The moment the door slammed shut behind them once they were inside the three-sided pyramid, all kinds of traps were set off! The Galloping Gazelle took point, using his super speed to set off each trap early as the others rushed through the underground temple.
The traps ranged greatly. Poisonous darts, arrows, swinging axes, spears, spikes on the floors and walls, crushing stone walls, flame jets, a snake pit, a scorpion chamber, a corridor of black cats, collapsing ceilings, floors giving way, and even a giant boulder (of course).
Van Helsing loved the thrill. After all, Indiana Jones was one of his favorite film franchises. And much like the fellow adventurer, he NEVER forgot the hat. He could even magic it back on no problem.
As a ghost, Robyn had no problem with the traps, as the projectiles flew right through her as she shot some arrows to jam the shooters. Meanwhile, Arthur and the Morgans hacked and slashed at all manner of deadly creatures, with Morgred using his magic to hold a collapsing door up, allowing Van Helsing to slide underneath and handspring back up.
Ben kept moving and firing at more snakes and scorpions, while Ironheade was having a hell of a time. He kept swinging that ax all while yelling "YEAH-HA-HA-HAH!". But as much as the veteran Monster Hunter enjoyed the excitement, time was running out. They HAD to get to the lowest levels, and thus go even deeper, to get that Curse Stone.
With his Monster Armor, Van Helsing grabbed a rolling boulder and pulverized it with a single punch. The further down they got, the more dangerous the traps and hazards had become. Good. They were getting close.
It all came to a head when a final room began to close in, trying to crush them. Much like an escape room, Van Helsing managed to find a hidden exit thanks to his quick thinking. He was the first to leap down into the slide, the narrow space making it hard to maneuver. Well, at least he wasn't claustrophobic…
Finally, he came to an epic rolling landing. Some like Sue stuck it, some like Jack botched it. But this was indeed the place.
A large and vast underground chasm, with sand and stone alike. Below, a horde of mummy soldiers and warriors. Egyptian zombies. And one of them, a female, places a purple stone in a secret compartment of a chariot, pulled by two skeletal horses with fire for eyes.
"The stone is secured, my king." She states. "We will be ready for departure shortly."
"Excellent, Ahmanet." Another mummy with purple eyes and golden armor says. "Once all seven are delivered to Dracula, a new age will be upon us."
"I'm curious," A familiar figure, Nila Rahmed, spoke to the king. "Dracula said that HE would rule. What did he promise you?"
"That we would BOTH be rulers of this world. He will be a God, and I will be a King. We are much more common than at first glance. We have both lived for centuries, and our power is equal yet unmatched. For now, I serve the Dark Lord as his general. But YOU may call me your king."
"Of course, King Imhotep." She stated. "And what of these intruders you sensed? Have the traps felled them?"
"You need not worry. We will deal with them soon enough…"
The Golden King seemed to smile. And with a clench of a raised fist, he yanked the team downwards, making them fall to their level where the army noticed their yells and impact. Van Helsing simply only brushed himself off.
"Ardath Bay." He said. "So being smited by Eset wasn't enough?"
"Not even the gods themselves can destroy me, hunter." Imhotep laughed. "You may hunt monsters, but you cannot hunt a GOD, let alone a king!"
"THIS is how you rule?" Arthur asked. "Through dominance, terror, and tyranny? That's not how a king leads. That's how a DICTATOR leads."
"Silence!"
Imhotep blasted forth a green skull, with the spare enchanted greatsword Arthur retrieved from Van Helsing easily destroying it.
"With your souls, I will rule for all eternity." Imhotep continued. "Especially yours, immortal. It matters not that you survived Dracula. No dragon could EVER prepare you for such dark magic, knight! For I wield the Six Golden Treasures of the First King! NO ONE can stop me!"
"We're not here to listen to your speeches, Your Ancientness." Van Helsing stated, cocking his shotgun. "We've come for the stone."
"Hahahahahahahaha! Fools! Then you have had a wasted journey! The way I see it, you have one last choice: Serve me, and savor riches beyond measure. Or refuse, and savor a more bitter treasure!"
"Serve you as undead freaks? Hell no." Ben stated. "Been there, done that."
"You fail to see it, don't you?" Arthur reminded Imhotep. "If a king cannot see when he must change, then he is not fit to lead his people."
"Ha! I am already perfect! But if you insist on defying me, so be it! Come! Bear witness to the death of your world! For all shall be remade in Dracula's image! And my eternal army shall destroy ANY who resist! Now suffer the punishment!"
The Golden King's hands began glowing a dark green as his purple eyes began glowing.
