Night had fallen as the moon rose to the sky. Shaking my head out of the dream I had earlier, I focused my attention on what will happen soon. I told Wednesday and Enid, who were busy with their own things, to get ready soon. They both nodded and are now alert from the upcoming raid from the Medjay. They also prepared some clothes in advance as they will be jumping in the Nile River.
I told them, "I'll be with Jonathan and the Americans. I'll play some poker with them till the shooting starts. Feel free to move around and take care of yourselves, my loves."
I walked over to them and gave them each a passionate kiss before stepping out of the room.
Both Wednesday and Enid looked at each other and smiled. They felt that Y/N seems a little more stable after his nap but they will still keep an eye on him and protect him in their own way. They also left the room and walked to find Evelyn.
I walked towards the deck of the ship to see Jonathan playing with the Americans. Jonathan spotted me and called me over.
Jonathan introduced me to the Americans, "Gents, this is Y/N. He's one of the people coming with us to Hamunaptra."
The Americans looked unimpressed that a yellow-skinned monkey was sitting at their table but they kept it to themselves.
One of them introduced themselves, "Well my name is Bernard Burns, this one to my left is Daniels, the one to my right is Henderson, and the chap with the monocle is Dr. Chamberlain. Care to join us for blackjack? We could use another player."
Looking over to Burns, I replied confidently, "All right. How much we bettin'? Let money talk. Jonathan, we'll talk later."
I glanced over Jonathan as he caught my gaze and was slowly terrified. He never saw such a look from me since we met each other. It looked like he made a mistake somehow. Jonathan could only swallow his words and keep quiet while he cut the deck.
Daniels smirked as he arrogantly taunted, "How's $500 sound to you? It must be too much for you to afford right?"
The other two Americans chuckled at the blatant display of discrimination and gave support to their friend. The doctor just sighed and shook his head and continued reading his book.
I took out a gold bar from my bag and set it on the table, "$500 is too little. Better come up with something more, fellas."
The American trio couldn't believe their eyes as this yello– they mean gentleman could easily bet a gold bar for a game of blackjack. Their eyes glowed as they believed they could swindle this rich gentleman of this gold bar. From the looks of the gold bar, it will fetch at least $5000.
Henderson took out $2000 to the bet pool and agreed to the increased bet. Burns and Daniels also coughed up their own $2000 and got ready to play. They even asked Dr. Chamberlain to deal the cards to prevent any cheating of any kind. Jonathan could only opt out of the game as he didn't have that kind of money on him.
The cards were dealt and after a few minutes of checking and adding additional cards. Henderson and Burns folded in sadness while Daniels was sweating buckets. I, on the other hand, had a calm poker face as I had a great hand. Daniels couldn't help it anymore before revealing his hand, which equaled to 20. He felt a bit confident at such a high hand.
Unfortunately, they were about to lose all this money. I showed my hand and smiled. It revealed a 21, which signalled their defeat and loss of the bet money.
The American trio sulked in defeat while Dr. Chamberlain smirked before shaking his head. The doctor hoped the American trio could change their behavior a bit as he didn't want to be associated or mislabeled for their blatant discrimination. But who told him to finance his research and journey to Hamunaptra.
I felt pity for them since they are going to die later on and only took a thousand dollars from each of them. I gave them a bit of face and they cheered up a little from my actions. I kindly reminded them to be ready as there are people with malicious intentions coming to this ship.
They all regained their spirits and readied up their gear, just in case. They kept playing with Jonathan while I went to find Evelyn. Unbeknownst to Y/N, Rick just went out to see Jonathan playing with the American trio and started their conversation along with Jonathan reminding Rick about my premonition about the malicious people boarding this ship.
As Rick was pondering about the news Jonathan gave him, I found Evelyn heading towards her room. I called Evelyn, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around with a displeased face and thought Rick came back. To her disappointment, I was the one who stopped her and not Rick.
I asked, "Having a good night so far, Evelyn?"
Evelyn with a displeased face replied, "Unfortunately not. Mr. O'Connell and I were just talking but...actually nevermind. Is there something bothering you?"
I smiled teasingly and replied, "Ohhh~ Seems like you got Rick on your mind, huh? Still thinking about that kiss of his?... Anyways, I'm here to let you know to get your bags ready to go. I'll transfer them to my storage ring so you won't lose your belongings. There's going to be a fight here on the ship soon. Be prepared. They'll be looking for the map and key you took to Dr. Bey."
Evelyn's face turned from embarrassment from the teasing to terror as she heard people will be coming after her map to Hamunaptra. She only nodded and led me to her bedroom. I stayed outside while she packed up her luggage. It only took ten minutes before she opened the door with her bags on hand. I nodded and waved my hand over her bags before they disappeared towards my storage ring.
Not long after, I sensed the malicious Medjays were coming aboard the ship and spreading around to sink the ship and kill everyone aboard as there was no need for witnesses. I told Evelyn to stick close and get to Rick as I sensed him coming our way. I decisively took out the Heckler and Koch P30L fitted with a custom compensator as this would be the first gunfight I will have in my journey.
A black clothed Medjay came running towards the halls before spotting me and Evelyn.
He yelled, "Where is the key?"
I smirked and said, "Wrong answer."
I raised my gun before shooting twice. One in head and one in his chest cavity. The Medjay didn't even have time to react before falling to the ground. His body was dead before hitting the ground. Unfortunately, Evelyn was too shocked by my actions before I tapped her to keep moving. She just mindlessly followed before bumping into Rick.
Rick asked, "You guys alright? I heard shooting."
I pushed Evelyn towards Rick and replied, "Yeah, someone tried to mug our little librarian with a gun so I shot him down first before he got the chance to do so. Anyways take Evelyn with you and find Jonathan to get off the ship. I smell smoke, which means there's fire spreading. I'll meet you both after I find Wednesday and Enid."
