Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018) Movie Script
1
[woman singing
in foreign language]
[storyteller]
In Ancient Egypt,
before the time
of the Pharaohs,
legend tells of King Memtep,
who made a covenant with Anubis,
Lord of the Underworld,
to create a cursed sword
so powerful
that whoever possessed it
could rule the world.
Fueled by taking the souls
of its enemies,
the sword was forged
in the fires of hell
by the Lord of the Underworld,
who gave this sword
his very name,
The Fang of Anubis.
The names of those slain
by the sword
were forever etched
in the Book of Souls,
where they remained imprisoned
for all eternity,
condemned to
never-ending darkness.
But if evil can be so easily
created in a fiery forge,
then surely there must be a
way to destroy the sword
and release the souls.
[roaring]
[crumbling]
[bird squawking]
These hieroglyphs
are ancient.
- It looks like they are from...
- The Mesopotamia.
Sumerian.
What do they say,
Priestess?
[bird chirping]
[panting]
[shrieks]
[panting]
Here lies
the treasure you seek.
King Memtep?
Before you plunder the
antiquities of this tomb,
you must know unleashing
this evil that once was
will come with a great price.
Power is not given,
Priestess.
It must be taken.
[cement block scraping]
[gasps]
The Fang of Anubis,
forgotten to time.
But the ages have not dulled
your cutting edge, have they?
[howling noise]
[growling]
[storyteller]
Nebserek went forth,
sweeping across
the barren lands
with the Fang of Anubis
at his command.
Driven by its dark magic,
he conquered his enemies and
raised a powerful jackal army,
proclaiming himself
their God-King.
[Nebserek]
We will cleanse this land!
With death, and fire!
[storyteller] But one enemy
eluded him, the last Akkadian,
the sole heir
to the great free tribe,
who destroyed his people
in a war waged long ago.
Branded by vengeance,
Nebserek became obsessed
with finding his enemy.
Have your bird find the
Scorpion King, Priestess.
[Priestess] The gods will grant
you your vengeance in time.
The time for vengeance is now.
Send the bird.
[storyteller]
But some sleeping giants
are better left
to their slumber.
It's beautiful.
No, it's strong.
That's what counts.
With this, you can harvest
the winter wheat,
reap the summer grain, feed
your family and livestock.
Not much left in this world
you can put your faith in,
but forged metal pounded
into shape,
this you can trust.
When will you
make a sword?
Done with swords.
I could learn to use one
to become a great warrior.
Abel?
Listen to me, Abel.
Being a warrior
is not what you think.
Swinging a sword in war
is a hard burden to bear.
No priests or gods can save you
from the savagery of battle.
Understand?
Abel!
Go to your father.
[horse whinnies]
[man shouting]
[bird shrieks]
[man shouting]
[shouting continues]
Come on!
[horses whinnying]
[men shouting]
[shouting continues]
[tribe people screaming]
I seek the Scorpion King.
We have no king here.
He calls himself Mathayus.
We know of no such man.
Burn it to the ground
and find him.
Please!
We're just farm...
Kill him first.
[laughing]
No! No!
Please!
[panting]
[clamoring]
On your knees,
insect!
Where is Mathayus?
Here I am.
[chuckles]
[shouting]
[groans]
[groans]
No! Come back!
Come back!
No! No!
Got you!
[woman screaming]
No!
[woman] Please.
Let the boy go.
Not one more step.
All right.
Spare the boy, take me.
I'll take both.
No! No!
No! No.
Abel.
Abel.
[giggling]
[horse whinnies]
[men shouting]
[horse whinnies]
[groans]
[chanting
in foreign language]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[waves crashing]
[tapping]
Here. Drink this.
What is it?
A medicinal tonic mixed
with Lithops for pain.
You're welcome.
You need food.
[cheering]
[chanting] Fight! Fight!
The Scorpion King escaped.
Bend your knee
when you speak to me.
- Escaped?
- Yes.
He had help, my God-King.
I need his soul.
You have the...
- [chokes]
- No.
Only when I plunge
this blade into his heart
will I have my vengeance.
Find me this Akkadian!
Cover yourself.
Where'd you dig that up?
Burial mound.
The man who wore it
did not need it anymore.
I am Tala,
warrior of Nubia.
What do you want from me?
A legendary king
to come back to life.
I'm just a blacksmith.
Blacksmith?
That is your story?
How did a legendary
Scorpion King,
last of the Akkadians,
demigod,
become a blacksmith?
Civilization became
too uncivilized for me.
I have searched for you
for a long time.
Your name inspires.
It is a rallying cry.
My people need a hero
to bring peace,
a warrior hero.
Like I said...
you got the wrong guy.
My father was Balthazar,
King of Nubia.
Balthazar?
He lived well...
but not long enough.
Sorry he's gone.
My father told me that you
two had a great bond,
that if Nubia
ever needed an ally,
the Scorpion King would ride
from the east with his armies
and fight with us.
I have no army.
You have your strength,
and you have me.
A princess?
A warrior.
Do you know Nebserek,
the War Lord,
sweeps across Egypt
with his hordes
enslaving, burning?
He wields a cursed sword,
the Fang of Anubis.
No one can stand against
him while he possesses it.
But legend tells of a way
to defeat the sword.
The secret is contained
in the Book of Souls.
It is a hidden text,
and I know where to find it.
Sounds like a bedtime story.
Nebserek marches on Nubia,
on my people.
With the Book of Souls,
we can stop him.
You're on a quest?
Yes.
Good luck.
You are coming with me!
I don't quest.
Why?
They're always a thousand times
more difficult than you think,
and someone
won't make it back alive.
The jackal...
is Nebserek's symbol.
We share the same enemy.
Help me find
the Book of Souls,
and I will help you
kill the owner of the dagger.
I'll take both.
No!
You were born a warrior.
It is your fate to fight
for those less fortunate souls.
Stand or fall,
I will fight by your side.
I implore you,
remember who you are.
[bird squawks]
[woman] This man you
seek, the Scorpion King,
travels with a Nubian.
[chirping]
And they are close.
Close to what?
Legend tells
of a gateway
in the Valley
of the 13th Moon,
where it is said
the Book of Souls rests,
hidden away
from all mankind.
He who possesses
the Book of Souls
has the power to destroy
the Fang of Anubis.
These sands have been searched
by many hands for many years.
Searched, yes, but not
by the Scorpion King.
[squawking]
[squawking]
[Mathayus]
We should go around.
The Valley of the 13th Moon
is a half day's ride away.
Going around
is a day out of our way.
- You don't wanna go in there.
- I must.
- We can't be late.
- Late for what?
The final day
of this lunar cycle.
The moon can wait.
I've waited 36 moons
for this rising.
Ha! Ha!
Why are we stopping here,
blacksmith?
[whinnies]
- Put your weapons down.
- There's nobody here.
Yes, there is.
Drop your weapons, now.
Forgive her!
She can't see!
Who are you talking to?
The Black Arrows.
They weren't trying to hit us.
If they were, we'd be dead.
[chuckling]
[tribe chattering, singing]
Told you
we should've gone around.
You trespass on
our sacred lands,
and for this you must die.
We meant no insult.
The territory is marked.
You chose to ignore
the warning.
How did woman,
very beautiful woman,
fall in with hard man
like this, hmm?
Tell me, hmm?
He's my father's blacksmith.
A blacksmith
and a breeder.
