When he came back to consciousness, his first thought had been how much his body ached, more than it had in the caves.
His second thought was 'So I'm still alive then' and only in his third thought, when he adjusted his eyes to the light, did he wonder where he was.
He sighed heavily, his face pinching in a slight wince and when he turned his body towards the right side, he saw her, and stilled in motion.
She was dressed oddly, strips of cloth wrapped around her whilst she wielded a staff, a staff he recognised, staring at him. "Ha'Nepthi" the commanding voice that had come out of his mouth during that strange event was nowhere to be heard, instead, his voice was a dry rasp, like a dry and dead thousand reeds being crushed all at once
His address of her surprised and she unwrapped her face from the strips of cloth and looked at him intensely "You know me?" she asked as she approached him.
"I looked into you for your Sekhen's sister, a man who I wished dead" he winces as he finished speaking, his throat feeling as if it was on fire.
Whatever he'd unlocked within him was flawed, he thought to himself.
Not that he was ungrateful since it healed him faster than the first instance of mortal wounds but he was no clue closer to figuring out why he seemed to be so…out of control to his power.
It was as if his abilities were still in the toddler phase, learning how to walk. Or maybe he was and it was up to him to unlock them, he mused to himself.
'And how do I go about that…?'
"And?" she asked calmly and without fear as she stood by his right side, peering down at him with a resolute expression. "Do you also wish me dead?"
He remained silent as he kept up the eye contact for a few moments and after those moments passed he finally answered. "No…" he said as he fell back onto the bed, his eyes closing. "I do not" he answered honestly.
Even in his most ruthless plans, he never planned to have Ha'Nephti killed. She was a non-combatant. Even amongst the Sandstormers, he never killed anyone without a blade or a spear in their hands. He wouldn't start now.
"Why did you save me?" Nur asked, his eyes still closed. He had no clue what had happened for him to be here or how many days had passed. She could have killed him at any time, he suspected. And she'd have cause too.
"I killed your brother." Nur opened his eyes and turned towards her and saw her resolute expression breaking. There were a myriad of emotions playing out on her face but the one that written the most on her face, the deepest, was apathy.
"He long stopped being my brother." Ha'Nepthi said with a dead voice.
Nur stared at her for a little while before he let off a soft hum and rolled his head so that he was once more staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry for your loss."
The bonds of blood and family was ordinarily tight, especially in these early steps into civilisation and so for a sibling to disavow her own brother…
Had he not seen traces of genuine sadness and anger, before the apathy, he'd have remained silent and consider her an enemy. As it was, her reaction spoke of someone who was pushed into disavowing her brother by her brother.
She didn't respond to his words and for a long few moments, they let the silence rest.
Nur glanced around and saw colourful cloth hanging around on pillars around the bed. This was luxury. "Where am I?" he asked, already expecting the answer.
"You are deep within the burial chamber of Rama-Tut within the pyramid."
Nur frowned and turned to her as she continued "You can hide here to regain your strength." She added as she gestured around. Nur nodded slightly before asking
"How long has it been?"
"Two days" she told him before adding with a curious look "You seemed dead almost all throughout those days. Only through your breathing did we know otherwise" she said and he nodded before he took a glance at himself and realised he was without his old and worn rags.
He glanced at his body and he was ever reminded of his latest brush with death as long scar tissues marred his body. They looked old, as if they had happened years ago and as interesting as that was, he was more interested what was around his waist.
It was a fresh tunic and then he turned back to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Did you unclothe me?" he couldn't help but add a bit of teasing in his voice that was accompanied with a teasing and amused smile on his face.
He realised, this close to the woman, that was probably in her early twenties.
'Beautiful too…' he mused to himself as he really looked at her.
Whilst the Egyptians were rather free in their sexuality and sensuality, from what he was able to tell from the jokes and stories the men who worked him shared, he doubted a princess would have that same freedom.
He saw her cheeks burn and she was quick to answer "No!" and was just as quick to comport herself back into formality. 'Interesting…' he mused.
What was more interesting though, than the quick return to formality, was the lie evident in her voice.
"I had my servants clean you" she sniffed slightly and inwardly he was growing eve more amused. It seemed like women all around had the same expressions when they were unimpressed by something…even if they were thousands of years apart.
"Ah of course…" Nur said as he fell back onto the bed, a wry smile on his face as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye "Such demeaning tasks are below you."
"Of course." Ha'Nepthi said as if it was obvious.
Nur hummed as he closed his eyes. He resisted the urge to poke at her privileged life and instead asked the far more important question. "The slaves…the commoners. Are they unhurt?" he kept his eyes closed as he waited for her to answer.
