Fists of Fury remained eerily still as the monstrous creature gnashed its teeth into him, its efforts to inflict damage proving fruitless. He looked down at the desperate beast, seemingly unfazed by its struggles, and after a moment of contemplation, his fist struck out like a bolt of lightning, smashing the creature's head with bone-crushing force. It recoiled with a muffled roar, its claws slashing wildly in retaliation.

Undeterred, Fists of Fury intercepted the creature's assault, snatching one claw out of the air and then the other. The beast, towering over him by at least two feet, leaped upwards, striking with its clawed feet. But the brute remained resolute, holding the creature's arms in an unyielding grip. He began to pull the beast's limbs apart, and Zeni watched in horrified fascination as its torso started to split in two like poorly handled string cheese.

As the creature's body was wrenched apart, something glimmered within its furry depths. Zeni squinted, trying to make sense of the sight before her. There, nestled within the gruesome tableau, was a glittering ruby-like gem, pulsing with an ominous energy that seemed to call out to her even as it repulsed her.

Zeni didn't hesitate, sensing the dark energy from before inside the thing and recognizing the gem's importance as the core of the creature's Ka. She steeled herself, focusing her mind, knowing that the gem was too small a target for her usual invocations. So, she needed to try something else, something more risky. For the third time in a single week, she resolved to draw power from a source she knew she shouldn't. Zeni concentrated on the resonance and familiarity of the Ka, so similar to the scroll’s that writhed within her. Knowing it was a terrible idea but feeling that she was out of options, she cautiously began to siphon the energy into herself.

At first, it seemed easier than she had anticipated, with the creature distracted by Fists of Fury's relentless assault. However, the monster soon realized what was happening and screamed a defiant "No!" as it started to fight back with its Ka.

But Zeni wasn’t so easily dissuaded.

She tapped into the gem's wellspring, while Fists of Fury continued to pummel the creature, forcing it to divide its attention. Each time the beast tried to send a wave of dark force toward Zeni through the connection she had established, Fists of Fury retaliated with another punishing blow, drawing its attention back to himself. The creature could only resist and reform, and Zeni felt its resolve weakening.

But, by the gods, the force with which her companion struck the thing was astounding. Each hit seemed like a depth charge exploding as wherever a section of his body landed, the body was blown to smithereens, only to reform moments later. It was a Sisyphean endeavor, impacted all the more by the fact that this creature was demonstrating that it could actively fend off a pair of assailants at once.

Battered and bloody, Zeni knew she had only seconds left. Desperation clawed at her, driving her to push harder, to draw more power. Fists leveled an excruciating blow that destroyed an entire wide section of the beast’s torso, exposing the gem fully for a mere moment. But that was all she needed.

As if breaking a dam, the power flooded out of the gem and into Zeni, overwhelming her with its intensity. She screamed as the malicious Ka surged into her like a torrent, filling her body with unbearable pain. The agony was all-consuming, and she couldn't shut it off—though now she was trying. She felt the force expanding within her, and she felt as though she was going to explode.

As the sensation of her bones and flesh threatening to burst engulfed her, a sudden calm descended upon the scene. The energy, the battle in front of her, her own rapid expansion—all of it halted, suspended in a surreal, agonizing moment. Time seemed to stretch, as Zeni hung in the balance between the unbearable pain of the invading Ka and the relief of the temporary reprieve.

Zeni became aware of another presence. Looking to her immediate right, she found a face she—sort of—recognized: Serqet. The peculiar elemental being she had met earlier in the sand chamber was once again floating nonchalantly beside her.

"Oh, dear," Serqet said, her tone suggesting she was observing a mildly inconvenient stain on her favorite dress rather than a potentially deadly situation. "This simply won't do."

"What are you doing here?" Zeni asked, trying to mask her confusion and pain.

Serqet regarded the scene as if she were watching a comical play, completely unimpressed and unbothered by the potential dangers of Zeni's situation.

"Well, I was just passing by and noticed you're in quite the onion, my dear," she observed, her voice dripping with a detached amusement. "Is onion the correct vegetable and-or fruit? I say, linguistic idioms truly are remarkable. Perhaps it is plum? You’re in quite the plum—no, I hear it, and it sounds wrong. In any case, you are in dire straits. You really should do something about it, lest you burst like an overripe date left to bake in the sun."

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Zeni's confusion only grew—she had never before been in so much pain while hearing someone’s grocery list.

"What can I do? I can't cut off the flow of energy!" She exclaimed.

Serqet's countless eyes twinkled with mischief.

"If you can't cut it off, you should store it somewhere else. You're trying to cram it all into your own body like a camel attempting to fit into a cupboard. It's just not practical."

