Chapter 27
Brewing Storm
As he left his throne room, Ra descended down various flights of stairs till he was in the underbelly of the Palace of the Duat. The Sun god ignited a small fire at the tip of his index finger, acting as a sort of makeshift candle as he descended into the lowest levels of the palace. Soon enough he found himself at the end of a long dark and dusty corridor, multiple unlit iron braziers sat against the cobweb covered walls, their flames having long been snuffed out, indicating that there hadn't been a single soul down here in a very long time.
With a flick of his hand, orange flames began billowing from the braziers as Ra relit them. Revealing the large metallic prison door that sat on the other end, and from either side of it, long heavy chains hung. However, years of negligence had left them in disrepair, so badly rusted and corroded that many had snapped and fallen to the ground in a heap, with the few remaining chains still intact seemed just about ready to snap as well at any given moment.
With a single swipe of his hand, Ra broke through the remaining chains, letting them fall with a loud clatter on the cobblestone floor. And with a firm push, the prison door slowly creaked open, allowing him to enter, as the pitch-black darkness of the room within was blessed with the first rays of lights it had seen in so many years.
The room, like the hallway, was strewn with cobwebs and dust and had no actual furnishing, with only a dirty tattered sheet laid out across the hard floor to act as it's resident's bed. However, it was far from barren, with various different items scattered all across the dingy floor. Books of various subjects, cards, a few poor attempts at embroidery and even a couple of rubix cubes, just to name a few. All of these items, in contrast to the state of the room, were well maintained in a sense and clearly seemed to have been used often by the residents of the room. However, two items in particular had clearly not received as much care of maintenance as the others, with those being two long sabers displayed on top of a shelf on the wall in the shape of an X, each possessing a curved crimson red blade. Both arms had so much dust and fluff accumulated on top, that they could have been mistaken for some unidentified oddly shaped mammal if one didn't look too closely.
In the very center of the room, sat the individual housed within this cell, the Usurper of the Duat, Set himself, with his back turned against Ra. The fallen prince had perhaps the strangest looking head ever, it was an animal of some sort, with ears long and pointed like a jackal, but also a snout more reminiscent of a donkey. His green eyes were slanted like a feline, while his skin was a pale ashy purple with multiple scars, all red, raw and fleshy running down the lengths of his arm and legs and covered his body as well. Set's outfit was just as shabby as the room he lived in, primarily consisting of worn out, frayed dirty linen bandages wrapped around his torso, shoulders and legs. A torn red fabric loincloth held by a belt, and manacles locked around his wrist and ankles that were connected to heavy chains bolted to the cell's floor.
Around the fallen prince, multiple rats of different size and color were all gathered, pushing and squeaking across one another in an attempt to get to the few pieces of breadcrumbs that Set had in his hands. Some of the rats had even climbed up onto the usurper and were content with nestling comfortably on his lap or shoulders. As soon as Ra entered, all of the gathered rodent's eyes turned towards the Sun God as he stepped foot into the room, with a few even approaching the Sun god. But Set himself, ears slightly twitching at the sounds made, did not.
The braver rats looked up at Ra curiously, years of being hand fed by Set had led them to associate gods with food. So even though the Sun God looked down upon them with disgust and contempt, they still stood at his feet, waiting expectantly for tidbits of food. The Sun God merely smirked at this pathetic display, slowly raising his foot, preparing to crush the foolish vermin, who were still blissfully unaware of their current plight.
"Hello, Lord Ra."
Ra paused, giving the rodents beneath him the chance to scamper away, escaping a grisly end, as Set slowly rose to his feet turning to face the Sun God with a deadpan expression. The chains connected to his arms and legs rattling and shifting as he stood at full height for perhaps the first time in centuries.
"Ah so you have NOT gone mute after all, Set," Ra said as he placed his foot down, "I was almost worried there for a second."
"You honor me with your concerns, Lord Ra," The fallen prince replied dryly, "Now tell me, whatever possessed the mighty Pharaoh of the Sun himself to come visit me in my humble abode?"
Ra smirked, "You know precisely what I want, Set."
"Do I?" Set spoke, feigning mock ignorance as he placed a hand on his chin, "Hmm… Let's see, let's see what could the mighty Ra possibly want from me? Ooh this is a rather tough one… Ah, but of course! How could I forget? That silly little event, Ragnarok I believe? Yes, yes, that's the very one. And you wish for me to fight for you in it, if I am not mistaken?"
Ra lips curled slightly at the Set's tilted head, and the mocking inquisitive look on his face, "Correct Set, very good. That is indeed why I have come calling for you. For you will have the honor of fighting for the gods in the fourth round of Ragnarok, so I suggest you get up and start making preparations for your fight."
Set chuckled as he sat back down on the ground and unceremoniously scratched his armpit, "Now, now Lord Ra, moving a bit quick there. I haven't agreed to fighting in your little Ragnarok yet, have I? And to be honest… I don't really want to, I've a lot of important things going on here, very busy you know, and as you can see…" Set lifted his bicep, or lack of one, showing off his rather stringy and skinny arms as he wriggled them about like noodles, "I'm not exactly in tip-top fighting shape as I was back then anymore… Why not go to Horus instead? I'm sure HE'S much more suitable to fight in such an esteemed tournament than I am, and much more willing to."
Ra let out a loud snort of laughter, "Important things you say? Pottering around and letting filthy varmints nibble at your fingers does sound like a task befitting of a god like YOU, Set. Though I much prefer when you used to have ambitions that soared much higher than just that."