"Achmun Day! Amun Dah! Akudei Makrraken Ra! Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari! ABASEEGO MODARO LAMADOROS CREBEN! RISE, MY WARRIORS! BOW BEFORE YOUR GOLDEN KING!"
More mummies began rising from their sarcophagi, moaning and groaning as the tean readied themselves. Nila readied only her magical staff, with Ahmanet wielding her double-ended one. The Wings of Horus spread as Imhotep drew out the Khopesh of Sobek and the Shield of Khepri.
"Khala. Ahmed. Khor-Ru. Amen Lucax. Cleopatra. Buthramaman. Menes. Pukrah. Tuttan-Rha. Arragotus." Imhotep ordered. "DESTROY THEM!"
The horde of mummies charged forth, with the superheroes, knights, Ben, Jack, and Robyn clashing with them. Gabe and the Hassads tried making their way to the Curse Stone with Sue and Robyn, but Nila and Ahmanet intercepted.
"You will NEVER take the Curse Stone!" Nila roared, blasting forth a bolt of orange magic. Robyn dodged and countered with an arrow of Ecto Energy, with Sue beginning to duel Ahmanet. Meanwhile, Van Helsing, playing Disturbed's The Night on his phone, tore his way through the mummy horde and made his way to the front, confronting Imhotep. The mummy only laughed.
"Abraham Van Helsing The Second. Your bloodline's reputation precedes you. Noble to the last, I see."
"I merely wanted you to know who it was that ended your existence." At this, Imhotep laughed.
"You forget, hunter. Death has no dominion over ME!"
He let out a blast of dark magic from his eyes in the form of a laser bolt, which Van Helsing deflected with his gun-sword and charged, clashing against the golden sword.
"Yes, come to me! Come to DIE!"
Imhotep laughed as their blades clashed, with the hunter even matching the king in magic. After ducking a decapitation swing, Van Helsing kicked Imhotep away, then backflipped to avoid giant purple skeletal hands bursting from the ground to grasp and pin him down.
"HYAH!"
"ANGH!"
He was struck by another green magic blast, tumbling to the ground. At least the magic symbol in his armor shielded him.
"Not even the medjai can save you now! Prepare to forfeit your souls! Death is only the beginning!"
The Golden King flew upwards and surrounded himself in a purple mystic barrier. Van Helsing got back up and ran to dodge more blasts, returning fire with an assault rifle.
"Hahahahahaha! There IS no escape!"
The mummy only laughed as he deflected the bullets with waves of his hands. Seeing an opening, Van Helsing leaped off a pillar and fired the grappling hook on his wrist. Imhotep caught it, but Van Helsing reeled himself in to punch the Golden King across the face before rolling into a landing.
"ARGH! You dare strike ME?! Your end shall be my beginning! Behold your fate!"
The Mummy flew down, with Van Helsing leaping aside to dodge a Khopesh strike. Imhotep blocked a gauntlet punch with his scarab shield, and the hunter threw a punch with his other arm to knock the sword from his grasp. With his opponent stunned, Van Helsing disarmed him of the shield as well.
"Ha! Like I needed weapons! Will this be your destiny?! I believe it to be so! Your souls are MINE!"
He reached out with a bandaged arm, with Van Helsing struggling against the mystic pull. His magic was forced to its limits to keep his soul anchored, but eventually a green orb shot out of his body and he collapsed!
"Ha ha! You will no longer NEED this!"
Suddenly, the green orb exploded right in his face, making the mummy roar in pain.
"You're right, I don't."
"What?!"
When Imhotep regained his sight, he saw the armor-clad hunter stand upright again.
"Decoy soul bomb. I may not be able to touch you thanks to that fancy gold jewelry, but there's also no way in Hell YOU'RE gonna destroy ME. Now we're even."
"ARRRGH! You will be DUST when I am through with you!"
"Sorry, but I'm not that ancient."
Van Helsing knew that this was a waste of time. That chariot would be leaving any second now! He couldn't let it escape! But Imhotep wouldn't let him reach it so easily.
He just needed to wear Imhotep down. Enough so that he wouldn't be followed. So he kept up the attack. Daggers, guns, and magic alike.
"I'm going to BURY you!"
He was getting angry. Good. If Van Helsing believed he was superior, but getting his ass kicked by a lesser being, he'd get pissed too.
Imhotep ended up leaving himself more and more open. Van Helsing conjured forth a cat construct to distract Imhotep and claw his face. The undead emperor roared as he tried to get it off. Just in time, as Arthur and Ben managed to fight their way through to assist Van Helsing.
"Keep him busy! I'm going after the stone!"
As Van Helsing rushed off, he could hear Ben ready his rifle and say "Come get some, you undead mother-!" before the clash of blades between Imhotep and Arthur and the roar of more mummies drowned it out.
