The Final Battle

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Word Key:
Vimana- A circular craft capable of flight via means unknown, think U.F.O
Anpu- Jackal Headed humanoids famously depicted throughout ancient egypt
Humanai- Humans, currently second class citizens
Archon- A race of technologically advanced giants predating humanity
Earth Lord- An even older race thought to be all but wiped out. 
Elder and Great Elder- The Current ruling species of the planet Earth
Shadow Realm- A pocket dimension
Waerloga- Warlock, an oath breaker, one who cannot be trusted. 
The Change- A process in which extremely old cells are believed to be mutated by solar rays, morphing a person into something else. The Change is different for everyone and can be beautiful, but is more than often cruel. 
Yggdrasil- The world tree, an impossibly tall tree that is believed to be even older than the earth itself. It is completely hollow and filled with the massive city of Wakah-Chan.
Aura- A field of energy around (almost) every living being that can be used to do extraordinary things. It is an exact science, but it is easier to think of it as magic. 


Prologue
-----------

Fire rained from the sky... the seas boiled..... and Vimana fell from the heavens like birds dying in mid flight.


Metal, stone, and bodies fell into the golden city below.


The island was sinking... 

A red moon hung over a golden pyramid that dominated the sky, covering all the buildings around it in a sickening crimson shadow that pulsed with energy. 

A young girl cried that day... she cried silver tears for the world she was about to destroy. 

The Final Battle had arrived, as fortold by Chronos and Abraham the Mage. 

Danu Talis would fall.

The World was ending....

Chapter 1: Winds of Change

"Just put the child to bed." Imhotep answered passively, dismissing his wive with the wave of a hand. A small shake of the head showed his remorse for the rude action moments later and he turned his eyes toward his loving wife. The Change had been kind to Persephone, she was still as beautiful as on the day he had met her, all those years ago. "I am sorry. It is just that things have grown tense these last millenia... Anubis is once again trying to move agai-" 

"Enough talk of those things, my love. Yes you are stressed, but I have prepared a meal for you this evening, and I would hate for it to go to waste." She responded in an even tone. Imhotep raised his eyebrows in surprise, not at the fact that he was silenced by his wife, as he had been many times before, but at the fact that she had made a meal with her own two hands. In this day and age, Elders had grown use to their genetic creations preparing meals for them, but today was different. She too must have known that something was different. As he looked closer, the distance in her eyes became obvious. The Gift of site had given her wonderful visions of the future, but the gift was complicated, and it had been lost during the change that overtook them all. Imhotep himself had not yet experienced the change, even though he was one of the oldest of the Great Elders on Danu Talis. Abraham would have called it a mutation brought on by the dabbling of forbidden Archon technology in his youth, but Imhotep simply took it as it was, a gift that kept him youthful and handsome. 

"Ah, let me guess, did you ge-?" Imhotep began, but the shaking of their golden home silenced him. Another earthquake, another reminder that the world was once again becoming unstable. The winds of change were not as subtle as they use to be, and the Elders and Great elders hidden in their own shadow realms from the grotesqueness of their own change would pick up on this. In fact, the city was becoming filled with more and more Elders by the day. This was Danu Talis of course, the capital city of an empire that stretched the globe, a place for Elders to rule over the humanai who populated the poor and poverty stricken streets on the outskirts of the great island city. Elders were creatures of solitude, though, and having many of them in one place at a time was an obvious for-shadowing of big events to come.

The shaking stopped as quickly as it started, only managing to disturb a pile of papers on the corner of Imhotep's emerald desk. Silence now pervaded the room as the couple looked at toward the city through the study window with baited breath. The large volcanic mountain standing tall next the the golden pyramid of the sun, the largest building in the entire city, shot out a puff of white smoke. After a few more moments, with nothing else worth mentioning happening at the volcano, the two Elder's sighed a breath of relief and looked toward one another again. Before Imhotep could speak, Persephone answered his question before he could finish asking it, "And yes, I got your favorite cut from the Megalodon at the fish market today." 

