Another day had come as Mrs. Driscoll's class went back to Aziza, the City of the Dead to look for more mummy remains with the help of Khaldum's group of treasure hunters. The students went into the pyramids and tombs again. Randy and Howard were this time, being supervised by Astarte, who can't trust Gahiji to supervise them again, after what had happened yesterday at the treasure room. Astarte had decided to pretend to be unaware of the situation that Randy and Howard are up against and not blow her cover whenever the ninja appears.

Meanwhile at the other side of the pyramid, McFist and Viceroy are looking for the Book of Amun-Ra through the ruins, with the robo-apes helping them. The ruins are a mess with collapsed pillars and stones all around them, in a messy state. How will they ever find the Book of Amun-Ra to defeat the Sutekh Brotherhood?

As they search high and low, they didn't notice a woman approaching them. She had long, wavy red hair and has pretty teal eyes. She wore a white with bits of gold and red dress shirt, black tights, brown leather boots and a golden hairband which keeps her hair from covering her eyes and face. (1) She made a whistling sound which attracts the attention of McFist and Viceroy.

"Uh … can I help you, m'am?" Viceroy asked the woman, trying to keep his cool.

"I was wondering what you and your friend are up to down here?" the woman asked. "Was it really necessary?"

"Why this is necessary, miss…" McFist answered, but it lost at what he should call the woman.

"Miss Priscella Pyro, former high priestess of Egypt, and current scientist." (2)

"High priestess?" Viceroy grew a little suspicious of Priscella. "Were you once named Pyrota?"

"Why yes, I was once named Pyrota. But that was in the past when I was once evil." Priscella replied.

"What happened?" McFist asked.

"Well, as I was brought back to life for the second time, I fed myself with evil and revenge and teamed up with Dr. Acer to bring Kyto back to life and take over the world, which is only temporary as I experience something that I have not experienced for the first time in my life – love and kindness. So after a little talk with a certain daredevil and a lonely American teen girl, I betrayed Dr. Acer and Kyto and for the first time in my life, I saved the world from Dr. Acer and Kyto. Ever since then, I've decided to give up my life as a high priestess and move on as a new woman. And here I am."

"Wow." McFist awed Priscella's story. "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. What do you think Viceroy?"

"I couldn't agree more, sir." Viceroy blows a tissue. "I couldn't agree more."

"So what brings you two down here?" Priscella asked.

"We're looking for the Book of Amun-Ra," McFist replied. "Not to take over the world though, but to help a friend defeat his biggest foe yet. But we can't find it with all the mess lying around."

"Perhaps I can help."

Priscella starts walking with McFist and Viceroy following her where Priscella escorts the men to a hidden chamber, dark and abandoned with a stone box located at its center. Priscella opens the lid and sets it aside as McFist and Viceroy exchanged looks. Then, then saw Priscella pulling out something gold from the box – the Book of Amun-Ra.

"Use it in good hands," Priscella told McFist as she gives him the Book of Amun-Ra. "Don't try to misuse it for pleasure."

"That I'll keep in mind." McFist replied as he and Viceroy were about to depart. "Are you coming?"

"Nah, I've got plans to do around here. Perhaps we can see each other again, sometime."

Then McFist and Viceroy left, hoping to go back to Howard and the ninja to tell them the good news.

()()()()()

Meanwhile, Randy, Howard and Astarte continue on exploring the pyramid until Astarte accidentally activates a trap which caused the tiles from ahead to crumble down below until about 1000 of them formed what seems to be a secret stairway to parts unknown.

"Dear me," Astarte said while trying to sound ditzy and naïve. "I must've activated a booby trap by mistake."

"Ha-ha, you said booby," Howard laughed.

"Oh, don't act immature," Astarte spoke with disgust. "It's only a little slang word."

"Now what?" Randy asked.

"I think it is best if we follow the stairs and see what lies down there below." Astarte suggested. "Hopefully we would find more mummy remains and inform them to your teacher so that you may get good marks in Science. Is that what you want?"

Randy grew a little suspicious, but gives in as Astarte escorts him and Howard down the staircase. The staircase seems long and endless which were starting to kill Howard's legs, as Astarte lights up a fiery torch to guide Randy and Howard from behind.

"So I've heard that you two have found the treasure room, am I right?" Astarte asked, starting up a conversation.

"Yeah," Randy replied. "But we didn't bother to take them for fear that we'd be numbskulls. Why did you ask?"