If she managed to get him here, that meant that whomever she'd sent to pick him up had to be present there too. If the guards reneged on their agreement…
"They are safe" she said and there was some hesitancy in her voice and he reopened his eyes and turned his head towards her with sharp eyes bearing down on her.
The swiftness of it took her by surprise.
"There is more." He stated more than asked, and he geared his voice in such a way that he expected her to say more. That, too, took her by surprise and she begun to look at him somewhat oddly, as if she was trying to decipher him.
She likely expected someone more…uncouth.
"Yes" she said slowly and sighed faintly before she continued, peering into his eyes.
"After you rose in blinding light, the slaves and the commoners were roused into chaos. The guards had to keep them at bay."
He could read between the lines…what she was avoiding saying.
They were rioting because of him. Seeing in him their saviour and someone divine.
It wasn't how he wanted it to go down…well, nothing to do about it now.
"You were there" he surmised and she raised her eyebrows in surprise before she nodded quickly, this time looking at him with a complicated look.
"I was."
So privileged yes…but not entirely a princess locked in her tower.
Hmm…
"Why were you there?" he asked her intently.
"I overheard Ozymandias" she said, stressing the name Kang gave Sekhen with disdain and he wondered if the root of their alienation was Kang, "speak of finding the threat to his power. I later had it confirmed that his information was correct."
"Was Logos who confirmed it?" Nur asked pointedly and her mouth fell slightly open before she closed and answered, some shock still lingering on her face.
"Yes! How did you know?" she asked him with high curiosity.
"He led me to Tjenu and advised me to masquerade as a slave until it was time."
She frowned. "Oh."
He watched her carefully for deception but he found none.
'So it seems our mutual friend Logos was hiding things from both of us. Its high time that I have a reckoning with the conniving little shit.' He thought to himself. Whilst he considered that some of the guards had turned turncoats, he couldn't entirely discount that for some reason Logos was the reason why Sekhen was there that day.
"It was a good plan" she conceded as she looked at him, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth "You would have been noticed in the capital and Tut would have known within the day with so many eager to get his favour."
Nur hummed noncommittally. She wasn't wrong. Even with the rags, eventually, he'd been noticed, far sooner than he was noticed now.
"Why were you searching for me?" he asked, returning to the topic at hand.
Her eyes broke away from his and she looked to her hands.
"I…I hoped to sequester you away before Ozymandias got his fingers on you." She looked back up and met his gaze once more "You are what Egypt needs."
"You need me." Nur said quietly and she looked away from his gaze.
With the death of Sekhen, any chance that the rumours of him would be quelled would be less than zero. The commoners would tell their neighbours and the guards would tell other guards and officials.
Perhaps they were already calling him the saviour pharaoh.
If what he thought about her eying the throne for herself with the aid of Logos was right, then, he was a danger to her position. But he was clearly a lesser danger than Kang given that he was still alive.
"Yes."
Her voice was small, uncharacteristically so and it made him reach out and gently take her chin and turn her face towards him and he saw her brown eyes once more.
"…Why are you so sure?" he asked simply.
If she was faking her emotions, like what was riding on her face at present, then he had no hope against knowing what was truth and what was lie from her.
"That you need me? That Egypt needs me?"
A saddened smile crossed across her face and it practically radiated melancholy.
"My mother…" she began, her voice almost a whisper, the corner of her mouth in a seeming war, fighting to curl upward and fighting to sag downward, "My mother taught me of the Old Ways…the ways of our Old Religion…that of our bloodlines…our royal bloodlines." The battle of her lips was won when she twisted her mouth into a saddened smile, her eyes wetting "She used to say that we have a covenant with the Gods, that as long as we remain true, Egypt shall always triumph."
She sighed heavily as she closed her eyes, the wet eyes disappearing behind her eyelids though…though they left behind a trail of tears down her face.
She continued, her eyes remaining closed.
"And we broke our covenant when we fell sway to the ways of Rama Tut."
He placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing gently. She reopened her eyes and smiled beautifully in that sad way of hers.
'Princess indeed…'
"I thought we were forsaken for good" she continued, her voice little better than a whisper "And when Rama Tut claimed that his heir would soon come, you, I dreaded you for should you come into the hands of Rama Tut, the covenant of the gods would never be re-established."
"You wanted to sway me to your cause." Nur surmised as he studied her.
She smiled slightly as she nodded before she laughed a little, her eyes sparkling "But I had no need to. I know how to see omens but until I saw you, in your blinding light, I realised that you were no ill omen but a good omen sent by the gods themselves."
She leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of his face.
"In your face, in your bright presence, I saw light itself and when I learnt of your name, Siamun'Nur, I understood. Amun, creator of all, brought you to us to save us. That is why I know you are what Egypt needs…why I, daughter of Iry-Hor, descendant of Horus, need you."
Nur closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands.