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Chapter Two: Fine Wine

Silver platters and golden goblets clattered on intricately carved stone tables as humanoid felines served dinner to their guests. In the comfortable chairs around the table sat Zephaniah, her brother Prometheus, Imhotep, Persephone, and Huitzilopochtli. The three that sat across from Imhotep and his wife were far younger than them, by around ten to fifteen thousand years, but they hardly showed their youth now a days. It was not so much that the world felt as if it were about to burst, this degree of age in the room was set by the sadness of losing someone you know to the change. Abraham the Mage, someone Imhotep had talked to regularly was finally going through the change. His Aura, pure gold, was starting to harden on his skin in a golden shell. Eventually he would not be able to move, stuck as still as a statue and unable to communicate, but still able to watch and percieve everything around you. The change was cruel to most people. 

"So, Hekate couldn't join us this evening?" Persephone asked lightly, in an attempt to break the suffocating silence in the room. With a wave of her hand, the feline humanoids bowed toward the assorted elders and padded silently out of the room. 

"No no, she is still at Yggdrasil, attending to the human population there. They revere her as a goddess you know." Zephaniah responded, before anyone else could. It was odd for the seemingly youthful girl with bright red hair to speak up first, her younger brother Prometheus often did that for her. Imhotep raised and eyebrow, but before he could speak, Huitzilopochtli offered up some words. 

"Yes, it seems like you can never get her away from the tree anymore. Her form shifts so often that she hardly gets out anymore, besides, the Boar Men of Yggdrasil protect her as she sleeps." He stated, putting Imhotep to ease. Hekate, the goddess with three faces, was just that. She was an elder born with a unique property, becoming a young girl in the morning, she was spry and youthful. In the evening, the Elder turned into a middle aged woman, wise and powerful. Toward the evening, the elder grew into old age and fell asleep in her throne room, where she woke the next morning as a young girl once again. Imhotep felt pity for the elder, to be cursed with such a thing would make life difficult, but at last she had managed, and thrived. 

"Ah, it is a shame. She would have enjoyed walking the plaza streets near the Pyramid of the Sun, regardless of age. I am sure our strong Prometheus could have carried her the entire way anyway." Persephone mentioned, complementing Prometheus while suggesting an activity they could all partake in after the meal. With that, everyone nodded and dug into their food. What had been layed out in front of them was a assortment of meats and fruits gathered from all around the world, and from Persephone's beautiful garden. Soccer ball sized pomegranates sat plump on a large golden platter in the middle of the table, they were Persephone's favored fruit, prized from her garden, and were all but gone by the end of the meal. By the time the Elder's had eaten their fill and all sat back from the table contentedly patting their stomachs, Persephone spoke up again. "When you are all ready, we can take the Vimana out to the Grand Park and set out on our walk. I heard the Muses have been teaching the Humani a wonderful little play, maybe we could get some seats and watch them act it out. They have such wonderful performers, and the Muses have taught them well." 

"Sounds like a plan Perri." Offered Prometheus with a big smile on his large face, and the rest of the elders nodded in agreement. 

~

"My Mistress, Marethyu has just sent word. Everything is falling into place, and our guests will be hear within the next few days. Abraham has called upon us." Came the gentle words from a very large man with tusks protruding from his lower lips.

Hekate smiled as the whisper passed into her aging ear. "Before I forget what you just said, prepare the humans of Yggdrasil. If Abraham is right, then we might need forces of defense after all. You know were the armory is, assemble them and prepare them for what is to come." 

"Of course Goddes." Responded the humanoid before he lumbered out of the polished thrown room, leaving the three face Goddess alone to fall asleep. 

"Dinner would have been the better plan tonight... but so much will change soon, I can feel it. Forgive me Persephone, perhaps I will see you once more before what ever is to come arrives." Amended the Goddess. The silence of the room gave no reply, and with that, the withering woman fell asleep. 