Rick nodded as he readied his double pistols and replied, "Good plan. I'll find him and meet up with you all."
Rick took Evelyn to find her brother while keeping an eye on his surroundings for more enemies. As Rick and Evelyn came to the main deck of the boat, loud noises of shooting were heard from time to time.
The sound of continuous fire was confusing to Rick as the only people who had automatic weapons were the military. Upon closer inspection, it was a young lady in black holding the gun. Fortunately, it was an acquaintance of his; Wednesday.
In Wednesday's hands was the Heckler and Koch MP5A3 submachine gun. She had a look of enjoyment and bloodlust in her eyes and a smile as she mowed down five Medjays with no problem at all. Her accuracy with the MP5 was impeccable as she trained for a little less than a year to prepare for this moment and the coming problems.
Alongside Wednesday was Enid holding a TTI Dracarys Gen-12 shotgun loaded with Dragon's Breath rounds, which would explain the fire that slowly enveloping the ship. Enid had a smile on her face as she was covering Wednesday's back with her firepower.
Rick and Evelyn thought, "These girls are really something.."
Before the two could think further, more Medjays appeared and they started shooting towards any who were not their companions. Rick and Evelyn ducked to avoid the gunshots heading their way.
Rick cursed, "These girls are nuts!!"
Rick fired shots and hit a couple of the Medjays before they also took cover. Wednesday saw the situation and threw a grenade over where the hiding Medjays were.
Wednesday yelled, "Stay down!!"
An explosion filled the surrounding area as the noise from the grenade staggered Rick and Evelyn from their hiding place. Enid rushed over and pulled them towards their side while Wednesday covered them with suppressive fire from her MP5 to prevent any people from shooting their way.
Rick commented, "Thanks. You girls seem to be handling yourselves well. Y/N told me he was looking for you. He told us to meet up on the other side of the river."
Wednesday and Enid agreed and told Rick and Evelyn to follow them out. They looked around for Jonathan only to see him jumping off the ship while the Americans were occupied with shooting back at the Medjays. Either way seeing that Jonathan was safe, they also jumped off the ship and swam towards land.
Meanwhile, I was wandering around the ship looking for the attacking Medjays. I held my gun ready as my footsteps echoed through the hallways. The Medjays heard my footsteps before hiding to ambush me. Unbeknownst to them, I knew their locations a long time ago. I took a stance and got ready as the first Medjays with their guns pointed at me. I shot them quickly with a two-tap; one in the head and one to the heart.
Another tried to grab me before I kicked the Medjay's knee in before I shot him in the head. Bodies were being put down left and right as the massacre was commencing. Bullets and blood splatter the walls as the fire in the back intensified. It only took five minutes of intense fighting to clear every enemy Medjay aboard the ship.
https://youtu.be/0L9SzBANF0w
Seeing as the ship was about the sink, I put the pistol back into the Shadow World before I announced, "Arise."
The countless dead bodies littering the floor suddenly jolted as their shadows crawled off their bodies as if emerging from hell. These new Shadow Medjays actually had guns as their main weapon, which could be the start of my artillery division. They all knelt down before they all flew to my Shadow World for further instructions.
I looked around the flaming ship and sighed, "Seems like I got to jump in the river to keep up appearances for Rick. I don't think it's time to tell him about magic and such stuff yet."
And with that, I jumped off the ship before it sank to the bottom of the Nile River. I swam towards the direction of Wednesday and Enid. Both Evelyn and Jonathan were wet but safe along with Rick.
Enid was looking around before she shouted, "Y/N!!! I found Y/N. He's coming this way!!"
Wednesday and the rest of the group came over and saw me swimming my way towards them. Enid rushed over to see if I was injured in any way, only to breathe a sigh of relief. Wednesday knew better than to worry but she knew I would be alright.
"Better safe than sorry, Mi Amor," Wednesday thought as she looked over at my body while Enid was physically checking.
Rick came over and said, "You gave us a scare when we didn't see you earlier. Evelyn and Jonathan were anxious as well."
Evelyn also came up and thanked, "Thank you Y/N. Without you and Rick, I would have likely been killed or worse."
Jonathan also thanked me and apologized for the previous problem he caused. Seeing Jonathan's remorseful face, I just let him go as this was his character. Easily gets into trouble, yet lucky enough to create wealth and save his life.
"I'm starting to wonder whether he was cursed with both good luck and bad luck to occur at the same time," I thought with uncertainty.
I replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, everyone. But we really should get out of here and change into some dry clothes. We should probably set up camp first before we get some sleep. We still have a long way ahead."
Everyone nodded and took their belongings somewhere close by to set up camp. I took the first shift on watch as I unleashed my Shadow Artillery Medjays on dunes and ridges around the camp to keep watch as I enjoyed the moonlight shining over the camp. It was only a couple of hours before Wednesday came out of her tent and sat next to me while resting her head on my shoulders.
I held Wednesday's hand as I spoke, "Did you have fun today?"
Wednesday could only tighten her hand as she whispered, "It was very fun~"
I smiled softly as her emotions for death and destruction had finally been released. Of course, it will accumulate once more but there is finally an outlet for her to get rid of it. I believe it will be soon she can control the psychic power growing inside her.
The night continued until Rick came out to take over to keep watch. I thanked Rick before I took Wednesday to the tent before we both fell asleep in each other's arms while Enid was spooning me.
The next morning came quickly as the heat outside started permeating the tent. I sat up and rubbed my eyes before I slowly woke the two girls from their slumber. They also sat up before yawning.
I softly said, "Rise and shine, my loves. We still have a lot of trekking to do, so let's go early and get to Hamunaptra before dark."
