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Chapter 14

   When Ranma stepped out of the portal he first noticed the deep
silence.  As he looked around, his initial impression was only deepened
by what he saw.  He was in a forest, the trees surrounding him dwarfing
almost all others in his experience except those of Ryugenzawa.  There
was a distinct difference between this place and the home of the Orochi.
His present location seemed to ooze menace.

   The light that reached the ground was a dim ghostly thing.  The plant
life might have been green, black or grey.  With the light available,
the difference was not discernable.  And then there was what had struck
him first, the silence.  He expected to see corpses littering the
ground, for only a place of death could have a silence so deafening.
Ranma made his breathing shallower, the noise it made seeming to cry out
for all to hear.  He was about to expand his battle aura to enhance his
senses when he heard his first sound.

   "Greetings, human.  Spooky, isn't it?" a voice echoed in his mind,
while a audible growling sound accompanied it.  Ranma leaped forward
thirty feet, while twisting in mid-air to face the direction of the
growling.

   Behind him was Ammit, the beast god.  He seemed much cheerier than he
had been.  He didn't look any different but the tone of the mental voice
communicated as much.  On either side of him were a dozen demons Ranma
recognized as Fenry, the huge demon wolves exuding a dark aura.

   Ranma grunted in greeting, not trusting his voice.  It was probably
just as well, insults seemed to accidentally pour out when confronting
people he didn't like.  Considering he needed the lizard freak to get
home that would qualify as unwise.

   "This forest has the interesting property of absorbing sounds," Ammit
demonstrated by walking forward.  No sound disturbed the dead silence.
"By now Lord Mephisto has received word that his home is under attack,
as soon as my scouts report he has left Rhada's castle and prison, we
will head towards it.  With good fortune all we will encounter will be
Deevil Serpents."

   "And if we're not?" Ranma asked, finding his voice again.

   "Then you follow my directions and we still finish this mission. I
have planned this for quite some time. It is unlikely that Mephisto,
Lord of Deception and Lies, will ever fall for a similar ruse again.
Rhada will be rescued today. This is just a nice turn of phrase, of
course, Dyval has no day. They appreciate perpetual dusk in this corner
of the Deevil realm," letting out another growl, enjoying his own wit.

   When Ammit noticed the Fenry giving hostile, and somewhat hungry
looks at the human he chuckled again. "Be patient, we need the human to
complete our plan to rescue your mistress. Besides I think you'd find
his meat surprisingly tough to chew."

   He was just turning back to the martial artist when another Fenry
leaped into view. The creature stared at Ammit while giving a series of
low growls. It then ran back in the direction it had come, equally
silent. "Mephisto has left, hopefully he didn't add any surprises.
Follow me."

   At this Ammit took off in an awkward, lumbering gait, which may have
been amusing in a creature less massive. The Fenry seemed hard pressed
to keep up with the pace the dark god set. Ranma himself had a
difficult time. His speed was incredible over short distances, but
constantly pushing his body to break the conventional laws of physics
was draining on his chi resources. It was hard to tell, but he guessed
they were travelling at close to sixty miles per hour.

   After about twenty minutes of this pace they reached the edge of the
forest. Ranma almost let loose with a chi barrage as they were
surrounded by over a hundred pairs of glowing eyes. Ammit ignored the
horde of Fenry that met them, allowing them to fall into flanking
positions on either side of Ammit and Ranma.

   As they left the perimeter of the dead forest, sound slowly trickled
back into existence and the pad of hundreds of feet could be heard
rustling in the black grass. Ranma would have found this reassuring, but
he was preoccupied with the fortress looming ahead of them. The castle
walls were of black obsidian and the gates, which were presently closed,
were likewise of some manner of stone.

   As they approached the gate, a stirring and screeching could be heard
as demon called to demon, warning of an impending invasion.

   Soon fire and lightning strafed the hoard of onrushing Fenry as the
unseen defenders called upon magics they either personally wielded or
were built into the walls.

   That was when Ranma noticed something resembling liquid flame falling
from above, that he looked up in the air and noticed the Dire Harpies.
Large demonic harpy creatures were flying high overhead and spitting at
the forces beneath them.  The Fenry struck by this lava-like substance
shook their heads or bodies in irritation, apparently immune to the
heat.  Considering each monster was about eighteen feet from head to
claw, Ranma knew that they were unnatural simply by the fact that their
wings enabled them to fly.

   Ranma had been nimbly avoiding the missiles, conserving his strength,
rather than counterattacking, when he saw several of the harpies come
within leaping range.  He was about to leap on one of the creatures when
he was surprised to see one of the Fenry leap thirty feet straight up
and latch onto the bird hybrid.  While it's weight seemed insufficient
to drag it down it did cause enough drag that another Fenry was able to
leap up and attach itself with it's teeth.  This seemed to be adequate,
as the harpy fell to the earth amid a snarling pack of wolf demons.
Ranma, seeing his original target incapacitated chose to leap up to a
second harpy unwise enough to fly within range.  He grabbed onto one of
the bird talons and flipped himself up towards the torso.

   Letting loose a quick Chestnut Fist, he was about to follow up with a
chi blast when he noticed the creature was unconscious.  Shaking his
head in disgust he used the deevil's body to cushion his impact, as the
now immobile creature plummeted to the ground.

   Standing up from his opponents body, he glanced around seeing most of
the remaining harpies retreating to higher altitudes.

   Ranma didn't care, this reduced their combat effectiveness to almost
zero, considering everyone, including himself, seemed immune to the lava
attacks.

   Looking at the gate he saw that the charge had momentarily stalled as
Ammit and the Fenry clawed at the massive stone barrier. Ranma sighed,
you think they would have at least been prepared with explosives or
something.

   "Out of the way!  I'll take care of the Gate!" he commanded running
over to the clump of his allies.  Not waiting for them, he struck the
stone wall with the Breaking Point.  After the massive explosion he
looked up to find he was only halfway through.  Grumbling in disgust he
kicked one of the unconscious Fenry, who had been too slow to leave the
blast radius, out of the way and again applied the Breaking Point.  He
was standing there in triumph, when he noticed that on the other side
were arrayed several dozen rather attractive snakes.  It wouldn't have
been a concern except these were twenty feet long and three feet in
diameter.

   With his battle senses on full alert, he could feel magical energies
gather around, he was in the process of leaping away when a blinding
blast of sand was blown at him at hurricane velocities.

   Thrown back several yards by this unexpected attack, he was about to
roll with the blow and then leap forward with a counter when he
encountered the effects of a second spell. Attempting to land on his
feet he suddenly found himself waist deep in quicksand.  Where a moment
ago lay packed earth, now the ground in front of the castle was
enchanted mire.

   Struggling to free himself of the sludge, Ranma was unable to avoid
attacks by the harpies flying above.  Shouting in pain he was bombarded
by the molten saliva of the foes circling above.  It may not have done
any damage but the agony was enough to keep him from focussing his chi
for a counterattack.

   He was about to try to gain solid land again, when he found himself
lifted by an unseen force and roughly deposited on firmer ground.
Ammit's voice rang in his head, "Stop playing in the mud. You have
proved your worth by gaining us entry, but if you fall for every petty
spell cast your way it will not be worth the effort to rescue you."

   Ranma ignored the voice's snide remarks and quickly leaped into
battle with the serpent creatures, finding that without their spells
they fared only slightly better than the Dire Harpies. Ranma had taken
down his fifth Serpent when he again heard Ammit's 'voice', "Leave those
Serpents to the Fenry. The Dire Harpies seem to be getting more
reinforcements outside. This may mean Leviathan is in the area. Let us
find Rhada before she can interfere."

   "You're too late Ammit. I'm here already. I may not be a big bad Dark
God like you, but I think I can occupy you until Mephisto and his other
minions arrive," a sensuous voice gave a throaty chuckle.

   At the other end of the courtyard stood a beautiful blond woman
carrying a large hammer with a twenty foot long handle in one hand and a
ten foot long short sword in the other.  These proportions only seem odd
until it is realized the woman stood over twenty-eight feet tall.  A
shining sphere of energy revolved around her head, giving her almost a
halo effect.  "I've taken the liberty of summoning a sphere of
destruction just for your benefit," with a barely discernable nod of her
head the glowing sphere flew toward Ammit.  She watched in glee as Ammit
began to twist in an attempt to avoid the flying object.  When Ammit was
unsuccessful at dodging one of the passes, it seemed as if his entire
body lit up from within, and shook as if electricity flowed through it.
Ammit raring in pain threw himself away from the sphere and towards
Leviathan only to be balked when the sphere swung back around in front
of him.

   Ranma had been watching all this with interest. He held no fondness
for Ammit and it was entertaining to see him leap and wriggle around. It
was also evident to his practiced eye that Ammit was in no real danger.
The sphere, although it looked really painful, was actually doing less
damage than his chi blasts had done to Ammit earlier.

   Ranma know from bitter experience how ineffective they were. The
dangerous element involving the sphere was that each time it hit Ammit
the god seemed stunned for a few moments. From watching the beast god
writhe around it was obvious he hadn't learned the art of simultaneously
attacking while dodging. Too bad really, Ranma mused. Looking at the
Deevil Lord he shook his head in wonder.

   "I go all the way to Hell... or wherever... and I can't get away from
violent tomboys," Ranma marveled.

   "Tomboy!  How dare you can me names. Ammit, it appears I'll have to
teach your little pet human his place. Too bad it's going to be a smear
beneath my feet," the outraged Deevil Lord shouted.

   "Well of course you're a Tomboy. I mean really, shouldn't you be home
tending little deevils or something?" Ranma taunted, getting into the
spirit of the game. It almost felt like home. She even had a hammer.

   The giantess was fast and strong, even somewhat skilled, but she was
no martial artist.  Ranma easily avoided the hammer and the sword.  The
Hammer she wielded started screeching in a tormented wail that sent
fearful shivers down his spine. Bracing himself against the hideous
noise he continued with his campaign. He couldn't bring himself to
attack her, even if she was a Deevil, but his insults apparently hurt
more than any mere physical damage.