[SuperCommando]

Good stuff Beta, it's cool to see some fantasy work around here just for a change of pace. And as always, your sophisticated writing style is a pleasure to read.

So clearly this is a take on multiple mythological figures - I recognize most of them, like Hecate, Prometheus, and Imhotep. (And megaladon, lol!). Is everybody in your story gonna be an existing figure, or will you bring in some original characters too?

[Daenerys Targaryen]

This story is kind of like an untold story based off of a book series I am almost done reading, (sorry to say this isn't my brain child xD). I think that events on Danu Talis were pretty much ignored for all of the books and the last two focused on characters and pretty much ignored regular life there, so I am pretty much writing up a purely made fan fiction of events not mentioned in the book series itself. xD

As for the figures, they will be either characters from the book series or made up. Since I am focusing on the elders, (I don't want to reveal too much), there will be a lot of mythological names mentioned. Imhotep, Persephone, and their child are genuine creations of myself, of course with names borrowed, and there will be more. As for the rest of the elders mentioned, they all have their little places in the book series and I will try to stick to their personalities the best I can if anyone reading this recognizes the books. ^^

Personally I am almost done with finishing the last book, so part of starting where I did was partially the reason.

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Chapter 3: A walk in the Park

Lush fields of flora and the rings of circular canals separated the palaces of the ruling Elders from the rest of the city of Danu Talis. Some Human slums ranged close to these canals, but Anpu in black ceramic armor gaurded  the bridges that connected the two, and no human had ever crossed it. In fact, no human had ever walked on the gold paved streets of the ruling district since the days of their ancestors creation and enslavement, almost two thousand years ago. Those times had been darker times, but many of the Elder buildings that sat at the outskirts of the city, and the many human slums surrounding the golden city itself were made from indentured human labor. Imhotep himself had had human slaves, Persephone insisted on taking a few families in that would tend to their palace home when they left for certain adventures. The two were famous in those times as one of the few Elders who had actually treated humanity with some dignity. When Aten, the current ruler of Danu Talis, had came to power after the death of his father Amenhotep, he had recognized humanity as an intelligent species and had abolished the practice of human slavery. Imhotep and Persephone gladly freed their current stock of human slaves when it had happened. They lived such short lives, so the originals they had taken in where long dead by the time human slavery was abolished. 

"The fields are always at their lushest during Litha, Persephone, this was a wonderful time for us to visit." Keened Zephaniah in one of the back seats of Imhotep and Persephone's crustal vimana. It was a wonder in itself. The Vimana had been discovered in many ancient ruins and were not related to Elders in any way shape or form. Because of this, know one knew how to repair them, many were in a current state of disrepair; in fact, more than two Vimana were rumored to fall out of the sky a day. The Vimana owned by Imhotep was one of the first discovered, found sealed away in a cave off of the coast of the nameless city, but that was a story for another time.

"Yes, and just think, the council will be meeting in a few days to discuss the same drab things they have been talking about for hundreds of years now. Maybe Aten can finally get some more rights hammered out for humans, of course not many will like it, but no one would dare move against him." Persephone stated lightly. All the Elders now in the Vimana, preparing for a descent that would take them into the human slums, all enjoyed humanity. Prometheus himself and crated the first humans when a spark of his Aura had animated statues in a library of the nameless city millenia ago, but that two was a story for a different time. 

"Of course Aten should, but remember that his mother still holds sway in the council, and he is trying his best to simply keep her petitions for eradication of humanity at bay." Imhotep added, receiving a few grunts from the back of the Vimana. It was getting closer to the evening, and the triangle crystal ship hovered gently out of the ruling palace region of Danu Talis and into the main parts of the city. Here, humans and non humans moved about. Some elder homes out-skirted or simply kept away from the palace sector, they belonged to the ones who did not mind humanity. If Persephone and Imhotep were younger, they would live out here with Prometheus, Zephaniah and Huitzilopochtli, but the couple had owned their home before humanity even existed and the two did not wish to move. 

