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.
All of this set upon the 'head' of a great lion-like beast, her body emerging from where its eyes would be, the beast's snout extending before her, heavy jowls swaying with each subtle movement of the great bulk. The golden brown fur of the lion half seemed to shine in the light of the chamber, and the slightly darker coloured mane growing around where her human half emerged from looked particularly plush.
Its size, of course, amplified its intimidating form; though the top of its snout was only just higher than his hips when it was lying down, it was still quite broad, wider than he was tall. And when it stood up, its dark brown nose was almost level with his face.
A tufted tail swished around behind the haunches of the beast, though he had no way of knowing if it was an accurate reflection of her emotions.
Six cobalt-scaled snakes grew out of her beast half's back, hissing and flicking their turquoise-coloured tongues, their cobra-like hoods flaring as they eyed him with piercing white gazes, brighter than their pale underbellies.
Great, feathery wings sprouted from the lion-half's shoulders, each feather such a brilliant, pure shade of white they almost looked divine... though he wouldn't dare describe them as 'divine' out loud. He even felt a little bad for thinking of that as a description after the fact.
His eyes glanced to the great paws of the lion body, each wider than his body and so much thicker, the long, ivory claws alone looking like they could disembowel him with a single swipe. And of course, he saw the sharp teeth just sticking out past the jowls of the beast half's mouth.
Hot breath washed over him from the snout of Sphinx's lower half. But for as intimidating as her lower half was, she was looking upon him with a kind smile, and slight amusement.
"Please, there is no need to bow before me, Mister Architect," she assured him. "You are doing me a great service. And I do not ask that people grovel on their feet before me. Only that they show me due respect."
"Uh, yes, of course," he corrected himself, standing up and dusting himself off. "But it really is a surprise. I did not think to see you here."
"I came to inspect your progress," she answered.
He paled again, and was on the brink of breaking out into a cold sweat. Was she going to be upset with the slow pace of progress? What if she was not happy with his work? She didn't show it, but maybe she was just being polite?
He started getting worked up, and she let out a soft chuckle.
"Please, don't worry yourself. I am pleased with what you've achieved so far. And I'm impressed with how much progress you've been making, I would've believed my subjects to have delayed you further."
He was frozen in place for a moment, and then sighed in relief.
"Apologies, your majesty... it's just been quite hectic here. Your subjects can be helpful, but they are..."
"Always close to drying out the workers like dates? I would imagine," she finished with less 'diplomatic' words than Harin was going to choose.
"Yes, you could say that. But they are... helpful, when they want to be."
"I should hope so, I would be rather displeased if they weren't at least compensating you for all the trouble they cause. Especially since I wager you have workers rather willing to... 'slack off' with them."
"Eeehhh, yes and no," Harin answered, bobbing his head back and forth with squinted eyes. "Sure, some of them have become rather enamoured with the monsters, but others are loyal to their wives, and more than a few are rather scared, actually. I think they worry the monsters will forget themselves and drain them to a lifeless husk. And if not that, they're still afraid of being overwhelmed so utterly."
"I suppose that is true. Us desert monsters can be quite... intense. Have they caused
you
any grief?"
"As a matter of fact, I've managed to avoid most of their advances. I suspect they don't do anything more forceful in order to avoid delaying works