Wednesday and Enid only hummed in agreement as they got ready while I gave them some food to whet their appetite. They both nibbled as they were still drowsy from waking up early. After a while, they finally woke up and got ready and left the tent with me in tow. The others were already dressed and awake though Jonathan looks a little worse for wear from keeping vigil early morning.
I greeted them all, "Good morning. Sleep well?"
Jonathan tiredly answered, "It was good till it was my turn to keep watch."
I patted Jonathan's shoulder and replied, "Well I'm sure you can rest up while we take the gold out of Hamunaptra."
Jonathan's expression sprang up as if he was given new life and hurriedly said, "I'm all good now. Leave the gold collection to me!!"
Everyone in the camp sweat dropped at the obvious greed in Jonathan's eyes at the mention of gold.
I announced to everyone, "Well we should start moving. Rick, lead the way."
Rick gave me a thumbs up before grabbing his bag and setting off to find a town. They will need horses or camels to go through the journey to Hamunaptra before nightfall. Perhaps they can make it there as the sun rises to see the ocular illusion of Hamunaptra. Me and the girls followed Rick along with Evelyn and Jonathan.
It took a couple of hours of walking before we saw a town to freshen ourselves up as well grab some transportation. Evelyn found a clothing shop to grab some Egyptian clothing as well. Wednesday and Enid also followed Evelyn in as they needed new clothing for the journey ahead. Me, Rick, and Jonathan found some merchants to point us to grab some camels. Jonathan found the camel salesman but after a while he started arguing with him.
Rick got fed up and yelled, "Can you just pay the man?"
The camel salesman took the camels behind him and gave it to Jonathan to hold the reins.
Jonathan complained, "Oh for heaven's sake. Can you believe the price of these fleabags?"
I chuckled, "You probably could've gotten them for free. You only need to sell your sister."
Jonathan trembled, "Don't say that, Y/N. What if Evy hears about this?"
A strong resentful aura was detected behind Jonathan as Evelyn in a dark belly dancer dress.
"Jonathan, did you really want to sell me for camels?!!!" Evelyn angrily shouted at Jonathan.
Me and Rick were laughing on the side as Jonathan was being manhandled by his sister. After laughing for a while, Rick was mesmerized by Evelyn's beauty that I had to elbow him to come back to his senses.
I looked at Rick with a teasing look and said, "You getting butterflies in your stomach, lover boy?"
Rick snorted as he looked away in embarrassment. He didn't think he would be caught staring at me and now he dreaded that he gave me some teasing material before we set off.
And so we started our journey to Hamunaptra. We ventured through dunes of sand to rocky terrain. The journey went from day to night and still continued on despite the rest sleeping while riding on camels.
The girls as well as Jonathan were asleep while me and Rick pressed on along with keeping the camels going in the right direction. It was nearly dawn before I woke up everyone sleeping as we were nearing our destination.
Rick stopped the camels while Evelyn and Jonathan were confused why they stopped in the middle of nowhere. Fifteen minutes later, the American trio along with their crew and Rick's ex-teammate Beni arrived.
Daniels shouted, "What the hell are we doing?"
Beni calmed him down saying, "Patience, my good barat'm. Patience."
He also added, "Hey, O'Connell. Nice camel."
Rick looked towards the distance and said, "Get ready for it. We're about to be shown the way."
Evelyn looked confused but she stared where Rick was looking.
Nitocris popped out of the Shadow World and whispered, "We're finally here. I sense such an abundant amount of curses there."
Mathayus also commented, "It seemed a Hom-Dai prisoner was sealed inside. What damned treachery did that person do?"
Anet also chimed in as she murmured, "Whatever that person was, if the seal breaks, I will personally destroy that person's soul."
I listened to their conversation and thought of an answer for them and said telepathically, "The cursed Hom-Dai prisoner was the former High Priest of the Pharaoh Seti the First. His name was Imhotep. He fell in love with the pharaoh's mistress, Anck-Su-Namun. He killed the pharaoh along with the pharaoh's mistress. During the murder, he fled while Anck-Su-Namun committed suicide. He languished over the death of his lover and decided to resurrect her with the help of the Book of the Dead. He broke open the crypt and took it from its holy resting place. He and his priests travelled here to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual. Unfortunately the Medjays foiled his plan before the ritual was complete. Imhotep was sentenced to be cursed with the Hom-Dai for his crimes and forever buried under Hamunaptra."
The trio from Egypt fell into contemplation as this whole curse was due to love. Unfortunately, Imhotep made the worst choices he could take at that time. The gears of fate turned against him as soon as he killed Seti I.
The sun had slowly risen, revealing Hamunaptra in all its glory. Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan drove their camels to Hamunaptra while Beni and the American trio also rushed there as well. Unlike me, Wednesday, and Enid just leisurely headed to Hamunaptra. They already saw it before as a movie but seeing it appear in real life was a different experience.
Wednesday came over to my side and asked, "Will you let those Americans die like the movie?"
Enid chimed in as well, "Yeah! Yeah! Are we gonna follow the plot of the movie?"
I slowly nodded and replied, "Yes, I will, my loves. Those Americans and that doctor of theirs were blooming with greed. They will eventually open the box containing the Book of the Dead and disregard the curse upon it. We will be following the plot but we will dig up the Book of Amun-Ra and take the Spear of Osiris from the treasury. I will be sure to protect your safety to a degree as you will need combat experience on dealing with the undead and the upcoming Medjays. I will take action, only when the situation becomes critical."
Wednesday came over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek and seductively whispered, "Thank you, Mi Amor. I love you~"
She knew that I was looking out for her as her spirit was craving violence and death. When they get raided later on, she and Enid will take care of defending themselves along with Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan.
