Again They Shall Rise [Karameida x MellowYellow]

[Karameida]

At the Start....​

Anubis was in a rare fury as he stalked along the corridors of where he lived. Or rather, where he used to live. "I should have left him to rot..." Anubis snarled. The cause of his fury? Osiris. The fool who'd been tricked by his evil brother. The one who was cut up and scattered across Egypt. Would still be scattered little chunks of god had he and Thoth not stepped in and helped him and Isis. "I shouldn't have done it." he bit out angrily. Now that Osiris was resurrected -in a manner of speaking- he was to rule the underworld. The realm Anubis himself had been running until now. The rage within him burned hotter as the memories flitted through his mind. Because of what happened he could not take his original place with the other deities so he was told to rule the underworld. "And I'm supposed to stand idly by and serve that thrice accursed idiot." he muttered gritting his teeth, the rage within growing ever brighter. "If they think I will, then they are bigger fools than Osiris. I have no intention of being that gullible gods dog." He said letting out a long shaky breath.

He stopped and clenched and unclenched his fists several times trying to rid himself of some of the wrath that was swirling inside him. Just waiting to consume him in flames.

"Fools."

He murmured again before disappearing entirely from the world.

Eons passed in both the human world and the world in which the gods resided. Anubis was gone but his part was written in mythology nonetheless. And as he lied comatose in this dark world of blacks and greys, the Egyptian pantheon was ruthlessly destroyed. Every one of them tortured and murdered with extreme hatred. The destruction of the Egyptian pantheon sent a wave of shock crashing over the rest of the pantheons. How could such a thing happen to an entire race of gods? Time wore on and no answers could be found and the matter was laid to rest. The Egyptian pantheon became a dark, silent and cold place. Like Death sitting in the middle of a crowded room of humans.

And then it happened again. This time it sent the pantheons into a fearful frenzy. Within this chaos voices screamed out. "Take action!" "Revenge!" "Fight!" but how do you fight something you do not see? This question silenced the yelling and frightened screaming. Something had to be done. Two pantheons had been entirely annihilated and they were fearful it would not be the last.

However within the turmoil the goddess Morrigan had decided to try and do something about what was going on. Screaming, hiding, fighting; none of these would bring the answers they desperately needed. And for this dangerous task she would require the help of certain individuals and so she slipped away to begin working on her plan.

Decades passed in the human world as the realm of the gods began to falter and crumble....

 

[MellowYellow]

Immortality was the kind of thing that many people liked the idea of, but would grow to loathe it ultimately if they were to ever feel it for themselves. For one brief period Cu Chulainn had been allowed death's embrace, from his fall at the hands of Lugaid and his machinations. His vile and grizzly end, but the only one a warrior wanted. He had died on his feet and that was more than Cu could say for his kinsmen.

At the very least he hadn't ended up as a blind and infirm cripple like Oisin had (And in addition he had made a mental note to never ever visit Tir na Nog).

But the Morrigan did not like the idea of a hero of his caliber being gone from the world. She had rebuilt his body and maintained his soul, fusing them together in a powerful union. He could not die of old age, only combat could kill him now... and as giant dogs and entire armies had failed to do so, he had been wandering through Eire, Albion and Europe for what must have been centuries (His ability to count was never spectacular, and after a time he stopped caring enough to try and keep track).

The world had changed. Man was starting to forge its own links with magic, and the constructs of wise men had grown more refined. The developments by one Leonardo Da Vinci, his creation of tanks and various flying contraptions forged from clockwork technology, was spreading globally. It seemed mankind was starting to wean itself off it's gods. No doubt this would be problematic. For it was not for gods to say if man existed- no it fell to men to decide if gods existed. And that was a harsh lesson, Cu Chulainn mused, that the divine beings of the world would learn.

He had been fishing down along the giants causeway, in those same footsteps of Fionn MacChumhaill and Benandonner, when a raven came with a message for him. The Morrigan's message... So the redhead had horsed himself and travelled down over the course of several days, moving at quite the gallop to reach the neolithic mound of Newgrange- the ring of carved ornate stone topped with lush green grass.