   "I mean here we are, you're big...er... bigger, than an ox. And
you're like strong, like and ox. But you really shouldn't be fighting.
Your thighs are too thick. You can't even kick," he said glibly as her
mountainous foot flew overhead. "Unlike an ox. You talk like a hick."

   Leviathan was more furious than she had ever been in her entire
existence. Here was a mere puny mortal mocking her beauty, and grace.
Every blow she sent in his direction he seemed to avoid with ease,
laughing at her while he did so. The ground about them looked like a
war zone, ten foot wide craters littered the ground where her hammer had
missed him. He had even started commenting on her fighting skills,
correcting her posture and giving little tips and pointers.

   She was going to kill him. Then trap his soul and torture it for the
rest of eternity. No, no, that was too good, this maggot had to suffer
more than any other of her victims had suffered throughout the ages. If
she hadn't expended all of her energy on the sphere she would show this
little insect of a human not to trifle with Leviathan.

   She was so incensed by this hated mortal, that she failed to notice
that her sphere had stopped attacking Ammit, indeed, lacking any
direction from her it had started to wander away searing it's way
through random stone walls of the fortress.  If she had been paying any
attention whatsoever, she would have noticed the telltale red glow
around the beast god as he summoned the same godly Hellfire that had
defeated Ranma earlier. She wasn't. It came as a complete surprise when
a firey crimson beam slammed into her back, after she had embedded her
hammer into the ground for the fiftieth time. Crying out in shock she
realized her mistake just in time to turn around and take another blast
in the face.

   Ranma stood by again and winced in sympathy. He knew exactly how
hard those blasts hit. He had to admit though, she certainly took them
better than he had. She looked hurt, but far from out. He had only
been able to take four or five of those things, it looked like she'd be
able to handle far more. These greater supernatural creatures just had
way too much stamina. He smiled to himself, it just wasn't natural.

   The two entities continued to trade blows. Ammit appeared to be
stronger, and the Hell fire he threw was certainly doing more damage
even than the huge hammer Leviathan wielded. It was also obvious that
each entity was incredibly durable. This battle could last for hours.
Ranma somehow doubted they had hours.

   "Human, I will keep Leviathan occupied. She is overmatched, but all
she needs to do is delay us until Mephisto arrived. Behind you on the
ground you will see a small black file with runes inscribed on the
sides. Take it and follow the Fenrys waiting for you in the corridor. He
will lead you to Rhada. Go now. I do not know how much time we have,"
Ammit mental command resounded like a bell through Ranma's mind.

   Looking around and finding both the file and the demon wolf he
followed it down the corridor with nary a backward glance. Until he
developed a much more powerful attack, he'd leave Deevil Lords and Gods
to themselves. But only until then. Ranma Saotome never gave up.


   The remaining journey was almost anticlimactic. The corridors were
teeming with Serpents, but Ranma and the Fenry had the element of
surprise, as the battle was supposed to be taking place elsewhere. Some
of the Serpents even congealed from smoke or mist, forming with little
warning. Despite this, they still seemed more surprised than Ranma, and
he soon learned to sense these gaseous threats before they even started
to materialize. Without the time to cast the irritating spells they
knew, the Serpents fell quickly to Ranma's physical assaults. The
shocked, almost dazed look in the poor demon wolf's eyes gave witness to
the fact that this was one Fenry who would never underestimate the power
a 'mere' human could wield again.

   After a ridiculous number of winding corridors, they finally reached
one that spiraled downward. Knowing that dungeons are always deep under
ground, Ranma was almost expecting it when one final door opened in to a
large dimly lit room. Smoky, guttering torches sent uncertain
illumination throughout the room. Unlike the rest of the fortress, which
appeared exquisitely constructed, with barely a seam visible, within the
chamber the designer seemed to have purposely made the walls from
mismatched pieces of stonework. The air was humid and trickles of
moisture could be seen on the walls.

   "Be wary, my minion, I yet have guards," a melodious voice warned
from the darkened corner of room.

   The Fenry sniffed the air and then stiffened growling. The growling
was sudden cut off. Looking toward his demonic companion Ranma first
noted it seemed unnaturally stiff. With a start he recognized the
effects as transformation magic, similar to that used on Jenn. Warned he
focused his senses and felt the chi of two other demons in the room.
With this to orient upon, he saw what appeared to be two sets of
serpent's eyes hanging eleven feet up in the air. A subtle tingling
sensation from his bracers informed him they were working to stave off
tranformative magic. Ranma didn't remember the book saying anything
about floating eyes and petrification, but inwardly he shrugged. Live
and learn.

   Leaping towards the first pair, he sent a powerful kick directed at
the eyes. He was shocked when his foot struck something prematurely.
Something dimly sensed snaked towards him and he instinctively flung
himself away. Realization instantly dawned on him.

   He wasn't fighting two sets of floating eyes, he was fighting two
unknown opponents, probably about twelve feet tall, who only had their
eyes visible. Listening carefully he heard a soft slithering sound and
low hissing noises. His guess confirmed, he closed his eyes. They would
only deceive him, his ears and chi senses would best lead him through
this battle.

   Now prepared, Ranma again leaped toward the presences he felt,
avoiding the flailing objects that were probably limbs.  He moved
tentatively, not used to fighting invisible foes.  Striking several
times he threw his two opponents up against the wall.  Due to his
intense concentration, his blows were not the devastating chi enhanced
strikes he had uses in his earlier fights, so he was not surprised when
he sensed his foes struggling to get up.  He was surprised at how little
his attacks had hurt them.  His chi senses felt very little dimming of
the enemies aura.

   Increasing the intensity of his attacks, he focused more energy into
his blows.  This of course meant he had a difficult time tracking the
deevil pair with his chi senses.  Gritting his teeth he poured more
power into faster Chestnut strikes.  Ranma winced in pain as the return
strikes of his enemies caused sudden, bloody rents to appear in his
clothes.  With a final burst of effort, a combination of strong blows
sent his unseen assailants reeling into the wall.  He sensed that they
were now seriously injured, perhaps even temporarily stunned. He
himself was fairly well torn up as well.

   That didn't really concern him. What really worried him was the
powerful, evil presence he felt rapidly approaching.

   "Shit!  I think Mephisto is here!" he shouted.

   "Quickly!  If you can please free me," the voice from earlier
pleaded.

   Nodding Ranma replied, "One moment."  Raising his hands he opened his
eyes and summoned the chi for a dual blast that knocked both of his
opponents into the wall, and firmly imbedding them there.
Unconsciousness evidently ended whatever method of invisibility his foes
had used to evade his sight.  Standing half-in the walls were two
hideous cloaked humanoids with snakes for hair.  At the moment the
serpents had ceased their hissing and lay limply around their head.

   Nodding to himself he muttered, "Gorgons. I thought so. Though the
book didn't mention they could turn invisible."

   Obstacles removed, he turned to face the voice that had spoken
earlier.  Against the wall, mostly hidden in shadows was an incredibly
gorgeous twelve foot tall woman, long silver hair draped her head and
shoulders in shining glory.  She was shackled to the rear wall, sitting
on what looked to be an uncomfortable crude stone bench.

   Only Ranma's constant exposure to women and his familiarity with his
own female form prevented gouts of blood from spewing from his nose.

   "R..Rhada?" Ranma stuttered.

   "Yes!  Now free me if you can, quickly.  If Mephisto comes our
attempt will be for naught, we must leave before he arrives.  Who sent
you?"

   Bringing out the black file he approached the large, beautiful woman
and started applying it to the single oversized shackle on her right
wrist.  As he touched the manacle with the file, sparks crackled and
spat, singing him.

   "Ammit sent me.  He's doing it for Abdul-Ra.  Hold on, I think it's
working," Ranma said as he noticed the file cutting through the
enchanted manacle like a hot knife through butter.  Unfortunately the
deeper the file bit the more numerous and hotter the sparks given off by
the interaction of the magics.  As he approached the finish, vicious
streams of  sparks caused burns to appear on his hands. Ignoring the
pain Ranma continued.

   "I suggest you get ready to leave.  I was told you could teleport us
out of here once you were free.  Well... there... you... go!" Ranma said
through a triumphant hiss of pain, having removed the last bits of the
restraint.

   At that moment the door melted to slag and a very large, very
furious, and obviously very powerful Deevil Lord stood in the archway.
The creature was just building up a huge amount of energy, preparing for
a devastating offensive when the human, the prisoner, and a very
realistic statue of a Fenry faded from the room.

   They say the resulting roar of outrage could be heard even in the
silence of the Dire Woods.

Chapter 15

   One moment Ranma was preparing himself for a battle he had a
difficult time trying to convince himself he could win, the next he
found himself somewhere with grass-like plants reached up to his chest.
Still on edge from his previous battles he looked around warily,
searching for enemies.

   For as far as he could see lay grassland.  Knowing his view was
limited by the plants surrounding him, he leaped straight up thirty feet
to get a clearer idea of his environment.  Far off in the distance herds
of some sort could be seen placidly grazing.  He couldn't tell what sort
of animal it was but it seemed large.  The tops of the grass barely
reached the creatures knees.

   "Alright, I give up.  Where the heck am I this time," he muttered in
exasperation.

   "Well assuming we haven't been moved elsewhere, we should be in the
Realm of my Abdul-Ra," a woman's voice answered behind him.

   The voice startled Ranma for an instant.  It wasn't that he had
forgotten Rhada was next to him.  She was a beautiful twelve-foot tall
woman.  It was simply that his mind had labeled her a non-hazard, and
had continued scanning for more relevant dangers. Due to this he was as
surprised as if a piece of furniture had spoken. Considering how often
he ran into Tsubasa, it wasn't actually an unfamiliar sensation.