Enid exclaimed, "Let's go find all the treasures~!! I can't wait to see it. It looked super amazing when we watched it, so it should be better to see in person."
I nodded and said, "We will search the statue of Horus to grab the Golden Book of Amun-Ra and then we can go head to the treasury. Let the American team deal with the curse of the Book of the Dead and Evelyn's team with excavating the mummified Imhotep. We'll be separating with Rick and the gang when they go back to Cairo and stay here to deal with Imhotep when he has fully regenerated. In addition to that, Nitocris needs to absorb the excess cursed energy here to fill up the rest of her soul."
It took me and the girls about ten minutes or so before we managed to enter Hamunaptra. We saw the American team digging for an entrance while Rick and Jonathan were listening to Evelyn on where to start.
I waved my hand towards them and Rick saw us waving with the camels being parked nearby to rest after a long journey overnight.
Evelyn rushed over and excitedly said, "Y/N, Wednesday, Enid. We plan on finding an entrance and start digging at the base of the statue of Anubis. Care to join us?"
I held my hands up and replied, "Woah there, Evelyn. You're getting ahead of yourself. Take your time as we have plenty of time to excavate. Oh! Here's your luggage. Don't let those Americans know about my abilities."
A luggage popped out in front of Evelyn and thankfully, she grabbed it before it dropped to the ground.
Evelyn asked confusedly, "You won't be joining us?"
Wednesday stepped up and answered for me, "Evelyn, we'll go look around and find the treasure room. You can take your brother and Rick to excavate for now. We'll come find you tonight."
Evelyn could only nod in agreement and meet up later tonight. Enid pulled me over to find the statue of Horus with Wednesday in tow. On the other hand, Nitocris slowly came out of the Shadow World and absorbed the immense amount of cursed energy that accumulated through the years since its abandonment. The longer she absorbs, the faster her soul can be repaired.
Nitocris was busy absorbing while I had Mathayus and a few Shadow Medjays protect her. They were in the back part of Hamunaptra as there were people still setting up camp in the front.
With her protection, I followed Enid since she pulled me earlier and Wednesday was looking around for the statue of Horus or a hidden passageway to go inside. It took us around twenty minutes to find where the statue of Horus is located.
Enid shouted, "Look!! Look! Is that the statue? The bird-looking thing?"
Wednesday looked up and said, "That's it. That's the statue of Horus."
I smiled as the girls were enjoying themselves on this expedition. I summoned the Shadow Knights along with the Shadow Medjays to start digging around the statue and the surrounding perimeter. They immediately got to work, digging the base of the statue. Igris, Anet, and Goody also watched the excavation since they felt a trace of divinity under the statue.
I thought about the trace of divinity under the statue and came to the conclusion, "It seemed like the God Ra left his power in the Book of Amun-Ra to suppress the negative effects of the Book of the Dead. One book is positive while the other is negative to cancel each other out. Either way, this divinity will be helpful for me in the long run. Perhaps I can increase my control over light and eventually manipulate it like my Shadow magic."
It only took a few minutes before an ornate box was unearthed and brought up. The Shadow Knights placed the box in front of me while Wednesday, Enid, and the rest of my Shadow Generals came over to look. Anet took the lead to investigate the box to see if there was any danger opening it.
I patted her head softly and said, "Don't worry, there's no curse to this box. It is meant to be used for protection and cleansing unlike the Book of the Dead, where it will curse anyone who does not heed its warning and tarnish the dead."
Anet stared blankly at me before blushing and hiding inside my shadow with her hands covering her face. In her head, she started imagining me being a prince charming and protecting her instead of the other way around. She is currently lost in her imagination. I could only sweat drop at her as I could sense everything she's doing but I just brushed it off and focused on the box in front of me.
I kneeled down to open the box and there lies the Book of Amun-Ra. It was not covered in dust as it wrapped around a cloth to preserve its history. I saw the star-like indentation lock on the book before I retrieved the "key" from my Shadow World. I slowly unlocked the book before I opened it. It was all in hieroglyphics and Wednesday to my side took a closer look next to me.
Wednesday gasped as she understood these spells from the prolonged study of hieroglyphics with Evelyn. Most are for healing, cleansing, and blessings. There was even a way to control resurrected mummy guards. The most outrageous spell would be an excerpt for the God Ra to temporarily occupy the body to gain the power of a God but the cost would be the body's death. Thankfully to use the spells to its fullest effect would require magic or energy or faith.
I closed the Book of Amun-Ra and said, "With this in hand, we completed the first phase of the plan. We'll go find the treasure room now so we can take at least three-fourths for us and the rest for Rick and Evelyn's future as well as Jonathan's. Though Jonathan will probably spend it on bars and having fun."
Everyone laughed, even Igris chuckled a little since he had seen Jonathan's habits from my Shadow World. Igris and the others went back inside the Shadow World while me and the girls looked for an entrance to go inside the interior of Hamunaptra.
I released the Shadow birds to see if there are other passageways besides the one Evelyn used and what the Americans used. Funny enough, Enid found a secluded passageway before the Shadow Birds could reply back to me.
I petted Enid's head before gently saying, "Great job Enid~ Now let's see what we can find."
I pulled Wednesday next to me with Enid in tow. The passageway was extremely dark but nothing a few flashlights could fix. We walked a few more minutes before we found a place where the bodies of the servants were buried and below it should be a person of interest.
I stroked my chin and thought, "Perhaps that's where the Pharaoh Seti is buried or a guardian of Hamunaptra. Either of the two would be great additions to the Shadow Army."
Sure enough, these bodies were preserved well enough for Shadow Extraction. We'll need more manpower for auxiliary work in the future. These will be the first work force dedicated to that purpose.
I raised my hand and announced, "Arise."