[all laughing]
He likes you.
Can you cook? Cook?
Can you cook? Hmm?
I'm a Nubian warrior...
Yes, I can cook.
I will give you
two wild pigs
and five amphoras of
pomegranate wine for her. Huh?
- Yeah?
- Five wild pigs and ten amphoras.
Oh, no, no, no!
I thought you were
going to kill him.
Oh, I am.
[laughs]
But after I do, I will
take you for my own, hmm?
Feed him to the wastelands.
We will drink to his death
with my wine, huh? Huh? No?
I'm not for sale.
And I'm not a breeder.
[chieftain laughing]
Uruk!
[speaking in foreign language]
[continues
in foreign language]
The Shaman says you are
from the Land of the East.
The Scorpion King
is what you are called, eh?
Just a blacksmith.
Aye, this is what I said.
That you are very small
to be such legendary warrior.
So how do you want it?
I can split your skulls
with an ax
and stick them on a spike.
You can burn on a pyre.
Or I can lash you
to a stump
and let the vultures
and insects have you.
What is your name,
warrior?
I am Uruk, son of Kali,
leader of the Black Arrows
and People of the Sand.
Chieftain Uruk...
your people are hunters,
are they not?
Mmm.
So give me the same chance
to live as any beast.
You are not a beast.
You are a man.
Yes.
I bleed red like you.
And like you, I'd rather die
on my feet than my knees.
I will only send four men
to kill you.
Better make it five.
When this hunt is done,
and I'm still alive,
you let me keep the girl
and we ride free.
Agreed.
[horn bellows]
[men shouting]
What did I tell you
about quests?
When you reach that
arrow, we will hunt you.
Run fast, blacksmith,
or your death will be slow.
[chuckling]
[chieftain] Run!
[men shouting]
[thunder rumbling]
Ah!
[thunder rumbling]
Uruk!
[groans]
Drop it!
Drop it!
You are a worthy adversary,
Akkadian.
You could have killed me
and my men,
as we would have surely killed you, hmm?
[chuckles]
But you chose mercy.
There will be no mercy for those
who have not shown mercy.
Five pigs and some wine?
That's all I fetch
in your simple mind?
You've never tasted
pomegranate wine.
[horse whinnies]
- Ha!
- Hyah!
[squawks]
[men shouting]
There it is,
the Valley of the 13th Moon.
[Mathayus] Tell me about
the Book of Souls.
It is said to be guarded
by the Temple of Scrolls.
It can only be entered
on the eve of the Blue Moon.
Once every three years
on the lunar cycle.
That is tonight.
How do you know all this?
My family has been
the guardian of this book
since before the Pharaohs,
passing it down
from generation to generation.
No one's been there
or seen this book
because they've never
needed it until now.
Before he passed,
my father entrusted me
with this guardianship.
As fate would have it,
he didn't have time
to tell me much about the book.
And you're sure
it's down there?
The prophecy says it is.
So, we're just going to ride down
there, walk through front the door,
and they're going to
give you this book?
It's not exactly a door.
It's more of a gateway.
[Mathayus] Doesn't look like
a Temple of Scrolls to me.
[Tala]
It's in ancient writing.
"The one that
repeats its form."
Sumerian.
Not so different than the
language I learned as a boy.
[Tala] The moon repeats
its form every 30 days.
The Blue Moon repeats its form
every three years
after the summer solstice.
We've found it.
We found a stone gateway
in the middle of nowhere...
leading to nothing.
We must hurry,
it's almost nightfall.
We can't miss the moonrise.
What does your scroll say?
"After you pass
the moonstone threshold,
take four hundred paces
just east of north."
This way!
What now?
Don't rush me. It's my
first time doing this.
Moon's rising.
Let's do this, blacksmith.
The lenses must align
with a cipher.
A combination.
- What is it?
- I'm looking.
"The one
that repeats its form."
That's the cipher!
"The one that repeats
its form."
That's what's written
on the gateway.
Let's go.
It won't stay open for long.
What is that?
Quicksilver.
Nature's guard against evil.
I hate quests.
Blacksmith.
This way.
Tell me you know what this
magic book looks like.
It could be a scroll on vellum,
written in codex form...
perhaps a tome.
Maybe a papyrus book
scribbled in burnt bones.
So, you're saying
you have no idea, right?
Yes, that is
what I'm saying.
[growling]
Kill intruder!
Ah!
Ouch!
No fair!
Ah!
[groaning]
[woman] Enkidu! Enough!
These people opened the
portal with a lunar scroll.
- They are not our foe.
- They are armed!
One of them attacked me
unfairly from behind.
I am sure
they meant no harm.
I am Tala, daughter of
Balthazar, warrior of Nubia.
We have come
for the Book of Souls.
Have you?
And you've brought a brute?
A barbarian?
You're Akkadian.
What is that thing?
[growls]
I'm not a thing!
- A golem.
- Stupid human!
Enkidu is formed from clay,
brought to life by magic.
My father made him
to be my protector.
I have the strength
of ten men.
Maybe 20. [growls]
[laughs]
I bet you wouldn't sell her for five
pigs and some pomegranate wine.
Barbarian.
[chuckling]
Pretty human.
So you've come
for the Book of Souls?
[Tala] Yes.
My people are in peril.
We need it
to vanquish a warlord
who leads his army
across Egypt.
He carries a cursed sword.
None can stand against it.
I have nothing on how
to defeat a cursed sword.
But the legend says
the book is here.
You must help us.
We are running out of time.
I'm sorry.
There is nothing here
for you.
The book is here.
I have many scrolls,
Akkadian.
Some codices...
some tomes.
I have read them all,
committed them to memory...
but I have not a single book.
Tala, what does your scroll
say about this Book of Souls?
The scroll says,
"The Book of Souls is written
on vellum of alabaster.
The body of its forbidden
text is uncovered
in the blue light
of the moon."
"Vellum of alabaster.
The body of its forbidden text
is uncovered
only in the blue light
of the moon."
- [roars]
- Enkidu!
No.
It's... you.
[Tala]
You are the Book of Souls.
The moonlight reveals
the text?
Yes.
It is revealed
on the third moon
in a season of four moons.
Seven times
in the 19-year Metonic cycle.
What's written here?
Names of souls
taken by a sword forced
in the Underworld
by Anubis.
- Do you know who they are?
- Yes.
With every soul
the sword takes,
I can hear their screams,
see their faces.
Some fates
are worse than death.
[bird squawking]
[men shouting]
[shouting continues]
[horse whinnies]
I have no quarrel with you,
Chieftain Uruk.
I seek the Book of Souls
in the Valley
of the 13th Moon.
Your jackal bellies
are never full, are they?
Whatever the Akkadian
paid for passage,
King Nebserek
will triple it.
Mm.
He paid with courage
and respect.
Give us passage,
and you will be spared.
Stand your ground,
and I will crush you!
We are People of the Sand.
Sand cannot be crushed.
It can only change its form.
[man shouts]
[men shouting]
You're going to pay for that.
That was my favorite table.
That was my only table.
You shouldn't have
broke it then.
Puny human.
My father
was a great Sumerian mage.
He brought me here
before I could even walk.
He told me very little
about my curse.
You have no idea how
to defeat this curse?
The sword was found
in King Memtep's tomb
beneath a city
called Amonesh.
Your quest
must take you there.
The secret lies within
King Memtep's tomb.
All right then.
