Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 15

Mana was nervous as she entered the Pharaoh’s bedchambers. Not because of where she was, or who she was talking to. The Pharaoh had been her friend since childhood and though she had to show the ‘proper’ respect in front of everyone else, when it was them alone, they could be more themselves.

No, the nervousness came from the Pharaoh, who was still recovering from the poison, which had taken three more doses of the antidote to leave her system entirely, asking for her to come alone to discuss recent events.

If the Pharaoh wanted to discuss what had happened with her and only her, Mana couldn’t help but worry that the Pharaoh had somehow learned about the lessons Ba-Khu-Ra had been giving her before she had left for Kul Elna and wanted to confront her before bringing the guards down on her head.

She knew she was being paranoid, but Mahad’s constant ranting about the ‘traitor,’ and how anyone who had associated with her and aided in the attempted assassination would lose their heads if he had his way was making her nervous.

She stepped into the bedchambers to find the Pharaoh was on her balcony, the one that overlooked the courtyard where the fight had taken place. As Mana stepped up cautiously, shutting the door most of the way behind her, the Pharaoh spoke up, her voice a little unsteady.

“Do you believe Ba-Khu-Ra is a traitor too?”

Mana paused to consider the question, wondering if she was expected to actually speak her mind, or just agree with the crowd.

“A simple yes or no would suffice.” The Pharaoh continued as she leaned against the railing, using it to support her weight instead of her still unsteady legs.

“May I speak my mind?” Mana asked her ruler, hoping for a positive answer.

“I would welcome it.” The Pharaoh snorted in reply, half turning to look at her.

“I think,” Mana started as she moved to her Pharaoh’s side, “That if Ba-Khu-Ra wanted you dead, she wouldn’t waste her time hiring mercenaries to kill you.”

“Finally.” The Pharaoh breathed, relief obvious, “Someone that agrees with me.”

“My Pharaoh?” Mana asked, confused.

“Everyone’s so focused on what the mercenary said, despite him admitting he never saw the face of the woman who hired him, that they’re blocking out any other options.” The Pharaoh pointed out, “I don’t believe she hired them for one simple reason.”

“Oh?” Mana asked, wondering if it was the same reason she could think of.

“If Ba-Khu-Ra wanted me dead, she wouldn’t hire someone to take me out with a quick acting poison.” The Pharaoh shrugged, “She’d do the deed herself, make it slow and painful and she would ensure that I knew every excruciating detail of why.”

“You are far too calm about that.” Mana wondered at the older teen.

“Sometimes it’s nice to know where the danger lies.” The Pharaoh explained, “At least with Ba-Khu-Ra I never had to worry about getting a dagger in the back. At least not after the first couple of months.” The Pharaoh sighed, “And if she wanted my demise, she had plenty of opportunities before she and Akhenaden went to Kul Elna. I was even alone with her the morning she left. Why not kill me then?”

“You believe someone’s making Ba-Khu-Ra the scapegoat.” Mana realized.

“Indeed.” The Pharaoh turned to look at her properly, “I’m no fool, Mana. I know what you and Ba-Khu-Ra were up to in your spare time and don’t bother lying about it.”

Mana, who had been about to try and cover her tracks closed her mouth.

“I want you to use those skills to find out who really hired those men and help me bring them to justice.” And clear Ba-Khu-Ra’s name was left unsaid but clear enough.

“My Pharaoh, what if it’s someone within the palace?” Mana asked, “Or one of your High Priests?”

“I highly suspect it is.” The Pharaoh grimaced, “Though once again I have no proof.”

“Akhenaden?” Mana yelped, before glancing around, double checking they couldn’t be overheard before continuing, “He wouldn’t be so foolish, surely? He’s already in disgrace.”

“My uncle stands to gain everything if I die.” The Pharaoh pointed out, “And by getting Ba-Khu-Ra blamed for the attempt, he removed a thorn from his side.”

“How do you want me to proceed?” Mana asked cautiously, well aware that Akhenaden could read minds, which made sneaking around him difficult at best.