One by one, shadows started crawling out their former bodies before kneeling down in reverence for giving them eternal life. I sent them all but one to the Shadow World until further notice while the one left behind would guide us inside Hamunaptra.
Wednesday said, "At least now we don't need to get lost inside. Let's go find the treasure room. I'm vaguely interested in that Spear of Osiris. It sounds like a perfect weapon for me."
I nodded and replied back, "Indeed but let me examine it first. Perhaps there's a spell that makes it very valuable such as increased power or increased durability. It might be helpful for the future."
I also added, "Enid, we can get some precious golden jewellery for you to wear like the Ancient Egyptians used to wear when we find the treasure room. Feel free to put as much as you want in your storage bracelet, ok?"
Enid cheered up so quickly she sped towards me and gave me a big smooch. I slowly calmed her down and put her down. Wednesday just gave us an eye roll before kissing me also to not feel left out.
We all calmed down before commanding the Shadow Guide to lead the way to the treasure room. It nodded before taking a flashlight to light the way in the dark hallways. We started chatting some small talk to pass the time and it wasn't long before we came across a very spacious room. It felt like it was three football fields inside but it was dark with the exception of light passing through a sun disc.
I used Ruler's Authority to tilt the sun disc to another disc, which caused a chain reaction of light bouncing off each other and lighting the whole room. With the light present, the glorious treasure of Hamunaptra was unveiled to me and the girls. They were dumbfounded on how much gold it truly contained. There was gold in any corner they saw and they could not help but feel excited seeing them.
I unleashed the Shadow Army to come and find any interesting artifacts, especially the Spear of Osiris. They began their hunt while Enid just grabbed jewelry to wear. Wednesday spotted some scrolls stored by a golden shelf. She carefully brushed the dust away before slowly unveiling the contents inside. She saw the hieroglyphics and was shocked to find out they were scrolls from Alexandria.
Wednesday immediately came over to me and asked for some protection spell on the scrolls to avoid damages.
"Don't worry, Mi Cuervo. I'll add some enchantment spells to the scrolls to preserve them better," I slowly said as I gently petted Wednesday.
I hovered my hand over the whole bookcase and chanted the spell. The entire bookcase was shrouded in esoteric writing overing in the air before it settled on the scrolls below. The Shadow Army brought back what could have been the Spear of Osiris.
Several spear-like objects were placed on the ground before settling on a handle with a broken star-like pommel. I grabbed the handle and it started to shine as it reacted to my magic power. It stopped after a few minutes before it automatically extended the hidden spear inside the handle. I swung it around a few times before I let Wednesday have a go at it.
Wednesday grabbed the Spear of Osiris before marveling at the craftsmanship. She turned to an empty space beside her and let out a flurry of strikes before she stopped. I smiled and watched in awe as she swung around the spear.
"It feels incredible as if the spear was like a part of my own body," Wednesday exclaimed.
I held out my hand and said, "Give it here, Wednesday. I'll change its appearance with alchemy while retaining the original spells attached to them. I'll also add some enhancement spells to it."
I pondered a design to fit the Egyptian aesthetics before settling on one. It was the design for the Spear of Horus from the "Gods of Egypt" (2016) movie. It was a golden spear with a sharp tip along with a Khopesh edge design on the other end. One is responsible for impaling while the other for cutting.
I set up an alchemy array on the ground while I gathered some gold from the surrounding along with some metals from the Shadow World. I also gathered some of the solar energy from the sun above along with the cursed energy from the depths of Hamunaptra. One representing the light while the other the dark would bring stability along with amplifying its corresponding energies when used.
With everything prepared, I summoned Igris along with some Shadow Knights to keep watch of the surroundings.
I also reminded Wednesday and Enid, "Stay back for a while. This will be done soon."
The girls agreed and sat at a high place to see the modification ceremony of the Spear of Osiris. They have never seen alchemy in their lives and as such are very curious, especially Wednesday.
I started the ceremony with determination in my eyes as alchemy can still go wrong if there was a small mistake. Light surged from the spear along with the sun from above while darkness surged from below. The gold on the side melted while it flew towards the spear and it started to morph into the desired weapon design. The spear started to shine as the solar and dark energies resonated to stabilize each other. An increased durability rune was inscribed in the very inner workings of the spear to handle the most damages sustained in the future. With the blessing of the solar and dark energies, it can now also burn and deprive enemies of their lives. The Spear of Osiris had finally been reforged in alchemy with its new look. It slowly floated down and settled on the floor.
The girls went down quickly while Igris and the Shadow Knights gave way. I picked up the new Spear of Osiris and stood up from the ground. I marveled at its new form and beauty as it shines even in the absence of light.
I called Wednesday over before handing her the new Spear of Osiris, "Here you go, Mi Cuervo. It can no longer be called the Spear of Osiris now that it has been reforged. It needs a name befitting its new master."
Wednesday held the new Spear of Osiris before pondering on a name. As she held the spear, a vision engulfed her very being and was transported on top of the Pyramid of Khufu watching over Egypt.
Suddenly the sun was eclipsed and darkness shrouded the land as a giant snake coiled around the pyramid she was on before straightening its body and looked face-to-face with Wednesday.
The giant red snake eyes met with Wednesday's and every second felt like an hour but she persisted before the snake broke contact first as it hissed, "You are worthy, human. Bring about darkness and destruction to any who you deem as your enemy. Stay true to your heart and let the darkness guide you. You may call me–"
Wednesday was brought back into reality before she blurted, "Apophis. This spear will be named Apophis."
Sensing its new master, the spear pricked Wednesday's hand as the blood seeped inside it. It glowed a faint red light before turning back to normal. The wound it inflicted healed after it was done. It had recognized Wednesday as its new master.
Sensing a rancid fluctuation inside the spear, I also grabbed the spear as I entered my consciousness inside. Wednesday couldn't help but look at me but restrained herself.
