Zeni’s body shook with excitement, everything forgotten other than the anticipation of finally being close to an object of amazing power—an Ankh—that was not currently occupied by someone else.

But which Ankh is it? She wondered.

Neith had named twelve different categories of them when they’d had their conversation months ago, and she’d tried her best to commit it to memory. The symbol itself was unfamiliar, and bashfully, Zeni realized with a sudden start that this was likely a character of Heka, the ancient language she’d been…planning to learn more of to aid her in her progression in her class. She’d…never really gotten around to it, save for a few lessons Neith had tried to give her.

Well, dang, she thought. I didn’t realize I’d need it for a situation like this! This is just like that time I got trapped in that escape room because I never learned algebra.

She thought back to that occurrence, the final passcode to get the key to the exit had been—by all metrics—likely a simple equation. However, she didn’t have the prerequisite knowledge and was therefore trapped. It was the first and last time she’d ever attempt to do one of those activities solo.

Fortunately, I’ve got a cheat code, she thought. Carefully, she reached out with her Ka once more, attempting to discern the meaning behind the Ankh and its connection to the shagallu and the peculiar energy it possessed.

As Zeni focused her senses on the Ankh, she felt a connection forming, a bridge between her own Ka and the glyph. It was as if the Ankh were inviting her to explore its secrets, to delve deeper into the mysteries it held. Her heart raced with anticipation, as she prepared to step into the unknown, hoping to finally begin stepping down the path of Rahhalah-dom.

As Zeni finally felt the full connection between her Ka and the Ankh, a peculiar sensation enveloped her mind, as if she'd just swallowed a rather large and overly excited butterfly. Her understanding of the symbol deepened, and she realized what it was.

This was a Transformation Ankh.

Well, it wasn’t the Pharaoh Ankh she had been hoping for, and she realized that had bothered her a little. This revelation was akin to expecting a delicious, luxurious cake only to find a somewhat plain, albeit still tasty, muffin in its place.

Despite the initial twinge of disappointment, Zeni knew that she should be grateful to have discovered any kind of Ankh at all. After all, Ankhs were inordinately rare, much like hen's teeth, and possessing one would undoubtedly prove valuable on her journey.

Sweet breads are sweet breads, she thought in regard to her analogy. Both get the job done.

Sending a bit more Ka into the connection, she felt an almost magnetized pull from her end of the line, as if she was suddenly grasping onto the energy within the Ankh and tugging it along for the ride. There was a warm invitation in the connection, friendly feeling, even. She smiled to herself as she accessed the Ankh.

Within her, she knew how to move to the next step, and how to accept its power. The Ka from the Transformation Ankh was wily, and shifting, and it made sense to her. The Ankh controlled the mutable aspects of Ka, so it would likely be hard to pin down as she’d felt earlier. Just as she was allowing the Ankh to cross the threshold and join her Ka, she suddenly heard a piercing screech from above—the kind of sound that would make even the most stalwart of adventurers question their life choices. Worse still, it had startled her so badly the bridge between her and the glyph suddenly frayed and she felt the Ankh’s energy returning to float above the shagallu.

The winged creature, which had been watching her intently from its perch, swooped down in a flurry of leather, teeth and claws, like an angry chimera whirlwind. Its crocodile eyes gleamed with malice, as if it were pondering how quickly to rip out her eyes.

Zeni braced herself for the impending attack, her heart thudding. She couldn't help but think that the universe had an odd sense of humor, presenting her with the gift of an Ankh only to send a flying menace her way moments later.

At the last second, Zeni dove backward, sand exploding around her as she hit the ground hard. The creature zoomed in, snapping its jaws mere inches from her face. It jerked back upward, wings flapping furiously, and prepared for another dive.

Adrenaline surged through her veins. Zeni's fingers hit the clasp on her weapon, and with a sharp click, it extended into the spear. She readied herself, eyes fixed on the airborne terror.

It dove again, faster than before. Zeni rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the gnashing teeth. Sand sprayed, the creature's claws scraping the ground where she'd just been.

