The Corrupt King

♒Unfavored Welcomes♒

*No Art is owned by me in this chapter*

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The desert was vast full of trouble, blood and sweat. The great kingdom of Egypt which had held light and hope now was cursed with famine and despair. Rumors spread like wildfire of the new pharaoh and his cruel rule over the lands. He was said to reject the gods and give in the the dark magic the Pharaoh before him tried desperately to eliminate. The pharaoh was said to be the result of many dissaperences and other conspiracies. The only true thing anyone knew about him was he loved games. Much of his ruling was based on torturous games that he considered justice. The whole country fell into madness and chaos and it was here at the edge of the Nile we meet Egypt's single hope.

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Survival is all people focused on around here. Survival and hiding. I scrapped mud into a crafted sieve hoping I'd find seeds to plant I was sick of eating scorpions as it was considered bad juju. All that remains of the Nile was pockets of mud like mucus. Sometimes I found small fish hiding there. Most of the animals were dead carcuses laid strewn about the empty Nile. Most the meat from the animals was infected by the famine that killed the crops. Sieving carefully nothing but small rocks surface my stomach grumbled in frustration. 

"Damnit" I shouted I had been at this for hours under the suns harsh rays. I was hungry and thirsty and on my last leg. I had tried desperately not find myself going into that city again. It was hard enough side the wall. However inside of them was far more sinister. I knew I would have to make a trip to the marketplace in town. I had become remarkable at stealing what I needed, especially in these desperate times. The only people who headed to the marketplace now were merchants from other allied lands, to the few rich lords that continued helping the pharaoh in his awful regime. There was 12 of them, each with dark magic surrounding them, assisting them in torture and murder of the innocent people of Egypt.  I stared at the city in the distance knowing I would have to travel there. I had nothing left out here I had to enter the city I had escaped from as a child. 

It was freezing as I made my way to the city entrance the nights had been getting colder and colder. The moon was my only guide as it beat off the buildings white limestone. This city smelled of death, and seemed abandoned but that was unlikely many people were afraid to leave as the sands outside the walls had not been kind to those who did choose to run on the day the Pharaoh was crowned. I stood by the entrance a moment there used to be soldiers guarding the entrance to the city now there were steaks in the ground where bodies hung limp. My stomach turned as the smell of death petrified my nose. The whole city smelled terribly. There were piles of partially burnt corpses laying around the various alleys which echoed each step I took. I seemed to be the only one out at this hour which worried me as if I was spotted I would be taken to which ever lord was in charge of that district. 

A soft torched flame caught my eye as It came down the dark narrow road I pressed myself up against the wall quietly listening

"You're out past curfew! you know what the punishment is!"

"No-no! pl-please my grandfather is very sick I was just grabbing a jug of water from our cellar please!" I heard a familiar voice beg

"HA! you expect us to believe that? We are taking you straight to Lord Mahad!" 

"No! No!" I heard the boy shout

I had to do something and quickly, I looked around for anything that could distract one of them so I could knock out the other. I followed them quietly slipping around corners until I saw a small empty broken pot outside someones door. I picked up a few pieces and began throwing it in any direction I could away from my own position. 

"Who goes there!" One of the guards yelled "Halt!" I heard him yell further down the road. I took my chance as I had guessed the other one was with the prisoner holding his tied hands behind him. The prisoner looked so familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. I quietly snuck up behind the guard knocking him out hard with some debre near by the boy jump when he heard the thud and crash nearly screaming himself. I grabbed his mouth shut "Shhh" and waved him into the darkness of the alley 

"Y-You saved me!" He whispered "Why would you do a thing like that"

I removed my cloak hood revealing my face

"By the gods...your still Alive?"

I knew now why this boy looked so familiar. He wasn't a boy at all in fact he was my age. 

"Yes Yugi, we must hurry we cannot stay here"

"That was a close one!" He shut the thatch door and lowered the curtain "Thats the last time I ever leave this house at night.." He panted

I was panting too as we had made a run for it now that he was secured in the his home he was safe unless he was sent for by one of the Royals themselves which was highly unlikely

"I can't believe it" He said again "I thought...as soon as your home was burnt to the ground, your family-"

"Don't" I eyed him carefully warning him about his next words

"I didn't mean to upset you..Its just so good to see you again" He wrapped his hands around me It was strange to think I used to be shorter then him and now we were the same height though he was short for a man of his age. He must often be mistook for as a boy I thought.

"It is good to see you too yugi.." I reassured him 

It had been 8 years since I had last seen yugi, we used to play in the Nile together our families were always close. We had lived upper middle class and we were respected by all the royals around our fathers had assisted building some of the great buildings around here though now it appeared they'd been turned to rubble. Yugi had been my only and closest friend.  It had seemed fate brought us together once more.

"How's your grandfather?" I asked hesitantly 

Yugi shook his head "Not good, hes very ill" 

Yugi took my hand leading me to the backroom where his fevered grandfather laid soundly Yugi dipped a small cloth into some water and patted his grandfathers head

"Hell be in the field of reeds soon...I just want him to be comfortable" Yugi frown "He's all thats left in my family aside myself" 

I didn't pry I knew what likely happened to the rest of the family. The same fate my own family face.

Yugi smiled lightly "Come one lets get you settled in"