It has been a few days since I returned to Egypt. The hot sands and dry heat made it unbearable to stay in the desert too long. Fortunately, the Humvee is equipped with an AC unit. No more sweaty mornings and afternoons.
According to the memory of those mummified Medjays, Thebes were destroyed but the temple ruins still stand to this day along with the Bracelet of Anubis. The endless desert seems to go on and on as if I was stuck in place, so the journey was a boring one.
I sighed and watched the sand dunes ahead, "I really hope there's some excitement soon. I'm getting itchy for a fight."
I didn't arrive at Thebes until it was nighttime. I had the Shadow Knights and Shadow Medjays keep watch over the night while I set up a simple camp and slept till morning. I woke up and did my usual exercise by sparring with Igris to always be in shape and ready for the battles to come.
The morning exercise quickly finished after an hour before I freshened up by pouring water all over my head. I wiped my body and changed to fresh clothes before I walked towards the decrepit temple of Thebes.
As I got inside, traces of old age permeated the whole room as the pillars tumbled to the walls and various mementos from the old era littered the ground. I summoned the Shadow Knights to keep guard outside while I ordered the Shadow Medjays to lead the way to the vault of the Bracelet of Anubis.
I looked around as desert insects such as scorpions and spiders laid their homes in this abandoned temple and said, "Seems like time will wither away such a sophisticated empire to dust to the point insects will lay claim to it."
Stepping over the insects below, I made my way to the vault door and brushed away the cobwebs obscuring the lock mechanism. I looked at the mechanism and looked through my memories before twisting it and pushing the handle over. The vault door immediately started to open and revealed a path to the Bracelet of Anubis.
I had the Shadow Medjay lit the torches as we approached the bracelet. At the end of the hall lies a locked box before I opened it, revealing the Bracelet of Anubis. The sheer craftsmanship of the bracelet was impeccable but I believe I can do it better and simpler for modern times. This would be the perfect gift for Enid. She'll need a pack of her own and the Army of Anubis would protect her from harm.
As I took the bracelet, a mechanism clicked and the temple started to tremble. I heard rushing waters heading our way so I opened a Shadow Portal connecting outside. I hopped in quickly before the water could reach in. The portal closed before the vault was completely flooded by water. Seeing as we're next to the Nile River, the water should've come from there.
I hopped out of the portal and came back to the entrance of the temple. The Shadow Knights and Medjays came over as they saw the portal I came out of. They saluted before I stood them down.
Igris came by and asked, "My King, is everything alright?"
I replied, "Not to worry, Igris. I finally got the bracelet but we will need to head to Ahm Shere to take Anubis' Army from his section of the underworld."
Igris nodded and I put on the Bracelet of Anubis before it clamped on my arm, revealing the map to Ahm Shere. With a time limit of seven days before the bracelet takes away his "life", I start my journey to Ahm Shere.
I took the camp back to my Shadow World and hopped in the Humvee. Another desert adventure started before my return trip. Over the course of six days, I reached various monuments and islands from the Old Kingdom before I arrived at the forest of Ahm Shere.
The humid jungle and haunting environment did not shake any fear in me as I ventured inside. The Shadow Knights and Shadow Medjays were summoned and protected me in a perimeter formation. As we ventured deeper into the forest, pygmies appeared and were attacking me and the Shadow Army with sticks and bamboo shoots.
Unfortunately, the pygmies met their inevitable demise under the retaliation of the Shadow Army. We came across the ruined corpses of various legions of armies from Alexander the Great to Napoleon. The pygmies took care of those old invading armies from before.
Upon reaching the center of the forest, the Golden Pyramid lay bare for me and the Shadow Army exuding holy brilliance. Unfortunately under this brilliance hides a dark and ominous presence, which was built upon the deaths of countless beings.
I saw the huge diamond on top of the pyramid and admired it for a while before taking my eyes off it and headed inside the pyramid. As soon as I entered the pyramid, the bracelet shook and unlatched from my arm as it rolled in the sand. I picked it up and handed it to Igris for safekeeping before descending deeper into the pyramid.
The pathway was full of cobwebs but luckily the Shadow Medjays were carrying torches and burning them as we encountered them. It didn't take long before we came upon a staircase heading down with two kneeling statues of Anubis at the bottom. I knew this was the room where Imhotep lost his powers and had to fight the Scorpion King.
Sensing the residual will from one of the statues, I headed down the stairs and stepped on the platform. Countless dark wisps escaped from the mouths of the statues but unfortunately it was all blocked by my power as the Shadow Monarch.
