Darcos’s eyes held Jason in a cold embrace.
“Do wish for death, Jason Blake?” Darcos paused, “You come before me, chained and begging for the edge of my dagger.”

Jason scowled and stood his ground.

“You and I are very alike,” Darcos angled his head slightly, “both young and unnaturally talented, sons of fathers lost. We see the truth in all things. Jason, you can not stop this, it has been foretold, I will grasp the power of humanity-the power of the pharaohs crypt. Every generation from my lineage will rule this world.”

Jason tried to slide his hands out of the handcuffs unsuccessfully, “Darcos, you don’t have to do this, you were meant to do greater things. I now understand the truth you speak of. The people of all cultures met far before we believed. That is why the writings were mixed on the template. Greek, Latin, and Egyptian-they supposedly never met. Then the Indians-they didn’t disappear, they conjoined. Some sort of collective was binding these world powers. That is what you seek.”

Jason frowned, “But the immense power of the crypt. That is too much for any man to have. Even you Darcos.”
Darcos’s face grew dark.
“Then you will never see my eternal kingdom!”
Darcos yanked his dagger out of his belt. Upraised in his hand, it hummed to life and a circuit on the razor sharp side crackled with electricity.
Jason whirled around as Darcos slashed down. The dagger sliced with a clang through the metal handcuffs and jolted Jason with electricity. Jason continued his momentum and whirled around again with his fist clenched. The right hook hammered into Darcos’s face and he stumbled backwards, holding his head.

Jason took the advantage and aggressively continued his barrage, punching the air out of Darcos’s stomach while he grunted in pain. Jason roared and let out a ferocious lash with his right knee that crashed into Darcos’s forehead.

Darcos held his bleeding scalp and then raised up his hands, one at his head, one at his stomach, to ward off attacks. Jason tried a strong left leg round-house kick but Darcos just swatted it away.

“I am superior!”

Darcos slammed his palm into a small portion of Jason’s thigh. Jason gasped and his leg was phased. Then Darcos swiped a lethal palm strike that shattered into Jason’s jaw. Jason raised his hand to his face to defend and Darcos crunched his fist into Jason’s rib. He doubled over in pain and then stumbled up, half-blinded. In a flash of lightning, Darcos did a horizontal-slashing chop to Jason’s neck, pressing a vein. Suddenly his vision went blurry and he fell to his knee.

Darcos smiled and sent a vicious kick to Jason’s face. Jason sprawled onto the limestone floor with a thud, blood pounding in his ears.

“Jason,” Darcos spit some blood on the ground, “I still believe we are very similar, you could have been better than me. I truly would have loved to be partners with you.” Darcos suddenly kicked brutally at Jason’s chest, “But you chose, and these are the consequences.”

Jason squinted through bruised eyes up at Darcos’s cruel, dispassionate face. Then Jason looked past him on the edge of the platform-there, surrounded by glittering treasure, was the Staff of Moses, the Scepter of Pharaohs, the one thing Darcos wanted. Jason had to get to it somehow.

Above him, Darcos turned and snatched his electrically charged dagger from the ground. He drew it into the air and bloody murder seemed to ring in Jason’s ears.

The earth rumbled and shook. Darcos fought to keep his balance as the entire pyramid thundered. Jason looked into the distance and saw opposite of Cairo a sheet of water roared and rampaged toward them, flooding the landscape.

It was the water of the Nile, rushing towards them. Jason stared in awe for a moment at the natural power and destruction. He pushed onto his feet and unsteadily limped to the Staff of Moses. The ground quaked beneath him as Darcos realized what he was doing. Darcos took three big steps and then leapt onto Jason’s back. Jason heard the whirring of Darcos’s blade inches from his neck. His hand shot out and he grabbed the handle of the dagger, struggling to keep it from his neck.

Darcos grunted with effort and grasped the dagger tightly.

“I will make sure your body rots on this very spot!” Darcos muttered through clenched teeth.

“No pillow?”

Jason elbowed Darcos in the face sharply and there was a sickly cricking noise. He howled in pain and loosened his grasp.

That was all Jason needed. He slid forward and grabbed the Staff of Moses. It was made of a simple, softly carved oak, he could feet every crevice running through the side. However, most powerful was the energy that radiated from the top of the staff. It seemed to illuminate the world and dazzle within his eyes. Jason pulled up on one knee and peered at the top. The wood held a emblem, a design… something. It resembled… it resembled the heart symbolized in Jesus in pictures.

“No!” Darcos roared as he forced himself up and staggered to Jason. Water rushed in Jason’s ears and he realized it would reach them in seconds. Suddenly he threw a startled look down to see what Clare and Mr. Drake were doing. He could see small dots racing near the outskirts of the pyramid. Right behind them was the black ants of all Darcos’s soldiers.

Thud! Darcos was upon him seizing the Staff. Jason fell backwards to the very edge of the platform. His head hung over the steep pyramid.

“Raaarrrrr!” Darcos yelled.

Jason pulled with all his might and yanked away the Staff. Without a thought, he threw it to the waves washing toward them. Darcos looked up in surprise.

“No…No! Aghhhh!” Darcos ran and hurled himself over the edge. Jason watched in shock as Darcos soared to the Staff as it plunged into the crashing waves.

Jason stood up and looked over the edge. The waves did not reach up to him, they just cascaded against the pyramid. He heard a low-pitched scream and saw Darcos smashed against the edge of the pyramid so hard a rock broke off. The Staff sank deep under the water and Darcos tumbled with it. He disappeared from view and into the depths of the Nile.