   "You can stop hopping around now.  We should be safe here. I can't
imagine a Demon Lord going through the trouble of freeing me only to
trap me again."  A faraway look came into her eyes, "I can only hope
this means he feels as I do," she whispered to herself.  Shaking herself
from her reverie she continued, "I am sure he is aware of our presence
and will soon send his minions to greet us.  You may as well relax and
wait."

   It was at this moment Ranma noticed that Rhada herself had taken her
advice to heart and was seated on the only support in sight.

   "Are you, uh, going to be able to restore him?  It's not like I care
or anything, but we fought together so I probably should get him fixed
up" Ranma asked, pointing to the female's chair.

   "Oh don't worry.  He is my minion, he fell trying to protect me.  As
soon as I have the resources he will be restored," she calmly assured
while swinging her legs from her perch.

   Something clicked with Ranma's thinking, "Did you say this is
Abdul-Ra's home?" he asked.

   "Yes," Rhada languidly stated, staring up at the sky and admiring the
view.

   "He's a Demon Lord, right?" Ranma continued with growing trepidation.

   "Yes, he is," she purred, obviously thinking pleasant thoughts about
said Demon Lord.

   "So we're like in Hell?" Ranma casually asked.

   "No, of course not," Ranma relaxed.  "We're in Hades."

   Ranma became tense again.

   "But I must admit this is a very nice corner of it.  So nice to
finally be out and stretch my legs," she sighed in relief.

   "Umm, who's he Lord of?" he asked, scanning the area with his senses.

   "The Raksasha of course."

   "Hmm, that doesn't sound familiar.  I could have sworn I read the
whole book," Ranma grabbed the Demonic Compendium Anhur had given him
from subspace and began leafing through it.  "It should be here.  Hey!
There's a few pages missing!"

   "Don't worry, I feel them approaching.  It's been a very long time. I
wonder if his fur still gleams in that delicious way it used to, " Rhada
mused to herself.

   "They're here?  Fur?  Well fine, I can handle monsters.  No
problems," Ranma cracked his knuckles to enunciate his point.  He too
felt several presences closing in around them.  Unlike Rhada he was
slightly concerned about the unknown threats.  Without the book as a
reference he had no idea the power level of these new demons.

   "On behalf of my Lord Abdul-Ra, I greet you... " a deep voice purred.
Looking around he saw one of the creatures he had sensed closed enough
to see through the vegetation.  It was worse than he had thought, much
worse.  Padding regally towards them was a ridiculously large tiger.
Orange and black stripes ran across a very healthy looking pelt. Ranma
had other things on his mind.  Like teeth.  Teeth and claws.  It was the
largest tiger he had ever seen.  Even his nightmares hadn't had such
hideous creatures in it. Grasping for the meditative state Master Arien
had taught he desperately concentrated on ignoring the horrible thing in
front of him.

   Muttering his mantra loudly to himself he slowly backed away, while
clutching spasmodically at the Phobia amulet in subspace.  Each time his
hand closed on a cleaning tool his mantra became louder.  By the time he
had backed into something solid enough not to give way behind him he was
shouting his calming chant, being distracted by the various brushes
beating him about the head and shoulders.

   "Looks like the little human you brought is a bit nervous. Mind if we
play?"  the distracted tiger thing gave a growling chuckle.

   Rhada had finally brought her attention fully on the events around
and she was puzzled. Her rescuer was acting terrified. She knew Raksasha
were greater demons but this reaction was all out of proportion to the
level of threat. Especially considering this human had minutes before
been prepared to face Mephisto himself. "I think it would be wise to...
"was as far as she got.

   The cat creature in front of Ranma slowly approached, looking in
amused contempt at the obviously terrified human. The look on the
human's face when he turned to face what he had backed into and saw an
equally large lion monster was priceless. Finally seeing that he was
surrounded on all sides by huge feline horrors, Ranma's legs gave way.
The creatures laughed uproariously, seeing the human collapse in terror.

   The humor gave way to puzzlement when the human "Meowed". Puzzlement
soon gave way in turn to terror and pain.

   A limping, somewhat mangled, tiger slowly led the Lady Rhada into the
presence of his Lord.  Abdul-Ra sat in a large wicker lounge chair in
the middle of a wide clearing of merely ankle deep grass.  In a circular
pattern around him hung several glowing portals.

   Abdul-Ra himself shared many physical traits Anhur himself had. He
wore a humanoid shape with a large sleek panther-like head, and black
glistening fur.  Instead of the impression of restrained violence given
by Anhur, Abdul-Ra radiated grace, intelligence, and ruthlessness. To
one side of him was a round table of wrought gold, with a glass top and
an unfurled silk canopy to give shade. Upon seeing Rhada he slowly got
to his feet. Walking towards her he drank in her beauty. He wasn't sure
what he felt but he was enjoying whatever it was.

   "Greetings, my Lady.  It has been too long. I apologize it couldn't
be sooner," his deep voice growled.

   "Yes, it has. I assume by my presence here that you feel the same
way," she asked uncertainly.

   "I... I don't know. I feel something between us. I don't know if it's
this 'Love' you declared to me three centuries ago, but I need to find
out. I think 'we' need to find out. If you'll stay by my side until we
work this out between us, I would be most appreciative." The demon lord
stated, almost as if saying a speech he had practiced for.

   Only a hint of confusion and worry in his eyes showed the depth of
his feelings.

   "Of course I will.  I will stay as long as needed to work this out to
it's end.  I hope it will be a long time.  I have looked forward to
being here, " her voice trailed off as she moved closer to the Demon
Lord.

   A disgruntled 'meow' brought her from the mellow daze she had been
falling into.  Looking down she noticed a slightly peeved Ranma-neko
being squashed between the two powerful entities.  Rhada and Abdul-Ra
stepped back, each somewhat surprised that they had been so close to the
other.

   "Why are you holding a human?" Abdul-Ra questioned, finally noticing
the odd sight.

   "He is a minion of Ammit's who aided in my rescue.  He is a ferocious
fighter, but seems to suffer from a severe phobia of cats. It's very
odd, when confronted by your minions in their feline form he showed
extreme fear, then suddenly took on the mental state of a cat himself.
He was mangling quite a few of them before they managed to subdue him
with psionics.  He seems to have taken a liking to me.  Do you think
Ammit would mind if I kept him as a pet?" Rhada asked as she stroked
Ranma's head. Ranma himself lay pleasantly curled in the twelve-foot
tall woman's arms and purred contently.

   "Hmm. I think I've heard something about that type of phobia. Can't
remember what it was though. I think Ammit may want him back. Good help
is hard to find.  Aye Random?" he called off to the side. An armored
human stepped out of one of the portals in the clearing.

   "I would hope I have given you cause to think you had found such
help, Master," the muscular man grunted in reply.

   "Rhada, this is my human servant Random. Could you bring us some
refreshments? Oh and some food for my Lady's pet, as well." "Yes, my
Lord," stepping through one of the dimly glowing portals he vanished
again.

   "We may as well sit and talk until my human arrives. It shouldn't
take long, he's very efficient, and dedicated. As humans go, I don't
think he's quite sane, but I must say he fits in well around here."

   He turned his attention towards Ranma once more. "Your pet seems to
have fallen asleep. I'll change my form to a more human one. I wouldn't
want to startle him." With that his feline features and fur seemed to
blur and retreat taking on a human cast.

   "You look handsome in any form," Rhada stated, and the two fell into
an almost dream state, staring into one another's eyes. Ranma woke to a
familiar sensation. It was comfortable until he remembered why it was
familiar. Leaping from his perch he started to babble.

   "It's not what you think, Akane. I can explain..." he protests
trailed off when he noticed it wasn't Akane's lap he had been crouched
in. This combined with the fact that the two large human appearing
creatures sitting across the table from one another were ignoring him,
quickly silenced him. To be more specific, they seemed to be ignoring
everything around them in the interest of looking into one another's
eyes. Ranma hated being ignored but decided against taking any steps to
remedy the situation. For now.

   Looking around he observed he was in a clearing surrounded by glowing
circles.  He was about to explore a bit more when a bulky man in armor
stepped out of one carrying a large tray.

   "Well, if sleeping beauty isn't up and around," the man sneered.
"You're not going to last long around here if you're frightened of a few
cats. I look forward to throwing your dead body to the demons, my boy,"
he continued with hateful glee.

   As he stepped past Ranma he swung his arm in a roundhouse swing which
would have laid any normal man flat on the ground unconscious.  Ranma
had noticed the intense hostility radiating from man and was not
surprised by the maneuver.  He deftly sidestepped the blow, and while
the man was recovering, kicked him back through the portal he had come
through.  He was careful to catch the tray before it fell though,
something smelled good, and he was starving.

   Humming in anticipation he walked over to the table and dropped the
tray off onto it.  When he slid the cover off it was obvious whose meal
belonged to whom.  There were two large gallon sized mugs, holding
lemon-aid and ice, and one smaller glass with tepid water.  There were
also three plates, one large dish with a feline motif around the edge, a
second of equal size with dogs or wolves on the outer edges, and a third
plain dish.  The actual meal looked mouth watering, a delicious looking
fried fish with some unknown vegetable on the side.  The plain dish
lacked the garnish, the vegetables and the fish was half the size as the
other two.  Ranma gave a surly look at the portal he'd kicked the
annoying man through.

   His feeling quickly changed when he started the meal.  It was
delicious, truly a masterpiece.  Every bit was a work of art rivaling
the best Kasumi had made.  There was something odd about it though.  It
reminded him off the food Akane made for him.  As he ate, he pondered
this dichotomy.  He was just finishing up his small plate when it came
to him.  Arsenic!  It tasted just like arsenic with a touch of hemlock.
It actually added rather nicely to the flavoring.  He remembered it
being one of Akane's better meals.  He still had ended the night getting
his stomach pumped, but at least he was able to keep it down.  That was
all Akane seemed to care about, that uncute tomboy.

   Boy this meal really brought back the memories.

   Smiling he moved on to what he guessed was Rhada's meal.