We will go to Amonesh
and break this curse.
First command!
Keep Amina here forever.
I hate this puny human.
There's a trade route that
leads to the city of Aqaba.
There is a port here.
You can hire a boat to
cross the sea to Amonesh.
Amina likes him.
This life...
- [Enkidu] He's ugly.
- ...must be hard to bear.
I have escaped the pain
of the living.
And the joy?
Yes.
It is more a burden
than a blessing.
He's got muscles,
but I fight...
Come with us
into the world.
There is nothing more
I would love
than to see your world
through my own eyes.
A man of puny flesh.
But I'm afraid
that's not possible.
And if I can make it possible?
He's got muscles,
but I fight muscles...
[Tala] I think
I found a shorter...
No fire! No fire!
- Put it out! Put it out!
- No fire! No fire!
- It's gone.
- [panting]
Enkidu, don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid.
- Fire's gone?
- Yes.
I forgot to tell them.
And I'm still here?
Calm yourself,
Enkidu.
[gasps] I hate fire.
Enkidu cannot abide fire.
- I hate fire...
- Not even the smallest of flames.
[Enkidu] I hate it.
[Enkidu roaring]
It's okay.
[roars]
[Enkidu] Stupid humans!
[bird cries]
[chirping]
They are too
far ahead of us.
We need to split up.
There's only two ways
out of that valley.
And we'll shut them both off.
Ride the Silk Road
to where the dunes meet the sea.
We have been riding
all the night.
The men, the horses,
they need rest.
You will ride until the horses'
hearts stop beating in their chests.
And then you will go on
foot, crawling if you must,
until I get
what I came for.
[whistles]
[whinnies]
[warriors yelling]
Enkidu?
What do you want, barbarian?
To show you something.
I've seen this tunnel
many times.
I don't like this tunnel.
I've never liked tunnels.
It's dark.
I don't like the dark.
[roaring]
No fire! No fire!
Amina! Amina!
Amina!
[roaring]
Amina! We must go!
It won't last long.
[Enkidu] Amina!
Amina! Don't leave!
Don't go!
[roaring]
[warriors shouting]
Hyah!
[horses whinnying]
[thunder rumbling]
[horses whinnying]
Let's ride!
The horses are rested
and we need to keep moving.
One more minute?
The sea is beautiful.
I can hear the voices
whispering from ancient shores.
I can taste the salt.
I hope Enkidu will be
all right without me.
We've never been apart.
How does such a creature
have a mortal fear of fire?
Enkidu is clay.
The manifestation of fire
can turn him to stone.
You're an unexpected
surprise, Akkadian.
As are you... Amina.
- [distant shouting]
- [horses whinnying]
Hyah! Hyah!
[man] Stop the Akkadian!
[whinnies]
I'll take the two
on the right.
That leaves me
the seven on the left.
[Tala] Exactly.
You have a book
my master desires!
I don't read books!
Give it to me, Akkadian,
and I give you my word...
I will not leave you
butchered and cleaved.
I will give you a death
worthy of a Scorpion King!
I've turned down that same
offer many times before.
But you are one!
We are many!
We are two.
The woman?
[laughing]
- The woman! The woman!
- [men laughing]
All right. I'll take
the three on the right.
Fair enough.
Ya!
[all shouting]
[shouting continues]
[grunting]
[grunting]
Tala! Get Amina outta here!
[screaming]
[Enkidu] Amina! Amina!
[roaring]
[grunting continues]
Ah!
[roars]
Ah! Ah!
I'm gonna smash ya!
[groaning]
Well done...
Scorpion King!
[gasps]
[roaring]
[whinnying]
Enkidu! No!
They're just horses.
We don't hurt them.
That Akkadian,
he stole you.
No one stole me.
I left.
You only have
two commands now.
Protect me,
and obey me.
Not like that in your books.
Is it?
[Enkidu roars]
I don't like him.
Aqaba. A city.
So many people.
How do we hire a boat
to cross the sea?
We sell the horses.
[crowd chattering]
Fresh fish!
Fresh fish!
Fresh fish!
[chattering continues]
Don't talk to anyone.
We're not here
to trade in gossip.
I will not speak
to these strange people
because I do not know them
and I have nothing to say.
You! Don't talk at all!
[growls]
I like to talk.
[grunting]
Enkidu, no!
- You filthy creature!
- [groaning]
Did you fart?
[grunts]
Sell the horses. Get to the port, hire
a boat, cross the sea to Amonesh.
I'll meet you at the tomb.
Mmm!
[speaks foreign language]
[chattering]
Scorpion King!
Been looking for you.
Here I am.
[grunting]
[man grunting, shouting]
[grunting]
[screams]
[grunting]
[screams]
Enkidu, take Amina.
I'll meet you at the port.
- [snarls]
- That way.
[grunting]
Get him!
I want him alive!
Ya!
Ah!
Stop!
[grunts]
Hyah!
[grunting]
[Enkidu grunting]
- You're gonna bleed!
- And you're gonna die.
Ha!
[groans, screams]
[grunting]
Ah!
[grunting]
Oh!
No! Stop!
[screams]
Get on!
[grunts]
Ha!
Get on!
Jump, Blacksmith! Jump!
Ya!
Ha! Hyah!
Are you in?
- Ha! Ha!
- I told you to stay with Amina!
And I had to save your life!
Again!
Men!
Ha!
[birds cawing]
[voices echoing faintly]
- Tarqa!
- King Tarqa.
Son of Balthazar.
King of Nubia.
[grunts]
- [screams]
- [zapping]
[snarling]
[screaming]
The King of Nubia,
he is your brother?
Yes. Tarqa.
Son of Balthazar,
the King Warrior?
He died, fighting for his
people with honor and dignity.
Let me carry
this burden for you,
for you have much
to accomplish on this quest.
I am the sole heir
of Nubia, Blacksmith.
I am a queen
with no kingdom.
Now I know your pain.
I am sorry for your loss.
But your choice
is a simple one.
You can fight on, avenge your
brother and your people.
And maybe you will die.
Or you can turn back now.
Make a new life for yourself.
But when you leave this world,
many years from now,
and give a full account
of your life here...
what story would you like
history to remember?
This is what you
meant about quests?
[Amina] So, you're the
famous Scorpion King?
Someone I used to be.
But someday you may regain
your kingdom, build it anew.
There's nothing left
in my kingdom.
In Aqaba, you saw somebody
you wanted to kill.
And in killing that person,
you'd have likely been killed.
Yes.
She killed someone
very close to me.
There are many stories
about vengeance.
There is honor
in payback.
[bird twittering]
The Lost City of Amonesh.
[bird squawks]
Enkidu, you will have
to wait for us here.
I cannot protect you
if I'm not with you.
And I cannot obey you
if I cannot hear you.
- But we'll have torches in there.
- No flames!
But there's no other way.
I may have another way.
But you'll have to trust me.
[Enkidu]
A tomb. I hate tombs. Ah.
Don't let the fire touch me!
Is the fire touching me?
No, it's not touching you.
[sighs] Yeah.
Come, Enkidu.
[panting, trembling]
[groaning]
No fire! No fire!
Amina! Amina!
Don't make me.
Stop, it's okay.
[gasping]
It's okay.
[sighs]
[Amina]
"King Memtep."
This inscription's
just details of his life.
The tomb builders would have
never carved the secret text
on how to break
the Curse of Anubis
on the walls for robbers
to easily decipher.