“Carefully.” The Pharaoh’s reply made her smile slightly, “In the mean time I’m going to send a runner with a message for Ba-Khu-Ra. She needs to be made aware of the current situation. Preferably before Mahad arrives to arrest her.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 14

“Lord Mahad!” The High Priest in question looked up from his scroll to see a panicked looking noble, “It’s the Pharaoh! He’s…”

There was a loud explosion from outside, causing Mahad to rush over to a balcony. As the smoke cleared, he saw the Pharaoh, who was protecting Mana and looked like she was nursing an injury. She had summoned an armored knight of some kind and was facing down three men and three huge beasts. The guards who were supposed to be protecting the pair were sprawled all over the courtyard, unconscious or worse.

Mahad called his personal Ka beast forth and sent it down to help the Pharaoh, before racing out of the room and shooting down the stairs, reaching the courtyard in time to see his Magus of Illusion and the Pharaoh’s warrior take down the last of the men, leaving him conscious to answer questions.

“Who sent you?” The Pharaoh was demanding as Mahad joined her, her breathing rough and uneven, causing concern.

The man just spat at her, earning himself a punch from Mahad.

“I would answer his questions.” Mahad recommended, even as he wanted to punch the man’s lights out, “Because if I have to ask the dungeon keepers to get it out of you, you won’t survive it.”

“I’m not afraid of you. Or your torturers.” The failure of an assassin snorted, “And it won’t matter for long anyway.”

“What do you…” Mahad was cut off by a groan from the Pharaoh. Mana caught her as her legs gave out underneath her, her hand falling away from the wound as she passed out to reveal a dark purple vein like pattern spreading out from the still bleeding injury. “Poison!”

“Check him.” Mana snapped as the man chuckled vindictively, “A smart assassin keeps the antidote on them, just in case they get anything on them.”

Later Mahad would wonder how Mana knew that, but he didn’t waste the time now. Instead he moved to counter the man’s struggles as he tried to prevent Mahad searching him. It didn’t take the High Priest long to find a sealed clay jar with a liquid inside. “Is this it?” Mahad demanded as Mana tended to the Pharaoh as best she could.

“Is that what?” The merc smirked at Mahad, only to get a fist to his jaw.

“The antidote!” Mahad snarled, “Is this it?”

“Why would I tell you even if it was?” The mercenary asked, still grinning, “I’m dead any way you slice it and this way I take the target with…” The man stiffened and shut up as Seth, who had taken on the Millennium Rod just that morning stepped into the courtyard and took control of the man’s mind.

“Mahad?” Seth demanded, concerned as he beheld the scene.

“Is this the antidote?” Mahad asked the man again.

“Yes. You have to ingest it.” Seth forced him to answer. That was enough for the holder of the Millennium Ring, who cracked open the jar and tipped some into the Pharaoh’s mouth. He had to help her swallow but the moment she had her breathing evened out a little and the purple veins seemed to start receding.

“Who sent you?” Mana asked the man, knowing that Seth would force him to answer honestly.

“I was paid by a woman named Ba-Khu-Ra.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 11

“You will be careful, won’t you?” Mana asked, worried as she watched Ba-Khu-Ra gather her things, ready for the journey to her old home. “I mean you’re going out into the middle of nowhere, with only Akhenaden for company and...”

“I know.” Ba-Khu-Ra nodded, tying her pack tightly, “But you’re forgetting something.”

“Oh?” Mana asked, an odd expression on her features as she wracked her brain to try work out what she had forgotten.

“He’s an old man who hasn’t left the palace since the Great War. He’s gotten rusty.” Ba-Khu-Ra smirked, “Whereas I’ve kept my old skills just as sharp as my new ones. I could take him in my sleep, no matter how many morons he’s bringing with us to help him ‘fix’ things. Besides he wouldn’t dare try anything, not with the Pharaoh on my side.” She looked over at Mana, “What about you? You have been keeping an eye on those losers?”

Mana frowned and nodded, fully aware of who Ba-Khu-Ra meant. Neither Mahad or the Pharaoh were aware that the pair of them had been keeping on top of any assassination plots with the help of a few of the guards and servants. In fact there was such a plot in the works right now, one that Mana and Ba-Khu-Ra had been watching carefully to see if it was just talk or whether they meant action.

“I assume you want to be kept up to date on what happens?” Mana asked.