I looked up at the statues before taunting, "I know you can hear me, Anubis. Your little residual will can do much damage to mortals but unfortunately I'm no mortal. So stop playing games and come out before I strip your last consciousness of this world."
My eyes glowed with power as my statement caused "Anubis" to shudder in awe. Never did she feel power so dark that it eclipsed her own. With no other choice, "Anubis" appeared before me while possessing a statue for communication.
"Anubis" tried calming herself before answering, "Indeed, you are not human. I see you possess my bracelet with you. I assume your purpose is my army in the Underworld."
I replied back, "Correct. Unfortunately, they are not for me but for my companion. I already have my own army and they are enough for me."
Immediately, Igris and the Shadow Army emerged from my shadow as they occupied the surroundings. "Anubis" glanced at the Shadow Army with a shine in her eyes. An complete army of shadows yet absolutely stronger than her own army.
She coughed and regained her composure before stating, "You may have control of my army as long as you defeat or kill the Scorpion King inside but I will remind you that he must be killed like a mortal with no magic to boost you. One more condition is to take away my last will and take me with you. As much as I enjoy having my own territory, it has restricted me to this corner of Egypt until the defeat of the Scorpion King."
I agreed and proceeded to enter the chamber of the Scorpion King. I motioned Igris and the Shadow Army to keep guard of the entrance while I prepared to awaken the Scorpion King. I held the stick before hitting the gong multiple times.
I heard a disembodied roar coming from behind the double doors, where the Scorpion Kings reside. The room suddenly shook as if an earthquake hit the pyramid. A few seconds later, the double doors slowly opened and a massive human-scorpion hybrid crawled out. With the body of a man as the top while the lower body of a scorpion for the feet, the Scorpion King emerged.
I spoke in Ancient Egyptian, "Warrior, I am here to defeat you in regards to the test Anubis had set for me. Once I defeat you, your soul could either come serve me or I will free you from her service."
The Scorpion King responded with momentum, "Greetings to you as well, Foreign King. I have received Lord Anubis' instructions and was free to make my decision. My sense of duty will not let me tarnish myself, if I leave after being defeated. I will strive to win our battle and should I lose, I would like to pledge my services to you."
I nodded and replied, "Very well, Warrior. I will bring you into my service when I defeat you in glorious combat."
Both sides readied themselves as there was a trace of eagerness for battle in their eyes. A pebble suddenly dropped on the floor and that set off our fight. I held my daggers and sprinted toward the Scorpion King; likewise the Scorpion King ran towards me with pincers ready to carve my body to pieces.
I slid underneath his body as the Scorpion KIng stabbed the ground, piercing the floor. I turned back and swung the dagger at the tail, leaving a considerable wound on it. The Scorpion King flinched in pain but reacted appropriately but swinging his pincer back, making contact with my daggers.
I blocked the attack but the momentum flew me back a few meters away. Our battle continued for twenty minutes or so before the accumulated wounds on our bodies ultimately left the Scorpion King to fall to his knees. I had some bruises on my arms and abdomen from the strikes I received with the pincers as well as his body charging toward me.
I walked over to the Scorpion King with bated breaths and said, "I won, Warrior. I will take you into my service now."
With one stab to the heart, the mighty Scorpion King fell to his death. A dark shadow emanates from the corpse with tremendous pressure.
I raised my hand and called out, "Arise."
A shadowed hand came up from the corpse before the man stood up with ferocity and determination. He beat his chest with fervor and saluted, "My King, I am here to fulfill my duty to you."
I nodded and welcomed, "You will now be named Mathayus from now on, in memory of your time before you were the Scorpion King. You will be in charge of the Shadow Medjays in the future. I will also introduce you to your colleague later."
Mathayus nodded and followed me out of the chamber back to "Anubis" to complete my transaction. It didn't take long before I stood in front of the statue again.
I called out, "Anubis, time to pay your end of our bargain."
"Anubis" once again opened her eyes and replied, "You win. Now you show me the bracelet and I will bind my whole army for you to use."
I stopped her and summoned magical sigils all around the ground before modifying the bracelet into something more elegant and easy to wear. It was still gold but not it looked like it was filled with magic and mystery.
I held up the modified bracelet and said, "There you go. You may infuse your army now inside along with your piece of the Underworld. After that, I will take you away and possibly make you a new body when we get a chance in the future."
"Anubis" couldn't wait to leave this place and explore the new world before she attached her Underworld and her army into the bracelet. The infusion took ten minutes before the bracelet's rune glowed green with power.
After that, I used Ruler's Authority and pulled the remaining wisp of Anubis' consciousness and temporarily housed her inside my Shadow World. In this way, "Anubis" could roam around my world as well as recover her strength and keep an eye on her.
