Ziggy flips to near the end of the Book and begins to read.
The Emperor - Chapter 11 - Jack of Swords
In the waning years of the Age of Pagan Gods and monsters, and 10 Years Before King Midas ascending the Golden throne or 10 (BM) Midas was finishing his Journey of self-discovery. He had heard rumours of a gypsy woman in the desert who was able to give him the answers he sought. This would be his final pilgrimage before he returned home empty-handed.
He had explored the expanses of the Great Plains to the east, toured the Great Wall of the Deep South and sailed the great archipelagos of the West, and now his journey has brought him to the Northern Saharah in search of the answer to a question he had longed for.
"What is Karma?"
Midas whispered to himself. He was cloaked in white and pale colored robes that loosely hung over his masculine frame. On his back was a satchel filled with food and water. His feet were wrapped in wide sandals that left deep pot marks in the desert dunes.
His every step was filled with mumblings of the question, but just as the sand beneath his feet slipped past his toes, so did the answer he was looking for.
It was an unfortunate time for Midas as the moment he crossed the border into the Northern Sahara, he found himself in a lifelong sandstorm. However, it seems he was also fated not to meet any monsters on his journey.
The desert winds whipped at his clothing as he slowly made his way through the storm. He held the back of his hands over his eyes as grains of sand blew past his face at hellish speeds.
Midas had spent three days and nights walking aimlessly in the storm. There were moments where he felt as though he had been walking in circles, but his faith in himself remained. He continued to step forward, even if there was no clear direction, even if he had been walking in circles, he continued to step forward.
Eventually, the storm subsided, and in front of him, the mouth of a grand Canyon appeared. Midas stepped into the colourful bands of metamorphic rocks, and eventually, he found himself at the border of a small village oasis.
Midas, weary from his travels, decided to take refuge with the people of the Oasis before continuing his search. The Oasis was built atop a small stack within the Canyon that was surrounded by a horseshoe bend. Within the Stack seemed to be a natural spring as water flowed out from the cracks between the rocks, deepening the bend into a vertical lake.
The stack's base was wide with a plateau facing towards him that was sprinkled with little dots in motion above. To Midas, the village seemed to hold no more than 100 people.
" I wonder what they like to eat?" Midas asked himself while massaging his stomach. He soon decided to take another step forward. In front of him was a small bridge, the only connection to the village that his eyes could see.
"HALT!"
Midas was greeted by two young men dressed in White garbs and headdresses.
HALT! I SAID!
One of the two pointed a spear which was made from the sharpened tusk of an unknown Monster. His features were sharp and angular, his skin was taut and resembled caked sand, but his musculature was efficient.
The young man steadied his stance before saying aloud.
"Who are you!? Why do you seek our village?!"
Midas, who was nearly six feet four, towered over the young boy.
Without giving a direct response, Midas gazed at the two youths in front of him, his golden eyes peering into everything. 'Hmmm, rather young for scouts or monster hunters. Must they have been left to guard the village while the men went out to hunt? Hmm, no? Could they have caught that sandstorm? No matter.'
In his moment of silence, the two boys did not break his gaze but did not attempt to communicate further with him.
Midas unveiled his headdress, revealing his skin seemingly forged from the purest of bronze. His hair was thick and dark, portions of it were matted into locks adorned with gold an Jewlery. But what stood out most about his features were his Golden eyes.
They gazed at the boys as if they were able to petrify any creature. They could not help but describe his visage as beautiful.
"Oye! The gaze of a Lion"
The young man's compatriot immediately slackened his grip on his spear. " The Elder Visionary told us that he would come after a great storm!"
The young man in poorly veiled excitement hit his companion's shoulder, " Brother Param, it is him! The King!"
Midas did not respond, but thought to himself. 'King? Is the king of Humans not His Majesty Heme the III'
Param's weapon did not sway. Even if he was the one spoken of by the High Visionary. It was his duty to protect the Village while his father was gone hunting monsters. He was the son of the Village chief Visnam. So he must stand his ground against any foreign threat.
And Param stood his ground and said to his compatriot. " We do not trust outsiders, even if they are kings Visah. He shall have to wait here. Go and tell the High Visionary of his arrival."
Midas, who had remained silent, spoke with an even tone. His voice was gentle and smooth but quaked with the heft of a Fire Elephant.
" Is your Visionary the one they call Madam Ojo?"
Param did not respond but quickly glanced over his shoulder towards Visah running over the bridge towards the village.
Seeing Param's lack of response, Midas plopped his weight onto the sand. His eyes held a mild curiosity, but he was unwilling to press any further against Param.
Param in response lowered his weapon, keeping it trained at Midas' Vitals.
Midas was not offended; instead, he removed his bag and removed two bowls from its depths along with a Gourd. Midas popped the Cork of the gourd and poured two cups of the liquid for himself and Param.
