SMST 5B: Journey to Adventure! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 26
Meanwhile, in the bowels of the ancient city of Hamunaptra…
"At last!" Imohetep proclaims, as his bodied crackled with power. A Crescent moon mark glowed on his forehead as well. "I have stolen the power of a goddess! And soon, I shall rule not just Earth, but both Heaven AND the Underworld as well!"
Evelyn Carnahan, a beautiful Egyptologist, was strapped on a alter made of stone, so that she could become the new vessel for Imoheptep's lost love Anck-nu-namun…
"Rick, help!" Evelyn said, as the swirl of spirit energy began to invade her body. Already, she felt her consciousness slip away…
"We're trying!" said adventurer Rick O'Connell, as he and Evelyn's older, loser brother Jonathan were trying to ward off mummies with torches and swords…since bullets were useless to walking corpses. The mummies were retainers and servants of Imohetep, when he served as High Priest to Pharoah Seti the First. In fact, Imohetep had gained his fate for having an affair with Seti's mistress Anck-nu-namun, even though Anck-nu-namun loved Imohetep…
"Just hang on, sis!" Jonathan yelled as ducked what would have been a headblow. "We'll get to you!"
Imohetep looks up. He sees that the full moon was in perfect alignment, thank to a shaft that was built in the temple.
"You are TOO late, mortals! Soon, your fates will be sealed, and my love will be returned to ME-!"
Imohetep suddenly stops in mid-sentence, as he turns to face in the direction of Cairo.
"No," Imohetep said. "This cannot be-!"
Rick and Jonathan turns to look at each other.
"You think Ronnie made it?" Rick asked.
"If he didn't, we're all DEAD," Jonathan said.
"I will not be stopped!" Imohetep said, as he summoned an elder god to do his bidding…
Outside, still miles away, Ranma was using inhuman speed to race across the desert sands, that is, until something massive got in the way…
RRRRRRRRUUUUUUMMMMMBBBBLE!
Ranma slowed down just in time see colossal figure, made from rock and sand.
"Atum!" Ranma yelled. "Do not interfere!"
Atum was an Earth god on the same level as Gaea, the Earth Mother, though his domain was not nature itself.
"My apologies, Inzanagi," said the Earth god. "I am at the mercy of Imohetep."
Ranma was once the elder god Inzanagi, the father of the gods of Japan. Thanks to an ancient goddess from another world, Ranma—as well as their companions—were reduced to godling status (immortal beings with no dominion over a conceptual or natural force). This was done due to the fact that Ranma, while Izanagi, was in the midst of a blood rage, since he thought that he was still fighting a powerful foe in the middle of battle. Since this otherworldly goddess did not know what had happened to bring this stranger to her world, she drained the power from him and his companions as a precaution; destroying him and his companions outright would have resulted in a cataclysmic event. And besides, Ranma was gorgeous to her…
Nevertheless, the gods knew of Ranma as the Inzanagi, and accorded him with respect based upon his reputation.
"So be it," Ranma said, as he got into a fighting stance…
Atum initates combat, moving faster than his mass would normally allow. He leaps up and slams his fist into the Earth.
THOOM!
The sand buckles and forms a wave effect.
Seeing this, Ranma runs up the wave of sand, and leaps towards Atum. Atum responded by back fisting him.
POW!
As Ranma sails through the air, he rotates and faces backwards towards Atum.
"Thanks for the lift!" Ranma said, as he sticks out his tongue. Normally, Ranma loves to fight, based upon the principle that testing ones skills is a worthy venture. However, he couldn't be delayed any further than necessary, for the sake of Usagi.
"See ya…!"
Atum then realizes that Ranma had maneuvered him into sending him exactly where he wanted to go. Then again, his heart was not really into fighting an old ally…
"Good luck, old friend," Atum said, as he returns to the Earth where he slumbered…
Like a torpedo, Ranma dives straight into the heart of Imohotep's lair.