The tall and toned male slid off the horse as the sun was setting, taking the time to brush some dirt of his ivory scalemail tunic and then doing the same to the tanned leather trousers he had donned.The air was quiet and stagnant- usually a sign that SHE was here. "Alright death goddess... I'm here!" Cu called out. He didn't know why she wanted him here, the note had been vague... whatever it was that brought him out here, it couldn't be good.

He stood on the grass and gripped the spear holstered in the saddle, just in the event that this was some kind of trap.

 

[Karameida]

Anubis :: Morrigan​

An amused chuckle reverberated around the area in response to Cu Chulainn. "As if I didn't already know it." she said. And in a swirl of black feathers she appeared before him. Her eyes took in his posture and a small smile formed on her lips "Come now, it can't be that terrible being summoned by me." she said almost playfully. In the next moment her expression turned serious "Before I explain what it is I want of you; there is someone I want you to meet..." she said trailing off. She began to murmur something under her breath, a sort of chant that was impossible to make out but it filled the air with magic. The air became heavier and the entire area seemed to darken just a fraction, the magic felt old and powerful as it swirled around playing with the wind. She raised her right hand up in front of her face and began tracing a symbol in the air, a frail light following her fingertips. At this point her concentration and focus doubled and an odd darkness twined it's way through the magic.

Meanwhile in a world of swirling shadows...

Anubis drifted along as he had for countless eons, not dead but not really alive. In this silent realm he'd held onto his anger like a mortal clings to life. And then one day a voice reached deep into the realm where he'd laid dormant for so long. A hypnotizing voice called out to him, pulled at his mind. His eyelids slowly opened and a bright light like fire shone where his eyes should have been. Before long his body began to break apart into millions of pieces before he disappeared entirely.

Back with Morrigan..

For awhile nothing happened but when it seemed like it had failed a small light glowed in front of her before rapidly turning dark. The darkness soon began to take on a form and from within this darkness a being stood. For a moment you could not make them out but then the darkness began to drip off of the beings body like oil. The skin that was revealed was dark and rich like mocha, it was smooth and flawless and as the darkness faded from their body it revealed long hair that was almost like chestnut but a bit darker with lighter browns streaking through it. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out whoever Morrigan had summoned was a woman. Before long the darkness had completely receded from her body and she looked as if she was in a deep sleep. She had soft full lips and long dark lashes that looked almost black, she was an exotic beauty draped in white linen and adorned in beautifully decorated gold. Morrigan reached out her hand and touched the womans forehead a small light flashed briefly before fading. With her right hand still touching the womans forehead she raised her other arm and pointed it in the direction of Cu, a spectral chain shot towards him wrapping around his body before slithering back to wrap around the womans body. "Now awaken, Anubis."

Slowly Anubis opened his eyes, before him stood a woman who he knew to be Morrigan. He looked around himself confused "Why have you summ--" he stopped abruptly when he heard the voice that he assumed was supposed to be his. It was light and airy and so very feminine. He furrowed his brows, he felt...wrong. For one his chest felt far too heavy, glancing down he was met with a sight he couldn't quite believe. "Are those what I think they are? Why are they there?!" he thought. He raised his arms and grabbed the breasts that were attached to him. He squeezed slightly and his eyes widened, they were real. "If...I have these...does that mean thats gone too?!"" he thought. The fact that he could feel his thighs touching and felt nothing between them confirmed his suspicions. "What the hell have you done to me!?" he asked enraged. And the fact that the voice that came from his mouth sounded like an indignant woman just made him angrier. However when he went to raise his hand to her he found he could not. He watched a smile form on Morrigans lips and he growled softly. "What have you done?" he asked again in a lower voice.

