardians and celebrations immediately sprung up around the ancient capital; the magically enhanced walls of the city had not been breached...yet.
But the celebrations didn't extend to the great Pharaoh or his powerful guardians as they swiftly retreated deep into the city and back into the palace. They gathered immediately in the throne room regardless of their exhaustion.
Pharaoh Atemu sat in his throne with the sacred guardians stood around him; Mahad, Shada, Karim, Isis, and Seto all stood rigidly with concern as Mana leaned against one of the pillars. Shimon stood to the king's right with his hands clasped formally behind his back. The pervious number of six guardians had been one short for thousands of years; the soul of Pharaoh's uncle and sixth guardian had been confined to the pits of shadows by the Gods themselves and the Millennium eye lay deep underground in the impregnable vaults bellow the palace.
Pharaoh had entertained the idea of giving Mana guardianship of the item, but she needed years of hard training to master its power first, and now was not the time to begin such a rigorous training régime. Not when such a threat as this was looming so near.
"What news of the summons?" the king asked quickly.
A short while ago. He'd deemed it wise to send summons to as many neighbouring rulers as possible to consider an alliance to fight this evil, because, it wasn't just the souls of his people this demon was threatening. It had attacked and destroyed villages in Cannan, leaving its people to flee to Egyptian borders. He'd heard tell from travels and traders of the dark serpents feeding from the souls of the Hyksos and the Libyans. He'd heard tales of woe from the people of Punt and Kush, and from the farthest reaches; the Sea Peoples had been threatened as well.
Pharaoh Atemu ruled the Egyptian underworld and his people; the souls of the good who'd ever worked his land lived anew. It was powerfully guarded by snakes and gods who answered only to him to grant entry to the dead and each name of every soul was recorded in the magical scrolls of Duat.
"King Pahare and his Guardians from Punt answered immediately, Pharaoh," Karim answered, "They will arrive within the next few days." (*2)
"And the others? King Teresh of the Sea People?" Atemu asked eagerly.
"Reluctant," Seto said, "But they answered and they too will speak."
"The people of Kush are perhaps the most reluctant of all," Mahad sighed. "They will never agree to an alliance, or even a truce."
"To refuse would be to condemn his people to the darkness," Isis frowned.
"King Nasaten the nasty only cares about his pride," Mana said frankly.
"And this is why you are banned from speaking at court, Mana," Mahad sighed at his pupil.
"I'm the only one who says what you're all thinking," the young female magician pouted.
"Mana," the Pharaoh warned and she sighed but said no more and he turned once more to his loyal guardians, "The Hyksos - King Sehuqure is a resonable man, what of them?"
"They have chosen to retain the right of silence, my king," Shada answered gravely, "However, with their recent losses I don't doubt that we shall hear from them soon. With the history of our two countries it would be unwise to press the matter more than we already have."
"We don't have the time to waste on diplomacy," the king growled quietly in frustration. He clenched his fists in anger and turned to the wearer of the Millennium necklace, "Isis, what do you see?" he asked in a semblance of control.
Isis, the sole female Guardian of Pharaoh's court, and beautiful bearer of the Millennium necklace, held her hands around the sacred, golden eye of wedjet and closed her own eyes. The necklace began to emit a shining golden light as she spoke, "I see a blanket of shadows descending over all of Egypt...it is clouded and uncertain...but my king...I see great danger for us all...for you..."
"From whom?" Mahad asked her.
"I cannot see," she shook her head sadly, "He is hidden in the Pit of Fire by Apep." (*3)
"Where would it get the power to do this?" Karim asked.
"Perhaps from the souls of the damned," Shada suggested.
"But why do this now?" Shimon frowned.
"That's the mystery, isn't it?" Mana shrugged with confusion.
"We don't have the luxury of pondering mysteries," the Pharaoh said, "We need answers; no one is safe until we stop this."
"My Pharaoh you must be cautious," Isis began, "The serpent forever seeks the souls of kings to banish the light."
"I know," Atemu nodded, sitting forwards in his throne, "However, I will not hide from this menace, not while the souls of my people are in danger."
"What of the scrolls, Pharaoh?" Shimon asked suddenly.
"Names are disappearing," the king answered sadly, "The Sacred Scrolls are not meant to be tampered with, and yet someone is altering them."
"I thought no one was able to touch them anyway," Mana said.
"They can't," Shada told her confidently, "They are shielded from the touch of mortals. Only the gods and the Pharaoh may use them."
"If those scrolls are destroyed it will mean the end of every soul in Duat," Mahad added heavily.
"They cannot be destroyed," said Seto with his typical confidence.
Usually this confidence inspired a fond smile from the king, but now was the exception; this was not the time for brash confidence. Now was the time to find answers, and they wouldn't do that by being overconfident.
"They cannot be altered either," said the king, "But something is doing that as we speak."
"My king, I suggest we seek out the serpent and destroy it without delay, it has proven to have no respect for the palace or the Gods," Seto replied and Mahad sighed.
It was Seto's answer to every problem; 'seek and destroy.' Granted the priest had power and he could easily defend himself, but 'seek and destroy' was not the solution to every problem. Even in death the man hadn't yet learned that lesson. Mahad even wondered if the man could learn that at all.
