The storm finally broke at dawn—violent, sudden, the sky splitting open with thunder that rolled like war drums across the Nile. Rain hammered the village rooftops in thick sheets, turning dust paths into slick mud rivers within minutes. Lightning forked white against black clouds, illuminating the river in stark flashes: swollen, angry, carrying uprooted reeds and the occasional bloated carcass downstream.
Kael-Ankh stood at the edge of Merit's compound, linen kilt soaked through, bare feet planted in the mud. The scarab amulet burned hot against his chest; the lotus pendant from Neith felt heavier, as though it absorbed the storm's fury. He could feel the Red Brotherhood approaching before he saw them—Set's taint riding the wind like bitter smoke.
Ptahhotep appeared beside him, leopard-skin shawl dripping, face grim.
"They come by boat. Three reed skiffs. Nekht leads. He will demand tribute—grain, livestock, young men for 'service.' Refusal means fire or blood rite."
Kael's voice was steady. "Then we refuse."
The elder gripped his arm. "You are Awakened Ka now. But Nekht is no mere thug. He carries Set's favor—chaos heka that twists order into ruin. Be ready."
The skiffs appeared around the river bend: narrow, black-painted, prows carved with snarling Set-animal heads (the sha beast—long snout, upright ears, forked tail). Red banners snapped in the wind, emblazoned with the black-flame encircled eye.
At the bow of the lead boat stood Nekht.
He was tall, lean to the point of skeletal, skin the color of scorched clay. His head was shaved except for a single sidelock braided with red beads. He wore a kilt of leopard hide dyed crimson, a broad collar of black obsidian and carnelian, and a pectoral amulet shaped like Set's was-scepter crossed with a coiled serpent. His eyes were lined with kohl so thick it looked like war paint; one pupil was unnaturally dilated, as though permanently dilated by some inner darkness.
He raised a staff topped with a forked red lightning bolt.
The boats grounded on the muddy bank. Ten men disembarked—hard-faced, scarred, wearing red armbands and carrying bronze-tipped spears and short khopesh blades. They fanned out in a loose semicircle, rain streaming off their shoulders.
Nekht stepped forward, boots sinking into the mud without hesitation.
"People of this wretched bend of the Nile," he called, voice cutting through the downpour like a blade. "I am Nekht, Mouth of the Red One, Herald of True Freedom. The gods of order have fattened on your labor long enough. Set offers release. Give us half your grain stores, three strong youths for the Brotherhood, and one fertile woman to bear warriors of chaos. Do this and live. Refuse, and we feed your fields with your own blood."
Silence answered—only the drumming rain and distant thunder.
Kael stepped forward, villagers parting around him. Senet, Meret, and Nefertari stood among them, eyes fierce. Ptahhotep flanked him on one side.
Kael's voice carried clear despite the storm.
"You ask for what is not yours. This village belongs to Ma'at. Leave now, or face what happens when chaos meets awakened order."
Nekht's dilated eye fixed on him. A slow, cold smile spread across his face.
"The stranger from two worlds. The one who plays with shadows and sunbeams. Set has whispered your name. You reek of foreign light."
He lifted his staff. Red lightning crackled along its length.
"You think you can stand against the storm?"
Kael felt the fragments stir—Scarab burning, Anubis watching, Taweret snarling at the threshold of violence, Thoth's quill poised to record the outcome.
He raised his right hand.
Thoth's Analytical Glance (16 Heka spent) → 164/200 remaining
Time seemed to slow. Golden lines of insight overlaid Nekht's form: weak points in his stance (left knee slightly bent from an old injury), chaotic heka flows swirling around the staff (unstable, prone to backlash if disrupted), a faint black-red aura leaking from the pectoral amulet (primary conduit for Set's power).
Kael smiled thinly.
"Your storm is loud. But it has cracks."
He spoke three words—calm, precise, carrying Thoth's clarity:
"Djehuty em sesh, kheper em Ma'at."
Thoth's historical rituals had been meticulous: the god of wisdom was invoked through exact measurements, sacred geometry, written spells recited in perfect rhythm, offerings of ink and fresh papyrus. Scribes fasted before important writings; libraries were kept silent except for the scratch of reeds. Knowledge was holy—disrupting it invited divine retribution.
Kael channeled that precision now.