"If you're referring to your appearance, I can't say. I certainly didn't expect it either. If you're referring to your inability to strike me, well thats just a precaution." She looked over at Cu with a smile and added, "I've bound you two together and to me.". Blinking slowly, Anubis turned his head in the direction that Morrigan had looked with a bemused expression and found a rather tall, pale and broad man standing a bit aways. "Cu, this is the god...dess...Anubis. The sole survivor of the Egyptian Pantheon. Anubis, Cu Chulainn. A mortal hero turned immortal by me." she said by way of introduction. But Anubis was no longer paying attention, his gaze was fixed on Morrigan. "Last...one?" he thought. It couldn't be true. There was no way his fellow deities were gone. None at all. Morrigan must have seen the thoughts in his eyes because she smiled. "Yes, the Egyptian deities are dead. Slaughtered eons ago, along with another pantheon. Though I fear it will happen again and again. I want you two to find out whose behind the attacks and what they hope to gain from all this." she said as she looked between the two standing before her.

Anubis was silent. He felt bitter and just a bit guilty. He clenched his fists tightly and winced when his nails bit into his palms. He looked at his now small hands, from the long and elegant digits to the dainty wrists. He was a woman now and he'd lost everyone. His hated enemy Osiris and his close friends. He was brought back into this world where nothing was familiar and he was being forced into the servitude of Morrigan for some investigation. He seethed with rage and frustration but could do nothing to abate it. And he saw no escape from the goddess, besides at the moment his desires were aligned with hers. He wanted to find those that had dared to lay waste to his pantheon and destroy them himself. "Very well Morrigan. As it seems I have little choice in the matter." he stated grudgingly. He turned to look at the one she called Cu and frowned a little; who exactly was he? "Why exactly have you bound me to this man?" he asked. "Because it is my desire that the two of you work together to find out whats behind this. His skills will prove useful." she replied, looking over at the man she'd turned immortal. Anubis looked skeptical but said no more.

 

[MellowYellow]

Well this had been a turn... what the hell was an Egyptian? Whatever it was, this new being was attractive. Feminine beauty mixed with a distinct air of physical power. While not as built as Cu, this 'Anubis' woman made for a physically impressive specimen in her own right. His eyes spent some time inspecting her, the exotic features and generally alien attributes serving to better intrigue him.

"Yet another person desecrated by the Morrigan it seems," he remarked in a matter of fact manner. Cu listened again at the reference to dead gods, a notion that seemed wholly mad to him. He knew, from his travels, that every country had their own divine beings formed from their own imaginations and given shape by an unknown magical energy.

Cu Chulainn also knew that these beings all possessed a power beyond the scope of imagining for the average mortals; from being able to shape the earth, control the elements and (in Zeus' case) knock up just about anything that could move. What kind of entity could possibly wipe out an entire pantheon consisting of such vastly powerful beings?

Unless... another god perhaps? But what deity would wage war upon their own kind?

Madness. Then again the Morrigan never seemed to treat anything as a joke. What she was describing must have happened.

"To be fair, I don't exactly know who you are either missus," Cu Chulainn replied, adjusting his spear. The thrum of magic was obvious at a glance at the bone-spear, the ancient energies of the Gae Bolg making the air faintly crackle with static. "But if we're to work together, then I'm sure we'll both get a good understandin' of our pasts. All you need t' know is that I killed entire armies on my own, my spear can kill just about anythin, I beat a giant dog to death, and one time I killed an invulnerable man by stabbing him up the arse. I'll do the same to whoever is killing these gods."

 

[Karameida]

Anubis :: Morrigan​

Morrigan smiled.

It wasn't a nice smile. She'd finally been able to put her plan into action. The first and trickiest parts of it were over. Anubis had been summoned and was now bound to her and to the hero, Cu. She'd expected more trouble from Anubis but he--- she seemed to realize the quickest way to get revenge would be to go along with her. So she was smarter than Morrigan had first guessed. That could be troublesome in it's own right but for now it was working in her favor.