In the consciousness of the spear, a terrifying serpent saw my arrival before appearing in front of me. Apophis hissed menacingly, "Who are you, ant? I don't remember giving you permission to come in here!!"
I narrowed my eyes as it glowed with power and responded, "It became my business when you are involved with my lover. You may have granted her worthiness but she will do what she wants without your influence."
Apophis hissed angrily, "Impudent ant! How dare you curse me and my new toy! She will have a gruesome death!!"
Killing intent surged inside me as I astralized into the Shadow Monarch as the surrounding space started to crackle with lightning and purple flames burned the very ground I was standing on.
Apophis readied itself for a battle as it lunged at me with its fangs intending to kill me. I brandished my sword and parried its fangs pushing Apophis back into a pyramid in the background. Without giving time to Apophis to recover, I leapt into the air and slashed its body. Apophis bled for the first time in its time inside his own realm.
Blood dyed the land red but Apophis regained its mind and continued to attack as I countered it with each strike. Blow for blow was tiring for Apophis but it was negligible for me. Training with Igris day in and day out for a year had increased my endurance and strength for long-term combat and even more since this was a confrontation on a spiritual level. Seeing Apophis's degraded look, I used Mutilation, which targeted all of its vital spots and effectively caused heavy bleeding on its body.
Apophis couldn't take it any longer before begging, "Stop, human! Stop! I give in."
"I never intended to keep you, Apophis. You're going to be killed and whatever essence left will be left in the spear. Be more benevolent in your next life," I reminded Apophis.
I used Eviscerate to finish off Apophis as it roared in desperation before its breath finally went still. A large amount of resentment came out of its body before I landed near it and said, "Arise."
The shadow around Apophis surged to the sky as if it was reborn and made stronger. It opened its eyes as it burned bright yellow from its resurrection and bowed towards me.
I declared, "Your name will now be Apophis and reside inside this spear, providing its wielder power and protection from its enemies. If need be, you will be its wielder's guardian from now on."
Apophis hissed in acknowledgement, "Yes, my King."
I held out my hand to the sky before my power repaired the space for its future dwelling. I left the space as my consciousness returned to my body. I opened my eyes with the Shadow Army keeping guard around me. I saw Enid to the side with worried eyes while Wednesday was letting my head rest on her lap. I was still holding to the Apophis Spear before letting go.
Wednesday saw my eyes open before asking in a worried tone, "Are you alright, Mi Amor? You lost consciousness after grabbing the spear and fell to the ground. Luckily I caught you and called Enid over. Igris and the rest of the shadows rushed and circled around us for protection."
Enid's eyes were wet as she was on the verge of tears worrying about my condition. Her heart was about to explode when she saw me fall down and couldn't control her emotions.
Enid called out, "Honey, you're not hurt, are you?"
I smiled gently and patted Enid's head, "I'm all right, Enid. I just had to deal with something that occupied the spear. Now there would be no more problems."
Enid wiped her tears before hugging my waist and holding me tightly for fear of losing me. Wednesday also held me in her arms as she heard my answer to protect her wellbeing.
Igris on the side saw this scene and thought, "This king is truly a great one, Lord Ashborn. I will protect him for it is my duty for all of eternity."
I calmed down both Wednesday and Enid and they helped me up. I used Ruler's Authority to float the Apophis Spear in front of Wednesday.
I said, "Now your Apophis Spear is all resolved. I believe you'll enjoy the surprise I left for you there."
Wednesday was surprised to hear there was something inside but she chalked it up to that vision she saw. It must've been that huge snake and Y/N took care of it. She felt warm in her heart for all the things I have done for her, even if it's just for her safety.
She nodded and grabbed hold of the Apophis Spear before a snake spawned out of it and crawled around her wrist.
It introduced itself, "Hello wielder, my name is Apophis. It was granted by my King to protect and aid you for this weapon's wielder. I will be your guardian should my King be unavailable."
Wednesday looked closely to see it was the shadow of Apophis around her wrist.
She replied, "It's nice to meet you, Apophis. Please take care of me."
Apophis nodded and hissed before wrapping around her wrist while Wednesday put the Apophis spear inside her storage bracelet. Now that the spear situation has been resolved, it's time to put the treasure away.
I opened the Shadow World as all the gold and treasures were transferred inside. It was placed on one corner to make sure it doesn't clatter when grabbing in the future. I made sure to leave Evelyn, Rick, and Jonathan a portion of the treasure for them to last a few lifetimes. The treasure room was finally empty with no gold in sight. Both Wednesday and Enid smiled thinking they are rich enough to splurge when they go to any world in the future.
All of the Shadow Army went back to the Shadow World before I gestured to the Shadow Guide to send us to Evelyn and her group. It only grabbed the flashlight and led the way.
While everything was done, Evelyn and her party were having problems. It was mostly due to the lock they found on a sarcophagus with no key.
Evelyn asked, "Jonathan, do you still have that key that had the map inside it?"
Rick raised his eyebrow seemingly didn't receive that information but kept listening on.
Jonathan patted his shirt and pants before he remembered, "Evy, I think Y/N has it. Last time I saw it was during that time we were with Dr. Bey."
Evelyn widened her eyes and held her forehead in pain as she replied, "Of course Y/N has it. He seemed very interested in it when I asked to see it after that day. This could be a problem since we don't know where he currently is."
Rick saw that Evelyn and Jonathan were in a slump. He was walking towards Evelyn to comfort her but he soon started to hear footsteps from afar. He went on guard with guns pointed to the direction of the sounds of footsteps. Evelyn and Jonathan saw Rick holding a gun and panicked. Jonathan nervously held up his pistol while Evelyn was hiding behind Rick for protection.