“By now you should be able to handle it.” Ba-Khu-Ra shrugged. She had been teaching Mana quite a few things that she knew neither the Pharaoh or Mahad would have approved of. If anyone could deal with anything like this, she was sure that the thief trained Mage student could. “And you could always bring it to Seth’s attention. You do remember what he did to the last person who tried to kill the Pharaoh?”

Mana did. They had caught three of the plotters, but the fourth had would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for Seth. His version of ‘justice’ hadn’t been pretty. She did have one question though.

“Why not Mahad?”

“Because Mahad still thinks like a posh, palace raised snob.” The ex-thief chuckled, even as she double checked her stuff, “Seth is much more creative, and he’s more tolerable.”

It helped that Seth hadn’t received a Millennium Item yet. He was due to any day, but for now Ba-Khu-Ra didn’t have to deal with the voices whispering in her ears whenever she was around him. Nowadays she even had that trouble around the Pharaoh. She was looking forward to getting away from the palace just to get away from the constant buzzing in her brain.

Not that Mana or Seth were aware of the Truth. The Pharaoh hadn’t seen fit to tell them, not yet and had asked Ba-Khu-Ra to keep quiet about it until she could work out the best way to reveal it. As such everyone knew Akhenaden was in disgrace and was being sent away to atone for something he had done, but no one outside of the closed court was aware of why and Ba-Khu-Ra supposed she could see the logic behind it, even if it grated on her nerves.

“I suppose.” Mana sighed, “He is trying though, Mahad I mean.”

“Mahad is always trying.” Ba-Khu-Ra snorted, “Right.” She picked up her packs and looked around her room. There was surprisingly little to pack. Everything else in the room, which the Pharaoh had promised would still be hers when she came back, no matter how long it took, belonged to the palace or wasn’t important enough to her to take along on the trip. “I think that’s everything.”

“Any idea when you’ll be back?” Mana asked, following her teacher in the less arcane arts out of the room.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” The fully trained Mage chuckled at her, “Things would be too quiet round here if I wasn’t.”

“Good.” Mana looked reassured. “By the way, the Pharaoh wanted to talk to you before you go.”

“She probably just wants to make me promise not to kill her uncle or something ridiculous like that.” Ba-Khu-Ra let out a huff, “Still the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can leave, so let’s go.”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 7

Mahad let out a frustrated huff as he stalked down the corridor. 

When he had been assigned to teach the newest of the Priesthood, he had thought it might be a blessing in disguise. His investigation into Akenaden’s secrets had hit a dead end. His contacts had been out to the village only to find that time and the desert sands had buried any evidence that had been left behind. The only things left were the burnt out husks of the buildings and ruined signs that it had once been a thriving village.

With only the thief’s word to go on Mahad couldn’t accuse Akhenaten of anything. The ghost town, what had once been the Village of Thieves, would remain a nasty little secret unless new evidence came to light. That was, if the thief was telling the truth.

So he had looked forward to teaching the newest of those who would one day be Priests until he had realised that the boy had been ‘training’ at home with the priests of his local temple and had developed bad habits that would need to be retrained.

It wasn’t so bad. Seth at least had grown up outside the palace, so he didn’t have the arrogant attitudes that Mahad often ran into within the palace walls. He was a lot easier to deal with than the thief girl too. Though she had gotten more tolerable over time, Ba-Khu-Ra of Kul Elna, who now lived within the palace walls and was often found in the presence of the ‘Prince,’ was still the brash, obnoxious thief she had been when he had first met her.

But still Seth was suspicious of something and Mahad was pretty sure that, for once, it wasn’t to do with the thief in their midst. He had seen the common born mage watching the Princess like a hawk and Mahad had a horrible suspicion that Seth knew.

He wasn’t sure what to do about it either. Seth was a Priest. He couldn’t just order him to stay silent or threaten to ‘remove’ him from the equation. The Princess could, but he would have to bring it up to her first and he didn’t know how.

The question was taken out of his hands when he finally reached the Princess’s rooms to find Seth already there, demanding answers from her highness while Mana and the thief looked on.

