This is a little Idea that came to me as part of my aborted project, 
Strife. I decided that I was going down too many roads that had already 
worn through. But I don't think anyone has had this idea yet.
Except possibly the divine Miss Bartram, but I don't think she did it in 
quite this way. 


Gosunkugi Empowered
--------------------

Nerima. A Graveyard.

Gosunkugi stood in the middle of the pentagram, robes flying in the 
wind. In his right hand, he held a katana, and in his left he held a 
wand carved from rowan wood. 

The storm was his doing. Anyone close would have seen that he was 
concentrating , his eyes screwed up, and hoarsely chanting in a 
selection of languages. 

Then he got his words wrong in a section of the chant in Latin.

"Kharatan! Maxissimum Podex Est!"

The storm gathered fury, and a small vortex started to appear in front 
of him. 

"Wait... You are a total asshole? OH SHIT!"

Gos scuffed the pentagram, and the vortex collapsed.

"HEY! YOU!"

Gosunkugi scarpered.

*****

The next morning, Gos dragged himself out of bed. "Well, I've finally 
got the basics," he muttered. "School... I hate that godforsaken place. 
At least the Principal of Evil made flesh hasn't tried to shave my head 
yet..."

"Hiki-chan! Parcel!"

"Right, mum..." Gos, yawning, pulled his clothes on and went to see what 
the package was. 

"Ohhh... this must be what Chrestomanci-san was sending me..."

Indeed it was. It was a beautifully carved box, dating from the 
crusades. On it was a series of carvings, depicting a groupp of knights- 
probably Templars- travelling by sea. On the lid of the box was a 
hideous creature, and a name Gos couldn't decipher. But the rest of the 
carving... it showed a group of Samurai, and what was obviously a Shinto 
priest. And it also showed a tomb, with the priest standing over it.

"That looks nice, Gos. Who sent it?" Gos could never understand his 
mother. 

"The most powerful sorcerer in Europe, mum."

"That's nice, dear." Gos sighed. His mother was someone he could never 
understand. She was Kasumi on prozac- and worse. She never seemed to 
worry about him. Even that day when that demon had broken out of a 
bottle and had to be put down by Cologne she hadn't batted an eyelid. 
She'd just cleared up and offered them both some tea.

Cologne had been amazed by his mother. 

Opening the box, Gos found something interesting. More than that. Carved 
into the lid was an outline, and a large X in one part of it.

Even Gos could see it was a map.

*****

That night, Gos set out. From a little cross-referring, he could tell 
that the cross was over a little tomb in the woods nearby.

-
You can tell where this is going, can't you?
-

The tomb was spacious inside.

"So what's meant to be here?"

But Gos had missed the point. Who would have placed a Demon in such an 
easy place?

Precisely. Which was why Gos' weight went straight through the rotted 
planks on the floor. 

"AAAAAAAAH!"

"So, here I am. Where is this?"

Gos was in a cavern deep, deep underground. He half expected Ryoko to 
come out from a corner.

(No, that's not where this is leading.)

He lit the candles on the sides of his head, and looked around. He could 
see that there were two passages leading away, and set of to the nearest 
one.

"AAAAAAAAA!"

He came bach much quicker, heading to the other one.

The reason?

A ravening pack of Lovecraftian Ghouls.

"OhHellOhShitOhThothOhKamiSama-"

Gos took a breath as he tried to think of anything else to invoke.

"OH MUMMY!"

*THUMP*

Gos had tripped over something.

He was in another cave. Smaller, this time.

What he'd tripped over was a large stone in the ground.

And there were several interesting carvings on it. 

All of them were various wards.

What Gos was worried about was the fact that he'd gashed his shin on the 
stone. 

*HELLO.*

"Who's there?"

*THE ONE YOU CAME TO FIND."

Gos was worried even more. The voice was coming straight into his head, 
without any middleman (i.e. his ears.)

"Who-who are you?"

"I HAVE HAD MANY NAMES. CALL ME ASTAROTH, DEVOURER OF SOULS."

"Uh oh."

"I HAVE MELLOWED SOMEWHAT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE."

"What?"

"THE DESTRUCTION OF THOUSANDS NO LONGER INTERESTS ME. I WISH TO FIND 
WHAT THERE IS IN THIS WORLD. I HAVE BEEN PRISONER FOR FIVE HUNDRED 
YEARS. I AM _bored_. RELEASE ME AND I SHALL GRANT YOU POWER."

"Power?"

Gos had forgotten one simple truth: never trust a demon.

He pulled out the stone.

The ground surged upwards, and a rather impressive figure stood there 
for a second.

Then it fell flat on its face.

"not...enough... strength."

Then Gos lost his footing.

*THUMP*

He fell on it.

Flesh flowed and oozed in a manner it wasn't meant to.

Astaroth and Gosunkugi became one. (Leave it out, you Hentais...)

*You have potential, but no skill, little Man.*

*And you have skill, but no power now.*

*Why not become of one mind? I cannot live in the modern world.*

*We're alredy one body. Would I be able to use your powers?*

*Yes.* A pause. *We will become a new force in this world of darkness 
and technology. We shall defeat your enemies. Akane shall be yours."

*Really?* 

*Well, we'll see what we can do.*

Thus it was that Gosunkuki did burst from the ground, eyes aflame, wings 
stretching from his back, and fire from his hands.

Noone would ever laugh at him again.

The next day...

"Ranma?"

"Whaddaya want, Gos?"

"um...nothing."

Inside Gos, the little bit that was Astaroth out its head in its claws 
and groaned.

*Of all the mages in the world, I had to get the one with less spine 
than a jellyfish.*

End. 

 

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