   She and the big guy (he guessed it was Abdul-Ra) were so engrossed
with each other he doubted they'd mind.  Scarfing down Rhada's plate he
noticed her meal had the same lethal spices and something he didn't know
the name of but tasted like one of Kodachi's hallucinogens.  It sure
tasted great.  As he was eating the last dish he noted that it at least
seemed not to be poisoned.  Apparently that clumsy oaf was only out to
get him and Rhada.

   When he was done with the dishes he casually threw them through the
portal where he had kicked the man.  Listening carefully he was rewarded
with several sharp cries of pain.  Nodding in satisfaction he leisurely
sipped his water, after borrowing a few ice cubes from his companions.
Rhada's seemed to have a trace of nightshade in it, actually adding some
nice flavoring to the water.  While waiting for his companions to notice
him he sat in the shade and relaxed.  It had, after all, been a long
day, and the neko-ken always exhausted him.

   He was about to drift off into sleep when he noticed a slight
rustling in the grass next to him.  Cracking his eye, he surreptitiously
scanned the area around him for danger.  Not seeing anything he was
about to chalk it up to the wind when he noticed a set of impressions in
the ground that looked disturbingly like footprints.  Then one
disappeared and reappeared closer, then the other impression did the
same thing.  Ranma wasn't a genius, but he didn't need a diagram for
this one.

   Closing his eyes he spread out his senses. He was unsurprised to find
a chi presence where those footprints were slowly approaching him. He
was slightly more impressed that it seemed to be wielding a minor magic
sword. It was time to take off the kid gloves. As he sensed the
enchanted blade swing down at him, he rolled out of the way, while
kicking his foe's feet from under his.

   Still with his eyes closed, he sprang to his feet, walked over to the
still prone figure and plucked the weapon from the stunned man's hand.
Giving a grunt of disgust he again booted the invisible oaf through what
he assumed to be the kitchen portal.

   "Impressive. You handled my valet with ease," Abdul-Ra's voice
drifted too him, laced with approval.

   "Hah! Your valet is a pathetic psycho. Good cook though, if you
don't mind an upset stomach."

   "The poison didn't bother you? I'll have to talk to Random regarding
poisoning guest.  He must know I would simply resurrect you if you died
here. I suppose he's just spiteful."

   "Nah the poison's alright. If I can survive Akane's cooking it'll
take more than a few spices to hurt me. By the way can everyone around
here turn invisible or something?"

   "No, not everyone. Although many of my minions can, it is not unknown
to purchase or acquire a magic item. Random, my valet, for instance has
a ring of invisibility. It's actually fairly harmless as all demons and
most supernatural entities see those invisible." He paused for a moment.
"Well enough of my valet, since you have done me a great favor, what may
I do for you?"

   "I don't really need anything except a way home. Can you get me
there?"

   "I don't see a problem.  Rhada, why don't you wait here, while your
human and I take care of this. I'll be right back and we can continue
our discussion."  Rhada gave a demure smile and blushed.

   Ranma supposed it was possible that there may have been more
happening than what he had seen, they sure were acting funny.

   Abdul-Ra walked through the portal to his right and Ranma followed
closely after.

   "Come back and visit any time," Rhada told him as he left. It was so
nice to have pets once in a while, she thought wistfully.

   When Abdul-Ra came back a few minutes later Rhada asked, "Did things
go well?"

   "Oh yes everything went fine. It's too bad I couldn't do anything
more. As it was I insisted he accept a Raksasha ring in token of my
gratitude."

   "What's that?"

   "It's a ring that allows you to take the shape of any feline."

   "Doesn't he have a severe phobia of cats?"

   A long pause, "I suppose that wasn't the best way to thank him.  I'll
contact Ammit sometime next month and warn him about it. It shouldn't be
a problem, it's not as if you can accidentally activate it."

   "So he is home now?"

   "Yes. I sent him back to Ammit. Next time I see him I'll ask if you
can borrow him. Or if you want we can stop by the Splugorth slave
market and get you another pet."

   Ranma looked around. The sky looked overcast, and he seemed to be on
the bank of a great river surrounded by reeds and other water dwelling
plants. Out in the water logs could be seen floating placidly by. He
ignored them until one of the logs opened an eye and looked at him.
Hungrily.

   Taking a longer look at the logs, Ranma noticed that they all looked
like large versions of Mr. Turtle.

   "This doesn't look like Nerima, unless Kodachi's pond flooded," Ranma
muttered to himself.

Chapter 16

   Ranma kicked a few stones out of his way as he dejectedly wandered
along one of the banks of the river.  This place seemed almost deserted.
It had been a few day and he was losing hope of ever getting home, or
even civilization.  The sun never seemed to rise, but it never seemed to
get truly dark either.  The constant gloom was wearing away at his
optimism.  It wasn't like he was hungry, those big crocodile things were
actually pretty tasty, and had more meat than even he could eat.  Maybe
more than Genma could eat, though it boggled the imagination.

   The crocodiles were large but didn't seem supernatural or evil. They
weren't even very intelligent, wandering into his path until he kicked
them into the river.  He tried to cheer himself up by thinking of it as
training for Mr. Turtle, but considering Mr. Turtle was never a threat
put a damper on what little enthusiasm he could work up.

   The main problem was the time this oppressive place gave him to
think.  Ranma admitted to himself that this wasn't his favorite
activity. He just didn't enjoy silent contemplation. If he had the
choice he would rather train, perform hard physical labor, or even just
meditate on his chi. The only thought exercises he enjoyed were strategy
and tactics. Here he had to keep moving, the crocodiles weren't really
dangerous, but were enough of a threat that he had to pay some small
attention to his surrounding.

   Being forced to think about his situation wasn't helping his mood
either. Sure the gift/bribe he was receiving from Thoth would get rid of
three of his major problems, Cologne and perhaps Happossai, maybe even
his father. This wouldn't help his situation with Shampoo, Ukyo, or
Akane. It wouldn't help Kodachi either, but Ranma was hard pressed to
work up any tears for that raving loon.

   It wasn't that he didn't like the girls, he just wasn't sure if he
loved any of them.  He and Akane had been getting along much better
since he had rescued her from Saffron.  At times he even thought it
might be more than friendship.  Still, he was pretty sure that she was
unaware of how little her hammer strikes and the other objects he was
beaten with on a regular basis, actually hurt.  While he feared her
cooking (except for the curry), he had to admit he now knew more about
toxins than maybe even the old goul, and it had really helped increase
his general resistance. He hardly ever had to go to the hospital to get
his stomach pumped anymore. Still the very fact that she was willing to
inflict what she considered massive amounts of pain, often made him wary
about future relationships with her.

   Shampoo was an enigma. She said she loved him and then drugged, or
spelled him into obliviousness. She knew he was uncontrollably terrified
of cats, yet continued to 'hang' onto him in cat form. Most of his
Neko-ken experiences could be attributed to her.

   During her encounter with the ghost cat she had refused to give up
the enchanted bell, despite the terror he was obviously suffering on her
behalf.  Yet she still helped him when he needed it.  She had even
opposed some of Cologne's schemes to help him.  Of course many times he
only needed help because of her in the first place.  He had few
illusions regarding his plan with Cologne.  Getting the old goul off his
back would make Shampoo even more desperate, especially when it became
obvious that Cologne no longer needed an heir.  She was required to win
him as a husband or kill him.  Killing him in honorable combat had been
beyond her capacity for quite some time now.  It might help resolve his
feelings towards her if he knew if it was just Amazon law behind the
apparent about-face she had undergone, from trying to kill his girl
half, to falling in love with his male half.

   Even Ukyo wasn't immune to these weird fits of violence that seemed
to plague the females in his life.  She had gone from wanting to kill
him, to wanting to marry him in the time it took for him to say she was
cute.  Most of the time she was kind and supportive, but she had her
grimmer moments.  He had long since forgiven her (being almost incapable
of holding a grudge) of crashing his aborted wedding, but she had come
very close to killing people he cared about.  Besides, he still couldn't
seem to think of her as more than a old buddy.

   Without any distractions the situation revolved endlessly within his
mind.  Honor versus love.  Love versus friendship.  The job for Thoth
and championship for Anhur promised to keep him busy and away from
Nerima for large portions of time, but this solution left a bad taste in
his mouth.  He loved his father, but wasn't sure he liked him.  He was
positive he didn't respect him.  He had watched, not always
understanding what was happening, as Genma ran away from one situation
after another.  Most of Ranma's problems could be traced back to his
father, one way or another.  What Ranma feared most (aside from those of
the feline persuasion) was that he would start to run from his problems
and spend the rest of his life in a never-ending retreat.

   It was with some relief that he was jarred from his thoughts by a
rustle of reeds, and the sensation of a presence hurtling at him from
behind.  Grinning in anticipation, he confidently stepped to the side,
allowing his new enemy to hurtle by him, while slamming his fist on the
thing's head as he moved through.  At least that was the plan.  The blow
he aimed at the creatures head merely glanced off the skull, it's skull
being much flatter than he expected.  The tail of the creature whipped
around in passing and slammed into his thigh.  If it wasn't for the
burning agony that spread from this impact he wouldn't have even noticed
the force.

   Leaping back, away from the creature, he looked down at his leg to
gauge the damage and was shocked to see a deep puncture wound seeping a
black fluid.  Beginning to be concerned, he examined his attacker more
closely.  About twenty feet away, turning to face him, was some sort of
humanoid crocodile creature.  The long scaly tail whipping back and
forth behind the creature had a long hooked stinger attached to it.  A
moment passed before he recognized it, a scorpion sting.  He had a
moment to consider than he had never been exposed to scorpion poison
when the first wave of weakness hit him.

   Ranma kept his feet under him through the dizziness, drawing forth
his battle aura in an attempt to stop, or at least slow, the poison's
effects.  He had an enemy to deal with before he could concentrate more
fully on his wound.