The two skeletal horses neighed ghoulishly as they began galloping off, the Curse Stone hidden away in the chariot they pulled. Van Helsing shot out his grappling hook again, latching onto the chariot's back. The horses began to run faster, the supernatural speed dragging Van Helsing across the sand. He conjured forth some skis to stabilize himself as he got back up, firing his second grappling hook from the other wrist of the armor in case the other was severed.
The horses galloped out of a hidden exit and into the cold desert night. They seemed to know that there was an unnecessary stowaway, as they made sharp turns to try and shake and throw him off. Van Helsing grunted in pain as he was pulled through rocks, boulders, cacti, and massive sand dunes.
"AGH!"
Another cactus managed to snap one of the ropes and cut the other loose from his wrist. Van Helsing gripped it as hard as he could, climbing up the rope with all his might as he got dragged even more across the sand. At least he had his helmet on. Otherwise he'd be spitting out a TON of sand.
That's when he heard something. And he looked up to see rope starting to break!
"Damn!"
Van Helsing climbed even faster, holding on for dear life. By the time he got to the chariot and grabbed it, the rope gave way. He groaned as he pulled and hoisted himself upwards, managing to get onto the chariot. The horses wailed and tried to throw him off, but Van Helsing stuck a sword into the chariot to keep his balance.
"Come on…come on….come on…"
Everything was happening so fast! But he had to think. Where was that damn compartment?! He patted around and knocked, all while staying on the chariot.
There! That loose piece of wood! He pried it open and…it was empty!
"What?!"
Van Helsing stood up, and that's when he saw where the Moonstone REALLY was: Imhotep was REALLY not making this easy. Now the stone was in between the two horses!
"AW, DAMMIT!"
He stepped forth, trying to reach out and grab the stone. But it was STILL out of his reach! Even worse, the horses' sometimes turned to bite that hand off!
"AH! STUPID HORSES! WHEN I SAY WOAH, I MEAN WOAH!"
He tried shooting them, but no bullets managed to work. The chariot began to race across the Mediterranean Sea. It was already reaching its destination. He had to hurry.
Seeing that it was out of his reach, Van Helsing simply pulled out his shotgun and fired the grappling attachment, yanking the stone towards him. Yet the horse didn't stop. The world around Van Helsing was a blur, and he could've sworn that he could only make out sand.
Hopefully the Monster Armor could break his fall if the water failed. With a deep breath, Van Helsing spread the wings of his armor and flew upwards, the chariot becoming a blur that vanished, covering miles in seconds. At least he reached land now.
It was when Van Helsing landed that he noticed something was wrong. The horses should've noticed that he had taken the Curse Stone. They should be coming back any second! So he readied himself for the chariot to scream his way, the horses ready to trample him.
But what instead came was…nothing.
It didn't make any sense? Why would they LET him take the stone? Van Helsing examined the stone when he noticed something. The ground he felt on didn't feel like soil.
He kneeled down and scooped up some dirt. It was…sandy.
"God…dammit…"
As the sand fell through his fingers, he clenched his fist in anger as the Curse Stone soon turned into sand. And then, the entire world crumbled into sand. In seconds, the monster hunter found himself back in the Golden King's Tomb, where Imhotep had defeated Ben and Arthur, with a horde of mummies surrounding the team. Even the chariot was still there.
"Did you REALLY think that I would be so easily fooled?" Imhotep chuckled. "I TOLD you that no one could stop me! I am all-powerful, and my illusion PROVED it! You will NEVER escape my wrath!"
"I should've known. You casted it as soon as I summoned that cat to distract you."
"Yeah, and you were in some kind of trance!" Jack Black added.
"Shut up!"
"You have FAILED, hunter. The REAL Stone was already sent to Lord Dracula before you even stepped foot in this pyramid! It won't be long until the Eternal Night BEGINS!"
As Imhotep laughed, the mummies continued to attack, with the team desperately fending them off.
"I.G.O.R.! GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
"Copy, readying the portal now!" The robot radioed through the helmet's HUD.
"AGH! Can you hurry it up back there?!"
"Sorry, I fell asleep in portal-making class! OF COURSE I'M HURRYING! YOU TRY OPENING FOUR PORTALS AT ONCE WHEN UNDER HEAVY PRESSURE!"
"Four?!"
"Yeah, uh, I'll explain once you get your butts back here!"
This better be good. Van Helsing cursed mentally. Things OFFICIALLY can't get any worse!
He regretted thinking that the moment he did so. Once the portal opened, Van Helsing provided cover fire with twin shotguns and was the last one to dive out. Who KNEW how many Dracula had now?!
Truly, this was going to be a bit tougher than he thought…