Zeni blinked, not entirely sure how to process this advice.

"A camel in a cupboard? What does that even mean?"

"It's an old saying from a time before camels even knew what cupboards were," Serqet replied with a smirk. "The point is, you need a new plan."

"What do you suggest?" Zeni asked, her voice strained.

Serqet floated closer, plucking the silver scarab pin from Zeni's shirt and placing it in her hand.

"Oh, I haven't seen this little trinket in a long, long time," Serqet mused, examining the glittering broach with a nostalgic air. "Redirect the power into this."

"The scarab?” Zeni fretted, ignoring for the moment the fact that Serqet recognized it. “But what about the Transformation Ankh inside? Won't they interact…I dunno, badly or something?"

Serqet considered the idea merrily, like a child contemplating the result of mixing various questionable ingredients together.

"Oh, that’s quite the interesting projection. I'm positively thrilled to find out the consequences of such a delightful experiment!"

Zeni's eyes widened.

"You’re thrilled? I'm the one who might explode!"

"Nonsense," Serqet dismissed with a wave of her hand. "You won’t explode. At best, it’ll be just a big pop.

“That’s not better!” Zeni said.

Serqet shook her head, ignoring her concerns.

‘Now, then. Focus your energy on redirecting that power into the scarab. Trust me, it's better than the alternative."

Zeni hesitated, then nodded.

"A–alright. I'll give it a try."

"Marvelous!" Serqet exclaimed, pressing Zeni's fingers closed around the broach. "Don't forget. Channel the power there!"

And then, just like that, Serqet was gone, and the world spun back to life. Zeni, still in the grips of agony, focused on redirecting the malicious Ka from her body into the scarab, unsure of what might happen but knowing it was her only chance at survival.

Zeni felt the change almost instantly as she redirected the flow of the malicious Ka from her own body and into the scarab. At first, she marveled at the ease with which she accomplished this feat, but then it dawned on her: she had been absorbing power in the opposite direction for days, so it only made sense that she should be able to reverse the process just as effortlessly.

She continued to push the power out of herself, tapping into the seemingly unending stream emanating from the gem. It took a moment for the scarab to catch on, but eventually, it began to feel as though it was drinking the power into itself. The transfer speed increased exponentially, and soon, the energy flowed from the gem, through Zeni, and into the scarab at a pace that would leave a retracting tape measure green with envy.

As the transfer of power slowed, Zeni observed that she was only receiving the dregs, the faintest wisps of the Ka remaining in the gem. When she glanced back at the creature, she was taken aback by the sight that met her eyes: there was nothing left of the fearsome beast. The scarab had devoured the last vestiges of its power, leaving not a single trace of the monstrous adversary behind save for the now dull gem. It plopped to the dirt, looking very much exhausted of its resources.

Zeni took a moment to catch her breath, her body trembling from the strain of redirecting such a vast amount of energy. The scarab in her hand now pulsed with the power it had consumed, its weight heavier than before; a reminder.

“Thank you, Serqet,” she muttered, before feeling the weight of her injuries and exhaustion come crashing down on her. She wobbled. But before she could fall, a steadying, armored hand found her shoulder, keeping her upright.

She looked up at the armored helm, once seeming so fearsome and ferocious, and found it a little comforting. Then, her head lolled, and she, once more, passed into unconsciousness.

—

The nefarious consciousness brooded petulantly in the depths of the dungeon. It couldn't help it. A simmering rage had overtaken it at the recent turn of events. Its trump piece had been defeated, and it was most certainly not amused. The sheer temerity of these intruders trespassing so far into its domain was positively infuriating. It decided that it could no longer remain on the sidelines and that it was high time to take matters into its own... well, metaphorical hands, seeing as it didn't have any actual hands.

But what to use? it pondered, a wicked gleam in its incorporeal eyes. What could be even more nefarious than the most nefarious thing I've tried so far?

It mulled over the conundrum with the same intensity one might reserve for solving a particularly vexing crossword puzzle, its thoughts twisting and turning.

And then it struck upon an idea, one so devious and underhanded that it couldn't help but revel in its own cunning. It would employ a strategy so insidious that the interlopers would rue the day they ever dared to set foot in its labyrinthine lair.

With sinister glee, it began to concoct its master plan, a nefarious scheme that would make even the most seasoned adventurers quiver in their boots. And as it did, it could almost taste the sweet satisfaction of victory—or was that the taste of fear? It could never quite tell the difference.

In any case, the consciousness was positively salivating at the thought of what was to come. Soon, it thought, very soon, the trespassers would know true despair.

They would discover that in this dungeon, the house always wins.

And in the end, they would be little more than a delectable morsel to savor, a fitting reward for the clever and cunning creature that ruled here.