Snacks From the Butler's Pantry

A whisper woke me, and a shadowy hand helped pull me upright. My joints cracked as I stretched, and stiffly unwound my wrappings. I stumbled along the cold stone floor after my companion, still groggy from sleep. Her sleek body darted back and forth ahead of me, seeing easily in the darkness. Bast. I recognized the smell of her perfume, still fresh after all these years. I followed without hesitation. I understood her haste, as the groans and shuffles echoed down the corridors all around us. They were coming closer. We came around a corner, and found ourselves face to face with them. Rotten and decaying corpses, animated by their jealousy and hunger for our warmth. They came from every angle, scratching and biting at us in the darkness. Bast flattened herself against my back, hissing.

Still weak and groggy, I gathered myself, then ignited the air around us into a tight ring of flames. It burned brightly, illuminating the mutilated faces of our attackers. I held it for only a second before it exploded outward, sending the ghouls flying away from us, and knocking them to the floor. We hurried over their burning bodies, as they grabbed at our ankles with their bony fingers. The survivors chased us through the hallways. We ran for safety, following a faint light and the sound of rushing water. Light poured from an opening ahead of us, and we jumped, crashing into the river far below.

The swift current carried us down the Nile, away from our pursuers. I turned on my back for a moment, to float and let the familiar desert sun warm my face. Then, with a thought, I froze the water beneath myself into a small raft made of ice. I steadied myself, then helped pull my floundering companion from the rushing water. Annoyed, Bast shook the water from her fur and moved closer to me. I smiled to myself, remembering her aversion to water.

We skimmed past the shore, watching the canyon fall away to reveal the sun bleached sand beyond. Ahead, a glint of gold caught my eye. Hulking forms moved mechanically down the shore. Shaped to look like men, their bodies were sheathed entirely in polished gold, brought to life by clockwork engineering. When Bast saw them, she bared her sharp teeth in a grin.

There were thousands of them lining the base of the temple. I steered our raft to the shore, where it crashed into the bank, shattering from the impact. My companion wasted no time, and leapt into the wall of stoic gold giants with glee. They moved surprisingly fast for their size, but even their flawless engineering was no match for her. She danced between them like a whirlwind. She whipped her sistrum-topped spear around herself in a frenzy, each strike clanging against the hollow metal like a bell. The butt of her spear crushed the thick gold like it was paper, and her sharp claws tore it to ribbons. She cleared a path for us through sea of animated gold, while I moved steadily towards the center of the temple.

Confident laughter drifted from above me, as I climbed the steps. I glanced behind me, to see the golem army crowding in around Bast, below. There were thousands of them, a seemingly unstoppable force. This arrogant fool thought his toys stood a chance against Bastet of Bubastis? Standing on the highest terrace, the mortal king who dared to name himself a god waited for me. I sauntered up the stairs, slowly and patiently. The man was about to find out what a real god was capable of.