MGQ: After - Sphinx
Harin Taran still couldn't believe
he
was chosen for this project.
Him.
It was an incredible honour.
Sure, he was one of the most esteemed architects in all of Sabasa, and even had the praise of the King... but to be chosen to restore and renovate the great Pyramid of Sphinx, so that she may return to it one day... even he didn't think he was deserving of that privilege.
But here he was, his board with blueprints sitting in the central chamber of the Pyramid, where Sphinx herself presided over those brave souls who managed to face the perils of the Pyramid and its denizens, and reach her.
The so-called 'Dragon Seal Trial'. The right for Human and Monster to marry.
He did not know much about that, but he did know Sphinx was one of the great founders of Sabasa. He was almost tempted to accept the commission for free, but decided the scope of the task meant that would've been too taxing on him in the long run without
some
compensation beyond pride.
And true enough, the effort had not been
easy
; it wasn't enough to just restore and tidy the Pyramid to its former glory, it had to remain dusty and old in parts - especially since some of its inhabitants preferred it that way - whilst repairing the structural integrity of the Pyramid so that it did not fall apart in the process.
Speaking of its inhabitants, though Sphinx was not here, other monsters who called the Pyramid home had not relocated. And they were proving something of a... 'distraction' for his work force.
If they weren't seducing the workers, they were taking them by force. And though Sphinx had made it abundantly clear that any harm done to any one labourer would be met with swift and cruel retribution, she had said nothing about tiring them out. And they happily exhausted his workers when they got the chance.
That Mummy was particularly troublesome, but there wasn't anything he could do about her or any of them. Fortunately, they seemed to repay the debt by helping out with the work now and then. But it still slowed things down a little.
All the same, he marvelled at the colourful tiles on the floor and the walls, the carvings and the reliefs that dominated them in their vibrant displays. The columns that supported the decorated ceiling, themselves covered in imagery and hieroglyphics, telling stories even he did not quite understand. Which made him more determined to ensure everything was as he found it, only renewed and made pristine once more.
In some of the tiles, he thought he could see his face staring back, the tanned skin hiding tired but proud eyes.
Of course, there was a silver mirror at the back of the room, a treasure Sphinx had left behind. He used it to shave, though it did leave him wondering if using the mirror for that was considered poor manners.
He wasn't sure, but he did have a longer look at his weary face, rubbing the stubble around his chin and jawline.
His features were losing that youthful softness, gaining a hardened look as he moved through his mid thirties.
Short, black hair clung to his scalp, a little dishevelled from late hours working and planning... though somehow, he managed to avoid getting molested by any of the monsters living in the Pyramid.
His eyes had subtle bags under them, obfuscating their blue colour a little.
His lips were a little dry, but fortunately, for all the sand in the pyramid, his throat wasn't parched.
His light grey tunic and pale brown pants where only contrasted by his black leather shoes... and the orange bands of cloth wrapped around both his upper arms, pinching the sleeves of his shirt a little.
All of the workers wore those bands, for safety reasons in the darkness of the pyramid. The only reason the inner sanctum was so well lit was thanks to sunlight reflected from the outside by other, magical mirrors, along with plentiful numbers of torches the monsters of the Pyramid kept lit.
He did very little with the mirrors, but fortunately, whatever magics they were imbued with must have helped them weather the harshness of the desert.
But many parts of the Pyramids were darker than night, and could only be lit by torches. That, or workers had to be guided through by monsters... they wouldn't always make it to their destination in a timely manner... if they were led that way at all, the monsters sometimes returning the exhausted and drained humans they were 'guiding' to the main 'camp' within the Pyramid itself, a large central chamber connecting the various passages, tunnels, and rooms within the labyrinthine temple.
Thankfully, the monsters, by and large, tried to be more helpful than not.
There was also the camp that practically ringed the entire pyramid, along with the wooden scaffolding that had been erected so stonemasons could work on the exterior.
All in all, though progress was not as quick as he would have liked, it was going steady and well, and he was happy with that, wiping his brow, not that he was actually sweaty in the surprisingly cool depths of the Pyramid.
It was then he heard a noise; a low thumping, rhythmic, intermittent. It did not shake the structure, but for some reason, he felt it in his body.
He turned around, and his face paled and his eyes widened in shock and awe.
"Hello, Mister Architect."
It was Sphinx in the flesh.
Harin was beside himself, first patting his torso all over as if looking for items he was supposed to have that he didn't actually need, before kneeling before Sphinx.
"Y-Your majesty! What an unexpected honour!" he greeted, stumbling over his words ever so slightly.
She was... an imposing figure, to say the least; the upper body of a woman who possessed a sort of timeless, mature beauty, free of any blemish or hint of ageing, yet exuding that sense refined, charming age.
She was covered in jewellery, her wrists supporting thick golden bangles, and her upper arms holding wide, golden bands above the elbows. There was an exquisite piece hung from her neck over her upper chest, several flat golden plates plates, growing longer towards the middle, held together by fine metal chains, each plate impeccably detailed with symbols and hieroglyphics, narrow golden weights dangling from the corner of each plate. Above the plates was a low-hanging necklace of large blue-purple beads, gem-like and glossy.
Segmented lengths of gold hung from the edges of this piece, draping down from her shoulders and flanking her rather distractingly bare chest, each breast perfectly round and tear-dropped, and about the size of a rock melon.
Her slender body was all but exposed otherwise, her pale skin looking so silky and perfect, accentuating her smooth belly and shallow navel. Her hips were blended with her lower body, but Harin could not see so well, owing to the beige silk cloth wrapped around that area, its colour blending well with the mane of the lion half.
Her glossy black hair was an oddity, fashioned like a cobra's hood, yet the inside looked like they were covered in broad, yellow scales, obfuscating her hair. He wasn't sure if it was more decorative adornment or real scales.
Large, golden hoop earrings hung from her ears, and bright red eyes gazed at him with a sense of kindness but also power and authority, each ringed with black liner that accentuated them and their long lashes, 'tails' in the markings trailing from the outer corners of her eyes.
And, of course, crowning all of this, was a great head piece rising from the top of her hair, solid gold and fashioned in the visage of a cobra rearing up, flanked by two curving horn-like decorations.