Anubis turned fully to look at the man known as Cu. When he did the white linen swished around her legs and the gold adornments made enticing little sounds as she moved. He eyed him up and down and took in the spear he'd brought out. Even from here he could feel the magic emanating from it. It certainly wasn't something to scoff at. The magic from the staff mixed with the remnants of magic from Morrigans spells and with the innate magic that lived within Morrigan and Anubis. Darkness hung around the area like a cloak, the magic so strong that any mortal who wandered in there by accident would be crushed by the force. Even lesser deities would find it difficult to breathe and move in all that thick magic.

Anubis pursed his lips and brought his arm to rest under his breasts. "I see. I apologize for my earlier rudeness then. I am Anubis. Former god of the underworld, I hail from the Egyptian pantheon. I am associated with the Jackal." with that he bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of Cu. He might've been human once but he was no longer a mere mortal. And as Anubis had been out of touch with the world for so long he was going to need a guide of some kind. As much as it disgusted him to go along with Morrigans plans he was smart enough to realize it was really the only option left to him at this point. Still it irritated him. He was pretty certain if he worked at it long enough he could slip out of her little binding spell but he didn't have the time or patience for it at this point.

He turned his head and looked at Morrigan, the beautiful hazel eyes gleamed gold for a moment. "You've got what you were after. I will help you hunt down these murderers. But do not think to control me like one of your pawns goddess." he said his voice low and sultry but dangerous undercurrents swirled beneath his words. "I would never even dream of doing such a thing!" she said smiling. Beneath their quiet smiles they attacked each other. For a long moment neither one moved. But after a few tense seconds Anubis turned his head away from her. "Oh, one more thing. I'll be sending a crow along with you. It'll help guide you as well as serve as a direct link to me. If you find anything out at all, report it to me immediately. Pantheons are dying. We don't have time to waste." she said seriously. She raised up her hand and from the darkness a crow flew down and perched on her hand. "Go with them" she said to the bird. The crow cocked it's head before taking to the air to hover by Cu. And with that a gust of wind swirled through the stagnant magic drenched air and Morrigan disappeared leaving nothing but black feathers in her wake.

She walked slowly towards Cu her hips swaying just the slightest bit. She came to a stop a few paces from where he stood. "It's hard to believe. Entire pantheons getting destroyed. Of course we gods can die...but the strength you'd need to take on an entire race of deities is astronomical. There arn't many things in this world or in the realm of the gods that can boast of such a thing." he said loosely crossing his arms under his chest. "Two pantheons wiped out...." she said closing her eyes and taking a breath. "If you don't mind I would like to go to Egypt. I would like to see what remains of my pantheon. I may find something out there." she said dropping her arms to her side. She also wanted to say good-bye. She tilted her head slightly and looked at Cu closely. "Well, at least Morrigan didn't pull me back into this world and leave me on my own. I realize it's not your will but I thank you in advance for your assistance." She said after a moment of silent observation.

Anubis had been a fair god when he had ruled. His association with Thoth had taught him many things and had made him a wiser god. That still held true even after his eons of slumber.

"If you do not mind I would like to leave this area immediately. Her magic lingers and it's making me sick. I'd rather not talk here." she said before she started walking off. Her strides were long and graceful and caused the linen to float around her legs as if the wind itself had decided to play with the Egyptian beauty.

 

[MellowYellow]

A crow, a figure that had become an all too common sight in his lifetime. Eire was no stranger to bloody battles (and he was certainly no stranger to such conflicts either) and the carrion crows were always there to clean up the mess. Morrigan's pets who told her who's souls to reap. Black birds feast on dead things.

Thankfully, mama bird herself left the two strangers to their duties. It didn't surprise Cu that she would be skipping the actual investigation of the matter, but then again she was tied to this land. Or most of her power was at least, she wouldn't be able to accomplish much if they were to investigate into other countries or continents. "Aye. This is nothin' to be sniffed at... dead gods, might be a bit out of my league hunting a god-killer. But someone's gotta look into it- whatever we're facin' will probably turn their sights to the mortals if it gets done with the divines."

