Enter the Kingdom

The moon hung high in the night sky, round and full to perfection, its glistening white light illuminating the sea below. Fog cloaked the waters, obscuring the sight of waves crashing upon the bow of a solitary ship sailing through the dark. The plentiful moonlight illuminated the radiant vessel; shimmering in stark contrast to the surrounding murk it cut through. Patterns of gold and blue stretched across the hull like wings, culminating in a hawk-like visage that made up the bow.  The only other distinction was an equally elaborate and lavish canopy placed perfectly in the center of the deck, four intricately decorated pillars holding up four silky white curtains. In lieu of sails, there were a dozen oars lining each side of the ship; each manned by a young woman. Their bodies were clad in seemingly naught but bandages wrapped around them, whatever gaps in the wrappings revealing universally dark, skin-kissed flesh. Each of them also wore a large, decorative golden necklace around their collar; a more uniform decoration than the variably worn bandages. They moved in perfect time with each other, propelling the ship forward, rocking back and forth with their oars in total silence.


"Emily..." A lone voice whined, breaking the silence as it echoed out over the foggy waters, coming from one of the bandaged girls near the front of the boat. "Emily...Heeeeey, Eeeeeeemiiiiiilyyyyyy-"

"What?!" The rower immediately behind her snapped in response; clearly annoyed by the whining calls.

"How long have we been out here?"

"I don't know. Feels like it's been three days. Maybe four..." Emily replied, sighing as her annoyed tone subsided.

"Mm...and...when was the last time you saw the sun...?" The front-rower asked; shifting to lean into her oar, causing it to drag in the water.

"Ah...it's probably been...at least a day." Came the response, hesitant as she thought it over.

"That's not nor-or-maaaaal!" She whined, raising her head to gaze up at the sky. "I swear the moon hasn't budged an inch since night fell!"

"Yes, I know it's odd, but-"

"Oi! You two!" A loud, commanding voice snapped fiercely, cutting Emily off.

The two chattering girls stiffened up, glancing behind them towards the center of the deck. Standing just in front of the canopy was a woman dressed not in bandages, but fine silks and golden filigree. Large, baggy pants covered most of her legs; excepting the tanned flesh of her inner thighs, and black-furred paws she had in place of feet. A tight band of black cloth wrapped around and hugged her perky chest, leaving her toned stomach, emblazed with mirrored question marks whose curved tops almost formed a heart-shape above her belly button, exposed. Similar to the mummies, she wore a large golden necklace, though hers was decorated with vibrant blue design work. A golden bangle attached to each of her bare arms helped support a piece of translucent red fabric, connecting to a ring worn on the middle digit of the paws she possessed in place of hands. One such paw grasped a golden staff, tapping its bottom on the wooden deck out of annoyance; each tap making the scales at its top shake and jingle.

"Bianca, straighten up!" She snapped again; perky, pointed canine ears twitching atop her head.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" The slouching mummy cried out, flinching under the taskmaster's withering glare; quickly correcting her posture, her oar rejoining the unison of the rest.

"And Emily!" The canine woman turned her blazing red eyes to the next mummy in the line; cutting off the girl's slight snicker, making her flinch under her gaze just as Bianca had. "You should've told her to correct herself the moment you saw her slouch!"

"Yes ma'am! Terribly sorry ma'am!" Emily responded. "It won't happen again!"

"See that it doesn't; or Bianca won't be the only one punished for it."

Finishing her admonishing, the master of the mummies turned away from the two; shimmering red eyes taking in the other twenty two bandaged rowers who lined the sides of the ship. Completing a lap around the central canopy, and seeing no more slackers, she turned to brush one of the silky white curtains aside. Her hair, kept up in a long ponytail by a small golden crown styled like a dragon, whipped around together with a long, fluffy tail as she turned to step under the canopy.

Within the confines of the silk curtains, the canopy covered a luxurious little sanctuary, sunken a couple steps into the deck, with the exception of a platform nearer to the back that was raised up higher. Situated upon the raised platform was an immaculate golden throne, its top designed with a pair of wings jutting out the sides, and a sun design molded at its peak. The sunken-in portion meanwhile was filled up with numerous cushions of every color imaginable, brightening up the space despite the gloom outside.

"Aaaaaaaanniiiiiee, are we there yet?" The heavenly voice of the lone occupant under the canopy whined.

Laying amongst the innumerable pillows and cushions was a woman whom everyone who had ever laid eyes on her would describe as "Perfect". Her immaculate bronze skin almost seemed to glow like the sun in defiance of the foggy blackness outside. Her white top might seem a bit short to some, leaving the undersides of her large, fully rounded breasts exposed past its rim; an intricate gold and blue necklace styled like an eye resting on her bosom. A long strip of beautifully patterned cloth hung from the front and back of a simple gold band around her slender waist; leaving her long, toned legs exposed. Strange markings, akin to cracks, wove odd patterns along the lengths of her arms and legs; glowing a deep red, pulsating with an unusual power. Long, pure white hair lay loosely about underneath her; along with glinting golden jewellery that lay scattered about.

