Scott's Campaign against The False Priest

Chapter 23: The Book of Waset

Evy and Scott froze. "You speak?" Evy asked.

"Setinef is my ancestor," Scott said.

"That explains a lot," The Minotaur huffed, "But it does not matter, I am the guardian of the Scrolls of Waset, and he entrusted me with protecting them."

"Amunphat is back!" Evy said, causing the Minotaur's eyes to widen with shock, "We need the scrolls to get the manacle off of my son's wrist and to strength the spell!"

"The spell will hold just fine," The Minotaur growled, but was cut off by a rumble, and Scott knew what it meant. The Minotaur roared in anger, before leaving the room, closing the stone door behind him.

Scott and Evy ran up, but it was clear the door was too tight for them to make it budge, "Can you move the door?" Scott asked the Earth Spirit.

It walked over and placed its forearms onto the door, which rumbled before turning just enough to allow them to fit through, "Oh, you are brilliant!" Evy said to the Earth Spirit, who clapped its forearms in delight at the compliment.

The three began to head out, and Scott wondered who the Minotaur was. If Setinef himself had ordered him to guard the scrolls, then it was possible the Minotaur was once a Medjai. Their walk was cut short when they spoked Amunphat and Colin blocking there way. "Going somewhere?" Colin sneered.

The Earth Spirit clutched the calcite book and hid behind Scott and Evy, and Scott knew that the Earth Spirit was not normally a fighter. But they had no choice, as skeletons began to appear. "Evy!" Rick shouted as he, Jonathan, and Jimmy made it over, smashing up as many of the skeletons as they could.

"Scott!!" Alex called, and Scott turned to see Alex racing over with Ardeth.

"Give the scrolls to the spirit!" Scott said, the Earth Spirit flying over to Alex and Ardeth while Imhotep tosses Scott a sword.

The Minotaur charged at Amunphat, who slammed them back with the wave of an arm. The Earth Spirit chittered, before throwing the Scroll of Osiris at Imhotep, who caught it and grabbed an old axe from the wall. "Any plans?" Imhotep asked.

"We need to get close and pin him down," Scott said, "Just like how you and Setinef did before."

"Just like old times," Imhotep said, and both he and Scott charged at Amunphat.

Amunphat sent rubble and debris towards them, but both moved out of the way, with Imhotep keeping Amunphat's focus on him while Scott snuck closer. With a swing of the blade, the hand Amunphat once had the manacle on was cut off, causing it to turn to dust. Then, Scott pierced the sword into Amunphat's chest and into the wall, with Imhotep using the handle side of the axe and piercing it into Amunphat's torso.

Now that Amunphat was pinned down, both took hold of their scrolls and began to start the ritual. "Hear our call, Osiris and Set, I call on you to give your power once more. Let the manacle never be worn by those not of the blood of her majesty Nefertiti, and let those not of her blood pay with their life."

The Manacle of Osiris began to shine brightly, the once gold patterns taking on the same blue color as Alex's eyes. The manacle soon stopped glowing, and the ritual was complete. "NO!" Amunphat roared in rage, freeing himself and moving towards Imhotep and Scott, "Never again will you get in my way!" Right before he could attempt something, the Minotaur slammed into him, sending Amunphat flying back.

"Go! Leave this place!" The Minotaur shouted.

The Earth Spirit let out a chitter and held the now complete Book of Waset up for Scott and Imhotep to see, "I know what we need to do..." Scott frowned.

"We knew this would be a possibility," Imhotep said as Scott let the scrolls fall to the ground. Imhotep grabbed a torch and tossed them onto the scrolls, letting the Scrolls of Waset burn to ashes. Everyone raced out, even as part of the catacombs began to flood. As the group made it out, Scott felt relief. It was finally over. The Earth Spirit handed Scott the finished calcite book before returning to the staff.

"Do you think the water drowned him?" Jonathan asked.

"I doubt it, but we can hope," Scott replied, sitting on a nearby bench. When Jimmy sat beside him, Scott couldn't help but start giggling, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to be home."

"What is the world coming to where you're the one wanting a break," Jimmy asked as Scott rested his head on Jimmy's shoulder.

"Well this has been probably the most exhausting trip of my life, and frankly I want to go back to normal trips," Scott sighed, watching as the sun began to set.

"I must return to Hamunaptra," Imhotep said to Evy and Rick, "But should Amunphat return, do not hesitate to reach out for me."

"It's nice having you on our side instead of against us," Rick admitted.

"Likewise," Imhotep stated, then turned to where Scott was.

"So what now?" Jimmy asked Scott, "Do we just go back to the way things were?"

"For now, but we remain vigilant," Scott hummed, looking to the calcite book. This was now all that remained of the Scrolls of Waset, but Scott knew this was for the best. There was a reason his ancestor kept showing him visions of the book.

"Hey Scott," Alex said as he walked over, "That new book fits right in. Guess you're going to have to carry it around as well."

"Not quite," Scott snickered, then he handed the Book of Waset over to Alex, "You need it if you plan to wear the manacle for the rest of your life. And you will also need this," Scott then handed over a spare key he had made not long after returning from Ahm Shere.

"Really?" Alex asked with wide eyes, "You think I can handle it?"

"After everything I've seen? I know you can," Scott replied.

"I promise it's in good hands," Alex said, and Scott believed him. Alex had grown since his time with the Bracelet of Anubis, and he knew Alex was more than ready.