“Mahad, close the door behind you.” The Princess didn’t give him a chance to say anything to any of them. He did as he was ordered, well aware this would be a loud conversation and that it would require privacy. The moment it was shut, the girl turned back to the angry and confused Priest, “Right, Seth, you were saying?”

“Mahad,” Seth turned to the other Priest, irritation obvious, “Please tell me I’m not the only one in this place who has the eyes to see what is in front of them?”

“No.” Mahad shook his head, “I’ve been aware since just after Anubis killed the Prince. I believe most of the palace are suffering from wilful blindness. They’re seeing what they want to see, or believing whatever they have been told to believe.”

Seth nodded his understanding, before turning back to her highness, “And the reason for this deception over all of Egypt?”

“My brothers are dead and I cannot be Pharaoh. My royal husband can but I am not allowed to marry outside of the bloodline.” The Princess explained, “My mother passed on many years ago and for some reason my father has been unable to provide any children from the harem since she died. This leaves me as the last of my line.”

“And your uncle has no children?” Seth looked surprised.

“He has one son, two years older than I am, but both he and his mother went missing during the war, just after the Millennium Items were created, and no one ever found them again.” The Princess shook her head, “And I cannot and will not marry Akhenaten.” Especally after what Ba-Khu-Ra had told her, but Seth didn’t need to hear about that.

“And without a clear line of succession there could be an uprising, or worse riots and chaos when your father passes on, though I would hope that that would be a long time yet.” Seth understood. “What of your brother. If people believe you to be him, what happened to him?”

“I ensured he was buried with his name, in his tomb and with his tools and toys.” Mahad reassured him, “He will not walk Duat.”

“Does the Pharaoh know?” Seth’s next question made the Princess pause, having wondered that herself for the last year and a half herself.

“I don’t know.” She admitted slowly, “Sometimes it seems like he is just as wilfully blind as the rest of the palace and then other times he says or does something that make it obvious he knows who I really am.” She frowned slightly, “If he’s aware of it, he hasn’t stated it outright and as long as he’s content to leave it so, so am I.”

Seth nodded, clearly thinking, “What is it you need me to do?”

“Seth?” Mahad was surprised, considering how set in tradition the other Priest was, he had been expecting much more of an argument.

“As long as the Pharaoh is letting this continue and it’s what’s best for Egypt, I will assist in keeping this debacle going.” Seth replied, shrugging at him, “Now,” He turned back to the Princess, “What is it I can do?”

Ennead: Ancient Bit: Part 6

“We could take a break if you want?” The Princess offered, easily able to see how frustrated her student was getting.

“No.” The thief grouched, glowering at the hieroglyphs. They were beginning to make sense, but it wasn’t as easy as she had thought it would be. She was actually embarrassed at the amount of trouble she was having. The Princess made it look so easy, but then the eleven year old had learned to read and write at a much younger age, mostly by sneaking into her brother’s lessons. “I’m going to get this.”

Doing so would make breaking in and out of tombs so much easier. She would be able to read the warnings that the architects had left for themselves so they could avoid traps. She would also be able to work out what scrolls were valuable and could be sold to certain parties for a high price.

She just had to understand what the hell each of the symbols actually meant. Hieroglyphs were really complicated and symbols could mean different things if they were paired with different symbols and the whole system of writing made no sense. Hieratic script had been much, much easier to understand, even if she still struggled with it a bit.

Still she had a fellow student now. She was pretty sure it was Mahad’s revenge on the Princess for dropping her on him. Mana, who had been the Princess’s best friend and who had gone home for a while after the Anubis, had returned to the palace to be there for the ‘Prince’ and Mahad. She, of course, had known the difference instantly and had had to swear herself into secrecy along with the rest of the Princess’s small group of confidents, but Mahad had decided that she could catch up on her missed studies by learning from the Princess as he didn’t have time to teach between his own studies and the investigation into Akenaten’s misdeeds.

Frustratingly Mana already knew how to read, but that was fine because Bakura was learning plenty from just watching the Princess try and teach the other girl magic.

“I do have one idea,” Mana commented as the Princess’s stomach rumbled, as she stretched, having taken a break, “What about a trip to the kitchens?”