Had he been a teenager, with a body full of testosterone and during the heights of puberty as his body was, he could have seen himself falling into her sway.
She was magnificent. In body. In spirit. In everything.
'Is this what you see, Logos? Why she would be the ideal ruler of Egypt?'
"I plan to rule Egypt" he said after he reopened his eyes and met her gaze, watching her reactions. He saw that she expected this.
"I know…" she looked away from his gaze as she spoke next, quieter still "And I…I wish to be there behind you."
So she still wanted to be queen then.
He should say no.
He was much older than she was and he was almost certainly biologically immortal. He'd outlive her. He'd outlive most likely all of their children, should he, for some reason give in to that inevitable request.
She'd offer him a stable route to power, yes, but he could likely seize power regardless with minimal danger now that it was likely that tales of him had spread.
He didn't need her and he wasn't so enamoured with her beauty to foolishly give in to his baser desires. 'So why was he still seriously considering it?'
'Because you always had a thing for genuineness' the thought in his mind echoed from within. In the French Legion, in the Intelligence business, in his, admittedly almost non-existent social life, he'd valued and respected those who were honest, and true, and who were less manufactured in their expressions and their smiles and their words.
And…despite the lie in her denial of her undressing of him, all other interactions thus far from her had unmistakable ringing of truth…of genuineness.
"And do you think you could love me? …this face?" he asked her calmly and she turned around with a look of surprise on her face.
He continued "You have seen my face. The strangeness of it. Tell me true. Forget my divinity. Is this what you desire?" he asked her with a penetrating look.
He'd seen himself through the reflections of water. Whilst the bone structure was immaculate, his skin and his lips twisted it freakishly into bleak strangeness.
He was not fair nor was he handsome and no women could easily love his features.
So if she said yes without hesitation, he'd decline her offer. If she said no, he'd decline it also though he may revisit it. But if she said she didn't know…he'd accept.
It meant that she was willing to give it a try.
She seemed to struggle with herself, tell tales of nervous behaviour creeping into her face but eventually she answered. "I…I do not know" she admitted but was quick to add "But I am willing to try." She smiled softly as she looked to her hands.
"And I think…I think I will come to love you. You are…strange. More than simply your looks. The way you speak with wisdom. The way you can see the truth behind words. And…and you are kind despite your strength." She paused for a moment before she looked to him. "I do not think it will be so hard to try and love you."
Her genuineness radiated out of her and all he could think was 'I doubt it'll be nearly as hard to care for you, Ha'Nepthi, as it will be for you to love me'
He met her gaze for a long while before he closed his eyes and rested his head against the pillow, exhaustion creeping in once more. "Very well…I will be your husband."
Her sincerity, her genuineness…this was the kind of Queen Egypt deserved…and Egypt deserved such a diamond of a Queen. The only Queen it'll ever have.
"Thank you." He heard her say with a relieved note as he begun to fall asleep but before he fell asleep he heard her say one more thing. "I will prove to you that I will not abandon you."
'We'll see…' he thought as he finally drifted off to sleep.
-Break-
When he awoke, he awoke to silence.
And darkness.
He sat himself back up and he felt the aches and pain be much less than the last time he'd been awake. 'How long had I been asleep?'
He got out of the bed and after inspecting his surroundings, his ears sharpened to listen to any movement even beyond this room, he raised his arms and clenched.
He felt…stronger. Much stronger.
"Ha'Nephti?" he called out, mostly to see if that voice of his had returned but it had not. So maybe he was still under control of his powers then?
To be quite honest, he wasn't too sure how to go about controlling his powers.
In theory it should be like controlling a limb or something. Infants learnt to control their body as they aged and their bodies developed its musculature but that was fairly biological and less of a conscious effort and was aided by parents.
So…
How does one control abilities that one would not know a frame of reference to?
Hmm.
He supposed he could try meditation or something.
Or maybe throw himself in other dangerous and life-threatening situations and trigger his body to act, like how the hero in cliché superhero movies always did.
Nur shook his head. Well, he'd have plenty of time to figuring it out, should he survive his long overdue meeting with Kang.
Nur clenched his fists tighter and he bounced on his heels, rising high into the air. Yes…he was as strong as he could be, under the circumstances.
Time to kill off Kang before he became a problem.
He moved towards one of the exits and his eyes began to adjust somewhat to the darkness. As he followed the maze like corridors, to, hopefully, an exit, he began to think about Kang and a thought popped into his head after a loose thread about his own rebirth came to the forefront of his mind.
He remembered that Kang was a nightmarish problem in the marvel universe…one of many of course, he thought a little drily, but Kang was probably one of the worst.
He'd heard enough from Bishop to know that the marvel universe was certainly better off without the guy and he was wondering if his rebirth was because of that.