   The creature leapt towards him claws outstretched for a raking blow.
Leaping over the creature using his good leg he avoided the first
attack. As he expected the tail, he was able to safety grab the tail as
it sped at his still leaping body. Landing behind the creature, he used
his momentum to swing the monster by his appendage, over his head and
into the ground.  Feeling another wave of weakness, he quickly followed
through with his advantage hitting the creature with several Chestnut
Fists while maintaining his grip on the tail.  Ranma was actually
surprised that it took several blows before the thing slumped into
unconsciousness.

   Ranma was about to slump to the ground in relief when his senses
picked up seven more creatures approaching.  As he turned to face his
new enemies his vision briefly doubled before returning to normal.  Four
of the monsters rushed forward while the remaining three stood back
growling at him and glowering at him in seeming concentration.

   Ranma repeated a variation of his last move, this time tumbling
between the large creatures legs and grabbing the tail in passing. Still
kneeling he swung the lizard into his two companions.

   He had just returned to his feet when he felt an ominous wave of
magic from the three creatures in the rear.  Cursing his failing senses
to have not detected this earlier, Ranma attempted to jump out of the
area where he senses the gathering energies.  He was disappointed, but
not overly surprised when he found his feet firmly attached to the
ground. He'd seen this effect before and he didn't like it at all.

   One of the creatures he'd hit seemed to be down, the other's merely
bruised by the impact.  Seeing how the human was now incapable of
dodging their attacks the three remaining fighters closed in from
different directions.  The effects of the poison seemed to have reached
a plateau, not debilitating him further but far from releasing his body
from it's effects.  He found his vision alternately blurring, doubling,
and clearing.  Despite this he was able to block all the tail strikes
and most of the claw strikes.  The ones he couldn't parry caused long
bleeding cuts, joining the now almost healed marks from his fight with
the Gorgons, and the now forgotten skirmish with the Raksasha.

   The crocodile monsters did not escape unscathed.  Since Ranma had
been concentrating his parries on the tail's and his counterstriked at
what he believed were vital points, two of his opponents tail's lay
trailing brokenly behind them.  Without two of the three scorpion stings
to worry about, he was able to eliminate two more of the opponents
within grappling range.  He made sure that one of these was the one with
the working tail.

   He was about to finish to last lizard thing, when one of the three
who had remained further back growled something at his companion. Taking
this as a signal, the conscious reptile, which Ranma had been fighting,
backed away.  The reptile mage who had done the grunting, waited until
his companion had backed away before completing a gesture.

   A sudden hurricane wind demonstrated what this magic involved. Ranma,
grimly expecting something, was still unable to halt his fall, as his
injured leg collapsed beneath him.  He found all his limbs, except his
right forearm immobilized.  He also noted that his head was free of
restraint.  This was a mixed blessing, as he watched the reptiles
regroup and begin to walk toward him.

   Ranma knew he was still far from helpless.  Most of his options had
been removed, true, but he still had sharper teeth than these creatures
knew.  He could probably take out at least half the opposition with a
barrage of chi blasts.  The problem was he was fairly sure he couldn't
take them all out before they scattered.  The barrage would also reduce
his chi reserve more than he thought he could afford.  He was presently
using a large portion of it merely to keep the more debilitating effects
of his poisoning at bay.  Reducing that too much and unconsciousness was
the least of his worries.  He also doubted he would be able to
accomplish much after that degree of effort, which would again leave him
helpless.

   He hadn't wanted to experiment.  He had theorized about the deeper
ramifications of the techniques he knew, but laying on the ground was
not the condition he had in hoped for when he first tried it.

   Still the move had the potential to take out the entire lizard
brigade at once, and that was the only thing that might save his life.
He also believed the maneuver would be much more energy efficient, if
harder to control, than just throwing energy at the creatures.

   As the lizard's approached he made up his mind.  He didn't like it
but many of his most devastating attacks were developed in midst of a
crisis.  This definitely counted as such.  Gathering the perception he
needed to perform the Breaking Point, he was surrounded by the familiar
web of energy.  Focusing deeper still, he strove to see, not merely the
single points, but the multiple points between himself and the enemy
that might conceivably form a line. Finding such a configuration he
focused his chi, not at the one intersection that was the Breaking
Point, but the point that was the beginning of his line, and passed his
chi through it.

   "Breaking Point Revised, Cascade Avalanche Strike!" Ranma watched in
fascination as the chi burst traveled in almost the exact path he had
predicted.  As the energy traveled through the intersections, wave upon
wave of explosions burst forth, creating a straight line of devastation
as it progressed.  Ranma didn't get the chance to see the end result of
his new technique.  He had barely time to note that a small portion of
the energy he had projected was reflecting back toward him.  His last
sight of the battlefield was the ground around him exploding.

   A portal opened in the air above the silent field.  A large deity
with the form of a human and the head of an ibis, stepped out of the
gateway.  As he stood floating above the carnage he sighed at the
devastation.  A crevasse cut through the ground below him.  Two hundred
feet in length, twenty feet in width and ten feet deep it looked as if
the hand of god had reached down and gouged a furrow through the land.
Thoth was pretty confident it hadn't been him, so he reached out with
his senses.  After a moment the only life signs he detected was at the
bottom of the trench fifty feet from where it began. Sighing again, he
used his psionic abilities to throw the dirt and rocks off the object of
his search.  Minutes later a battered figure was revealed.  Only shallow
breathing showed that it lived.

   "Let's get you out of here.  I don't know how you ended up in Ammit's
back yard, but I think we should leave before he notices your
renovations."

Chapter 17

   Once Ranma had been healed, he was brought to the sitting room where
most of his conversations with Anhur had taken place. Across from him
sat the two deities he spoken with earlier, wearing merely human
proportions.  Ranma was ravenous and was consuming large quantities of
the inexhaustible supply of food and treats laid out on the table.

   ""I have spoken with Ammit. He seems pleased with your performance.
He is also under the impression that Abdul-Ra sent you directly to me. I
chose not to enlighten him," Anhur stated.

   "I don't know how I ended up by that river," Ranma mumbled through a
mouthful of food. "Even if Abdul-Ra thought I wanted to go to Ammit's
home. And what were those crocodile things. They really took me by
surprise.  Not that I couldn't handle then or nothin," Ranma ended
somewhat defensively.

   "You actually were in the area that Ammit calls his home. If you had
truly been one of his minions you could have easily found your way to
Ammit's lair. It was probably just as well that he didn't send you
directly there. There seems to be some hostility between the two of you.
If he had thought you were beyond either my, or Thoth's protection, he
might have taken steps to eliminate what he thought as an irritant."

   "I would have found out relatively quickly, but I may have been too
late.  Gods have ways of permanently losing things or entities. I may
not have been able to recover you," Thoth clarified.

   "The crocodile creatures are a race named Tautons. They are general
minions used by the pantheon of Set. I have my own adherants that I use,
but the Tautons have there place. As for Ammit, I understand you had
some difficulty dealing with Ammit when he was summoned. On his own
plane he is significantly more powerful. It would have been a short
conflict," Anhur warned. Ranma responded with a sullen silence.

   "Anyway, you have completed your errand for Ammit.  It is time to
send you home so you may begin your preparations for my task.  My
mission is not as clear-cut as Ammit's was and will likely require some
degree of scouting and exploration before we even have enough
information to be proactive," Thoth added cheerfully.

   "Um, I'll need that circle information for Cologne.  What if she
tries to get out of our deal?  She's kind of tricky.  I mean I think she
has some sort of honor, but with those Amazon laws of hers there's no
way of really telling how she'll react," Ranma said with a belated sense
of caution.

   "Don't worry," Thoth stated as he handed Ranma a small booklet.  The
cover seemed to be made of some sort of silvery metal with a strange,
almost hypnotic design on the cover.  The pages inside the book were
penned in precise strokes, the pages having a smooth silky texture that
tingled when touched.  "These are the directions I have written for the
circle.  Before you give Cologne the book, describe to her the terms of
the agreement.  When she accepts the books, the magic I imbued into this
will enforce the contract."

   "What if she grabs the book before we finish talking?"

   "That would be unfortunate.  For her.  The enchantment will force
anyone who uses this book, or willingly has this book used for them to
come under the contract."

   "Then why do I need her agreement?"

   "The enchantment is powerful. It would be unfair to inflict these
conditions on someone unwillingly. However, if she attempts to steal the
book the consequences will be on her head. The contract is simple,
whoever accepts this book or magic must teach you, to the best of their
ability, any martial arts skills they know. It's quite an overwhelming
compulsion. I even consulted with the Greek pantheon, as they are known
in your dimension, to be sure it could effectively bind the Amazons,"
Thoth explained, nodding in satisfaction.

   "Greek Pantheon?" Ranma asked, confused by the apparent change of
subject.

   "Well, the Amazons have their origins in ancient Greece. Although
they have migrated over the millennia to China and the Gods that they
acknowledge have slowly changed, I was still able to get a reasonable
idea of their nature by asking Athena.  While I was there I also spoke
with Hecate, she is quite a pleasure to converse with.  I might have
spoken regarding our problems with Hecate but she seems... a bit focused
on other things," Thoth stated distractedly, obviously about to go off
on a tangent.

   "She's a power obsessed power mad psycho. I suggest you leave her out
of your discussions." Anhur interrupted, aware of the pending signs of
Thoth's distraction. "Suffice to say the willing acceptance or use of
the book will have the desired results,"

   "There's nothing wrong with the pursuit of knowledge," the God of
Knowledge stated defensively. "Though I admit she does tend to pay more
attention to things that give her power... " Thoth trailed off,
realizing that Anhur probably had a point. "She's still a fascinating
conversationalist."

   Ranma's attention had wandered away from the conversation and back to
the food.  He didn't know or care about some Greek girls named Diana or
Athena, and Hecate just sounded like a sneeze. A prickle of remembrance
motivated him to ask Anhur, "Hey, that Demon Book you gave me, how come
it didn't list the Raksasha?"