Step after step felt like an eternity but we finally saw who was walking towards us. It was Y/N, Wednesday and Enid along with a guide with a torch. They took a breath of relief to see it was them and not the American team.
Before I got the chance to greet them, Rick asked cautiously, "Hey Y/N, who's that next to you?"
I tilted my head to my right, which was Enid and said, "Enid?"
Rick facepalmed and asked once again, "No, not her. That guy. The one holding the torch."
I made an "I understand" pose and said, "I forgot to mention that I am a magician, Rick. This one is my helper. Evelyn knows about it but Jonathan...not so much."
The Shadow Guide handed its flashlight torch to Enid before bowing to me and returning to the Shadow World in my shadow. Although Evelyn knew about my ability as a magician, she never thought she would see that the "helper" I was talking about was living inside my shadow. Rick and Jonathan's faces were no different, if not more exaggerated than Evelyn's.
Rick came close to me before asking me in a questioned face, "You're a magician? Like those who have wands like Merlin? That kind?"
I answered calmly, "Kind of the same but much more useful. Unlike Merlin, I don't stay in a castle like Camelot in legends. I'm more of a free wandering magician."
Rick just blinked his eyes in confusion. It took a few minutes before the information registered in his head before he sighed and reminded himself to no longer be surprised since he got in touch with Hamunaptra.
Evelyn and Jonathan just looked at each other before shaking their heads and shrugged it off. They trusted Y/N and the girls so they know they are trustworthy.
Evelyn greeted us, "Y/N, you're finally here. We were wondering if you still got that key that opened with the map inside?"
Noticing their anxious faces, I took it out of my pocket and said, "I forgot about it so I came to find you. Here you go. Don't lose it. I feel it's very valuable for us."
Evelyn took the "key" from my hand before heading to the sarcophagus. Wednesday and Enid also came over to Evelyn, knowing what will happen next. Me and Rick looked at each other and nodded as we both hoisted the sarcophagus upright against the wall. Evelyn put the key on the lock before she slowly rotated it. Everyone was looking forward to the discovery before a click happened and the stone cover of the sarcophagus fell to the ground while a sticky decomposing mummy almost fell to the floor, scaring everyone besides me and Wednesday.
Enid clung to me while Jonathan clung to Rick. Rick calmed down and shook Jonathan off of him. Wednesday was extremely curious and started to poke the "fresh" mummy.
Evelyn looked horrified and tremblingly said, "It's so..so.."
Rick and Jonathan finished her word and said, "Juicy."
Wednesday assessed her findings to everyone, "This mummy seems to be a few thousand years old."
Evelyn backed up Wednesday's conclusion but was perplexed, "Yet it looks like it's still decomposing."
Enid pointed to the fallen stone cover and said, "Look! Are these scratches?"
Evelyn hurried over and slowly touched the scratch marks, "It appears this person was buried alive. And look at this, scarab corpses. These little bugs can live for very long and feed on anything they get their hands on."
Wednesday pretended to recall, "Evelyn, according to legends, this person may have been cursed with the Hom-Dai."
Evelyn looked shocked and horrified as she explained, "The Hom-Dai is the worst of all Egyptian curses. One only reserved for the worst of blasphemers. I have never heard or read any text of this curse being performed. This person was condemned from this life and the next."
Rick cut in, "So this person was alive when they mummified him? Man, what did he do?"
Evelyn shook her head and replied, "I don't know but it is said that if a person cursed by the Hom-Dai rose again, it would be about the ten plagues of Egypt."
Rick nonchalantly said, "Good thing we ain't bringing anything back from the dead."
Wednesday continued to look at the scratched marks and murmured, "Death is only the beginning."
Wednesday believed this statement very much as she knew her lover can bring their shadows to life but she was wondering what his plan is.
She thought to herself, "Perhaps there is something hindering the resurrection or Y/N was letting the plot go as usual to prevent any deviations."
Seeing as we couldn't carry the mummy out without breaking the sarcophagus, we all left it there and planned to come back tomorrow morning. All the exploration and digging for the day had come to an end. Everyone followed me as I remembered the direction of the exit from when they came in. After some time, we finally got out and saw the moon up in the sky.
The Americans were also at their campsite, reveling in their discoveries.
Jonathan with nothing to do started to brag that they found a juicy mummy. Unfortunately, none of the Americans paid any attention to it as the relics they found for themselves were much more appealing in their eyes.
I made my way to Evelyn's camp as me and the girls greeted them and sat around the campfire. They all looked at the clear night sky and saw the boundless universe glittering with stars and planets.
I nudged Wednesday and Enid and whispered, "I hope you two will get ready soon. I sense a good amount of people heading our way."
The girls nodded and took out their guns and readied themselves. This place will be a battleground soon filled with the deaths of these Medjays. Rick and Evelyn were still oblivious to the coming threat and Jonathan was drinking a bottle of liquor on the side.
Not long after I gave the girls my reminder, sounds of galloping hooves can be heard heading towards the camp area. Rick stopped and got his gun ready while Evelyn took a shotgun from Rick's bag and hid behind him. Jonathan was holding his liquor bottle while having a pistol on the other hand.
The Americans also grabbed their guns and aimed at the incoming threat. Dr. Chamberlain was tightly holding onto the Black Book of the Dead hiding under the sand and cover of the pillar.
Arabic shouts filled the air as the Medjays stormed the camp with guns and torches to burn the tents. Guns started going off as chaos ensued inside the camp. The Americans started firing back while their acquired help ran around like flies.
Rick also fired back and took a couple of Medjays while Evelyn was missing her shots despite having a shotgun in her hands. Jonathan was ducking and looking around before shooting one shot of his pistol. He immediately took a swig of his liquor after that one shot. Unbeknownst to Jonathan, Beni came from behind and grabbed the liquor and took a swig as well.