"Right there, near the small fountain." Persephone keened from her passenger seat, pointing down into a courtyard below them. The courtyard itself was surrounded by decent looking buildings in which the muses and their human actors lived, a small stage was set up to the far edge of the courtyard and was surrounded by a small group of humans. Imhotep nodded, and in moments the triangular craft silently dipped toward an open space in the courtyard and gently settled onto the grass. 

A hiss of air signaled the opening of the bay doors toward the back of the Vimana and the procession of Elder's disembarked from the crystal craft. Within moments the muses, nine beautiful identical sisters, were upon the small group. The Elders were showered in compliments as the two groups of friends were reunited once more. Zephaniah and Persephone hugged some of the sisters and laughed with others while Imhotep and the other males smiled and offered compliments. When the greetings finally died away, Calliope and Thalia stepped forward from the group of nine and spoke in their sing-songy voices. "Welcome to our two thousandth annual production! We hope you will enjoy it!" With that, the elders moved off toward the stage and the play began. 

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Chapter 4: Changes

So many things could happen in only a few hours...

Imhotep sat at his jade desk, watching the sprawling city from the comfort of his study. Last nights performance on part of the humans was a wonderful show indeed. The actors, the plot, and the settings were skillfully plotted out bu the Muses, as always, this time it even featured some stories from the Mountains of madness, somewhere off the massive island continent of Danu Talis. He had not been to those mountains for a long time now, too many years to count. The last time he set eyes on that specific range of mountains was when he and the rest of the Great Elders tore the isle of Danu Talis from the seabed and brought it up above the blue depths once again. That was a very long time ago as well.

The news of prisoners had come as a surprise to Imhotep. Foreigners, speaking a language unknown to even him, appeared on green hills boarding some of the humans slums on the outskirts of the city. Ard-Greimne must have known they were coming because as soon as they had appeared, several Anpu driven vimana dipped down toward the group and snatched them away. All of them were taken off toward the Pyramid of the Sun in the early morning, and that was the last he had heard about the situation. Of course, hardly anyone else cared or payed attention to imprisoned peoples these days; he only found out about the new prisoners because he cared enough to keep tabs on the Great prison of Tartarus. During times like these, it was always good to know someone who helped run the prison. 

Imhotep continued to stare out into the sprawling golden city, his dull gray eyes moving slowly from building to building. His train of thought was interrupted when Persephone burst into the room. "Imhotep! Aten has been imprisoned on grounds of treason by his bastard brother Anubis!" Shrieked his wife, the mix of emotions in the room sent both of their aura's crackling to life, coloring the room in Persephone's pink and Imhotep's icy blue, filling it with the scents of rose and rain. 

"How... when?" Imhotep asked, trying to regain his composure. The Elder stood and looked out onto the city with a new intensity as his wife regained her composure to speak again. 

"Just this afternoon, a few hours ago at the Pyramid. Anpu guard came in an requested us to clear the plaza on orders of Anubis. Then, before I realized what had happened, Aten was being led by chain down the steps and into a waiting Vimana." Reported his wife, clearly stricken by what she had seen. "It took me around that time to get back here by carriage.. I knew I should have taken the Vimana today!"

"Aten.. led by chains? He could have just as easily broken them and killed all the Anpu in the temple, and his brother Anubis without working up a sweat. How could they... unless he wanted to be captured... That makes no-..." Imhotep struggled over his words, Abraham must have an idea of what had happened, but if would have taken several days to reach the far end of the continent to speak with him. It didn't matter much anyway, because with Aten gone, the stability of the city would soon fall into turmoil... and it meant that a council gathering would happen within days. "Persephone, watch after our child, I am taking the Vimana to Tartarus. There are a few choice words I have for Ard-Greimne, and I need to check on the status of Aten."