No time to think. She thrust the spear upward, aiming for the beast's underbelly. The creature twisted midair, dodging the attack with an agility that defied its size. It screeched, enraged.

Zeni's heart raced. Sweat dripped down her brow. She tried to focus her Ka, to tap into the power she’d trained for. But the creature was relentless, diving and slashing, leaving her no room to breathe, let alone concentrate.

She parried another attack, the spear's shaft knocking the creature off balance. It recovered quickly, swooping upward with a frustrated hiss. Zeni knew she had to end this quickly or face a grisly fate.

The dance of death continued. The creature swooped, she dodged. It slashed, she parried. The air was thick with the scent of fear and determination. In the heat of the battle, Zeni's mind raced, seeking an opening, a weakness—anything to turn the tide in her favor.

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The creature circled, preparing for another dive.

Zeni gritted her teeth, desperately searching for a solution. She needed something that could combat the beast in the air, something to level the playing field. And then, as if struck by a bolt of inspiration, she knew what she had to do.

The creature dived again, its eyes locked onto Zeni. With a deep breath, she hauled back and hurled her spear at the diving creature. The throw was awkward, her arm protesting the unfamiliar motion, but somehow, against all odds, the spear found its mark.

The creature screeched, pain and fury mingling in the sound. Its wings faltered, and it struggled to stay aloft. Zeni seized the opportunity, her mind racing as she prepared to deploy her plan.

Gathering all the ambient Ka she could muster, she focused on an invocation she had yet to fully deploy in battle—one she had learned during her recent trip to the village of Tethrys: Fury of Set.

Lightning cracked through the air, the scent of ozone and the raw power filling her senses. Bolts struck the ground and water near her, casting eerie shadows across the sand. Zeni fixated on the element of the storm, feeling the raging tempest surge through her.

With a determined snarl, she directed the lightning strikes toward the wounded creature. The air hummed with electricity, and the creature's eyes widened in shock as it realized the danger it now faced.

It dodged.

“SHIT!” Zeni screamed as the lightning bolt struck the ground where the beast had been only a fraction of a second before. Now it was in flight, zooming up and away from her.

“Oh no you don't!” Zeni shouted, and ran forward, flicking her wrist underhanded like she was whipping a pebble across a pond. Lightning snapped in the air, missing the winged monster by millimeters. It pivoted, changing directions so quickly she could hardly follow. It began flying along the edge of the massive chamber, wings spread. She knew what it was doing. It was smart. It was getting as close to the wall as it could so that the attack would be drawn to the larger target.

Is that how it works? She wondered. She thought that might be how lightning worked under usual conditions, but even that wasn’t a certainty.

“You little bastard,” she growled, directing bolts with both hands as she felt the ebb and flow of her Ka begin to recede. She was using too much of her power, and it wouldn’t last. Even with the help of the ambient Ka in the chamber, she’d run out of juice before too long. Then it would be trouble. She’d need to finish this soon.

Zeni pursued the winged menace, lightning crackling at her fingertips. It danced through the air, evading each of her electric strikes with an infuriating agility. Her frustration mounted as the bolts she launched smashed into the rocky outcropping high above, the very one that had caused her earlier tumble.

As she continued to chase the creature around the chamber, rocks crumbled and fell as each missed lightning strike further weakened the rocky structure. Her mind began to concoct an idea.

She shifted her aim, trying to cut off the creature's path with a well-placed bolt. It deftly avoided her attack, spinning and darting in the opposite direction. That's when she sprung what she hoped was a trap.

As the creature shot beneath the outcropping, Zeni invoked Sands of Geb. With the raw power of her command, she yanked the sand forward, tearing through the fractured rock that had been so greatly weakened by her attacks. The wall that had once held the sand at bay shattered under the force, unleashing an avalanche of gritty destruction. A gout of rock and sand poured out in a cascade, covering everything. Rocks hit the ground like meteors, bouncing and ricocheting, some landing to float on the placid surface of the pool’s water.

