"The Pharaoh's Vault" - Horangi

The sand burned his skin, the wind polished his face until it bled. But Horangi, wrapped in a cloak, walked. He was no longer a mercenary, not a fighter - now he was an adventurer. Although the truth was prosaic: he was running. From debts, from creditors, from threats. He ran from his country like a coward, but in his heart there lived a spark - if he was going to fall, then fall beautifully.

Rumors had led him here, to the heart of the desert. Somewhere among the dunes and rifts, there lay a forgotten vault filled with gold, relics, and the treasures of the age. It was said that before Europe wrote its first chronicles, gods had been buried here. And what lay beneath the sand could pay not only Horanga's debts, but also buy an entire continent.

He walked for three days. He ran out of food. He had only a sip of water. At night the sand froze, during the day it charred his breath. But he walked. His steps rushed until finally he saw something else - a column stubbornly sticking out of the ground, eaten away by time. And next to it - a well, surrounded by ruined statues with faces erased by eyelids. His heart began to beat faster

The sand around the well was loose. Horangi started digging with his hands, feet, then just tore the earth with his fingers. When he fell through, he didn't immediately realize he was falling. As soon as he felt it, everything became quieter. He landed hard, dust rose.

There was a door down there. Blackened with time, with symbols that something inside him recognized, though he didn't understand. It gave way easily. It smelled of metal and ancient oils inside.

The walls are decorated with frescoes depicting scenes of sacrifices, majestic processions, the rise and fall of kingdoms. In the center are two massive chests. Emeralds. Chains. Everything glittered.

But in the far corner stood a sarcophagus. Massive. It was carved from black stone, with gold inserts. And with a coat of arms that looked like an eye surrounded by snakes. The sand stirred. No, it wasn't sand.

The sarcophagus made a sound like breathing. Then a click. The stone that shouldn't have moved split in two. Dust rose into the air, but didn't hide the silhouette that was rising from within.

*You. Pharaoh... or pharaohess.