A few hours of riding with a light breeze provided a pleasant coolness, but the greatest joy came later, when the water lord urgently stopped the chariot and sat in one place for almost an hour, holding his hands in the sand, explaining that he felt a little water somewhere deep. The others waited and let him go. The wait paid off when a small trickle of water began to seep through the sand. Watching the desired liquid break through the sand and being so close to it only increased his thirst, but he had to wait until the drawing was complete, lest he wait even longer.
Is five liters of water a lot or a little? For a modern person, this amount can be drunk discreetly throughout the day while standing and chatting at the water cooler. But for someone who hasn't had a drink in several days, it's literally a gift from God that should be treasured and cherished.
Now, sitting in the shade of the chariot, taking small sips from the bowl of cold water that hung in front of them and snacking on small bugs, they felt good for the first time in several days.
- When we return we will have to arrange a feast, because such an adventure requires that it be told about.
- Thor, I don't want to choke you , but it was because of uncontrolled drunkenness that we ended up here, so I'll stick to the juices for now.
- What does " suffocate" mean ? Your Russian words again?
- Ah, my American friend. There's so much you still don't know about the strong and powerful Russian language!
- Ah ha ah
Thor's loud laughter echoed throughout the area and attracted the attention of the others, who began to look at him closely.
"That's what I needed. A simple adventure with friends, where you can just travel, fight, and laugh." His voice dropped slightly. "Because after Malekith was defeated , my father made me regent of Asgard ."
- Are you already fed up with everything after just a couple of months?
And then Thor shared his concerns that ruling wasn't quite what he'd imagined. Although he was a prince, diplomacy was his weak point. After what had happened, his parents felt they'd made several mistakes in grooming their heir and were now trying hard to correct this shortcoming. So, he'd been socializing a lot lately, and hadn't had much of an excuse to swing his hammer. When the opportunity arose to rest a bit, he was glad to go to Midgard and take a break from everything that had accumulated over that time. Of course, there was a purpose there, too, but it could be called combining business with pleasure.
The two earthlings, after the heir's outpourings had finished, merely glanced at each other and began to laugh.
- What? - Thor's voice was clearly uncomprehending.
- Thor, you need to find those who will help you with the government.
- Sitting on the throne is certainly interesting, but constantly listening and solving problems is not my thing , for that I have Pepper .
For a being with over 1,500 years of life experience, hearing about governance from those who are not even a century old was humiliating, but what is more frightening was educational.
- So you put women in charge of solving issues that you don't want them to?
"I was dying at that moment, and then somehow everything just happened," Tony said, recalling with a tender smile the moments when they were lying in bed, deciding company matters.
"I'm not good at paperwork, so I put her in charge of those issues. Besides, I think Tony would agree with me, but our talents are better applied in other areas than boring meetings and reviewing piles of reports."
To which Stark himself merely nodded, which made the warrior without a hammer think.
Having quenched their thirst and rested a little, the journey became a little easier, and then, crossing one of the dunes, they saw something different from the sand.
Several pyramids appeared before their eyes. Around them, a flurry of movement of various mummies could be seen. Slaves carried stones from one side to the other, overseers whipped, and there was constant movement. If you looked closely, you could see that this place had once been an oasis, on which all this had been built, but now there was no sign of any vegetation.
- It seems to me that these pyramids could somehow be connected with those that stand here in Egypt?
"You're right, son of Stark. At different times, Midgard was divided into different regions, ruled by different pantheons. It could be their ancestors or followers who ended up here."
- Where are all these gods now?
- Many moved to the city of omnipotence for various reasons, but on Midgard , as far as I know, none of the pantheons have conducted any open activity recently .
- Let's hope we don't meet a whole pantheon of zombies here who will try to turn us into their own kind.
- Tony, these aren't American movies. You might as well suggest dressing like them and walking past them. - At that moment, two pairs of eyes looked closely at Alex. - No, no. No , you're not serious, are you?
"Next time I'll keep quiet," the Slav, wrapped in ancient bandages, quietly relented.
Throughout the city, there were enough small groups of the undead that could be hunted down, disarmed, and dressed to resemble them at least minimally. Of course, the fact that these mummies had been working for hundreds of years at best and hadn't changed their clothes made a difference. The mummification technique seemed to be hereditary, and thanks to magic, when the avengers removed the bandages from those they had managed to bind, human features could be discerned in some places, but any admiration was dampened by the smell that permeated the unchangeable garments for centuries.
Three mummies, not attracting any attention to themselves, carefully moved towards the only pyramid, the top of which was covered in gold and had a slight glow, which showed that there was something there that could help them attract the attention of Heimdall , who could take them away from here.
Of course, the plan wasn't perfect, but there weren't many ways to sneak in quietly with their limited arsenal.
There was noise everywhere, zombie slaves were hauling things, building, their drivers generously motivating them to work harder, so it seemed no one was paying attention to the trio. Walking through some blocks, one could see traces of previous human presence, not yet completely covered by the sand.
The further they went, the fewer local residents there were around.
