Imhotep did not appear to be surprised by this turn of events; Ardeth guessed that he had spent his whole life knowing and trusting the power of the Gods. Evy was enjoying herself thoroughly, he saw, closing her eyes to feel the breeze. Now Ardeth wished he had not looked at her, for he could not look away. So beautiful, he thought with a strange ache, not noticing Rick looking at him coldly. In no time at all, the landscape stopped moving abruptly, disorienting the travelers. Ardeth looked out into the night, feeling a chill at the all-too-familiar sight of the impossible stretch of Anubis warriors. He was a little afraid that they would see the small party, but he supposed somewhat nervously that the Goddess was handling it. They all floated to the ground. "Here we go again," said Rick. "No cue this time," said Evy. "Good luck!" Ardeth, having thought about it during the flight, reluctantly handed Imhotep one of his swords. Not realizing the full import of the gesture, Imhotep pushed it away. "I will use no Med-jai sword," he said. Ardeth threw it on the ground next to him. "It is the only sword available. Take it or don't." He walked away. Imhotep stared at the sword for a moment, then stooped and grabbed it.

He took a deep breath and shouted his defiance to the Scorpion King, who was busy addressing his army with Merserqet. The ancient warrior whipped around and after a stunned look, shouted back. Merserqet turned after a moment. Imhotep faltered in his steady approach. "Anck-su-namun?" he whispered. Ardeth once again saw an echo of himself. He shook the man viciously. "No," he said. "That is Merserqet, beloved of the Scorpion King." Imhotep moved his head, shaking off his delusion, and continued to advance. Ardeth looked down, trying to prepare himself, but then continued forward. Rick and Evy split up to help their allies; Rick with Imhotep, Evy with Ardeth. The titanic army raced forward eagerly, only to halt as the Scorpion King commanded, "Niy!" He raised his hand to the endless sheet of warriors. "This is my battle alone!" he roared in slightly accented Ancient Egyptian. "Well, that's convenient," muttered Rick as he and Imhotep ran toward the Scorpion King. Imhotep nodded as they both arrived within fighting distance of the King, who bellowed and ran towards them, drawing a huge blade from his belt. With a terrible clang the warriors met, Rick with his bare hands and Imhotep with Ardeth's sword. The Scorpion King was a perfect match for the both of them put together. He thrust and slashed furiously, skilled and powerful. It was frightening to be up against him, but Imhotep and Rick had to keep going. Imhotep did most of the fighting, while Rick dodged in and punched wherever he felt he wouldn't get chopped into little pieces. They made almost no sound, besides the groans and cries that fighting usually produced.

Ardeth muttered to Evy as they approached the waiting Merserqet, "I don't want you to fight her. I must face her alone." Evy continued to walk with him. "I'm - helping - you," she murmured back redoubtably. Ardeth was surprised by the vehemence in her voice, but he did not argue. He focused on the smirking woman standing in wait. When he came within earshot, she said condescendingly, "Ardeth." He nodded drawing his sword. "Merserqet." She was upon him before he had time to blink, slashing, ducking, slender sword darting through the air. He had no time to be startled, instead blocking and stabbing as best he could. Evy joined the fray with the identical knives she used at Ahm Shere. Ardeth had not known she kept them. Ardeth knew that he was a better fighter than both women, but something was holding him back. "What's wrong, Ardeth?" sneered Merserqet in English as she thrust her sword towards his head. He jerked aside as she said, "Afraid to kill your love?" He snarled in rage and his sword zinged through the air. It was all Merserqet could do not to be decapitated. He knew that he was fighting full force, now, and it relieved him greatly. The two battles raged while thousands of dog-headed warriors watched, wanting greatly to participate.

Ardeth could barely see straight, though he was trying hard to keep a clear head. Thrust, parry, thrust, parry. He hated her so much- but some part of him loved her, too, although it was ridiculous to have feelings for the imitator of his beloved. Thrust, parry, thrust, parry. Both of these emotions were fueling him onward, but he was tiring quickly from the extreme adrenaline flow. Thrust, parry, thrust, parry. He hoped that he would not have to leave Evy alone against her. That thought gave him a fresh energy rush, and he furiously stabbed at her waist. Merserqet gave a loud cry and crumpled to the ground. Had he not been so blinded by the battling, he would have noticed that she wasn't really hurt, that he hadn't touched her at all- but he did not notice, and neither did Evy. A few feet away, mid-stroke, The Scorpion King turned at her cry. "Merserqet!" he shouted. Then he stiffened in shock as Imhotep took the opportunity to run his sword through the King's stomach. He opened his mouth in surprise, looking at Imhotep, then stretched a hand towards his apparently dead wife. "Merserqet…" he whispered, and fell to the ground. They all watched as he dissolved into black sand. There was a vast rumbling as the entire army of Anubis collapsed into dust as well. Imhotep and Rick stared at the now-empty desert, then looked at each other. Rick half grinned. "That wasn't that hard," he joked. Imhotep smiled a bit as well. Imhotep joined the group as Rick went over to kiss Evy. "We did it again, hon," he said. Evy giggled. "We saved the world, darling." They continued kissing.

Alex watched his parents kiss. "Oh, come on," he said disgustedly. They just never quit, not even right after life-threatening battles. Then he noticed something strange. The woman that Ardeth had killed- Merserqet, he thought- was getting up. Everybody had their backs to her; nobody noticed that she wasn't dead. Now she was drawing a slim, glittering knife from inside her Egyptian robes. Alex gasped. Was she trying to kill someone? She approached Rick from behind. "Dad!" he shouted futilely, "Watch out!"

Imhotep's head snapped around. He had heard the child, Alex, calling to Rick. How- then he saw Merserqet, standing, knife raised. Forgetting the child, he leaped towards her and grabbed her arm just before she stabbed Rick. "Death to Med-jai!" she shouted in Egyptian as she tried to strike. Everyone turned as she furiously fought against Imhotep, who had wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her arms to her sides. "Let me go!" she cried angrily in their language. "I do not think so, treacherous one," he said in the same tongue. Ardeth was astonished. "I killed you," he protested. She gave him a withering look as she continued to struggle. Rick let out a quick breath. "Thanks," he told Imhotep, who replied shortly, "Thank your son." Back in the inn room, Alex cheered. Merserqet twisted to face Imhotep furiously, then stopped as she saw him. He stared right back at her. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. He smiled briefly. Suddenly the dark beam of Anubis shot out of the sky and hit them both, still looking at each other. They were both dragged back to the afterlife in less than a second. Alex's mirror disintegrated into nothing but a thread. "What?" he exclaimed. "That's cheap."

Rick looked after where the two Ancient Egyptians had disappeared. "You don't think…" he asked his companions distastefully. Did Merserqet and Imhotep fancy each other? Evy shook her head. "I don't know. Anything's possible…" Rick shook off that thought with a shiver. "Yuck." Evy giggled and started to call on Serqet. "Oh, Mistress…" then she stopped. "Oh." "What?" asked Rick and Ardeth at the same time. Evy smiled apologetically. "I forgot. We have to walk home." They stared at her in disbelief. She shrugged. "I suppose at the nearest city, they can transport us to Cairo." Rick shook his head. "What kind of Goddess can't take us back?" he asked. "Just take us halfway and leave us to die, is that it?" He continued to complain as they trudged across the desert. Ardeth and Evy both ignored him.