A beam of pale silver light lanced from his palm, striking the red lightning on Nekht's staff. The chaotic energy recoiled—backlash rippling up the wood. Nekht snarled, staggering as his own power turned against him.
The villagers gasped.
Kael pressed forward.
Sistrum's Call (14 Heka) → 150/200
He shook an imaginary rattle—Bastet's joy weaponized. A sonic wave rolled outward: bright, fierce, disorienting. The Red Brotherhood men clutched their ears; several dropped spears.
New Fragment Resonance Surge
Thoth's Quill of Insight: 9% → 28% (combat application + ritual precision)
Then something new answered—deep, ancient, sky-shaking.
A roar—not thunder—echoed inside Kael's Ka.
Wings of storm and starlight unfurled in his mind.
System Notification – Mythos Fragment Acquisition
New Fragment Acquired: Sylphera the Skydragon
Type: Aerial Dominion / Storm Sovereignty
Grade: Legendary (transient offering from celestial netjeru during storm confrontation)
Effects (Initial):
• Passive: +25% resistance to wind/storm/chaos atmospheric effects
• Active Invocation Unlock: Skydragon's Roar
• Cost: 32 Heka
• Effect: Summon localized wind blast (15-cubit cone) that knocks back enemies & disrupts chaotic heka (dispels minor curses, scatters shadow constructs)
• Duration: Instant
• Flavor Text: The dragon of the upper air remembers when the sky was hers alone. Resonance Level: 7% (grows through aerial combat, storm survival, or acts of unchained freedom within order)
Kael roared—voice amplified by the fragment.
Wind howled from his outstretched hands, slamming into the Red Brotherhood. Men flew backward into the mud; skiffs rocked violently.
Nekht staggered but held ground, staff planted.
"You dare wield storm against Set's chosen?"
Kael advanced through the gale.
"I wield what is needed."
Dawn Renewal (12 Heka) → 138/200
Sunlight broke through a sudden rift in the clouds—golden, fierce. Kael's bruises vanished entirely; energy surged.
Nekht snarled, raising his pectoral amulet.
A black-red serpent uncoiled from the stone—Apophis fragment.
But before it could strike—
Isis's Gentle Restoration (fragment offering)
Cool blue-green light washed over Kael.
New Fragment Acquired: Isis's Veil of Mending
Type: Healing / Magic Mastery / Resurrection
Grade: Major (offered in direct opposition to Set's chaos)
Effects (Initial):
• Passive: +30% healing received & self-regeneration in combat
• Active Invocation Unlock: Isis's Binding Knot
• Cost: 20 Heka
• Effect: Heal moderate wounds on self or ally (closes cuts, mends fractures, removes minor curses) OR bind chaotic entity (restricts movement 10 seconds)
• Flavor Text: She who healed Osiris now heals the living. Knots bind chaos as surely as they bind life. Resonance Level: 15% (grows through healing, protection of the innocent, or acts of cunning love)
Kael wove the blue-green light into a shimmering net—Isis's knot—snaring the serpent mid-strike. It thrashed, then dissolved in smoke.
Nekht staggered, clutching his chest.
"This is not over," he spat. "The Red One sees you now."
He signaled retreat. The surviving cultists scrambled back to the skiffs, poling frantically upstream.
Silence fell—only rain and panting breaths.
Villagers cheered—raw, triumphant.
Senet, Meret, and Nefertari rushed forward.
Senet threw her arms around Kael's neck, laughing through tears.
Meret punched his shoulder—playful, proud.
Nefertari pressed close, whispering against his ear: "You burned bright. Remember that when the next storm comes."
Kael held them all for a moment—three fierce, beautiful women who had chosen to stand with him.
Harem Resonance Update
Senet: 42% → 58%
Meret: 31% → 49%
Nefertari: 47% → 62% (remains outside formal bond; future potential high)
Heka Capacity: 138/200 → 180/200 (victory overflow + fragment synergy)
Ptahhotep approached, eyes shining.
"You turned chaos back with order. The gods take note."
Kael looked upstream where the skiffs had vanished into rain.
Nekht would return.
But now Kael was no longer alone.
He had fragments of sky-dragon fury, Isis's healing touch, Thoth's unerring insight.
And three women who saw him clearly.
The storm began to clear.
Sunlight broke through wider gaps.
Kael-Ankh smiled into the emerging light.
Let them come again.
He was ready.