Egypt she says... Cu was travelled, yes, but mainly he focused on European travel. Though he did have a brief stint of heroism in the northernmost reaches of Africa. Going to Egypt would be all too new, but this was a good place to start looking. "Fair enough. You've got the right to find out what happened to your kin," Cu said in return. "Let us away then," he added, walking away from the magic-laden stale air with the bird and death god/goddess in tow.

"Might need to get a boat though. It's quite a distance, and unlike that one lad they were talkin' about in Israel, I can't walk on the water," he remarked. He hoisted himself onto the towering pale horse, sliding up the leather saddle to give Anubis the means to mount up behind him.

 

[Karameida]

Anubis​

"Thats very likely. Anything that causes so much destruction would not simply be satisfied with the divine dead. In time mortals and immortal humans alike would fall to them. Other worlds and realms till naught but they remained. And eventually they may even turn on each other." Anubis said thoughtfully. "But who are they? Why do they destroy the deities? How are they doing it?" she thought a troubled line forming between her brows. "Troubling." she murmured. Shaking her head she looked at the proffered hand and hesitating a moment took hold of it murmuring a quiet thank you. She hoisted herself up behind Cu and hesitating for a second time placed her hands on his sides so as not to fall off.

"I don't know the strength of the other pantheons but I know the Egyptians were nothing to scoff at. Even Thoth was a force to be reckoned with and then there was Sobek as well as Bastet. The fact that they not only lost but didn't take down a single attacker seems to defy credibility." she said sounding even more troubled. For the first time the full implications of everything she'd been told had settled in. Anubis truly was -and forever would be- alone. A painful twinge crept across her heart. She vowed vengeance for her comrades who'd been destroyed so mercilessly.

As they left the unsettling clearing, Anubis took a deep breath of the un-corrupted air and let out a long slow breath. "He and his people did not belong to nor did they worship under the Egyptian Pantheon. Do not worry over-much about it. We'll manage something." she said with a little shrug.

A silence descended over them as they rode farther and farther from the decaying stench that followed the Celtic goddess. Anubis glanced sideways at the crow that was following them and he felt a twinge of annoyance. He really didn't like the idea of working with that woman. Anubis was incredibly prideful. He'd abandoned the Egyptian pantheon once before out of pride. And now fate had dealt him the same hand as before but this time he must swallow his pride and play what he'd been dealt. It wasn't easy. As the silence lengthened between them it felt almost uncomfortable. She flexed her fingers and beneath them she could feel the strength of the immortal hero's body as he breathed and they rode.

Shifting slightly Anubis glanced off to the side. Form truly did not mean much to a deity. They could appear male, female, human, animal and everything in between. But for sanities sake most deities aligned themselves as either male or female and for aeons Anubis had been identified as male. So this was all pretty much new to him and he wasn't sure how he really felt about it.

"As we're pretty far from Egypt and I don't exactly fancy the idea of spending weeks and months traveling I'll use my powers to open a gate-way." she said after a long while. "However we'll need to stop by a town to pick up some things I'll need." she said taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She wondered if this land had what she would need. That could prove slightly troublesome. But if push came to shove she could always contact the other realm.

She wasn't exactly sure what to expect in this land "I think it might be best if you took care of the transactions though..." she said trailing off. Anubis had no intention of changing but also realized the people of this land might be distrustful of her because of how she looked. A woman with flawless mocha skin that tricked the eye and seemed to shine with an almost golden glow, her long dark brown hair floating on the breeze of the wind, her deep hazel eyes that sometimes glowed gold and seemed to pierce everything she looked at. Her clothing nothing more than a few thin impossibly white pieces of linen and gold jewelry that adorned her body, probably wasn't a common sight here and it was possible they would react negatively to her. And she really didn't want any more complications.

 

[MellowYellow]

"What, the travel isn't your favourite part of the quest?" he joked in return. In all honesty he was used to the prolonged travels brought by his heroic quests, and at this point he had travelled all four provinces to such an extent that length of time stopped seeming to matter. Yet he could see a matter such as this calling forth an excess of haste for the two. "There's a village not too far. Pretty sure it's partway owned by fuckin' Normans, but they'll have supplies all the same."