"Anubis" spoke from inside the Shadow World, "Hey King, what should I call you? Pretty sure you got a name."
I telepathically replied, "It's Y/N. Just call me that. No need to make it complicated. Seeing you actually took that female form means you plan on relinquishing your old identity and starting anew?"
"Anubis" thought for a moment before she said, "I thought about it and that would be the best. You got any good names to give?"
I stroked my chin and thought of the perfect name and said, "Seeing as you are still a part of Egypt, I will give you an Egyptian name. How about Nitocris?"
"Anubis" asked, "That old queen from the Old Kingdom? Hmm.. it has a nice ring to it. Alright, from now on, I'm now Nitocris."
I looked at Nitocris inside the Shadow World and found an image in my head to reshape her body in the future. She looked elegant in her Egyptian attire with an Anubis headwear to symbolise her past relation to that name. There's only one last thing to do, is to incorporate the entire oasis of Ahm Shere.
I walked back towards the outside and headed up to the top of the pyramid where there was a scorpion pedestal holding a huge diamond laced with gold. I slowly touched the diamond piece before the shadows started to expand to all over the forest below.
It wasn't long before I incorporated the entire oasis of Ahm Shere into the Shadow World and in the process, startling Nitocris inside.
Nitocris yelled, "Hey! What's the big deal? How come Ahm Shere is here inside?"
I telepathically replied back, "I'm enriching my world bit by bit until I have a world of my own. So for now, we have the pygmies in the forest as natural defenders. Keep them in line and tell them not to get close to my supplies unless they want to be killed. They are your subordinates after all."
Nitocris only pouted that she had to work so soon after she finally got rid of her "prison" but she believed it to be temporary and just gave the chief pygmy to reel in his tribe. She also told it to not wander to the main island where the supplies are, for the consequence would be death. After barking her orders, Nitocris' mouth curled up into a smile before relishing her newfound freedom.
I looked around the former oasis as the sand submerged the whole area before I stepped in the Shadow Portal. I got back to the Temple Island of Philae via Shadow Portal. I set up my tent and set up a fire pit along with a parasol and a beach chair as one of the Shadow Medjays fanning with palm leaves.
I took a beer out of the case full of ice and enjoyed the scenery along the waves of the Nile River. I looked over the river with a calm gaze while Nitocris' soul came out beside him.
Nitocris murmured, "I haven't seen a view like this in a few millennia since I lost the faith of worship from the people of this land."
I replied back, "Time can wash away many things in life. I'm not surprised you lasted this long in your current state. You were very lucky to have left a part of yourself inside the pyramid. If not, you would've perished along with the other gods of this time. The only ones still barely maintaining themselves are those godkings like Ra or Set or Osiris. They still left artifacts like The Book of Amun-Ra, the Book of the Dead as well as the Dagger of Set. Unfortunately they only left their power and not their consciousness like yours. So you were the lucky one."
Nitocris looked back at me with amazement as she didn't know the other gods left artifacts like her and said, "I'm surprised they made back-ups but that's a good thing. I have sole claim over Egypt now as the only conscious god hehe~!"
I looked back to Nitocris with a cheesy grin on her face. She must've been really wanting to leave and get out of her duty. I used Ruler's Authority to pat and rub her head to help calm her emotions down. She flinched at the touch as she never thought of being patted as a soul. She looked back with amazement but continued to enjoy the rub before returning back to the Shadow World.
Before she went back, she whispered, "Thank you~"
I smiled as I continued my leisure watching the sun set in the distance. The day has ended and a new one starts tomorrow.
After a peaceful night of sleep, it was time to start the day. I start to think about my next destination would be to find the sarcophagus of Princess Ahmanet. She would be perfect as an assassin for me, provided her loyalty is in check.
That shouldn't be much of a problem as she was loyal to the God of Death, Set. I can easily take control as my authority over Death is much stronger as it eclipses Set. I should start heading back after dealing with Ahmanet as the amount of resources I've acquired was a huge gain for the coming future.
I thought, "From what I remember, Ahmanet's sarcophagus should be in Southern Kurdistan in Iraq. The Dagger of Set should be in Oxford while the ruby attached should be buried in the coffin of a crusader knight at the Crossrail Tunnel in England."
Now that I had a plan in mind, I packed up the camp and Shadow Portaled away close to the border where Ahm Shere used to be. I covered more than halfway of the journey already. I only needed to drive the rest of the way to her tomb before I could recruit her into the Shadow Army.
The drive was not so bad as I am now closer than ever to finding her tomb. With the help of Nitocris, we had an approximate location of her tomb which led us to a city called Mosul in Iraq.