“Food?” The Princess perked up, having been just as irritated as her student. She knew she was hitting a barrier with Ba-Khu-Ra and she wasn’t sure how to get around it. She wanted to, but she didn’t know how.

“Sure, whatever.” Ba-Khu-Ra wasn’t going to object to a free meal. Money wasn’t too much of an issue any more, not when she tended to make a slight detour each time she left the palace ground. However she had lived with nothing for so long that she wasn’t above taking advantage of free food. “I could use a break anyway.”

They quickly packed up, carrying their tools with them as they made their way past the throne room and down to the kitchens. They were nearly there, in fact they could smell the food cooking when they bumped into the Pharaoh and a couple of the priests.

Well aware of Ba-Khu-Ra’s feelings towards her father and the rest of the High Priests, the Princess subtly gestured to Mana as she spoke with her father. Unfortunately Mana didn’t get a chance to pull the thief girl aside before her father turned to the two girls.

“And who are you two?” He asked, looking them over.

“This is Mana.” The Princess spoke quickly, gesturing to the girl, “And...”

“I’m Ba-Khu-Ra.” The Princess only just managed to keep any signs of distress off of her features as the thief girl stepped forward with a bow and a surprising amount of deference. Still the Princess couldn’t help but hold her breath as the thief straightened and continued, “Of Kul Elna.”

The Pharaoh didn’t respond to the name but Akenaten did. If the Princess had had any doubts about the fact her uncle was involved in what had happened to Ba-Khu-Ra’s village, they vanished as she watched her uncle turn as white as a sheet and backup slightly, staring at the thief as if he had seen a ghost.

Now they just needed hard evidence and they could take it to her father and get justice for the thief girl’s home.

“They’re Mahad’s students.” The Princess spoke up, drawing attention back to her, “We’re learning magic together.”

“And where is Mahad?” The Pharaoh asked, “I require a word with him.”

The Princess hesitated. She wasn’t sure where Mahad was. He had spoke about needing to speak with some contacts and vanished a few hours ago. “I’m not sure.” She said slowly, thinking, “Lessons are over. We were just about to do some extra revision and get a snack.”

“If you see him, send him to the throne room.” Her father nodded, looking thoughtful. “Something important’s come up and I must speak with him urgently.”

“Yes, Father.”

Clanverse: 3 Days in the Puzzle: Part 1

“Pharaoh, Pharaoh!” Yugi let out a soft pained groan and the shaking stopped, but the voice accompanying it continued to babble at him. “Please, wake up!”

Opening his eyes was a lot more effort than it should have been. When he managed it, he was rewarded with the sight of the Kuriboh and the Dark Magician Girl nervously awaiting his awakening. The latter helped him sit up as he tried to take in his surroundings, for a moment becoming confused by the sandstone walls and escher-esque staircases.

Then, as he looked directly up and noted the hole in a wall a few stories above where he was led, what had happened struck him. “Oh.” He managed as the memories of exploring the Puzzle, only to run afoul of one of the booby traps that made up the complicated maze played over in his head.

“My Pharaoh, are you alright?” The Dark Magician Girl asked, concern obvious.

Yugi blinked away the memory of crashing through the wall and slamming into the floor hard enough to render him unconscious as he turned to look at her, confusion obvious. “You’re talking?”

“I’ve always talked.” The Dark Magician Girl chuckled at him, “You’ve just forgotten how to listen. I’m Mana. It’s nice to meet you properly, my Pharaoh.”

“Yugi.” Yugi shook his head, “It’s just Yugi, Yami’s the Pharaoh.” He paused, eyes widening as he realised that his darker self was going to be freaking out and tried to send a mental message to the Pharaoh, only to realise he couldn’t get one through. “Uh oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Mana questioned as the Kuriboh jumped into Yugi’s lap, prompting the young man to ruffle its fur.

“I can’t reach Yami.” Yugi’s soft, slightly panicked reply caused the Duel Monster asking to let out a soft, worried hiss, “I don’t get it. I’m in the Puzzle. I should be able to reach him.” He paused and considered the Duel Monsters properly, “I am in the Puzzle right? I mean I’ve never seen you two here before...”