I also took a few shots when some of the Medjays came close to Rick and Evelyn's position. I glanced over to Wednesday and Enid but there was no worry in my face. On the contrary, Wednesday was having the time of her life as she was taking down Medjays left and right while Enid was letting her M4 spray down the Medjays and their horses from their rear. Blood was seeping through the sands and bodies litter the ground.
It only took a short time before the leader of the Medjay shouted, "Enough!! Too much blood had been spilled. You must leave and never return. Stay and you all die. You have one night."
The Medjay leader got on his horse and rallied the surviving Medjays away. Rick was holding a lit dynamite before taking the string and pulled it off. Wednesday and Enid finally put down their guns and smiled at each other. They never thought they would get a heart-pumping gunfight so soon.
Compared to the people everyone killed, the area where they were out had a few dozen men and horses on the ground riddled with bullet holes as blood contaminated the sands.
Mr. Burns came by with shaving cream on half of his face to Rick and said, "Maybe we should.. combine forces. Just for tonight?"
Mr. Burns and the other Americans looked worried about the sudden attack. They put aside their differences and took the initiative to join forces till they're ready to leave. Rick just nodded in agreement while the labourers who survived the attack were ordered to take the corpses on the ground to pile them outside their camp.
Rick and the gang finally relaxed their nerves as Jonathan took one last swig of his liquor and proceeded to sleep. Evelyn grabbed the liquor bottle before taking a drink herself to relax herself. Rick saw this and their night was spent chatting about each other's lives. I came over to Wednesday and Enid as they were stargazing and laid down next to them.
I whispered to them, "Take some time to rest. We'll be busy when Evelyn resurrects Imhotep."
The girls just nodded and cuddled against me as they fell asleep under the cover of the stars above. The night slowly passed until it was around a couple hours after midnight. Everyone was resting in the camp and even the labourers in charge of vigil were slowly getting drowsy.
Evelyn couldn't help her curiosity and quietly sneaked towards Dr. Chamberlain's area before slowly grabbing the Book of the Dead. After achieving her mission, she scurried back to her area while holding the "stolen" book.
Evelyn passed by the "sleeping" Rick before he said, "That's called stealing."
Evelyn only looked at Rick before she sarcastically responded, "According to you and my brother, it is called borrowing."
She placed the book down before grabbing the "key" to unlock it. I looked over to Evelyn and Rick before I gently nudged Wednesday and Enid awake. The girls stirred from their sleep before rubbing their eyes. Wednesday gave me a kiss on the cheek before Enid did the same.
Wednesday looked over at Evelyn and whispered, "I sense powerful negative energies in that book. The spells inside must have corresponding prices to use them."
I held Wednesday close and whispered back, "True. Some spells do need a price to pay but I'll fix it later, so you may use them freely."
Wednesday nodded and turned to look at Evelyn and started to read the Book of the Dead. Little did I know, Wednesday had a little smirk as happiness filled her black heart.
Back to Evelyn, she finally opened the Book of the Dead as an ominous breeze passed through.
It made both Rick and Evelyn shiver a little before Rick commented, "That happens a lot here."
Rick also continued and asked, "I thought the Book of Amun-Ra was made out of gold?."
Evelyn calmly explained, " It is made out of gold. This is not the Book of Amun-Ra.. This is the Book of Dead."
Rick gave her a weird eye and said, "The Book of the Dead?! You sure you wanna be messing around with something like that?"
Evelyn's eyes were glued to the book as she didn't notice the look Rick was giving her.
Evelyn replied while looking at the inscriptions, "It's all right. It's just a book. No harm ever came from reading a book."
Seeing Evelyn's situation, I could only shake my head on what she was probably thinking in her head. Her naive thinking still remained despite being exposed that magic is real and this would eventually bite her in the butt.
I looked over to Wednesday and Enid before telling them, "Get ready to move. Be sure to bring out your weapons. Wednesday, be sure to add a layer of psychic barrier to yourself and take out Apophis. Enid, make sure to bring out your Anubites when we reach inside. I believe in addition to the locust swarm, Imhotep will most likely summon some mummy guards to protect this place. I'm sure your Anubites are ready for a fight after being sealed for a millennia. I'll keep the Shadow Medjays maintain their guard on Nitocris since she's only halfway through absorbing the cursed energy emanating below. I will have the Shadow birds scout the area while the Shadow Knights will watch over Hamunaptra from the shadows. Igris and the rest of my generals will stay in my shadow in case something drastic happens that is not apart of the plot."
The girls agreed with my plan and took out their weapons. Wednesday started reciting the psychic barrier spell over herself and bringing about her new weapon, the Apophis. Enid only took out her Dragon's Breath shotgun while getting ready to support us. I brought out my P30L pistol and a dagger as a secondary.
We finally finished preparing when I heard Evelyn chanted, "Amun Ra. Amun Dei. It speaks of the night and the day."
Evelyn kept reading and chanted the reanimation spell before they heard a dense amount of cursed energy was being directed to the corpse of Imhotep. As Evelyn finished chanting, they all heard a loud hoarse roar coming from inside the temple.
Dr. Chamberlain woke up from his slumber before yelling, "No!! You must not read from the book!!"
Loud buzzing sounds started to appear just outside Hamunaptra. It began to increasingly get louder before they all saw what was coming; a swarm of locusts.
Rick yelled, "Get inside!! Jonathan, come on! You guys too, Y/N!!"
The whole camp soon was covered in the dense locust swarm as my group and Rick's group ran inside for cover. The American group also ran inside along with Beni.
Dr. Chamberlain was standing in place as he held the opened Book of the Dead and muttered, "What have we done?"
The long-awaited creature had finally risen from its long slumber along with its curse, it will inflict upon the world.