The creature twisted and turned, attempting to escape the torrent of sand. It was nimble, but Zeni had one last trick up her sleeve. With every ounce of her remaining strength, she hurled a Curse Invocation at the beast. The one she hadn’t yet gotten a chance to try. It was a risky maneuver, but she hoped it would work. As the Ka formed on the back of her fist, it fired like a wrist-rocket, and she watched as a black, shadowy dart shot through the air toward the distracted flying demon.

Her heart thudded once.

Her mouth was dry; her skin slick with sweat.

Her heart thudded again.

The invocation found its mark, and the curse sank into the creature's flesh, freezing its wings mid-pivot.

“YEEEES!” Zeni roared.

Caught off guard and immobilized, the winged terror was engulfed by the deluge of sand. Zeni, completely exhausted, began to sway in place. Her vision narrowed, the edges swimming as her body, completely bereft of her own Ka, began to shut down.

“...yes,” she was able to mutter, her eyes never wavering from the spot the beast disappeared from. She’d done it. She’d used her environment and her invocations to her advantage and bested—

There was an explosion as the beast burst through the sand deluge, one wing flapping while the other stuttered in immobilization, but still able to keep it aloft. It screamed as it soared right toward her, its crocodilian head an open snarl of razor teeth.

Shit, Zeni thought.

She was exhausted, out of Ka, and her only true weapon was dozens of feet away, well out of her range.

Zeni's mind raced, her body trembling with fatigue. She had no strength left, no Ka to call upon. All she had was her wits and the environment around her.

As the creature bore down on her, she noticed the pool of water near her feet. Desperate, she lunged toward it, stumbling into the water with a splash. The beast, caught off guard by her sudden movement, roared in frustration as it careened overhead.

Zeni looked around, searching for something, anything, to help her in this dire situation. The water, the sand, the rocks... they had all played a part in her earlier triumphs. But was there anything left to use?

Her eyes fell upon the broken pieces of the rocky outcropping that had crumbled earlier, now floating in the water around her. A wild idea took root in her mind, a last-ditch effort to survive that relied on her cunning rather than her strength.

The winged creature circled back, preparing for another attack. As it swooped down, Zeni quickly grabbed a jagged chunk of rock from the water and held it in front of her like a shield. The creature's speed was its own undoing, as it failed to see the improvised weapon in time. Its jaws clamped down on the rock, and a sickening crack echoed through the chamber.

The beast recoiled in pain, its teeth shattered by the unyielding stone. Zeni, seizing her chance, scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward her spear, which lay embedded in the sand. Her legs felt like they were made of molasses, but she pushed herself forward, refusing to give up.

As she reached the spear, she felt a gust of wind from behind her, signaling the creature's rapid approach. Despite its injury, the beast was not ready to give up its prey. With a grunt, Zeni wrenched the weapon free and spun, her muscles screaming in protest.

The creature, blinded by pain and struggling to maintain its balance, dove toward her, its good wing flapping wildly.

Zeni involuntarily stumbled backward, her foot slipping in the sand. The beast's gaping maw, filled with razor-sharp teeth, rushed towards her. With a desperate gasp, she jammed the spear forward, aiming for the creature's open mouth.

Zeni's eyes widened as the spear found its mark, the point sinking into the beast's throat. The momentum of the creature's lunge carried it forward, driving the weapon deeper within its flesh. It thrashed wildly in the air above her, the pain and shock of the impalement causing it to lose control.

Lying on her back, Zeni watched with a mix of horror and relief as the beast's thrashing grew weaker, its lifeblood gushing from the terrible wound she had inflicted. Eventually, the creature's movements slowed, and with one final, agonized shudder, it died.

The winged terror, now limp and lifeless, collapsed on top of her, its weight pressing down on her chest. Though she was pinned beneath the monster, Zeni couldn't help but release a triumphant roar.

She’d done it.

Though, quickly, the exhaustion took over, and the roar turned to muted sobs. She’d almost died. That was the most terrifying encounter of her life, and she had only defeated it by accident. She wasn’t even crying because of that though, she was simply grateful to have survived, and her body was reacting that way on its own. She stayed like that for a while, letting her panic subside before everything suddenly crashed down around her and her body could no longer keep her cognizant. She collapsed herself, her consciousness fading out of existence in the now quiet chamber.