It would have
been hidden,
or concealed
in the funerary artifacts.
In the sarcophagus?
No. That's where
the sword was found.
It would have been separated.
Everything's been
plundered and robbed.
The Sphinx.
An idol full of secrets
and mystery.
The guardian
of knowledge.
[Amina] The Sphinx
dies for truth.
But this is
an androsphinx,
the male of the species, known
as the messenger of truth.
Break it open.
- [grunting]
- I'll give it right back.
- [grunts]
- Okay, I'll bring it back. I promise.
Bring it back!
- It's a history written in Sumerian.
- Yes.
[Amina] These hieroglyphs
say King Memtep
was beset by enemies
on all sides.
He called out to the God
of the Underworld,
who forged a sword to steal
the souls of his enemies,
giving King Memtep strength
and power beyond measure.
And the King grew terrible
in his might,
for he was cursed and tormented by
the screams of the tortured souls.
King Memtep
returned to Amonesh
to find his royal concubine
had birthed a girl child.
His daughter's skin bore the names
of those slain by the sword.
Anubis told King Memtep
the only way to end the curse
was to destroy the Book
of Souls with the sword.
[creature groaning]
It was the gods' cruel trick
that to save himself,
the king must end the curse
by killing his only daughter.
But a powerful mage
saved the girl,
stealing her away forever.
And King Memtep went mad
from the curse,
driving the sword
into his own heart.
So entering his own name
into the Book of Souls.
[voices murmuring, indistinct]
King Memtep was your father?
The mage I thought was my
father raised me as his own.
He meant to protect me.
That's impossible.
That would make you...
I have lived for centuries.
And I will live
for countless millennia more.
The only way to break
the Curse of Anubis is to...
I must be destroyed
by the sword.
The Book of Souls
must be destroyed...
and the souls freed.
And I am the Book of Souls.
The Book of Souls, hidden in
the body of a beautiful woman.
[groans]
[gasping]
Men are simple, aren't they?
[grunts]
[horses whinnying]
[chains jangling]
The Scorpion King.
[chattering, faint]
I've sedated him.
This is the Scorpion King
everyone whispers about.
Legends always start
with a whisper.
Hmm. He doesn't look like
very much in these chains.
Before I take his
head off his shoulders...
let's see how he fights.
Alert me when he wakes
from his slumber.
Are you sure
this is wise?
Kill him now
and be done with it.
He's already half dead,
Priestess.
Half-dead men are dangerous,
especially a man like this.
The jackals want to see this
great warrior killed in battle.
We must satiate
their bloodlust.
He is weak and wounded...
and no match for this sword!
No!
Princess Tala.
I am your queen now.
If called, are the men
ready to fight?
The men will fight,
my queen.
What is this?
The Book of Souls.
Written on ancient vellum...
illuminated in the blue light
of the evening sun.
Such beauty.
So, you thought
to defeat me
by destroying the sword,
and with it, my power?
I see you're a book with
a will of your own.
Such contempt
in your eyes.
Burn the bitch.
[Tala] Rise, Blacksmith.
Become the Scorpion King again.
We honor the covenant between
the God of Underworld, Anubis,
and the bearer of his sword,
our God-King Nebserek!
[all chanting]
Nebserek! Nebserek! Nebserek!
Nebserek! Nebserek!
[Priestess] Here,
on this sacred ground,
we gather at the sacrificial
fires to put forth a ritual...
Remember who you are,
Scorpion King: demigod,
the last Akkadian.
[woman chanting
in foreign language]
[chanting stops]
[grunting]
As written in the prophesies,
the Book of Souls shall burn
and be thus destroyed.
Let no man stand
against us!
I am one man!
But one can stand
against many...
for a friend.
[yelling]
[grunting]
Calm your blades, Jackals.
He's mine!
How was your sleep,
Scorpion King?
I'm just a blacksmith.
I admire a man
who stands tall.
Even when he's overmatched.
[crowd cheering]
[Nebserek] The time for
chanting has not yet come.
- Enkidu, it's time.
- [Nebserek] The people want...
I did not protect Amina.
I failed her.
We have not failed.
- [snarls]
- Not yet.
[Nebserek]
He threatens my reign.
[grunts]
You stand
on the ruins of my people.
Broken many years ago
by your Akkadian Empire.
We were forced
to live like jackals,
eating scraps
to survive.
But one jackal...
was not prepared to slink away,
and grow old,
starving and defeated!
[grunting]
I dug deep,
deep into the sand
and found the one thing
that can rebuild an empire.
[zapping]
Ruled by an eater of souls.
With this sword,
I am invincible!
[crowd chanting]
Nebserek! Nebserek! Nebserek!
You fear no man.
- I fear no man.
- I have faith in you, Enkidu.
Show me who you are.
This is your time.
This is your moment!
- [sniffles]
- Amina needs you!
[growling]
On my command,
unleash hell!
[crowd chanting] Nebserek! Nebserek!
Nebserek! Nebserek!
[groans]
[gasping]
- No!
- [bird caws]
[snarling]
[roaring]
[grunting, yelling]
You must believe!
I cannot fail!
You cannot burn!
Break it down!
[all shouting]
Amina! I'm coming!
[grunting]
[growling]
[arrows whistling]
[all grunting]
[yelling, grunting]
Ah! Ah!
Ah!
[screaming]
[grunting, shouting]
Ah!
[grunting]
[zapping]
Oh!
[zapping]
Give me your soul, Akkadian!
Never.
[screaming]
[roaring]
Hyah!
[Amina] Enkidu!
[roars]
I cannot fail.
Must destroy sword!
[grunting]
- I cannot...
- No!
...fail!
Amina!
[roaring]
[all grunting]
[screams]
[groans]
[snarls]
[grunting]
If I can't have your soul, Akkadian,
then I will send you to the afterlife.
No. I create my destiny.
And I will not die
by your hand.
But you will!
[roaring, faint]
No!
No! [roaring]
[thunderclap]
[vocalizing]
Break this curse,
Scorpion King.
I won't hurt you.
The evil will not rest.
It will come for the sword
again and again.
I am the sacrifice
that must be made
to destroy the sword
and free the souls.
I'm not afraid.
Is there no other way?
Thank you for showing me
your world.
[whooshing]
[thunder rumbling]
Good-bye, Amina.
[storyteller] History will
tell of this fearless warrior
who never forgot
his destiny again.
He was known by many names:
Akkadian, Assassin, Blacksmith,
and Liberator of Souls.
But the name
he made for himself
will be forever etched
in the sands of time:
Mathayus, the Scorpion King.
[rock music playing]
Oh, I feel the creatures
Creeping inside
Like leeches leaving me dry
And hope they gonna
Feel my pain
And fall to dust
When they feel my flame
I see no warning signs
I gotta fight
That beast inside
Oh, gonna take 'em
Right down
Till I'm dying out loud
I'm dying out loud
Oh, gonna fight on
Till the end
I won't turn my back again
Gonna stand
And face the rain
In this valley of wolves
They say the end may come
But If I'm the only one
Then I won't ever run
In this valley of wolves
They're out for blood
In this valley of wolves
They're out for blood
They're out for blood
In this valley of wolves
You can't run
They're out for blood
They're out for blood
[vocalizing]
And they're out for blood
They're out for blood
In this valley of wolves
You can't run, no
They're out for blood
They're out for blood
[song ends]
[woman singing
in foreign language]
[storyteller]
In Ancient Egypt,
before the time
of the Pharaohs,
legend tells of King Memtep,
who made a covenant with Anubis,
Lord of the Underworld,
to create a cursed sword
so powerful
that whoever possessed it
could rule the world.