And no doubt she would stick out like a sore thumb in any village, just as he would as soon as they left this country. He supposed it was to be expected, other cultures didn't like to mix with each other. Though Cu could tell that this wasn't the only concern weighing heavily on Anubis' mind.

She had lost her... 'family'? Cu couldn't quite figure the relations most gods had, not after the stories he'd heard from those bum-fondlers in Greece about their divines. They were beyond the standard human concepts of the idea after all... however, there was clearly some link between them and Anubis had lost each and every one of them. It had to be hard, he knew all too well how that felt from his own immortality, but he had no idea how to comfort her. Assuming she even wanted comfort. Gods, again, were just strange beings by his more limited understanding.

The horse continued it's canter along until they reached one low-hanging village on a flat patch of earth, cobblestone walls flanking the dirt path leading into the short rows of bungalows topped with straw thatch roofs. A few farms had been set up by the villagers, and at present most of the populace were tending the budding plant matter. "I'll do the talkin and make some deals... what're you looking to buy anyway?"

 

[Karameida]

Anubis​

Anubis stared out over the land that she had been summoned to. Over the rolling lush green land of the Celts. It was a far cry from the desert sands of Egypt. Sure, there were beautiful oasis there but it was always surrounded by sweltering heat and shifting sands. This land was beautiful and plentiful, it was calming and instilled a sense of peace and tranquility and of awe into the heart. It was a different world entirely. She pictured the harsh beauty of her homeland and felt sadness well within her breast.

Her eyes continued to skim over the terrain they passed through while the silence stretched on farther between them.

At the sound of his breaking the silence, Anubis glanced at him. "Thats fine. I need some Morjoran, Licorice Root, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, Harmala, Peppermint, Nightshade and some Basaran." She said ticking off the names of the herbs she needed. "The peppermint isn't necessary. It's mostly there because the rest of them when burned together don't smell very pleasant. The Peppermint tends to overpower that making it easier to breathe around the stuff." she said. "Find what you can in the town, whatever we end up missing I'll get another way." she said pursing her lips. "It might not hurt to grab some Chamomile either." she said as an after thought. With nothing else to say she fell silent once more. The gold that adorned her jingled ever so slightly as the horse cantered along.

Curious, Anubis studied the small village. She furrowed her brows and looked over the small houses that had been built here. "Hmmm" the sound was low and soft. She studied the people that were walking around closely and watched as their gaze came to rest on her. Confusion was the general expression she was met with. As if she couldn't be real and they were just hallucinating. It was both amusing and annoying. People murmured to each other and pointed. She narrowed her eyes and the hazel color shifted to gold for a moment before shifting back. She felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable. This was not how a deity should feel surrounded by mortals. It was unbecoming. She had expected stares and comments but expecting something and experiencing it were two very different things.

"So, where exactly are you originally from, Cu?" she asked as she brought her gaze to rest on the back of the immortal hero. If she was going to spend an extended amount of time with him she wanted to learn a little bit about him.

 

[MellowYellow]

After listing off the herbs, plentiful certainly, Cu had done his best to ingrain the names into his brain. He was no expert on alchemy or herbology but he was sure he had heard those names at some point in his lengthy past. "Got it. I'm sure there's some foreign merchant living out this way. No doubt he has at least some of the things you need." As he said this he led the way down the dirt track in the center of town, past some of the slim houses and rundown buildings.

At a glance he knew the larger buildings were owned by the traders and merchants, some of them bearing wooden signs of varying quality that touted their inventory and what the trader specialised in. Upon spotting the general goods store Cu changed his trjectory and made that the target.

"Well I was born up in Ulster," he paused then, realising that to an Egyptian deity 'Ulster' could have been a city on the moon for all she knew. "It's the province up north. I was the son of a local king and wanted to be one of his legendary knights, but I was always told I was too young. So I struck out on my own, came to the castle of Conchobar. His man Culainn sent his hound out to get me, giant dog twice my height. I killed it and became the replacement for that dog. 'Cu Culainn' was my new name, 'Culann's Hound.' My birth name was Setanta but... well I haven't used that name in far too long."