Approaching the pyramid, they carefully examined the two statues of Anubis, which stood like guards, at that moment the native earthlings looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing.
of Asgard looked questioningly and was given a short explanation of the similarity of these statues to those that can be found in some places on earth.
After walking a little further, the travelers reached their destination, but another problem arose: none of them knew where exactly to go except through the main entrance, which was located right behind the stone stairs that they had to go through first.
Having no other options, they began to climb it to get inside and everything seemed to be going well until they reached the very top, where they were already waiting for them.
Dry, dead skin, covered in places with bandages and a multitude of gold jewels, and his entire face was covered by a golden mask. This pharaoh , seated on his throne, looked down upon the intruders, surrounded by dozens of his loyal undead soldiers, ready to attack at any possible threat to their master.
The Avengers weren't exactly thrilled with this welcoming company. If they'd had all the tools they needed for a confrontation, it would have been a simple battle, but now Thor was without his hammer, Tony without his suit, and Alex's only weaponry was the liter of water he'd managed to conserve after the source dried up. To avoid a confrontation, they considered running back, but as soon as they looked back, a huge crowd had gathered in front of the pyramid below, a crowd that hadn't been there just a few minutes earlier.
- This It's a trap .
- Looks like it, Stark.
The inhabitants of the earth simply looked at each other and smiled at the ignorance of the classics from the Scandinavian god.
Before anything could happen, Thor, being a natural diplomat and a raging king, decided to talk to the other ruler.
"Oh, great lord of this land, I am Thor, crown prince of Asgard . My companions and I found ourselves here by chance and are simply trying to get home; we didn't want to disturb you. Therefore, I ask you to assist us in this difficult matter. Of course, after this is over, I will generously thank you for your assistance and the inconvenience."
During the entire time Thor was delivering his speech, no movement was noticeable behind the golden mask that hid the face of the living dead, but one could hope for a positive result, because Thor had been to many worlds and possessed various skills.
Unfortunately, this time all his skills were useless. With a slight bow of his head, the local pharaoh gave his guards an order. The entire guard, standing in a semicircle, drew their curved swords ( khopesh ) and began to advance menacingly, step by step, narrowing the area and reducing their maneuverability. If nothing was done, the only remaining path would be down, where hundreds, if not thousands, of mummies, armed with whatever they could find, stood and waited patiently.
- Does anyone have any ideas?
While his other companions had at least some advantages, for an ordinary person this was a downright unpleasant situation.
- Yes, there is a plan.
And then, the thunder god, in all his recklessness, rushed at the nearest guards and felled them. Quickly avoiding the closest attack, he tried to snatch the weapon, tearing it away along with its owner's hand. In just a few seconds, he was standing with the weapon, fending off hordes of armed zombies. Thanks to Asgardian blood and the physical weakness of his opponents, parity had been established. Anyone who attacked lost several limbs, but the superior numbers prevented the blond from attacking.
- I'll hold them off, find a way to contact my home.
Of course, it was noble, and no one tried to dissuade him from this idea. While the guards were distracted, Alex used the remaining water and spun it into a saw, literally cutting a passage for two to try to get inside.
At the moment when Thor switched to aggressive negotiations, several things happened: firstly, the pharaoh himself began to urgently leave the scene of the battle with several guards through the nearest secret passage, and secondly, all those who were standing near the ascent to the pyramid began to quickly climb the steps to stop the said guests.
There was no time to waste, so after going inside the pyramid through a large passage and their pupils got used to the room after the light, they saw something they definitely didn't expect.
A huge space inside the pyramid was occupied by a complex technological structure of slightly glowing pipes, which from all ends of the pyramid led to a console, which was located a little higher on a pedestal on the other side of the pyramid . On the walls were depicted statues of deities whose gaze was directed directly at the console.
There was no direct route to the console, so they had to choose one of two directions that would lead them straight there.
Before they could decide between the two paths, guards began running out, clearly in no hurry to gently restrain them or politely question them. Fortunately, the water saw was helpful. The withered bodies cut through easily, leaving behind only a pile of severed arms and legs.
Even a billionaire and philanthropist never took anything from the hands of other people, but he did not hesitate to snatch a sword from a dead, severed hand for his own protection.
Turning off the equipment that was located here could not guarantee that their goal would be accomplished, but there were no other options at the moment.
Several bodies were now falling down the large staircase, dragging even more down with them, forming a massive mass of bodies. Realizing that if nothing was done, in a couple of minutes there would be hundreds of enemies instead of just a few dozen, Thor made the only decision and began throwing the injured enemies, who took it all in their stride. Had it been anyone else, such a tactic wouldn't have worked, but the fragile bodies, which broke when they hit the stone, couldn't withstand the fast-moving body.
It was only a matter of momentary distraction before another stinking carcass pounced from behind and hung there , attempting to stab him in the neck with a dagger. Unfortunately for the defenders, the attack had no effect and left only a scratch on the tall blond man's body.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the body hanging on him and began spinning it around, throwing back those who came close. In a sense, it even worked, until at one point the body simply flew off to the side, leaving only one leg in the Asgardian's hands.