The inhumanly beautiful woman's attendant glanced over the sight for a moment; taking in a long, slow breath through her nose before responding. "I believe so Pharaoh." She spoke, crossing one paw across her body as she lowered herself in a bow. "It has been a full day that we've sailed since the sun appeared to set early, and subsequently failed to rise again. Per the missive we received, we should be arriving at their kingdom any moment now."

"Mmm, good, good..." The Pharaoh lifted a palm to her mouth, stifling a yawn before rubbing tiredly at her eyes as she sat up. "I do hope that my beloved subjects back home do not think I've been assaulted by an Apophis, and failed to see the sun to the sky!" She declared, smiling softly as she opened one watery blue eye to gaze at her attending companion.

"I believe the odd, eternal night is a localized event, unique to this kingdom and those like it, my Pharaoh." Was the response she received as her companion righted herself.

"It was a joke. I know you'd not think me so ignorant or self-important, Annie." The Pharaoh shot back with a slight pout on her lips; stretching her arms out above her head while flopping back down onto her cushions. "You are, in fact, allowed to laugh you know."

"I shall keep that in mind Pharaoh." Annie replied, smiling wryly while giving another short bow. "Given our likely proximity to the kingdom, might I suggest you take a moment to fix up your appearance some?"

"Mmmm, yes, yes, fine, I'll make sure I'm all prim and proper by the time we dock." Came the response, along with a dismissive wave from the Pharaoh as she lay on her pillows.


Nodding her head, Annie turned to exit from under the canopy, stepping up and out onto the deck once more.  Walking to the bow, she gazed up through the murk, squinting her bright red eyes to try and pierce through the fog. Slowly, she began to perceive their destination; a vast cliff face coming into focus through the misty white. Ahead of them, in the water, she could begin to see odd, flickering green flames, floating above the dark waters. Two lines of the strange, mystical flames formed a path, leading to a cavernous opening near the bottom of the cliff. Glancing up again as the cliff became more prominent, she could faintly make out the shape of a castle, sitting far atop the cliff. As she did though, something unexpected caught her eye. A slight glimmer, small fractions of light, up along the cliff. It almost looked like glass, lining the walls of the towering cliff.


"Huh. Seems there's a ship coming in..." A man spoke curiously; glancing away from the tome in his hand, looking out the window to the golden ship cutting through the foggy sea below.

"Oh? Must be the dignitaries from the neighbouring kingdom." A child-like, yet eerily calm and even-toned girl's voice responded.

"Neighbouring kingdom?" The man asked, looking away from the window.

Glimmering light filled the dark room the two stood in, the only illumination coming from the numerous alchemical fixtures scattered on stone tables throughout the lab. What tables didn't have potions glowing any sort of purple, yellow or red were covered with fragments of stone that gave off a magical blue glow themselves. In the center of the room, giving off a stronger purple glow, was what looked like a large sphere of light, surrounded by dark, intricately designed metallic rings that slowly rotated and spun around it. Occasionally, a rock fragment sitting on a table would rise up, floating through the air, passing through the rings to enter the glowing purple orb.

"Yes. What about that is confusing?" The monotone, girlish voice asked. Its owner was a strange child to any appearance.

Pale grey skin clothed in little but a ragged black cloak as dark as the night sky. A hood was lowered to bunch around her neck, leaving her head of pale, silvery hair uncovered. The dim light made it difficult, or perhaps easier, to pick out the faint red tiny the short mess of hair carried. The purple glow of the orb reflected strongly in her own deep purple eyes. Odder still than her decrepit appearance was that her entire body let off that same soft purple glow as she floated in the air around the magical artifact. Occasionally she would reach an arm out from under her cloak, revealing the only other piece of covering she had; a metallic gauntlet wrapped around her right forearm, ending in a clawed hand. It didn't look like the sort of thing that any smith could forge; giving off a faint, almost organic, green glow from parts of it.

"What's confusing is that I don't recall there being a kingdom neighbouring this one." The man elaborated his question.

Compared to the floating girl in the air before him, the man was far more normal. Rather than simply being nude beneath a robe, he wore black slacks and a plain white tunic. His skin, while pale, was not unnaturally so, only appearing that he didn't spend much, if any, time outdoors or under the sun. Messy black hair framed a pair of inquisitive brown eyes that looked up at the floating girl, waiting on an answer.

"Hmm...I suppose that it was a rather recent occurrence." She conceded after a moment of thought.

"Recent? Kingdoms generally don't just spring up. One tends to hear about such things in-progress." He reasoned, setting his book down on a table.

"Sure they do." The monotonous girl shot back immediately. "Haven't you heard the legend of the Pharaoh?"

"Legend of the...Pharaoh?" He repeated back, lifting a hand to cup his chin, the other wrapping his front to hold his elbow as he thought.

"I'll be summarily disappointed if you haven't." The girl told him as she floated about the magical sphere, running her clawed hand against the rings at times. "Someone wishing to study the arcane arts, particularly in a land of the undead, should certainly have heard it before."