But…
It didn't add up…not even closely.
Why did Kang return back to this time when Nur's rebirth had changed everything, at least if the visions he'd seen of him building Egypt was true. Why was everyone under the impression that he was still destined to become Apocalypse?
When that should be an impossibility?
Should…
Nur clenched his fists slightly. He'd considered it. Many times. That perhaps he'd somehow turn into Apocalypse. This Marvel Universe was fucked up enough that shit like predetermined futures was a thing.
After all, wasn't the whole Kang schtick all about that crap?
It was the underlining reason behind his wish to kill Kang.
Of course, he'd have tried to kill Kang anyway, because the guy was a time-travelling asshole, even if Kang hadn't been responsible for the death of the man Nur owed his life to. And probably because killing Kang was why he was here.
Whilst he was no closer to determine why Nur was reborn, he strongly guessed that a large part, perhaps the only part, was to be a fix-it man and get rid of Kang.
He imagined the gods and entities and whatever the fuck else existed in this crazy universe weren't all too happy to have a madman like Kang fuck, well, everything up.
He also considered he might well be wrong and that his rebirth had nothing to do with Kang and also the possibility that killing Kang would cause the damn universe to implode because Nur was pretty damn sure that this Kang was early Kang.
Killing a younger version of Kang who knows and had felt the impact of an older Kang probably had some big old impact on the health of the universe.
And then there was the whole multiverse thing to consider as well.
He'd decided not to give a damn about all of that, a headache atop a killer headache that would break his mind, and decided that he'd act as if his actions had no universe-destroying ramifications and hope for the best that the entities and gods out there would do the universe a solid and just, well, not let it end.
He had no hope of figuring out an alternative solution and whilst he could play the game and secrete out secrets and alternative solutions out of Kang by pretending to be the heir/weapon he so wants, Nur was in no appetite to do so.
Sometimes, going in hard and quick was the best solution.
Nur rubbed his forehead "Bishop, my old friend. It should have been you." Nur said with a sigh as he continued on his way.
Bishop would have been the better man for this second chance at life.
Nur sported a genuine smile as he walked through the dark, lightless, corridor.
Probably would mess things up a whole lot worse too, Nur thought drily.
Nur sighed once more and decided to shelve all thoughts other than killing Kang aside and a while later, a long while, he managed to reach an exit and saw that it was dark. He could see the full moon and thought back on what the phase of the moon had been the night before he killed Sekhen.
He glanced at the sphinx monument that stood on this side of the pyramid, before he looked upon the moon. 'About three days' Nur estimated as he looked at the moon before turning away and towards the direction of the capital. Damn, that wasn't good.
That Ha'Nepthi didn't wake him up meant that she likely hadn't had the opportunity to wake him up. Either that meant she was captured – which he was somewhat doubtful of because there hasn't been an attempt to capture him whilst he'd been asleep and she seemed clever enough to avoid showing she knew something – or things had gotten bad enough she couldn't afford to try and sneak out.
He didn't think there was much that could prevent Ha'Nepthi from going anywhere, especially now that her shit of a brother Sekhen was dead.
Though…it could also mean that with Sekhen's death, Kang's influence had grown considerably and Ha'Nephi's freedom significantly curtailed in response.
Nur shook his head. He needed more information.
Nur quickened his steps and soon enough he was sprinting, his feet practically gliding over the ground as he ran. He noted that the camps by the pyramids were empty and his face grew grim at the implications.
It was doubtless the other camps on the other side were probably just as empty.
The fact that he could see, under the light of the full moon, some signs of scuffles, only made the implications seem much more real.
He sped through the capital, signs of life on the streets as bare as skin, though as he approached the palace, he could see many of the guards.
Nur dashed away, behind a building and zigzagged through the narrower paths between the houses until he was by the temple.
He climbed up the temple with effortless ease and ran across the top before he jumped, over and past a sentry of guards before he landed with as soft a landing he could manage and began to run again.
He knew this capital well, especially the areas of the palace through which he could enter and he entered through one of these entryways, hiding in shadows and behind pillars, and soon enough, after passing several sentries of guards, he arrived at one of the central courtyards and hid himself when he saw movement up ahead.
Shit…
This wasn't the best place to decide to hide as anyone could walk in from the path he'd taken and the moment he moved from behind the pillar…
Deciding there was little to do about the situation, he took the chance to have a better look and when he did get the better look, he was surprised.
Right there, at the centre of the courtyard, hung a very familiar man with a pool of blood beneath him.
'Logos…' Seems like your conniving ways caught up to you, old man, Nur thought to himself. Still…this wasn't good. 'Where is Ha'Nepthi?' he wondered.
Was she also caught?
Nur looked around and saw many guards and many noblemen around Logos. Why were they there? An example? Or a lure?