This maneuver gave him some space to follow his friends, for whom he was buying time.
Keeping his enemies at bay, the warrior used all the experience he had gained over hundreds of years, although now he began to understand how much he relied on the hammer's power in battle. This had become noticeable to him even in the battle with Malekith , when Mjolnir , jumping between portals, did not have time to fly into the hand of its owner, and now, although the enemies were weak, even he would not be able to stop them if they fell upon him in a crowd.
Carefully retreating and simultaneously cutting down the dead, he took step after step into the pyramid, hoping that he could buy enough time before he was buried under bodies.
And while he was distracted by one of the attacks, a body literally flew at him from above and tried to bite his neck with the remains of its teeth.
Before he could strike the insolent man on the head, one of the guards managed to wrap his whip around his hand, which caused him to lose additional moments, which were enough for everyone to pounce on him in a crowd.
- Will you be there again soon?
A swing of the water saw and several more mummies were divided into several parts.
- Am I an expert on ancient Egyptian technology to you? I don't understand anything about it.
Getting to the control panel wasn't particularly difficult. The most puzzling aspect was the dead-ends built into the pyramid's corridors, forcing us to backtrack a couple of times. There were virtually no guards along the way, but as soon as anyone appeared near the control panel, everyone who could began throwing themselves at the intruders, simply to drive them away from their sacred relic.
Now the engineering genius stood over an unfamiliar device, trying to figure out what to do with it. The multitude of animal-shaped symbols on the panel, reminiscent of early typewriters, made it impossible to figure out what to press to get the desired result. After pressing one of the symbols, Tony waited for some response from the control panel within the first few seconds. Staring ahead , the engineer didn't notice how the eyes of one of the bird-headed statues behind him lit up and fired an energy beam at a target standing with its back to it.
A powerful stream of energy hit Alex's back and sent him flying into the wall. By the time the stream stopped, most of his body was already glowing blue, but even Extremis couldn't heal the damage so quickly , even exposing his ribs.
- Damn it.
Realizing that this blow had come because of him, Tony began to worry greatly about his friend, but seeing how the body was gradually healing, relief came, and in addition to relief, two more guards ran up to them.
Quickly returning to the console, he picked up the sword he had thrown away when they arrived and held it out, clearly trying to threaten them, but even the dead zombie mummies showed no fear and began to advance.
Before they had even taken a couple of steps, a loud explosion came from the direction of the pyramid, distracting all three from the fight that had not yet begun.
Taking advantage of the moment, a swift blow was struck, separating the head from the body of one of the locals, but the second one reacted to the loss of his brother in arms and began striking back. On the third strike, the sword flew out of the earthling's hands and a kick sent him flying toward the panel.
Confident of victory, the opponent did not notice how the bird key was pressed again and the smile on Stark's face made him sense a catch, but it was too late, jumping away from the likely target, Stark watched as the energy beam crashed into the already dead sand zombie and pierced through him and hit the control panel.
The subtle hum of the machines below grew quieter and quieter. As the equipment stopped, the light emanating from the very top of the pyramid ceased to spread.
While the skirmish was going on, Alex was able to heal his wounds and, coughing up blood, looked displeasedly at his comrade.
- Don't look at me like that, I told you I don't know what I'm doing.
It was clear that now was not the time for showdowns and grievances , but Tony took note that he would have to somehow apologize for this incident, because everything could have gone much worse.
- We need to find Thor if the car...
Alex was interrupted by another crash coming from the entrance. They exchanged glances and rushed to the scene of the fight to render aid, but the sight of a dead body being driven into the wall shocked them.
Thor stood near the wall, surrounded by charred bodies that gave off a rather unpleasant smell. But for the first time since they'd met, he exuded divine power.
Lightning coursed through his entire body, and with each strike, electrical discharges coursed through him, amplifying the blows , which were quite capable of breaking through walls. Numerous wounds dripped blood, literally cauterized by the lightning, and the remnants of the red liquid didn't prevent his electrified hair from rising slightly as he exerted his power.
- Thor?
Both voices rang out simultaneously. Hearing his name, the thunder god looked back and smiled contentedly, yet bloodthirstily.
- Yes, it's me, my friends.
" You mean all of them?" Tony surveyed the obvious carnage that had taken place here.
- Yes, they knocked me down and tried to stab me, and they would have succeeded if I hadn't shown my strength.
Alex had already approached to treat his wounds, but the thunder god stopped him.
- I want to return home like this.
- No problem, I'll just check to make sure there are no particularly dangerous injuries that will cause you to die within a day.
He didn't refuse such a thing, but returning from the battle victorious and covered in blood was an honor in Asgard , and he wanted to show everyone who doubted him that even without the hammer he posed a serious threat.
Having finished their inspection, the trio went out into the open space and looked down as many of those who had recently attacked them were now running in fear.
The god, heated up by the battle, even had to be stopped so that he would not rush into battle; first they had to return home, and there was a possibility that their entire journey would have been in vain.
- HEIMDAL.
A second, two, three, and then a beam of light engulfed them all.