Apep and the Sacred Scrolls of Duat

Chapter 8: Life Goes On, Even after Death

After several hours of addressing the concerns of the officials gathered in the courtroom, the all mighty Pharaoh was fighting weariness as he sat atop his throne. As always, these meetings tired and bored him as the people before him were usually only concerned about themselves. Over time, he'd replaced many of them with advisors and regional governors who actually cared about the people, but he still had a long way to go and things didn't change overnight, even in the afterlife. Not to mention the fact that a splitting headache had started to form and, at times, had him clutching at the carved, golden arm rests of his throne with his fingers, hoping that no one would notice.

"Man...why did we think this'd be a good idea again?" Joey muttered to his friends, looking thoroughly bored.

They were sitting in the shade of one of the many stone pillars that lined the room on a comfortable selection of pillows and silk sheets. They were sat on either side of Yugi, who as a 'Prince' was given the highest seat and the finest fabrics among them. Unlike the Pharaoh, who looked perfectly at ease sitting on his golden throne with all eyes staring at him, Yugi looked and felt embarrassed.

"Maybe being King ain't so great after all," Tristan agreed with a yawn.

"Well, I guess he could just tell them all to get lost, right?" Duke asked, fixing the kohl around his eyes with a decorative, Egyptian mirror in one hand.

"I don't think that'd make him a very good king," Yugi scoffed.

"And how many times are you gonna keep doing that?" Teà rolled her eyes at Duke. "We're in a royal court, you can't keep doing your makeup," she said, snatching the mirror and hiding it beneath the pillows.

"Relax, no one's even looking at us anymore," he shrugged and settled back. "They'll all too busy trying to kiss the Pharaoh's royal butt," he added quietly.

"Shhhhh!" Teà hissed at him.

"He's kinda got a point though, Teà," Tristan remarked.

"Well...I know...but...you can't just say it," Teà grumbled.

"Sure we can. We're advisors to a prince, remember," Duke smirked at Yugi, who flushed, embarrassed.

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that," Yugi muttered.

"No way," Joey smirked back.

Then, a matter was brought up that caught the Pharaoh's attention. A group of Egyptians had fled their homes and taken refuge in a formerly abandoned village called Thonis, deep in the desert because they could no longer afford to pay what was called a 'military tax.' All Egyptians paid it, or they were supposed to. However, the town these people has found refuge in had been abandoned for a reason. It was prone to sand storms and land slides and now these people were starving as their crops had been destroyed and their 'home' was buried beneath the sand, leaving them trapped.

"Please consider this, Pharaoh," the Regional Governor Senna said with his head bowed. "Think of how this will appear to our enemies. These people got themselves into this situation by attempting to avoid paying the military tax. To absolve them from paying it and giving them food and shelter may seem noble at first glance, but it will appear as a weakness. Please, mighty Pharaoh, we must consider how the consequences of such actions will affect our country. I beg you to reconsider," he said and many of the others echoed his statement in unison.

"Please reconsider, Pharaoh," they repeated.

"So," the Pharaoh began, sighing, "You're all agreed then? You wish for me to abandon these people and leave them to starve?"

"The settlement has been abandoned for generations because of its frequent sand storms and landslides. None dare to live there, but they choose to in order to avoid paying their taxes. They cannot expect pity when their own actions brought this upon them. Taxes must be paid or we cannot defend our borders. It is the most important duty of any Egyptian."

The king stared at him for a moment and tapped his index finger against the arm of his throne. He raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully before he spoke. "Governor Senna...Tell me, do you pay these taxes?" he asked.

"My king?" he asked, confused.

"Do you? Do any of you?"

At this, the advisors looked around at each other guilty and nervous coughs reverberated around the throne room.

"Well, mighty Pharaoh...it is the duty of the peasants," one of them said, finally. He stepped forwards and stood at the front of the gathering of advisors.

"Why?" the King demanded.

"Sire... Because it is written..."

"Where? Where in any of the laws of my country does it state that only the poor must pay military taxes?"

"My king, it is not written," Shimon answered, beside him.

"No, it is not. After the wars that my father defended us from, the nobles stopped paying their taxes and now so do any with the opportunity. Most of the wealth of this country is owned by people in this very room. We should be thinking of the people, not of our coffers. Why indeed should they pay to defend a country which seems to have abandoned them?"

