This weird idea seed blossomed into being due to my purchase of Open Grave, the Forsaken Hierophant in the Mummies section, and my vague and more than likely completely incorrect knowledge of the Hammer films "The Mummy". I figure that the concept is really too stupid to develop, but I just couldn't resist finding out how stupid it is.
The basic idea is that Ranma gets his grubby little hands on a map that he thinks leads to a potential cure, seeing as how it houses definate references to magic and/or it was revealed during a bit of chaos involving some magical item or the other. So, at the first opportunity, Ranma sneaks out of the Tendo dojo (recalling all too well how it was that Mousse, Ryoga and Genma always screwed up his potential cures in the past) and follows the map down into the sewers. Unfortunately for him, the map is a guide to a sort of dungeon-complex, currently occupied by a mummy.
Now, naturally, Ranma can't believe that something from Egypt and bad horror movies about Egypt is in the sewers in Japan, but he's determined to find that "cure" and, presuming the thing to be a guardian, he promptly tries to attack it... and gets his ass whipped. After a dozen or so assaults, the two call a momentary break to catch their breath. During this, they get to talking, and Ranma finds out that there is no cure- the map was just a guide to this old segment of a necromancer's lair. He's not pleased, but the mummy asks him to wait, as it wants to make a deal. It used to be one of the wizards who built the place, but his "friends" killed him and turned him into one of the undead to serve as a guardian while they moved on. He's kind of pissed off about it. It promises to use its powers to cure Ranma (pointing out that who better to remove a curse, particularly one based on a restless spirit, than a black magic user, especially one who focuses on controlling the dead) if he'll give it a bit of helping hand...
Basically, the rest of the short story focuses on Ranma running errands for his new "boss" (or "partner", whichever) while trying to avoid the other Nerimites (how would he explain this to them?) and with a growing feeling that he might be getting involved with someone more evil than he'd originally bargained for.
So, what do you all have to say? Way too stupid, right?