THOOM!
"No!" Imohotep yells in frustration, as Ranma slams straight into the priest-turned-god.
WHAM!
Ranma then arm-locked the villain.
"Rick, get the books and Evelyn!" Ranma said, as Imohoep struggled.
"Right!" Rick said, as he and Jonathan took advantage of the mummies confusion over these turn of events, to do as Ranma had requested of them.
Ranma then turns his attention towards Imohotep.
"You SUCH a loser, you know that?" Ranma said. "I mean, I like Usagi and all, but I would want betray my oath to my employer if she wasn't an honorable woman."
"Anck-nu-humun was the love of my life!" Imohotep said.
"She was playing both sides, man! Otherwise, she would have left Seti for you. Heck, the only reason why she committed suicide was out of spite, not for love."
"We got her and the books!" Rick said. "What's next?"
"We should remove his immortality quickly," Evelyn said. "He'll be killable then-!"
Evelyn quickly opens the book of Amun-Ra, and cited an incantation…
"ARRRGH!" Imohotep screams, as the ghostly form of the Moon Princess is removed, along with other arcane energies. The Moon Princess floats towards Ranma, gives him a kiss, and then speeds off to her proper home. The Moon mark on Imohotep's forehead disappears in short order.
"Now, we can kill him," Jonathan said, as he brought up his gun.
"No-!" Imohotep said, before-
"No," Ranma said, as he applies a neck pinch to Imohetep's neck, knocking him out in the process.
THUMP!
With Imhotep down, Ranma turns towards his fellow adventurers.
"You should have a recipe for a memory erasure potion in the Book of Amun-Ra," Ranma said. "We need to contact Ardeth Bay for help on gathering the ingredients."
Ardeth Bay was the leader of the band of warriors—known as the Medjai—that guards the gates to the city of Hamunaptra as a means of keeping Imohotep buried. Unfortunately, Evelyn and everyone else ignored their warnings, and thus enabled Imohotep to be released…
"Why are we doing this?" Rick said. "He killed a lot of people since his reawakening, you know!"
"I know, but he comes from a different time and mindset," Ranma said. "I believe he should be deserving a second chance…"
END FLASHBACK!
"So what happened?" Brianna asked.
"Well, we gave Imohotep a new identity, minus his previous memories as 'Imohotep'," Ranma said.
"And I got back to normal, thanks to Ranma," Usagi said, as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
SMOOCH!
"But I wouldn't have gotten that way had you not been goaded into that trap, dear."
"I know, I know. But anyway, Imohotep assumed the role of a Coptic Christian monk, and was still under the watch of the Madjai and the Cult of Sobek. And it turned out that their vigilance was justified, when the Cult of the Scorpion King kidnapped Imohotep and Rick's son Alex-"
"This Rick had a son?" Brittany asked.
"Oh, yes," Usagi said. "He and Evelyn had gotten married, and had a little boy. Unfortunately, he was kidnapped because he had accidentally put on the bracelet that was a mystical talisman that led him to the Oasis of Ahm Shere, the secret kingdom of the Scorpion King. Meanwhile, Imohotep was needed because of his knowledge."
"I heard legends about that place," Gina said. "Supposedly, it appears every so often."
"Only on the year of the Scorpion, to be precise," Ranma said. "And only for a week, before it disappears again."
"So what happened?" Brianna said.
"It…had gotten really, really stupid…"
FLASHBACK!
1933 CE: Oasis of Ahm Shere.
"Go Ranma!" Usagi screamed from the stands, as she sat next to Anubis, her grandson. Normally, Anubis, the Lord of the Underworld, would have let loose his jackal-headed army. But because of his familial relationship to the goddess of Rabbits, he relented by allowing for a wrestling match to decide the fate of the mortals Rick, Evelyn, Alex, Imohotep, the leader of the Madjai Ardeth Bay, Jonathan and Meela Nais, the present recipient Anck-su-Humunu's soul. All of the were tied and hung over a pit filled with flesh devouring scarabs…
"I can't believe you never really loved me!" Imohotep laments. "Ranma was RIGHT!"