 

[Karameida]

Anubis​

Anubis stared at the buildings around him, studying them intently. "Interesting..." she murmured to herself. Every land was like a different world entirely. Even the air smelled, felt and tasted different. She was studying so intently she only caught the tail end of what he'd said to her but it was enough for her to get the gist of what he'd said. "Mmm. Don't worry about finding everything. It's best to just focus on what you can get." she said glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. A few moments ticked by before she returned her gaze to her surroundings. The buildings here weren't as grand as the ones that had been built in Egypt, but the land held a beauty all it's own. As did it's people. They were foreign and exotic to him and he was sort of fascinated by it. As a deity that belonged to the underworld, to death, he was attracted to life and this land was full of life, a life that was vastly different than the life that inhabited the desert lands.

They changed direction and she turned her head and stared over his shoulder. And then he began to talk. Anubis listened intently to his story. "You killed a beast twice your own size? That is quite impressive." she said. He meant it too. Anubis knew well the power of canines. Even ones that came up only to the knees were something to be careful of. Nevermind one that large, at that size it could potentially be a nearly unstoppable force. So she had to wonder exactly what Cu was, to be able to kill it with his bare hands. "You were forced to abandon your birth name?" she asked curiously. "How long were you forced to serve as his "dog"" she asked. "And why did you not take back your original name?" she asked wondering why he'd kept the name Cu Culainn.

"Sorry, you don't have to answer those if it's too personal." she said. It wasn't like she'd told him anything about herself. All beings in creation carried their own secrets. Things that would always be kept in the darkness of their minds and hearts, where no other person could ever find them. Some beings were more open than others and willing to talk about or tell others most everything. But there would always be that one secret that they'd always hold back.

Anubis shook her head as the horse came to a stop. It took her a few moments to realize she was still holding onto him, she quickly removed her hands from his sides and watched him slide off the horse with quick practiced movements that were probably as natural to him as breathing was. She followed suit and dismounted and followed him inside the store, her back perfectly straight and her head tilted just slightly making her look as if she was royalty. Upon entering the general store she looked around unable to contain her curiosity. She looked at the different things being offered while Cu talked to the owner. Every so often they'd hear the light jingling of the gold that adorned her hips and arms.

 

[MellowYellow]

"Ha! Don't go worryin' about things being too personal. We have to work together, so there's no point in being secretive with each other," Cu replied. After all the time he spent alive, having his story told and retold all across the land, he felt no point in being secretive. "It was simply a name that grew on me I suppose. I had only spent a few years in his service, and by the time I had that bit of freedom I just liked the title. Kind of imposing in a way, carried a lot of weight to it."

The horse was halted by a light tug on the reins, and Cu was quick to dismount. He hung about just for a moment in the event Anubis needed his aid in getting down, either way he opened the door to the wooden structure just beside where he hitched the steed. Once inside the smell of strange spices hit his nose, making him grimace while his eyes looked over the various objects for sale.

Barrels of seeds, barrels of small fruit and vegetables, pelts and tents and hunting gear hung up on the wall behind the store counter. The owner of the store bore a complexion only a few shades lighter than Anubis', and he wore clothes more refined than what the villagers did. The fellow with the slick black hair examined the two for a moment but seemed to have no real reaction to their presence beyond noticing them.

"Do you have any uh..." Cu trailed off, trying to recall what she had asked for earlier "Morjoran, Licorice Root... Hibiscus... Sable... sabdariffa, Harmala, Peppermint, Nightshade and some Basaran?"

The owner shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps," he replied, the French heritage distinct in his accent. "It 'as been some time since I restocked my spices and 'erbs, but feel free to check the glass jars on the left wall. You should be able to find what you're looking for, though perhaps not in the size you need..."