"Just give me a second, I'm thinking here..." He muttered, closing his eyes as he thought harder. "The legend of the Pharaoh...tells of ancient kings, blessed with divinity...who were said to be sealed away, and would one day arise to lead their kingdoms once more...?" He recited the tale as he remembered it slowly as each bit came to mind.

"Oh, very good, did you want a treat for your efforts?" Despite the complete lack of any change in her tone, the girl's sarcasm was still somehow obvious, drawing a groan from the man.

"So you're saying this new, neighbouring kingdom, is led by one of these revived Pharaohs?" He deduced.

She nodded in confirmation, slowly floating down until she touched the ground, the glow about her body disappearing. "Indeed. The divine blessing upon them granted them incredible magical power. It's said to stew and build up over the eras that they are sealed away; erupting as a burst of life when they awaken." She elaborated, turning to walk towards the man. "This can turn what we know to be mere ruins, into a bountiful and growing kingdom, within mere days."

"So essentially...a kingdom popping up overnight..." He concluded, repeating his earlier dismissal in a new light. He gazed down seriously at his companion in the dark lab for a moment; until a broad grin broke across his face, unable to stop a snicker from escaping his lips. "Sorry; I'm just never going to be able to get over how short you are..." He muttered.

Indeed, the knowledgeable girl barely came up to the man's chest. If he were to hazard a guess, she was probably not much more than four feet tall. He couldn't help but clutch at his stomach, leaning over a bit as he chuckled. The child-like magic user before him regarded him with unchanging eyes, not showing the slightest hint of indignation or offense. She simply let out a quiet sigh, waiting for him to finish.

"Ewan?" She spoke plainly as his chuckling died down.

He immediately tensed up, freezing on the spot as his eyes fixed themselves on her. "Y-Yes, Mistress Shauna?" She was angry. Even if her tone wasn't any different, and even if she gave no sign of it, he knew. Even if he wasn't used to her only using his name when she was angered, he should know better than to laugh about her height by now. He'd also figured out that respectfully identifying her as "Mistress" was a decent way of curbing her wrath.

"What've we said about laughing at my height?" Not so this time, it would seem. The absolutely unnatural smile on her lips as she continued to speak without a hint of even a shred of emotion was more than enough proof of that.

"That you're a proud member of the Sabbath; and will not be belittled by this indication of that status..." He repeated, standing perfectly stiff and straight as he repeated this little rule of hers. He felt the cold sweat going down the back of his neck as the purple aura returned to his teacher's form; breathing a sigh of relief when it quickly disappeared as she shut her eyes, turning away from him.

"Luckily enough, I'm not in much of a mood for punishment." She stated, walking back towards the rotating sphere of magic and metal. "Though I trust this will serve as enough of a reminder? You remember what happened the last time you couldn't keep a chuckle down, yes?" She asked, peeking over her shoulder at Ewan.

He firmly and rapidly nodded his head repeatedly. It had been a fair time past, that he'd begun to forgot and let himself slip. He certainly didn't need the full reminder of what would be visited upon him should he offend his teacher again. There was none better than a Lich to learn magic from; but that sheer magical knowledge and power came at as much risk as opportunity.

"Mmm, good then. Shall we get back to wo-" Shauna began to speak, only to be interrupted by a knocking echoing through the stony laboratory.

Glowing as she rose into the air, she floated over to a large stone door sealed against one wall. Spreading her magic to it, it glowed like she did, somehow silently swinging inwards. Standing on the other side was a centaur, nervously fiddling with her hands. Fine lavender fur covered her equine lower body, a clacking sound filling the air as her hooves trod upon the cool stone flooring; a mystical blue flame flickering on each of her four ankles. Her human upper body was dressed in a simple, ragged blue-purple hooded shirt. Said hood was down, showing the short hair that matched the fur on her lower half, though her bangs were long enough to obscure her eyes; floppy horse-like ears twitching about atop her head.

She stopped wringing her hands in front of the red eye symbol on her bust, jailed by golden filigree, lifting one hand to wave at the girl who'd opened the door. "H-Hello Miss Shauna, I'm here to take you to the palace, l-like you asked?"

"Ah, Eve. Is it that time already?" The undead spell caster mused, rising up through the air to settle on the dream-walking centaur's back; looking at Ewan over her shoulder. "Thank you for coming to escort me. Ewan! Mind the Furnace while I'm gone!" She called to him.
"Yes Mistress; I'll make sure the current project gets finished up too." He told her, raising a hand to wave at her and the Nightmare, Eve, as she turned to trot away.

"See that you do." His Lich teacher told him, the large stone door sliding shut behind them.

Ewan dropped his arm to his side once the door had firmly closed, letting out a bothered sigh. "What does an all-powerful Lich need with an escort anywa-"

His grumblings were interrupted when a book flew up from a table, its spine smacking him right in the face.

"Gah!" He cried out, stumbling back as the book fell to the floor, his hands flying up to clutch his face. After a moment to recover, he began to spin about, looking at the dark corners of the room. "Did she bug the place?!"