"Oh nothing too personal. Gahiji is quite an unreliable reporter who told me that a certain ninja had outsmarted him yesterday in the treasure room. It's a surprise to see how clever the ninja is to mess up Gahiji's idiotic brain."

"I didn't know you'd like the ninja to mess up with Gahiji that much." Howard asked with a surprised look on his face.

"The ninja has brains on his side. Gahiji only has muscles, which makes him a perfect victim for the ninja's clever tricks."

The three continue on walking down the staircase until they have finally reached the bottom. What they saw was a room, once used as an ancient burial chamber, but also used for ancient ceremonial events and performing dark and forbidden rituals deep underground. Just the sight of it made Randy's body shake a little.

"Cunningham, why did your body shake all of a sudden?" Howard asked Randy.

"I don't know." Randy replied. "I think I've got the chills up my spines."

"Don't let it get to you, kid." Astarte spoke to Randy. "It happens to first-timers."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away, kid."

"What does Khaldum's name mean?"

"Honestly I know nothing about Khaldum's name. Sometimes he likes to keep the meaning of his name a secret."

Randy, Howard and Astarte continue on explore the mysterious place. From the corner of an eye, something interesting caught the attention of Howard, and only Howard alone. He sees a doorway to another chamber, something emerald lighting the room. Being just as curious as one treasure hunter, Howard walks into the room on his own to check it out. But when he got there he soon realized that the emerald lightning was actually a giant snake sitting in the room. On top of its slimy head perched a person, who wore a dark, hooded robe with the Eye of Ra on it, his face covered completely. The snake hisses, loud enough for Howard to make a silent fart. The snake hisses again, grabs Howard with its tail and lifts him high in the air.

"Help!" Howard cried which caught Randy's attention. "I've been bro-napped!"

"Hang tight, Howard! I'll get help!" Randy yelled as he runs off to hide behind a rock, far from Astarte's sight, pulls out the ninja mask and transforms into the ninja.

"Hey! Let go of my bro right now!" the ninja yelled at the hooded man as he enters the room. "Or else."

"Or else what, ninja?" The hooded man replied.

"Or else I'll do this!"

At an incredible speed, the ninja jumps up and kicks the snake's tail, forcing it to let go of Howard out of pain. With Howard safe, the ninja continues to fight against the snake, but it seems that the snake is more powerful, and stronger than what the ninja thought. His only option left was to use the Sapphire Ankh to defeat the snake.

"NINJA SAPPHIRE ANKH!"

The ninja pulls out the ankh and shoots out a baby-blue beam at the snake, killing it in the process. Now the ninja is left to deal with the hooded man.

"Now don't try to do any harm on me, ninja." The hooded man spoke. "This was only a trial to see your Sapphire Ankh working in good use."

"What do you know about the Sapphire Ankh?" the ninja questioned the hooded man's response.

"Well you can guess that you have crossed paths with one of my men before."

The hooded man takes off his hood to reveal himself as … Khaldum. What the juice is going on here?

"Khaldum?" Howard cried upon seeing what he saw. "You were behind all this?"

"Indeed I was, Wienerman." His elderly fingers snapped which caused the sound to echo around the room as Howard felt someone grabbing him. It was Gahiji, keeping him from escaping.

"Howard!" the ninja cried as he tries to reach his friend, only for him to get surrounded by Astarte and two people who all wore dark, hooded clothes.

"Not you too, Astarte!" Howard cried.

"I'm sorry that it has to be this way, kid." Astarte replied to Howard. "But we've got orders here."

"The lady's right," Khaldum replied before making eye contact with the ninja. "Now then, ninja. Let's get down to business."

Khaldum escorts the ninja out of the room and shows him the sacrificial table. On its right was a pool of black and eerie water. On its left was a wooden table. On the wooden table were rolls of bandages.

"What do you want, Khandum?" the ninja asked.

"Oh, it's quite simple, m'boy," Khaldum snapped his fingers as the ninja witness Gahiji pulling out his gun and aims it at Howard's head.

"This is wonk," Howard cried.

"I'm going to give you a simple choice that you must choose, before I lose my patience and have Gahiji blow Wienerman's brains out of his skull." Khaldum warned the ninja.

"Shnasty!" The ninja cried in disgust.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but," Howard spoke to Khaldum while breaking the fourth wall. "There are young readers out there reading this story and I don't think their parents will approve of this!"