   "We know how nervous you get about felines, I didn't want to
aggravate your condition," Anhur smoothly answered.

   "Well... don't do it again. If I'd known that I was going to meet a
bunch of demon cats I would have been wearing that amulet you gave me,"
he still shivered at the memory of those hideous cats.  At least Anhur's
Ramman servant's didn't go out of their way to terrify him.

   "So you're not going to tell me anything about what you want me to
do?"  Ranma inquired of Thoth.

   "Not the details.  There are still some thing I need to find out
about before I decide where to send you to scout things out. I should
know more specifics by the time you finish your training. I can give you
a little background on who and what the Old Ones are, if you like."

   "Will it take long?"

   "I'll try not to take up to much of your time," Thoth returned with
some irony before continuing. "In the beginning of the Multiverse eight
Intellegences were formed from the very fabric of space and time. These
were the Old Ones. They were the first, and greatest of the
Intellegences. Because they are a fundamental part of the multiverse,
they are very much indestructible." After a moment of thought, he
clarified, "Or rather, in order to destroy them you would run a large
risk of taking what we know as reality with it.

   Unfortunately, these entities were not benevolent. Each one seemed to
embody some negative aspect of the emotional spectrum. There was Xy, who
was Power incarnate. He was the greatest among the Old Ones. Al-Vil, who
embodied envy and jealousy. Erva represented darkness and death. Netosa
was eternal suffering, despair, and undeath. Tarm-kin-toe, who was
synonymous with hatred and treachery, vengeance and pain. Ya-ahk-met,
whose dominions was the blind quest for power and light. Ya-blik, a
connoisseur of pestilence, betrayal and pain." Unnoticed by Thoth, his
voice turned bitter as he spoke of Ya-Blik, and Al-Vil. "The last one,
Agu, was a bit of a deviant, for an Old One. He actually enjoyed the
emotions of life, birth and rebirth. If he hadn't actively supported the
others, there wouldn't have been any need for his defeat. These
creatures created many lifeforms that we know of today," after a moment
of sad contemplation, perhaps remembrance, Thoth continued, "they also
exterminated many whose memory has passed from us."

   "As I said, they used the other, lesser races as their playthings.
They fed off the negative emotions of those they tortured.  Consuming
the energies released by such activities, when nothing more could be
extracted they consumed the body and then the soul of their victims. The
known dimensions were all under their dominion, and such universal hell
was the lot of all the mortal, and many of the immortal races."

   "These creatures were powerful but not omniscient, or omnipotent.
They created many powerful servants, who are now known as the gods of
today. There were also many Intellegences, lesser in power, but still
not to be trifled with. These Intellegences were forced into service as
well, reluctantly bowing to their distant, more powerful kin."

   "What's the difference between Intellegences and god's?" Ranma asked,
confused by the terms.

   "Gods are entities of magic. As mortal are made up of atoms, gods are
made up of the life energy, or magic of the universe. Although many were
created by the Old Ones, others were made by the lesser Intellegences,
some even were called into existence by mortal races, around whose
focused belief coalesced the manifestation of their faith. Gods are
simple in theory to bring into existence, less so to control." Thoth
chuckled darkly. "Few who have created Gods have long remained in
control of them, whether the superstitious mortals, the lesser
Intellegences... even the Old Ones. Intellegences are mostly weaker
relations of the Old Ones. They share some benefits from being so
closely intertwined to the fabric of reality. They are for instance very
durable, although fortunately only the Old Ones were nigh
indestructible. They are not as strong as most gods are on their home
plane, but an Intellegences power does not fluctuate depending on it's
location or number of worshippers, and on neutral ground an
Intellegence's power will most likely be greater. Some, like the
Splugorth, are a whole race of significant number, others are alone and
unique.  Most tend to be hostile to mortal life-forms and highly
territorial. Deities do have the advantage of generally having a higher
degree of magical skill, and although a last resort and costly, our
Diefic powers can be terrible weapons. I think Ammit may have
demonstrated this to you."

   "... "

   "Getting back to the subject.  The Old Ones had few allies, even
their weaker cousins... especially their weaker cousins, loathed the
submission and servitude forced upon them.  When Xy, the greatest of
them mysteriously disappeared, a movement coalesced.  This movement was
composed of most of the Intellegences and gods, the ancient races such
as the dragon, titan and elves.  Even the infernal powers known today as
demons and deevils joined in the rebellion. That was over a hundred
thousand years ago," Thoth seemed lost in thought for a moment, while
Anhur hands twitched as he relived ancient battles.

   "When the struggle was over, many races had been wiped from the face
of reality.  The noble Titans were reduced to a fraction of their
previous numbers, whole pantheons were destroyed.  But we prevailed."

   "You are too modest.  You were pivotal in the struggle against the
Old Ones," Anhur stated grimly.

   "I may have designed the final enchantments, but it was Lictalin,
Lokum, and Kym-nark-mar who completed the great spell.

   "If destroying the Old Ones destroys the universe, how come we're
still here," Ranma asked, struggling to stay focused.  Only the epic
struggle keeping his attention engaged.

   "We didn't... couldn't... destroy them. We placed them in an
enchanted slumber. The most powerful entities still in existence
periodically check and maintain these bonds. It is usually merely to
keep them from degenerating due to age, and the unconscious flexing of
their captives.  After all, who in their right minds would willingly
free them?" Thoth shook his head in wonder. "Still, it appeared it has
happened. I have found several of the enchantments weakened. I could
easily strengthen them, but then whoever tampered with them in the first
place would find another, perhaps more subtle means to sabotage the
bindings. Ways I may not be able to neutralize as easily."

   Ranma stared at the ibis headed god, "So... how can I effect this. I
know I'm good, but this seems a little... much."

   "We need a mortal agent to go places we cannot go without causing our
prey to detect us and go to ground.  You are powerful for a mortal, but
still a mortal.  With certain training you will be more powerful yet.
You can also effectively hide your power level and aura."

   "But the way of the quiet thief are sealed... " Ranma protested.

   "That is the extreme effect of hiding your aura, but even without
resorting to that, you can damp your aura to that of a normal human
without crippling your power too much.  I suggest you use the circle I
gave you to 'convince' your father to unseal his techniques. You will
need every advantage possible against our unknown opponent."

   "So basically I'm a spy?" Ranma asked, not pleased at being reduced
to such a dishonorable role, regardless of the necessity.

   "Spy, catspaw, bait. You will play any role needed to prevent some
idiot or maniac from reawakening the Old Ones. The multiverse is not a
paradise. There are some corners of reality that are true horrors to
behold. Still they are relatively small portions. When the Old Ones
ruled, every dimension, every world suffered under their heel. What we
have is not perfect but it is infinitely preferable."

   Thoth stood, "If you have no further questions, I need to research
our problem. When I find somewhere for you to begin our search I will
come for you. You should have plenty of time to pursue your studies, the
entities responsible seem adept at covering their trail."

   With a short nod the Lord of Wisdom faded from view.

   "Looks like you may have irritated him a bit. Don't worry about it.
Remembering the time of the Old Ones tends to rile Thoth up a bit. He's
too easy going to remain that way long. We would have lost if it hadn't
been for his spell. We were losing, slowly but surely. Then Thoth
appeared. He didn't remember where he came from, but that's not unusual
for gods. Most likely some library of researchers and scholars prayed
him into existence. Whatever his origin he came into existence knowing
more than anyone short of the Old Ones themselves.

   Thoth, together with Lictalin the elf, Lokum the angel, and Kym-nark-
mar the Dragon designed and implemented the final enchantment. I'm not
sure about the others, but Thoth was accepted by Osiris into our
pantheon, and I believe Kym-nark-mar along with his fellow dragon's
ascended into their present Dragon-God status."

   "How is that different from a god?"

   "Ancient dragons often rival a god in sheer power. Imagine and
ancient dragon who has shuffled off the dragon's semi-mortal coil and
ascended to their equivalent of godhood."

   "Powerful?"

   "Yes.  Very.  However, I suppose the DragonWright pantheon earned
it's position.  Most races of dragon are not social creatures, they work
terribly together.  Before Kym-nark-mar and his fellows wrestled control
of our dragon allies, they were nothing more than loose cannons.  Many
dragons died merely by rushing in by themselves, or simply ignoring
orders.  There was one particularly grisly instance where two males fell
to fighting over territory and domination in the middle of a heated
combat.  They died of course.  Good riddance."

   "Dragons sound really stupid," Ranma said with disgust.

   "Not really.  One-on-one they can be very wise.  Get two or more
males together longer than a few hours and you should be prepared to
bury one of them.  Females are more stable, but still don't work well
together."  Anhur's eyes glowed with pleasure.  "But when led by
Kym-nark-mar, never have I seen such an incredible army at work.  Truly,
it was one of the turning points in the war.  We were losing quite badly
until then.  Afterward... well we were still losing, but it was an
organized, slow retreat, rather than a rout."  After a moment of silence
he continued, "But enough of that war, it was glorious, but it long
over.  With a bit of good fortune and planning we should never have to
see an Old One awake."

   "Can I go home now?" Ranma tired of always being in a strange
dimension.

   "There is one last thing you need to do before you go.  Do you still
wish to accept the role of my champion?" a serious glint in his eye.

   "Uh... sure?" Ranma said, somewhat lacking in his usual confidence.

   "Then simply state that you accept my authority over your actions."

   "Well, as long as you don't ask me to do any thing dishonorable,"
Ranma qualified, oblivious to the now glowing deity.

   "Stop questioning my honor!  You dirt hugging mortal!"  The war god
shook as he tried to control his anger and not do something unwise like
burn the silly nit to ash.

   "Alright!  Alright!  You gods sure are touchy.  Sheesh.  Okay I
accept your authority," Ranma said attempting to placate the angry god.

   "Fine.  You are now my champion," Anhur growled through gritted
teeth, finally successfully reigning in his temper.