"No," the Pharaoh replied quickly, "It's too dangerous, we need to first discover why this is happening; attacking without knowledge of our enemy could leave us vulnerable."
"But I..." Seto sighed, "...As you say, Pharaoh," he acquiesced.
"With each attack it gets closer to the city," Shimon thought aloud, "And our monsters cannot hold it back forever."
"We have already enforced the walls with powerful magic," Mahad said, meaning himself and the other magicians of the court, including the king himself.
"But the serpent has the same magnitude as a God," the king frowned, "...The same as Zorc..." he added with anger.
"The Dark One was defeated and destroyed, we will defeat this evil as well," Seto said; his version of an ancient pep-talk.
"I wish I had such confidence, my friend," Atemu smiled weakly.
"When one has too much of a good thing it can be a curse," Mahad raised an eyebrow.
"That is said by the people who have none," Seto smirked.
"Seto," the King cautioned. "We can't afford to bicker amongst ourselves; we need a strategy."
"My king," Mahad began in a much more respectful tone, "Please allow me to lead a group of my most skilled magicians into the desert from whence these serpents came in search of the source of their power."
"It could be a trap," Atemu frowned, "Outside of the city walls you will be very vulnerable."
"We will remain in sight of the city, I only suggest that we collect the blackened dust they left behind," the magician added, "It could contain traces of the magic from which they draw their power."
"The point still stands, Mahad," the king told him.
"With respect; we have few alternatives, Pharaoh."
"Very well," Atemu sighed, "Shada," he turned to the wearer of the Millennium key, "Will you consent to aid Mahad?"
"I will," the man bowed.
"Then I order you both to stay within sight from the city walls, and work as quickly as you can; so let it be written so let it be done," the king told them. Mahad and Shada nodded and bowed, then set off from the room with looks of purest determination to do right by their king.
Pharaoh Atemu's gaze never faulted from the retreating backs of his friends as they left the room and he heard Seto speak once more.
"Let us hope they do not disappoint," Seto said.
"Let us hope that the Gods are on their side," the Pharaoh corrected him sadly. He'd been saddened to learn that even in death his land was not allowed the peace that he, his father and his friends had sacrificed so much for. Indeed, his father, Aknamkanon, paid for it still with his very soul which remained sealed to keep the spirits from Kul-Elna at ease. Atemu had tried all in his power to free his beloved father, but he had failed, and he could never forgive himself for it. The former queen, Lady Meskhenet, bless her, never once blamed her son; but that did little to ease his conscience.
Like her husband and her son, she too possessed powerful magic and she was a fearsome warrior, she was also a healer, a poet and a scholar, but she loved nothing more than training in the art of the sword. When she told her son stories of how she and his father had trained together as children it brought up his guilt all over again; of course the stories weren't meant to raise his guilt so he tried not to let it show.
She, like her son, was also very worried about the attacks on their people, and she, like Atemu, had no idea what they should do. While Atemu continued in the throne room with the remaining guardians, and as Shada and Mahad started out with a group of magicians and guards, Meskhenet was sat in the palace archives alone. She read page after page of dusty old papyrus scrolls but still she was confused and vexed by this mystery.
Meskhenet sighed deeply and stretched out her slender and well-toned arms in exhaustion. She, unlike many women of fashion did not wear a crimped, black wig, instead her hair was real and long, it was mostly of black with fringes of gold and deep violet, which her husband had always 'blamed' for passing it onto their child. Her long hair draped over her dress of finest white cotton and her arms and fingers were shimmering with gold jewels which caught the sunlight beautifully.
But for now, she was not in the sunlight; she was sitting deep in the secure vaults under the palace reading the most sacred texts by lamp light and it was beginning to make her eyes ache. Meskhenet moved aside another unhelpful scroll across the desk with had long since been buried under the mountain of papyrus. It was time for a breath of fresh air, so, she stood from the desk and began to carefully secure the scrolls she had used back in their original positions.
"Guards," she called and within a second, several armed men ran to answer her.
"Yes, my lady," one said.
"No one enters this vault," she told him, rather unnecessarily; there were always men on guard around the vaults and no one entered without Pharaoh's permission. But, after a long shift in the dark in silence, Meskhenet, a kind soul, was sure that even the briefest, most unnecessary exchange was welcome.
"Yes, my lady," he nodded and stood to attention as she magically locked the gates to the vaults. She then started down the long corridor and towards the seemingly never ending staircase that led back up towards the palace, with a small light as her only companion through the darkness.
(*1) Duat is one of the names the Ancient Egyptians had for the Afterlife / Underworld.
(*2) Nubia was the ancient land known as Kush. The ancient Land of Punt originally encompassed what is now known as Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The Sea People were a real collection of mixed races; I didn't just make up all of these countries, but I did make up the names for the kings.
(*3) Apep is the literal embodiment of fear and evil for the Ancient Egyptians, and each night when the soul of the dead Pharaoh was said to make the sun's journey from the west and rising again in the east, Apep the snake was waiting to destroy him. If the sun didn't rise, it meant the king had lost to him. Also in the Egyptian afterlife, there is supposed to be a Pit of Fire in which the damned burn for eternity.
A.N. This is a plot I came up with several years ago, but I never got round to writing it out, but, finally, I've decided to do so. This will take a lot from Egyptian Mythology and religion, but I have altered a few things to suit my plot.