"Pharaoh, I beg you to..."

"You beg me?" he scoffed, feeling his anger rising. It didn't help that he had the beginnings of an awful headache and he was fighting to keep his eyes open from his recent lack of sleep.

"Yes, sire," Senna nodded, "This would have dire consequences on our reputation and our..."

"Enough!" the Pharaoh bellowed and stood up. All of the advisors in the room dropped to the floor, kneeling in both respect and fear. Senna fell to one knee, slowly with a grimace.

"Mighty Pharaoh, your kindness towards these people does you credit, however, if we offered them aid, it would certainly give the impression that there is no consequence to avoiding the royal taxes. There would be anarchy amongst the people..."

"I will decide how best to handle this manner in a way that does not force my people to starve," the king declared. "In the meantime, it has become abundantly clear that the tax laws must be altered. Your assistance will not be required for this or anything further. You are dismissed," he told the man.

"...My King?"

"You are dismissed," he repeated, "Permanently."

"With the greatest of respect, your royal highness, I have served both you and your father before you..."

"I believe the Pharaoh made himself perfectly clear," Seto stepped forwards and beckoned to a group of palace guards. "Pray, remove former Advisor Senna from the palace and escort him safely to his home. Be sure that he remains there until the King decrees otherwise," he ordered them.

Three guards nodded and, with no choice, Senna was walked from the room with a scowl on his tanned face.

"If there is nothing further," the king said, still standing. "This audience is now concluded," he said, looking to Seto.

The Priest nodded and the great golden gong at the far end of the room was struck. The sound reverberated throughout the open space and silently, the advisors and governors left. Eventually, only the king, his trusted Priests and Yugi and his friends were left.

With a weary sigh, the Pharaoh collapsed back onto his throne and pinched the bridge of his nose with a bejewelled hand. "I can feel you glaring at me, Shimon. But please, not one word," he muttered, blinking one amethyst eye across to his Royal Vizier.

"I fear I am rather at a loss for words, my King," the old man replied, in a clipped tone.

"I am not. I believe your actions are to be commended," Seto remarked. "Governor Senna is a fool and has been a blight on this country's government for many a year."

"However, there may be repercussions," Isis remarked.

"Which the Pharaoh is more than capable of handling," Seto said. "He is the sole ruler of this great nation by divine right. It is by his will that this country will be governed, not by the will of such fools as Senna."

"But 'fools such as Senna' have amassed great fortune and power," Karim added.

"Pharaoh, if I might..." Shimon began.

"I thought you were at a loss for words?" the Pharaoh said, sarcastically and raised an eyebrow at him.

The old man took a deep calming breath before continuing. "If I might...I fear you have made a rather formidable enemy by publicly dismissing Governor Senna," Shimon replied. "You have refrained from doing so for years, as did your father before you. As king you have enough to worry about with making enemies from within."

The Pharaoh let out a quiet scoff and stared up at him. "I have had powerful enemies from within and without of this palace from the moment I was born as Prince," he said, "For three thousand years, I have had nothing but powerful enemies."

"That is true, however..."

"I know," the pharaoh said. "It is because of that, that I should not make matters worse. My temper got the better of me. However, I don't regret dismissing him. The man's a fool and he has no place here. I've put up with him for long enough. Admittedly, perhaps now, amidst our other problems, wasn't the best time for my actions and I don't doubt that he'll enact his revenge."

"What can he possibly do?" Seto said, dismissively, "You are the King. He is a mere governor."

With another sigh the king slumped in his throne and rubbed at his forehead trying to soothe what had rapidly turned into a splitting headache.

"Keep eyes on him, Seto, I'm not in the mood for surprises."

"Of course," the man nodded.

"And what are we to do about those villagers, Pharaoh?" Shimon asked.

"I refuse to leave them to their fate," the king reiterated.

"That is, if the serpents do not get to them first," Karim said.

"Quite. Let us hope that they are safe," the Pharaoh said.

"At present there is little we can do for them in that regard, Pharaoh. What of the tax laws you wish to change?" Shimon asked.