Fueled by taking the souls
of its enemies,
the sword was forged
in the fires of hell
by the Lord of the Underworld,
who gave this sword
his very name,
The Fang of Anubis.
The names of those slain
by the sword
were forever etched
in the Book of Souls,
where they remained imprisoned
for all eternity,
condemned to
never-ending darkness.
But if evil can be so easily
created in a fiery forge,
then surely there must be a
way to destroy the sword
and release the souls.
[roaring]
[crumbling]
[bird squawking]
These hieroglyphs
are ancient.
- It looks like they are from...
- The Mesopotamia.
Sumerian.
What do they say,
Priestess?
[bird chirping]
[panting]
[shrieks]
[panting]
Here lies
the treasure you seek.
King Memtep?
Before you plunder the
antiquities of this tomb,
you must know unleashing
this evil that once was
will come with a great price.
Power is not given,
Priestess.
It must be taken.
[cement block scraping]
[gasps]
The Fang of Anubis,
forgotten to time.
But the ages have not dulled
your cutting edge, have they?
[howling noise]
[growling]
[storyteller]
Nebserek went forth,
sweeping across
the barren lands
with the Fang of Anubis
at his command.
Driven by its dark magic,
he conquered his enemies and
raised a powerful jackal army,
proclaiming himself
their God-King.
[Nebserek]
We will cleanse this land!
With death, and fire!
[storyteller] But one enemy
eluded him, the last Akkadian,
the sole heir
to the great free tribe,
who destroyed his people
in a war waged long ago.
Branded by vengeance,
Nebserek became obsessed
with finding his enemy.
Have your bird find the
Scorpion King, Priestess.
[Priestess] The gods will grant
you your vengeance in time.
The time for vengeance is now.
Send the bird.
[storyteller]
But some sleeping giants
are better left
to their slumber.
It's beautiful.
No, it's strong.
That's what counts.
With this, you can harvest
the winter wheat,
reap the summer grain, feed
your family and livestock.
Not much left in this world
you can put your faith in,
but forged metal pounded
into shape,
this you can trust.
When will you
make a sword?
Done with swords.
I could learn to use one
to become a great warrior.
Abel?
Listen to me, Abel.
Being a warrior
is not what you think.
Swinging a sword in war
is a hard burden to bear.
No priests or gods can save you
from the savagery of battle.
Understand?
Abel!
Go to your father.
[horse whinnies]
[man shouting]
[bird shrieks]
[man shouting]
[shouting continues]
Come on!
[horses whinnying]
[men shouting]
[shouting continues]
[tribe people screaming]
I seek the Scorpion King.
We have no king here.
He calls himself Mathayus.
We know of no such man.
Burn it to the ground
and find him.
Please!
We're just farm...
Kill him first.
[laughing]
No! No!
Please!
[panting]
[clamoring]
On your knees,
insect!
Where is Mathayus?
Here I am.
[chuckles]
[shouting]
[groans]
[groans]
No! Come back!
Come back!
No! No!
Got you!
[woman screaming]
No!
[woman] Please.
Let the boy go.
Not one more step.
All right.
Spare the boy, take me.
I'll take both.
No! No!
No! No.
Abel.
Abel.
[giggling]
[horse whinnies]
[men shouting]
[horse whinnies]
[groans]
[chanting
in foreign language]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[continues chanting]
[waves crashing]
[tapping]
Here. Drink this.
What is it?
A medicinal tonic mixed
with Lithops for pain.
You're welcome.
You need food.
[cheering]
[chanting] Fight! Fight!
The Scorpion King escaped.
Bend your knee
when you speak to me.
- Escaped?
- Yes.
He had help, my God-King.
I need his soul.
You have the...
- [chokes]
- No.
Only when I plunge
this blade into his heart
will I have my vengeance.
Find me this Akkadian!
Cover yourself.
Where'd you dig that up?
Burial mound.
The man who wore it
did not need it anymore.
I am Tala,
warrior of Nubia.
What do you want from me?
A legendary king
to come back to life.
I'm just a blacksmith.
Blacksmith?
That is your story?
How did a legendary
Scorpion King,
last of the Akkadians,
demigod,
become a blacksmith?
Civilization became
too uncivilized for me.
I have searched for you
for a long time.
Your name inspires.
It is a rallying cry.
My people need a hero
to bring peace,
a warrior hero.
Like I said...
you got the wrong guy.
My father was Balthazar,
King of Nubia.
Balthazar?
He lived well...
but not long enough.
Sorry he's gone.
My father told me that you
two had a great bond,
that if Nubia
ever needed an ally,
the Scorpion King would ride
from the east with his armies
and fight with us.
I have no army.
You have your strength,
and you have me.
A princess?
A warrior.
Do you know Nebserek,
the War Lord,
sweeps across Egypt
with his hordes
enslaving, burning?
He wields a cursed sword,
the Fang of Anubis.
No one can stand against
him while he possesses it.
But legend tells of a way
to defeat the sword.
The secret is contained
in the Book of Souls.
It is a hidden text,
and I know where to find it.
Sounds like a bedtime story.
Nebserek marches on Nubia,
on my people.
With the Book of Souls,
we can stop him.
You're on a quest?
Yes.
Good luck.
You are coming with me!
I don't quest.
Why?
They're always a thousand times
more difficult than you think,
and someone
won't make it back alive.
The jackal...
is Nebserek's symbol.
We share the same enemy.
Help me find
the Book of Souls,
and I will help you
kill the owner of the dagger.
I'll take both.
No!
You were born a warrior.
It is your fate to fight
for those less fortunate souls.
Stand or fall,
I will fight by your side.
I implore you,
remember who you are.
[bird squawks]
[woman] This man you
seek, the Scorpion King,
travels with a Nubian.
[chirping]
And they are close.
Close to what?
Legend tells
of a gateway
in the Valley
of the 13th Moon,
where it is said
the Book of Souls rests,
hidden away
from all mankind.
He who possesses
the Book of Souls
has the power to destroy
the Fang of Anubis.
These sands have been searched
by many hands for many years.
Searched, yes, but not
by the Scorpion King.
[squawking]
[squawking]
[Mathayus]
We should go around.
The Valley of the 13th Moon
is a half day's ride away.
Going around
is a day out of our way.
- You don't wanna go in there.
- I must.
- We can't be late.
- Late for what?
The final day
of this lunar cycle.
The moon can wait.
I've waited 36 moons
for this rising.
Ha! Ha!
Why are we stopping here,
blacksmith?
[whinnies]
- Put your weapons down.
- There's nobody here.
Yes, there is.
Drop your weapons, now.
Forgive her!
She can't see!
Who are you talking to?
The Black Arrows.
They weren't trying to hit us.
If they were, we'd be dead.
[chuckling]
[tribe chattering, singing]
Told you
we should've gone around.
You trespass on
our sacred lands,
and for this you must die.
We meant no insult.
The territory is marked.
You chose to ignore
the warning.
How did woman,
very beautiful woman,
fall in with hard man
like this, hmm?
Tell me, hmm?
He's my father's blacksmith.
A blacksmith
and a breeder.