As we stepped into the city, I was met with weird gazes as if I didn't belong here. No matter what their thoughts are, I will leave soon after my business is complete.
Nitocris reminded, "We are getting closer to her tomb. I can feel it emanating near the center of the city. It is also underground, though I wasn't too surprised. We Egyptians like to play in the sand."
I chuckled at that comment before heading closer to the city center. An unnatural curse permeated from below as if it wanted to be released. Unfortunately, this curse poses no harm to me as the power of Ashborn is continuously shielding me as well as nourishing Nitocris' soul.
I sent all the curse energy to Nitocris as her soul is being repaired slowly. I should find a way down to the tomb. I had the Shadow birds look for the entrance down below and sure enough, there was a cave entrance on the side of the building. It looked old and conspicuous that most civilians avoid it for being unnatural.
I said to Nitocris, "How does it feel to have your soul nourished? Good thing Set left enough curse energy to keep Ahmanet alive-ish inside her sarcophagus for you to nourish your soul. I believe your soul should recover about halfway until you're fully recovered."
Nitocris agreed as she concentrated on absorbing the lingering curse energy. I summoned Igris and Mathayus to follow me along with a few Shadow Knights and Shadow Medjays guarding the entrance.
The tunnel in the cave was not long as we were close to the center of the city. We finally came in front of Ahmanet's sarcophagus and the amount of curse energy was massive. I directed the curse energy to Nitocris' soul as if I just supercharged a battery. I asked Igris and Mathayus to open the sarcophagus so I can break Set's curse on Ahmanet and let her join the Shadow Army.
The sarcophagus was slowly opened by Igris and Mathayus before casting it aside on the ground. As soon as it was opened, an oppressive pressure came and surrounded me as the sole living person in the tomb.
I took all the pressure with no worries as my authority of Death is much higher than Set's and filtered the energy to Nitocris. I walked over to the opened sarcophagus to see a mummified Ahmanet with lingering resentment, eager for life.
I touched her bandaged hand and announced, "I release you from the service of Set and employ you into my army as my assassin in the shadows. To be the blade and shield of those I send you to. So now wake up, my assassin. Arise~"
The amount of resentment surged as a shadowed hand burrowed of the mummified remains and continued to lift herself up. Her figure was covered with a headpiece and bandages all over her body.
She bowed in reverence, "Thy King, I pledge my services to your cause."
I told her, "Raise your head as your name will be Anet from now on to commemorate your resurrection. You will be in charge of reconnaissance and assassinations when I need a place scouted. I will be giving you command over the Shadow Birds and Fishes as well as future animals to facilitate your missions. For now, stay by my shadow like the others."
Anet stood up and bowed before rushing towards my shadow with anticipation. Igris and Mathayus looked at their new companions and just shook their heads before they also seeped in shadow.
I thought and said, "Now that we finished this little detour. We can finally head back to Cairo. The Dagger of Set as well as the ruby powering it will be in England so we can just follow Rick and Evelyn back when it's all done in a few months."
I opened the Shadow Portal leading back to the Temple Island of Philae. After arriving, I opened another Shadow Portal to the Pyramid of Giza. It was currently night time so the view was wonderful with the stars littering the skies. The constellations and the moon had lit the whole of Egypt from the top of the pyramid.
I sat down enjoying the view and breeze before I let out Igris, Mathayus, and Anet from my shadow. Nitocris also left the Shadow World, looked around and exclaimed at the scenery. She had not seen this place in so long that there were so many changes in her time away.
Igris stood behind me but I waved for him to sit down as he is my most trusted friend and general. Mathayus and Ahmanet looked in amazement as they never saw these feats of wonder in their lifetime.
Mathayus thought of his wife and sighed, "I hope she lived a good life after my death. May my descendants find peace in the afterlife."
Anet looked over to the scenery and then to me and murmured, "I only hope to be of service to thy King. Whether on the battlefield or in bed." The more her rampant thoughts in her mind, the more she held her cheeks to cool down her face.
Sensing the turbulent mood of Anet, I only shook my head and thought, "I thought I would have an assassin but from the looks of it, she's a bit of a love brain. This would be a headache because he has yandere-like tendencies. As long as she knows her place, she may be revived in a real body. For now, best to keep her by my side for no accidents."
Our stargazing lasted for thirty minutes before the rest of them returned to the Shadow World. With everything all finished, I used the Shadow Portal again near the RV campsite. I sensed Wednesday and Enid watching a movie while eating some dinner.
I smiled at their interactions before I headed towards the door and slowly opened it. Both Wednesday and Enid heard the door open before tears welled up in their eyes.
I gazed upon the two and said, "I'm home~"