"My king, are you well?" Karim asked, concerned.

"A headache," he replied, sounding weary. "It's nothing," he added. "Yes, the...the tax laws," he uttered, "Now hardly seems an approximate moment however, it must be done."

"To what end, sire?" Shimon asked. "As obnoxious as governor Senna is. Regardless of ho pays it, it is essential for supplying the military."

"I can't abolish the tax, I know that," the king said. "But we can at least make it fair; a percentage of an individuals wealth," he replied. "It's hardly fair to expect the poor and rich alike to pay the same amount. You know I've wanted to make those changes for some time."

"My king, should you give the order, I will set the royal scribes to work drafting these changes," Seto said.

"The order is given, Seto," he nodded.

"I shall see to it at once," the man bowed and left.

"Karim, I want you to meet with Governor Khepri, the village of Thonis lies within his boundaries. He is at least far more reasonable than Senna. Ask him what aid he would be prepared to spare," the king said.

"And if he offers none?" Karim pondered aloud.

"Report to me either way. We must face one problem at a time."

Karim nodded and bowed silently before he too left the room.

"Isis, how fare Mahad and Shada?" the King asked.

"They sleep still, my king, and Mana is watching over them. The healers are optimistic that they will wake soon," she answered.

"And Spiria? Has she reached the Priests of Apep?"

"Not yet, Pharaoh."

"And...Aknadin?" the King asked, "How fares he? Should he not have been here?"

"I believe he thought it best to...keep his distance from Seto, my king," Shimon sighed. "He is in the library attempting to tackle our serpent problem," he said.

"Very well," the Pharaoh nodded.

"There was one more matter, sire," Isis said.

"Yes?"

"This morning, a large number of people arrived at the city, fleeing the serpents, as they have done for the last few weeks. As of today, we estimate that an added one thousand people now reside here. And not all of them are of our Kingdom. Many are from Canaan and they fled in fear."

"Do we need to be concerned about the food supply?" he asked.

"Possibly not. Food is abundant here," she said with a pointed look. Meaning that food was not going to be an issue, or at least shouldn't be, gone that the land of the dead was meant to be a land of plenty. "It should not be issue," she said, not quite with complete confidence.

"Neither should missing souls or evil serpents," Shimon said, reading her concerns easily. "Or living souls making an appearance here," he added, looking back for a moment at Yugi and the others.

"Quite right," the king agreed. "But I cannot turn these people away simply because of their numbers. Set them to work in the fields or on the river. Have them work to increase the food supply and hope that they do not see the need to riot."

"I shall see to that, Pharaoh," Shimon said and left.

"Furthermore, I have heard that there have been a concerning number of lootings in the night. Justice must be done swiftly if it to be stopped," Isis continued.

"Very well. Bring me the commander of the army," he ordered.

She nodded and strode away, then returned a moment later with a man who looked to be only in his early thirties. He was tall, well muscled and wearing armour with a sword at his side and leather bracers on his forearms.

"My Pharaoh," the man knelt before the throne.

"Commander Asim, I'm told there is a disturbing amount of thievery in the city," he said. "It must be stopped. You are to organise a number of your men to investigate these robberies. I realise that many of your troops are working to secure the walls of the city and keep the peace. But how many can you spare?"

"Would fifty suffice, my king?"

"For now," he nodded. "Choose whomever you think fit. I shall trust your judgement. They are to find the culprits and bring them to me and they will be granted whatever they require to fulfil this task. However, they are not to harm the people and they will see all as innocent until proven guilty, is that clear?"

"Perfectly, sire."

"Once you have named these fifty, have them report to the palace."

"Yes, pharaoh," Asim bowed his head, then stood and left.

Pushing himself up from his throne, Atemu narrowed his eyes as his vision suddenly blurred and he grasped the golden armrest for support before he could stop himself.

"Pharaoh!" Isis exclaimed and reached out to steady the king with a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm...fine, I..."

"My king, perhaps you should rest," Isis suggested.

"I've no time for rest," he shook his head, "I must..."

Without another word, the king fell to one knee, clutching at his head and gritting his teeth.

"Whoa! Hey, are you okay?" Yugi ran forwards along with his friends.