"You're right, Wienerman." Khaldum snapped his fingers again as Gahiji puts away his gun and pulls the lever to let a part of the stone floor open to reveal a watery pit full of crocodiles.

"Now that's better." Howard replied.

"Howard, you're putting your life in more danger," the ninja told Howard sarcastically.

"Oh … AAH!"

"Now then, ninja. Where was I?" Khaldum said to the ninja again. "Oh yes. We are to perform a forbidden ritual at the start of the eclipse today, and you are the perfect volunteer to help us with the ritual, as long as you are wearing the Sapphire Ankh around your neck."

"Me? Help you perform a forbidden ritual?" The ninja said in shock. "No dice!"

"I was afraid you would say that …" Khaldum snapped his fingers and the ninja witnessed Gahiji pushing Howard near the edge of the crocodile pit.

"Howard!" the ninja cried.

"Now I'm sure you wouldn't want your friend to end up becoming a meal fit for the crocodiles." Khaldum spoke calmly to the ninja. "I'm offering you a second chance, ninja. Help us or Wienerman is chowed down for dinner."

"Don't do it, ninja!" Howard cried. "This isn't worth it!"

The ninja gazed at Howard; he knew what the Nomicon had told him,

"A ninja must never endanger the innocent, but he must always defend the defenseless."

Unfortunately, those were one of the times when the ninja must risk his own life to save the innocent and defend the defenseless.

"Fine." The ninja told Khaldum, grunting in defeat. "I'll help you perform the ritual. For Howard."

"Ninja, you numbskull." Howard told the ninja with an annoyed look. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"I'm only doing it to save your butt." The ninja replied. "If I have refused instead, you'd be crocodile chow by now."

"The ninja's got a point there." Gahiji said to Howard.

"Who asked you for your opinion?" Howard replied to Gahiji. "No wonder you're so stupid, according to Astarte."

"Hey! I could always throw you into the pit, sooner or later, for being a potty-mouth!"

"Well, too bad. The ninja have already accepted Khaldum's offer."

"Well played, Wienerman. Well played."

"SILENCE!" Khaldum yelled across the burial chamber. "I WILL NOT HAVE ANYONE OF YOU WASTE VALUABLE TIME! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR 800 YEARS!"

"Sheesh," Gahiji cried. "It's no wonder your name means immortal in Egyptian."

This hits the ninja's head. Where has he heard the word immortal? Then realization hits him. He remembers the Nomicon's important warning as the Nomicon's graphic arrows point at Khaldum,

"Beware the name that defines immortality."

"So your name means immortal in Egyptian?" the ninja asked Khaldum. "So you're the one the Nomicon told me to stay away."

"My, so you do know about our plan?" Khaldum replied to the ninja. "But I was hoping that you wouldn't know."

"Oh I've just went a few steps ahead of you. And I know you're only desire is to get the Sapphire Ankh."

"That, you are correct, but you didn't know this," Khaldum snaps his fingers as an army of dark, hooded people enter the burial chamber.

"What the juice?"

Khaldum made eye contact with Gahiji who is still holding Howard.

"Take Wienerman to the dungeon, separate him from the ninja." Khaldum ordered Gahiji as he grabs the ninja by the arm. "Make sure he doesn't escape."

Gahiji grins as he takes Howard away from the ninja's sight and tossed him in a mud brick room, bricks lying on the door, some on top of what seems to be a mummified prisoner, who is dead. (3) The door was locked tight as Howard crawls into a corner, clutched his knees together and forced himself not to cry, not only because he is locked up in the dungeon, but because his best friend – Randy Cunningham, 9th grade ninja have agreed to participate in the forbidden ritual.

"Ninja, you numbskull," Howard cried softly and quietly. "I swear I'll get out of this dungeon and save you from getting killed and possessed by Khaldum. That I promise"

Then Howard lets out a quiet, squeaky fart.

"I just hope McFist and Viceroy have found the Book of Amun-Ra soon."

(1) Priscella Pyro aka. Pyrota, main antagonist in "The Mummy" but became a somewhat anti-heroine, semi-villainess in its sequel "Return of the Mummy" (Still a work-in-progress)

(2) That will happen in "Rerturn of the Mummy" when Pyrota changes from a secondary antagonist to an anti-heroine.

(3) Dr. Ivan's death that Howard saw during his imprisonment. That happens at the end of "The Mummy" when he is mummified alive, locked in the same room that Howard is locked in, and is crushed to death by falling stones and pillars