[all laughing]
He likes you.
Can you cook? Cook?
Can you cook? Hmm?
I'm a Nubian warrior...
Yes, I can cook.
I will give you
two wild pigs
and five amphoras of
pomegranate wine for her. Huh?
- Yeah?
- Five wild pigs and ten amphoras.
Oh, no, no, no!
I thought you were
going to kill him.
Oh, I am.
[laughs]
But after I do, I will
take you for my own, hmm?
Feed him to the wastelands.
We will drink to his death
with my wine, huh? Huh? No?
I'm not for sale.
And I'm not a breeder.
[chieftain laughing]
Uruk!
[speaking in foreign language]
[continues
in foreign language]
The Shaman says you are
from the Land of the East.
The Scorpion King
is what you are called, eh?
Just a blacksmith.
Aye, this is what I said.
That you are very small
to be such legendary warrior.
So how do you want it?
I can split your skulls
with an ax
and stick them on a spike.
You can burn on a pyre.
Or I can lash you
to a stump
and let the vultures
and insects have you.
What is your name,
warrior?
I am Uruk, son of Kali,
leader of the Black Arrows
and People of the Sand.
Chieftain Uruk...
your people are hunters,
are they not?
Mmm.
So give me the same chance
to live as any beast.
You are not a beast.
You are a man.
Yes.
I bleed red like you.
And like you, I'd rather die
on my feet than my knees.
I will only send four men
to kill you.
Better make it five.
When this hunt is done,
and I'm still alive,
you let me keep the girl
and we ride free.
Agreed.
[horn bellows]
[men shouting]
What did I tell you
about quests?
When you reach that
arrow, we will hunt you.
Run fast, blacksmith,
or your death will be slow.
[chuckling]
[chieftain] Run!
[men shouting]
[thunder rumbling]
Ah!
[thunder rumbling]
Uruk!
[groans]
Drop it!
Drop it!
You are a worthy adversary,
Akkadian.
You could have killed me
and my men,
as we would have surely killed you, hmm?
[chuckles]
But you chose mercy.
There will be no mercy for those
who have not shown mercy.
Five pigs and some wine?
That's all I fetch
in your simple mind?
You've never tasted
pomegranate wine.
[horse whinnies]
- Ha!
- Hyah!
[squawks]
[men shouting]
There it is,
the Valley of the 13th Moon.
[Mathayus] Tell me about
the Book of Souls.
It is said to be guarded
by the Temple of Scrolls.
It can only be entered
on the eve of the Blue Moon.
Once every three years
on the lunar cycle.
That is tonight.
How do you know all this?
My family has been
the guardian of this book
since before the Pharaohs,
passing it down
from generation to generation.
No one's been there
or seen this book
because they've never
needed it until now.
Before he passed,
my father entrusted me
with this guardianship.
As fate would have it,
he didn't have time
to tell me much about the book.
And you're sure
it's down there?
The prophecy says it is.
So, we're just going to ride down
there, walk through front the door,
and they're going to
give you this book?
It's not exactly a door.
It's more of a gateway.
[Mathayus] Doesn't look like
a Temple of Scrolls to me.
[Tala]
It's in ancient writing.
"The one that
repeats its form."
Sumerian.
Not so different than the
language I learned as a boy.
[Tala] The moon repeats
its form every 30 days.
The Blue Moon repeats its form
every three years
after the summer solstice.
We've found it.
We found a stone gateway
in the middle of nowhere...
leading to nothing.
We must hurry,
it's almost nightfall.
We can't miss the moonrise.
What does your scroll say?
"After you pass
the moonstone threshold,
take four hundred paces
just east of north."
This way!
What now?
Don't rush me. It's my
first time doing this.
Moon's rising.
Let's do this, blacksmith.
The lenses must align
with a cipher.
A combination.
- What is it?
- I'm looking.
"The one
that repeats its form."
That's the cipher!
"The one that repeats
its form."
That's what's written
on the gateway.
Let's go.
It won't stay open for long.
What is that?
Quicksilver.
Nature's guard against evil.
I hate quests.
Blacksmith.
This way.
Tell me you know what this
magic book looks like.
It could be a scroll on vellum,
written in codex form...
perhaps a tome.
Maybe a papyrus book
scribbled in burnt bones.
So, you're saying
you have no idea, right?
Yes, that is
what I'm saying.
[growling]
Kill intruder!
Ah!
Ouch!
No fair!
Ah!
[groaning]
[woman] Enkidu! Enough!
These people opened the
portal with a lunar scroll.
- They are not our foe.
- They are armed!
One of them attacked me
unfairly from behind.
I am sure
they meant no harm.
I am Tala, daughter of
Balthazar, warrior of Nubia.
We have come
for the Book of Souls.
Have you?
And you've brought a brute?
A barbarian?
You're Akkadian.
What is that thing?
[growls]
I'm not a thing!
- A golem.
- Stupid human!
Enkidu is formed from clay,
brought to life by magic.
My father made him
to be my protector.
I have the strength
of ten men.
Maybe 20. [growls]
[laughs]
I bet you wouldn't sell her for five
pigs and some pomegranate wine.
Barbarian.
[chuckling]
Pretty human.
So you've come
for the Book of Souls?
[Tala] Yes.
My people are in peril.
We need it
to vanquish a warlord
who leads his army
across Egypt.
He carries a cursed sword.
None can stand against it.
I have nothing on how
to defeat a cursed sword.
But the legend says
the book is here.
You must help us.
We are running out of time.
I'm sorry.
There is nothing here
for you.
The book is here.
I have many scrolls,
Akkadian.
Some codices...
some tomes.
I have read them all,
committed them to memory...
but I have not a single book.
Tala, what does your scroll
say about this Book of Souls?
The scroll says,
"The Book of Souls is written
on vellum of alabaster.
The body of its forbidden
text is uncovered
in the blue light
of the moon."
"Vellum of alabaster.
The body of its forbidden text
is uncovered
only in the blue light
of the moon."
- [roars]
- Enkidu!
No.
It's... you.
[Tala]
You are the Book of Souls.
The moonlight reveals
the text?
Yes.
It is revealed
on the third moon
in a season of four moons.
Seven times
in the 19-year Metonic cycle.
What's written here?
Names of souls
taken by a sword forced
in the Underworld
by Anubis.
- Do you know who they are?
- Yes.
With every soul
the sword takes,
I can hear their screams,
see their faces.
Some fates
are worse than death.
[bird squawking]
[men shouting]
[shouting continues]
[horse whinnies]
I have no quarrel with you,
Chieftain Uruk.
I seek the Book of Souls
in the Valley
of the 13th Moon.
Your jackal bellies
are never full, are they?
Whatever the Akkadian
paid for passage,
King Nebserek
will triple it.
Mm.
He paid with courage
and respect.
Give us passage,
and you will be spared.
Stand your ground,
and I will crush you!
We are People of the Sand.
Sand cannot be crushed.
It can only change its form.
[man shouts]
[men shouting]
You're going to pay for that.
That was my favorite table.
That was my only table.
You shouldn't have
broke it then.
Puny human.
My father
was a great Sumerian mage.
He brought me here
before I could even walk.
He told me very little
about my curse.
You have no idea how
to defeat this curse?
The sword was found
in King Memtep's tomb
beneath a city
called Amonesh.
Your quest
must take you there.
The secret lies within
King Memtep's tomb.
All right then.