   "That's it?  Shouldn't there be a light show or something?" Ranma
asked somewhat disappointed.

   "Yes.  That's it.  You now have a direct link to me.  It's not as if
you are gaining godly powers, after all, you're simply borrowing mine.
To access them simply concentrate on me and ask what it is you wish. The
same applies for the dimension teleportation, except you simply picture
the location you wish to go and state that by MY power you will go
there.  Unlike a direct request for my attention I probably won't notice
your use of this ability so be wary... "

   "By Anhur's power take me home!" Ranma interrupted, shouting
excitedly.  Then he promptly vanished.  Leaving behind a very irritated
war god.


   Ranma looked around.  Well there were humans, although most of them
seemed to be Caucasian.  They weren't wearing any fancy alien garments,
so it was probably the correct dimension.  This was supported by the
cars going by on the street.  Of course the cars were driving on the
wrong side of the street.  Turning to look behind him he observed a
large expanse of water behind him.  On an island off in the water, was a
familiar blue green statue of a woman holding a torch.

   He was just opening his mouth to curse, when he felt a heavy blow to
the back of his head.  Leaping away, he turned to face the direction of
the blow.

   An angry looking Anhur stood in all his armored glory.  "Are you an
idiot, or merely an imbecile.  I told you it would take a large amount
of practice before you could properly travel.  Do you really want to
spend the next few months randomly hopping around the world until Thoth
fetches you?"

   "No," Ranma said is a subdued tone.  "Er, how did you find me so
quickly?"

   Okay, he's an idiot, Anhur sighed to himself in exasperation.

   "Normally I wouldn't notice, but since you did use MY powers to
teleport in front of me, it was a simple matter to find where MY power
sent you."

   "Oh, yeah.  I guess that makes sense."

   "I'm glad you find my logic acceptable.  I will send you home now,"
and good riddance, "I suggest you study and memorize the book before you
give it to Cologne.  Even though Cologne will be compelled to teach you
it will increase your options should she attempt other strong arm
tactics."

   "Isn't that kind of stuff hard to learn?"

   "You don't have to be able to use it.  Memorize it so you can give
accurate directions to a qualified user of magic.  Someday you may be
able to use it yourself, but until you can, keep in mind the smallest
error could kill you or transform you into something far worse than a
girl."

   Without further warning Anhur opened a portal and pushed Ranma
through.  With any luck Thoth's little mission would take a few decades.
Ranma needed time to mature into an effective champion.  If Anhur saw
the infuriating martial artist, or for that matter any martial artist
from Nerima, before then he refused to be held responsible for any acts
of destruction that might ensue.

   Sighing in relief, he was about to transport himself to his own
domain when he heard a familiar voice behind him speaking ancient
Egyptian.

   "Excuse me.  Could you tell me how to get to the Tendo Dojo?"

Chapter 18

   The first thing Ranma saw as he stepped through the portal into the
Tendo home was Nabiki.  She sat at the living room table staring with a
silly grin at a small pile of yellow coins in front of her.

   Ranma couldn't understand why this struck him as inherently wrong
until he realized he had never seen Nabiki so happy before.  This was
bad.  A happy Nabiki meant many other unhappy people.

   He was taken further aback when Nabiki looked up at him, her grin
becoming marginally wider.  "Ranma, we're so happy to see you back.  Why
don't you go to the Dojo.  Akane's in there, and I think she has
something she wants to show you," she purred idly stacking the coins in
neat rows.

  "S.s.sure Nabiki.  Anything you say," Ranma stuttered nervously,
carefully backing away from the happy girl.  As soon as he was out of
sight Nabiki dived for the phone, clicking on the quick dial.

   "Ukyou, how much would you pay to be the first to receive some very
important information?" He would have been almost relieved to see her
acting in a more typical fashion.  Almost.

   When Ranma reached the Dojo he heard the thump of feet, and
shuffling.  Wondering who could be in the room sparing with Akane, he
opened the door.  He saw a female figure hurtling towards him.  He
instinctively moved to cushion the impact of the person landing on him.
This had unfortunate consequences as he noticed an angry Akane glaring
at him.  "Er, hi Akane.  Long time, no see," Ranma chirped.

   "Ranma!  You're alive!  I'm so happy to see you survived!  I was so
worried!"  Ranma did a double take, not expecting such emotion from the
Tomboy.  An odd feeling of tension overcame him as he realized the voice
had come from the girl in his arms rather than Akane.

   "Ranma!  I can't believe you!  You're back five minutes and you're
already fondling all the girls around you!"  A now glowing Akane stalked
towards him, her favorite hammer in a ready position.

   Ranma looked down to see a familiar face, alarmingly close to his.
"Jenn?  What are you doing here?  I thought you were staying with the
monks?" a shocked Ranma asked.  "How did you get here?  You aren't even
from this dimension!"

   "You can stop groping her, you pervert!" Akane shouted as she slammed
her hammer down on Ranma's head. "Erk, sure!  I mean I didn't mean
nothin by it.  I mean... "

   Ranma, now aware of the embarrassing manner he had been holding Jenn,
quickly put her on feet.  He hadn't taken any notice of the impact from
Akane's weapon.  His brain was too frozen in shock to even pretend it
had hurt.

   He was a still a little too slow, from behind him a new voice
carried, "Ranma, you have finally arrived.  Now we can return to my
father's kingdom and marry... what are you doing with that lowborn tramp
in your arms.  I knew you were after my Ranma.  Training, bah. I should
have realized it for the pathetic excuse it was.  Prepare to die, you
little harridan!"  The poised declaration of love, slipping into a
screech of rage.

   "Cindra?  But... How... Why... How..." Ranma sputtered.

   "You brought back two new fiances?  This is a new low even for you!"
Akane shouted, oblivious to the fact she herself had thrown Jenn into
Ranma's arms.

   "Ranma honey, I'm so glad you're back," the voice of a brown haired
chef drifted in from the main house.

   "Shampoo glad too!  Now we go back to China and live in village.
Yes?"

   A hail of sharp objects flew over his head, as Ranma tried to absorb
the events taking place around him.  "Ranma!  I will not let you molest
my Shampoo.  I will defeat you... " the voice would cut off as the thud
and crash of a body slamming through a wall was heard. Ranma was at a
loss.  He was sure there was an important reason he had come back to
Nerima, but at the moment it escaped him.

   Hades seemed like a nice place to visit in comparison.  Sunny, green,
only one incompetent psycho, and a few cat demons after him.  Hmm,
Abdul-Ra seemed to like him.  Perhaps a short visit would be in order.

   Still pondering the wisdom of a vacation, he ran out a newly created
Ranma sized doorway in the wall of the doorway and ran as if there were
a pack of Raksasha chasing him down the street.

   He passed Kasumi sweeping the walkway, as he exited.  "Oh, Ranma.
You're back.  How nice!  And you brought you're friends.  Be sure to be
back in time for dinner," she called out pleasantly.

   He was slowly out pacing the large, expanding mob following him when
a portal opened over his head and a mangled, a bruised Ryouga fell on
top of the fleeing martial artist.  "Ranma!  This is all your fault!"
croaked the injured lost boy as he temporarily pinned a very surprised
Ranma beneath him.

   He was incapacitated just long enough for the mob to catch up with
the tangle of limbs, laying in the street.  For quite some time
afterward, they took turns alternately beating and hugging, kissing and
killing a very confused pigtailed martial artist.  It was an interesting
welcome home.


   Ranma trudged through the kitchen wearily.  It was the next morning
and he still ached from the beating he had been subjected to.
Fortunately, he had been able to discourage his father from wasting too
much of his time this morning by a few well placed kicks to the head.

   "Morning Kasumi.  What's for breakfast?"

   "Oh...just the usual... "

   "Hey!  Wait a minute!  I almost forgot!  I got some spices that the
people in the market said you might find interesting," he immediately
reached in to subspace and grabbed it to give to the oldest Tendo girl.
He realized he had been a little bit hasty when he found himself holding
on to a brush that seemed intent on battering the already bruised boy.

   "Oh, how nice a brush.  I can never have to many of these,"

   Kasumi said, and reached for the wildly gyrating cleaning instrument
before Ranma could stop her. He was relieved and immensely surprised
when the brush lapsed into calmness at her touch.  "It was very
thoughtful you.  Oooh, look!  It even cleans by itself.  What a helpful
brush." Ranma looked on in wonderment as the brush began to polish the
floor around them.

   "Well you know me.  Always thinking about others," Ranma modestly
acknowledged.  "Look I have even more," he said as he began pulling the
annoying tools, one at a time from storage.  Just as the first one did,
each struggled until touched by Kasumi, whereupon it would begin
cleaning the area around it as directed by her.

   "Oh, and here's the spices, too.  I got some for Ukyou and Shampoo,
too," he magnanimously added.  A wide smile was spread across his face,
he hadn't realized how irritating those things had felt until he had
removed them all from storage.

   "What about Akane?"

   "Well I wanted the spices to be used as a force for good... " he
didn't finish as a mallet slammed into the side of his head.  "Oh, hi
Akane."  The girl in question growled in frustration at having her
strongest blows ignored.

   "Well what about me?" she growled, jealousy oozing from her.

   "Well I got this for you along the trail to the Timiro Kingdom,"
Ranma said as he drew out a large war hammer. Even in the morning light
a slight blue shimmer seemed to cling to the mirrored metal surface. He
didn't mention the huge ogre who was it's previous owner. He figured if
a weakling like him could effectively wield the large weapon, Akane with
her sheer brute strength could easily handle it. For once he kept silent
in regards to his opinion. Weapons weren't for real martial artist, but
hey, if someone wanted to rely on tools, fine, let them.

   "It... it's beautiful.  Thank you," Akane said hugging her gift.
Ranma was glad he had taken the time to clean the dried blood and mud
off of it.

   "Yep.  I figured a violent Tomboy like you could handle it if anyone
could," Ranma said without thought, inevitably losing his war with his
mouth.