Nur put all of those thoughts away for the time.
What to do…gung-ho or methodical?
He could wait around and find some guards or noblemen alone and interrogate them for information before acting accordingly. It was the safest bet. Nur looked down at his hands and he clenched them. No. He was done playing it safe
Nur cleared his mind and after bracing himself for a few moments, and after clenching and unclenching his hands as he gauged his strength and recalibrated himself, he ran once more. This time, his steps were far too loud in the courtyard just as he was too visible and a number of guards saw him.
As they shouted and raised alarm, Nur was already by the side of one of the guards and he moved slightly, out of the way of the spearhead, and smacked the back of the head of the guard, knocking him out cold…and hard.
'A bit too much' Nur mused as he fell into another motion and ran towards the next guard who he also knocked out, this time a lot more measured.
Nur didn't stop moving and moved like a blur, moving faster than any normal animal could move. One by one, the guards were put unconscious until all there was left was the noblemen that hadn't moved, having been shocked still.
Nur glanced a look at Logos and could see the man was dead and had been for some time. He turned his gaze back towards the noblemen before setting his gaze on one.
"Where is Rama-Tut?" Nur asked one of the noblemen and it had been enough to get out of his shock and the man's eyes widened comically.
Nur gave the man a look which was enough to make him bluster into talking.
"H-He's there" the man said as he raised his arm and pointed his quivering finger towards a direction "In the Royal Halls."
Nur didn't wait and ran once more. He imagined that the noise and probably the noblemen that did flee, had raised the entire palace into alarm and readiness.
He could have waited. Until sunrise. Until he saw Kang.
And then make his move.
But…
He was rather tired of waiting.
Nur encountered several sentries of guards and didn't bother attacking them, only evading them and only on the rare occasions did he knock any of them out.
When he arrived at the Royal Halls, he arrived to a sight of a practical army of guards waiting for him, an army that raised their spearheads towards him.
He doubted he could fight his way through them, not without injuring himself.
He didn't think he had the invincibility to shrug off their spears. 'Irritating…'
Nur glanced over his shoulder and saw other guards approaching.
"Put down your spears!"
The voice that came from behind rows of men rang with authority.
"My, my…I had not expected for you arrive so…unexpectedly!"
The guards opened a path before Nur and Nur, after glancing warily at the guards, walked through it until he arrived at a set of steps where he saw Kang standing there in a ridiculous outfit with a purple cape and a green headdress.
Nur looked away and glanced at the pillar that was beside Kang on which Ha'Nepthi was tied to. 'She's uninjured…' At least that was good.
Nur returned his gaze back towards Kang though he decided to take a quick note of the woman beside him. She had brown, almost bronze skin and…
No…
Surely not…?
He only just about managed to prevent himself double taking a look.
What the actual…
'What was Jessica Alba doing here?!'
The closer he looked…yes…that is definitely Jessica Alba.
What the F…
Wait…he wracked his mind and he remembered. Wasn't she like that invisible woman in one of those superhero movies before the genre took over cinema?
"My heir…" Kang's voice made him refocus though it took effort. Right, kill Kang first and then find out why Jessica Alba was here.
"People of Egypt!" Kang said theatrically as he raised his arms and looked around as a ridiculous and almost deranged smile took hold on his face.
Yes…the guy is a madman.
"Tonight is a special night! Not only do I have my betrothed by my side!" Kang said as he gestured towards Jessica Alba who looked vacant of eyes.
Kang set his eyes back towards Nur and Nur prepared himself.
"Let all bow to h-" Nur moved, pushing his body, his legs to move as fast they can possibly move, his right hand shaped as a dagger, and by the time Kang knew he was in danger, Nur's right hand was wet and warm.
"Ggghrr." Kang's mouth was wide open, his face pale with shock and horror, and a moment later he began to cough and cough blood he did.
"Im-gghr-pos-gghr-sible" Kang managed to get out and Nur was beginning to feel Kang weaken. "I-gghr-can't-ggrhr-die-gghgrr-shou-ghgr-not-be-ggrhr"
Nur yanked his hand free and Kang collapsed to the ground and with a swift kick, as Kang stared at him with fear and horror, Nur kicked at Kang's head and the audible crack of the neck reverberated in the Royal Halls and Kang fell to the ground and beside Kang, a weapon of some sort clattered.
Nur looked at the corpse of Kang a long while, waiting for something to happen.
Moments passed and nothing happened.
'So…I haven't broken the universe then' Nur mused. That was good at least.
The absolute silence was broken by shuffling behind him and Nur quickly turned around and what he saw briefly surprised him. One of the guards had gotten to their knees. Then another. Then a dozen. Then…all of them.
"Hail Saimun'Nur!" one of the guards shouted out.
