Mummy Evolution-Chapter 8: The Encounter

The sword swung towards Sett but he deftly avoided it, but the enemy didn't stop, coming with another swing at him.

Sett gritted his teeth and stopped moving back out of nowhere, then ran and rammed into the High Guardian. It briefly fumbled, its sword slipping. Sett used the chance to insert his foot in between the creature's legs, and this time, it truly fell.

He quickly grabbed the sword and, as Zainah watched uncomprehendingly, slashed the sword down towards the Guardian. But it was useless—the armor clinked, but the mummy was unharmed underneath. It even growled.

Sett didn't waste a second as the creature began rising, he cut both of its eyes using the rusty blade. His movements were especially on point, and that removed both of the creature's eyes. It roared.

"Run!" he shouted again and with the sword in hand, ran out.

Zainah was dazed but a slap on her naked butt as he passed by woke her up. She ran behind him, face red with anxiety. She didn't even think about the mummy who slapped her butt.

Turning a corner in the Tomb, Sett's face changed.

An array of small holes opened up in the sides of the Tomb and arrows rained down on him. In his panicked run, he had forgotten to check for traps. It was not inexperience, but a mistake. He cursed himself for being useless and could only use his arms and the rusty sword to shield his head.

The arrows sprang onto him.

Ting.

Most of them didn't even leave a mark but some especially sharp ones pierced his shoulder and belly, but thankfully, he didn't have any sense of pain. Sett growled and ran forward without a word, Zainah hesitantly following.

"There will not be any more traps around this area," Sett said. "I've seen this design before. In the next curved area we find, we will have another trap, though."

"Is that thing going to follow us?" Zainah asked. "Did you blind it?"

"Yeah it's blind now," he said, grim. "But not for long. Guardians can heal by being within their Tomb—the Tomb heals them. With how many Tomb Hearts that thing has, it will be healed in a few hours. And most probably, yeah the thing will follow us by tracing the moisture we leave in the air."

"Aren't you strong, can't you kill it?"

Zainah bit her neatly trimmed nails—they hadn't been in the Tomb long enough to be dirty. Unlike Sett.

"I wish. But no. I tried just in case earlier but its armor alone is too strong to get rid of easily." He shook his head. "Even if I get its armor off, it still can't be hurt. It has an incredibly powerful body, much stronger than my own, and only something of nearly equal strength can hurt it."

"What will we do if it catches up?" Zainah asked, not knowing that she had started relying on a mummy subconsciously.

Sett looked at her and rolled his eyes. "We have to grow stronger before it catches up with us, of course. There is supposed to be nine Tomb Hearts in this place. That thing has six, I have one, so two more remains. If I have at least 3 Tomb Hearts, I won't be so easy for it to kill."

Just as he was talking, Sett's eyes lit up. He showed a hushing motion to Zainah and she also grew silent—to Sett, his pompous, royal, and pampered little Zainah looked like a humble stray cat.

"What?" she asked softly.

"Listen carefully, Zain," he said, closing his eyes.

She followed suit.

"...his damn mold will suffocate me. Damn do I hate spiders."

"Yeah man, I hate Tombs. Those prostitutes are all dead, too."

"Don't drop that torch, Idiot. Talk all the talk you want to talk, but walk with eyes ahead."

Zainah said, eyes twinkling: "Two men, one has a heavy voice so a bigger body. One seems like a smaller person but the smaller person is holding a torch in hand. From how confident they are while being in a Tomb, they are obviously not weak people."

"And?" Sett asked, staring at her.

"They spoke about prostitutes dying so heartlessly, so obviously—" Her eyes grew cold. "They are bastards. To think they even brought helpless women into this place. They deserve to die."

"Good."

He smiled and showed her a hand, now filled with bandages he had picked up from somewhere along the way. Sett hadn't been running willy nilly—he wouldn't have become a Pharaoh if he did things willy nilly. He smirked, then his figure vanished into the shadows.

Sett, hidden in the corner, observed the two men who were rounding a corner while coming his way.

Zainah was right. One of them was a tall, buff man while the other was a weak, small man. The smaller one had a torch in hand while the bigger one walked with a sword in the front. Both of them were in armor, and both of them looked like rough men from the streets.

As Sett analyzed them, though, he received a shock.

Panels, transparent, appeared above them and he read what was written on them.

—

[Name: Big Man]

[External Life Paths]

• [Tomb Raider]

D-Tier (T1)—

"Low" Tomb Raider.

(Progress: 100/100)

Total Tomb Hearts: 2.

—

Sett frowned. This was a Tomb Raider who had absorbed two Tomb Hearts. He was no longer a simple Tier 1 "Low" Tomb Raider, but a "Low" Tomb Raider who was on the cusp of breaking through into becoming a "Mid" Tier 1.

In total, for a Tier 1 Tomb Raider to become the strongest version of themselves—without becoming Tier 2—they had to absorb 9 Tomb Hearts. Every two Tomb Hearts they absorbed will make them go through a sub-level worth of evolution.

One Tomb Heart means they are a beginner Tier 1 "Low" level being, two Tomb Hearts means they are a peak Tier 1 "Low" level being. If they can get the third Tomb Heart, they will become beginner Tier 1 "Mid" level being.

Until they get 9 Tomb Hearts and reach Tier 1's extreme limit—Tier 1 "Sacred."

If the Big Man absorbed another Tomb Heart, he would most probably reach the Mid rank and become a Tier 1, "Medium" Tomb Raider. That was quite a bit stronger than the current Sett himself.

Sett's gaze moved to the smaller man, and he frowned.

One of his assumptions were wrong—the Big Man was not the leader of the party, the Small Man was. As, obviously, he was much stronger. And way, way more talented.

—

[Name: Small Man]

[External Life Paths]

• [Tomb Raider]

D-Tier (T1)—

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"Mid" Tomb Raider.

(Progress: 50/100)

Total Tomb Hearts: 3.

• [Axiom Holder]

Axiom of War Calling.

[Abilities]

[1. Zealous Allies]

(Progress: None)

—

To make an Axiom grow stronger, one must have a bigger territory. If a normal person with an Axiom became a city lord and then embedded their mind into their territory, they will grow stronger—becoming a Tier 2 Axiom Holder.

If the city lord then became the lord of more than 10 cities, he will grow stronger again. Until, eventually, they reach the pinnacle—and become a Pharaoh.

This guy, the Small Man, hadn't got any territory under him yet or he wouldn't be this weak. But he was Royalty. Most probably from a distant bloodline since he looked quite small and weak, which was rare in the Royalty.

Yet, this guy was an absolute talent.

Sett knew that.

It was a rare sight to see someone who was both a Tomb Raider and an Axiom Holder. Even Zainah wasn't capable of that, and she was considered one of the most important figures of the world in her time. Of course, that was in part due to her being his beloved.

Sett moved in the shadows.

Even though Sett learned that this guy was of his own blood, he didn't bat an eye. He took a rock from the ground, and got ready.

Mummies could grow stronger by killing humans after all—and he truly did want to try that. He was in desperate need of strength and was not the type to say no to free meals.

If he could kill them both and steal their Tomb Hearts, he would immediately become much, much stronger after all!