Isis was already kneeling beside the fallen king and she watched, stunned as the millennium puzzle began to glow a brilliant gold.

"Pharaoh..." she whispered. Then she turned towards the grand golden doors and called out, "Guards! Fetch the healers!"

"Wait...it's fading..." the king said through gritted teeth.

"But, my king, you are hurt," she protested.

"It's merely a headache."

"''Tis no mere headache that can bring a man to his knees," she said.

"She's right, man, you don't look so good..." Joey mumbled.

"The millennium puzzle," Yugi said, quietly, now kneeling on the pharaoh left side with Isis on his right. "It's glowing," he said.

The pharaoh pried his hand from his forehead and grasped the puzzle in palm, staring into the glowing eye on the front. "But...how?" he whispered.

"My, king, you are not..." Isis said.

"No," he said, still gritting his teeth against he splitting pain in his skull. It had faded a little but it was still uncomfortable.

"Pharaoh," a guard spoke out as he entered the room and knelt. "Priestess Isis, the healers will be here presently," the guard reported.

"I need no healer," the king insisted and stood up, despite Isis and Yugi trying to steady him, he shook them off. "I am well. Send them away," he told the guard.

"Very well, pharaoh," he said and then left.

"Was that wise, pharaoh?" Isis asked.

"I don't have the time to pander to the healers. I've too much to do. Not least among them is discovering a way to send my friends home and away from the danger here. Has your millennium necklace helped you to discover anything about how they were brought here?"

"No, it has not," she answered, sadly. "I can see nothing. Such a thing has never happened before and I fear I am at a loss as to how to return them from whence they came. Mahad knows best the ways of magic."

"Yes," the king sighed.

"What will you do now, my king?" she asked.

"I'm going to speak with Aknadin. Then I'll check on Mahad and Shada," he answered and then turned to Yugi. "I am truly sorry that you appear to be stuck here, but I promise you, I will find a way to send you home," he told them.

"Don't sweat it," Joey shrugged slouching back onto the cushions. "Palace life ain't so bad where I'm sitting," he said.

Running as fast as she could, Mana suddenly burst into the throne room, panting heavily for breath as she shooed at the guards at the door and ran over to her friends. P...P...Pharaoh..." she breathed.

"Mana, what is wrong?" he asked, surprised.

"T...they're...a...awake," Mana panted. Now that she had come to a stop in front of the, she leaned over, resting her hands on her knees.

"Who is awake?" Atemu asked.

"M...master...Mahad and Shada...they're...awake," she explained.

"Thank the Gods," the Pharaoh breathed a heavy sigh of relief with a hand over his heart. "Come, let me to them," he said and stormed off to the entrance of the throne room.

Mana sighed, dramatically and followed him, taking a deep breath while the others followed them too.

In a heavily guarded room, lay two beds and on which, sat Mahad and Shada. The Kings remaining Priests were already there when he arrived.

"Mahad, Shada," the King let put a relieved breath when he saw them both awake and talking.

"My Pharaoh, I'm told you came to retrieve us personally," Mahad said.

"Of course I did," he replied.

"It was perhaps not a wise..."

"You are my dear friends and I was worried that the serpents might have destroyed you both," Atemu interrupted. "I was so very relieved when we found you and I am overjoyed to see you both awake."

"I am only sorry that we have been of so little use to your highness," Shada said.

"You know that I care far more for your safety than for your 'usefulness'," he scoffed and shook his head.

"Pharaoh, with respect, you are the King and..." Mahad began.

"And as King, I can behave as I see fit," he once more, cut short his friends' formal preaching.

"As you wish," Mahad added, quietly with a fond smile which Atemu returned.

"What do you remember?" Seto asked them a minute later.

"We were surrounded by serpents," Shada answered. "It drained the energy of our monsters and then turned to us."

"They stole your energy?" Karim frowned.

"Yes, they did," Mahad nodded. "Quite honestly, I am surprised that we survived. I feel drained of all strength as though after a great battle," he said.

"Of all strength?" the Pharaoh repeated, thoughtfully. "In my dream...or my vision, when I spoke to Apep..."

"You speak snake?" Joey muttered and Duke elbowed him in the stomach.