"HAIL SIAMUN'NUR!" "SAVIOUR OF EGYPT!" "PHARAOH OF EGYPT!"
On and on the chants went and Nur raised his right arm and the chants quieted down.
Nur glanced at the guards and saw looks of awe on their faces. Right…
'Time to bullshit my way into power'
"The Gods have heard the pleas of Egypt." Nur began, his voice loud as he sought to speak to even the furthest man away. "They saw your plight under the false pharaoh and delivered me into the deserts of Egypt so that I may know your ways and save you."
"The Akkaba clan turned me away and the Gods punished them for it. The Sandstormers, save for one, did not embrace me, and the Gods punished them for it. And now, now that I have rid Egypt of Rama-Tut, will you embrace me?"
"YES PHARAOH!" "PHARAOH SAIMUN'NUR" "OUR SAVIOUR!"
"THE GODS' CHOSEN ONE!"
Nur smiled as he raised his arms.
"Good. Now spread the message to all of Tjenu. Go now."
The guards dispersed and Nur sighed faintly before he turned towards the struggling Ha'Nepthi. 'Was she glaring at me?'
…yes…yes she was.
Nur walked towards her and with a swift kick, broke the wooden pillar and she yelped through the gag. He caught her, and the pillar, and set her down gently before he tore off the ropes from her hands and then her feet.
She took off the gag herself.
"What took you so long?!" she said with fiercely as she looked at him with anger, and quite surprisingly, betrayal in her eyes. "He has kept me prisoner since the day I left you!" She was rather beautiful even in her enraged visage.
"I only awoke some hour or two ago." Nur said calmly to the irate woman as he looked her over subtly. Other than her temper, she seemed rather fine so clearly Kang had taken it rather easily on the princess.
"What?" Ha'Nepthi said with confusion as she stood up, her left hand rubbing her right wrist which was red and looked sore. "But…but I left you three days ago! How could it be you were asleep for so long?"
"It seems my body needed the time to recover." Nur told her easily "I did have to recover from a number of stabbing wounds." Nur said with a dry note in his voice as he looked at her with a faint smile.
It only earned him somewhat of a glare though he could see the very well smothered 'Ah, I guess you were right' body language in her body.
Nur's faint grew slightly though it dimmed as she spoke.
"You defeated him." Ha'Nepthi said with awe as she looked over him. "You truly saved Egypt from him and his befouling blasphemy."
'You shouldn't be so surprised, Ha'Nepthi, or I might just feel somewhat offended'
"Hmm." Nur said as he also looked at the corpse of Kang with its badly twisted neck that brought the head down to the level of his shoulders. Megalomaniacs…
They loved to talk and hear their own voices.
Even the smart ones.
…Idiots…
Still. At least he knew that he wasn't tied up in some kind of horrific predetermined destiny trap like some kind of final destination bullshit. A major relief to be honest…
"Who is she?" Nur asked as he gestured towards the still vacant eyed Jessica Alba.
…What did Kang do to her?
Right…Marvel. How could he forget. Mind control was a thing. Even a plot in some movies. Nur sighed softly. He'd need to sort that particular issue out at some point.
"I don't know. I only know that she is an outlander and that Rama-Tut called her Su'San." Ha'Nepthi said as she looked at Jessica Alba with a look of disdain.
Probably was still somewhat sore at being replaced with Jessica Alba by Kang even if she had no desire to marry the madman.
"There are three others that came with her."
Nur turned to look at Ha'Nepthi with surprise on his face. "Three more?"
Ha'Nepthi turned to look at him. "Yes. One of them looked like moving rock" Ha'Nepthi said with a face that was all at the same time confused, disturbed and not understanding how it was possible. She added "they were imprisoned by Rama-Tut."
Nur though…he understood a little bit better.
For the life of him, he couldn't recall what they were called but he did recognise that they were some kind of hero group in the modern day.
…Seriously, why was time travel such a common thing?
He'd have to figure out a way to prevent it from happening in the first place.
"Do you think you can lead me to them?"
Ha'Nepthi nodded "I can. I know where they are imprisoned"
Nur wasn't sure what he'd do about them. Since he was pretty sure that whatever future they came, they very likely quite acquainted with his megalomaniac alter ego.
Would they try and kill him on the spot?
Probably not. Superheroes played by different rules.
Still…
Better not risk it.
He wasn't sure how he'd stack up against trained people with abilities.
Not as he was, he mused as he stared at his hands, one of them blood soaked.
Nur turned towards the weapon that was still beside Kang and went to pick it up though it barely fit in his hand. The weapon was futuristic, the kind you see in videogames or in science fiction movies but the basics was all there.
If Kang had this and nothing else, he was rather confident that whatever it is, Kang was sure that it could kill Nur. And anything that can kill Nur…
Probably can kill most other things.