He held up the cup closest to himself and handed it towards Param. " I prefer to handle my troubles with words before Violence. Do you mind sharing a drink with me, friend Param?"
Param stared at Midas, looking for an ounce of intention within his gaze, but could not see past his eyes into his heart.
Minutes passed in silence, and Visah did not return promptly. Param looked at the spoked star in the sky. It seemed to be brighter than ever before, its glow bathing the earth in its heat and radiance. "
Param could not help but wipe the sweat from his exposed brow and glance at the cup held out by Midas.
Midas had yet to lower his hand or take a drink from his own cup which under the intense heat had already begun to empty.
However, everytime the cup held towards Visah began emptying from the intense heat, Midas calmly topped it back up, seemingly uncaring of the gourd, which was now almost half empty.
Param could clearly hear the slosh of the water at the base of the gourd as Midas had placed it down for the third time.
Unable to hold his curiosity, Param asked Midas a question. " Why do you fill my cup, but let yours empty?"
Midas massaged his thigh and smiled before once again holding up the cup towards Param.
"I had walked three days without an Oasis in sight, and I suspect I can walk three more and find nothing but great dunes of sand and rocks... In the Northern Wilds, which we called the Great Saharah. Here, water is Life, and is as plentiful as Gold."
Midas once again topped up the bowl with water. "So I share my Gold with you, in hopes of attaining something more valuable than Gold from you."
Param once again raised his guard. "Why would I share something that has greater value than gold with you? What do you hope to obtain, King?"
Midas replied. "A friend in a foreign land."
Param did not share a drink with Midas but kept his gaze trained on him. This time, the tension in his shoulders was loosened. Midas' eyes glinted with intention briefly before settling down once more into serene golden ponds.
" Why is a young man like you guarding the village? Are there no adults present at the moment?"
Param, slightly surprised at the accuracy of Midas' observation, failed to keep a straight face. He did not answer Midas' question, but Midas received his answer.
" Why do you care, stranger?" Param's gaze returned to their original hostility
Midas shrugged his shoulders. " In the age of Pagan gods and Monsters, it is very strange for a village to have no protection, or could it have something to do with the storm?"
Param blinked as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. " Did he find my father? Does he know something about what happened in the storm?" Questions circled Param's mind. Questions he couldnt ask without giving answers he should not give.
Midas, seeing Param's emotional struggle, smiled. " It seems the village does not have any protection. I doubt they will last long without signing a contract with a Pagan"
Eventually, Visah returned and, with the permission of the High Visionary, for Midas to greet her.
Midas was soon escorted into the Village by Visah and Param.
The village was even smaller than Midas had anticipated. The houses were carved out of limestone and some form of primitive mortar. There were very few able bodied adults, mostly women, children and the elderly doing menial tasks.
" Hmm, A village this small should not be able to survive, much less seem so stable. Could they have a contract with a Pagan, or is there something else here…High Visionary…Hmm."
Midas observed that Visah and Param seemed to be the only young men who showed any proficiency with weaponry. Most others were washing clothing and bathing in the water fall of the stack. They seemed to have a complete absence of survival instincts nor hesitance to strangers. He was even approached by a few children before Param shooed them away.
Midas did not step out of turn and simply followed the two towards the centre of the village. 'Hmm, I see no idols, or effigies…how very strange. Not a single soul seems to be ready to fight for their lives. It is as if they live in a secluded paradise.'
At the centre of the village was a natural spring that constantly spewed water into the air.
The ground surrounding the spring was moist and full of greenery due to the almost constant rainfall surrounding the spring. Desert palms, ferns , cacti and tall grass were almost evergreen surrounding this spring.
Midas felt the air around him become cooler as if it carried less sandparticles and dust, a single deep breath here felt more potent than anywhere else in the Wilds. 'Could this place be related to the mystical karma?'
Within the lush greenery was a small tent. Midas without hesitation stepped past Param and Visah and flicked the cover of the tent open.
Inside the tent was a young woman. Every curve and angle of her body was exposed. The only sanctity of the sight was the loose fittings made of hide that covered her chest and hips.
Her hair was black and had a sheen like fresh silk. Her expression was one of immense pleasure as she bit her lips and slid her slender fingers up her body to her cheeks and smiled.
Her eyes were covered with a tainted opague cloth.
Midas frowned, noticing her hands had followed his gaze upwards. He was unsure if she was guiding his eyes or she was following where he looked.
" You like what you see, my King?"
Her exposed stomach raised slightly as she breathed. Midas did not respond and continued to look at her figure. Her fingers once again traced every part that his eyes drifted towards.
Tattoos and markings covered her thighs and arms. The tattoos were glyphs and diefic symbols representing the Pagan Gods.
Midas frowned as he was able to recognize two distinct repeating characters each representing a God.
One was a Corunicopia on her left thigh which was filled with fruit and clovers.
The other was of a large serpent eating its tail wrapped around an hourglass.
" Tchye and Ophis "