"He claimed that his serpents were seeking to strengthen themselves in order to survive. Perhaps what they seek is not souls but their life force," the Pharaoh continued.

"Then how are they still here?" Isis asked.

"Mahad and Shada have far more power than many of the people who have perished thus far. It may be that the serpents did not know this," Shimon suggested.

"Which allowed them to survive and leave their names and their souls intact," the Pharaoh finished. "We have little else on which to base a theory, but I suppose it makes sense."

"So we are immune to these creatures," Seto said.

"I do not feel so 'immune'," Mahad replied, dryly.

"We were lucky," Atemu said. "Extremely so. I will not risk anyone here based purely on luck."

"A wise decision," Shimon nodded.

"Rest well and recover your strength, my friends," the king said to them. "I will return shortly, I have matters to attend to."

"Of course, Pharaoh, I would not expect for you to linger," Shada replied.

"I will do so gladly and I will return with a much lighter heart knowing that you are both safe once again," he said and left with one last glance at them.

Yugi and the others were waiting at the doorway.

"Hey, that's great, right? They're ok," Yugi's smiled up at him.

"Yes," Atemu smiled back. "I'm relieved beyond measure. I've known them both since I was a child and they are very dear to me."

"But?" Yugi prompted him, knowing that there was something bothering his closest friend.

"If our theory is correct and Shada and Mahad were drained of their energy then I am deeply concerned at what the serpents could do with it. They are both very powerful and I do not doubt that they will recover but it will take time, meanwhile those creatures of darkness can linger with that very strength and strike at us with it."

"How strong are we talkin' here?" Joey asked. "I mean, you beat Zorc and you kicked the Leviathan's butt, how bad could it be?"

"I don't know that even I could defeat Mahad in a battle. He is the most powerful sorcerer I have ever known. And Shada is not to be overlooked either."

"So...it's bad, then?" Tristan concluded.

"Undoubtedly," he nodded.

"So, we're in trouble, huh? Just another day at the office, right guys?" Joey mocked.

Later that evening, as he had promised a Yugi the night before, the Pharaoh led his friends to the stone sanctuaries and the guards bowed respectfully as he passed.

The space inside the sanctuary was huge and open, the walls above their heads narrowed slightly until it reached the top, at least two stories up. It was lit with burning torches and as there were no windows, only the flicking flames illuminated the space. It made the intricate carvings look almost alive as their images seemed to move in the dancing shadows.

Every noise echoed, even their footsteps as they moved, following the Pharaoh who carried a burning torch in front of them.

"So, this is where Pegasus got the idea for Duel Monsters from?" Yugi said, stunned as he looked up at the incredible array of monsters carved on the stone walls.

"Yes," Atemu nodded. "These are...what I suppose you would call, the original Duel Monsters," he said while they looked around in awe.

"There's so many of them," Serenity said.

"They are continually added to and were built during my father's reign," the pharaoh told them. "There are three of these...temples. This one was his. The other two are for the Priests," he said, and gazed over at a wall of hieroglyphics with an image of a king carved on it. It was king Aknankanon, his father. He took slow steps over to the carving and laid his palm on the cold, stone image.

"Is err...that him? Your father?" Yugi asked and the Pharaoh nodded once.

"Yes. He is lost to the shadows. I still hope that one day he might be freed...however vain that hope might seem," he sighed, sadly.

Yugi walked over to the Pharaoh and out a hand on his shoulder, giving him a hopeful, small smile. "Well, if he's anything like you, then he'll never give up, right?" Yugi remarked.

Atemu nodded and took a quiet inhale before he looked back at the carving around them. "Do you see any you recognise?" he asked them.

"Hey, is that Black Luster Soldier?" Yugi pointed at a carving high up on the wall, excitedly.

"And that one looks like Flame Swordsman!" Joey said.

"Teà, there's Dark Witch!" Serenity smiled at her friend.

"Would you like to meet them?" the Pharaoh asked.

"...What? Seriously?" Joey turned to him and blinked in shock.

"Yes," he nodded.

"You can just go talk to these guys? They're just stone pictures, right?" Joey furrowed his brow.

"Joey...really? After everything we've ever seen, you really need to ask that?" Tristan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"...Good point," the blonde relented, embarrassed.