"Take her hand" Nur told Ha'Nepthi as he leaned down and grabbed Kang's cape at the top near his neck and shoved the gun in the back of his tunic. "We'll take her with us to the prisoners so that they see we mean them no harm."
"And him?" Ha'Nepthi asked curiously as she eyed the corpse.
"To show what happens to them if they mean us harm." Nur simply explained.
As they walked through the palace, the sight of guards and noblemen bowing before them was near constant as word travelled of the death of Kang and as the sight of Nur carrying the man's corpse was burned in their heads.
The whispers of these people, 'saviour' and 'Siamun'Nur', were just as constant as they walked towards the dungeons.
They made it to the dungeons and finally Nur and Ha'Nepthi arrived at their cells.
"Susan!" their shouts of alarm and concern and anger was almost immediate as they shuffled towards the front of the cells with their arms held in some kind of brace that looked like it belonged in some kind of science fiction movie.
'So that's how they were being prevented from using their powers then?' Nur mused to himself. The rock guy still looked like rocks so maybe it was a more passive blocker than an actual blocker.
For a while he listened to them shout at him and call him Apocalypse, shout at Ha'Nepthi who still held Jessica Alba's hand, and their entreaties to Jessica Alba.
"QUIET" Nur bellowed loudly in the Kemetian tongue and whilst it wasn't the commanding voice, which he was admittedly disappointed in not being able to do, it did cause the effect he wanted.
The Americans were finally shutting their loud mouths.
Nur dropped the body of Kang with a careless shrug and he watched them look at each other nervously whilst the nerdy one seemed to quietly say that it shouldn't be possible and something about the universe shouldn't still exist any longer whilst the rock guy grumbled about Apocalypse being a bad apple from the start.
That part…the part about Apocalypse being a bad apple…that did not please Nur. He'd walked in the shoes of Apocalypse and let's just say the kind of shit Apocalypse experienced as a child would have hardened any child, no matter their background.
The blonde guy told the others to be quiet and let hm deal with this and he approached the bars. "Hey baby Apocalypse, no need to be so angry, buddy."
The blonde guy said with a bright and easy smile, one that was as smarmy as it was amusing. "He doesn't understand you, you idiot." The rock man said in a grumble.
"Well I don't see you doing anything about teenage version of Apocalypse, who by the way, is literally covered in blood!"
The two idiots began to angry-whisper at each other, trading insults as if they were playing a tennis match. "Do you know their tongue?" Ha'Nepthi asked him.
He glanced at her and saw her look with fascination and horror at the rock guy.
"I do not." Nur said to her before he looked back at them "Their tongue unknown to me. Perhaps they came from beyond the Great Green."
"Perhaps that is also where the blasphemer truly came from." Ha'Nephti wondered and Nur thought she was more right than she was wrong.
"Quiet!" the nerdy one said loudly over the bickering idiots. "We need to get out of here and we need Susan help. She's under some kind of effect. We need to get back to our time as soon as possible" he finished with agitation in his voice and walked up to the bars. Nur looked to the American who presented his brace to his chest.
"Greetings" the nerdy one said in the Kemetian tongue though it was somewhat butchered with his accent. Ha'Nepthi gasped in surprise and honestly, Nur was somewhat surprised either.
"He spoke in our tongue! He could not do that before." Ha'Nepthi said interested.
The nerdy one seemed to take Ha'Nepthi's reaction as a positive one and continued "I…Reed." The one named Reed then turned his braces to the rock man and called him Ben and then added "friend" before he turned to the smarmy blonde and named him Johnny before also calling him friend and did the same with Susan.
"Siamun'Nur." Nur said as he pointed at himself before he gestured to Ha'Nepthi to do the same and then he pointed to Kang and said "Enemy."
Reed's eyes widened in understanding
"What-what is that word?" Ben asked.
"Enemy." Reed said grimly though he kept his face normal. "He's calling Kang an enemy."
"That's a good thing right?" Johnny asked impatiently before adding. "Tell him that Kang is also an enemy of ours!"
"I think it's too late for that, bud." Ben said in a grumbling voice. "The way's he's lookin'…he's deciding if we're also enemies or not."
Johnny gestured towards the body and butchered the Kemetian word for enemy.
"Johnny stop." Reed said and the blonde guy stopped though he looked irritated but before he respond, Nur interjected.
"Quiet." Nur once more said in Kemetian, quieting them down.
"Will you spare them?" Ha'Nepthi asked in a hush.
"Yes." Nur said simply, 'though the choice may not be wise' he thought privately as he stepped towards the bars and brought out his gun. The cell they were in was not ordinary and neither was the metal of the bars. The Americans were uneasy at the sight of him handling the gun and he ignored their comments as he fired at the bars.