We will go to Amonesh
and break this curse.
First command!
Keep Amina here forever.
I hate this puny human.
There's a trade route that
leads to the city of Aqaba.
There is a port here.
You can hire a boat to
cross the sea to Amonesh.
Amina likes him.
This life...
- [Enkidu] He's ugly.
- ...must be hard to bear.
I have escaped the pain
of the living.
And the joy?
Yes.
It is more a burden
than a blessing.
He's got muscles,
but I fight...
Come with us
into the world.
There is nothing more
I would love
than to see your world
through my own eyes.
A man of puny flesh.
But I'm afraid
that's not possible.
And if I can make it possible?
He's got muscles,
but I fight muscles...
[Tala] I think
I found a shorter...
No fire! No fire!
- Put it out! Put it out!
- No fire! No fire!
- It's gone.
- [panting]
Enkidu, don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid.
- Fire's gone?
- Yes.
I forgot to tell them.
And I'm still here?
Calm yourself,
Enkidu.
[gasps] I hate fire.
Enkidu cannot abide fire.
- I hate fire...
- Not even the smallest of flames.
[Enkidu] I hate it.
[Enkidu roaring]
It's okay.
[roars]
[Enkidu] Stupid humans!
[bird cries]
[chirping]
They are too
far ahead of us.
We need to split up.
There's only two ways
out of that valley.
And we'll shut them both off.
Ride the Silk Road
to where the dunes meet the sea.
We have been riding
all the night.
The men, the horses,
they need rest.
You will ride until the horses'
hearts stop beating in their chests.
And then you will go on
foot, crawling if you must,
until I get
what I came for.
[whistles]
[whinnies]
[warriors yelling]
Enkidu?
What do you want, barbarian?
To show you something.
I've seen this tunnel
many times.
I don't like this tunnel.
I've never liked tunnels.
It's dark.
I don't like the dark.
[roaring]
No fire! No fire!
Amina! Amina!
Amina!
[roaring]
Amina! We must go!
It won't last long.
[Enkidu] Amina!
Amina! Don't leave!
Don't go!
[roaring]
[warriors shouting]
Hyah!
[horses whinnying]
[thunder rumbling]
[horses whinnying]
Let's ride!
The horses are rested
and we need to keep moving.
One more minute?
The sea is beautiful.
I can hear the voices
whispering from ancient shores.
I can taste the salt.
I hope Enkidu will be
all right without me.
We've never been apart.
How does such a creature
have a mortal fear of fire?
Enkidu is clay.
The manifestation of fire
can turn him to stone.
You're an unexpected
surprise, Akkadian.
As are you... Amina.
- [distant shouting]
- [horses whinnying]
Hyah! Hyah!
[man] Stop the Akkadian!
[whinnies]
I'll take the two
on the right.
That leaves me
the seven on the left.
[Tala] Exactly.
You have a book
my master desires!
I don't read books!
Give it to me, Akkadian,
and I give you my word...
I will not leave you
butchered and cleaved.
I will give you a death
worthy of a Scorpion King!
I've turned down that same
offer many times before.
But you are one!
We are many!
We are two.
The woman?
[laughing]
- The woman! The woman!
- [men laughing]
All right. I'll take
the three on the right.
Fair enough.
Ya!
[all shouting]
[shouting continues]
[grunting]
[grunting]
Tala! Get Amina outta here!
[screaming]
[Enkidu] Amina! Amina!
[roaring]
[grunting continues]
Ah!
[roars]
Ah! Ah!
I'm gonna smash ya!
[groaning]
Well done...
Scorpion King!
[gasps]
[roaring]
[whinnying]
Enkidu! No!
They're just horses.
We don't hurt them.
That Akkadian,
he stole you.
No one stole me.
I left.
You only have
two commands now.
Protect me,
and obey me.
Not like that in your books.
Is it?
[Enkidu roars]
I don't like him.
Aqaba. A city.
So many people.
How do we hire a boat
to cross the sea?
We sell the horses.
[crowd chattering]
Fresh fish!
Fresh fish!
Fresh fish!
[chattering continues]
Don't talk to anyone.
We're not here
to trade in gossip.
I will not speak
to these strange people
because I do not know them
and I have nothing to say.
You! Don't talk at all!
[growls]
I like to talk.
[grunting]
Enkidu, no!
- You filthy creature!
- [groaning]
Did you fart?
[grunts]
Sell the horses. Get to the port, hire
a boat, cross the sea to Amonesh.
I'll meet you at the tomb.
Mmm!
[speaks foreign language]
[chattering]
Scorpion King!
Been looking for you.
Here I am.
[grunting]
[man grunting, shouting]
[grunting]
[screams]
[grunting]
[screams]
Enkidu, take Amina.
I'll meet you at the port.
- [snarls]
- That way.
[grunting]
Get him!
I want him alive!
Ya!
Ah!
Stop!
[grunts]
Hyah!
[grunting]
[Enkidu grunting]
- You're gonna bleed!
- And you're gonna die.
Ha!
[groans, screams]
[grunting]
Ah!
[grunting]
Oh!
No! Stop!
[screams]
Get on!
[grunts]
Ha!
Get on!
Jump, Blacksmith! Jump!
Ya!
Ha! Hyah!
Are you in?
- Ha! Ha!
- I told you to stay with Amina!
And I had to save your life!
Again!
Men!
Ha!
[birds cawing]
[voices echoing faintly]
- Tarqa!
- King Tarqa.
Son of Balthazar.
King of Nubia.
[grunts]
- [screams]
- [zapping]
[snarling]
[screaming]
The King of Nubia,
he is your brother?
Yes. Tarqa.
Son of Balthazar,
the King Warrior?
He died, fighting for his
people with honor and dignity.
Let me carry
this burden for you,
for you have much
to accomplish on this quest.
I am the sole heir
of Nubia, Blacksmith.
I am a queen
with no kingdom.
Now I know your pain.
I am sorry for your loss.
But your choice
is a simple one.
You can fight on, avenge your
brother and your people.
And maybe you will die.
Or you can turn back now.
Make a new life for yourself.
But when you leave this world,
many years from now,
and give a full account
of your life here...
what story would you like
history to remember?
This is what you
meant about quests?
[Amina] So, you're the
famous Scorpion King?
Someone I used to be.
But someday you may regain
your kingdom, build it anew.
There's nothing left
in my kingdom.
In Aqaba, you saw somebody
you wanted to kill.
And in killing that person,
you'd have likely been killed.
Yes.
She killed someone
very close to me.
There are many stories
about vengeance.
There is honor
in payback.
[bird twittering]
The Lost City of Amonesh.
[bird squawks]
Enkidu, you will have
to wait for us here.
I cannot protect you
if I'm not with you.
And I cannot obey you
if I cannot hear you.
- But we'll have torches in there.
- No flames!
But there's no other way.
I may have another way.
But you'll have to trust me.
[Enkidu]
A tomb. I hate tombs. Ah.
Don't let the fire touch me!
Is the fire touching me?
No, it's not touching you.
[sighs] Yeah.
Come, Enkidu.
[panting, trembling]
[groaning]
No fire! No fire!
Amina! Amina!
Don't make me.
Stop, it's okay.
[gasping]
It's okay.
[sighs]
[Amina]
"King Memtep."
This inscription's
just details of his life.
The tomb builders would have
never carved the secret text
on how to break
the Curse of Anubis
on the walls for robbers
to easily decipher.