"Kuriiiiiiiii!" a quiet trilling voice echoed in the stone space and suddenly, Kuriboh appeared, floating before the Pharaoh.

"Waaaaa? How'd he do that?!" Joey leapt back. "Did you do that?" he asked the Pharaoh.

"No," he shrugged. "Kuriboh does as he pleases," he smiled as the furry creature trilled in agreement.

Atemu reached out his hand and stroked the soft fur of the floating Kuriboh. "He was the first creature I met. Did I ever tell you that?" he said.

"Wow, really?" Yugi asked, happily

"I was hiding from my tutors and I found myself in here. I was afraid and he simply appeared. I believe I was five at the time and learning court politics didn't seem all that enthralling," he smiled.

"Kuriiiiii."

"I spent a lot of time here after that. I think my father always knew but he never attempted to stop me. Maybe he knew why even before I did. Did you?" he asked Kurriboh, slyly, but the creature just shrugged as best as he could. "Hmmm, a likely story," he pursed his lip.

Then it flew closer and snuggled the side of his fluffy face against the the king's cheek. How it was at all possible to still look regal whilst a giant, floating ball of brown fur with small green paws and large eyes was hugging you, they didn't exactly know, but somehow Atemu managed it.

Until Kuriboh landed on top of him and he fell to the ground with a quiet huff of surprise.

"Kuriboh!"

"Kuriiiiiii!" the creature said, sounding as though it was laughing.

"Really wish I had a camera right now," Joey said, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah," Yugi snorted.

"I think it's sweet," Serenity remarked.

"Sure," Tristan said. "The guy who beat Zorc and saved the world...is basically playing with his pet dog...real sweet," he rolled his eyes.

"What kind o' dog is that?!" Duke scoffed.

"Duh! It's a magic one! It's the Pharaoh we're talking about here, y'think he'd just have a normal, everyday dog?" Tristan defended.

"Well, actually, I have several dogs," the Pharaoh remarked, still on the floor with Kuriboh burrowing into his side.

"Oh..." Tristan sighed.

"All of them far more well behaved than this," he mocked and Kuriboh acted as though he'd been insulted. "But none quite so loyal. I may have forgotten you, my old friend, but you never did. Not even after 3,000 years," he added, much more seriously after a moment.

"Kurriiiii," the creature trilled happily.

Standing up off the ground, the Pharaoh brushed the sand off his clothes and Kurriboh eagerly helped him.

"Now, behave yourself," he smirked at Kuriboh who huffed back at him.

Then he held out his arm and his golden, elaborate dia-diunk on his forearm unfolded. The millennium puzzle shone a bright gold and the Pharaoh'd golden dia-diunk also shone with three images appeared on its eye shaped spaces. The whole stone building seemed to shine for a moment and then, Flame Swordsman, Dark Witch and Black Luster Solider stood before them.

All three lightly bowed their heads and smiled at him.

"Whoa," Joey said, taking a breath. "Hey," he waved slowly at them.

"I've a favour to ask of you," the Pharaoh said to the three creatures. "If you are willing," he added and they nodded again.

"What do you wish of us, Pharaoh?" Dark Witch asked.

"There is danger here and I do not know how to stop it. Should my friends find themselves in trouble, I would ask you to protect them, even if I am not there to call you. If they should call you, please answer them," he said.

Each of the creatures looked over at Yugi and the others and then back to the Pharaoh with a nod. "Thank you," he said to them and then turned to Yugi. "I do not know what may happen, but I've found it is better to prepare for the worst. Should you need them, they will aid you," he told them.

"Cheery attitude," Duke said.

"With our track record of getting into trouble, he's got a point," Teà said.

"It's not like we go looking for trouble," Tristan remarked.

"No. Everything that happened to you, this included, is because of me," Atemu said. "For good or evil, magic follows me wherever I go and I cannot change that. But they at least will be sure to keep you safe should anything happen to you here," he added.

"Hey, it's okay," Yugi assured him with a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. It'll be okay, things always are in the end...I guess just have faith in the..erm...stone carvings," he shrugged and at least the Pharaoh gave him a quiet chuckle in reply. "Okay, so, are you gonna show us what other duel monsters are in here?" he asked with a smile.