The bars slowly turned into stone and as soon as the locks were engulfed, he punched at it with his left hand and the bars-turned-stone crumbled under his fist.
"WAIT!" Reed said as Johnny and Ben made to move towards him. "He could have fired at us between the bars if he wanted us dead."
"Maybe he's not that smart." Johnny said with clenched teeth and Nur was tempted to fire at him for it. Regrettably, he did not as he stepped back and gestured them to come out.
They looked at him wearily as they came out of the prison cell "He's holding the gun like a Texan. Isn't he meant to be a caveman or somethin'?" Ben grumbled as he walked out of the cell.
"People in this time are no different than people in our time…just less advanced" Reed corrected before adding warily "But Apocalypse has always been smart."
Johnny was the first to go to Susan and called out to her
"Should we do somethin' about him?" Ben asked Reed. "You know he's a menace in our time. We could just get…you know…rid? Timeline's already crocked, right?"
"Richards, come here! She's not responding." The panic in Johnny's voice was clear.
Reed walked up to the woman and studied her face though he was growing frustrated with his inability to use his arms. "I need my hands." Reed said before he turned towards Nur who stood by Ha'Nepthi and walked towards them.
Reed was cautious as he approached, his eyes meeting Nur's. "Free." Reed said in the Kemetian tongue as he raised his arms towards Nur.
"Reed, what're you doing?!" that Ben guy shouted over.
"I need my hands, Ben. I can't help Susan otherwise. I need him to free us."
"But..!"
"Trust me!" Reed said firmly and it seemed to kill off any further protestations.
Nur remained silent for a few moments before he asked with a question in his voice "Friend?" 'Can I trust you not to attack?' Reed seemed like he was the smartest out of the bunch so he had high expectations the man could understand.
Reed's eyes widened before he recomposed himself, his expression changing to one of seriousness. "Friend." Reed said firmly.
"Can we trust them?" Ha'Nepthi asked Nur with wary and distrust in her voice.
"No." Nur said to her. That Ben guy had easily talked about killing Nur and the arrogant blonde probably would help him do it. "But we need to get these outlanders to go away and back where they came from."
Nur raised his gun and pointed it towards the brace and Reed stiffened slightly but he never flinched nor broke eye contact. 'Brave' Nur mused to himself but also dangerous. He would have called the man naïve but he doubted that was true.
Probably not completely, anyway.
But the reason he called Reed dangerous was that he was assured enough in his estimations that he could come up to Nur with the assumption that Nur would help him rather than harm him.
And from the look of his eyes, Nur could tell that this Reed seen enough in the last few minutes to come to that conclusion.
Nur fired and the brace began to turned to stone before Nur quickly jabbed at the brace with the butt of the gun, shattering the half-turned-stone brace with ease.
"Alright!" Ben said with a whoop as he came clobbering towards Nur with his arms raised as well. Nur placed the gun back in the back of his tunic and raised his hands.
"Friend." He said with his right hand raising slightly. "Enemy" Nur said as he raised his left hand slightly before he brought them down. He pointed to Reed. "Friend."
And then he pointed to Ben and raised both hands "Friend. Enemy" and he kept his hands level, telling the rock guy what he thought of the man.
"What?!"
"Ben, enough!" Reed said sharply as he pulled at the arm of Ben "We don't need your hands to be free at this moment, we can do that later when we get back."
"Friend." Nur called out one more time and it stopped Reed in his tracks and he turned to Nur. Nur pointed towards the ceiling. "Leave." There was a harsh tone in his voice.
Reed looked at Nur with surprise whilst the rock guy growled and glared at Nur.
"Did he tell us to fuck off?! Let me go Ricards, Let me at him!"
"Come on Ben, let's go!" Reed's arm turned stretchy and pulled the moron away. Reed looked at Nur and nodded seriously "Leave." And that was that, and soon enough the four of them were leaving.
He heard them talk about Kang's technology and the sphinx but whatever Kang had done to Susan didn't seem to abate and so they relented, deciding that going home was more important.
Of course, the fact that Nur was following them carefully at a distance with a few hundred guards probably factored into it.
He didn't think the guards would be much use but it sure was a way to press into them that they were not wanted.
He only relaxed when he finally saw them blink away in their time-travelling machine. When he made it back to the capital, it was dawn and as he walked through the city, men and women prostrated before him, their heads touching the ground.
And when he arrived at the royal palace, at the seat of the pharaoh, Ha'Nepthi was waiting for him by the side of the throne as the throne room was lined by people on both sides.
She stared at him for a long while before she got to her knees with her arms raised.
"ALL HAIL THE PHARAOH!"
And the rest of the room returned.
"PHAROAH SIAMUN'NUR, SAVIOUR OF EGYPT!"