It would have
been hidden,
or concealed
in the funerary artifacts.
In the sarcophagus?
No. That's where
the sword was found.
It would have been separated.
Everything's been
plundered and robbed.
The Sphinx.
An idol full of secrets
and mystery.
The guardian
of knowledge.
[Amina] The Sphinx
dies for truth.
But this is
an androsphinx,
the male of the species, known
as the messenger of truth.
Break it open.
- [grunting]
- I'll give it right back.
- [grunts]
- Okay, I'll bring it back. I promise.
Bring it back!
- It's a history written in Sumerian.
- Yes.
[Amina] These hieroglyphs
say King Memtep
was beset by enemies
on all sides.
He called out to the God
of the Underworld,
who forged a sword to steal
the souls of his enemies,
giving King Memtep strength
and power beyond measure.
And the King grew terrible
in his might,
for he was cursed and tormented by
the screams of the tortured souls.
King Memtep
returned to Amonesh
to find his royal concubine
had birthed a girl child.
His daughter's skin bore the names
of those slain by the sword.
Anubis told King Memtep
the only way to end the curse
was to destroy the Book
of Souls with the sword.
[creature groaning]
It was the gods' cruel trick
that to save himself,
the king must end the curse
by killing his only daughter.
But a powerful mage
saved the girl,
stealing her away forever.
And King Memtep went mad
from the curse,
driving the sword
into his own heart.
So entering his own name
into the Book of Souls.
[voices murmuring, indistinct]
King Memtep was your father?
The mage I thought was my
father raised me as his own.
He meant to protect me.
That's impossible.
That would make you...
I have lived for centuries.
And I will live
for countless millennia more.
The only way to break
the Curse of Anubis is to...
I must be destroyed
by the sword.
The Book of Souls
must be destroyed...
and the souls freed.
And I am the Book of Souls.
The Book of Souls, hidden in
the body of a beautiful woman.
[groans]
[gasping]
Men are simple, aren't they?
[grunts]
[horses whinnying]
[chains jangling]
The Scorpion King.
[chattering, faint]
I've sedated him.
This is the Scorpion King
everyone whispers about.
Legends always start
with a whisper.
Hmm. He doesn't look like
very much in these chains.
Before I take his
head off his shoulders...
let's see how he fights.
Alert me when he wakes
from his slumber.
Are you sure
this is wise?
Kill him now
and be done with it.
He's already half dead,
Priestess.
Half-dead men are dangerous,
especially a man like this.
The jackals want to see this
great warrior killed in battle.
We must satiate
their bloodlust.
He is weak and wounded...
and no match for this sword!
No!
Princess Tala.
I am your queen now.
If called, are the men
ready to fight?
The men will fight,
my queen.
What is this?
The Book of Souls.
Written on ancient vellum...
illuminated in the blue light
of the evening sun.
Such beauty.
So, you thought
to defeat me
by destroying the sword,
and with it, my power?
I see you're a book with
a will of your own.
Such contempt
in your eyes.
Burn the bitch.
[Tala] Rise, Blacksmith.
Become the Scorpion King again.
We honor the covenant between
the God of Underworld, Anubis,
and the bearer of his sword,
our God-King Nebserek!
[all chanting]
Nebserek! Nebserek! Nebserek!
Nebserek! Nebserek!
[Priestess] Here,
on this sacred ground,
we gather at the sacrificial
fires to put forth a ritual...
Remember who you are,
Scorpion King: demigod,
the last Akkadian.
[woman chanting
in foreign language]
[chanting stops]
[grunting]
As written in the prophesies,
the Book of Souls shall burn
and be thus destroyed.
Let no man stand
against us!
I am one man!
But one can stand
against many...
for a friend.
[yelling]
[grunting]
Calm your blades, Jackals.
He's mine!
How was your sleep,
Scorpion King?
I'm just a blacksmith.
I admire a man
who stands tall.
Even when he's overmatched.
[crowd cheering]
[Nebserek] The time for
chanting has not yet come.
- Enkidu, it's time.
- [Nebserek] The people want...
I did not protect Amina.
I failed her.
We have not failed.
- [snarls]
- Not yet.
[Nebserek]
He threatens my reign.
[grunts]
You stand
on the ruins of my people.
Broken many years ago
by your Akkadian Empire.
We were forced
to live like jackals,
eating scraps
to survive.
But one jackal...
was not prepared to slink away,
and grow old,
starving and defeated!
[grunting]
I dug deep,
deep into the sand
and found the one thing
that can rebuild an empire.
[zapping]
Ruled by an eater of souls.
With this sword,
I am invincible!
[crowd chanting]
Nebserek! Nebserek! Nebserek!
You fear no man.
- I fear no man.
- I have faith in you, Enkidu.
Show me who you are.
This is your time.
This is your moment!
- [sniffles]
- Amina needs you!
[growling]
On my command,
unleash hell!
[crowd chanting] Nebserek! Nebserek!
Nebserek! Nebserek!
[groans]
[gasping]
- No!
- [bird caws]
[snarling]
[roaring]
[grunting, yelling]
You must believe!
I cannot fail!
You cannot burn!
Break it down!
[all shouting]
Amina! I'm coming!
[grunting]
[growling]
[arrows whistling]
[all grunting]
[yelling, grunting]
Ah! Ah!
Ah!
[screaming]
[grunting, shouting]
Ah!
[grunting]
[zapping]
Oh!
[zapping]
Give me your soul, Akkadian!
Never.
[screaming]
[roaring]
Hyah!
[Amina] Enkidu!
[roars]
I cannot fail.
Must destroy sword!
[grunting]
- I cannot...
- No!
...fail!
Amina!
[roaring]
[all grunting]
[screams]
[groans]
[snarls]
[grunting]
If I can't have your soul, Akkadian,
then I will send you to the afterlife.
No. I create my destiny.
And I will not die
by your hand.
But you will!
[roaring, faint]
No!
No! [roaring]
[thunderclap]
[vocalizing]
Break this curse,
Scorpion King.
I won't hurt you.
The evil will not rest.
It will come for the sword
again and again.
I am the sacrifice
that must be made
to destroy the sword
and free the souls.
I'm not afraid.
Is there no other way?
Thank you for showing me
your world.
[whooshing]
[thunder rumbling]
Good-bye, Amina.
[storyteller] History will
tell of this fearless warrior
who never forgot
his destiny again.
He was known by many names:
Akkadian, Assassin, Blacksmith,
and Liberator of Souls.
But the name
he made for himself
will be forever etched
in the sands of time:
Mathayus, the Scorpion King.
[rock music playing]
Oh, I feel the creatures
Creeping inside
Like leeches leaving me dry
And hope they gonna
Feel my pain
And fall to dust
When they feel my flame
I see no warning signs
I gotta fight
That beast inside
Oh, gonna take 'em
Right down
Till I'm dying out loud
I'm dying out loud
Oh, gonna fight on
Till the end
I won't turn my back again
Gonna stand
And face the rain
In this valley of wolves
They say the end may come
But If I'm the only one
Then I won't ever run
In this valley of wolves
They're out for blood
In this valley of wolves
They're out for blood
They're out for blood
In this valley of wolves
You can't run
They're out for blood
They're out for blood
[vocalizing]
And they're out for blood
They're out for blood
In this valley of wolves
You can't run, no
They're out for blood
They're out for blood
[song ends]