   "Die Ranma!" Akane's hammer blow was accompanied by a huge thunder
crash as the hammer's enchantment augmented her blow. Wow, Ranma thought
from deep inside his impact crater, that actually hurt. A lot. Maybe
giving her an enchanted mallet wasn't the smartest thing to do. Gotta
admit, she sure looks cute with it.

   Later in the day Ranma slipped away from the house.  He had studied
the circle book all night and this morning.  He was confident he could
explain the procedure in exquisite detail.  It was now time to confront
Cologne.

   Entering the Nekohanton, he looked around the cafe.  Not many
customers.  That was good, fewer distractions.  "Hey!  Old gou... er...
Cologne!  I need to talk to you."

   "Oh Ranma!  You date with Shampoo?" the purple haired blur asked as
she attached herself to her husband.

   "Er... no.  I need to talk to Cologne.  It's really important.  Oh
yeah, here's a gift.  I would have given it to you yesterday, but I was
kinda occupied."  Ranma handed her the scabbarded flaming sword he had
taken from a guard.

   "Very nice!  Ahh!," Shampoo dropped the sword as it burst into
flames.  Ranma deftly caught the blade by the handle and returned it to
her.

   "Yah, and if you point it at something and say the word Acba, it
shoots fireballs," Ranma nonchalantly stated.

   "Ooh, Shampoo so happy!  Acba!" she said, promptly pointing it at an
innocently sweeping Mousse.  She watched in enjoyment as he flew in a
graceful arc out of the window.  Sheathing the sword she promptly hugged
Ranma again.

   "Greetings, son-in-law.   I see you have been to some interesting
places.  It is fortunate you found your way back, I was worried you
would be lost forever.  I wasn't making much progress finding you."

   "Gou... Cologne.  I need to talk with you.  Alone.  I have something
you might find interesting."

   "Hmm... Shampoo, take care of the customers.  Son-in-law and I will
be in the back."

--*--

   "I acquired something that might interest you.  Probably enough that
we can come to some sort of arrangement," Ranma nervously began.

   "What kind of arrangement, son-in-law?"

   "I have a book that gives precise instructions on the creation of a
circle that would restore youth to the user."

   "Hmm.  Really now, son-in-law, do you really expect me to believe
this without proof?"

   "After we agree on terms, I'll give you the book.  If it is not
magic, you can give it back and everything we agreed upon can just be
forgotten.  You can't lose." Ranma stated gaining some confidence as he
laid out his argument.

   "We'll see if I can't lose after you say what you're after, son-
in-law."

   "Well, um, it's simple really.  I'm going on a mission for a god
soon... "

   "God?" Cologne interrupted skeptically.

   "Yeah, Thoth, God of Wisdom. He gave me this book for the sole reason
of getting you, Happossai, and Pops,  to train me in everything you know
about martial arts. Says I'll need them."

   "Alright, sonny boy let's see this enchanted book," she said raising
an eyebrow.

   "Well, all right.  Don't touch the book before we come to an
agreement. It will enforce the contract between us."

   "Just how do you know this person you were talking to was a god?  You
aren't really stupid, son-in-law, but you do lack somewhat in wisdom."

   "Well, he said he was," Cologne snorted, and he continued, "he cast
some spells, teleported at will, was about twenty feet tall, and has the
head of a really big bird." Cologne was silent, absorbing the odd
information.

   "He was pals with Anhur, another god, who made me his champion.  I
can now teleport too.  It ain't that accurate though.  I think I ended
up in England or Germany somewhere.  Oh, he also said I could speak any
language."

   "It that true?" Cologne asked in Chinese.

   "Well, I guess so I haven't had a chance to find out yet. I also took
this amulet from the guy who summoned me. And it seems to do the same
thing, so who knows," Ranma said, oblivious to the fact he was speaking
in perfect Mandarin.

   "Well it seems you have had a few adventures while you were gone,
son-in-law." She wasn't quite sure if she believed him, but Ranma was a
notoriously poor liar. He obviously believed what he said. It wouldn't
hurt to humor him, even if he turned out to be deluded.  "You can tell
me about them later. What are you're terms."

   "Well, as I said I want training in all the techniques you know and
your help to convince Happossai and Pops to teach me everything they
know. The use of the circle for myself, my family and my friends. Oh,
and you also don't support Shampoo in her hunt for me or take any action
against me."

   "That's quite a bit, son-in-law. Although I am the Matriarch of my
tribe, I'm not sure I could promise all that."

   "C'mon Cologne. I ain't stupid. You need an heir, bad. You and
Happossai are over three hundred years old. I know you're getting
desperate for someone suitable. With this you wouldn't need Shampoo so
bad."

   "Do you really hate my granddaughter so badly?"

   "No!  Look, I know she's in a really bad situation. But the first
time I saw her she's trying to kill me, the next thing I know she loves
me. Those laws of yours are stupid. I mean really, if I beat her once,
and she promises to hunt me down, what's to keep me from killing her the
next time I see her. I mean if I fought women. Don't you lose a lot of
warriors that way?"

   "We did in the beginning. The law encourages the Amazons to be the
best. Eventually we were. It wasn't made for the likes of you though. I
must admit though, I'm the only Amazon that stands a chance against you
in combat. Would my leading the tribe into the future be worth creating
someone I most likely wouldn't be able to defeat? What if you turn
against us in the future?  What if you teach our enemies our secrets?"
she sighed wearily, if Ranma hadn't been fooled these were very serious
issues.

   "I... I could promise not teach anyone your techniques without your
permission. You know I keep my word. And I wouldn't attack your
village... unless you did something really, really horrible to me or my
friends. I don't think you'd do that."

   "True. Such an action on my part would be unwise, but you'd still be
a loose cannon."

   "Well, what if I promise to help defend your village. You know that
not much can stand up to me. Especially after you train me. I mean
defend, too. If you go off and attack someone on your own, I ain't
lifting a finger. I'm no trained attack dog for no one," his conscience
twinged as he thought of his deal with Anhur.

   "Keep in mind that my not actively supporting Shampoo isn't going to
stop her. The law states she must win you or face punishment. Even If I
had a hundred more years as Matriarch, it would be difficult to change
the law."

   "Ha! With this circle you'll have more than a hundred. I'll try to
keep the situation as stable as possible until you do. It'll probably
help that my patrons will probably be sending me all over the place for
a very long time," Ranma grumbled, halfway looking forward to it.

   "I couldn't guarantee Happy's aid. He does what he wants. He always
has," she said sadly.

   "If you dangle youth in front of him I know he'll leap at it. It will
be a pain dealing with him as a young pervert, but with both of you
training me, I could do it. Besides, if you use the magic of the book on
him he'll be under contract to teach me too."

   "Just how powerful is this 'contract'?" Cologne asked suspiciously.

   "I don't know.  It was created by Thoth. He said he also asked some
Greek girls for advice."

   "Greek girls," Cologne's eyelid twitched.

   "Yah, Atheta, or Arena, or maybe Athena," Cologne's staff creaked
under the strain she unconsciously placed it. "Yeah that was it, Athena.
The other one was like a sneeze... er, Hecate!" Ranma stated
triumphantly.  Cologne's staff snapped.

   "I suppose that would be fairly powerful, then. Athena is the Greek
Goddess of wisdom and war. Hecate was one of the Titan precursors to the
Greek gods. She was the Mistress of magic. Although the Amazons no
longer actively honor these gods, they are known to me."

   "So what about it?"

   "Hmm, that leaves only your father.  As weak a willed ninny as any
male I've ever seen. I don't think we'll have a problem getting him to
agree to train you in those 'forbidden' techniques, and giving you his
blessings to use them," she said with disdain.

   "Well, he may be pathetic, but he is my Pop," Ranma rallied a weak
defense.

   "My apologies, son-in-law. You have my agreement. Training, no
interference with your relationship with my granddaughter or with your
friends, and help convincing the two deviants... "

   "Hey!"

   "... to fully train you. If what you say is true, regarding the book,
that should not be much of a problem. In return you will give me the
enchantment of youth, your aid in defense of our village, and your
promise to not pass on our secrets to outsiders without permission."

   "Alright!"

   "So be it. I still hope that someday my granddaughter will succeed in
her goal, future-son-in-law. Now give me the book."

Chapter 19

   Jenn smiled as she handed a puzzled Ranma the wooden box. She had
completed her errand for the Master of her Order. She almost skipped as
she went off to the Dojo to train with Akane. She hoped she would be
able to train with Ranma sometime in the near future too. Akane was
moody since Ranma had come back but she didn't seem to hold the earlier
incident against her. It was good to be alive.

   Elsewhere an old man received a mystic warning. He gathered his
crimson and gold robes around him and stood. Now that the tracer was in
the target's possession he could start to initiate some of his
contingency plans. The plans of the Emperor would not be delayed much
longer.

   "That's quite a generous offer," 'Zar spoke carefully to the deevil,
being sure to avoid eye contact with the creature within the circle.
"And in return all your mistress wants is the general coordinates of his
home plane?"

   "Yes," the creature hissed.

   "Okay, we have an agreement," the summoner eagerly agreed.

   He didn't know why this deevil's Master was interested in the
information.  He didn't really care. Ranma had been dragged away by
Ammit, and regardless of what he told the others, he was most likely
dead or worse. If he could turn a nice profit, magically speaking, he
didn't see the harm in dealing with a few Gorgons. There's a reason most
people believe that summoners are insane.

Here ends Part One of the Journey
Started 02-12-99
finished 03-16-99
Revision 1

Please send any question or comments to daniel.ruth@worldnet.att.net

The newest version of this story can be found at
http://home.att.net/~daniel.ruth

My author's note and updates http://home.att.net/~daniel.ruth/Author.htm

My explanation of Palladium/Rifts history
http://home.att.net/~daniel.ruth/Pallnote.htm

My attempt at describing the Nerima Martial Artist in Palladium/Rifts
terms http://home.att.net/~daniel.ruth/Nerima.html