"What can I say?' Meela said. "I AM a mistress, after all…"
"I feel sorry for Emil," Evelyn said.
"Emil" was the name Imohotep had used as a mortal…
"YOU fell sorry for that guy?" Rick said. "After all THIS?"
"Well…I can now understand why Ronnie said what he said about Emil having misguided love and all."
Rick shook his head. He then turns towards his son.
"How are you holding up?" Rick asked.
"This is fun, Dad!" Rick said.
"Well, at least we can enjoy the show before we die," Jonathan said.
"Have faith, my friend," Ardeth said. "The day is far from lost…"
"If I knew that this would be the result of your request, I would have never granted it," Anubis groused.
Usagi turns towards her grandson.
"Oh, stop be such a sour puss, Anu-kun," Usagi said. "Your champion is doing well."
"Humph!"
Ranma circled his transformed friend, Mathayus, the Scorpion King.
"We don't have to do this, old friend," Ranma said.
"Of course I do," Mathayus said, as he flicked his scorpion tail. "Prepare yourself-!"
Mathayus launches himself, while Ranma avoided the strike. However, not having dealt with Mathayus in this manner, Ranma was caught by Mathayus himself.
GRAB!
"Ah!" Ranma said, as Mathayus suddenly leaps into the air, flips over, and slams Ranma into the stone floor…headfirst.
BAM!
Slight dazed, Ranma was lying on the ground.
Mathayus leaps to the stands, as the jackal-headed demons roared throughout the makeshift stands.
"CAN YOU SMEELLLLLLLLLL, WHAT THE KING IS COOKING?" Mathayus roars.
"HU-RAAAAAA!" the crowd roars.
Mathayus then begins to leap over Ranma, back and forth until he performs an elbow drop on top of the martial artist.
BAM!
"Augh!" Ranma yelps. He had much better days than THIS…
END FLASHBACK!
The Digger Sisters could only stare open mouth at what was told to them.
"…"
"I mean, I won, but, again, it was a stupid endeavor," Ranma said with a smirk.
Meanwhile…
"Okay, time to shut down," said the foreman.
"Hmmm?" Ranma said, as looks up from his work. All after noon, he had been getting strange vibes about what has been going on, starting from the time a lot of private security choppers circling overhead near the park area…
"Hey, foreman!" Ranma said. "What's the deal?"
"We've been asked to clear the areas surrounding the park area, including this one," the foreman said. "But don't worry; we still got other sites to build up."
"Oy, it looks like we lost some work for the time being, buddy," Seo said, as he wraps his left arm around Ranma's shoulders.
"Seo?"
"What?"
"Remove your arm…now," Ranma said, having built up a reflex of sorts from his extensive encounters with Kuno over the years…
"Sorry," Seo said, as he turns to look at the ever increasing helicopter traffic. "Still it will be interesting to see how you will fair, when we meet the Green Girl."
"Wait, how do you know she's the cause of all this?" Ranma asked.
"I didn't, until you confirmed my suspicion."
"Huh."
"Welp, we might as well see what's the fuss and all…"
And with that, Seo walks off the yard.
"Hey, wait up…!"
Meanwhile…
"I've been a terrible mother!" Usagi cried, as she along with the others in the room cried, as Kururu sang a sad song of longing and despair. Before that, everyone in the room was frozen in ice, thanks to Mizore's enthusiasm about trying to stalk Tsukune, the love of her life…and pretend boyfriend.
"Mother, it's okay," Moka-chan said. "I've been a terrible daughter…"
"I missed my MOM!" Tsukune cried out, as he burst into tears.
"Works every time," Kururu said triumphantly.
"Humph," Mizore sniffed.
Tbc.