“Yes, Yugi,” Mana nodded as the Kuriboh kree’d reassuringly, “This is still the Puzzle, but you were already deep into its maze when you fell.” She smiled slightly, “Thanks to the Puzzle’s powers, we can access this place too and Boh,” She gestured to the big eyed ball of brown fluff in his lap, “Was already exploring when you fell and he came and got me.”

“Do either of you know the way out?” Yugi asked even as he nodded his understanding, grateful to not be completely alone.

“Unfortunately no.” Mana admitted as somehow Boh managed to make himself look embarrassed and ashamed, “The Puzzle changes so much that trying to work out up from down is a challenge, yet alone remembering where the exit is.”

Yugi couldn’t blame the pair. Yami had complained of the same thing often. His darker self only ever managed to find the door out because he had an innate sense of where it was. No matter where he was, Yami could always find his way out to help him. It was a shame that that was one ability they didn’t share.

With their link blocked or broken as it was at the moment, Yugi had a funny feeling it would be up to him to find his own way out. If he couldn’t reach Yami, then he doubted the Pharaoh could reach him either.

“It’s alright.” Yugi reassured her, getting to his feet and hiding a wince as his right leg protested the weight, his back ached and his world spun slightly as a pounding headache sank in. “I’ll just have to work my way through carefully until I find it.”

“Let us come with you.” Mana asked, watching him with great concern, “The Puzzle is full of traps and monsters, not all of them as friendly as Boh and I. You’ll need protection.”

“No, I’ll be fine.” The teen shook his head, contemplating where to start as he did so and not wanting the pair of Duel Monsters to get hurt while wandering the halls of the Puzzle with him.

 “Please, Yugi?” Mana’s earnest plea startled the boy. He turned to her, wondering why she was so worried about him when they had only truly met for the first time just a few moments ago, “You’re hurt already and it’s a long way back to the exit. At least let us accompany you back to the upper floors where the Pharaoh resides.”

The concern was familiar, Yugi realised as he stared at her. It was the same concern that his friends often had for him when he and Yami were trapped in dangerous situations. His answer, though, was the same as when they wanted to follow him into trouble. “No, please Mana. I don’t want you two to get hurt.”

“Listen here, Yugi.” And now she seriously reminded him of Tea as she drew herself up to her full height, hovering slightly to get an extra couple of inches and scowled at him, “Boh and I are Duel Monsters, there is very little that can seriously injure us. You are mortal and squishy. Even here, in the Puzzle, the fact your soul is mortal means you could easily be killed by one of the traps. Either we come with you, or I pick you up and carry you.”

“You’d fly me out?” Yugi asked, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it before.

“No,” Mana admitted, “If we were anywhere else, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but it changes too much around here. I’d end up flying into a wall or a floor that wasn’t there a second ago. No, I will literally pick you up and carry you out.”

Yugi wasn’t sure Mana looked strong enough to carry anyone, but he wasn’t going to fight it. He knew better than to argue with people. It was a waste of time, no one ever listened to him even when he was just trying to make sure they were safe. “Alright.” He sighed, “But be careful. Please?”

“I’ll try.” Mana nodded as Boh kree’d happily and pressed himself against Yugi’s bad leg, causing Yugi to let out a pained hiss and the leg to buckle. Mana caught him before he hit the floor, worry etched in her features. “Boh, go and get Evonne.”

“Who?” Yugi asked, confused as the Kuriboh darted off into a dark corner and vanished.

“She’s a Mystical Elf.” Mana explained as she shifted herself so she was supporting him, “She can heal that leg of yours and then we can get going.”

“Sorry.” Yugi apologised, flushing red in his embarrassment. The Dark Magician Girl, Mana, was one of his favourite cards and the only way that this could be any worse was if it was the Dark Magician who had to bail him out.

“Don’t apologise.” Mana shook her head, looking a little frustrated, “Just tell me next time,” She paused, her expression shifting to one of mischief, “Or I’ll set the Pharaoh on you.”

Yugi squeaked. Yami was his friend and would never harm him, but if Mana told him that Yugi had gotten himself hurt, Yami would never let him in here again.

“Do we have an agreement, Yugi?” Mana asked, a mock serious expression on her face.

As Boh returned from wherever he had gone with a Mystical Ef in tow, Yugi nodded.