"Don't knock it till you tried it," Set grinned as he picked up a particularly chubby rat into his arms and began stroking the rodent gently, "They are quite fascinating creatures in my opinion, in fact, did you know that rats have amazing stamina, that allows them to swim for three days straight and hold their breaths for up to–"
"I do not care." Ra said flatly
The fallen prince shrugged as he set the rodent down on the ground again, "Not one for trivia I see, oh well to each their own I suppose. But really Lord Ra, why not just have another god go in my stead? Horus for one is much stronger than I ever was, as I am always reminded by everyone. Odd of you to choose little old me over him to represent the Heavens."
"The Avenger… is not on good terms with me after I forcibly re-took control of the Duat from him. He and his mother have chosen to distance themselves from me for quite some time, along with your ever loyal wife of course."
Set's eyes slightly twitched at Ra's words, "I see… Well having something taken from you, forcibly or not, is a rather unpleasant experience. I should know, I've had it happen to me many times. Now unfortunately I think I will have to decline your polite request for me to go fight, I simply… Couldn't care less about your squabble with humanity…"
Suddenly Set felt a tight grip around his neck as Ra's hand shot forth like a serpent, grabbing the fallen prince's throat and slamming him so fast against the wall, that the chains connected from Set's limbs to the ground nearly snapped in half from suddenly becoming so taunt. The rats that were gathered around his feet all let out frightened squeaks as they quickly scurried away, looking for cover. All while Set gave a bloodied grin as he felt Ra's iron grip tightened around his neck, the Sun God's fiery eyes blazing with fury and irritation as smoke billowed out from them.
"I was not making a request," Ra snarled, "Nor was I making a demand, I was simply informing you, or what is to come, Set. I am Ra, and every word I utter from my mouth… Is LAW."
Set let out a throaty bark of amusement, without even the smallest trace of fear within his eyes as he stared directly at the furious Sun God, "But of course, Lord Ra, how could I ever forget? Buuuut, if you kill me now… Well, that would most certainly defeat the purpose of your visit here, wouldn't it, hm?"
"Believe me Set, there are FAR worse fates than death, and I might just allow you to experience a few if you do not change your tune."
Again, all Set did in response to the Sun God, was brazenly laugh in Ra's face, which in turn caused the latter to tighten his grip on the fallen prince's throat till his laughter turned into loud choking gurgles.
"Alright, alright, you can stop now…" Set said weakly, though there was no urgency in his voice in the slightest, Ra relinquished some strength from his grip, allowing Set to catch his breath for a few short moments before speaking coherently again.
"Fine… I'll join your little war effort since you're so eager to lose this round, Lord Ra. Not because I fear you though, no, no, no. But rather, if I am to die soon… I much prefer it to be in a battlefield, then in some dingy shithole with only YOU for company."
At these words, Ra finally released his grip entirely on Set, allowing the fallen prince to fall on the ground, lightly clutching his neck, "Excellent," The Sun God said as his voice reverted into a calmer tone, "I knew a sorry excuse such as yourself would see it my way sooner or later. Now grab your weapons and get ready, Set, for I have already arranged the fourth round to begin in JUST a few minutes. And I had BETTER see you put some effort into your fight, one little defeat and you go from the Duat's finest warrior to a worthless piece of shit."
"I will not disappoint you, Lord Ra. Couldn't even begin to fathom the possibility" Set replied sarcastically, Ra's eyes narrowed, giving the fallen prince one final look of contempt, before he finally turned and made his way out of the room, "Besides," Set murmured under his breath as he watched the Sun God's back fade from view, "It seems like I'm not the ONLY one whose changed..."
Once Ra had finally left, the cowering rats all slowly crept out of their hiding spots, gathering around Set once again, their beady eyes gazing at him as some began nuzzling their tiny snouts against his body, almost as though they were trying to comfort the fallen prince. Set chuckled weakly as he lightly brushed his palm across the fur of each rodent.
"And to think… You all might be the only ones mourning me if I die… Fate truly does spit in my face all the time." With a sigh, Set slowly got to his feet, gently pushing his pets away from him as he stood up straight. And with a single jolt of his arms and legs, easily snapped the chains that held him to the floor, letting them fall to the ground in a messy pile as he slowly made his way over to the two sabers that hung on his wall. His hands slightly trembling, Set apprehensively reached about towards the handle of the two blades, lingering for just a little bit before reluctantly grabbing hold of them and pulling them free from the cobwebs stuck all over.
Now that they were finally back in the hands of their master after so long, the two sabers let out a blinding red glow, blowing away all the centuries worth of dust bunnies that had accumulated on top of them and disintegrating them into nothingness. All while Set gazed upon his old arms with a mixture of fear and guilt, letting out a ragged sigh as the rat's once again went scampering for cover, spooked by the sudden light show.
Slowly red sparks began fizzling around the blade of Set's left blade, while dirt and sand began clustering around the right, all around the room, multiple rats poked their heads out of the darkness watching the incredible display in fear and awe. However, Set himself wore a look of grim dissatisfaction and pain.
"One last ride with you two," Set sighed to himself as his face was bathed in an ominous red light, "Maybe I might win, or more likely die, preferably in a blaze of glory if possible… But then again… I always did have a talent for disappointing everyone, didn't I?"
Chapter 27 is out this early? Damn! Set's introduction was suppose to be in the previous chapter, but I separated them as I wanted to start having less long and packed chapters like before. Anyways, the next chapter will be Round 4 starting proper, though my holidays are ending soon and school is starting again for me. So chapters may become less frequent once again as I have less time to write for my fic, but I hope that will not be the case! Until the next chapter!
